Chapter 301: Storming the County Hall, County Governor Li Hong!

Chapter 301: Storming the County Hall, County Governor Li Hong!



2024-10-31

Luo Shui County.

The Inner City.

On a rooftop located five hundred meters away from the County Hall.

Jiang Ning stood quietly on the edge of the roof, her hands empty.

Heavy snow fell on her head, silently melting.

Her gaze remained fixed on the direction of the County Hall.

From this elevated position, despite the snowstorm, she could clearly see the crowd surrounding the County Hall as planned.

At this moment, Hong Minghu, dressed in a tight-fitting black outfit, stepped through the soft snow and approached the entrance of the County Hall.

"Who goes there!" The two guards at the entrance, stamping their feet against the cold, shouted upon seeing Hong Minghu.

However, their voices were filled with a palpable sense of timidity.

Hong Minghu's attire was noticeably thin for the winter weather.

Wearing only a single layer, his chest partially exposed and arms bare, he braved the cold winter snowstorm.

Under normal circumstances, anyone dressed like this would have frozen to death on the side of the road.

How could they possibly appear at the entrance of the County Hall?

Not to mention Hong Minghu's formidable aura, which had been cultivated over the past few months.

The mere hint of his power in his eyes and brows was enough to make the two guards at the entrance tremble with fear.

Their eyes darted away, unable to meet his gaze.

"Hong Minghu!" Hong Minghu spoke calmly.

Ignoring the guards' intentions, he strode up the steps.

The two guards shuddered, not daring to make a sound.

The guards at the entrance knew better than to provoke certain individuals. They understood who could be trifled with and who could not.

Hong Minghu's name had spread throughout Luo Shui County months ago.

Although they had never seen his face, his name had become as familiar as thunder.

Immediately, the two guards quickly stepped aside.

Even though they sensed Hong Minghu's ill intentions, they dared not show any disrespect.

Their monthly salary of two silver taels wasn't worth risking their lives!

At the same time.

Hong Minghu stepped over the threshold of the County Hall's main entrance and entered the front courtyard.

On the other side.

Jiang Ning's gaze fell upon Hong Minghu.

As Hong Minghu entered the County Hall, she closed and opened her eyes, instantly activating her Heavenly Eye.

With a sweep of her Heavenly Eye, she pierced through the obstruction of the building and saw County Governor Li Hong handling official duties in his study.

After hearing his subordinate's report, Li Hong, dressed in a plain gray outfit, immediately stood up, his face slightly changing, his expression uncertain.

The next moment.

He heard the approaching commotion and the increasingly heavy footsteps.

Without hesitation, he moved the chair behind him and walked towards the study door.

As soon as he entered the study, he saw Hong Minghu appearing from the corner, right before his eyes.

"Hong, you are the master of the Inspection Office. What is your intention here?" Li Hong's expression turned solemn, seemingly displeased.

"Lord Li!" Hong Minghu spoke calmly, then smiled: "You've been hiding quite deeply! The Deputy Leader of the Worship God Sect!!"

Upon hearing these words, the people in the courtyard slightly changed, and Li Hong's face turned solemn.

"Your words require evidence."

"Evidence?" Hong Minghu laughed: "My words are the evidence. Come with me, and I'll naturally present the evidence to you!"

"Arrogant!!"

"I'll show you my arrogance!" Hong Minghu's gaze intensified.

The next moment.

Boom—

Standing at a distance on the rooftop, Jiang Ning instantly witnessed Hong Minghu's powerful move, causing the building behind Li Hong to collapse, instantly burying him.

"His inner breath is so vast, surpassing even mine. What external force could have such an effect?"

Seeing this scene in the County Hall, Jiang Ning's expression changed, revealing her surprise.

According to her knowledge, Hong Minghu had reached the Fifth Stage Inner Fortitude, achieving this through external assistance.

Now, he had a new understanding and realized the exceptional nature of Hong Minghu.

Such an immense Inner Breath, it was clearly above his own.

One must know that a long time ago, his Inner Breath had already reached the level of a river, which meant more than ten years of power.

After such a long period of accumulation, although his Inner Breath hadn't reached the level of thirty years of power, it was at the level of a sea.

It wasn't far off, and it wouldn't be long before he felt that the total amount of his Inner Breath would reach another level, achieving the level of a sea.

This meant that even if his current Inner Breath hadn't reached thirty years of power, it still had more than twenty years of power.

At this moment, Hong Minghu's unleashed Inner Breath was clearly above Jiang Ning's.

This indicated that Hong Minghu's Inner Breath had reached the level of a sea.

"Inner Breath like a sea, surpassing mine."

"An external object can have such an effect, no wonder Hong Minghu and the others ignored He Jinyun's reckless actions and killings. They stood by and watched as they killed innocent people!"

Seeing this scene, Jiang Ning also understood the abundance of treasures within the Inspection Office, or the Martial Saint Mansion.

The Inspection Office was under the control of the Martial Saint, and thus received the full support of the Martial Saint Mansion.

The Martial Saint Mansion held the highest position in Great Xia.

Furthermore, the Martial Saint Mansion had existed for as long as the establishment of Great Xia.

After so many years, the master of the Martial Saint Mansion was still the same person.

Therefore, after such a long time, the Martial Saint Mansion had accumulated countless treasures.

Previously, he simply wasn't qualified to access those treasures.

From this moment, Jiang Ning also saw that Hong Minghu's contribution points were far more significant than he had previously understood.

Because according to his knowledge, in order to establish the Inspection Office and provide it with sufficient foundation, all the resources accumulated by the Martial Saint Mansion over eight hundred years were completely opened up to the Inspection Office.

As long as the contribution points were sufficient, the Martial Saint Mansion's eight-hundred-year collection could be freely exchanged.

The Inspection Office, with the full support of the Martial Saint Mansion, represented the will of the Martial Saint.

This was the reason for the current special and unreasonable privilege.

It was also because of this privilege that Hong Minghu dared to ignore the law today, first arresting Li Hong, the lord of Luo Shui County, and then finding strong and convincing evidence on his body.

At this moment, various thoughts flashed through Jiang Ning's mind, and his Heavenly Eye had already turned towards the ruins.

Seeing Li Hong in the ruins, coughing up blood continuously, and seeing the countless large and small bloodstains on Li Hong's body caused by just one strike from Hong Minghu.

There was even a wound on his chest that revealed his rib, as black as obsidian.

"Sixth Stage, Bone Mystic?!" Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed, and his heart was filled with inexplicable astonishment.

Only now did he understand that before the establishment of the Inspection Office, the true strongest person in Luo Shui County was County Governor Li Hong.

Sixth Stage, Bone Mystic.

Half a year ago, he was an invincible existence in Luo Shui County.

Wait a minute!

He shook his head slightly.

In his mind, he first saw Shen Cong, and then Lin Qingyi's figure appeared.

Shen Cong, he still wasn't sure about his current strength.

Because when Shen Cong left, his strength was too weak, so he couldn't gauge Shen Cong's true power.

But from the traces Shen Cong left behind and the Inner Alchemy cultivation method, he knew that Shen Cong wasn't weak.

As for Lin Qingyi, she was even more extraordinary.

Despite not looking very old, she possessed the strength of a Half-Step Grandmaster.

Today, she might have even truly crossed that threshold and become a true Grandmaster!

"Although Li Hong isn't as formidable as Lin Qingyi and Shen Cong, with such strength, he indeed has the qualifications to contend with the Three Great Clans."

"But from this perspective, Li Hong's future is bright. Is it really necessary for him to join the Worship God Sect?"

Jiang Ning suddenly doubted the accuracy of Hong Minghu's previous investigation.

In his eyes, Hong Minghu wasn't truly a righteous person.

If he could ignore He Jinyun's previous reckless behavior, how could he be a righteous person?

Such a person might even frame others.

Although Hong Minghu valued him greatly and treated him with increasing respect, Jiang Ning hadn't forgotten that Hong Minghu had once sent him to deal with the Cao Family.

That kind of action couldn't be considered well-intentioned.

His current treatment was merely a result of his displayed strength and talent.

To reach this step, one wouldn't be an extreme person.

It showed that he could handle his business and that hiding a blade behind a smile wasn't uncommon.

Few people would make extreme and stubborn choices, so Hong Minghu's change in attitude towards him was also normal.

As Jiang Ning pondered, his gaze towards the ruins suddenly sharpened.

He saw County Governor Li Hong, buried in the ruins, suddenly take out a golden box the size of a palm, a full round smaller than the golden box he had obtained before.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning immediately thought of the golden box he had obtained before, and the six-headed, six-armed, four-legged deity statue within it.

"It seems Hong Minghu's investigation wasn't wrong! This Li Hong indeed has a problem!"

On the other side.

Li Hong stared at the golden box in his hand, his eyes filled with ever-changing emotions.

He was well aware of his connection with the Worship God Sect and understood that the sect had given him such an important position due to his role as the County Governor of Luo Shui County.

He was even more clear about what was inside the golden box in his hand.

But he also knew that he could no longer sever his ties with the Worship God Sect.

The moment he stepped onto the pirate ship, there was no turning back.

Hong Minghu's attitude was extremely firm, leaving no room for negotiation, and his actions were equally decisive.

Just then, Hong Minghu's voice reached Li Hong's ears from beyond the ruins.

"Come out! As a Sixth Level Martial Dao practitioner, you won't go down so easily!"

Hearing Hong Minghu's voice, Li Hong's eyes no longer held any hesitation.

With his current strength, he had no right to resist against Hong Minghu.

If he fell into Hong Minghu's hands, the evil deity aura he had been tainted with, no matter how deeply hidden, would be exposed. His connection with the Worship God Sect would be revealed.

With even the slightest issue, Hong Minghu's power would ensure that Li Hong had no way out.

Having risen from a mere servant to this point, Li Hong was not about to sit and wait for death, nor would he leave his life in the hands of others.

Various thoughts flashed through Li Hong's mind in an instant.

The next moment,

He resolutely opened the palm-sized golden box in his hand.

As the box opened, Jiang Ning's Heavenly Eye pierced through the ruins covering Li Hong, revealing the item within.

It was not the three-headed, six-armed deity statue he had seen before, nor was it the Hundred Spirit Blood, but a piece of dark red flesh.

The flesh contracted and expanded, like a beating heart, filled with vibrant life force.

With the opening of the golden box, Jiang Ning immediately sensed a familiar aura, similar to the one from the Black Lotus Sect Saintess on the night of the New Year.

His eyes suddenly sharpened, and he muttered to himself, "This must be the flesh from the Blood God's body, tainted with the deity's aura, and there must be a remnant of divinity!"

At that moment,

Amidst the collapsed ruins,

Li Hong picked up the piece of flesh from the golden box and put it into his mouth.

A determined look flashed in his eyes.

He knew full well that by swallowing this piece of flesh, there would be no turning back, and he could only become a minion of the Blood God.

But if he fell into Hong Minghu's hands and his connection with the Worship God Sect was exposed, his fate would be even worse.

Moreover, becoming a minion of a deity might also present an opportunity.

Now, with the deity's revival from dormancy, it was a once-in-a-millennium great change.

The Great Xia had reached a critical juncture, with the winds of change blowing fiercely. The heavens and earth were on the verge of being remade.

In such times, survival meant a future filled with endless opportunities.

Li Hong clenched his teeth, took a deep breath, and swallowed the piece of flesh, which was like a beating heart, into his abdomen.

The next moment,

A low growl escaped his mouth, a sign of the excruciating pain within his body.

On the other side,

Hong Minghu stood in the courtyard, his cold gaze fixed on the ruins.

"That's right! If you didn't fight with all your might, how could I prove your guilt?" Hong Minghu said with a sneer.

At this moment, sensing the movement beneath the ruins, Hong Minghu finally relaxed.

He took a few steps back and continued to watch the collapsed ruins with a cold gaze.

In less than ten breaths,

A loud explosion shook the air.

The collapsed ruins exploded, and a figure emerged from the debris, its body constantly expanding with growing flesh tumors. Its physique was rapidly increasing in size.

Before everyone's eyes, a four-legged, four-armed monster appeared.

At the same time, two flesh tumors on the monster's sides continued to expand, gradually revealing the outlines of arms.

The county hall officials could not tell from the creature's appearance that it was the former County Governor Li Hong.

The only thing that gave away his identity was the face on his head.

"Li Hong, you are indeed the leader of the rebels!" Hong Minghu shouted sternly, his voice piercing through the courtyard walls and echoing for hundreds of meters around.

"Hong Minghu, it's you who forced me to this point!" Li Hong's face twisted in pain, his teeth clenched as he spoke.

His third arm fully formed at this moment.

This was the first time his body had undergone such a drastic transformation.

At the same time,

The county hall officials were stunned by the sight, their hearts trembling with fear.

Seeing this, they couldn't help but realize that the County Governor had issues, just as the Governor of the Inspection Office had said—deeply connected with the Worship God Sect and the leader of the rebels.

The Worship God Sect had already been labeled as rebels.

As a result, they were being hunted down.

The officials' hearts were filled with anxiety, fearing that their deep connection with the County Governor would lead to their own downfall at the hands of the Inspection Office.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end