Chapter 303: Post-Battle Harvest

Chapter 303: Post-Battle Harvest

Outside the County Hall.

Facing Hong Ming Hu's full-power punch, Li Hong instantly felt a formidable foe.

Given the short distance, the difference in their speeds, and their contrasting physiques, Li Hong knew he couldn't dodge this strike.

In an instant, his six arms intertwined, intending to use his physical advantage to withstand Hong Ming Hu's attack.

The next moment—

Boom—

The condensed Inner Breath in the form of a ferocious tiger slammed into Li Hong's intertwined arms.

Then, Li Hong's massive body was sent flying into the air.

Seeing this, Hong Ming Hu twisted his right foot, stomping on the ground.

With immense explosive power, he shattered the stone bricks beneath him.

Boom—

He soared like a cannonball towards Li Hong.

In mid-air, he spread his five fingers, and his Inner Breath erupted again, condensing into a solid form, transforming into a tiger made of clouds and mist.

The tiger pounced with the momentum of descending from a mountain.

At this moment, Li Hong's mouth continuously emitted a low, deep roar.

The prolonged pampered life made it difficult for him to endure the immense pain of having his six arms shattered.

The intense agony contorted his face.

As he saw Hong Ming Hu rapidly approaching, a glimmer of despair flashed in his eyes.

Even with his undying body, it would take some time for his broken arms to heal.

Now, Hong Ming Hu wasn't giving him any time, and the erupting Inner Breath, like a raging tsunami, left him gasping for breath.

"Fifth Rank, so powerful," he muttered to himself.

He now understood that there was an invisible chasm between the Sixth and Fifth Ranks.

Although the Inner Breath eruption was brief,

That brief burst was enough to crush any Sixth Rank.

Even with his current enhanced six-armed state, he was no match for Hong Ming Hu in his full Inner Breath state.

Moreover, Hong Ming Hu's previously displayed skill had suppressed the vitality of his flesh and blood, depriving him of his self-healing ability.

Up until this moment, his head, which Hong Ming Hu had blasted, showed no signs of regeneration.

Cornered, Li Hong's heart was filled with despair.

Just then,

An illusion suddenly appeared in Li Hong's mind.

It was an endless sea of blood, with countless corpses floating within.

Above the sea of blood stood a majestic presence.

Three heads, six arms, and four legs.

At this moment, Hong Ming Hu had already reached within ten yards of Li Hong.

In this critical moment,

The smaller head next to Li Hong's suddenly turned two hundred and seventy degrees.

Instantly, his closed eyes abruptly opened.

In that instant,

Hong Ming Hu's rapidly approaching body suddenly halted, transitioning from extreme speed to absolute stillness.

Then, Hong Ming Hu's robust body slowly fell.

His legs softened, his knees touching the ground, and his upper body began to curl towards his thigh.

"Heh, heh, heh—"

Hong Ming Hu's mouth emitted a low sound, and crimson blood started to gush from his mouth.

At this moment, Hong Ming Hu felt his five viscera and six bowels, as well as his limbs and bones, twisting in agony.

A profound terror descended upon his heart, indescribable.

On the other side,

"No!" Ye Qiu's expression changed dramatically upon seeing this.

He hesitated for a moment before shouting,

"Colleagues, attack together!"

As his voice fell, Ye Qiu charged towards Hong Ming Hu's direction with his snow-walking technique.

At the same time,

The other two commanders exchanged glances, their eyes meeting in mid-air, and they nodded in unison.

Then, they too rushed towards Li Hong's direction.

Yuan Hua and Tang Miaomiao also looked at each other, a hint of fear flashing in their eyes.

If even Hong Ming Hu suddenly knelt down, they knew they couldn't do much to help.

But they recalled the rules of the Inspection Office,

If colleagues don't retreat, superiors won't retreat, and those who retreat are considered deserters, punishable by death.

With this in mind, Yuan Hua and Tang Miaomiao glanced at Jiang Ning with a hint of envy.

Jiang Ning's task was to use his bow to restrain and obstruct Li Hong.

With this task, Jiang Ning didn't need to charge into close combat like they did, following Ye Qiu's orders.

This also meant Jiang Ning could avoid the risks they were facing.

Moreover, with Jiang Ning present, they couldn't disobey Ye Qiu's orders.

If they showed cowardice or retreated at this moment, they would be considered deserters on the battlefield.

Jiang Ning, following the rules of the Inspection Office, could directly shoot and kill them.

Not only would he be free of any guilt, but it would also be considered a merit.

They also knew that given Jiang Ning's personality and actions, if they chose to desert, Jiang Ning would not hesitate to take action against them.

The two exchanged a helpless glance and rushed forward.

Just as they started moving, Ye Qiu's voice reached their ears.

"Yuan Hua, Tang Miaomiao, quickly take away Commander Hong."

"Please, the three commanders, help me restrain Li Hong."

After saying these two sentences, he shouted again,

"Brother Jiang, please act now."

At a distance of over five hundred meters, in less than a quarter of a breath, these words reached Jiang Ning's ears.

Jiang Ning had already drawn his bow and arrow, the arrow nocked and ready.

At that moment, Commanders Ye Qiu and two others had also arrived before Li Hong.

"Seeking death!!!" Li Hong's face showed disdain as he saw the three approaching.

Meanwhile, Hong Ming Hu, curled up on the ground beside him, struggled to utter those two words as he watched the three draw near.

Everyone present was more aware of Li Hong's invincibility than he was at that moment.

He could feel every inch of his body's muscles and flesh being affected by a mysterious force, twisting and deforming.

As if they were about to merge into one.

This phenomenon was incredibly terrifying.

Once he completely lost his resistance, his muscles and flesh would quickly be crushed together.

At that point, death would be his only option.

Hong Ming Hu had just barely managed to issue the command to retreat.

The head on top of Li Hong's head suddenly twisted a full 180 degrees, and his gaze fell upon Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu's expression changed dramatically, and he suddenly knelt down like Hong Ming Hu.

Not far away, Li Chang Kong witnessed this scene, his face turning pale with shock, and he felt the urge to retreat.

His movements abruptly halted, and his eyes shifted.

"Forget it! It's better to be a deserter than to be defeated here!"

But in the next instant, he saw Li Hong's other head turn towards him.

Li Chang Kong also knelt down like Hong Ming Hu.

Kneeling on the ground, his facial features contorted, and his jaws clenched tightly together.

His entire body tensed, muscles and bones straining to resist the eerie force.

In less than a breath, blood oozed from his teeth, his veins bulged, and the veins on both sides of his temples writhed like earth dragons.

On the other side, the other two commanders also instantly fell, kneeling and curling up on the ground like Hong Ming Hu, Ye Qiu, and Li Chang Kong.

In just a few breaths, the situation had completely reversed.

Everyone from the Inspection Office was now at the mercy of Li Hong.

Meanwhile, on a high eave.

Jiang Ning's bowstring was already fully drawn.

The wind gathered around him, and the snow was swept into the storm by the raging wind, rising along with the whirlwind until it reached high altitudes.

His arrow already had lightning flashing around it.

"It's time to act, no more waiting!" Jiang Ning, with his Heavenly Eye, witnessed this scene by the county hall and muttered to himself.

Then, a loud twang rang out.

The arrow tore through the air.

In just a moment, Jiang Ning's arrow pierced through the void, covering a distance of over 500 meters.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion rang out in the air, drowning out Li Hong's painful roar.

At the same time, Hong Ming Hu and the others instantly sensed the eerie force within them dissipating.

They looked up and saw a wound the size of a bucket on Li Hong's chest, piercing through from front to back.

Through the massive wound, they could see the sky above and the falling snowflakes behind.

The next moment, a residual shadow flashed across their eyes.

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Boom!

The shadow landed on Li Hong's head, emitting a thunderous roar like a clap of thunder.

Then they saw Li Hong's head explode, with red and white matter bursting out.

The explosion of Li Hong's head and the missing heart instantly sapped his vitality, and the newborn head on top of him deflated like a punctured balloon.

After a breath, a loud thud sounded.

Li Hong's massive body fell to the ground, causing the earth to tremble slightly.

"Is it over?!" Li Chang Kong's eyes widened in disbelief.

Moments ago, Li Hong had unleashed his divine might, annihilating them all in an instant.

He could feel that he could only hold on for a few more breaths before losing the ability to resist that eerie power.

His entire body, flesh, and bones would be twisted into a mess by that eerie force, leading to his instant death.

Beside him, Ye Qiu panted heavily, then lifted his head from the ground and looked towards where Jiang Ning had been. He saw Jiang Ning's figure rising and falling as he swiftly approached.

He sighed in relief, his face showing the expression of a survivor after a close call.

"Brother Jiang, you have saved my life!"

On the other side, Hong Ming Hu slowly lifted his head.

He looked at Li Hong's fallen, muscular body, still feeling the lingering fear of death.

Just now, he had truly felt the breath of death.

As he recovered, he also discovered that his five viscera were bleeding profusely, his meridians were torn, his bones were displaced and deformed, and his injuries were extremely severe.

He was the first to experience Li Hong's strange technique and had received the most attention from Li Hong.

His injuries were also the most severe among them.

He could feel that if he had delayed even a little longer, he would have died from his twisted viscera.

"Thank goodness!" A glimmer of relief flashed in his eyes, and he breathed a sigh of relief, silently muttering to himself, "It's fortunate that I arranged for Jiang Ning to be in a high position for long-range control, otherwise today's operation would have ended in complete annihilation!"

Thinking of this possibility, he felt incredibly relieved.

At the same time, he was also amazed by Jiang Ning's terrifying archery skills.

How strong was Li Hong? Tang Miaomiao had experienced it first-hand.

Without unleashing his inner breath, he was no match for Li Hong.

Li Hong's indestructible body could exhaust and wear down even him to death.

However, in Jiang Ning's hands, it only took two arrows to accomplish the feat of killing Li Hong.

"This is the terror of a Divine Archer!" Hong Ming Hu exclaimed in his heart, deeply impressed.

Previously, he had only heard about the terrifying prowess of a Divine Archer.

A Divine Archer with exceptional arrow skills, given a suitable bow and arrow, could threaten martial artists of a higher level once they occupied advantageous terrain.

This theory was vividly demonstrated by Jiang Ning at this moment, leaving Hong Ming Hu in awe.

Two arrows took down Li Hong.

This alone proved that Jiang Ning's arrow skills were enough to threaten him.

Especially when he was unprepared, he felt that he might not be able to escape unscathed against Jiang Ning's arrows.

"Fortunately, I treated Jiang Ning well before, and I didn't create too much of a grudge. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome in the future!"

Meanwhile, Yuan Hua and Tang Miaomiao, standing by, wore expressions of disbelief.

They witnessed the sudden turn of events and saw Hong Ming Hu, Ye Qiu, and others in a life-or-death crisis.

However, with Jiang Ning's intervention, it only took two arrows.

Li Hong was killed on the spot, and the dire situation was salvaged.

Jiang Ning's performance exceeded their expectations.

Especially Yuan Hua's.

He couldn't help but think of himself from a year ago, when he had the idea of taking credit for Jiang Ning's achievements.

"I was truly seeking my own demise back then!"

"Thankfully, I didn't make a huge mistake!"

Yuan Hua felt a sense of relief in his heart.

On the other side, Jiang Ning covered a distance of over five hundred meters in just a few jumps, reaching the vicinity of the county hall in an instant and arriving beside Li Hong.

He squatted in front of Li Hong's massive body, placing his right palm on Li Hong's body, pretending to examine Li Hong's physical condition.

As soon as his palm touched Li Hong, a prompt flashed before his eyes.

【Discovered 13 points of Divinity, discovered 2 Authority, absorb?】

Thirteen points? That many? Jiang Ning was delighted, but his expression remained unchanged.

He silently absorbed the Divinity and Authority while pretending to inspect Li Hong's condition.

After a moment, Jiang Ning slowly stood up and bowed to Hong Ming Hu.

"Lord, Li Hong has been executed. I lacked the ability to capture him alive and could only kill him with my arrows."

"You did well!" Hong Ming Hu slowly got up from the ground, enduring the pain on his body.

Seeing this, Yuan Hua quickly walked over and reached out to support Hong Ming Hu.

"No need!" Hong Ming Hu pushed Yuan Hua away and straightened his body.

Then, he bowed to Jiang Ning, bowing deeply: "Thank you, Commander Jiang, for saving my life!"

"Lord, there's no need for such formality," Jiang Ning smiled.

He had intentionally delayed his intervention to create this scene of saving Hong Ming Hu, and it was indeed a life-saving grace.

If he had acted earlier and killed Li Hong, it would have just been a duty-bound achievement.

By delaying for a moment and then intervening, it became a life-saving deed, a world of difference between the two.

Moreover, although it was his duty, it was not right to send him to raid the Cao Manor, given his existing rift with the Cao family.

Today, through Li Hong's hands, Hong Ming Hu tasted some bitterness, which was also Jiang Ning's intention.

At the same time, Ye Qiu also bowed deeply to Jiang Ning.

"Thank you, Brother Jiang, for saving my life!"

Seeing this, the other three commanders, including Li Changkong, also followed suit and bowed deeply.

"There's no need for such courtesy. This is within my duties," Jiang Ning said.

Hong Ming Hu replied, "Although it's within Commander Jiang's duties, his intervention did indeed save our lives. If Commander Jiang hadn't acted, in just a few breaths, I might have perished here."

"Lord Hong speaks the truth!" Ye Qiu nodded in agreement, then sighed, "Brother Jiang, today's life-saving grace, if there's ever a time when I can be of use to you, please don't hesitate to ask."

Hearing this, the other commanders also voiced their promises.

Jiang Ning smiled at their words but didn't take them to heart.

What good were pretty words if they weren't followed by actions?

In the adult world, actions speak louder than words.

Just then, Hong Ming Hu suddenly spoke up.

"Everyone, the primary credit for today's defeat of Li Hong should go to Commander Jiang. Do you have any objections?"

Hearing Hong Ming Hu's sudden words, Jiang Ning looked at him in surprise.

"No objections!" Ye Qiu was the first to voice his agreement.

"I have no objections either!"

"No objections!"

"No objections!" The other three commanders also spoke up.

Seeing Jiang Ning's surprised gaze, Hong Ming Hu endured the pain in his body and spoke again.

"Today's primary credit should go to you!"

"If not for you, we would all have perished here today!"

"I underestimated these Phantom Wraiths!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end