Chapter 447: The Grand Master, Shen Wenyuan!

Chapter 447: The Grand Master, Shen Wenyuan!

Bai Sha County.

On the city walls.

The howling wind roared.

The two figures' robes fluttered in the wind.

"Here he comes!" Bai Luoyu suddenly exclaimed.

In the distance, a figure leaped over the mountain peak, rushing towards them.

His descent was even more fierce than a raging tiger.

It was none other than Zhao Yu Long.

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Yu Long had reached the plains from the mountain peak.

He then charged into the Bai Sha River.

The river water exploded beneath his feet, creating a spreading wave that seemed endless, causing the river surface flowing from north to south to reverse its current.

In just a moment, Zhao Yu Long landed in front of the two.

His breath was slightly rapid, and his chest rose and fell noticeably.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu bowed respectfully.

Zhao Yu Long glanced at Bai Luoyu, "What's the situation here?"

"Let me explain!" Bai Luoyu said.

Then, he recounted the events that had taken place in Bai Sha County in recent days.

A moment later, after listening to Bai Luoyu's narration, Zhao Yu Long couldn't help but look at Jiang Ning with a hint of surprise.

"Take me to see the Blood Pool!" he said.

"Yes!" Bai Luoyu replied.

Cui Liu Pavilion.

At this moment, Cui Liu Pavilion was already sealed off by the soldiers.

The three of them passed through the soldiers' blockade and headed straight for the underground chamber.

"Send Deng Fei to see me!" Zhao Yu Long instructed along the way.

Soon after, they arrived at the underground chamber.

Zhao Yu Long approached the Blood Pool.

Looking at the countless white bones piled up below, his gaze intensified.

With his powerful mental strength, he had a rough estimate of the number of skeletons stacked below.

More than a thousand skeletons were piled together, layer upon layer.

The next moment, he leaped down, landing in the pool.

In less than a breath, Zhao Yu Long jumped back up.

He stomped his feet, shaking off the blood water, and his feet became bare as the shoes he had been wearing seemed to have vanished.

"Your Excellency, can't even you withstand the corrosion of this blood water?" Bai Luoyu asked.

Zhao Yu Long replied, "I can resist it, but not for too long! This blood water not only has the power to cause bleeding but also has an extremely corrosive effect on True Essence and other energies!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Jiang Ning.

He had just learned from Bai Luoyu that the unrest in Bai Sha County had been quelled so quickly, all thanks to Jiang Ning.

Now, after witnessing the corrosive power of the blood water, he realized that the situation in Bai Sha County was even more troublesome than he had imagined.

Especially with the descent of that evil deity!

Thinking of this, he frowned slightly and turned to look at Jiang Ning.

"Inspector Jiang, was the divine statue in this blood pool on you before?"

"Yes!" Jiang Ning nodded.

He took out the divine statue that was stored in his Sumeru Ring.

Zhao Yu Long took it and flipped through it twice, then shook his head, "It's a bit strange, I don't sense that feeling!"

"Your Excellency, what kind of feeling is that?" Jiang Ning asked.

Zhao Yu Long explained, "The aura of divinity! Whether it's an evil deity or a righteous deity acknowledged by the Great Xia, they are all of the same kind. Those divine objects all carry the aura of divinity."

He offered a brief explanation, but finding nothing unusual about the divine statue, he looked up at Jiang Ning.

"Inspector Jiang, I'll take this for now, and it will be counted as your merit!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning's eyes lit up slightly.

Now that he had absorbed all the divine essence points from these divine statues, they were completely useless to him.

Handing them over now would count as merit, and it would be like gaining merit from trash.

With this thought, he waved his hand.

The remaining four divine statues appeared in his hand.

"Your Excellency, do you want these too? They were found in the other four blood pools!"

"I do!" Zhao Yu Long nodded.

After taking the remaining four divine statues from Jiang Ning, he continued, "I'll report this, and it will all be counted as your merit!"

As his words fell, he added, "You two, take me to see the other four blood pools. I suspect that the Bai Shen Jiao had set up a formation in Bai Sha County."

"Okay!" Jiang Ning nodded.

A moment later, led by Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu, Zhao Yu Long visited the other three blood pools and stood beside the last one.

Gazing at the calm blood pool before him, his eyes grew even more solemn.

"Your Excellency, have you noticed something?" Bai Luoyu asked.

"A formation! An extremely evil and terrifying formation!" Zhao Yu Long exclaimed.

He then let out a long sigh and turned to look at Jiang Ning.

"If my guess is correct, then Inspector Jiang has saved the entire Baisha County!"

"Master of the Manor, you mean...!!!" Bai Luoyu's eyes widened upon hearing these words.

Jiang Ning's gaze also turned solemn.

Zhao Yulong nodded slowly as he observed the expressions of the two.

"God of Flesh and Blood, wielding the power over flesh and blood!"

"If those followers of the Bai Shen Jiao sacrifice the flesh and blood of an entire city, it will greatly aid the return of that divine being!"

"That would be a massive catastrophe!"

Upon hearing these words, Bai Luoyu's expression changed instantly.

"How dare they be so crazy? That's the lives of tens of thousands of people!!"

"That's why they're called the Evil God Cult!" Zhao Yulong said.

Then he continued, "But I can't confirm this yet. My understanding of formations is rather shallow! I need to contact someone."

"Who?" asked Bai Luoyu.

"Shen Wenyuan!" replied Zhao Yulong.

"Shen Wenyuan?" Bai Luoyu murmured, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Suddenly, his expression changed.

"Is he the one who brought a century of prosperity to the Xichuan Shen family?"

Zhao Yulong nodded. "He has a deep understanding of Confucianism and Taoism, and is quite knowledgeable about formations. Not long ago, he entered the realm of a Great Master, and it won't be long before he becomes my superior."

"He became a Great Master?" Bai Luoyu exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Yes!" Zhao Yulong nodded.

As he spoke of Shen Wenyuan, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Shen Wenyuan's attainment of the Great Master realm was significant because he was a native of Guangning Prefecture.

With such a grandmaster in the prefecture, it would have a pillar to rely on.

No matter what drastic changes occurred within the prefecture, with a native Great Master present, the waves of turmoil would be minimal.

Moreover, he had a good relationship with Shen Wenyuan.

This was a great blessing for him.

With connections above, his life would become much easier.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ning overheard the conversation.

He was a little puzzled.

The Xichuan Shen family...

He didn't know much about them.

But the Xichuan Commandery, he was familiar with.

The Xichuan Commandery was a large county under the jurisdiction of Guangning Prefecture.

He had only vaguely heard of the Xichuan Shen family and hadn't bothered to find out more.

Because the Xichuan Commandery was located at the westernmost part of Guangning Prefecture.

And the Dongling County was at the easternmost part.

The two were too far apart, completely unrelated, and had no interactions.

He hadn't bothered to inquire before.

But now, after hearing their conversation, he realized that such a prominent figure had emerged from Xichuan.

"Shen Wenyuan, the one who brought a century of prosperity to the Shen family."

Jiang Ning murmured to himself.

He was also curious about Shen Wenyuan.

He had witnessed the grandeur of a Celestial Master, but he had never seen the splendor of a Second Grade Great Master; he had only heard about it.

His understanding of Great Masters was also quite superficial.

A Second Grade Great Master who chose to join the court could be granted the title of Marquis, bestowing honor upon their descendants.

This was his deepest understanding.

But even from this, one could see the status of a Second Grade Great Master.

Solely based on their martial prowess, they could receive a Marquis title from the Great Xia.

How exaggerated was that?

It was well-known that a Marquis was above a Count.

The Count of Qinghe, during the founding of the dynasty, had earned this title through his military achievements and was granted two counties as his fiefdom.

Nowadays, although the title of Count of Qinghe remained, it was only in name, with no actual power or fiefdom.

However, this honorary title still provided protection for the Count of Qinghe's descendants.

They continued to enjoy the glory of their ancestors.

And this was just a Count, not a Marquis.

At this thought, Jiang Ning suddenly spoke up.

"Master of the Manor, I heard that a Second Grade Great Master can be granted the title of Marquis. Is this true?"

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's question, Zhao Yulong turned to him and nodded.

"Inspector Jiang is right; this is indeed true!"

"But it might be a little different from what you're thinking!"

"This Marquis title is not the same as one granted for military achievements, and it cannot be inherited indefinitely!"

"With each generation, the title is automatically reduced by one rank."

"Even if the fief is equivalent to that of a Count, it's still a single county."

Speaking of this, Zhao Yulong still couldn't help but show a hint of envy.

"But a single county is already enough! It's sufficient to greatly enhance a family's heritage and support several generations, ensuring hundreds of years of prosperity!"

Jiang Ning nodded in agreement.

"Master of the Manor, you make a good point."

Bai Luoyu also looked envious.

Becoming a Great Master was his lifelong goal.

At this moment, discussing this matter made his heart yearn.

"Enough talk!" Zhao Yulong snapped back to reality.

He continued, "I'll go and contact Great Master Shen Wenyuan. This matter is of great importance, and we need Great Master Shen Wenyuan to make the decision."

"He will also be the one in charge of the inspection office in Guangning Prefecture very soon!"

The words had barely left his mouth when Zhao Yulong strode out.

"Brother Jiang, from what Zhao Fu Zhu said, does it mean that the Great Master Shen Wenyuan will be coming to Dongling County himself later?" Bai Luoyu's eyes lit up with anticipation.

"It should be so!" Jiang Ning nodded.

"If that's the case, won't we have the opportunity to witness the greatness of the Great Master?" Bai Luoyu's eyes sparkled with eagerness.

"It should be so!" Jiang Ning nodded again.

A moment later, Zhao Yu reappeared before Jiang Ning and the others.

"Inspector Jiang, Inspector Bai, please accompany me to the city wall to welcome the arrival of Great Master Shen Wenyuan!"

"Are we going now?" Bai Luoyu asked, her face filled with confusion.

Jiang Ning also felt a bit perplexed.

Seeing their expressions, Zhao Yu immediately understood the reason for their reaction.

He couldn't help but smile, "Shen Wenyuan should be in the city of Guangning Prefecture right now, not too far from Baisha County. It will take about the time of an incense stick for him to reach Baisha County, so we should go early to avoid any delay."

The time of an incense stick?

Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed, and he couldn't help but marvel.

This speed was somewhat frightening.

He had just learned from Bai Luoyu that when Zhao Yulong set off, he had also departed at the same time.

However, it took Zhao Yulong over two hours to travel from Dongling City to their current location.

Moreover, the city of Guangning Prefecture was much farther from Baisha County than Dongling City.

The time of an incense stick?

If this was true, the strength of the Great Master was truly awe-inspiring!

Jiang Ning silently mused to himself.

He was well aware of his own speed, and without the water-escape ability, it would be impossible for him to travel from Guangning Prefecture to Baisha County within the time of an incense stick.

Speed was his forte.

This alone was enough for him to glimpse the tip of the iceberg regarding the Great Master's capabilities.

Soon after, the three of them exited the underground room.

"Greetings, Zhao Fu Zhu!"

Upon seeing Zhao Yulong and the others, Deng Fei quickly bowed to Zhao Yulong.

"Do you know your crime?" Zhao Yulong asked.

"This official knows his crime. Because of my dereliction of duty, Baisha County has suffered such a disaster. I am willing to accept the punishment!" Deng Fei spoke up.

"Come with me, and let Great Master Shen Wenyuan decide your punishment."

"Great Master... Shen Wenyuan?" Deng Fei muttered, his expression frozen in shock.

"Shen Wenyuan will soon be my superior, taking up the position of the Prefecture Inspector of Guangning. He has come personally, so now you understand the magnitude of the trouble you've caused?" Zhao Yulong explained.

"How is that possible?!" Deng Fei exclaimed in disbelief.

"Follow me, and you'll find out soon enough!" Zhao Yulong said indifferently.

He didn't offer any comments on Deng Fei's current state.

Normally, Deng Fei's current condition would only lead to one outcome: death.

However, since Shen Wenyuan had been consulted, the decision on how to deal with Deng Fei would be left to him.

On the city wall, the howling wind made their robes flutter.

"He's here!" Zhao Yulong's eyes narrowed.

Behind the mountain, a figure tore through the air.

A wave of energy exploded in front of the figure, and white mist spread like waves, but no sound accompanied it.

The physical body had broken through the sound barrier!

Jiang Ning's eyes widened at the sight, and he couldn't help but marvel.

At this very moment,

He understood why Zhao Yulong had said that Shen Wenyuan would arrive in Baisha County in about the time of an incense stick.

Physical body flight.

Breaking through the sound barrier.

Such a terrifying flight speed could only be achieved by someone with this ability!

He took a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions.

Just from this, he could already sense the Great Master's power.

He could also understand why a Second Grade Great Master would receive such grand treatment.

Solely based on martial arts prowess, one could receive the treatment befitting a feudal lord.

Such a formidable existence, if not balanced by a corresponding power, could slaughter thousands of troops and horses single-handedly.

And this was just the strength of a Second Grade Great Master.

As for the First Grade above the Second Grade...

And what about the Martial Saint who suppressed the world for over eight hundred years? What kind of power did he possess?

These thoughts flashed through his mind.

The figure in the sky began to slow down.

Then, it flew straight towards the location of Jiang Ning and the others.

In an instant,

The figure landed on the city wall.

The howling wind it stirred up reached them, causing them to squint as they felt the wind slicing across their faces like knives.

It was only at this moment that the explosive sound of the wind gradually reached their ears.

"Greetings, Great Master Shen!" Zhao Yulong bowed.

"Greetings, Great Master Shen!"

"Greetings, Great Master Shen!"

"..."

They all bowed in unison.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end