"At this moment, although of the six external hurdles I've only broken through the sinews and blood hurdles, both my true dragon sinews and supreme yang blood are of the highest grade."
The former symbolized raw strength; the latter symbolized explosive power.
Combined, while his defense, resilience, and endurance might not match a martial artist who had perfected external cultivation, his striking power was certainly not inferior.
It might even be stronger!
"Where is Chen Haoyan?" Wang Ping looked all around.
Beneath the torrential downpour, scents, sounds, and vision were all blocked. Trying to locate someone in this deluge was no different from searching for a needle in the vast sea.
*That, however, is only true for ordinary mortals.*
Wang Ping calmed his heart and steadied his breath. Then he simply closed his eyes, cast aside his five senses, and released his fine spiritual sense, rapidly weaving outward in all directions like a spider's web.
*No matter what he did at Youshen Temple, he will definitely return to the county yamen in the end. In that case, I'll cast my web of spiritual sense across these surrounding blocks, covering every inch of the shortest, fastest path from Youshen Temple back to the yamen.*
Wang Ping was certain Chen Haoyan had no other path to take.
*He couldn't possibly have walked away from Youshen Temple unscathed; in all likelihood, he's heavily injured.*
*In that state, his only option is to return to the county yamen, because there's still an expert there... the magistrate of Longxing County! Only that man can keep him safe.*
About a quarter of an hour later, Wang Ping's eyes lit up slightly.
"Found you...!"
Within the grand web of spiritual sense, a butterfly seemed to have fluttered into the snare, triggering his awareness and swiftly outlining the newcomer's appearance—it was none other than a disheveled, battered Chen Haoyan.
In the next instant, without a moment's hesitation, Wang Ping tracked the direction of Chen Haoyan's flight, anticipated his position, and took a shortcut to get ahead of him. He curled his body into the curtain of rain, tucking himself into the shadows by the street, and pressed the ten fingers of both hands lightly against his abdomen.
The Planting a Lotus in Fire hand seal!
This was an entry-level art of the White Lotus Sect. The palm strike Shouchong had delivered against him earlier had drawn upon this very hand seal, and now Wang Ping had used his spiritual sense to imitate and reproduce it.
*Exerting force cannot be confined to any single part.*
*Calves, thighs, liver and gallbladder, intestines and stomach, abdominals, waist and back, spine—one must exert force with the entire body, twisting all qi, blood, and strength into a single unified cord.*
Recalling Shouchong's palm strike, Wang Ping braced his ten fingers against his lower abdomen's dantian, holding back his qi and blood and gradually drawing in every shred of his aura.
The entire process was like a flower bud slowly folding inward, subduing all of Wang Ping's vitality, blood circulation, heartbeat, breathing, and even the peristalsis of his internal organs, or entering a state of concentrated accumulation. Beneath that outwardly tranquil surface lay a tempestuous, crashing surge.
*Chen Haoyan... it's time we settled our old score.*
With matters brought to this point, Wang Ping relaxed his mindset instead. His spiritual sense remained locked onto the approaching Chen Haoyan, silently counting down the paces between them.
***
Rain poured in torrents.
Beneath the curtain of rain, doors and windows across every household were tightly shut. Sight and sound were masked completely by the downpour, offering those with ulterior motives the perfect cover.
"That black snake... one day I'm going to stew it into soup!"
Chen Haoyan hurried through the rain-swept alleys. Relying on the heavy downpour to wash away his scent, combined with his intimate familiarity with Longxing County, he had finally thrown off his pursuers.
Yet his breathing, pulse, and even his footsteps carried a peculiar rhythm at this moment, subtly harmonizing with the surrounding ambient noise and motion to such a degree that even if someone were peering intently into the downpour, they would fail to detect a person moving within the rain. It was an exceptionally advanced concealment technique.
This was why he had chosen today to make his move.
Not only because Shouchong had shown up and stormed the county seat, but also because the weather was unpredictable—the torrential rains originally calculated to arrive two days later had unexpectedly struck ahead of schedule.
*Fortunately... I did not fail the mission.*
At this thought, Chen Haoyan tightened his grip on the cloth bundle against his body. Inside lay all the elixirs from Youshen Temple's pill chamber, every single one a rare and wondrous treasure.
The elixir of immortality had to be among them.
*That Liansheng Bodhisattva was probably here for them as well. I just don't know why, right when she was about to strike a lethal blow, she suddenly paused...*
Recalling what had just transpired, Chen Haoyan couldn't help but feel lingering dread. He had no doubt that Liansheng Bodhisattva could have killed him then; her eerie methods lay completely beyond his understanding of martial arts. Yet for some reason, she had made an unmistakable pause at the very end.
Only then had he snapped out of his shock and seized the chance to flee.
To make matters worse, as soon as he escaped Youshen Temple, he ran straight into the returning Perfected Youshen, and even that old bastard Shouchong was there.
Wolves ahead and tigers behind.
He dared not prolong the fight. To shake everyone off as quickly as possible, he had no choice but to damage his own body, nearly exhausting all his internal strength before finally escaping with his life.
*The toll of Demonic Dissolution is simply too severe.*
*What's more, to play it safe, I sacrificed more than half of my cultivation foundation in one breath. My internal strength has collapsed, my foundation is on the verge of ruin, and even my internal organs are damaged...*
Chen Haoyan harbored bitter resentment at the thought. Even with an optimistic estimate, nursing these injuries back to health would take three to five years, and he might never fully recover. The only small comfort at this moment was that his mission had not failed—he had secured the goods.
*To avoid complications from further delay... I must deliver these items back to the county yamen as soon as possible!*
Chen Haoyan quickened his pace. But the instant he crossed an alley mouth, his eyes narrowed sharply. Halting in his tracks, he turned toward the shadows at the corner.
"Who's there?!"
Almost simultaneously, Wang Ping opened his eyes.
"...What a pity."
The gap was simply too great after all. Even though he had concealed himself with all his might, in the eyes of an internal strength martial master like Chen Haoyan, he was still as conspicuous as a firefly in the dark.
"In that case, no need to hide."
With that thought, Wang Ping released the hand seal pressed against his lower abdomen. The qi and blood accumulated for so long erupted like a bursting dam.
*Boom!*
With just this single release of force, while he still could not weave it into a single strand like Shouchong, he had channeled the greater part of it, producing a terrifyingly immense momentum.
The torrential curtain of rain blasted apart in an instant!
Immediately after, Wang Ping bolted forward. His boiling qi and blood caused his body temperature to soar, so much that raindrops hitting his flesh sizzled into steam.
*"Roar—!"*
Within Wang Ping's body, his snapping sinews vibrated through the air, stretched taut by his sprint at breakneck speed. Blending with the sound of rain, it resonated once more as a sonorous dragon's roar.
Wang Ping had pushed this instant of explosive power to the absolute limit. With the advantages of supreme yang blood and true dragon sinews, coupled with the built-up force prepared during the ambush, he was confident that if the Xie Shi of that night were standing before him now, he would not even need a blade—he could punch a clean hole right through him!
Before him, Chen Haoyan's initial reaction was sheer shock.
His first thought was: *Who the hell is this?*
Such monstrous qi and blood, such terrifying force, and intercepting him with pinpoint accuracy... when had such an expert arrived in Longxing County without his knowledge?
"No, wait—it's that young constable."
"Named... Wang Ping?"
A second later, he finally recognized the attacker's identity.
An even greater shock overwhelmed his thoughts, because in his calculation, Wang Ping should already be a corpse by now!
Why was he here?
Soon, however, Chen Haoyan suppressed all his emotions. He raised the massive bow high in his hands. The bowstring snapped, and an arrow tore violently through the rain.
*Swish! Swish!*
Arrows flew like dragons, showcasing Chen Haoyan's profound mastery. Furthermore, spurred by an ominous premonition, he dared not underestimate his opponent in the slightest.
Thus, after letting fly the first arrow, Chen Haoyan moved without pause, drawing with both hands. Arrow after arrow was notched and released in rapid succession. In the blink of an eye, he emptied his quiver. A hail of arrows denser than the falling rain, gleaming with the aura of internal strength, instantly engulfed Wang Ping!
Lower abdomen, heart, glabella!
Hands, feet, groin!
At that moment, Wang Ping's spiritual sense screamed in warning. Every vital spot on his body felt plunged into an icehouse, an intense sense of mortal peril threatening to drown his senses.
Meanwhile, Chen Haoyan sneered coldly.
"Clown!"
Seeing this, Chen Haoyan's martial experience made an immediate judgment: this kid could not evade his barrage. At best, he might protect one or two vital areas.
What good would that do?
Glabella, groin, heart—there were three fatal spots alone, not to mention the other targets. Even if not immediately fatal, they were more than enough to incapacitate him.
*This kid probably figured out that I treated him as an expendable pawn, so he harbored resentment. By sheer luck, he managed to cut me off... In the end, he's just a youth running on reckless passion, naive as that Lin Sheng. He never even stopped to think whether he could be a match for me even if he intercepted me.*
To put it bluntly:
If he were at his peak right now, even with his hands and feet bound and without a weapon, he could glare the brat to death with just his gaze!
Brimming with fierce confidence, Chen Haoyan relaxed his muscles, intending to catch his breath before continuing his dash toward the county yamen once Wang Ping collapsed from the volley.
Yet in the next second, his expression froze.
*Boom!*
Confronted by the oncoming storm of arrows, Wang Ping had no intention of halting his charge whatsoever; he slammed a foot against the ground and accelerated even further!
Guided by his spiritual sense, he judged the speed, trajectory, and timing of the arrows with pinpoint precision. Tilting his head slightly, he dodged the shaft aimed between his brows, then vaulted upward to evade the arrow aimed at his groin—leaving all the other targets entirely unguarded.
*Squelch!*
Arrows pierced through flesh, spraying blinding crimson blood.
Gaping wounds the size of bowls burst open at Wang Ping's heart, limbs, and lower dantian. His scalding supreme yang blood blazed through the rain like an ignited fire.
Yet he still did not stop.
Before Chen Haoyan's stunned, baffled, and horrified gaze, Wang Ping charged straight to his front, drawing his saber and slashing across in one fluid, unbroken motion.
Three Demonic Sabers of Yanluo—Yanluo's Summons!
In an instant, the bone-chilling killing intent radiating from the blade—resembling King Yanluo delivering a summons or the Impermanence demons reaping a soul—slammed into Chen Haoyan's heart, nearly freezing his limbs.
"...Seeking death!"
Chen Haoyan bellowed in fury, fearless. He could clearly see that the youth before him was mortally wounded; right now, he was nothing more than a paper tiger.
Such massive wounds across multiple vitals—the blood loss alone would claim anyone's life within a few breaths. This youth could be no exception. That he maintained such ferocious momentum was merely a dying flash of vitality. Did he honestly think closing the distance would turn defeat into victory?
Sheer fantasy!
Though his primary martial art was the Cloud-Piercing Sky-Shaking Bow and most of his skill lay in archery, that did not mean he was inept at close-quarters combat.
After all, someone with the raw strength to draw a warbow to the full moon could hardly be weak in melee!
With that thought, Chen Haoyan decisively dropped his bow and drew his own oxtail saber from his waist. Executing the very same Yanluo's Summons, a flash of frigid saber light cut forth.
*Clang! Clang!*
The two blades crossed. Another bloom of blood erupted in the rain, followed by an arm still gripping an oxtail saber spinning skyward.
"Overestimating yourself!"
Chen Haoyan's face was dark, the hand gripping his saber remaining steady. The severed arm flying into the sky belonged to none other than Wang Ping, who had charged in and swung his saber with all his might.
An external martial artist versus an internal strength martial master.
Between the two lay a qualitative gulf in life-orders. Even if Chen Haoyan was in terrible shape, Wang Ping still could not withstand a single move from him!
Yet—this was also within Wang Ping's expectations.
The heavy rain abruptly stopped.
Not only that: the wind, thunder, lightning, and even Chen Haoyan's expression froze in place. Time had ceased its march.
The grimoire activated—Perish with the Sun!
Wang Ping's figure vanished from where he stood, entering the space of the Classic of Great Peace along with his severed arm, and dropped to his knees on the ground.
*Cough, cough, cough...*
Blood and vitality rapidly drained from his body, yet as if guided, they converged toward the towering tome standing before him.
One wound at the lower abdomen, one at the heart, one on each hand and foot, and a severed right arm—every injury inflicted by Chen Haoyan was vividly recorded on the pages of Perish with the Sun. Every character was startling to behold, dripping in lurid crimson.
They would deliver full retribution upon Chen Haoyan.
As for Wang Ping...
"Nothing more than a mortal injury."
Grimacing as he endured the agonizing pain, Wang Ping grabbed the severed arm lying beside him, pressed it firmly against the stump, and took a deep breath.
Spell—Qi Restriction!
Vigorous true qi coursed through his limbs and bones, stanching blood, regrowing flesh, and reconnecting bones and sinews. Within several breaths, Wang Ping rose to his feet as if completely unharmed!
"Cultivating immortality really is the way to go."
Flexing his reattached arm, Wang Ping sighed with heartfelt emotion. Severe injuries that meant certain death for a martial artist were hardly worth mentioning for an immortal cultivator.
And this was not even the limit of Qi Restriction. After practicing diligently for so long, he had only barely elevated its effect to the second tier: mending bones and reconnecting sinews. If he could take it a step further to achieve invulnerability to blades and spears, Chen Haoyan's strike would not have cut him in the first place!
"...Let's see just how powerful this volume really is."
The next instant, the familiar sensation of dizziness washed over him. Wang Ping gathered his thoughts, focused his mind, and reappeared in his original spot in reality in the blink of an eye.
In reality, only one ten-thousandth of a second had elapsed.
The retribution of Perish with the Sun was never late; every second spent recording his injuries was accelerated to the extreme, compressed into a single fraction of a heartbeat.
*Bang!*
Chen Haoyan stood frozen in place when, across his lower abdomen, heart, hands, feet, and arm, visible wounds and gushing blood violently burst forth!
"...Ah?" Chen Haoyan could not even process what had happened.
*What happened?*
*Why am I wounded?*
His thoughts stalled on that instant. The searing agony across his vitals, especially the sensation of sinew and bone tearing at his arm, left him utterly bewildered.
Yet Wang Ping did not pause.
*Clang!*
Cold saber light flashed like butchering livestock. This time, it was Chen Haoyan's arm that flew into the air. The fountain of blood finally jolted his senses awake.
"My arm...!?"
In this moment, Chen Haoyan could not even register the pain, but one realization struck him with total clarity: he had lost. Thoroughly, inexplicably lost!
From start to finish, the young man had not spoken a single word to him, had not even yelled to kill, nor uttered any curses—there was only a silent, resolute killing intent.
*Why go this far?*
*Even if I treated you as an expendable pawn before, even if that was my fault, didn't you survive? Since you're alive, is there anything we can't talk through?*
*At worst, I could find a way to compensate you!*
In that fraction of a second, Chen Haoyan had a thousand things he wanted to say—not because he recognized his wrongdoing, but because he smelled the suffocating breath of death closing in.
*I have to run... as far as possible.*
He did not want to die!
Chen Haoyan abandoned his dignity without hesitation. Stamping his foot down, he gave up facing Wang Ping directly and instead tried to put distance between them, fleeing into the rainy alleys.
*As long as I survive!*
With great difficulty, through so much toil, he had finally reached this stage: surveying farmland, auditing household registers, collecting the autumn taxes... he had amassed so many dazzling achievements.
Now the lord's assignment was complete; regaining his freedom was no longer a distant dream.
When that day came, he would leave this tiny Longxing County behind to put his life's skills to use in the commandery seat, guarding borders and bringing peace to the people, ensuring his life would not be lived in vain.
A glorious future was waiting for him.
How could he die here for no reason at all, at the hands of a lowborn nobody with neither lineage nor backing? This was by no means the end he deserved...
*"Roar—!"*
A low hornless dragon roar snuffed out all of Chen Haoyan's indignant thoughts. Involuntarily glancing back, he saw Wang Ping drawing a bow and nocking an arrow.
Cloud-Piercing Sky-Shaking Bow drawn to the full moon!
As the bowstring was pulled inch by inch, the two hornless dragons coiled upon the bow suddenly snapped their eyes open, their claws squirming as though coming alive.
*I was the one who gave him that bow...* Chen Haoyan's mind spun in a daze.
At this exact moment, looking again at Wang Ping's grim, ruthless face, a patch of fog in his memory finally drifted away, letting him remember.
*...It's him?*
*Damn it! How could I have failed to realize?*
He was no constable at all—he was the mud-footed peasant he had personally sent into the White Lotus Sect as an undercover agent, only to burn the bridge and slaughter him afterward to claim the credit!
*He didn't die?!*
Countless questions exploded in Chen Haoyan's mind, yet whatever thoughts he had, all met their end in the very next instant.
With the bow drawn to the full moon, Wang Ping's long arrow gleamed with faint light, its tip locked onto Chen Haoyan. No matter how desperately Chen Haoyan darted and dodged, he could not break free of the spiritual sense locked onto him.
In the next second, Wang Ping released.
*Boom!*
An arrow with the force to shatter stone tablets whistled violently forth, striking Chen Haoyan in the blink of an eye as he struggled to dodge. The peerless divine strength gathered upon the arrow detonated—a shockwave erupted as though a bomb had been planted within his body. After a deafening blast, all that remained in his place was a blossoming flower of blood.
"Phew!"
Stepping through the bloody slush, Wang Ping exhaled a long breath. Without lingering, he forced his aching body forward, picked up a bundle, and vanished into the curtain of rain.
Only after he had left did the dull thuds of falling objects begin to echo.
*Splatter, thud.*
Limbs, torso, internal organs... the blasted remnants of the corpse lay strewn across the street of Longxing County, while the splattered blood was washed away by the pouring rain.
Chief Constable of Longxing County, internal strength martial master Chen Haoyan.
Dead!
Chapter 20