He Possesses the Peerless Talent of a Celestial Being

In the howling wind, hurled dozens of zhang beyond the inn by the dragon-like hurricane, Nie Kun and Tie Qi gazed at Huang Tian—bathed in the golden waterfall of the setting sun—utterly stunned beyond words. "The Assistant Commissioner... the Assistant Commissioner overpowered and slaughtered Niu Kuanyu head-on?!" Nie Kun's head buzzed in disbelief. Just moments ago in the inn, when he had heard Niu Kuanyu interrogate Huang Tian about the supposed secret treasure, utter dread and powerlessness had gripped his heart. For Niu Kuanyu was not only a rank-two Grandmaster, but a powerhouse even among that rank. Two ordinary Grandmasters of the same level joining forces might not have bested him. Add to that the Three Elders of Qin Province, whose fame and tyranny spanned the entire province, and Huang Tian should have been doomed beyond doubt—with neither himself nor Tie Qi standing any chance of survival. And yet! In a mere dozen breaths, the entire situation had completely reversed! The dazzling, magnificent sword flowers displayed by the Three Elders of Qin Province were submerged in an instant beneath a boundless sea of blades. Not only that, but after letting out a solitary cry of horror, they had fallen dead under the blade astral qi. It was far too effortless! As for Niu Kuanyu, whose immense power Nie Kun held in high regard, Huang Tian had obliterated his right arm with a single punch, followed by a peerless celestial blade that sliced him cleanly in two! "How can he be this strong?!" Much like Niu Kuanyu before his death, Nie Kun felt wave after wave of disbelief. But unlike the fallen man, Nie Kun felt astonishment mingled with soaring relief. After all, neither he nor Tie Qi would die now. Scrambling up from the muddy ground, Tie Qi rubbed his smooth bald head and muttered, "Brother Nie, am I dreaming?" Nie Kun shot him a glance and punched him in the shoulder. Tie Qi winced and hissed, "That stings a bit... guess it's not a dream!" "Enough dazing off! Hurry up and get over there!" Nie Kun kicked off the ground and leapt through the howling gale toward where Huang Tian stood. Tie Qi clapped a hand to his head, and with a booming explosion against the earth, he shot forward like a cannonball, landing beside Huang Tian. "Assistant Commissioner!" The two bowed respectfully and carefully. Huang Tian swept a glance over the pair. "Are you injured?" "No, sir." Nie Kun's weathered face blushed slightly. "When you clashed with Niu Kuanyu and the others, Assistant Commissioner, the astral wind blew us right out of the inn. Aside from looking a bit battered, we aren't hurt." They hadn't even crossed weapons with anyone, so how could they be hurt? Tie Qi scratched his head in embarrassment as well. They had originally prepared to fight tooth and nail against Niu Kuanyu's four trusted subordinates, but those four had died even faster than the Three Elders of Qin Province. In the blink of an eye, the blade astral qi had minced them into mincemeat, splattering a spray of fresh blood all over their faces. Nie Kun looked at Niu Kuanyu's corpse lying on the ground not far away, feeling at a loss. "Assistant Commissioner, what should we do now?" The esteemed Vice Commander of the provincial Martial Restraint Guard had coveted a subordinate's fortuitous opportunity and teamed up with notorious villains along the road to slaughter that very subordinate. If word of this spread, the Qin Province Martial Restraint Guard would lose all face. Yet the death of a rank-two Grandmaster could hardly be concealed for long. What was more, patrons in the inn had witnessed them confronting one another. The news was bound to leak. Huang Tian said calmly, "What else is there to do? Naturally, report it truthfully to the commandery office, and have them send word to the provincial Martial Restraint Guard, demanding an explanation." They had agreed to send reinforcements to Kunyun, yet the provincial command had sent someone like this? Even if they didn't march in to demand accountability, the provincial Guard had to show proper contrition and make due reparations. Otherwise, who would sincerely toil for them? Disillusionment and estrangement would be inevitable. Nie Kun opened his mouth and asked, "Assistant Commissioner, do we still go to Funing?" Their leader, Niu Kuanyu, was dead, killed in counter-defense after trying to seize treasures. Under such circumstances, was there still a need to proceed to Funing? "Funing is in turmoil; rogue martial artists act rampant, and Demonic Cult scoundrels stir up unrest in secret. They truly need reinforcements, so why shouldn't we go? Do not let Niu Kuanyu derail our plans," Huang Tian said. Tie Qi hesitated. "Then... what about these corpses?" Huang Tian pondered briefly. "Tie Qi, take Niu Kuanyu's corpse back to the commandery city. As for the heads of the Three Elders of Qin Province, Nie Kun and I will take them to Funing." Tie Qi complied. "Understood!" He stepped over to Niu Kuanyu's remains. Gazing at the scattered mess of red and white fluids across the dirt, he felt no disgust, scooping up a large cloth bundle and stuffing everything inside. Nie Kun walked into the crumbling ruins of the inn, retrieving the heads of the Three Elders of Qin Province from the rubble. Fortunately for them, their heads had escaped the direct wrath of the blade astral qi, leaving their faces recognizable. After wrapping up the heads, Nie Kun walked back. Just as he was about to speak, he caught sight of a middle-aged man kneeling in a stupor on a small earthen mound nearby, staring blankly at the pulverized inn with an ashen face. Huang Tian noticed the man as well, recognizing him as the innkeeper. Turning to Nie Kun, he instructed, "Give him some gold and silver as compensation. He suffered an undeserved calamity." Nie Kun nodded. With a single leap, he landed before the middle-aged shopkeeper. The man felt a towering shadow engulf him, and looking up, saw Nie Kun—blood splattered across his face—grinning at him. "Aaargh!" The innkeeper shrieked in terror, scrambling desperately on hands and knees to flee. Nie Kun's face darkened at the sight. Stepping forward, he caught the man by the collar from behind and dragged him back. Face to face, the innkeeper trembled like a leaf, squeezing his eyes shut and blabbering, "Hero, spare my life! Spare me! I have an eighty-year-old mother above and three young children below—I didn't see anything, I know nothing! Please, spare me!" Smack! A money pouch landed heavily in his hands. "Enough with the eighty-year-old mother and three children. Do you even believe your own nonsense?" Nie Kun said, utterly exasperated. "This money is from my Assistant Commissioner. It should be more than enough to cover your ruined inn." Still skeptical, the shopkeeper cautiously opened one eye. Looking down at the pouch in his hands, he gave it a squeeze—it was heavy and full of coin. Looking up, his eyes met Nie Kun's wry smirk and his face, spattered with ghastly gore. He shuddered violently, forcing a strained smile. "Thank you, good heroes... Thank you, masters!" Nie Kun grunted and waved a hand, gesturing for him to leave quickly. The shopkeeper turned around and peeked into the pouch. A wave of pleasant shock flooded his chest—this money was not only enough to cover his losses, but the excess could build five more inns just like this one! Overjoyed, he spun around and bowed repeatedly toward Huang Tian. "Thank you, noble hero! Thank you, great hero! I swear I won't breathe a word about what happened today! No, I saw nothing! Nothing at all!" With a few parting words, he clutched the money pouch in contentment and sprinted away like smoke. Nie Kun and Tie Qi were speechless. Huang Tian chuckled softly and glanced up at the sky. Darkness had completely fallen. With this remote location far from any village or town, there was no other lodging nearby. Yet the inn lay in splinters, coated in foul viscera and stench. Staying inside would be worse than sleeping in the wild. "Never mind. Let us travel through the night," Huang Tian decided. They were all formidable martial artists; trekking overnight was nothing to them. If not for their horses needing rest after prolonged running, they wouldn't have paused in the first place. "Tie Qi, take Niu Kuanyu's corpse back to the commandery city right now. Nie Kun and I will press on to Funing." "Yes, sir!" Both men acknowledged. Tie Qi brought over his horse, mounted the bundle containing the corpse, and shouted to spur his mount into a swift gallop. Huang Tian and Nie Kun mounted their horses, riding fast toward Funing County under the scattered, brittle moonlight. Clop, clop... The inn was not too far from the commandery city. In little more than half a day, Tie Qi had ridden back. When Yu Jingcheng and Bai Yuanfu saw him at the gate of the Martial Restraint Guard office, they were bewildered. The former exclaimed in astonishment, "Weren't you supposed to accompany Vice Commander Niu and Huang Tian to Funing County? How are you back so soon?" "Did something happen?" Bai Yuanfu noticed several bloodstains on Tie Qi's clothes. His heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition seized him. Tie Qi opened his mouth, unsure where to start. After stammering twice, he let out a heavy sigh, patted his head, and pointed to the bundle on his horse. "Let's go inside first. This matter is too big!" Yu Jingcheng and Bai Yuanfu looked toward the bundle. Catching a whiff of pungent blood, their expressions changed drastically. "It can't be..." Bai Yuanfu felt his hands trembling. Yu Jingcheng reacted swiftly. It couldn't be Huang Tian's corpse, or Tie Qi would never be this calm. "Calm down!" Yu Jingcheng gripped Bai Yuanfu's arm and turned to Tie Qi. "Bring the bundle. We'll speak inside." "Yes!" Carrying the bundle, Tie Qi followed them to a quiet side room, then untied the cloth bag under their scrutinizing gazes. With just a single glance, both men inhaled a sharp, long breath of cold air. They were not frightened by the bloody mess inside, but by the sight of that face cleaved into two! "Niu Kuanyu?!" Yu Jingcheng blurted out in shock. "What... what happened? Who killed him? Wait, where is Huang Tian? Is he safe? Why didn't he return with you after such a major event?" As soon as the words left his mouth, a sudden realization struck him, and his eyes widened in utter disbelief. "Don't tell me... Niu Kuanyu was killed by Huang Tian?!" Tie Qi nodded. "Indeed he was." He then quickly recounted everything that had occurred at the inn the previous day. "...That is essentially how it went. In the end, Assistant Commissioner Huang had me bring Niu Kuanyu's corpse back, while he and Nie Kun carried the heads of the Three Elders of Qin Province and pressed on to Funing." Listening to Tie Qi's tale, both Yu Jingcheng and Bai Yuanfu were dazed. Only after a long while did Yu Jingcheng mutter, "Huang Tian... broke through again?" The latter replied with certainty, "He must have broken through!" Otherwise, he could never have slain Niu Kuanyu so easily. "His strength..." Yu Jingcheng truly had no words. Barely over a month ago, Huang Tian had only just managed to defeat and kill a rank-three Grandmaster. Now, he could slaughter a rank-two expert alongside three rank-three martial artists all at once! It defied all reason! After marveling in disbelief for a long while, the two looked back at the corpse in the bag, feeling a headache coming on. Yu Jingcheng sighed. "We will do as Huang Tian said: write to the provincial Martial Restraint Guard, inform them of this matter, and urge them to reply as soon as possible to appease Huang Tian. We cannot let such a genius harbor resentment toward our Guard." At this point, he looked at Tie Qi. "Did anyone witness their fight?" "Yes, quite a few," Tie Qi answered honestly. Yu Jingcheng's headache worsened. With eyewitnesses, there was no keeping it hidden. The Qin Province Martial Restraint Guard was about to suffer immense humiliation! Still, let them lose face. It wasn't his reputation on the line anyway. As for the provincial Guard's honor—heh, who told them to be so blind, sending a man who harbored designs on Huang Tian to Kunyun? When you err, you must bear the consequences. Yu Jingcheng pondered for a moment. "Even though this cannot be concealed forever, do not leak word of it for now. Stave it off for as many days as possible until we receive a response from the provincial Guard." Bai Yuanfu asked, "Then... should we notify Senior Zhou Tu?" Yu Jingcheng considered it and nodded. "He is the sole rank-two Grandmaster presiding over the commandery city. A matter of this magnitude cannot be withheld from him." In truth, trying to hide it would be futile anyway. In a few days, once Huang Tian and Nie Kun arrived in Funing without their expedition leader Niu Kuanyu, his death would become impossible to conceal. Rather than wait for Zhou Tu to interrogate them later, it was better to inform him now. "Go report to Divine Constable Zhou in person. I will draft a letter to the provincial Martial Restraint Guard immediately," Yu Jingcheng instructed. "Yes!" Bai Yuanfu left the office and made his way to Zhenhua Ward. Finding Zhou Tu, he explained in detail everything that had transpired at the inn. After hearing the tale, Zhou Tu was completely numb. Even after Bai Yuanfu departed, he remained sitting on the stone stool in the courtyard, staring blankly into space. It was not until Zhou Miaosu's call shook him awake. "Uncle, what is the matter? The servants told me Pacification Commissioner Bai came by just now?" Zhou Tu raised his head and said softly, "He did indeed. And he brought me a piece of news." "What news?" "Niu Kuanyu is dead." "What? Niu Kuanyu is dead? He actually died?!" Zhou Miaosu froze where she stood. "Who killed him? Is there an expert in Kunyun Commandery capable of taking his life? Wait! Could it be..." Zhou Tu said slowly, "He conspired with the Three Elders of Qin Province to attack Huang Tian. And then... Huang Tian killed them all." Zhou Miaosu's almond eyes went wide, rendered speechless for a long time. Zhou Tu murmured, "Just a few days ago, we were still guessing whether Huang Tian had broken through to rank four. Now there is no need to guess. He must have broken through to slay Niu Kuanyu and the others so easily." With that, he exhaled a soft breath and sighed, "A dried corpse in a tomb... truly a dried corpse in a tomb..." Zhou Miaosu understood what her uncle was lamenting. Days ago, when they spoke, Zhou Tu had called Niu Kuanyu a dried corpse in a tomb, saying that 'having crossed Huang Tian, he had only a few days left to live.' Now, his words had truly proven prophetic! He said a few days, and it literally was a few days! You could have at least survived another ten days or half a month! With conflicted emotions, Zhou Miaosu sat on a stone stool and poured herself a cup of tea, sipping slowly as if attempting to quell the turbulence within her heart. Whoosh, whoosh... A gentle breeze swept by, swirling the fallen leaves into spiraling eddies. Bamboo shadows swayed, floral fragrance filled the air, and the tall trees rustled softly. After a long time, Zhou Miaosu spoke softly, breaking the quiet of the courtyard. "Huang Tian possesses the peerless talent of a Celestial Being..."