Chapter 138: Calamity in Prison, Heavenly Human

In the Governor's Mansion of Junxian Prefecture, Governor Wu Hongqiao was currently handling official documents inside the mansion, also waiting for news from the Dongshen Guan party.

He appeared to be of the age of knowing Heaven's Mandate, his frame gaunt, his face pale with a faint beard, yet his eyes were bright and spirited.

Later, a Daoist from Dongshen Guan sent word that a powerful cultivator of the Xuandu Sect had come from the south and entered Junxian Prefecture; the deputy head of the Junxian Guan branch, Lü Xing, had therefore entered the Governor's Mansion specifically to request a portion of the Black-Clothed Guard to go and exterminate this intruding Xuandu Sect cultivator.

Wu Hongqiao was deeply concerned about the existence of the Xuandu Sect.

The Xuandu Sect was particularly adept at bewitching people's hearts, and had developed some special techniques that could make these believers fearless of death.

During this period, Junxian Prefecture had also suffered greatly from the harassment of Xuandu Sect followers.

The prefectural commandant Wang Gong, dressed in a blue robe nearby, seeing this, smiled and comforted: "Governor, you need not worry; it is said that Observatory Head Lü possesses astonishing techniques, and his cultivation ranks among the foremost of branch heads in the southern prefectures; surely suppressing an external Xuandu Sect cultivator poses no problem!"

"Moreover, General Jiang Chang of the Black-Clothed Guard is here to assist; General Jiang, dispatched as the leader of the Black-Clothed Guard, possesses strength incomparable to ordinary military commanders, and will surely achieve instant victory!"

Wang Gong praised the renowned Black-Clothed Guard without cease.

Jiang Chang was furthermore a grand master of body-tempering in the military, and bore the court's official seal of martial prohibition; the power he could unleash was immensely strong, and any ordinary heretic would be slain at first sight.

Wu Hongqiao sighed lightly: "Commandant Wang, these are special times; we must not underestimate these heretical sects and heretics, for the more chaotic the times, the bolder these heretics become!"

"Our previous measures against the Xuandu Sect have been too lenient!"

"In the coming period, we must tighten our control over these sects!"

Wu Hongqiao stroked his beard faintly, his assessment of the situation within Junxian Prefecture not optimistic.

Junxian Prefecture currently appeared prosperous, the people well-off, but within lay great hidden dangers.

The contradictions between the great clans, the upper households, and the common people remained unsolvable, a dead knot.

Though the Great Qian court had operated for hundreds of years, claiming to store wealth among the people, most benefits actually fell to these great clans, then to these upper households and wealthy households, who occupied over ninety-five percent of the land in the prefectural city, leaving only five percent, which could not possibly sustain so many commoners, most of whom could only rely on the breath of these wealthy households.

If disaster struck, they would likely be forced by landlord tyrants to sell their sons and daughters.

Since Wu Hongqiao took office as Governor of Junxian Prefecture, although he had cleared out a batch of landlord tyrants, it was merely treating the symptoms, not the root.

Those great clans of the prefecture, he fundamentally lacked the power to shake.

These clans, accumulated over generations, held tens of thousands of mu of land, raising village militias numbering openly in the thousands, and secretly who knows how many more.

If they united, even this governor would have to constantly worry whether his head would be moved.

"If we wish to relieve His Majesty of these calamities, the task is heavy and the road long!"

Wu Hongqiao sighed inwardly.

At this moment, a dense sound of footsteps came from before the Governor's Hall, only to see Jiang Chang leading a squad of Black-Clothed Guards hurrying back.

"Governor Wu, Commandant Wang..."

Jiang Chang glanced around, seeing no omen, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Only his heart felt strange.

Wang Gong rose at this moment, unable to refrain from asking: "Jiang Chang, how did you return so quickly—have you already executed that heretic?"

Jiang Chang felt strange in his heart, but still said: "Two superiors, allow me to report!"

He then voiced his inner doubt: "That day, the Dharma King clearly was making a feint to the east while striking west, merely using the opportunity to delay our movements, and he did not take the chance to attack the Governor's Mansion; where has he gone now?"

Upon hearing this, the Governor Wu Hongqiao's expression shifted slightly.

"Could it not be the prefectural great prison?"

The important places of Junxian Prefecture are only so many; besides the Governor's Mansion, there is only the granary, the armory, and besides these, the prefectural great prison.

Food and weapons, though important, are difficult to move, and besides, they are heavily guarded!

Wang Gong's expression changed, unable to refrain from saying: "Could the Xuandu Sect be heading for that person?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Hongqiao's expression shifted slightly.

Indeed, an important prisoner is still held in the Junxian Prefecture great prison.

That prisoner is an extremely terrifying heretic martial artist!

Earlier, in the effort to capture that criminal, the Dongshen Guan and the Black-Clothed Guard had paid a great price.

That is an extremely rare martial artist of the Heavenly Human stage!

Jiang Chang also changed expression.

At once, a portion of the Black-Clothed Guards was left behind as they hurried toward the direction of the prefectural great prison.

……

The guess of the few was not mistaken; at this moment, anomalies had already occurred outside the prefectural great prison.

A bloody massacre was underway.

Before the Junxian Prefecture great prison, the Dharma King Tianling manifested his form; at this time, many black-robed martial artists had already dealt with the dark sentries outside the great prison.

"Dharma King?"

Upon seeing the Dharma King Tianling appear, numerous black-robed body-tempering martial artists rushed forward.

Tianling Dharma King at this moment furrowed his brow, gazing at the black-and-oppressive prefectural great prison; he felt within it a towering, vast divine power aura.

This was the power of the Junxian Prefecture Prison God.

Tianling Dharma King's entire body was enveloped in golden radiance; his eyes held a hint of disgust.

"Immediately go and break that Junxian Prefecture Prison God's divine manifestation!"

Upon hearing this, the host of black-robed martial artists immediately complied, at once bringing forth various filthy objects; shortly thereafter, accompanied by a soundless roar, the divine power of the Prison God's manifestation at the gate began to diminish.

Seeing this, Tianling Dharma King's eyes flashed with a cold smile.

To these cultivators, these gods and deities are indeed a great nuisance, but these deities are bound by divine law and cannot easily act upon the mundane; when facing martial artists, they can only borrow strength to cast spells.

But without a place to borrow strength, they can only watch helplessly as the obscured manifestation is sensed.

Of course, Tianling Dharma King also dare not be too excessive, lest he destroy the opponent's foundation.

That would do him no good.

Seeing the divine power weaken, Tianling Dharma King immediately stepped into the prefectural great prison.

Inside the great prison, the smell of blood could be seen everywhere at this moment, and many prison guards had already been killed by the black-robed warriors who rushed in.

The black-robed death warriors trained by the Xuandu Sect also suffered casualties.

The Dharma King Tianling moved swiftly, and in a moment he entered the inner layer directly.

In the inner layer of the great prison, there were prisons made of special black iron, each holding a special prisoner; the Dharma King Tianling looked at these prisoners and a faint smile appeared on his face.

These were martial artists who had committed crimes, and in his presence, they might be killed with just a raise of his hand.

But if they could be organized into a suicide squad to attack some special places, such as the key areas protected by dragon and tiger qi, this group could play an extremely crucial role.

These are special talents.

Especially the one deepest inside.

He had already seen an old man with a full head of white hair and a sturdy build; the black iron chains on the old man's body were exceptionally heavy, his face was expressionless, and only upon seeing the arrival of the Dharma King Tianling did his eyes gain a glimmer of spirit.