Chapter 52: Long Awaited!

Knowing it was a trap, yet facing such heavy encirclement, the black-clothed man had no intention of surrendering.

He seemed not to take these South Zhenning Office guards seriously.

Seeing him raise both palms, the surrounding airflow instantly condensed, and everyone present felt their breathing become slightly heavier.

Seeing this, the nearby South Zhenning Office flag officers prepared to strike first.

But as the black-clothed man swept his palms to both sides, a surging energy wave rolled through the South Zhenning Office passageway like a tide.

Boom!

The six or seven flag officers who moved first hadn't even gotten close before being blown back by the powerful energy, crashing into the steel doors and iron windows.

Even those who didn't rush forward felt as if they were a lone leaf on a stormy sea, unable to stand steady.

Yang Hanlu saw this and, gritting his teeth, charged forward with the remaining chief flag officers, swords raised.

The black-clothed man also had no intention of lingering; after throwing out a palm, he headed straight for the South Zhenning Office's sole exit—the courtyard in the middle.

But as his foot touched the iron window and his body lunged toward the courtyard opening, he felt another powerful surge of energy.

Looking up, he saw a towering black‑figure like a black tower smashing a palm down from above.

Feeling the familiar airflow around him, the black‑clothed man reluctantly turned to meet the palm head‑on.

Snap!

The shockwave from their clashing palms shook the surrounding South Zhenning Office flag officers, making them stumble back repeatedly.

The two were likely evenly matched, but in the end the black‑clothed man couldn't withstand the advantage of the overhead strike, flipped and fled violently to land back on the ground.

Only then did everyone notice that the tall black‑figure blocking the black‑clothed man was none other than the South Zhenning Office's Zhenning Envoy, Yan Lie.

Yan Lie clasped his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice:

"Wan brother, is there still any need for us to wear masks?"

The black‑clothed man had no choice but to remove his mask—and sure enough, it was the North Zhenning Office's Zhenning Envoy, Wan Tong.

"Wan brother, you owe us an explanation for today's affair."

Although caught red‑handed, Wan Tong showed no trace of fear; he simply wiped the smile from his face.

"Old Yan, the North Zhenning Office has suffered this scandal—I want to clean house myself. Is that not allowed?"

Yan Lie calmly produced the evidence sent by Yang Hanlu and the others from his sleeve and said:

"If it were merely cleaning house, it would just be a matter of receiving an imperial edict and punishment; but if it's murder to silence witnesses, the nature changes. I happen to have the case file in which Qin Gui accuses you of colluding with those four bandits years ago to rob the silver convoy."

"Adding tonight's events, we suspect that the deaths of those four men were orchestrated by you, Wan brother, under the pretense of avenging the Qiu Feng descendants, to kill them and silence them."

Hearing this, Wan Tong's expression changed as he said:

"This is a frame‑up!"

"Whether it's a frame‑up should be determined by our investigation; since you're a suspect and have been caught red‑handed today, please cooperate, Wan brother, so as not to harm harmony among our own."

Wan Tong knew his little matter wouldn't stand up to scrutiny, but he never expected Qin Gui to actually have kept evidence and denounced him.

Even so, it didn't matter; as long as he could escape back to the North Zhenning Office, there would still be room to maneuver.

Yan Lie certainly wouldn't dare storm the North Zhenning Office to make an arrest, and besides, the North and South Zhenning Offices have long been at odds; His Majesty definitely doesn't want to see both of his hands crippled.

As long as he returns and submits a secret memorial pleading guilt, there will still be room for redemption.

Thinking, Wan Tong secretly gathered strength in his feet; just then, Jiang Yunzhou, who had been lying in ambush under Old Wang's spot beneath the bed, also stepped out of Fang Tao's room.

"How is it? What's the situation?"

Zou Zhen replied:

"Judging by the situation, Wan Tong seems intent on forcing his way through—are you uninjured?"

"All right, thank goodness for the protective talisman given by Female Hero Zhen."

Zhen Qing: ()

Bang!

Wan Tong struck first; everyone saw only a phantom vanish in place, and in the blink of an eye he was already racing toward the courtyard exit.

This time, Yan Lie did not choose to fly up to block; instead he closed his eyes, sank his mind, exhaled a foul breath, and the condensed energy formed a huge energy blade that dropped from above his head.

Knowing Yan Lie's move, Wan Tong naturally prepared as well, likewise drawing in the surrounding energy for his own use, turning his palm into force and shielding himself in front.

Bang bang bang!

The nearby flag officers and chief flag officers had wanted to rush in to help, but the repeated frantic clashes of energy already left everyone around feeling their innards churn, heads spinning and vision blurred.

Like an earthquake, the doors and windows of the entire South Zhenning Office shook violently, and everyone nearly clenched their brows, focusing their spirit and holding their breath.

Yang Hanlu also shielded the others as they retreated, but he was surprised to see that only Jiang Yunzhou stood calmly in place, watching Yan Lie and Wan Tong fight.

"Young Master Jiang, your qi sea is truly abundant—their fighting doesn't affect you at all."

Jiang Yunzhou joked:

"Because I'm hard of hearing and can't make out the noise, their fighting naturally has less effect on me."

Jiang Yunzhou stared at their fight, somewhat lost in thought.

So this is what a battle between fifth‑rank cultivators looks like—perhaps fearing to hurt nearby people, Yan Lie chose not to use weapons.

Even so, it felt like the two of them could tear apart the entire South Zhenning Office without difficulty.

If it's merely a matter of drawing in the surrounding energy, I could completely blast out my own internal energy and achieve a similar effect, right?

In the blink of an eye, Yan Lie and Wan Tong had exchanged dozens of moves; one could feel Yan Lie's punches growing heavier each time, and Wan Tong began to struggle to keep up.

Knowing that Yan Lie is ultimately nicknamed the "Eight‑Armed Luohan," who once beat to death several Southern Witch elders with a barrage of heavy punches.

Relying solely on brute strength, I'm certainly no match; moreover, my calves are starting to feel numb and sore—must be that needle I just took, which is surely a special poison, since ordinary toxins would do nothing to me, and I can't keep dragging this out.

Realizing this, Wan Tong dared not delay any longer; after landing, he kicked off the iron window and launched himself into the air again.

Yan Lie then hurled another heavy punch down from above, but this time Wan Tong did not try to block; instead he crossed his arms over his chest and let the massive energy blade—almost half his body size—strike his upper torso.

Boom!

Pfft!

Bearing Yan Lie's punch, Wan Tong spat out a mouthful of fresh blood; then seizing this hard-won opportunity, they pressed their hands against the lingering force of the punch, flipped their whole body in midair, and finally landed on the edge of the courtyard.

Seeing this, Yan Lie also had no choice but to fly up and chase, but Wan Tong, who had just managed to get up, naturally would not let the opportunity slip.

Clenching their teeth, they gathered the qi throughout their body into their right finger and thrust it downward like a transparent, half‑meter‑wide sword‑blade qi, thrusting down along the heavens.

Boom!

The huge sword-blade qi carved a deep pit into the ground.

Seeing Yan Lie dodge to avoid their own vigorous sword strike, Wan Tong seized the chance, leapt upward, and finally flew out of the courtyard.

Moonlight showered down on their head, and a cool breeze had already blown across their face.

As long as they got outside, with their speed and skill they could certainly escape back to the Northern Peace Garrison.

But before their body could even land after flying out, Wan Tong suddenly sensed a chilling killing intent hidden in the darkness behind them.

As they flashed to the side and turned their head to look, it was already too late.

A black sword-light tore through the moonlight and had already struck Wan Tong's body.

Clang!

The sword-light flashed past, fresh blood spurted from Wan Tong's shoulder, their meridians were damaged, and their right arm drooped limp.

Gritting their teeth through the pain, the qi-exhausted, strength-spent Wan Tong, despite their severe injuries, still wanted to flee after hitting the ground.

But just as they jumped up, that unseen black shadow flickered like a ghost beneath their feet and grabbed Wan Tong's ankle.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Saying that, they seized Wan Tong's ankle, spun around, and with a mighty heave threw them back into the courtyard of the Southern Peace Garrison.