Chapter 156: Sudden Change! (Part 2 of 3)

"Du Ziyue, Lord of Shangzhou City, pays his respects to the Envoys!"

When the martial cultivators Lin Juncheng, Qin Feng, Ning Hua, Fan Gao, and Xu Haomiao arrived at Shangzhou City and headed toward the City Lord's Mansion, Du Ziyue received the news and hurried out to greet them. Seeing the tokens hanging at the waists of Lin Juncheng, Qin Feng, and Ning Hua, he quickly bowed.

Though his cultivation was at the Genesis Martial Realm and his actual strength surpassed that of Qin Feng, Ning Hua, and the others, his status was inferior to theirs.

Facing Lin Juncheng, his expression was filled with reverence, and toward Qin Feng, Ning Hua, Fan Gao, and the rest—whose cultivation levels were lower than his own—he remained extremely courteous.

"Rise!"

With a flick of his vital energy, Lin Juncheng lifted Du Ziyue to his feet.

"Envoys, please come inside. I have already prepared a banquet to welcome you."

Du Ziyue said, bowing deeply with a mix of awe and flattery.

Ever since he had sent a plea for help to the Heavenly Thunder Sect, he had hosted a banquet every single day, waiting for the arrival of the sect's envoys.

...

"Let us not waste time. Lead the way ahead. Mere bandits are not worth a second thought!"

After the meal, Du Ziyue wanted to arrange for Lin Juncheng, Qin Feng, Ning Hua, Fan Gao, and the others to rest, but Lin Juncheng refused.

With a proud expression and his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, he spoke loudly.

"Yes, yes."

"This subordinate will lead the Envoys there right away."

"Such brazen bandits are nothing to the Envoys; you can wipe them out with a flick of your fingers."

Du Ziyue quickly led Lin Juncheng, Qin Feng, Ning Hua, Fan Gao, and the others, flying toward the area where the bandits had gathered.

During the flight, Lin Juncheng inquired about the specific strength of the bandits: two early-stage Genesis Martial Realm cultivators, ten Qi Martial Realm cultivators, and over a thousand other bandits. Their overall strength was quite formidable.

"Envoys, all the bandits surrounding Shangzhou City are hidden within the Langya Mountain Range."

"This subordinate has already scouted their exact hiding place in the mountains, waiting only for the Envoys to wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Du Ziyue chose a direction and said hurriedly.

"Follow me to exterminate them!"

Standing on a high vantage point, Lin Juncheng, Qin Feng, Ning Hua, Fan Gao, and the others looked down, faintly making out a stronghold teeming with figures.

"Slash!"

Lin Juncheng plunged swiftly downward, his sheathed sword flashing into the open. Inscribed with profound patterns, it cleaved through the air below with a single stroke.

"Boom!"
"Boom!"

A crosscurrent of sword qi shattered numerous buildings in the stronghold instantly, killing dozens of martial cultivators on the spot.

"Come out and face your deaths, you wretches below!"

With a long roar, Lin Juncheng charged fiercely into the stronghold, his sweeping sword qi cutting down the rampaging bandits one by one.

"You all deserve to die!"

With a single slash, Lin Juncheng cut down three Qi Martial Realm cultivators. None could block his path as he rampaged through the enemy ranks with unstoppable fury.

"Attack!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"

Fan Gao, Xu Haomiao, and six other martial cultivators closely followed Lin Juncheng's footsteps, charging into the stronghold with fierce momentum.

"Kill!"

Watching the bandits below being cut down one after another, Du Ziyue's expression was filled with exhilaration.

Those very bandits had previously slaughtered many of his subordinates, even killing the deputy general who had followed him for over a century.

"Kill!"

Letting out a long roar, Du Ziyue unleashed his early-stage Genesis Martial Realm aura, surging with boundless momentum as he charged into the fray.

"Stay close to me!"

Qin Feng instructed Ning Hua before charging into the stronghold bare-handed, tearing through the martial cultivators blocking his path.

"Die!"

A robust, two-meter-tall bandit wielding a pair of battle-axes grinned hideously as he lunged to cleave Qin Feng in two.

"Too slow!"

Qin Feng smiled disdainfully. To him, the speed of a Qi Martial Realm cultivator was far too slow. Sidestepping effortlessly, he threw a punch straight at the bandit.

"Boom!"

Without exerting his full strength—using only the power of the early-stage Genesis Martial Realm—his brutal force slammed into the bandit, shattering him into pieces.

"Who dares trespass in our stronghold?"
"Those who trespass here die!"

Two voices brimming with monstrous fury rang out. Awakened by the outside screams, the Chief and Second Chief charged out of their chambers. Seeing the piles of corpses outside, their faces twisted with rage.

"Whoosh!"

Spotting the two early-stage Genesis Martial Realm bandit leaders, Lin Juncheng sliced through dozens of grunts to clear a path. His body dissolved into a blur of afterimages as he dashed straight toward the two chiefs.

"Courting death!"
"Destroy him!"

Seeing Lin Juncheng charge at them, the two chiefs roared in unison and joined forces to unleash a devastating counterattack.

"Overestimating yourselves!"

Lin Juncheng smiled contemptuously. With his combat power reaching the strength of six hundred soaring serpents, slaughtering two Genesis Martial Realm cultivators would be effortless.

"Clang!"
"Clang!"

Swinging his longsword, Lin Juncheng unleashed wave after wave of sword qi—powerful, sharp, majestic, and ferocious—enveloping the two chiefs.

"Puff!"

The Chief, wielding a pair of heavy hammers, smashed against a streak of incoming sword qi, only to be blasted backward by the sheer force carried within it.

The rebounding force drove his own heavy hammer straight into his chest, collapsing his sternum as a mouthful of blood spewed from his lips.

"Ah!"

The Second Chief, fighting bare-handed, threw a flurry of punches to intercept the incoming sword qi.

"Boom!"

The vast and ferocious sword qi tore right through the barrage of fist shadows, striking the Second Chief squarely in the chest.

"Hmph!"

A muffled groan escaped the Second Chief's lips as fresh blood poured from his mouth. A horrifying wound slashed horizontally across his chest, tearing it wide open and exposing his faintly beating heart.

"Is that all the strength you have?"
"How utterly disappointing."

Gazing down at the fallen chiefs, Lin Juncheng sneered. Wielding his precious sword once more, he unleashed a flurry of sword qi that engulfed them both.

"Bang."
"Bang."

Swallowed by the sword qi, the two chiefs were left as bruised and battered corpses by the time the energy dissipated.

"Whoosh!"

Channeling his inner Qi, Lin Juncheng leaped onto a rooftop, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield below.

Fan Gao, Xu Haomiao, Du Ziyue, and the other martial cultivators completely dominated the fight, their formidable combat strength slaughtering the remaining bandits.

"This subordinate offers his deepest thanks to the esteemed Envoys for saving Shangzhou City!"

Once the surviving bandits were thoroughly wiped out, Du Ziyue looked upon the corpses of the two chiefs with ecstatic joy. His deep grudge was avenged, and the crisis in Shangzhou City had been averted. He bowed gratefully to Lin Juncheng.

Fan Gao, Xu Haomiao, Ning Hua, and the others stood nearby, their expressions tinged with a trace of elation.

The mission was complete. Aside from sustaining minor injuries, none of them were in mortal danger, and all had survived.

"Think nothing of it!"

Lin Juncheng flicked a surge of vital energy toward Du Ziyue.

"Many thanks—"
"Ah!"

Expecting Lin Juncheng to use his vital energy to help him up once more, Du Ziyue cupped his hands and began to express his gratitude.

Yet the sword qi suddenly surging toward his abdomen emitted a shrill cry, abruptly shifting its trajectory to slash across his throat.