Chapter 430 - 364: Arrogant and Domineering, Single-Handed Suppression (Part 2)

"If you want to condemn a man, you’ll never be short of a pretext! Your excuse is so clumsy, my lord. Why not come up with a better one and try again!?"

"You’re courting death!" Tong Jin’s eyes narrowed as he struck out with a palm from a distance.

BZZZZ—PFFT!

Zhong Shanyong’s Inner Qi surged around him in an attempt to defend himself. But in the face of an absolute gap in power, his body was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string.

THUD!

Zhong Shanyong’s body slammed heavily onto the ground.

"Lord Zhong!" The Garrison Commandant’s Office constables beside him cried out, their faces pale with panic. In a single exchange, Lord Zhong, the strongest among them, had been grievously wounded.

"Men!" Tong Jin yelled. "Arrest Mang Blade Chen Ping’an at once!"

"Yes, sir!" several riders behind him responded in unison.

"Stop them! Cough, cough, cough..."

Supported by his men, Zhong Shanyong struggled to his feet. He forced the words out before breaking into a violent coughing fit, blood spilling from his lips.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

Everyone present drew their weapons, forming a barrier at the entrance of the Garrison Commandant’s Office. Compared to the few riders from the Qiankun Bureau, the men from the Garrison Commandant’s Office were clearly superior in number. However...

...though they were many, they seemed incredibly fragile before their opponents.

"I’d like to see who dares!" Tong Jin’s gaze turned cold. "Qiankun Bureau, listen to my command! If anyone obstructs us, kill them without mercy!"

"Yes, sir!" The Qiankun Bureau riders roared in reply, their Inner Qi beginning to surge.

’The Third Stage of Inner Qi!’

Yuan Zutong’s expression was grave as he looked at the riders before him. Aside from Tong Jin, a master he could hardly hope to match, the men he brought with him were all Martial Dao masters who had reached the Third Stage of Inner Qi!

’This is trouble!’

Yuan Zutong was horrified, but his grip on his blade didn’t loosen in the slightest. Veins bulged on his arm as he circulated his Inner Qi to its absolute limit.

’Even if I’m no match for them, I have to stop them here!’

"A bunch of fools! Overestimating your own strength!" Tong Jin sneered. As his True Qi surged, the Command Flag on his back whipped about in the wind.

Three men behind Tong Jin dismounted, their Inner Qi flaring. Each drew his own unique weapon: a Longsword, a Flying Claw, and a Meteor Hammer.

A battle was about to erupt. Just as tensions reached their peak, a casual voice suddenly cut through the air.

"Who is causing a ruckus outside the Garrison Commandant’s Office!?"

"My lord!" Yuan Zutong’s face lit up. He spun around and, just as he’d hoped, saw that familiar figure walking slowly out from within the Garrison Commandant’s Office.

"It’s the lord!"

"The lord is here!"

Seeing the newcomer, the faces of the men from the Garrison Commandant’s Office filled with joy.

The crowd parted, clearing a path for Chen Ping’an.

"So you’re Mang Blade, Chen Ping’an!?" Tong Jin, perched high on his tall horse, looked down condescendingly at Chen Ping’an as he emerged from the crowd.

Chen Ping’an ignored him and walked over to Zhong Shanyong’s side.

Zhong Shanyong, his face pale, called out emotionally, "My lord."

Chen Ping’an nodded and gently patted Zhong Shanyong’s shoulder.

"You’ve worked hard."

With that, he turned to face Tong Jin, his gaze indifferent, devoid of any emotion.

"Are you the one causing trouble at the entrance of my Garrison Commandant’s Office!?"

"Chen Ping’an, why do you not bow upon seeing this envoy!?" Tong Jin’s expression turned cold as he barked out the question.

"So arrogant. It seems you are." Chen Ping’an nodded.

BOOM!

Without another word, Chen Ping’an’s figure flickered, and he thrust a palm strike toward Tong Jin.

Great Vajra Palm!

Tong Jin never imagined Chen Ping’an would attack without another word. However, seeing the incoming palm strike, he wasn’t angered. Instead, he was pleased.

’Courting death!’

’He actually dares to attack me first! Fine. This makes it easy. I can arrest him on the spot without needing any other excuse.’

"Gold-Splitting Jade-Breaking Hand!"

Tong Jin’s hands instantly turned crimson red. His True Qi pulsed as he met the attack with a palm of his own.

BOOM!

Their palms met in mid-air, unleashing a violent shockwave accompanied by a deafening blast.

"What!" Tong Jin’s face went white. An irresistible force slammed into him, and he felt as if his entire arm was about to be destroyed.

The incredible power sent the horse beneath Tong Jin crashing to the ground with a long, agonized neigh.

"PFFT!"

With just one palm strike, Tong Jin was instantly and severely wounded. He collapsed onto his horse’s carcass, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Tong Jin’s face was a mask of terror, his courage utterly shattered.

His hand was ruined, every bone in his arm fractured.

One palm strike!

Just one palm strike!

And he had been reduced to this state!

His so-called Gold-Splitting Jade-Breaking Hand was like a child’s toy in front of his opponent.

An Absolute Master! The power of an Absolute Master!

’How old is he? How is this possible!?’

A storm of shock raged in Tong Jin’s heart as he stared in terror at Chen Ping’an, who was slowly walking toward him.

"Stop! Stop right there! Chen Ping’an, do you have any idea who this envoy is!?"

Chen Ping’an said nothing, only continuing his slow approach. It wasn’t that he couldn’t move faster; he just wanted to see the fear on the other man’s face intensify.

"This envoy is a member of the Canglong State Qiankun Bureau’s special investigation team, a Silver Bell Qiankun Deputy Envoy!"

Tong Jin said, his voice a mixture of terror and false bravado.

"Stop him! Quickly, stop him!"

The accompanying men from the Qiankun Bureau were still reeling from the sudden reversal of fortune, unsure of what to do. Hearing his command, they braced themselves and stepped forward.

Who could have imagined that Lord Tong, so imperious and powerful just a moment ago, would be so grievously wounded in the next?

’He was defeated too quickly!’

The men looked at Chen Ping’an, their eyes filled with caution and dread.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

With the men blocking his path, Chen Ping’an didn’t hold back, felling each of them with a single palm strike. Within a single breath, they were all on the ground, severely wounded and unable to stand.

"Chen Ping’an, let’s talk this through. This envoy was ordered to investigate a case here; I didn’t intend to make things difficult. I only injured your subordinate because he was trying to obstruct my investigation!"

Tong Jin explained frantically. He could see genuine Killing Intent in Chen Ping’an’s eyes.

’Mang Blade Chen Ping’an: acts recklessly, strikes ruthlessly... Upon first taking office in White Stone City, he annihilated the Quicksand Gang over a banquet incident, then destroyed the Crocodile Gang... He stirred up a storm in White Stone City, slaughtering gangs and clans with an iron fist, making the entire city his personal domain...’

’...Appointed as Outer Trade Road Patrol Deputy Envoy, he wiped out a Celestial Net Church entrance and killed the sect’s rising star, Soul-Breaking Spear... After Guan Yu Ping’s death, he was promoted to Inspection Envoy... When Wu Tianqi from the Wu Family Trading Team caused trouble in the city, he was hung from the city walls... Meng Yude, the Tributor for the Wu Family Trading Team, backed down... The Wei Family’s ancestor, Wei Zhixing, humbled himself...’

’...Li Pingjiang, a disciple of the Seven Extremes Elder, had his head hung on the city walls, allegedly killed by Chen Ping’an... In Beicang Town, he slew a Profound Light Middle Realm Evil Master...’

He had specifically researched Chen Ping’an’s history and his various deeds. Back then, he had dismissed it all as a joke. ’Just a few minor squabbles. Why exaggerate so much!?’ The only noteworthy achievement was Li Pingjiang’s death, but after analyzing the details, it was highly probable that Chen Ping’an wasn’t the one who killed him.

But now... Tong Jin suddenly understood. He had severely, gravely underestimated Chen Ping’an’s strength.

BANG!

Chen Ping’an reached Tong Jin. Tong Jin’s True Qi pulsed as he tried to gather his strength to resist, but Chen Ping’an slapped it away. With one hand, Chen Ping’an grabbed Tong Jin’s head and lifted him off the ground.

"Chen Ping’an! I am here under orders! You can’t kill me."

Feeling the hand on his head tighten, Tong Jin began to feel true terror.

He was a man who lived on the edge, licking blood from the blade. He had always thought he wasn’t afraid of death, but now that it was upon him, he discovered he was afraid after all.

"Chen Ping’an, the Qiankun Bureau and the Garrison Commandant’s Office are separate entities. We’ve always minded our own business. I beg you to be merciful today. As long as you..."

POP!

Tong Jin’s head exploded, its contents splattering onto the ground!

Everyone was stunned!

’He killed him?’

’Just like that?’

’But he’s from the Qiankun Bureau!?’

While everyone was still in shock, Chen Ping’an took a Token from Tong Jin’s waist.

Qiankun Bureau, Silver Bell Qiankun Deputy Envoy!

"What a nice little thing," Chen Ping’an muttered to himself. And then...

With another POP, he crushed the Token completely, turning it into a shower of metal fragments.

Tossing the headless corpse to the ground like a piece of trash, Chen Ping’an turned to face the crowd.

"Take this body to the Qiankun Bureau. Tell them that a criminal with ill intentions was impersonating a key official of the Bureau and has now been executed by me! Inform the Qiankun Bureau of this matter. If necessary, the rest of these people can be executed and handed over as well!"

A ray of light broke through the sky, shining down and making Chen Ping’an’s figure seem as majestic and insurmountable as a great mountain.

...

PS: Hello? Anyone there?