NOVPUB"Heh,"
Exhaling a breath heavy with the strong scent of blood, Huang Jue looked down at his own left chest.
The tip of the Qiling Spear had deeply penetrated his body, such that only a section of the tail could be seen, and crimson blood was spurting out along the blood groove.
Blood from his very heart!
Huang Jue’s eyes were full of disbelief.
He had been a fifth-tier Martial Saint for many years, with a Gang Power so vigorous and mighty that the Gang Armor he could project was thought impenetrable, once directly withstanding the blast of a defending heavy crossbow without injury.
Not only that, Huang Jue also wore a piece of Fine Gold Soft Armor, which further enhanced his defenses.
The more enemies he had slain, the more he attended to his own protection, the more he cherished his life, as the saying goes: "Often by the river’s side does not one’s shoes get wet?"
Just now, in his spear-to-spear clash with Wang Chen, it seemed both would be mutually wounded, perishing together, yet Huang Jue was 100% confident he could strike down Wang Chen first and believed in the strength of his own defenses.
Yet, it was exactly his strongest, most confident defense that Wang Chen’s spear tip had easily pierced through.
And the price paid was the cost of life itself!
This fifth-tier Martial Ancestor shook his head, all his resentment, sobbing, despair, and anger instantly turned to resignation.
As they say, what goes around comes around; he had killed many, and now it was his turn to be killed—retribution indeed!
Lowering his head, Huang Jue fell to his knees on the ground, the last hint of spirit extinguished from his eyes.
Travel well.
Wang Chen gave a bow to the opponent who knelt before him.
This was respect for a formidable enemy.
Huang Jue was undoubtedly the most powerful adversary he had encountered since arriving in this world.
Purely in terms of Cultivation Realm, Huang Jue was certainly superior to Wang Chen.
But life and death in martial arts is often not solely determined by strength!
Wang Chen’s victory over Huang Jue was mainly thanks to the Demon-Slaying Spearhead, a sharp weapon from the Haotian Realm. Although it was only part of the Taichu Slaying Demon Spear, after his refinement, it had already gained some of its power.
And even if Wang Chen could only unleash one percent of the Taichu Slaying Demon Spear’s might, it was not something Huang Jue’s Body Protection Gang Armor and Fine Gold Inner Armor could resist.
It was truly a strike from a higher dimension!
Wang Chen found nothing of use on Huang Jue, so in the end, he only took his Soul Severing Spear.
This spear was of a higher quality level than the Qiling Spear.
As for the body of this fifth-tier Martial Ancestor, Wang Chen naturally cut off the head and took it with him—it could be exchanged for merit!
He mounted the Yellow Fatty Horse again and continued towards the Prefecture City.
And when he left the mountain roads for the wide and flat official roads, the Yellow Fatty Horse’s speed came into play.
Before the sun had set, Wang Chen arrived at Donglu Prefecture City.
At the Donglu Prefecture Guardian Centurion’s Yamen, he met the Pacification Commissioner Yao Peng, "This subordinate, Wang Chen, greets Your Excellency!"
This highest official of Donglu Prefecture Guard, lean and of a waxen complexion, seemed as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, but whenever his slender eyes opened and closed, they flashed with an unpredictable brilliance, giving one a sense of his profound and inscrutable nature.
"Dispense with the formalities."
Yao Peng gestured with an open hand, smiling, "Wasn’t your name originally Ling Zhiyuan?"
"I am resolved to sever all ties of kinship!"
Wang Chen said solemnly, "I plan to use this new name from now on, please forgive me, Your Excellency."
"No matter."
Yao Peng waved his hand, "As long as you dedicate yourself to Great Liang, to His Majesty, regardless of surname and given name, any name would do. I will have someone re-register and file your name tomorrow!"
In fact, changing names and surnames when joining the Blood Cloak Guard was not uncommon, with many using a different name to shield their kin, diving into life and death situations as a quite normal practice.
Yao Peng understood Wang Chen’s situation and was quite impressed with this rising talent; of course, he wouldn’t fuss over such a minor issue.
Wang Chen expressed his gratitude, "Thank you very much, sir!"
"Please, sit down and talk."
Yao Peng gestured for Wang Chen to take a seat and ordered the maids to bring tea, then asked, "Did you encounter any trouble on your way?"
Wang Chen understood what the Pacification Commissioner meant and immediately opened the knapsack he carried with him.
The head of Huang Jue was promptly revealed!
"Soul Severing Spear!"
Yao Peng recognized the head of the man whose eyes were still wide open in death and stood up in shock, "You actually killed Huang Jue!"
As one of the twelve Protectors of the Hidden Dragon Hall, the Soul Severing Spear Huang Jue had at least a hundred Blood Cloak Guard lives on his hands, and the Blood Cloak Guard detested him deeply, having posted a high bounty internally.
Yao Peng had never imagined that Wang Chen would bring him such a significant gift! 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
So shocked was the Pacification Commissioner that he somewhat ungraciously snatched the head to inspect it closely, fearing he had made a mistake.
The data on the twelve Protectors of the Hidden Dragon Hall was very detailed within the Blood Cloak Guard, and since Yao Peng had met Huang Jue in person, he was sure after comparing them one by one.
It really was the Soul Severing Spear!
"Excellent!"
Yao Peng couldn’t help but slam the table and exclaim in delight, joy written all over his face.
Of course, he had no intention of stealing Wang Chen’s credit, but since Wang Chen had delivered Huang Jue’s head into his hands, he had a share in this great achievement.
While feeling extremely pleased, Yao Peng also reassessed Wang Chen, "Ling Zhiyuan, no, Wang Chen, your martial arts talent is even higher than I thought!"
Initially, when he received the report from the Linjiang Defense Area saying that a new Junior Flag had broken through the fifth-tier Martial Ancestor realm, earning merit for killing the Bloodthirsty Demon and clashing with those from the Prefecture Guard, Yao Peng was utterly disbelieving.
A sixteen-year-old fifth-tier Martial Ancestor was unheard of, not even among the prodigies!
But the message was quickly confirmed, and Yao Peng issued a decree, rewarding Wang Chen while ordering him to report for duty at the Prefecture Guard.
To win over this young Martial Ancestor, Yao Peng had sent Tiqi to lend him support after learning about Wang Chen’s background.
This allowed Wang Chen to smoothly settle his karma.
However, Yao Peng had never imagined that Wang Chen’s strength was so great that he had managed to behead Huang Jue!
You see, even Yao Peng himself wasn’t sure of defeating Huang Jue without a fight.
Wang Chen responded modestly, "You overpraise me, sir."
Huang Jue’s head was an immensely powerful asset which immediately changed the attitude of the Pacification Commissioner.
"You don’t need to be modest, nor should you be!"
Yao Peng said solemnly, "I will send a message via carrier hawk to Daye, letting the Chief Guards know of your achievements. Perhaps even His Majesty will look upon you with favor!"
It had been a long time since the Great Liang Blood Cloak Guard had seen a genius like Wang Chen.
The current Emperor of Great Liang was ambitious and keen on clearing the malpractices in the royal court, promoting new talents vigorously.
Once the supreme ruler learned of the situation, he would surely take Wang Chen under consideration!
Yao Peng believed in this.
Perhaps he would also benefit from this situation.
The gaze of the Pacification Commissioner softened as he looked at Wang Chen, "Wang Chen, the reward I gave you seems a bit too light."
"In that case, state any request you have, just ask!"
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Here is the first installment.
