Chapter 221: 221 Uninvited
Bang!
An azure porcelain teacup worth a hundred gold was fiercely smashed to the ground, instantly shattering into pieces that scattered in all directions.
"Useless, all completely useless!"
A roar of anger erupted in the front hall of the Nanshao Prefect Mansion, frightening the kneeling personal soldiers into trembling violently.
The lord of Nanshao, Prefect Ruan Zhaoming's face was as red as a cooked shrimp.
It was an utterly humiliating disgrace!
He had sent out five hundred personal soldiers to surround the Guarding Heavenly Master's residence, yet as soon as the other showed his face, these elite troops, upon whom he had placed great expectations, panicked and scattered, turning into a huge joke for all the townspeople to witness.
All the meticulous preparations beforehand had been in vain.
Although the trigger was Wang Chen using Falling Thunder to kill the Head of the Hundred Households, Ruan Zhaoming had still outfitted his five hundred personal soldiers with the best weapons and armor, and paid them full salaries. He had even dug deep into his own pockets to cover the extra costs.
They appeared strong and valiant on ordinary days, but when it truly mattered, they proved to be utterly inadequate!
How could Ruan Zhaoming not feel anger, as well as frustration?
He knew very well that it wasn't because his personal soldiers were too incompetent, but that the Immortal Master's deterrent power was simply too strong.
Even Ruan Zhaoming himself did not dare to face Wang Chen.
He placed his last hope on the hemp-robed elder beside him, "Sorcerer Elder, do you have a way to deal with him?"
On
"Difficult!"
The hemp-robed elder pondered before answering, "The strength of this disciple of the Cloud Sun sect might be stronger than we understand. To take him on, I would need the assistance of at least three Innate Martial Artists."
"No, at least five!"
Five Innate Martial Artists?
A bitter taste emerged in Ruan Zhaoming's mouth.
Innate Martial Artists were not cabbages that one could easily pick; it was already not easy to recruit one or two, let alone five!
The Sorcerer Elder wasn't confident, and Ruan Zhaoming couldn't think of a good strategy to deal with Wang Chen on the spot.
"Prefect Ruan, I advise you to wait a bit longer."
Noticing Ruan Zhaoming's expression, the Sorcerer Elder's eyes flashed, "The situation is unclear now; it's not wise to act rashly. Withdraw your men for now and wait for new developments in the situation before making a decision."
He had already advised the other party not to act recklessly before.
But Ruan Zhaoming simply wouldn't listen.
Now, not only had he startled the snake in the grass, but he had also exposed all his weaknesses.
The Confucian Deer Faction, skilled in strategy but not in strength, never seemed to understand that in the face of truly formidable power, all schemes and tricks are a joke!
"That's the only choice then."
Ruan Zhaoming slumped into the Taishi Chair.
He suddenly thought of something and asked anxiously, "Sorcerer Elder, what if that person comes here?"
Scared now?
The Sorcerer Elder felt extremely disdainful inside, but he arrogantly replied, "The Blood Fiend Thousand Gu Array I have set up in the Prefect Mansion is not for show. If he dares to come here, I will make him realize the strength of us Nanshao wizards!"
Ruan Zhaoming immediately relaxed, "Then I am relying on you, Sorcerer Elder."
Seizing the opportunity, the Sorcerer Elder said, "To reinforce the Blood Fiend Thousand Gu Array, I need ten veteran warriors."
Ten veteran warriors?
Ruan Zhaoming's eyelid twitched, and he resolutely said, "No problem!"
The Sorcerer Elder laughed heartily, "Rest assured, once I upgrade the Blood Fiend Thousand Gu Array to the Yin Sha Ten Thousand Gu Array, let alone a mere Qi Cultivation cultivator, even if that person from Qian Capital comes, I guarantee he won't be able to leave!"
"Really? I would like to see that for myself."
No sooner had the old wizard's words fallen than a strange voice suddenly entered his ears.
The Sorcerer Elder was taken aback and instinctively turned his head toward the direction of the voice.
At the doorway of the front hall, there stood a young Taoist in a green robe.
Guarding Heavenly Master Wang Chen!
A name flashed through the Sorcerer Elder's mind, and he immediately let out a shriek as his body swelled up rapidly as if inflated.
Boom!
The Sorcerer Elder's hemp robe suddenly burst apart, releasing a swarm of dark clouds that surged towards Wang Chen.
If one's eyesight were good enough, they could discern that this dark cloud was composed of thousands of black Gu insects.
The insects emitted a soul-shaking buzz, reaching Wang Chen in an instant!
These Gu insects raised by the Sorcerer Elder were extremely formidable; it took them merely ten breaths to gnaw a ferocious tiger down to its skeleton. Qi Cultivation cultivators who encountered them, if lacking strong defensive methods, would be devoured as blood food all the same.
But the Sorcerer Elder's use of Gu insects to siege Wang Chen was merely to buy a bit of time to activate the Blood Fiend Thousand Gu Array!
Boom!
A burst of intense flames exploded in front of Wang Chen, enveloping all the attacking Gu insects.
The next moment, a lifelike Fire Crow emerged from the flames, its fiery wings spreading in an instant, darting towards the Sorcerer Elder.
The latter had just raised his vine staff, not yet managing to chant an incantation, when he was struck by the Fire Crow.
He immediately turned into a ball of fire.
"Ah!"
The old wizard's scream was piercing to the extreme. Flailing his arms and legs trying to put out the flames on his body, he stumbled and fell heavily to the ground.
There were no more sounds.
Accompanied by a series of crackling pops, a thick stench of burning spread through the air.
Meanwhile, a man in gray clothes who had stood behind Ruan Zhaoming all along flashed beside Wang Chen like a ghost, silently striking Wang Chen's vital points with his palms.
The speed of the man in gray was extremely fast, his palm emitting a dark purple hue and faintly showing a layer of Dark Evil Light.
His poisoned palm had evidently reached a high realm, penetrating bone and marrow, overwhelmingly domineering!
"Heh."
Wang Chen nonchalantly swept out his robe sleeve, colliding with the gray-clothed man's poisoned palm.
Boom!
The gray-clothed man, like a kite with its string cut, flew backward, spitting out fresh blood mixed with fragments of inner organs.
His palms, along with his arms, twisted into a grotesque shape, with two bones piercing through the flesh into his chest.
The sight was as pitiful as could be.
This gray-clothed man slammed heavily against the wall and was "pasted" onto it, his entire body turning into mush!
"Prefectural Governor Ruan."
Wang Chen flicked his sleeves and took two steps forward, saying, "Wang did not announce his visit, please forgive the intrusion."
Yet, upon his face which had just slain two men, there wasn't a trace of apology.
Ruan Zhaoming huddled up on the Taishi Chair, his eyes lost, teeth clattering, and beneath him dripped a steady stream of urine.
"Protect the Lord!"
At that moment, over a dozen of the Prefect Mansion's personal guards charged into the front hall.
Clang!
A flash of Sword Light swept through, and over a dozen heads soared into the air.
Ruan Zhaoming suddenly regained his senses, thumped to his knees, and started kowtowing desperately, "Immortal Master, spare my life, please spare me!"
The Prefect kowtowed with such force that he was quickly bleeding from his head, looking utterly miserable.
A wizard and an Innate Martial Artist had joined forces, only to be killed by Wang Chen in a single encounter.
What right did he have to stand and speak with such a figure?
Wang Chen said with a smile, "You're overthinking it."
Wang Chen had refrained from immediately killing the instigator of the trouble mainly because he wanted to find the answers to his questions.
To him, the other party was just a disposable answer machine!
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Second update delivered.