Zhao Duofu chuckled, "Could it be, the governor has slain the Evil Bodhisattva and saved the common people?"
Zhao Yanlong replied, "Most likely."
At that moment, cries of agony came from behind them. The two turned to see Chen Shi and Li Tianqing, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, murdering three of the brocade-clad imperial guards lagging behind.
Another of the Zhao family’s younger generation was too slow and was slain by a sudden jade ring.
Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Duofu sprinted with all their might, with the governor’s camp drawing ever closer ahead.
Suddenly, Zhao Yanlong felt his Primordial Spirit no longer so heavy, and he immediately sensed its calling. Indeed, his Primordial Spirit soared out from Qianyang Mountain, still mostly petrified, but its speed was nonetheless extremely fast as it raced towards them.
"Duofu, you really have good fortune; you’re my lucky star!"
Zhao Yanlong laughed heartily, "A son’s rank elevates his mother’s. If we make it back alive this time, you shall be my acknowledged son, and we’ll bring your mother into the mansion and give her the status of concubine!"
Zhao Duofu was both shocked and elated. Being the son of a mistress, akin to an illegitimate child, he was not recognized by the Zhao family and held no status. Now that he was to become a recognized son and his mother was to be promoted to concubine, their status would greatly increase, ensuring his rapid rise within the Zhao family was just around the corner!
Chen Shi and Li Tianqing, having dispatched the four behind them, continued their pursuit. The two had chased from the mountains to this point, sweating profusely and physically exhausted, yet their spirits were at their peak.
Li Tianqing spotted the Xinxiang Port flag from afar and gasped, quickly saying, "Little Ten, we can’t chase any longer! The Xinxiang governor must be in the large camp under that flag!"
Chen Shi hesitated a moment, his speed unconsciously slowing, "The Xinxiang governor, is he also with the Zhao family?"
Li Tianqing confirmed, "Yes. The Xinxiang governor, Zhao Tianbao, his cultivation realm is perhaps not far off from my grandfather’s, inscrutable! We can’t continue the pursuit!"
Chen Shi clenched his teeth, "Give me all the remaining bullets, you go back first!"
He discarded his satchel, grabbed the basket from Li Tianqing’s back, and stomped heavily on the ground to activate the Armored Horse Talisman, propelling himself towards Zhao Yanlong with even greater astounding speed!
With every step he took, his straw sandals split open from the expanding soles of his feet. The next step landed barefoot!
Meanwhile, Chen Shi’s Qi-Blood surged throughout his body, making him grow taller and more muscular. In the blink of an eye, he grew more than half a foot, as his Qi-Blood filled him to the brim, causing even his hair to start slowly growing!
His stride became longer and his speed quicker, covering nearly two yards in one step, leaving even galloping horses in the dust!
His arms also lengthened significantly at that moment, his palms became thicker and larger, and his Qi-Blood surged, the muscles and tendons of his arms swelling, making thick veins emerge across the surface of his limbs.
His eyes saw nothing but Zhao Yanlong, who was desperately running ahead.
Strike when the enemy is sick, take their life!
Chen Shi understood this principle well.
If he did not kill Zhao Yanlong now, once Yanlong reached the camp and returned to the Zhao family, finding such a suitable opportunity again would be uncertain and perhaps a long wait!
Murder would be met with execution, debt with repayment.
These were the unwritten rural rules, not the rigid and formal laws of Great Ming.
This Demon Transformation was wrought by Zhao Yanlong’s greed, causing untold deaths, so he must pay with his life for these casualties and the disaster!
In the governor’s camp, Zhao Tianbao and the strong men from Xin Xiang Province’s three departments each looked around with faces of uncertainty and astonishment. The two overlapping Demon Domains had expanded outward, giving them quite a fright, and they had not expected the Demon Domain to collapse on its own.
Despite the Demon Domain’s dissipation, they still dared not step inside to investigate the cause.
While deliberating, suddenly someone shouted, "Sir, Sir! The Master of Xuanying Mansion is still alive!"
Zhao Tianbao was both shocked and thrilled, quickly stepping out of the tent, "Yanlong is alive? Where?"
The other strong men from the three departments hurriedly followed him out of the tent, and upon reaching the outskirts of the camp, they saw two figures running towards them in the distance. One was short of stature, barely two yards tall but with astonishingly swift steps. By his appearance, it was clearly Zhao Yanlong.
Except Zhao Yanlong had many areas on his body that were petrified, his cultivation greatly damaged, likely due to the petrification that had yet to be reversed.
As Zhao Yanlong ran, his body continued to grow, and the petrified material gradually receded, transforming back into flesh and blood.
Zhao Tianbao laughed heartily, "Yanlong led our Zhao family’s boys into the mountains to hunt demons. I thought he and all the disciples of Xuanying Mansion had perished in the maws of the demons, but to my surprise, he actually succeeded in slaying that demon and returned victorious!"
The crowd understood and repeatedly praised the bravery of the Master of Xuanying Mansion, saying, "The Cabinet will know of this and will surely reward the Master of Xuanying Mansion. We’ll bask in reflected glory!"
Behind Zhao Yanlong and another youth from the Zhao family, there came another figure dashing frantically toward them. He was about six feet tall with a stride so wide and speedy, he seemed like a rampaging mutant beast, a great wild ox charging forward. Each step he took on the incredibly tough provincial road cracked the stone slabs and sent pebbles flying.
The young man had a youthful face, with clear brows and beautiful eyes, red lips and white teeth. His clothes weren’t particularly flashy but were quite fitting.
Such explosive power caught the attention of Governor Zhao Tianbao and all the other dignitaries of the province.
"The Zhao family has gained another outstanding young talent," praised the Assistant Governor Ding Heyun. "This boy, only in his teens, already possesses such astonishing speed. He is bound to achieve great things in the future, his potential knows no bounds!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
This was not flattery, for the strength and momentum displayed by the youth were genuinely remarkable. At his age, none of them had such abilities.
Governor Zhao Tianbao laughed heartily and humbly said, "He’s just a kid. Is he worthy of such high praise? I’m just worried it might hurt Zhong Yong’s feelings!"
Despite his words, he took careful note of Chen Shi’s appearance, thinking to himself, "I must cultivate this boy with great care!"
At that moment, a dazzling divine light arose from behind, with an aura of mist, making everyone turn to look. A vitrified Primordial Spirit was flying toward them at incredible speed!
It appeared to be Zhao Yanlong’s Primordial Spirit.
However, the Primordial Spirit was still in a state of vitrification, half-ceramic, half-spirit, its strength mixed and impure.
Suddenly, the young man who was sprinting took off the basket from his back, grabbed a black spherical object the size of a head from it, and with a burst of strength, flung the basket into the air, targeting the Primordial Spirit of Zhao Yanlong in full flight!
The black ball in the boy’s hand also flew out of his grip, overtaking the basket and striking it.
Six or seven iron bullets exploded, and it seemed as though a thick thunderball had blasted in the sky, sending fire shooting in all directions. The expanding fire cloud hit Zhao Yanlong’s Primordial Spirit, instantly shattering its vitrified parts, causing it to be riddled with holes in a blink!
The fire cloud engulfed his Primordial Spirit!
This sudden turn of events took everyone at the camp by surprise and left no time for rescue.
Below the blaze, the youth caught up with Zhao Yanlong, whose body had grown to about three feet in size, still resembling the body of a child. Although severely vitrified, his body, forged over many years, was stronger than ordinary people’s. He dodged Chen Shi’s punch, kicked out, aiming straight for Chen Shi’s groin!
Chen Shi caught the leg, struck with his elbow, shattering Zhao Yanlong’s knee, severing the tendons at the junction of his lower and upper leg, causing them to bend downward.
Normally he wouldn’t have been so fragile, to have his leg broken by a youth in the Divine Embryo Realm, but at this moment his body was mostly ceramic, and it shattered upon contact.
Chen Shi’s elbow came down, and he stepped in. The tip of his elbow whipped upwards, hitting Yanlong right in the solar plexus, breaking several of his ribs. Then with a swoosh, both hands clapped down hard over his ears.
Zhao Yanlong’s vitrified eardrums shattered, leaving him stunned as Chen Shi grabbed his head and rammed his knees into his chest, the vitrified parts of his body cracking and breaking apart!
Many of his internal organs were vitrified, and now, sharp shards pierced through his innards!
Zhao Duofu was about to come to the aid, but Chen Shi tossed Zhao Yanlong aside, slid to his side, and with the base of his palm already pushing against his chin, he tipped Duofu’s head back and slammed his body to the ground!
A dull impact sounded as the blue stone slabs cracked, and brain and blood spattered.
Chen Shi pressed his left hand against the ground and swept with his right leg. Zhao Yanlong’s legs snapped with a crack, and he fell backward.
Chen Shi angled his elbow and struck precisely at his throat, as fresh blood mixed with broken ceramic shards poured out of his mouth.
Zhao Yanlong was dead beyond any doubt.
Chen Shi exhaled a breath of foul air, rose to his feet, and looked toward the governor’s camp. His eyes met with Governor Zhao Tianbao’s before he turned and walked away.
Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m fr𝒆ewebnove(l).com