In the underground passage.
Looking at the changes on his panel, Jiang Ning couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
He then focused his gaze and fixed it on the only authority he had.
[Regeneration of Flesh (Incomplete 0%)]: This is an incomplete authority. With this authority, all physical damage in this world can be healed relatively quickly.
His gaze then shifted to the "Divinity" section.
[Divinity]: 1
As his eyes fell on it, Jiang Ning immediately understood how to use the divinity.
The method was simple: accelerate the aggregation of authority and restore it until the authority is complete.
After realizing this, his thoughts moved.
The divinity on the panel immediately disappeared.
Soon, the "Authority" section changed.
[Authority]: Regeneration of Flesh (Incomplete 33%)
Seeing the changes on the panel, Jiang Ning immediately understood.
It only took three points of divinity to strengthen the Regeneration of Flesh authority, advancing it from the incomplete stage to the next.
Fully understanding this, Jiang Ning closed the panel.
As for testing the effects of this authority, it wasn't the right time yet.
Because things on the ground were already troublesome.
If he didn't act soon, Cheng Ran would be in real danger!
On the ground.
In the center of the courtyard.
"Good courage!" Yuan Hua chuckled.
Then, his expression turned serious, and his gaze locked onto Jiang Ning. "But with your status, you repeatedly block my path. Have you thought about the consequences?"
As his words fell, a sharp light flashed in his eyes.
At that moment.
Jiang Ning's voice came from within the ruined building.
"Are you sure you've considered the consequences of taking my achievements?"
As soon as the words entered Yuan Hua's ears, his gaze shifted from Cheng Ran to the crumbling building.
Immediately.
He saw Jiang Ning emerge from the building, followed by Xie Xiaojiu and Feng Jiuge.
"So it's General Jiang!" Yuan Hua smiled faintly.
At this moment.
Jiang Ning's gaze swept over the area, and for a brief moment, it rested on Ruan Hongmei.
It had been a long time since he had seen Ruan Hongmei.
Previously, she had shown him kindness and joined his ranks.
But later, Jiang Ning had adopted a more passive attitude, refusing to get involved in many matters.
Also, when He Jinyun and others had been killing innocent civilians who carried the aura of the God of Flesh, Jiang Ning hadn't participated.
However, there were huge benefits to be gained from such actions. Ruan Hongmei had left without a word and joined another deputy commander's forces at that time.
Jiang Ning didn't care much about this.
He briefly glanced at Ruan Hongmei, and then his gaze moved straight past her and locked onto Yuan Hua.
"You want to take a share from me?" Jiang Ning said calmly.
"Take a share?" Yuan Hua laughed. "I've had my eye on this stronghold of the God Sect for a long time, but you just happened to beat me to it today."
"Shameless!" Xie Xiaojiu, standing behind Jiang Ning, couldn't help but shout out two words.
"Disrespecting your superiors! You deserve a beating!" Yuan Hua's eyes flashed with anger, and his figure moved abruptly.
At this moment.
Jiang Ning stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Xie Xiaojiu, raising his hand to throw a punch.
Bang
The punch landed solidly on Yuan Hua's fist.
Rip
Yuan Hua's right sleeve was instantly torn apart, the fabric flying in all directions.
Thud, thud, thud
Yuan Hua staggered backward, each step causing the stone tiles beneath him to crack and fly into the air.
"Lord!"
"Lord!"
Shouts of alarm rang out from behind him.
He stumbled back more than ten steps, and only with the help of Ruan Hongmei and another team leader was he able to barely stop himself from falling.
At this point.
Yuan Hua looked at Jiang Ning with eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
He had anticipated that Jiang Ning would be strong, but never to this extent.
That punch felt like an unstoppable force from the heavens.
With the power behind Jiang Ning's punch, Yuan Hua felt like he would be killed by just three or five more blows.
"Lord, are you alright?"
Ruan Hongmei helped him up, her voice full of concern.
Yuan Hua ignored her and stared deeply at Jiang Ning, then turned and walked away.
"We're leaving!" he said through gritted teeth, his voice barely audible.
He dared not say another word.
He was afraid that if he spoke again, the blood that surged up in his throat would be too much to control.
At the same time.
The members of Xie Xiaojiu and Feng Jiuge's teams were shocked by the scene.
"General Jiang is so strong!"
"Yeah! He's incredible!!"
"Too strong!!!"
"Is this what a true martial arts genius looks like?"
"…"
On the other side.
The group that had followed Yuan Hua lowered their heads, no longer full of the confidence and energy they had displayed earlier.
Yuan Hua had been completely defeated by Jiang Ning's punch, and he didn't even dare to leave behind a harsh word.
It was impossible for them not to recognize reality.
The strength of the two was not on the same level at all.
Now, considering the situation, they were in the wrong. How could they dare to say another word?
For a moment, the whole scene fell into silence.
A few breaths later.
Yuan Hua reached the gate of the courtyard and had just crossed the threshold when
Puff
A burst of blood spurted from his mouth.
His vision went dark, and he collapsed backward.
"Lord!"
"Lord!"
"General Yuan!"
"…"
The people behind him shouted in panic.
At this moment.
Jiang Ning in the courtyard couldn't help but smile faintly.
"Water-Fire True Force, it is useful!"
Yuan Hua had finally reached his limit, and this was due to the residual Water-Fire True Force that Jiang Ning had left in his body.
Yuan Hua spat blood, but that was after Jiang Ning had already pulled his punches.
Otherwise, with the terrifying power of Water-Fire True Force, combined with the two extreme forces of a second breakthrough martial technique, Yuan Hua would have been instantly torn apart, dying on the spot.
If Jiang Ning had truly done so, even he would have faced significant consequences.
Killing a colleague was a great crime.
Without a background powerful enough to cover it, such a crime couldn't be avoided.
Even though Jiang Ning had already shown mercy, Yuan Hua would not have it easy after this battle.
The explosion of Water-Fire True Force meant Yuan Hua's internal injuries were inevitable.
This was Jiang Ning's warning to Yuan Hua a small punishment with a big lesson.
After a while.
With the hurried help of Ruan Hongmei and the others, Yuan Hua was carried away.
Before leaving, Ruan Hongmei glanced back at Jiang Ning, her eyes filled with what seemed like regret.
The dust settled.
Feng Jiuge said, "My lord, I will return to the Inspection Mansion now."
"Mm," Jiang Ning nodded slightly.
Xie Xiaojiu also said, "My lord, I will go to the county office to bring over Xu Zhengnan from the main shop."
Jiang Ning nodded again, "Hurry up and come back!"
"Yes, my lord!"
After they took their leave, their figures disappeared from Jiang Ning's sight.
Only then did Jiang Ning relax.
He looked at the six corpses of the members of the Worshipers Sect on the ground and couldn't help but calculate a little in his heart.
A corpse of a martial artist in the Sixth Grade of the Martial Path is worth fifty thousand contribution points.
A corpse of a martial artist in the Seventh Grade is worth five thousand contribution points.
The four corpses of martial artists in the Eighth Grade add up to two thousand.
All in all, that's fifty-seven thousand contribution points.
And there's still the statue of the God of Flesh and Blood in the underground passage.
That's another fifty thousand contribution points.
Adding it all up, it's one hundred and seven thousand contribution points.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but be astonished.
One hundred and seven thousand contribution points what does this mean?
Even if it were converted to silver one-to-one, that would be one hundred and seven thousand taels.
Just this number alone is very impressive.
It's worth noting that Cheng Ran is said to have a fortune of ten thousand gold, a thousand acres of good land, and several taverns. Even if he considers everything, his assets amount to only two or three hundred thousand taels of silver.
Then there's Senior Brother Zhou Xing, whose family is in the medicinal wholesale business and has considerable assets. However, even they only have about a hundred thousand taels of assets, accumulated over three generations.
But today, after this battle, Jiang Ning's gains have already surpassed the accumulation of Zhou's family over three generations.
"Indeed, the stronger you are, the easier it is to make money!"
Jiang Ning couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration.
...
Inspection Mansion.
"What?" Ye Qiu trembled slightly. "You're saying that General Jiang found the statue of the Worshipers Sect?"
"Yes!" Feng Jiuge confirmed with a nod.
"Are you sure you're not lying?" Ye Qiu looked at Feng Jiuge again.
Feng Jiuge shook his head. "I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Let's go!" Ye Qiu immediately stood up. "Come with me to see the Lord!"
"Yes!" Feng Jiuge bowed and responded.
...
On the other side.
County Office.
"Niece, are you sure this is General Jiang's instruction?" Xu Zhengnan asked.
Xie Xiaojiu nodded. "It's his instruction!"
Xu Zhengnan nodded. "Understood!"
He immediately stood up. "Niece, please wait outside for a moment. I'll gather the men."
"Thank you, Uncle Xu!" Xie Xiaojiu cupped her hands and walked out of the county office.
Once Xie Xiaojiu left, someone next to Xu Zhengnan immediately spoke, "Chief Constable, the Black Tiger Gang, and the Liu family pay a lot of tribute each year. If we move against them, those funds will be lost!"
"Also, Jiang Ning is just a young, inexperienced kid. Why should we listen to his orders?"
Xu Zhengnan shook his head upon hearing this. "You don't understand. General Jiang is no ordinary man! I can heed the other deputy leaders' opinions, they're older and have fewer uncertainties in their future, and they're not as scary!"
"But Jiang Ning is different. So young, and growing so fast his future is full of possibilities!"
"Who knows how far he can go? With his talent, he can become a Grandmaster in the future!"
"A Grandmaster lives for two full cycles of the heavenly stems and earthly branches!"
"Grandmaster?" The man was stunned when he heard Xu Zhengnan's words. "You think that highly of him?"
"Yes!" Xu Zhengnan nodded. "Here in Luoshui County, we can't afford to underestimate General Jiang!"
He continued, "Go gather the people. First, go see General Jiang, then send a message to seal the city. After meeting with General Jiang, we'll act according to his orders."
"Yes, Chief Constable!" The man bowed and immediately took action.
...
Outer City.
Northeast Corner.
"I am Liu Zhixiang from the Sihe Merchant Association, and I greet General Jiang!" Liu Zhixiang, who had a goat beard, saw Jiang Ning and couldn't help but feel bitter and regretful.
Seeing Jiang Ning, he couldn't help but think back to the time when he was ordered to go to Canglang Martial Hall to find promising disciples to invest in.
If he had managed to join the Inspection Mansion, relying on the favor, it would've been like setting up a connection in advance.
It was a low investment, high return opportunity.
Such an investment only required vision and keen insight.
If one could spot a highly talented genius, and that genius rose to prominence in the future, then with that investment, one could change their fate and social standing.
At that time, he had the opportunity twice.
The first time, he failed to see it and didn't care about Jiang Ning at all.
The second time, with Cheng Ran's introduction, he had another chance to invest in Jiang Ning.
But he still didn't seize the opportunity. He missed that one chance.
Later, when he saw Jiang Ning ascend to the position of Deputy Commander, he regretted it deeply.
Especially today, seeing Jiang Ning in person, he regretted even more, his heart filled with remorse.
If he had seized that opportunity back then, with Jiang Ning's rise, he might have already soared to greater heights, how could he still be stuck as a small manager in the Sihe Merchant Association?
"I recognize you!" Jiang Ning said lightly.
"I'm honored that you remember me, my lord!" Liu Zhixiang said respectfully.
Jiang Ning looked at Liu Zhixiang and suddenly smiled, "The Liu family doesn't intervene, but instead, a small Sihe Merchant Association gets involved?"
"My lord..." Liu Zhixiang felt his legs go weak after seeing Jiang Ning's smile.
"Arrest him!" Jiang Ning waved his hand.
"Yes, my lord!" A team member responded immediately.
Seeing this, Liu Zhixiang's legs went soft. "My lord, this matter has nothing to do with me! I've never done anything illegal..."
Before he could finish his words, someone immediately stopped him by locking his throat.
Jiang Ning glanced at him and couldn't help but feel a faint sense of sympathy.
However, when he caught sight of the children huddling in the corner, their bodies disfigured, a surge of anger rose within him.
If anyone is innocent, it's those children.
As the Liu family's business, the Sihe Merchant Association couldn't possibly be clean.
Jiang Ning immediately closed his eyes and stopped thinking further.
Then, he looked at his panel again.
[Divinity]: 0 [Authority]: Flesh Regeneration (Incomplete 33.01%)
He immediately noticed that the progress percentage of Flesh Regeneration had changed slightly since the last time.
It had increased from 33% to 33.01%.
There had been a small increase in progress.
"Does this progress increase over time?"
"Not in a hurry! I'll observe for a while longer!"
He thought to himself.
Then, he recalled the statue of the God of Flesh and Blood that he had placed in the golden box.
Compared to the statue in the underground passage, the one in the golden box was much smaller.
But its power was far greater than that of the statue in the underground passage.
He clearly remembered that when he first opened the golden box, he nearly fell into a trance.
The voice that echoed was far stronger than the one from the statue in the underground passage.
"I wonder if the statue in the golden box also has a Divinity?"
"Can I absorb the Divinity from the statue?"
Jiang Ning murmured to himself.
After thinking for a while, he temporarily put the thought aside.
This wasn't a good opportunity for an experiment.
Once things settle here, he would find a quiet place to try this out.
After making the decision, Jiang Ning focused his mind and began to circulate the Water-Fire True Force in his body, quietly awaiting the arrival of Xie Xiaojiu and Feng Jiuge.
Time passed.
Everyone around Jiang Ning became very quiet.
Liu Zhixiang didn't dare to make a sound.
He understood very well that with Jiang Ning's status if he wanted to kill him, there would be no hesitation.
The Liu family, in the face of Jiang Ning, could only bow their heads and not dare to show any sharpness.
Suddenly.
Footsteps began to approach from a distance.
"Someone's coming!" someone whispered.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 410+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader