At the corner of a high building's eaves.
Jiang Ning quietly observed the commotion in the county government office.
Seeing Li Hong reveal his form six arms and four legs his eyes narrowed slightly.
This instantly reminded him of the Wind Envoy he had encountered on the deserted island in Luoshui Lake a year ago.
That Wind Envoy had exhibited a transformation completely different from other cultists of the Worship Sect.
Six arms, four legs.
Eighty percent similar to the statue of the Flesh and Blood God.
"So this is the effect of that piece of vibrant flesh just now. It bestowed this form upon Li Hong."
"From this, it seems Li Hong's status in the Worship Sect is indeed very high. Even if he isn't the deputy sect leader as Hong Minghu claimed, his position must at least be comparable to that of the Wind Envoy."
Thinking this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile.
He murmured to himself, "Of course. The dignified seventh-rank county magistrate what would make him join the Worship Sect without such treatment?"
Meanwhile, Li Changkong, Ye Qiu, and the others also noticed the disturbance in the county government office.
Li Hong's body, now ten feet tall, had already surpassed the walls of the county office, making him strikingly conspicuous.
At this moment, Li Hong's muscles were as solid as black iron blocks.
The veins and blood vessels covering his muscles coiled like tree roots, or like dark earth dragons crawling across his body.
Each of his arms was as thick as a barrel, far beyond the size of an ordinary person.
His waist was similarly barrel-thick.
Most of his clothes had been torn apart by his expanding body, leaving only a few shreds hanging from him.
Seeing this, Li Changkong's eyes widened, and an instinctive fear surged in his heart.
It was like a rabbit spotting an eagle, a mouse seeing a cat, or a sheep facing a lion.
"I'm no match for him!!" Li Changkong realized.
He felt that Li Hong's massive fists could crush him to death in just a few strikes.
On the other side, Ye Qiu's face also flashed with apprehension.
The stronger one's abilities, the sharper their perception of danger.
The aura emanating from Li Hong at this moment filled him with deep dread.
Even though he cultivated both internal and external techniques, making him far stronger than ordinary sixth-rank martial artists, the sight of Li Hong in this state left him with no confidence whatsoever.
"What an overwhelming presence!!" he murmured.
At the same time.
"Not bad!!" Hong Minghu looked at Li Hong, who now towered over him like a giant, and nodded slightly in approval.
Then he continued, "This form of yours has piqued my interest!!"
"Arrogance!" Li Hong suppressed the pain in his body and spat out two words.
The next moment.
His neck tilted to the left, and only then did the others notice a large tumor had already formed on the right side of his neck.
As his head tilted, the tumor burst.
Squelch
Thick, white fluid sprayed out, followed by the emergence of a head the size of a football.
At the same time, Jiang Ning, watching from 500 meters away, froze.
"Two heads?" he muttered, his tone full of surprise.
Then.
He saw Li Hong's neck tilt to the right, and the tumor on his left shoulder also burst open.
Squelch
With another spray of white fluid, another football-sized head appeared on the other side of his neck.
"Three heads, six arms, four legs?!"
Seeing this, Jiang Ning's expression turned grave.
He had personally witnessed the appearance of the Flesh and Blood God in the illusion of three heads, six arms, and four legs.
Li Hong's current form was the closest to that of the deity, even more so than the Wind Envoy's previous transformation.
This also hinted at certain implications.
Back in the county government office.
As the tumors on his shoulders burst, the pain on Li Hong's face completely vanished, returning to normal.
Now, behind his head on the left and right, there were two additional heads, each the size of a football much smaller than his central head with their eyes tightly shut, as if in deep slumber.
"Much better!!" Feeling the state of his body now, Li Hong murmured, his face filled with pleasure.
Then, he looked at Hong Minghu.
"Thank you. Thank you for giving me enough time to complete my transformation!"
"And thank you for making me choose this path!!"
At this moment, Li Hong felt the surging power within him a strength that seemed capable of overturning everything, of destroying everything filling him with unparalleled joy and confidence.
He suddenly realized how foolish he had been before.
What was so great about being human?
So weak, so limited in lifespan.
Becoming a divine descendant, possessing such formidable power and the longevity of an immortal race was the right choice.
Li Hong couldn't help but grin, genuinely grateful to Hong Minghu.
If not for Hong Minghu's aggressive stance today, he might never have made this decision.
Now that he had, he understood just how correct his choice had been.
The next moment.
Li Hong moved.
"Hong Minghu, to repay you, let's merge you with my body!!"
The massive figure moved, yet it was like a blur as it lunged toward Li Hong.
Boom
A fist struck, a clash of titans.
Hong Minghu's expression instantly changed as his body was sent flying like a cannonball.
"Hong Minghu, you're nothing special after all!!"
Li Hong looked at Hong Minghu, who had been sent flying with just one punch, and a smug grin spread across his face.
As soon as the words left his mouth.
He moved again.
The gale stirred by his enormous body instantly swept away the snow in the courtyard.
Around the county government office.
Ye Qiu, Li Changkong, and the others paled at the sight.
"So strong!" Li Changkong's face was filled with shock, his eyes brimming with fear.
Hong Minghu had been sent flying with a single punch.
Only now did he realize just how powerful the warriors of the Worship Sect truly were.
Li Hong, who had been utterly defenseless moments ago, was now terrifyingly strong even Hong Minghu was no match for him in a confrontation.
Meanwhile.
"He... doesn't seem as strong as the Wind Envoy?" Jiang Ning's expression was one of surprise.
He had initially thought Li Hong's transformation, which was closer to the Flesh and Blood God's form, would be extraordinary.
But after seeing Li Hong's speed in motion, he instantly discerned the truth this version of Li Hong was still weaker than the Wind Envoy in his six-armed divine form.
"But then again..." Thinking back to the Wind Envoy, Jiang Ning found this perfectly reasonable.
The Wind Envoy had been at the fifth-rank Internal Strengthening realm.
Li Hong, on the other hand, was only in the sixth-rank Mystic Bone realm a full major realm below.
The two were in completely different leagues.
Even in his normal state, the Wind Envoy had seemed no weaker than Hong Minghu.
Let alone when he transformed into his six-armed divine form.
Just then.
"Tiger!" Hong Minghu roared.
Jiang Ning suddenly saw a ten-foot-tall tiger materialize within the county government grounds.
"Is that... an internal energy manifestation?" Jiang Ning's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
He watched as Hong Minghu bellowed and threw a punch.
A tiger, seemingly formed from white mist, instantly took shape and pounced toward Li Hong like a starving beast.
Boom
The internal energy exploded, sending a violent gust sweeping through the county office. Debris and shattered bricks flew everywhere, and a nearby wall collapsed with a thunderous crash.
"So this is the application of 'technique'?" Jiang Ning murmured.
Then, he saw Hong Minghu, now fully unleashing his internal energy, repeatedly summoning ethereal tigers that lunged at Li Hong.
The technique bore some resemblance to his own "Tiger's Might."
Under Hong Minghu's relentless assault, Li Hong's towering body was like a small boat in a raging storm, teetering precariously as he was forced to retreat step by step.
Yet at this moment, the central head atop Li Hong's shoulders revealed a mocking smile.
"Hong Minghu, you are indeed strong when you unleash your internal energy. But how long can you keep this up?"
"I possess a body that rivals the gods an immortal body."
"Once your internal energy runs dry, it will be my turn."
Hong Minghu, still attacking, responded in a deep, resonant voice.
"Demons and monsters dare to call themselves gods?"
"Do you think I would come unprepared, knowing the Worship Sect's tricks?"
As he spoke.
Jiang Ning saw a flash of golden light in Hong Minghu's hand.
The next instant.
His figure flickered like a ghost, appearing above Li Hong in a flash.
His fingers, sharp as an eagle's talons, clamped down on one of the dormant heads atop Li Hong's shoulders.
"Break!"
With a fierce shout, one of Li Hong's newly grown heads exploded.
The golden powder then scattered from Hong Minghu's hand, landing on the wound.
In an instant.
The squirming flesh buds that had been rapidly regenerating lost their vitality as if falling into a deep slumber.
The wound, which had been healing at an alarming rate, suddenly stopped moving.
"You call this an immortal body? A handful of golden powder is all it takes to break it!" Hong Minghu sneered.
But inwardly, he was grimacing.
That handful of golden powder was a refined substance extracted from gold.
Scattering it was equivalent to throwing away thousands of taels of silver.
Even for someone of his wealth, such an expense was hard to stomach.
And this was just for one wound.
To completely subdue Li Hong, he had no idea how much more he would have to spend.
The sheer cost alone was enough to make his heart ache.
Moreover, he was well aware that while the golden powder could temporarily suppress the divine regenerative abilities of the Flesh and Blood God's descendants by neutralizing their flesh, this method was not a permanent solution. It wouldn't be long before its effects began to fade.
No matter what thoughts raced through Hong Minghu's mind, his expression remained one of unwavering confidence, as if victory were already assured.
This sudden shift instantly threw Li Hong into a panic.
With his "immortal body" rendered ineffective, he had lost his greatest advantage.
Had it worked, he could have easily worn Hong Minghu down through sheer attrition. But now, that was impossible.
Without hesitation, Li Hong moved all six of his arms at once, spinning them like a windmill to shield the vital points on his head and force Hong Minghu back.
Once he had created some distance, Li Hong wasted no time he turned and fled.
"Trying to run?!" Hong Minghu growled, his legs propelling him forward in an instant, covering a distance of over thirty meters in a single stride.
At this moment, Hong Minghu's speed surpassed Li Hong's.
When moving at high speeds, a massive body faced tremendous wind resistance, severely hampering mobility.
"Changkong, cut him off!" Hong Minghu barked.
Simultaneously, his internal energy surged violently within him.
The energy radiating from his body formed a powerful pressure wave, scattering the snow around him, toppling nearby buildings, and snapping trees in half.
Meanwhile.
Li Changkong, seeing County Magistrate Li Hong charging straight toward him, couldn't help but grimace.
But he was a man who valued his pride. Having already committed in front of his colleagues, he couldn't bring himself to flee without a fight.
Gritting his teeth, he drew his sword as Li Hong barreled toward him.
Clang
The blade sang clear and sharp, its tone crisp and resonant.
Then, gripping his sword tightly, he lunged at Li Hong.
At the critical moment of their clash, one of Li Hong's arms swatted away the incoming blade as effortlessly as flicking away a toothpick.
Li Changkong suddenly felt an overwhelming force transmit from the sword into his hand.
A searing pain tore through his palm his grip failed instantly.
The sword let out a trembling whine, as if in lament, before being sent flying.
"So strong?!" Li Changkong's heart filled with terror.
Even though he had just witnessed Hong Minghu being sent flying by a single punch from Li Hong before the latter unleashed his internal energy, and had mentally prepared himself, facing Li Hong firsthand made him realize he had still underestimated the man's monstrous strength.
This power was not human it was the raw, savage force of a primordial beast.
The next instant.
Li Hong's fist rapidly expanded in his vision, nearly filling his entire field of view before slamming into him like a battering ram, sending him flying like a ragdoll.
But this brief exchange also caused Li Hong to stumble momentarily.
Hong Minghu had already closed the gap behind him.
Feeling the terrifying pressure radiating from behind him like the eye of a storm, Li Hong's heart seized with fear.
When he turned his head, he saw Hong Minghu was now less than ten meters away a distance their level of strength could cover in a single step.
At the same time, the overwhelming surge of internal energy erupting from Hong Minghu crashed into Li Hong like a tidal wave.
The snow in the courtyard was compressed against the walls by sheer force, piling up in thick drifts.
Seeing Li Hong's panicked expression, Hong Minghu's brow furrowed into a deep "川" shape.
"Break !"
He roared, clenching his right hand into a fist and striking out.
"ROAR !"
A deafening tiger's roar erupted from thin air, thunderous enough to shake mountains and forests, echoing for miles around.
With this punch, Hong Minghu's internal energy exploded outward, condensing into a massive, mist-formed tiger one as large as Li Hong himself.
At the same time.
Jiang Ning, observing through his Heavenly Eye, narrowed his gaze.
Peering beyond the tiger's exterior, he saw intricate patterns swirling inside it patterns that resembled both characters and symbols, exuding an unfathomable profundity.
These patterns flowed within the tiger's body, seemingly imbuing the internal energy construct with its extraordinary might.
"So this is yet another layer of knowledge I wasn't aware of..."
"Fifth-rank truly isn't so simple after all."
"If I have time, I should visit the Inspection Bureau's archives in the prefectural or provincial capital. I've heard all the martial texts are stored there."
Watching the battle unfold in the county office, Jiang Ning murmured to himself.
Previously, Granny Bai had told him that internal energy had no formal martial techniques only "skills."
Because of that, he hadn't bothered delving deeper.
But now, seeing Hong Minghu's display, he realized he had underestimated the complexity of "skill-based" applications.
And he had also underestimated the true power of fifth-rank Internal Strengthening.
The way Hong Minghu was unleashing his internal energy now like a raging tsunami wasn't just a matter of sheer volume, but also efficiency in explosive output.
With the same total reserve of internal energy, Hong Minghu could expend it ten times faster than Jiang Ning could.
This difference in output efficiency directly translated to the potency of the internal energy's effects.
In other words, internal energy was like a reservoir, and output efficiency determined the size of the "drain."
If Jiang Ning's current output was like a ten-centimeter pipe, Hong Minghu's was more like a half-meter-wide breach in the dam.
With the same amount of internal energy, Hong Minghu could unleash several times the destructive force in the same timeframe.
Jiang Ning suddenly understood there were still critical aspects of internal energy he had yet to grasp.
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