READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 99: Losing Face, the County Office as Precarious as a Pile of Eggs
"I'm sorry."
At that moment, a booming voice resounded through the hall.
Bai Anlong's entire body was suddenly enveloped in Spiritual Power, and an array of jade-colored radiance emerged on the surface of his skin.
He looked as if he were carved from jade.
With a forceful stomp on the bluestone floor, his feet produced a sharp sound of breaking stone.
Using this rebound force, Bai Anlong's figure transformed into a sharp light shadow, diving forward fiercely.
He formed his five fingers into a palm and slapped toward Zhou Xintong's face, his entire body shrouded in a faint Five Elements luster.
Bai Anlong had cultivated the Five Elements Rejuvenation Technique from the Martial Arts Hall in Yongzhou, and the appearance of this five-colored radiance was a testament to his mastery.
The Five Elements Unification, strength of a thousand catties.
His aura was profound, and his Spiritual Power flowed continuously.
With this cultivation technique, Bai Anlong's endurance left countless martial masters in the dust.
Even when facing three to five opponents of the same level simultaneously, he handled it with ease.
This was the primary reason Bai Anlong was considered a standout among his peers.
Others simply couldn't outlast him.
In a flash, Bai Anlong carried a landslide-like palm strike toward Zhou Xintong.
A delicate yet powerful vortex of air swirled around his body, an awe-inspiring spectacle formed by the Five Elements Energy surging within him.
His twin palms were like mountain-splitting axes, carrying a destructive force, pounding repeatedly on Zhou Xintong's chest, echoing with two dull explosive sounds in the air, akin to thunder.
Yet, in the face of this overwhelming strike, Zhou Xintong remained immovable, a meaningful smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
The next moment, his right hand suddenly lashed out, as fast as a thunderbolt.
He gathered all his Spiritual Power into a single punch and thrust it forward without hesitation.
At that moment, powerful strength and extreme speed fused perfectly, and the resulting pressure caused the surrounding air to momentarily freeze.
Boom!!!!
A thunderous noise, resembling a thunderclap in the sky.
The ferocious Spiritual Power met Bai Anlong's unstoppable offensive head-on.
The two forces collided fiercely in the air, with an invisible wave of air spreading outward from the two as the center.
At the core of the clash between the two forces, even the void showed a hint of distortion and change.
Bai Anlong realized something was amiss and immediately held nothing back, delivering a series of palm strikes.
His palms came faster and faster, each strike overwhelmingly forceful, all his Spiritual Power surging, clearly giving his all.
Remarkably, however, no matter how he attacked, Zhou Xintong was able to receive it without showing any signs of being overwhelmed.
A sudden sense of foreboding arose in Bai Anlong's heart.
Bang, bang, bang!
The two continued to exchange blows, going through dozens of moves.
Even Bai Anlong, known for his endurance, began to breathe heavily, even feeling waves of strain.
How could this be?
A surge of overwhelming shock and disbelief rippled through Bai Anlong's heart, causing his breathing to stumble.
"Bang!"
"Ah!"
In the glow, a figure flew out like a kite with a broken string, tossed by tremendous force, colliding heavily with the main door.
With a loud crash, the door shattered into pieces, and the figure lay lifelessly on the ground, their life or death unknown.
The scene fell deathly silent.
The government office officials, Thirteen Lines elite, and other dignitaries all bore expressions as if they had seen a ghost, stunned and unable to speak.
This cultivation… clearly it had already broken through the Yu Luo Realm, reaching the realm of the Dan People.
How terrifyingly talented for the fifth son of the Zhou Family to have reached such a realm at such a young age!
And this vigorous and robust Spiritual Power was truly remarkable.
"Thank you for the fight," Zhou Xintong said, patting his hands lightly and revealing a relaxed expression.
"Young Master!"
The servants from the county government rushed to the door anxiously, busy pulling Bai Anlong out of his stupor and carrying him aside.
They pried open Bai Anlong's mouth and slipped a Heart Protecting Pill, using True Qi to send it down.
Once the elixir reached his internal organs, Bai Anlong's throat felt a sweetness, "Wah," and he spat out a mouthful of foul blood, regaining consciousness.
His face had turned deathly pale as he slowly opened his eyes. A clear confusion was evident in his gaze, and after spitting out another mouthful of foul blood, he tilted his head back and fainted again.
"My Lord, something is wrong. The young master has had one of his Dan veins broken!"
"What?!" Prefectural Governor Bai Mu leapt to his feet, his face ashen, his hands gripping the armrests of his chair tightly.
His grip was so intense that claw marks appeared on the ironwood-crafted armrests.
The fracture of a Dan vein meant that further improvements in his cultivation were impossible; even maintaining his current level of cultivation would be considered fortunate.
Zhou Xintong had clearly crippled Bai Anlong, crippled his son!
He suddenly turned his head to look at Zhou Xu, only to see the old sly fox stroking his beard, giving him a faint smile.
Prefectural Governor Bai Mu's face turned extremely dark, acutely aware that this duel was a trap meticulously arranged by Zhou Xu.
He wanted to use today's opportunity to let his fifth son step over Bai Anlong to climb up, using his son as a stepping stone to carve out a generous path.
Clearly, they came prepared.
Zhou Xu was unafraid of Bai Mu's gaze and stepped forward with an apologetic tone, "I am truly sorry, my lord. Xintong was heavy-handed. I will be sure to reprimand him thoroughly when we return."
Prefectural Governor Bai Mu slowly swept his gaze over everyone in the hall.
He noticed that the Thirteen Lines members were staring at him with bright eyes, while many of his government office subordinates were also from Thirteen Lines and maintained a detached, indifferent attitude.
He suddenly felt the desolation of being utterly alone.
"Zhou Xu, don't bully people too much," Bai Mu ground his teeth, feeling suffocated and oppressed.
"Accidents are inevitable in duels. How about Lord Governor exchanges a few moves with us?"
Prefectural Governor Bai Mu fell silent, closing his eyes and suppressing his emotions. "Someone, take the young master for treatment."
Upon his words, even Shen Qing, who usually preferred to stay out of things, couldn't help but frown.
Being bullied to this extent at home, and Bai Mu still showed no intention of resisting, was truly pathetic.
To put it bluntly, from this day forward, Bai Mu would be utterly humiliated in Yongzhou, with zero authority or respect, even with the title of a court-appointed Prefectural Governor.
Meanwhile, the intimidation of the Thirteen Lines, these Yongzhou nobles, had become public knowledge.
With this rise and fall, the county office became even more precarious.
Shen Qing's gaze fell, and his expression grew heavy.
In this situation, as government office officials, their futures became uncertain, especially for someone like him who had climbed up from the bottom; it was even more dangerous.
"Let's call it a day. Please see the guests out!"
With that, Prefectural Governor Bai Mu turned and left the hall with his servants in disorderly fashion.
After his departure, those officials without backgrounds were thoroughly disappointed in Prefectural Governor Bai Mu and hurriedly left one after another, filled with fear and anxiety.
Just as Shen Qing was about to leave with them, Huang Furo stepped forward, pulled him back, and said, "You're coming with us later."
Shen Qing immediately realized that Huang Furo was intentionally looking out for him.
He did not refuse, nodding slightly and retreating behind Huang Furo.