Chapter 146: 137 Difficulties, Part 1

“Sir, Tan Yang is different from here. Although Tan Yang’s territory is small, the martial spirit is strong and the local forces are powerful and chaotic, so it is extremely difficult to consolidate into a large force.

But in Wushan Prefecture, almost all power is subdued and suppressed by the three major families, so no matter what we do, we are always likely to touch the interests of the three major families.”

Duan Valley clasped his fists.

He knew that the sir in front of him was a ruthless character with a strong murderous intent from Tan Yang.

But Wushan Prefecture is not a place where a single person’s martial arts skills can break through.

The local forces collude together, and although the three major families seem separate, as soon as any external force makes contact, they immediately gather together to fight the enemy.

This also leads to the difficulty for them to hide and infiltrate upon arrival, leaving only villages outside the city as places to settle.

“Then what do you mean by ’holding the ground’ you mentioned before?” Zhang Rongfang asked again.

“It’s like this,” Duan Valley said deeply, “The Huang family was quite dissatisfied with us due to a major event in the building earlier, so they’ve been targeting us everywhere in Wushan Prefecture, compressing our activity space.

As for the specifics, we’re only responsible for fighting, not clear about them. But we’ve fought the experts from the Huang family several times due to this. All passively.”

He raised his head, his gaze burning, staring at Zhang Rongfang.

“So, forgive my rudeness, but to say something unpleasant.

If your strength is slightly weak, coming to Wushan Prefecture might not be a good thing.”

“Slightly weak?” Zhang Rongfang slowly stood up.

“So, what strength do you think is sufficient to come to Wushan Prefecture?”

“That is up to the sir himself,” Duan Valley’s chains slightly clinked.

Others may not know Tan Yang’s affairs, but he is most clear.

Tan Yang’s main action involves the people of their death warrior system, along with the Silver-faced Cicada and the Celestial Maiden jointly participating.

And at that time, Zhang Ying was only Bai Ying, defeating the heavily injured Snake King, but how worthy that was is not clear.

Now, Zhang Ying was transferred to Wushan Prefecture, and without understanding his strength and character, he doesn’t wish to be led by a reckless fool to their deaths.

They may be death warriors, but they are not mindless idiots.

They are not afraid of death but also don’t want to die worthless.

“Since that’s the case…” Zhang Rongfang looked up at the sky. “Let me see how troublesome Wushan Prefecture can be.”

Swish!

His figure flashed, stepping forward and in the blink of an eye, a gray shadow streaked towards Duan Valley.

“Morning Energy Talisman·Eight Steps to Catching a Cicada·Breaking Heart!!”

His right arm’s muscles suddenly swelled, every blood vessel network appeared like steel wires. He suddenly struck out with his palm.

Boom!!!

Duan Valley raised his hand to block the palm strike.

His over two-meter-tall body staggered back two steps. The blocking arm was forcibly dented, leaving a clear palm imprint.

“Dragon Mountain!” He shouted angrily in his heart, his right leg muscles rapidly swelled, twisted, and lashed upward.

After a loud explosion, the leg was caught by Zhang Rongfang’s single hand, stopping the force in mid-kick.

This was a Limit-Breaking Skill!

Duan Valley’s heart trembled in fear, realized it was bad, hurriedly withdrew his leg. Then his elbows burst forth with full force.

For a moment, the area in front was filled with hand shadows and elbow shadows, like a storm hitting opposite.

But what made him extremely dejected was that Zhang Rongfang actually, at some unknown time, turned their body and vanished from the spot.

Thud!

Duan Valley felt a pain in his back, just about to elbow strike behind, but his motion abruptly froze, stuck in mid-air.

“Now, is my strength adequate?”

Zhang Rongfang stood behind him, gripping his nape, a slight exertion would mean instant death.

At this level, Duan Valley already knew Zhang Rongfang’s strength far surpassed his imagination.

Originally, he thought, even though he had broken through the limits eight times, a Ninth Grade expert, also practicing two external skills aggressively attacking.

The characteristic of external skills is fast progress, strength shapes quickly, but extremely damaging to the body.

With such strength, even Zhang Rongfang from Tan Yang who killed Black Ten Sect’s expert Anova, was not his match.

Two years ago, he once met Anova in the wild, and after thirty rounds, injured him with his palm.

Unexpectedly….!!

Duan Valley’s heart shuddered, all previous rumors he heard dissolved into foam at that moment.

He stood still, not daring to move.

“Sir’s strength is sufficient!”

Felt the hand behind gently release.

Duan Valley heartily complied, turned around, bowed his head, and knelt down, forehead knocked hard on the ground.

“Subordinate’s rudeness, please punish me, sir!”

Zhang Rongfang looked at the big figure before him, thoughts turning, silent for a moment.

“What orders did you receive?”

“Subordinate received orders, to completely obey sir alone, no matter what orders, execute unconditionally,” Duan Valley said deeply.

Now that confirmed the direct superior is not a weakling, but instead far beyond his own top expert, he’s much more at ease.

“How exactly are you death warriors trained? Can you explain?” Zhang Rongfang asked again.

“Reporting sir, we were specially selected from various places as orphans by the building, gathered together, taught martial arts, provided supplements, taught from childhood. The teachers training us were all experts from the Snow Rainbow Pavilion.

Within the death warrior system, we recognize the Seal but not the person, so however any person, as long as holding the Commander’s Seal, we must obey.” Duan Valley quickly said.

“Tell me, how is the strength here in Wushan Prefecture?” Zhang Rongfang roughly understood, this is completely a batch of pure violent mechanism nurtured by the Golden Wing Pavilion.

He had always been pondering, what exactly did the Golden Wing Pavilion do with the wealth they accumulated through the sale of intelligence?

It now seems that these deadly assassins were the biggest expense among them.

Such a significant force could not possibly exist without the tacit permission of the Spirit Court.

It’s even possible that the Golden Wing Pavilion itself is part of the influence of a certain high-ranking figure within the Spirit Court.

“Here in Wushan Prefecture, all the deadly assassins are commanded by my subordinates. Below me, there are two deputies, both of whom have records of killing Super Grade masters.

The remaining one hundred and ninety-seven are organized into groups of ten, with each group’s leader being skilled experts of various grades, while most others are adept in external martial skills and also practice external techniques.”

“To be honest, we actually aren’t qualified to practice advanced martial arts. At first, we only focused on martial arts that pursue destructive power without nourishing our blood.

Only after establishing merit do we earn the right to nourish blood, and then proceed to Muscle Forging.

But despite our low ranks, practically speaking, even the weakest among us is not inferior to those who’ve strengthened their bodies through Muscle Forging.”

What he meant, Zhang Rongfang understood.

There are simply too many of these people, and the Golden Wing Pavilion couldn’t possibly provide internal and external martial arts training for every one of them.

This is just a small place like Wushan Prefecture. To supply so many people with internal and external training, the cost of medicine alone is incalculable.

Unless it’s the Spirit Court grooming them, it would be impossible relying solely on a Golden Wing Pavilion branch.

Thus, the structure of the assassins most likely starts with external martial arts, and after establishing merit, they’re awarded martial arts training combining both internal and external techniques, along with supplementary elixirs and remedies.

Duan Valley carefully explained their martial arts system, and it turned out just as Zhang Rongfang expected.

They first focus on external Hard Skills because Hard Skills most enhance defense, increasing survival rates in combat.

Those who establish merit can then choose advanced routes to train in combined internal and external martial arts.

And that Duan Valley could train to become a Ninth Grade from such a system is truly a natural talent!

This entire introduction left not only Zhang Rongfang shocked but also made Qingsu’s complexion change.

Considering that under Duan Valley’s lead, the strength of two hundred people still had concerns over Wushan Prefecture,

it seems the waters of Wushan run deeper than usual.

“So who are the noteworthy experts here in Wushan now?” Zhang Rongfang asked gravely.

“Each of the three major families has top-tier experts, either family members or honored guests. At their level, they are enmeshed in layers of connections with every famed expert in Wushan, forming various relationships.

For example, the Huang family, which we have clashed with several times, has two Ninth Grade clan members in their lineage.

The family’s women include many high-grade experts’ wives and concubines. It’s said that their family’s genius, Huang Chengnuo, also married the daughter of the renowned Super Grade practitioner, Tan Xiao, named Tan Lingjuan.

If not for a renegade named Huang Yuzhen causing internal strife several years ago, leading to the deaths of several high-grade experts, the current power would have been even more terrifying.”

“Huang Yuzhen?” Zhang Rongfang’s heart stirred. “Is he the Ninth Grade fugitive related to the Chasing Moon Saber incident?”

“Exactly the person.” Duan Valley nodded.

“Continue.”

“Well… The other two families, the Yue family is the family of Wushan’s Prefect, so their influence predominates in official circles, often succeeding both in public and informal arenas.

The Shangguan family were dispatched from the Great Capital to watch over the Spirit Race. They, too, have two Ninth Grades, namely Duke Ningnan and his son Pang Bo Kason. Shangguan is a surname they adopted themselves, a Northern surname.”

“Duke? Is it a title?” Zhang Rongfang asked.

“Yes, in each region, the supervisory position is actually held by Spirit Race nobles. Many of them are experts.” Duan Valley replied.

“Any others?”

“As for the rest, I don’t know, for I’m just an assassin. Killing is my task, but in terms of intelligence gathering, I’m far inferior to the Main Building’s members. If you have further needs, my lord, you can summon Bai Ying and Black Eagle, who handle intelligence and assassinations in the city.”

Zhang Rongfang inquired further about details such as the lifestyle of the deadly assassins and who ensures their logistics. Learning it was financed directly by the Golden Wing Pavilion, he asked no more.

He instructed Duan Valley to leave quickly.

Before leaving, Duan Valley asked if he needed protection around this courtyard, which Zhang Rongfang declined.

The assassins were in no way skilled in protection. Zhang Rongfang had witnessed these people in Tan Yang; they were purely practitioners of killing techniques.

Besides that, they knew nothing else.

After Duan Valley left, Zhang Rongfang turned to Qingsu.

“Inform the local Double Eagles to come and report to me.”

As a Spirit Level, he had the authority to summon Eagle Level members.

The latter nodded, quickly using a whistle sound and a special incense stick to summon the Little Red Bird.

Then sent the message.

Zhang Rongfang then practiced talismanic skills by himself. His life attribute had now reached 35.

At this level, it was the highest he had seen anyone reach since coming to this world.

So these days, he meticulously observed and examined the changes in his own body.

After waiting in the courtyard for over an hour, soon, the courtyard door was knocked again.

“Enter.” Zhang Rongfang ceased his actions, composed himself, and regulated his breathing.

At this time, the sky was gradually turning to dusk.

As his voice fell, the courtyard door was gently pushed open.

A tall and a short figure, a man and a woman, slowly walked in.

They weren’t wearing masks and, as they entered, immediately looked towards Zhang Rongfang.

Then they stepped forward, clasped their fists, and bowed.

“Subordinate Black Eagle Copper Heart, greets the Spirit Envoy.”

The man, over 1.8 meters tall, was slightly shorter than Zhang Rongfang now. His shoulders were broad, waist thick, arms extending down to his knees.

“White Eagle Xiang Ling, greets my lord.”

The other woman, dressed as a noblewoman, with a voluptuous figure and a light blue qipao-like dress revealing a white, polished long leg from the side,

Her appearance was charming, with fair skin tinged with red, golden curly hair draped over her shoulders, clearly not of the Yellow race, but of the Huxi descent.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep