Chapter 252: Chapter 145: The Might of the Realm

"You insolent whelp! How dare you!" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Zhou Xu snorted coldly, about to rush forward and subdue Chen Cheng.

But before he could move, the air around him suddenly rippled, carrying with it an immense force that threatened to crush him into dust.

"Realm Power! There’s a Realm expert nearby!"

Zhou Xu’s face fell in alarm. He hastily mobilized all his Qi Blood Power to forcefully resist the immense pressure. Then, he grabbed the Longsword at his waist and slashed wildly around him.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The incomparably tyrannical Sword Momentum raged outward, causing the surrounding air to erupt in a series of dull drones. The oppressive force suddenly vanished, and the tension in Zhou Xu’s body eased.

Just as he was about to unleash his Sword Momentum again and strike at Chen Cheng, a slight breeze stirred. Chen Cheng’s figure moved like a ghost, appearing before him in the blink of an eye. But his Long Saber was even faster. It had already swung out before the breeze even started—it was the Wind Chasing Saber Stance.

Zhou Xu felt a chill on his neck. His eyes gradually turned dim and lifeless as his body slowly collapsed, his head rolling to the ground.

’My Great Power Realm can immobilize a Perfect Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm for a few breaths from nearly ten feet away. Not bad.’

Chen Cheng thought to himself. He quickly frisked Zhou Xu’s corpse, found a Money Bag, and tucked it into his robes.

He then tore a piece of cloth from Zhou Xu’s clothes, wrapped the severed head in it, and vanished into the night with a few quick flashes of movement.

Not long after, Chen Cheng arrived at the shore of a lake near Bailu Avenue and threw Zhou Xu’s head toward the water.

With a wave of his hand, he unleashed his Great Power Realm again. Zhou Xu’s head exploded in mid-air, turning into a bloody powder that scattered and fell into Jishui Lake.

Chen Cheng didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he gazed into the dark night, replaying the fight in his mind.

For the Muscle Strengthening Realm, possessing a Realm was tantamount to being invincible.

However, this invincibility had its conditions; the distance couldn’t be too great.

Realm Power didn’t materialize from nothing. It required one’s own Qi Blood Power to mobilize the Power of Heaven and Earth Origin. The closer the distance, the more Power of Origin could be mobilized, and the stronger the Realm Power became.

’If I had used my Powerful Claw Stance in conjunction with the Great Power Realm at close range, I probably could have crushed Zhou Xu’s head in a single move, just with the Realm’s power alone.’

To break through the Great Power Realm, one could only counter it with another Realm, or by using the powerful Qi Blood Power of the Bone Forging Realm to unleash a full-force Momentum attack.

’The Momentum unleashed by a Bone Forger Realm Martial Artist is likely not much weaker than the Realm of a Perfect Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm. I still can’t afford to be careless.’

...

Back home, Chen Cheng examined the Money Bag he had taken from Zhou Xu. Seeing only a few hundred taels in silver notes, a few gold coins, and some scattered silver taels, he couldn’t help but frown.

Given Zhou Xu’s wealth, even if he had fled in a hurry due to the sudden developments in the Zhou Family case, he should have been carrying a large amount of silver notes and valuable Elixir Pills. It was impossible for him to be this destitute.

The fact he didn’t have them on his person could only mean one thing: he had hidden his valuables somewhere.

Also, Zhou Xu had mentioned the Black Lotus Sect. ’Could it be that he gave all his money to those Black Lotus Sect scoundrels?’

The Black Lotus Sect’s scoundrels couldn’t operate openly in Linji City; even their higher-ups wouldn’t dare enter the city casually. Chen Cheng wasn’t too worried about them.

Having been bluffed by Chen Cheng, Zhou Xu had also let it slip that his coming to kill Chen Cheng was his own idea, and the Wang Family was unaware of it.

’With Zhou Xu’s head destroyed, even if his body is discovered, it will be very difficult to identify him.’

’And even if Zhou Xu is identified, no one would suspect that a minor Chief Constable like me was the one who killed him.’

...

On a bank of Jishui Lake in Lishui District, two men in black were hiding under a large willow tree. A small boat was moored in the nearby grass.

"Why isn’t Zhou Xu here yet?"

"It’s past the agreed-upon time. He should have been here by now."

"He didn’t run into trouble, did he?"

"He’s a Perfect Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm, and he was deliberately hiding his tracks. What kind of trouble could he possibly get into?"

"Could he have sensed something, had a sudden change of heart, and decided not to leave the city?"

"Quiet! Walls have ears..."

Just then, a figure hurried over from a short distance away.

The two men in black quickly stopped talking and hid behind the willow tree.

"Come on out," the person said in a low voice as he reached the tree.

Recognizing the voice, the two men in black emerged from behind the tree. One of them asked, "Young Master Wang, why is it you? Where’s Zhou Xu?"

Wang Xiongjie said irritably, "Zhou Xu isn’t coming. You two should leave at once. And don’t enter the city again anytime soon."

"What happened to Zhou Xu?" the man asked again.

"He was killed!" Wang Xiongjie waved his hand impatiently, ignoring them as he turned and strode away.

...

In Dongcheng District, at the centrally located Wang Family Villa.

In the main hall, Wang Xiongying listened to the news of Zhou Xu’s murder from the just-arrived Wang Xiongjie. His face was grim, and he remained silent.

A constable on the night patrol had discovered a headless corpse in an alley and reported it to Wang Xiongjie immediately, making him the first to learn the news.

"Are you sure the dead man is Zhou Xu, and not some other Jianghu Martial Artist at the Muscle Strengthening Realm?"

After a long silence, Wang Xiongying asked again.

Wang Xiongjie replied, "This afternoon, I arranged for someone to escort Zhou Xu out of the city. I went to see him and deliver a message myself. I saw the shoes he was wearing."

Wang Xiongying mused, "Zhou Xu was a Perfect Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm and had cultivated Sword Momentum. Even if a martial artist at Small Success in Bone Forging Realm attacked him, he should have been able to escape."

"Yet you say he was killed without a sound?"

Wang Xiongjie said, "Judging from the scene, Zhou Xu was indeed beheaded with a single, effortless slash. He didn’t even have time to resist."

"Someone with that kind of power could only be from one of the Four Great Clans of the Inner City. It was most likely the Shen Family."

Wang Xiongying snorted. "Our people have been keeping a close eye on the movements of the Shen Family’s experts. If any of them had been deployed, my men would have definitely reported it."

Wang Xiongjie said, "Could it have been someone from the Jiang Family or the Qin Family?"

"The Jiang and Qin Families? Why would they bother sending someone to deal with a mere Zhou Xu?" Wang Xiongying flicked his sleeve. "Besides, Zhou Xu was a wanted man, and his whereabouts were always kept secret. The Jiang and Qin Families would have had to find him first if they wanted to kill him."

Wang Xiongjie frowned. "But that doesn’t make sense! Besides the Four Great Clans of the Inner City, who else in all of Linji City is that powerful?"

"At the Zheng Martial Arts Hall, the only one who uses a saber with that level of skill is Zheng Hun himself. Why would a man of his stature bother with a minor figure like Zhou Xu?"

"Elder Brother, do you think Zhou Xu might have provoked a power from outside Linji City?"

"Zhou Xu was a fugitive. If not for the Wang Family’s protection these past days, he wouldn’t even have had a place to hide. How could he have possibly made other enemies?"

Wang Xiongying waved his hand. "Forget it. If this person isn’t from the Four Great Clans of the Inner City, we’ll find them sooner or later. You can go back for now."

"Yes," Wang Xiongjie replied, turning to leave.

Wang Xiongying stopped him. "The Black Lotus Sect—did you tell them not to enter the city for a while?"

Wang Xiongjie nodded.

Wang Xiongying said, "That’s for the best. We shouldn’t contact them for the time being."

"Oh, right. That Chen Cheng from Lishui District will be taking a position at the Demon Suppression Department soon. You don’t need to bother with him anymore."

Wang Xiongjie was confused. "Chen Cheng is only nineteen, but he’s already a martial artist at Small Success in Muscle Strengthening Realm. If we let him develop, I fear he’ll become a major problem. Are we just going to ignore him?"

Wang Xiongying sneered. "Of course not. Chen Cheng’s talent in the Martial Dao surpasses even Zhou Xu’s. We lost one Zhou Xu; he’ll be the perfect replacement."

"Besides, once he’s at the Demon Suppression Department, it will be even easier for us to deal with him."

"I’ve already made thorough arrangements for this matter. He won’t be able to escape."

...

The Lishui Sub-Department’s discovery of a Muscle Strengthening Realm Martial Artist’s corpse eventually alerted Shen Qingshuang. After carefully examining the scene, she too was greatly shocked and suspected the deceased was none other than Zhou Xu.

Shen Qingshuang was very cautious. She first went to the Chen Family home with Xiaoxing, explained that Zhou Xu was suspected to have been killed, and asked a few simple questions.

Chen Cheng, naturally, claimed to know nothing, stating that he had taken a different route back to Lishui District from Dai Qingfeng’s house.

Shen Qingshuang warned Chen Cheng to be careful, then took her leave and hurried to the Inner City that very night to report the matter to the Shen Family Elders.

First Yan Jian and Zhou Hongjun went missing, and now Zhou Xu had been slain by an unknown expert. Shen Qingshuang clearly realized the gravity of the situation.

All three incidents had occurred in the South City District. As the Chief of the South City Guard, she had to seriously consider how she would explain this to her superiors.