Chapter 42

Among all the people present, Jiang Feng was probably the one with the lowest level.

Now the main gate was sealed, and twenty knights were guarding it firmly, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.

In a while, when the massacre officially began, he would also become one of them.

The disparity in strength between the two sides was enormous. Even if they fought to the death, the possibility of failure was over eighty percent. They had to come up with a plan first!

Jiang Feng's thoughts raced. He whistled, and upon hearing this familiar sound, Pingluan Shan looked over.

Jiang Feng gestured to him, and Pingluan Shan swooped down from the eaves to his side.

The knights were sealing off the examination area, and the others did not immediately take action. Seeing that Jiang Feng was just an uninitiated youth, they sneered and did not stop him.

Pingluan Shan regretfully said, "I was too rash! I have caused harm to these people!"

Jiang Feng did not comment, but asked in a low voice, "What do you plan to do?"

Pingluan Shan shook his head, "It's not about what I plan to do, but what they plan to do!"

Jiang Feng said, "There are forty of them, and we, including me, are only thirty-nine. They have mounts, equipment, and higher levels. We are no match for them."

With each word he spoke, Pingluan Shan's breathing became more rapid. He gritted his teeth, "Of course I know! Then what should we...?"

Before he could finish, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted and rushed out, "Spare me! I wasn't with them! I am willing to join the Fuliang Sect!"

He rushed to a Fuliang Sect disciple, grabbed the person's leg, and cried, "This has nothing to do with me!"

The Fuliang Sect disciple bent down and asked, "Did anyone approach you before the preliminary exam?"

The man shook his head violently, "No! If someone had approached me, I would have definitely joined the Lord!"

With a "bang," the Fuliang Sect disciple kicked the man far away. The kick was extremely powerful, and the man only stopped when he hit a flagpole. His head was split open, and blood flowed from his ears. He clearly heard the other person say, "We wouldn't approach or want someone without potential!"

A knight happened to be standing nearby. He rode his horse over expressionlessly and trampled over the man's body.

The man's vision went black, and before he could recover, he felt intense pain in his chest and screamed in agony. The knight spurred his horse several times, and the man's screams gradually faded, as he was directly trampled to death!

All the examinees watched in shock. A few who had thought of surrendering immediately turned pale, and Pingluan Shan swallowed the half-sentence "Do we have to surrender?" back.

The knight coldly scanned the crowd. The black water pattern on his robe was clearly visible, and his words were equally clear: "The useless die; those who do not join us die!"

He waved his hand forward, "Fuliang cavalry, charge!"

Ten strong horses galloped forward simultaneously, their hooves thudding. They trampled on the stone slabs, charging straight into the crowd!

Five independent cultivator examinees simultaneously emitted their Bright Force, rushing to meet the horses. With a loud crash, the two sides collided, and these five people were thrown back. The knights on the horses leaped out, grabbed their hair, and dragged them forward with their horses!

In an instant, the fluctuations of Bright Force mixed with a strong smell of iron, creating a chaotic and bloody scene.

Pingluan Shan's face turned ashen. Just as he was about to fly forward, he was held back by Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng handed him a cloth bag and said urgently, "You're fast, quickly distribute this to everyone! Also, tell them not to run around or confront them head-on. Try to hide as much as possible!"

He pointed, and Pingluan Shan followed his finger to see the county office.

The examination area was connected to the county office. The knights had sealed off the walls, preventing them from escaping outward, but they could still rush inward.

The county office had many buildings, far less open than here, which would naturally limit the effectiveness of the cavalry.

Pingluan Shan immediately understood and nodded, "You're right, I'll go right away..."

Before he could finish, Jiang Feng interrupted him, "Tell them to hide as much as possible, delay time, and the longer the better!"

Pingluan Shan asked in surprise, "What are you going to do?"

Jiang Feng shook his head and asked in a low voice, "Can you do it?"

The chaos around him, Jiang Feng's determined gaze, and clear words were like a calming pill, making Pingluan Shan unconsciously calm down.

For a moment, he forgot that this youth was younger than him and had not even entered the Dawn Realm, lacking the qualifications to participate in the major exam.

He took a deep breath and nodded heavily, "I can do it!"

Jiang Feng patted his shoulder and pushed the leather bag into his hand, "Go quickly!"

Pingluan Shan nodded again and flew away.

Jiang Feng watched his retreating figure, did not act immediately, but retreated back into the shadows.

Hezhong County was a county in the Zhu Tian Kingdom. In theory, it was managed by a county official appointed by the higher-ups, who was responsible for the local power.

The Tianzhao Preliminary Exam was the starting point of the major exam, which was a significant event for every country in the Nine Heavens Continent, receiving great attention.

The Tianzhao Preliminary Exam in Hezhong County was hosted by the county official, and the order should have been maintained by his subordinates.

Why were all the people maintaining the order in Hezhong County's exam now Fuliang Sect disciples, and why were they using such aggressive and unpopular methods?

Cheating, robbing independent cultivators of their Tianzhao Orders, and even killing so many people to keep the secret... If this news got out, Lord Fuliang would immediately be condemned and face immense pressure!

Jiang Feng narrowed his eyes, recalling the only time he had dealt with the other party.

Cimu, a direct subordinate of Lord Fuliang, could also represent some of his styles.

He was cunning and deep, willing to abandon some face to make things go more smoothly.

Would such a person be so aggressive and arrogant?

The second thing Jiang Feng thought of was the news he had heard at the last Half-Moon Market.

Zhu Tian City was breached, and Lord Fuliang was severely injured.

This was the biggest point of suspicion.

With the main lord severely injured, why were his subordinates so arrogant and unafraid of causing a scandal?

Thinking from another angle, what if all this was not Lord Fuliang's own intention?

What if this was a plot by his political enemies to strike against him?

Would they be satisfied with the deaths of just these thirty-nine people?

Hezhong Prefecture, except for that bridge, was an isolated island, very easy to be sealed off.

Thinking of this, Jiang Feng, though he had a premonition, could not help but be startled. Perhaps the other party deliberately chose Hezhong County for its geographical advantage!

Whether this was the case or not would become clear in a short while.

Although Jiang Feng thought this, he did not sit and wait. He had already observed the surroundings and, after choosing a direction, ran madly toward it.

As he had expected, his movements, though obvious, did not attract much attention.

Almost everyone here was of a higher level than him. For them, an uninitiated youth could not cause any waves and was not worth noticing.

Moreover, at this moment, the other independent cultivator examinees began to move!

Pingluan Shan's movements were agile and fast. In a blink, he had passed through the crowd, delivering the dried meat and the message.

He was the focus of the other party, and the sound of hooves immediately rang out as two knights came to grab him.

At this moment, the crowd suddenly scattered. They did not rush outward but ran madly toward the interior of the county office!

The knights were caught off guard, and someone immediately shouted, "Stop them! Don't let them scatter!"

But how could the pursuers be faster than the escapees? In no time, more than half of the examinees had crossed the wall and escaped into the county office.

"Chase them!"

Immediately, figures leaped up, and the scene was largely empty.

Pingluan Shan was also following Jiang Feng's instructions, fleeing toward the interior of the county office. In the midst of his escape, he hurriedly looked back to see where Jiang Feng was.

This look made him extremely surprised.

Jiang Feng's direction was clearly opposite to theirs. He was rushing madly toward the outside of the examination area!

What was he planning to do?

The outside was much more dangerous than the inside!

As Pingluan Shan thought, seeing this uninitiated youth trying to escape, the guards finally took action.

A knight was guarding the direction Jiang Feng was rushing toward. He shouted and immediately charged forward on his horse.

The horse was extremely fast, and almost as soon as the hooves sounded, the knight was by Jiang Feng's side.

The knight held a bronze spear, and with a light swing, a faint golden light flashed on the spear, which then swung at Jiang Feng with a strong wind.

Jiang Feng rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack. The spear pierced the ground, and the stone slabs, which had not been damaged in the previous intense battles, shattered into hundreds of pieces.

Jiang Feng was startled but did not stop. Amidst the flying debris, he flipped and hid under the horse's belly. Then, he twisted his right palm and swung it upward, a muffled sound echoing as his palm struck the horse's belly!

The horse let out a long, agonized neigh, and its belly exploded with a loud bang!

The knight was startled and tried to leap away, but Jiang Feng flipped his hand, lifted the horse's body, and slammed it heavily onto him!

The knight roared in anger, swung his spear, and cut his mount in half.

Amidst the splashing blood, he saw the uninitiated young thief already leaping onto the wall, about to escape!

Jiang Feng dodged the spear, killed the horse, and blocked the knight in one fluid motion. He leaped onto the wall, about to jump over, when suddenly, a powerful force struck the wall, causing it to collapse. Jiang Feng fell down with it!

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The stock of drafts is rapidly decreasing... Damn, I've written this plot three times and still haven't got it right. So frustrating. Please give me some recommendation votes for encouragement!!!