Chapter 43

The immense force of the collision with the wall was so powerful that it shattered instantly.

Jiang Feng, caught off guard, fell directly from the wall. In the midst of the chaos, he grabbed a nearby branch and swung with all his might.

The branch snapped, and his arm made a cracking sound, followed by intense pain.

He gritted his teeth, his body propelled outward by the momentum, and he landed with a thud, rolling twice before coming to a stop.

He turned his head and met a cold, indifferent gaze.

It was a giant man, holding a heavy hammer that glinted with golden light, clearly a treasure weapon. With one strike, he had shattered the wall, instantly breaking the barrier between inside and outside.

He glanced at Jiang Feng and said, "Not bad, quick reflexes." Then, he shifted his gaze and strode inward.

Jiang Feng's left hand touched his right arm, immediately understanding the extent of his injury. His right arm was broken, and with his constitution, it would take about fifteen minutes to recover enough to fight again, and about an hour and a half to fully heal.

He did not use his golden blood qi, his gaze hardened, and he moved backward to take cover.

The arrival of the giant man with the heavy hammer confirmed his suspicions.

Perhaps the order to lock the doors and kill was indeed issued by the Fuliang Sect, and all of this was prearranged.

Did they break through the wall to rescue the people inside?

No, they were just trying to make things worse!

Sure enough, a roar echoed from the sky: "You rats dare to!"

The sound of hooves rang out, and the person riding the Zhenxin Beast descended from the air, the beast's hooves aimed at the giant man!

The giant man swung his hammer to meet the attack, shouting, "You Youzong, what are you trying to do by locking people inside? I tell you, no matter how powerful Fuliang Jun is, he has no authority over our Hezhong County!"

Youzong said sternly, "Stop, Liang Liuchao, this is the best way to handle the situation. Can't you see that?!"

Liang Liuchao roared, "Cheating in the Tianzhao Preliminary Exam, and then trying to kill all the witnesses when discovered—this is your best solution? Get lost, I, Liang Liuchao, absolutely disagree! Fuliang Sect members, get out of Hezhong County now!"

Youzong frowned and said, "Since you are so unreasonable, I have no choice—"

The four hooves of the Zhenxin Beast stomped down heavily, colliding with the giant man's hammer. An invisible shockwave radiated outward from their center.

The air exploded, the ground around them cracked, trees snapped, and stone slabs shattered, sending a mix of flying leaves and debris in all directions!

Jiang Feng was hit by the shockwave and rolled backward twice before coming to a stop.

His gaze swept around, and his pupils immediately constricted.

Outside the wall, several people were already lying in various positions!

Most of them had died from bleeding from the seven orifices, clearly the result of direct attacks by the Zhenxin Beast.

At the same time, a bit further out, two groups of people had already engaged in battle, just like Liang Liuchao and Youzong. One side wore yellow uniforms, the local Hezhong County guards; the other side wore green and black, all members of the Fuliang Sect!

In addition to these two groups, there were many candidates and local residents.

The latter, realizing the situation was dire, immediately retreated to their homes, locking their doors tightly. The candidates, upon hearing Liang Liuchao's words, showed a mix of disbelief and sudden understanding, their expressions gradually turning to intense anger!

Someone in the crowd shouted, "No wonder I didn't pass the human exam; it turns out someone was cheating!"

Another voice called out, "Yes, someone inside just said that all the Ming Beasts used for the human exam were drugged, making them more powerful than expected!"

"Do you have evidence?"

"That person said he saw it in the county office; we can go in and check!"

The crowd responded, gathering outside the county office, trying to rush in.

Jiang Feng's gaze tightened. His observation skills were extremely sharp, and he had been on guard. His eyes first focused on those who had spoken up first.

They all had evasive eyes, shouting loudly but not immediately rushing forward. Clearly, their goal was to create chaos!

It had to be said, such provocation was highly effective.

Previously, the atmosphere in Hezhong County had been extremely tense, like a powder keg ready to explode.

The lockdown of the county office, the wall being shattered, the county guards engaging the Fuliang Sect members, and finally, these provocations, all perfectly ignited the powder keg.

All the independent cultivator candidates quickly gathered, rushing over the wall!

Youzong, unable to deal with Liang Liuchao, rode his Qingyun Beast, soaring high, and shouted, "Everyone, listen! Anyone who tries to break into the county office will be killed on sight!"

"Yes!"

All the Fuliang Sect members responded in unison, quickly breaking away from the county guards and surrounding the county office.

Near a corner gate, an independent cultivator was about to charge when a Fuliang Sect member shouted, his arm engulfed in flames, and he punched at the cultivator's face!

Such battles quickly erupted all around the wall.

Once the fighting started, it could not be stopped. Blood blossomed around the wall, the clash of Ming Power and flesh immediately resulting in broken bones and torn tendons!

The independent cultivators were numerous, and the Fuliang Sect members were more powerful. The two-meter-high wall, for a moment, seemed to turn into an impenetrable fortress.

Liang Liuchao roared, "Fuliang Sect members, how can you be so shameless!"

He charged forward with heavy steps, swinging his hammer with great force, and another section of the wall crumbled. In an instant, the boundary between the two sides was broken, and the independent cultivators all rushed into the county office.

Jiang Feng, holding his arm, flipped onto the eaves and crouched down.

With the help of the county guards, the strength of the independent cultivators was roughly equal to that of the Fuliang Sect members. The Fuliang Sect members injured many, but they could not stop the independent cultivators from rushing into the county office.

Blood flowed in rivers on the ground, one after another, people fell, dead or severely injured...

In the blink of an eye, the Tianzhao Preliminary Exam had turned into a bloodbath!

Youzong, riding his Qingyun Beast, descended from the sky. He held a crimson spear, and with a light swing, several independent cultivators burst into flames, screaming as they fell to the ground.

Liang Liuchao charged over, blocking Youzong. These two were evenly matched, their spear and hammer clashing, sending debris and dust flying.

Jiang Feng crouched on the eaves, watching everything, his heart pounding fiercely, as if it were about to burst out.

His right arm's fracture was healing, the wound itched intensely. The sensation felt like tiny insects crawling out of the wound, gradually spreading throughout his body.

The vortex inside the Tianxin Seed began to spin faster, and the Tianji Cube followed.

Data points formed in his mind, flowing into the Tianji Cube.

Suddenly, his pupils constricted, and he looked toward a spot outside the wall.

In that corner stood a person, not participating in the battle, just standing there.

He had not fused with a Mingxin Seed, just an ordinary person, small and thin, looking only eleven or twelve years old—Zhong Fan!

Jiang Feng then remembered that Zhong Fan had come with him. He had let him wander around Hezhong County alone, and now the situation had changed, and he was still alone!

The crowd was in chaos, and Zhong Fan could be caught up in it at any moment.

He didn't know if the child had any family nearby watching over him, but no matter what, he couldn't leave him alone on the battlefield!

Jiang Feng's gaze focused, and the data he had collected automatically pointed him to a direct path.

His foot pushed off the eaves, and he shot forward like an arrow, bending and dodging the fighting on both sides, reaching Zhong Fan's side.

He grabbed Zhong Fan and called out, "It's dangerous here, come with me!"

Zhong Fan, seeing him appear suddenly, was slightly stunned. Then, he felt a tight grip around his waist as Jiang Feng slung him over his shoulder.

Jiang Feng scanned the surroundings, then ran out again, heading to a house next to the county office.

This house was built cleverly, with several rooms arranged to leave a gap in the middle, large enough for a person to hide.

Jiang Feng put Zhong Fan down and said urgently, "Stay here and don't move. Leave when things calm down."

He glanced to the side, frowned, and pulled out a dagger from his waist, handing it to Zhong Fan, "Keep this for protection, but don't draw it unless it's absolutely necessary. You..."

He wanted to give more instructions, but Zhong Fan suddenly looked up, and he was immediately taken aback.

In the midst of the battlefield, this child, who was powerless, showed no sign of panic. He looked at Jiang Feng's arm and asked, "What happened to your hand?"

Jiang Feng had used only his left arm to bring him over and put him down, his right arm seemingly immobile.

Jiang Feng glanced at it indifferently, "It's broken, nothing serious."

Zhong Fan lowered his head, touching the dagger Jiang Feng had given him. It was the same equipment he had bought for Jiang Feng during the last Half-Moon Market, the only weapon he had.

Zhong Fan looked up again, calmly meeting Jiang Feng's gaze, and asked, "What's really going on here?"

Jiang Feng frowned, looking back at the battlefield with concern, "Someone is trying to take advantage of Fuliang Jun's severe injuries to provoke this incident, to defame and weaken him."

Zhong Fan was slightly taken aback and asked, "Why do you think that?"

In such a critical moment, the child was still asking questions, and Jiang Feng was a bit anxious. But he still answered, "Because it doesn't make sense. Fuliang Jun is severely injured and should be at his weakest. If his power can't see through this, how could he have risen so quickly to become the largest force in the Zhu Tian Kingdom in such a short time? He is indeed strong, but strength alone is not enough!"

Zhong Fan seemed to be thinking and asked, "What do you plan to do now?"

Jiang Feng took a deep breath and said, "To be honest, I hate Fuliang Jun; he is my greatest enemy! If I could, I would do everything to strike against him!"

Zhong Fan's eyes flickered, listening quietly.

Jiang Feng looked at the battlefield, hearing the sounds of intense fighting and screams, seeing the blood flowing and splashing, his expression was extremely serious.

He gritted his teeth and said, "But, it must not be by these means! Those independent cultivators, those candidates for the Tianzhao Preliminary Exam, why should they be used as pawns? They just came to take the exam, why should they be caught up in such a conspiracy?!"

He said firmly, "I will do everything in my power to stop this, to use my greatest strength!"

Zhong Fan followed his gaze, his face showing disgust.

He nodded and said, "You're right, this is indeed disgusting!"

He stood up straight, grabbed Jiang Feng's hand, and said, "Yes, you can stop this!"