I bear witness to immortality in the human world.

Chapter 89 Missing
Wang Wuzheng has been very irritable lately.

Because he had clearly entrusted Shen Lian to find an opportunity to deal with Wu Ming, and Shen Lian also said that it would be done within a month at the latest, but more than a month has passed and Wu Ming is still at large.

"What is Shen Lian good for?"

In the main hall, Wang Wuzheng sat behind a desk, frowning as he looked at the files laid out on it.

Shen Lian is a top-ranked disciple of the Xuan Yu Sect, and his strength is no less than his. Dealing with Wu Ming should be a piece of cake for him. Even if Wu Ming is a patrol officer of the Shen Xing Division and cannot act openly, but needs to find an opportunity to assassinate him, how could there not be an opportunity to deal with Wu Ming in just over a month?
But for some reason, Shen Lian has not made a move so far, nor has any news come from him.

Wang Wuzheng was agitated because he knew Shen Lian well and knew that Shen Lian was not the kind of person who made empty promises. Since he had said that he would deal with Wu Ming within a month, it should not have taken so long for Wu Ming to still be free. In his judgment, perhaps Shen Lian was held back by some sudden trouble.

Moreover, the main problem is that he actually had the opportunity to deal with Wu Ming during his time in the Censorate, but because he had already handed the matter over to Shen Lian, he not only could not take action during this period, but he also had to deliberately distance himself from the matter, so as not to give Huang Lin any leverage after something happened to Wu Ming, which would cause a lot of trouble.

Just as Wang Wuzheng's thoughts were in turmoil.

suddenly.

A patrolman hurried in, came to Wang Wuzheng's side, and gave a brief report.

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Wang Wuzheng was immediately stunned, because the messenger had just received intelligence that Shen Lian, a true disciple of the Xuan Yu Sect, had mysteriously disappeared in Jingye City not long ago!
"Shen Lian has disappeared?"

While Wang Wuzheng was still in a daze, his brows gradually furrowed.

Conflicts among martial artists are constant, and it is quite common for one or two people to go missing in Jingye City. As a patrol officer of the Shenxing Division's Arrest Hall, he receives cases of missing persons almost every day. Some are ordinary people, some are women, and some are even martial artists who have disappeared without a trace. As for the condition of these missing persons, there is not much to think about. A small number are imprisoned, and most are dead.

The question is, who exactly is Shen Lian?
A true disciple of the Xuanyu Sect, a martial arts master who has achieved three blood condensation techniques, he is a well-known figure throughout the entire Jingye City region!
At Shen Lian's level of strength, it is extremely difficult to make him disappear without a trace. Even if Wang Wuzheng led a group of people to besiege him, it would be difficult to keep Shen Lian.

For a martial arts master like Shen Lian, who is nearly at the top level in the third stage of blood coagulation, to make him disappear silently, it would require someone who has reached the fourth stage of blood coagulation or above to personally take action. Otherwise, even if Shen Lian could be killed, he would inevitably leave many traces.

"Disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead... This method is somewhat reminiscent of Bloodblade Tower's tactics. Who has Shen Lian offended? Has someone planted a trap for him in Bloodblade Tower?"

Wang Wuzheng's gaze shifted uncertainly.

No wonder Wu Ming has been free all this time. It turns out that Shen Lian never made a move. Of course, it is also possible that Shen Lian did make a move, but Wu Ming quietly eliminated him... But this situation is a pipe dream, and Wang Wuzheng did not even consider it.

Wu Ming, a mere patrolman in his early twenties, had not even reached the third stage of blood coagulation. He only possessed some strength due to his mastery of the Unity Realm. No matter what hidden methods he might have, he could not possibly threaten a martial arts master like Shen Lian.

Wang Wuzheng considered all the possible individuals in Jingye City who might have caused Shen Lian's disappearance, but couldn't come up with any reasonable explanations, so he shook his head.

Shen Lian had no connection with him and even owed him a favor. Now that Shen Lian was missing, he was very likely dead. Wang Wuzheng naturally had no interest in helping to investigate this matter, since it was a matter for the Xuan Yu Sect itself.

As for the matter of him having sought out Shen Lian to help him deal with Wu Ming, that was something he couldn't bring up, and naturally he wouldn't take the initiative to explain it to the Xuan Yu Sect. In any case, Shen Lian's disappearance couldn't possibly have anything to do with Wu Ming.

Speaking of which,

Wu Ming is indeed extremely lucky.

One of the reasons Wang Wuzheng decided to eliminate Wu Ming after reviewing the intelligence files about him was that he studied Wu Ming's resume and found that Wu Ming had had a smooth and successful career since he started learning martial arts.

Although fortune is an ethereal thing, it does have some truth to it, especially in martial arts cultivation. The smoother things go, the more confident one becomes, and the stronger one's martial arts will becomes. For example, Wu Ming was able to master the unity of skill and technique at the age of twenty, and his whole being exuded a vigorous and upward vitality.

If one upholds this will and continues to cultivate, and can turn misfortune into good fortune and danger into safety every time, it is truly possible to undergo a transformation amidst all kinds of hardships, cross the bottleneck of martial arts, and enter the third stage of blood coagulation.

although,

Even if Wu Mingzhen could achieve three blood clottings, Wang Wuzheng was not afraid. His vision had already set his sights on the higher level of four blood clottings, and he wanted to become the next generation of the Wang family's pillar. However, if he could resolve the trouble as soon as possible, there was no need to delay.

Wang Wuzheng tapped his fingers lightly on the table, pondering for a moment. Perhaps it was time to find another way.

……

The southern part of Jingye City.

The headquarters of the Xuanyu Sect branch.

A burly, square-faced middle-aged man stood in the courtyard with a stern expression.

"No news either from Bloodblade Tower?" "No."

A deacon from the Xuanyu Sect said in a deep voice, "Junior Brother Shen Lian's skills have reached an extremely high level. There are very few people in Jingye City who can make Junior Brother Shen disappear without a trace."

The middle-aged man with a square face had a gloomy expression.

He was Chang Kun, an elder of the Xuan Yu Sect, a master who had achieved the fourth level of blood coagulation, and also Shen Lian's master. He had come to Jingye City from the Xuan Yu Sect to investigate Shen Lian's disappearance after learning of it, but found nothing.

The mastermind behind Shen Lian's disappearance was extremely cunning, making it difficult for him to determine who was responsible.

Although the Xuanyu Sect is one of the six major powers that rule the Jingye City territory, the struggle for interests and resources is constant. All parties have the potential to make a move. Although he has a few suspects in mind, it is also possible that others are taking advantage of the situation to confuse the public and stir up conflict among them.

"Bullying the weak and disregarding one's status, don't let me find out who it is."

A cold glint flashed in Chang Kun's eyes.

Martial arts competition is a common occurrence in the world. If Shen Lian had died at the hands of the Seven Martial Alliance or the two major government agencies, at the hands of the young generation's outstanding talents, he wouldn't have said much. However, this incident is strange in every way, and it doesn't seem like something that would happen in a competition between peers.

If a senior expert from any faction were to disregard his status and attack a junior, he would never let it go.

……

The news of Shen Lian's disappearance quickly spread among various forces. A true disciple of a major sect who had achieved the third stage of blood coagulation was a figure of considerable importance, and his sudden disappearance naturally attracted a lot of attention.

However, they only paid attention to it; various forces, such as the Seven Martial Alliance, basically remained indifferent and didn't care.

The Department of Cautious Punishment.

Wu Ming had recently heard about Shen Lian's disappearance.

After all, the Shenxing Division controls Jingye City, and it is difficult to keep any movement in the city out of their sight. Moreover, the Xuanyu Sect's investigation into Shen Lian's disappearance was quite a big deal, so it was impossible to avoid the Shenxing Division.

However, so far, no clues have been found about him. Under these circumstances, Wu Ming naturally treats this matter as nothing has happened. Anyway, Shen Lian is now dead and nowhere to be found. He, a mere martial artist with 'secondary blood clotting', is not capable of killing Shen Lian and will not be a suspect.

At this moment, Wu Ming was on the second floor of the Shenxing Division's Martial Arts Hall, where martial arts classics were displayed. He was holding one in his hand, studying it while looking thoughtful.

"When a person exerts force, it is called taking a breath. Blood and qi can also serve as the core of exerting force. By stimulating the blood and qi in the dantian and forcibly circulating it throughout the body along the meridians, one can unleash unparalleled power in an instant."

"However, to achieve this, three coagulations are required; the blood energy from two coagulations is far from sufficient."

During this time, Wu Ming continued to cultivate the Linzi Technique to strengthen his soul, while also focusing on martial arts cultivation to accumulate blood energy. As the deputy inspector of the Shenxing Division, he was also qualified to come to the second floor of the Martial Arts Hall to observe the martial arts classics there.

The martial arts manuals here are mostly for those who have achieved three or more blood coagulation techniques. They are extremely profound techniques, far beyond ordinary fist and foot skills, and all contain methods for unleashing blood energy.

now,

The spear technique Wu Ming was holding was called "Horizontal Strike Across the Eight Desolations," which was a profound martial art. The entry requirement for mastering it was to achieve three blood coagulation stages.

This spear technique consists of eight forms. The first two forms can be mastered with just three blood-coagulation sessions. The third and fourth forms require mastering the unified force, while the last four forms require four blood-coagulation sessions to master.

"The Qi flows through the mysterious gate, striking across the eight directions."

Looking at the diagrams in the book in his hand that described the circulation of blood and qi along the meridians, Wu Ming's eyes flashed with a hint of light. With a thought, he tentatively guided the blood and qi in his dantian and guided it through the Xuan Guan (a point on the meridians).

However, after just one try, Wu Ming immediately felt a wave of exhaustion. The blood energy in his dantian was simply insufficient to complete the entire circulation of his meridians, and he was also unable to temporarily stimulate his body with blood energy to unleash even stronger power.

"Certainly not."

"However, I can memorize this spear technique first. After I have condensed my blood three times, I can practice this technique."

Wu Ming did not force his blood energy to circulate. With a thought, he calmed the surging blood energy down, then looked thoughtfully at the spear technique manual in his hand, turning the pages one by one, and finally memorized the entire manual.

He is now not far from achieving the third blood clotting.

(End of this chapter)