The God of the Human Realm!

Chapter 44 Famous Throughout the City (5k)

into the night.

Linjiang Prefecture.

In the northwest corner of the city, there is a large courtyard area.

A ghostly figure, like a phantom lurking in the darkness, moved swiftly and unpredictably among the courtyard walls.

The figures moved so quickly that they seemed to barely stir up the wind, and suddenly arrived at a large house in the very center of the courtyard area.

This is the headquarters of the Longjiang Gang.

Linjiang Prefecture is a melting pot of all sorts of people, with numerous gangs and factions, numbering no less than a hundred with any notable name.

Even among numerous gangs, the Longjiang Gang ranks among the top three in terms of power and prestige.

Or, more accurately, infamy.

The Longjiang Gang controlled several small and medium-sized docks and warehouse areas on the outskirts of the city. Merchant ships that came and went to dock and load and unload goods had to pay a considerable security fee unless they had a powerful backer.

At the same time, they were also aggressively seizing territory in the city, charging "peace money" to shops and vendors within their territory.

In addition, the main sources of income for the Longjiang Gang were loan sharking, running brothels and gambling dens, and doing dirty work for certain powerful families.

"The dock has been upgraded several levels." (Yan San)

Hong Yuan stretched out his arms, like a large bird spreading its wings and soaring high, and lightly flew towards the main house, with this thought in his mind.

Actually it is not surprising.

The lofty and prestigious aristocratic families and noble generals are just two sides of the same coin as the lowly and sordid gangs.

Where are there so many devout men and women?
To maintain their extravagant lifestyles, the methods used are largely the same; the only difference is that powerful and wealthy families, wanting to maintain a certain level of decorum, will put on a glamorous facade.

The reason Hong Yuan appeared in the prefectural city was because he needed to find something to do during the days of forging weapons, and he couldn't waste time.

call!
Its body leaped through the air, as if riding the wind, drifting towards the courtyard where the main house was located.

Hong Yuan's body was still in mid-air when he could hear the continuous, sharp 'whoosh whoosh whoosh' sound of wind breaking.

Crossbow bolts!

A dozen crossbow bolts rang out from above and all around, aiming straight for Hong Yuan's vital points. In an instant, he was plunged into an extremely dangerous situation.

There's no way forward or backward, no way to avoid it!
Just as he was about to be riddled with crossbow bolts and turned into a pincushion, his robe sleeves suddenly fluttered, unfolding gently like a cloud.

What unfolds is not a cloud.

It was light, the glint of a blade!
A chilling, gleaming blade flashed from Hong Yuan's sleeve. It was a long, narrow, curved blade, and once it was in his hand, it was as if a crescent moon had risen in the dark night.

A cold, eerie crescent moon rose, and the gleam of a blade swept up, instantly engulfing all of the dozen or so crossbow bolts that were attacking.

All that could be heard was a series of crisp "thud thud thud" sounds as the crossbow bolts shattered into fragments and scattered in all directions throughout the courtyard.

Snapped! Bang bang!

"good very good!"

Accompanying the clapping was a hoarse voice, as piercing as a night owl's: "As expected of the 'Flying Yaksha' who has become famous in the city in such a short time, your eyesight, your lightness of foot, your knife skills... you are indeed quite capable, worthy of the preparations I, Li Jiao, have made for you!"

Whoops!

At that moment, torches also sprang up from the rooftops all around.

In the firelight, the sounds of people landing echoed all around, and eight burly, strong-looking men surrounded them.

He held a powerful crossbow, and had already nocked an arrow.

A gentle breeze stirred the torches, casting flickering light on half the courtyard.

Two figures emerged from the main room.

One of them was forty years old, not very tall, but extremely strong and muscular, with dark skin, like a piece of iron that had been forged for a long time.

His eyes gleamed with ruthlessness as he stared at Hong Yuan with a cold smile.

This man is none other than Li Jiao, the leader of the Longjiang Gang!

The other person was short and of ordinary appearance, except for a pair of narrow eyes that revealed a sinister nature. He had his hands tucked into his wide sleeves and was looking at the scene with great interest.

"This is the 'Flying Yaksha'. I wonder what it looks like? Is it really as terrifying as the legendary Yaksha?"

"Brother Cao, don't be impatient. We'll capture this thief later, and you can look at him however you like," Li Jiao said calmly.

Hong Yuan ignored the eight men with crossbows who surrounded him, looked straight ahead, and said, "Li Jiao, did you know I was coming to find you?"

"Hehe!" Li Jiao let out a hoarse laugh, his eyes mocking: "You 'Flying Yaksha' started from Wushan County and fought your way through various counties, challenging all kinds of masters. A few days ago, you arrived in the prefectural city, and in just a few days you took down six martial arts school owners, three gang leaders, and two masters from powerful families. Anyone with a bad reputation who fell into your hands was either dead or crippled!"

"Do you think you'd overlook someone with my great reputation, Li Jiao? If I don't make some preparations, wouldn't you be underestimating me?"

Li Jiao's gaze grew increasingly cold: "If you don't want to suffer, I advise you to surrender. I am a man who cherishes talent. With your martial arts skills, if you are willing to serve me, I, the leader of this gang, will forgive and forget your past actions."

In his words, Li Jiao already regarded the other party as a caged bird or a turtle in a jar.

He has reason to be confident.

Besides the eight crossbowmen in the courtyard and himself, the man beside him, Cao Gang, was a wicked martial arts expert who had escaped from his mansion. It was said that he had raped and murdered several women and young ladies from powerful families, which led to several powerful families joining forces to hunt him down, forcing him to flee.

Li Jiao went to great lengths to win over Cao Gang.

But it's worth it.

Cao Gang was a master of the same level as him, both having reached the level of 'combining strength and gentleness, and controlling the flow of power'.

That wasn't all. Throughout the mansion, Li Jiao had also ambushed nearly a hundred agile and skilled fighters. All he had to do was clap his hands and light torches.

The group of men will then receive the signal and swarm in to attack!
Ok? !

Li Jiao frowned, his heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly sensed something was wrong. He clapped his hands again.

The clear sound of a slap echoed in the night, carried by the wind, and traveled far and wide.

Li Jiao's face stiffened, as if he had been slapped hard across the face, turning ashen.

Cao Gang's slightly narrowed eyes suddenly widened, and he looked at Hong Yuan in astonishment.

"If you want to summon your men, I advise you to save your energy, or I'll send you down to meet them right now."

Hong Yuan's gaze fell on the curved blade in his hand, and he chuckled softly.

“Impossible. Brother Cao and I were both on high alert. There were nearly a hundred of them. Even a master of the Subtle Realm couldn’t kill them without making a sound…”

Li Jiao felt more pain and heartache than disbelief!
Those nearly one hundred people were his true core. They had honed their strength over the years, and while not every one of them could take on ten men, they could at least hold their own against three to five ordinary people.

With so many people gone, he can't just be described as severely weakened; he's practically lost an arm and a leg.

Once word gets out, other forces will likely seize the opportunity to take over his Longjiang Gang.

Hong Yuan wasn't sure if microscopic observation was possible.

But it was not difficult for him. His talent of "Clear Vision" and his powerful perception that could detect the smallest details within three zhang made this so-called ambush a joke.

The other side lit torches, making it difficult for Hong Yuan to sneak in.

Unfortunately, the enemy intended to ambush and launch a surprise attack. With no light at all, it became Hong Yuan's domain. He easily sneaked up behind groups of people, and with a flick of his curved blade, he reaped their lives one by one.

Everything was quiet and still in the darkness.

"The night is long, and I have many things to attend to. If Chief Li has no further questions, then I will send you on your way now. Don't keep your brothers waiting!"

Hong Yuan flicked the blade with his finger, producing a clear, crisp "ding," as if a signal had been activated.

"Fire arrows!"

Li Jiao shouted sharply, his eyes blazing with murderous intent: "Kill him!"

There's no need to worry about the Longjiang Gang being taken advantage of in the aftermath. If we don't kill this Flying Yaksha now, what future will we have?

The powerful arrows whizzed through the air and struck again in the blink of an eye.

Hong Yuan swung his curved blade diagonally, shattering an arrow with a 'hiss'. Before the arrowhead could fall, it was struck by the blade and shot out swiftly, piercing the throat of a crossbowman.

Then, with a flash of light, Hong Yuan seemed to be enveloped in the blade, and in an instant, he darted to the side of the two crossbowmen, causing the remaining arrows to miss their mark.

With a swift turn of his scimitar, a sharp, tearing sound was heard as the heads of two crossbowmen flew into the air, and Hong Yuan vanished once more.

A biting gust of wind swept towards them. Li Jiao and Cao Gang felt a chill run down their spines as a dark figure approached, a curved blade slashing down.

"You really think I, the leader of this gang, am afraid of you?"

Suddenly, a pair of Water-Splitting Spikes appeared in Li Jiao's hand, tearing through the air with incredible speed. With a sharp whistling sound, the Water-Splitting Spikes collided with the blade, instantly exploding into a series of sparks.

Amidst the flashing lights, Li Jiao's expression changed.

The opponent is very strong and his swordsmanship is very fast.

But it was far from the expected power to silently kill a hundred top experts!

Cao Gang, who was standing on the other side, also moved his feet, his movements extremely strange, as if he suddenly darted up like a snake.

Her long, pale hands, concealed within her robe sleeves, moved swiftly, sometimes with her palms, sometimes with her fingers, hissing as if they were two venomous snakes flicking their tongues.

One hand coiled around Hong Yuan's neck like a snake, while the other transformed into a snake's snout, viciously aiming for his brow.

"what?!"

Hong Yuan was slightly surprised. He had fought against many masters, but martial arts with such ingenious changes in force as Cao Gang were still rare.

Cao Gang's palms moved like nimble snakes, changing into many strange postures as he pursued Hong Yuan's evasive movements, his fingers and palms exuding unpredictable force.

This is a sign of the 'efficiency in sending and receiving' level.

The first level of power transformation: once the power is channeled into the fingertips and palms, regardless of whether the martial artist wants to withdraw the power, there is actually no chance to reverse it.

The force is like a floodgate being opened; it can only be unleashed.

When one reaches the level of "combining strength and gentleness, and controlling the flow of energy freely", one can channel strength between the fingers and palms, accumulating power ready to be unleashed, like a fully drawn bow, which will only be released at will when it touches the enemy.

Seeing the flying yaksha struggling to defend itself under Cao Gang's pursuit, only occasionally retaliating with its curved blade, Li Jiao swiftly pounced with the Water-Splitting Thorn and joined the attack.

He sneered repeatedly, "I almost fell for this scoundrel's tricks. Your martial arts are nothing special. What kind of underhanded methods did you use to assassinate my men?"

"Let me guess, is it poison? Or perhaps magic?"

As Li Jiao spoke, his hands moved even faster, and a pair of water-splitting daggers, as venomous as scorpions, hissed and whistled as they relentlessly struck out.

The three fought with incredible speed, their weapons whistling through the courtyard, the blue bricks shattering under their footsteps, and the flying debris striking the remaining five crossbowmen.

The five men raised and lowered their crossbows repeatedly, using the flickering firelight to observe the battle. With the three men moving so fast, the men dared not fire their arrows easily, given their limited eyesight.
Li Jiao and Cao Gang joined forces and felt that this battle was exhilarating, the most enjoyable battle they had ever fought in their lives.

Moreover, although it was the first time the two had teamed up, they became more and more coordinated as they fought, as if they were brothers.

They have completely overwhelmed the other side.

A sinister grin spread across Li Jiao's face. His Water-Splitting Thorn blurred into a series of afterimages as it swiftly struck Hong Yuan's vital points in the chest. He coldly said, "How long can you hold out? Three moves? Ten moves? Flying Yaksha? Tonight, I'll turn you into a dead yaksha!"

'These two have somewhat similar martial arts styles, both specializing in unpredictable and unpredictable techniques. However, Li Jiao leans towards forceful strength, while the other focuses on gentle strength…'

'Hmm, so that's how you use strength! I've learned something new!'

In Li Jiao and Cao Gang's eyes, Hong Yuan, who was caught in a dilemma and on the verge of being captured and killed by the two of them, still had time to think more.

The more times Hong Yuan fought against numerous masters, the faster his combat experience grew. Previously, he could only rely on his powerful martial arts to overwhelm his enemies and display all his skills.

At this moment, being able to subtly draw out the opponent's lifelong martial arts skills is undoubtedly even more skillful.

"almost!"

Hong Yuan sighed.

"What? Now you want to admit defeat? Too late! You've killed so many of my men, you only have one way out: death!" Li Jiao charged forward like the wind.

"No, I just wanted to say that I've seen enough of your martial arts skills!"

Hong Yuan's dodging figure suddenly stopped, and the curved blade twisted and changed in his hand. In an instant, it flew up and turned into a streak of light, slashing towards Li Jiao's approaching figure.

Li Jiao's eyes were filled with coldness, his face showing astonishment. He didn't even have time to think, and simply raised his pair of Splitting Water Spikes to his chest to block.

Chi!
In an instant, the blade sliced ​​into the gap, severing Li Jiao's two wrists. With another thrust and twist, a head flew into the air.

Cao Gang, who had been advancing alongside Li Jiao, suddenly turned pale with shock and froze.

Hong Yuan's sword strike was not yet finished. Using the remaining force, he spun around, and a surge of power rose from his feet, propelling him nearly ten feet into the air.

The next moment, his body was upside down, head down and feet up. He abandoned the scimitar, and his left hand opened and closed, turning into a palm, falling like a shooting star!
Vajra Palm!
This is his masterpiece, a culmination of his skills and techniques, which he has combined with those of many martial artists since his time fighting against various masters in Wushan County, and is now at the stage of his own powerful and ever-changing style.

Of course, for Hong Yuan, this was just a prototype of a palm technique. As his martial arts skills progressed, he would continue to absorb its essence and improve it.

The palm strike came too fast. Cao Gang's eyes were bloodshot. He had only raised his hands halfway when a palm suddenly struck the top of his head.

Bang!
Amidst the sound of brains splattering, the ground beneath Cao Gang's feet trembled violently, large chunks of blue brick were crushed, and his feet sank three inches into the ground in an instant, followed by the shattering of his leg bones.

Hong Yuan pressed his palm down on Cao Gang's head, and then used the force to rise up, his legs like a whirlwind, kicking away the two falling water-splitting spikes and Li Jiao's head.

The water-splitting spear pierced through the chests of two crossbowmen like a sharp arrow, while Li Jiao's head smashed the skull of one of the crossbowmen!

The two remaining crossbowmen were terrified. One of them instantly got wet in his crotch and fell to the ground with a thud, while the other let out a shout and ran away like a madman.

Hong Yuan darted forward and instantly appeared in front of the fleeing crossbowman.

Without turning his head, he gently pointed his finger backward, and the crossbowman, still running forward, placed his forehead on his fingertip.

With a light tap, a soft "poof" sounded, and the crossbowman ran forward a few steps before collapsing headfirst, lifeless.

Hong Yuan leaped into the darkness.

As for the remaining crossbowman, Hong Yuan didn't care; he needed to leave one survivor to spread his reputation.

To open the [Tai Sui Blessed Land], he couldn't possibly take a cowardly path.

As for his current identity as the 'Flying Yaksha,' Hong Yuan hasn't really concealed it very well, and it will be exposed one day.

Hong Yuan wasn't lying to Li Jiao; he did indeed have a lot to do tonight, and was currently heading to his next engagement.

The next day.

Dawn breaks.

While the news was still circulating in a small circle within Linjiang Prefecture, the news of the two major gangs being wiped out overnight had already reached the most prestigious and powerful families in the prefecture, including the Wei family, the Xiang family, the Guo family, and the Yang family.

Besides the Longjiang Gang being wiped out, another gang that was destroyed was the Changhe Society. Although it was slightly weaker, its leader's martial arts skills were still superior to Li Jiao's.

The major families brought the survivors in for detailed questioning and sent people to investigate the two major gangs' strongholds. Even though the major families were powerful and had many experts, they still felt a sense of unease.

Too bad!
Of course, the 'Flying Yaksha' had killed many people before, including several evil masters, whose reputations had spread throughout the city.

Several powerful clans had long noticed this inexplicably emerging expert, and some even considered capturing or subduing him after seeing the commotion he caused.

However, after this incident, the major clans all backed down.

The power and martial arts skills of those people before them were not comparable to those of the Longjiang Gang and the Changhe Society, and none of them caused such a big commotion.

Two gangs were attacked in one night, and three masters of "freedom of control" died, including two gang leaders, and hundreds of thugs were killed with them!
Such martial arts skills and such battle achievements would make even large families wary and terrified.

The news that the major clans had uncovered quickly spread.

It can't be hidden at all.

Besides these powerful clans investigating, the remaining gangs were also on edge. Smaller gangs were hiding deeper like rats, while larger gangs were shrinking their power, with their leaders gathering their men around them for close protection.

Soon, the entire prefecture was in an uproar.

The name of the Flying Yaksha was known throughout the streets and alleys, and everyone knew it.

Meanwhile, Hong Yuan had breakfast at a grand restaurant in the prefectural city, then went to a nearby brothel to change his clothes before returning to Black Iron Town feeling refreshed.

He lit an incense stick, a top-grade incense formula that Hong Yuan had purchased from the prefectural city. Its effects were even slightly better than 'Wandering the World'. Hong Yuan immersed himself in the rich fragrance, digesting what he had gained overnight.

"After last night's attack, I'll have to slow down. Even if several experts at the second level of Transformation attack together, they probably won't pose much of a threat to me. Attacking them again won't yield much benefit!"

'I need to find a master of subtle techniques to test my skills... Of course, that will have to wait until after the Lan Yue Garden matter is settled and Wei Zhenzhu is killed.'

As the lingering fragrance filled the air, Hong Yuan entered a meditative state, until a beautiful young woman, as lovely as a flower, came to his door. It was none other than Xu Qingjing.

“Young Master Hong, your two uncles invite you. Your ‘Deadly Throat-Locking Gun’ has been forged.”

　Should I split the updates into two parts from now on? Otherwise, people keep saying I'm not updating enough. Isn't that how new books are updated? Besides, I'm not one to update in bursts; this book is mainly about maintaining a steady pace...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)