"What exactly happened here?"
Upon arriving at the farm, Uenoshi was greeted by a scene of utter devastation.
The ground was crisscrossed with long, jagged fissures. The central area of the farm featured a massive crater, with the surrounding earth peeled back layer upon layer, as if a violent storm had just rampaged through.
The two responsible for this destruction, Guan Tong and Lucifer, were nowhere to be seen.
"They might be inside the hole."
As Shi Jingyi spoke, she lightly tapped her foot, her body gracefully gliding to a position above the crater.
Just as she peered down, a hand grabbed the edge of the pit.
"You..."
Shi Jingyi's expression shifted slightly. She quickly leaned over, grabbed the arm, and pulled the person up.
"Guan Tong, are you okay?"
Seeing it was Guan Tong who climbed up, Uenoshi felt a montary relief, but it was quickly replaced by a frown as she saw him covered in blood, his condition appearing very poor.
"Teacher?!"
Yelanka arrived at that mont. Seeing Guan Tong, supported by Shi Jingyi and drenched in crimson, her voice instantly beca filled with urgency.
She rushed over to check. Guan Tong's body was covered in nurous dense wounds, a horrifying sight.
"I'm fine..." Guan Tong forced himself to look up and speak. "It looks scary, but they're all superficial wounds. Nothing vital was hit..."
His final clash with Lucifer had ended in his victory.
Lucifer's forced breakthrough by heavily using dicinal items had indeed greatly increased his power in his four-winged state. However, in a head-on, life-or-death struggle, he still was no match for Guan Tong.
At the mont of their clash, the Nano Swarm net in Guan Tong's left hand protected his vital points, dissolving the majority of Lucifer's attacks. The remaining portion was neutralized by the Shadow Armor and the Liu-Jin Guardian.
The vortex-shaped Small Space in his right hand had swallowed two-thirds of Lucifer's upper torso. A spatial ability fueled by the instantaneous eruption of over ten thousand units of Mind Power was sothing no one could withstand.
However, the ultimate Storm Feather Blade technique Lucifer unleashed using his four wings had an enormous area of effect. While Guan Tong could protect his vital points, his arms, shoulders, and legs couldn't be fully defended. Many feather blades broke through, cutting him and leaving him covered in wounds.
"Blood... so much blood..."
Yelanka's lips were pale, and she seed sowhat at a loss, a stark contrast to her decisive, ruthless deanor from before.
Uenoshi imdiately took out so recovery and healing items, intending to give them to Guan Tong.
anwhile, Shi Jingyi, who had been supporting Guan Tong's back with her arm, quickly assessed his condition and said calmly, "Fortunately, no vital areas were injured. There's no danger to his life. However, continuous blood loss is also not acceptable."
She raised her other hand. Mind Power rapidly condensed and then flowed onto Guan Tong's body, forming a pressure. This pressure, incredibly precise and with just the right intensity, acted on the bleeding points of each wound, effectively stopping the bleeding.
"Thanks... I'm really fine. I just used up a lot of stamina."
Guan Tong took a deep breath, accepted the items from Uenoshi, and smiled at the pale-faced Yelanka. "Don't worry. Superficial wounds like these will heal quickly with so dical items."
Snapping back to reality, Yelanka's face was full of remorse. "I'm sorry... Teacher, you got hurt like this to protect ..."
Although Guan Tong was badly injured, he didn't want to create a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. He said with a smile, "Alright. We won, so we should be celebrating. Besides, I gained a lot this ti. You can see it, right? The point number above my head."
The three of them simultaneously looked at the top of Guan Tong's head. The number "4144" was particularly conspicuous.
Guan Tong previously had 37 points from eliminating those robbers. This ti, by settling scores with Lucifer and killing him, he also seized the latter's points, instantly reaching an extrely high number.
"He had over four thousand points before. Each point represents the life of one Ascendant. Over four thousand points ans over four thousand lives concentrated on him." As Uenoshi spoke, she felt a lingering fear regarding Lucifer's cruelty and bloodlust.
If it were her, facing such an enemy and seeing this terrifying point number, she would probably feel so fear before the battle even began, which would diminish her performance.
"Now, all those lives are concentrated on ," Guan Tong said softly. "If heaven has a spirit, I hope to carry their share as well, to walk to the very end and witness the truth."
"I believe you can do it," Shi Jingyi said, looking at him. "Do you rember what I said when we first t?"
"...You liked my na?"
Shi Jingyi smiled and nodded. "That's right. It seems you rember. Guan Tong, 'clearing the way'... At least from then until now, that aning has been effective."
"Heh... It really is."
After saying this with a laugh, he noticed Yelanka still standing there with a worried look and reminded her, "Yelanka, since you all ca here, it ans you dealt with Valeri and the others, right? The follow-up cleanup work is definitely nurous and urgent. As the Administrator, you should go handle it quickly."
"Ah..."
Yelanka snapped back to attention.
That was true. With Valeri dead, a lot of work needed urgent handling. The chief culprit was executed, but the many people who conspired and were connected with him absolutely could not be let go. They needed to be dealt with swiftly to prevent anyone from escaping.
But...
Yelanka looked at the dense wounds on Guan Tong's body. "Teacher, your injuries... If I go to work now..."
"I already said I'm fine. Go on."
"I'll take good care of him," Shi Jingyi added at that mont.
Guan Tong then said to Uenoshi, "Uen, you go with Yelanka. Although Valeri and Lucifer are both dead, we still can't be careless in case any remnants try to fight desperately to the end. It's better if you go along."
"Understood, Troupe Leader."
Yelanka gritted her teeth slightly and nodded. "Alright then. Lecturer Jingyi, I'll trouble you with this. I'll finish the cleanup work as quickly as possible and return!"
Yelanka and Uenoshi hurried away. Shi Jingyi watched as Guan Tong used several healing items, his wounds accelerating their healing, which put her mind sowhat at ease.
She glanced at the massive crater. "Your battle actually caused this much destruction."
"That was Lucifer's doing," Guan Tong said. "He took over a dozen dicinal items, forcibly boosted his power, and created a big scene."
As he spoke, he was inwardly shocked by Lucifer's strength.
Even with the aid of drugs, reaching this level of intensity was still exaggerated.
After all, he, who had mastered a large reserve of Mind Power through the [Wordless Book], naturally held an advantage in battle. Fighting him might seem like fighting one person, but it was actually like fighting many at once...
Especially since a single person didn't need to consider coordination issues. One person possessing the total Mind Power of a hundred people, as long as their abilities and items were compatible, the actual combat power unleashed could surpass the sum of a hundred people.
Under such circumstances, for Lucifer to fight him to this extent by taking drugs was indeed not easy.
However, Lucifer possessed a powerful, combat-specific exclusive Mind Power item like the [Fallen Angel Wings]. Combined with his two years of roaming and killing to accumulate strength, it made sense that he had built up this level of power.
"...Was his grudge against you that deep?"
Shi Jingyi had so understanding of those kinds of dicinal items. She had heard from the academy lecturer responsible for teaching the items course that they had severe side effects. Ascendants wouldn't use them unless it was a last resort, a desperate, life-or-death situation.
"That guy has an extre personality. We had two previous encounters, and a deep-seated hatred ford. One of the 'debts' I ntioned collecting from you before was from him... I didn't expect him to be hired by Valeri to co here this ti, which saved
the trouble of looking for him."
"I see."
"How did things go on your end?"
"Very easily. The enemies were all weak."
"Heh, for you, I guess there aren't many people who could be considered strong enemies."
Hearing this, Shi Jingyi raised her hand and tapped Guan Tong's forehead. "You definitely count as one. After you recover, let's find an opportunity to have a full-power sparring match. I want to see what level you are when you go all out."
"Ah? Ouch... I suddenly feel discomfort all over. It seems I won't be recovering for a while..."
Shi Jingyi smiled charmingly, and Guan Tong laughed along.
...
Yelanka's retaliation was more ferocious than many had imagined.
On the day of Valeri's death, a large number of people connected to him in the capital were arrested. The very few who caught wind and fled also faced extensive pursuit.
Valeri's so-called smug "military, political, financial, and espionage" network—when his "espionage" core collapsed, among the remaining three, only so of the "military" generals stationed outside the capital temporarily avoided being dealt with. However, the "political" and "financial" personnel were all controlled imdiately.
The next day, Yelanka held a press conference, publicly disclosing so of the evidence of cris committed by Valeri and his group. This included, but was not limited to, footage from the Night Ankang club and evidence seized from the Security Bureau.
Once these shady things were exposed, they caused an uproar among the populace of the entire Xisiya Empire.
At the conference, Yelanka stated that, as the Administrator, she would deal with these individuals severely. She explicitly stated that she had personally executed Valeri and the agents who launched the rebellion with him.
Unexpectedly, after the press conference ended, cheers and jubilation erupted unanimously across the entire Xisiya Empire. Almost no one ntioned whether this action complied with regulations and procedures. Most felt that having such a strong, rciless Administrator towards criminals was a great boon for the country.
So military generals who had originally planned to use "the Administrator suppressing the Security Bureau" as a pretext were now dumbfounded, unable to understand why the public turned a blind eye to this unconstitutional behavior.
They didn't realize that in such an era, what people truly cared about was no longer rules and procedures, but whether there could be a strong leader they could rely on psychologically, a spiritual pillar.
Originally, Yelanka faced much skepticism, partly related to her relatively low-key approach after taking office. In the eyes of many Xisiya citizens, being low-key equated to being weak. They preferred a strongman.
Thus, when Yelanka displayed an extrely strong, decisive side, she instead gained support. This left several opposing generals holding significant military power in a dilemma.
In this era where almost the entire population was concentrated in a few major cities, without public support, the military couldn't exert force. Especially since the soldiers themselves would be resistant. Moreover, with finances cut off, without supplies and Ascension Coins, who would risk their lives for you?
But choosing to submit... would Yelanka agree?
Left with no choice, they could only first test the waters, hoping to receive a promise of safety.
Instead of a safety promise, what they received were dismissal docunts issued by Yelanka to the public, containing evidence of their serious cris.
This evidence had been collected by Valeri, originally intended to keep these people in check. Now, it beca Yelanka's weapon.
Not only did she inform the public and strip these generals of their military authority, but she also ordered the subordinate soldiers under these generals to carry out the commands.
Under the overwhelming tide, the few generals, relying only on a small group of loyal subordinates, could no longer reverse the situation. So of them had just left their offices when they were stared down by the soldiers. Then, one soldier took the initiative, and the others sward forward to arrest them.
Just as the dostic situation in the Xisiya Empire underwent dramatic changes, the sixteenth rule was also nearing its end.
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