The God of the Human Realm!

Chapter 78: The Two Races' Response, Testing the Technique

There were just too many people coming to Shuanglongxia to watch the battle.

News of this battle simply couldn't be kept secret.

Ordinary people or ordinary martial artists could only pass on the story by word of mouth, while those with considerable influence had already used various channels, such as fast horses, carrier pigeons, or masters of light-body skills, to travel to all directions...

As if overnight, the news spread like wildfire to more than ten counties in Linjiang Prefecture.

With unparalleled skill and a single, breathtaking spear strike, Hong Yuan killed the "Spear King" Han Dingtian and captured the "Surging Wave Hand" Lei Meng, two grandmasters, at the Shuanglong Gorge headquarters of the Cao Gang in a single battle. He then single-handedly forced the Cao Gang to surrender.

The news was like a thunderclap, leaving all who heard it speechless and dizzy.

Many renowned masters who hadn't witnessed it firsthand found it hard to believe, but as more detailed information emerged, they all fell silent.

Many small and medium-sized forces that did not participate in the siege of Hong Yuan felt both fortunate and gloating, and all turned their attention to the prefectural city.

That 100,000 two-day bounty was issued by the three major powers of the Guo family, the Hua family, and the Cao Gang.

Although there are nearly twenty small and medium-sized families and gangs, these people are scattered in various places and their targets are too small. Now that the "sharpshooter" has taken down the Cao Gang, how can he expect to have the same success as the Guo and Hua families?

Linjiang Prefecture City.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and the city residents were enjoying the rare warm weather in winter.

In a secluded meeting room, the two people who were the focus of attention, the heads of the Guo and Hua families, Guo Wei and Hua Shouren, sat facing each other with gloomy faces.

The atmosphere in the hall was oppressive, and there was no one else around.

"The Divine Fist Sect Master and the Four Fiends of Black Wind have all declined our invitation."

Hua Shouren spoke first, his voice indifferent, revealing little emotion.

The master of the Divine Fist Sect he mentioned was also a grandmaster martial artist. At the age of thirty-six, he achieved mastery of subtle strength and founded his own sect in the prefectural city, establishing the Divine Fist Sect. Over the past twenty years, he has recruited disciples, and his sect is thriving with many skilled fighters.

The Four Fiends of Black Wind were four renowned evil masters who, when they joined forces, had a record of forcing opponents to retreat with surprising skill.

"They've all been terrified by that kid surnamed Hong. The Peerless Soaring Spear, what a prestigious name! Everyone in Linjiang Prefecture knows it by now, doesn't they?" Guo Wei sneered.

"Yes, it's a pity that he achieved this by stepping on our reputation. Now that the Grand Canal Gang has been firmly established, given that kid's temperament, it'll probably be our turn soon," Hua Shouren sighed.

"Lei Meng is a complete waste, and that Han Dingtian, what a gun king, what the number one gun in Mingzhou? Bah! We wasted so much money getting him to help us, and the two of them together were defeated so miserably..."

Guo Wei gritted his teeth.

"Anyone who can become a martial arts master has no weak hands. We did not underestimate Hong Yuan, but he is truly extraordinary."

At this point, Hua Shouren could no longer remain calm, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

Even though Hong Yuan was just a commoner, upon seeing how vicious and stubborn he was, he was filled with murderous intent and never underestimated him.

In other words, the terrain of Shuanglong Gorge was not suitable for a siege; otherwise, he really wanted to gather the elite troops of the Hua and Guo families and attack together.

Of course, the reason for not doing so, besides the terrain limitations, was mainly because the opponent's martial arts were unpredictable and they came and went like the wind. Unless the opponent took the initiative to charge into the formation, there was no opportunity to surround and kill them.

Even so, they still dispatched over a hundred elite soldiers, led by Guo Ju, to assist in the battle, including dozens of archers.

With Han Dingtian, the "King of Guns," challenging him, Lei Meng lurking in the turbulent waters waiting for his chance, and numerous members of the Canal Gang, along with Guo Ju and his valiant followers, facing only one opponent, Hua Shouren couldn't imagine how he could possibly lose.

Unexpectedly...

Guo Wei shook his head, then changed the subject: "It's no use talking about this now. The main thing is how to deal with it next. Brother Hua, can't we really ask a master from the Xuanbing Sect to help my niece?"

He brought up the old matter again, and this time Hua Shouren did not refuse. His expression was somewhat complicated as he said, "As soon as the news from Shuanglong Gorge came back, I sent someone on horseback to Xuanbing Sect in Mingzhou Prefecture. I hope Xiangrong can still remember some of my father's kindness."

He sighed, seemingly unwilling to say more, and then said, "It is still unknown whether the Xuanbing Sect will send anyone. Even if they do, they may not be a match for Hong Yuan. Our two families cannot have too high hopes; we still have to rely on ourselves to resist."

"Brother Hua is right." Guo Wei nodded and composed himself.

He rose and paced around the hall, pondering a solution. After a short while, he spoke: "Our two families have recruited over a hundred skilled martial artists..."

Hua Shouren waved his hand to interrupt: "There aren't that many. We've already taken quite a few people with us."

At this point, a cold look appeared on Hua Shouren's face: "Under normal circumstances, if these people dared to run away after taking the benefits, we would have ways to make them regret it. But now we are forced by a child, so we can't bother to punish them... These martial artists are all opportunists, so they don't need to be counted."

“Good! If we combine our elite troops, we can probably muster about two thousand men,” Guo Wei said.

"Only two thousand people?" Hua Shouren was taken aback, feeling that the number was too small.

These powerful clans owned countless shops and fields, and the people and tenants who depended on them numbered in the tens of thousands. With a single command, they could easily assemble an army of ten thousand.

Guo Wei knew that he was fond of literary pursuits, so he delegated all military affairs to the elders of the Hua family, letting them place their sons in the army.

In a typical family, a patriarch who did this would have been sidelined long ago. However, Hua Shouren has a powerful daughter who has joined the Xuanbing Sect to support him.

Guo Wei explained, “The two thousand men refer to the brave and valiant men who train regularly and are ready to fight at any time. The tenant farmers have not been trained, and gathering more of them would only cause trouble. They also don’t have time to train now.” “I don’t know anything about military operations, but Brother Guo is an expert in this field. Please speak your mind. Now that we are one, there is no need to hide anything.”

Guo Wei gave a wry smile: "What kind of expert am I? My younger brother Guo Zhencai is the real expert. Never mind..."

His expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Brother Hua, do you still remember the Mingguang Villa in Jinmingfang in the south of the city? It used to be a military barracks, and was later bought by your Hua family."

The Hua family owns too many businesses. Hua Shouren frowned and tried to recall, but he wasn't sure if this was true. He waved his hand, signaling Guo Wei to continue.

"What I mean is that our two families should temporarily move into the Mingguang Villa. No! We still can't all go in. Some of the direct descendants should be sent out, and the rest should move into the villa. The villa should be renovated, and things that need to be demolished should be demolished. Two thousand troops should be stationed there to protect us."

"That villa is surrounded by water on three sides, with only one side for entry and exit. When the barracks were built, the terrain was deliberately raised, making it spacious and easy to defend and difficult to attack."

Guo Wei pondered for a moment, then said, "We need to ensure a sufficient supply of meat and use high-quality weapons. I don't know much about the Hua family, but my Guo family can probably gather about two hundred sets of lamellar and leather armor."

“My family needs less,” Hua Shouren said.

Guo Wei frowned: "Then we'll borrow from other big families, from the Wei family, from the Xiang family, borrow as much as we can."

"They'd love for us to suffer, so they probably won't give in easily."

"They want us to suffer, that's true, but they don't want to be suppressed by a brute, a vicious eighteen or nineteen-year-old." Guo Wei sneered repeatedly.

"They will lend it to us."

"Then, all we need to do is sit back and watch the other side of the courtyard, and see if that kid has the guts to attack."

Even after receiving news that Hong Yuan had single-handedly subdued the Canal Gang, Guo Wei was confident he could hold out.

To him, who was knowledgeable in military affairs, the hundreds of men in the canal gang were just a rabble, while his two thousand men were well-equipped and had several hundred armored soldiers. They were also trained in military formations and coordination. Ordinary rabble, even tens of thousands of men, would be defeated.

Hua Shouren suddenly understood and clapped his hands, saying, "Brother Guo has made the arrangements perfectly."

However, he quickly frowned and said, "But if that person doesn't attack, we'll be trapped in one place. Even if we store up food beforehand, we won't be able to wait much longer."

Guo Wei's expression was uncertain: "Brother Hua, do you still remember your original suggestion?"

Hua Shouren was startled: "You mean?"

Guo Wei slowly walked to the opposite side of him, sat down again, placed his palm on the table, and sighed: "I don't want to deal with those people either, but even if we deploy two thousand elite soldiers, they can protect our safety, but they may not be able to keep that person. We can't live in fear forever, so we have no choice but to ask them to take action."

"It's the only way!"

Hua Shouren pondered for a moment, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Neither Guo Wei nor Hua Shouren considered running away. If a large family like theirs were to flee without even fighting, they would truly be throwing away all the glory and prestige accumulated over more than a dozen generations.

Moreover, there is another issue to consider: other powerful families in the prefecture are also predatory. It's not a big deal if they hide, but if their subordinates lose their leader, other families will swarm in, and their own businesses may not be able to be protected.

Just as the Guo and Hua families were preparing for war, inside a secret room at the headquarters of the Canal Gang in Shuanglong Gorge.

Hong Yuan placed his palm on a man with a scar on his face. The man trembled, his face twisted and ferocious, veins bulging. Suddenly, his chest swelled up, and with a 'poof', a burst of blood erupted from the area where his kidneys were located.

Hong Yuan watched as the man collapsed instantly and sighed, "Failed again!"

This man was a skilled but evil fighter recruited by the Canal Gang. He had committed numerous atrocities, and this man was used to test his true skills, which could be considered a waste of his talent.

Unfortunately, when Lei Meng deciphered the cryptic message for Hong Yuan, he used a mix of truth and falsehood, causing Hong Yuan to fail several times in a row.

This is also normal.

After all, even if Lei Meng explained it honestly without any falsehood, the so-called "Die Lang Gong" was only a prototype evolved from the incomplete version of "Tian Yi Zhen Shui Gong". It was inherently imperfect and there were bound to be omissions.

Testing one's skill on another person—that is, Hong Yuan—was something no other expert in the field of microscopic perception could have done.

Hong Yuan already possessed a spiritual perception that could perceive even the smallest details within a three-zhang radius. Now, with his comprehension increasing slightly, not only has his range expanded by several zhang, but he has also become even more acute in the smallest details.

Even when he channeled his energy into another person's body, he could perceive it with his own spiritual sense, as if the other person's body had become transparent. He had previously followed the 'Layered Waves Technique' route and used his energy to penetrate that person's kidneys.

Unfortunately, the force exploded, Lei Meng gave the wrong trick, and the force was injected into someone else's body, which was ultimately different, leading to repeated failures.

In fact, if it were Hong Yuan himself, with his comprehensively improved physical constitution and extremely resilient and powerful internal organs, even the wrong techniques might not be able to harm him.

"Forget it, this 'Layered Waves Technique' is only a prototype after all. Even if I can cultivate a trace of supernatural power like Lei Meng, I will still have to go through the trouble of completing it. It would be better to directly comprehend the 'Heavenly One True Water Technique'."

Only after the force penetrates the human body's organs can one cultivate true power and extraordinary power. With Hong Yuan's physique, even he himself cannot fathom how powerful he would become once he cultivated extraordinary power.

"Let's put that aside for now. Deal with the Guo family first, then we'll talk about the Hua family..."

Hong Yuan is a man of action and will not leave his enemies unattended for long. Now, after spending a few days in the Canal Gang, he has gained real skills that have piqued his interest, to the point that he has temporarily forgotten about the two major families in the prefecture.

With the deadly throat-locking gun in hand, Hong Yuan left Shuanglong Gorge in no time and headed straight for the prefectural city.

(End of this chapter)