Under One Person: The Sea Emperor Who Shattered Heaven and Earth

"boom!"

Liang Ting slammed heavily against the rocky wall of the ravine, sinking into it completely, his limbs hanging limply at his sides. The mechanical device implanted in his body had been completely reduced to scrap metal.

At this moment, the once fearsome white owl was like a lump of mud, stuck on the rock, emitting only indistinct hisses.

The surroundings were deathly silent.

The Quanxing demons looked at Jiang Zhen with more than just simple terror. They knew Liang Ting was a grandmaster of both mechanical arts and talismanic arts, possessing formidable strength. He had even combined these two methods to transform himself into an invulnerable mechanical body.

Is it just going to be useless like this?

Jiang Zhen clenched his fist, his long robe fluttering in the wind. He didn't even break a sweat, still appearing completely at ease.

"Wugensheng, it seems you can't protect him," Jiang Zhen said calmly, looking at Wugensheng.

Just then, Wugensheng, who had been standing by as a spectator, finally moved.

He sighed, slowly walked up, and stood between Jiang Zhen and Liang Ting.

Wugensheng did not adopt a fighting stance, but the aura emanating from him underwent a dramatic transformation. His usual ordinariness and laziness vanished, replaced by an absolute, ethereal tranquility.

Jiang Zhen noticed that faint glimmers of light were emanating from Wu Gensheng's eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth—his seven orifices.

"Chief Jiang," Wugensheng spoke, his voice carrying an ethereal echo, "He's crippled too. Although Liang Ting is a scoundrel, can we just let him go today, like a fart, and let this scumbag be taken back by me, this incompetent sect leader?"

The strange phenomenon manifesting on Wugensheng at this moment is "Divine Spirit," a supernatural ability that can organize all tangible Qi back to its most original and essential state.

Jiang Zhen smiled.

Chapter 50 You really think you're Yao Guangxiao?

Jiang Zhen's fists were enveloped in light, while Wu Gensheng's seven orifices shone with light; the two luminous figures were staring at each other.

Then Gao Gen, who was originally standing at the back, suddenly moved. His figure moved silently behind Wu Gensheng like a gray afterimage.

Although he was facing Jiang Zhen alongside Wugensheng, his eyes lingered on the back of Wugensheng's head and shoulders.

Wugensheng glanced sideways at this disciple who had joined Quanxing with a special purpose, but said nothing.

Then Jiang Zhen slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the white fluorescent light that had been swirling around his fists and distorting the space around them quickly dissipated.

"Wugensheng, let me ask you something. If I really wanted to kill Liang Ting, how long would it take?"

Wugensheng was slightly taken aback. The faint blue light emanating from his seven orifices flickered for a moment, and then the ethereal aura dissipated. He then said sincerely:

"In the blink of an eye."

"Heh, it seems you do have some self-awareness." Jiang Zhen chuckled. "So, do you think that my decision not to kill him outright, but only to cripple his mechanisms and meridians, was a favor to you?"

Wugensheng shook his head repeatedly and said with a wry smile, "A person like Chief Jiang is intolerant of any wrongdoing and has a heart that can hold the universe. My face, as a mere demon, is probably not worth much to you."

Jiang Zhen's gaze passed over Wu Gengsheng, looked at Liang Ting who was still bleeding from his injuries, and then returned to Wu Gengsheng's face. "I just said that I know you better than you think. That's not an empty statement."

Wugensheng narrowed his eyes: "I would like to hear the details."

"You became the leader of Quanxing not to lead these demons in burning, killing, and looting, nor to stir up trouble in the martial world."

"Instead, you want to be a 'guide' for this group of wicked and deranged lunatics. You want them to find their true nature and discover their true heart in this state of complete 'freedom,' through you as their medium, right?"

At this point, Jiang Zhen couldn't help but laugh, and his laughter echoed in the open valley.

"Wugensheng, do you really think of yourself as Yao Guangxiao, the black-robed prime minister of the Ming Dynasty? Or do you think you are a reincarnated bodhisattva who is going to deliver all the evil spirits in this hell?"

For the first time, Wugensheng's expression became so complicated.

“I admire Chief Jiang’s keen insight.” Wugensheng sighed, his gaze becoming distant. “But I wouldn’t call him a guide. I just feel that people in this world live too tiring and too fake lives. Quanxing is about preserving authenticity. Since they have entered this sect, as the sect leader, I must make sure they die with some understanding.”

"Authentic?" Jiang Zhen snorted coldly, suddenly raising his voice.

"Then why don't you call it 'Guaranteed Authenticity' instead of 'Complete Nature'? A rotten orange is a rotten orange. Even if you wrap it in gold leaf, it's still rotten inside! If it's 'Complete Nature' for a day, it's 'Complete Nature' for a lifetime."

"You want to guide them to freedom and liberation? Then I want to ask you, what about those innocent bystanders who were skinned and dismembered by Liang Ting? What about those ordinary people whose families were destroyed and whose lives were taken by the Quanxing demons? Who will protect their 'truth'? Who will grant them liberation?"

Wugensheng answered Jiang Zhen's questions one by one: "What our ancestors Yang Zhu and Master Daoyan could do, we, their descendants, can certainly do as well."

"Besides, Chief Jiang is right, they are indeed utterly wicked, so it wouldn't be a pity if they were killed someday. But before they die, as long as I am still the sect leader, I should try to guide them. What if... what if there really is someone who can see their 'true nature'?"

At this point, Wugensheng changed the subject, staring sharply at Jiang Zhen: "However, I also have a question. Given Chief Jiang's personality, if he really wanted to eradicate evil completely, Liang Ting would already be a pile of minced meat."

“You specifically mentioned his name and said you had no ‘fate’ with him and wanted to take him in, so I’m guessing it’s not just about eliminating evil, but about having some other, deeper purpose, right? That’s why I had to shamelessly come out and take care of it.”

“There are other purposes,” Jiang Zhen said bluntly, “but that’s none of your business. You, Wugensheng, are not qualified to ask me to explain too much.”

Just as Wugensheng was about to speak, Jiang Zhen raised his hand to interrupt him.

"However, considering that you, as the sect leader, still have a clear understanding of the greater good of the nation and know that killing foreign invaders is the most important matter besides family affairs."

Jiang Zhen pointed at Liang Ting, "Liang Ting, I must take him away today. You, as his guide, no longer have the chance to lead him, but I can handle it."

"The price is that I have my own uses for him."

Wugensheng paused for a moment, then looked back at Liang Ting, who was stuck in the stone wall.

At this moment, although Liang Ting's meridians were severed and his internal organs were damaged, he not only heard the conversation between the two, but also struggled to climb out of the stone wall and fell to the ground, revealing a hideous face covered with blood and dust.

"Heh...heh heh..." Liang Ting chuckled indistinctly, panting heavily. "Interesting...really interesting."

He stared at Jiang Zhen, his madness undiminished: "Jiang Zhen... you just said you had a way to lure me in. Do you know what I truly crave?"

He struggled to raise his hand, which still bore half a limb, and pointed to his chest: "In my life... I've killed more people than you've ever seen. Skinning, dismembering, making dolls... I've done the most thrilling jobs in the world. But you're right... not a single one of them has ever given me any real pleasure or joy! There's a hole in my heart that I can never fill!"

Liang Ting suddenly coughed violently, large mouthfuls of black blood flowing down the corners of his mouth, but he laughed even more maniacally.

"Wugensheng! You little brat... I don't understand your mystical nonsense, and I don't want to listen! Since this 'Hanjianglong' says he has a way to show me what true pleasure is... then get lost!"

Wugensheng looked at Liang Ting, then at Jiang Zhen.

"Since Brother Liang has said so himself, if I, as the sect leader, were to insist further, I would only be blocking your path."

After saying that, Wugensheng turned around and waved to the group of Quanxing demons behind him who were staring blankly.

"Brother Liang, take care. Everyone, let's go."

Xia Liuqing held Jin Feng in her arms, Gao Gen gave Jiang Zhen a deep look, and Gu Qi and Yuan Jingui followed Wu Gensheng away step by step.

Wugensheng was walking at the back. Just as he was about to disappear around the corner, he suddenly stopped and called out without turning his head:

"Chief Jiang, may our paths cross again someday. I hope that next time we meet, we can drink together instead of throwing punches."

Jiang Zhen sneered but did not reply.

After the Quanxing members had completely disappeared from sight, Fang Dongtian looked at Jiang Zhen and then at Liang Ting on the ground: "Uncle-Master, this is Bai Xiao Liang Ting! Why don't you kill him now and instead take him back to the Cao Gang?"

“There won’t be any problems.” Jiang Zhen dismounted, walked up to Liang Ting, and lifted the man, who weighed over a hundred pounds, up like a chick.

He looked into Liang Ting's bloodshot, large eyes and asked calmly, "Don't die. I'm only useful if you're alive."

Hearing these words, which were as cold as the depths of hell, Liang Ting was not surprised but laughed instead, his laughter hoarse and hollow.

"Fine...fine! I'm waiting for the pleasure you're talking about. How could I bear to die before I get there!"

Jiang Zhen mounted his horse, ordered the canal gang members behind him to cut down trees and build a makeshift stretcher, tossed the seriously injured Liang Ting behind him, and had the men pull him along. With a wave of his hand, he shouted to the crowd behind him:

"Let's continue our journey back to headquarters in Shanghai!"

Chapter 51: He understands Western medicine and possesses supernatural abilities.

"Uncle-Master, what exactly are you trying to do!" Fang Dongtian looked at Jiang Zhen speechlessly.

On the way back, besides giving lectures, Jiang Zhen would call him over during breaks and stare at him, asking if he was scared and if he felt like fainting.

"Nothing, nothing, I just wanted to test something," Jiang Zhen said with a laugh, but in his heart he was thinking, "Wait a minute, why can't I feel that sensation anymore? But judging from Mei Jinfeng's reaction, it should be Conqueror's Haki... right?"

Teacher Kai, please come and teach us.

……

Magic City.

Upon receiving news of Jiang Zhen's return, the dock was already packed with people, so much so that there wasn't even room to put one's feet down.

They were the neatly lined-up members of the Canal Gang.

From the dock all the way to the Bund, almost everyone was there except for those being shipped out. Each person had a solemn expression, and their eyes revealed a kind of fanaticism and pride.

When Jiang Zhen rode his horse first, he saw the dark mass of people. He was about to ask them if something had happened, why they were all out and not working, and why the usually bustling city of Shanghai was so quiet, with not a single civilian on the street.

The once quiet environment instantly erupted into chaos.

"Welcome back to the sect, Leader!"

"Our leader is mighty! Slaying the bandit chief and upholding the glory of our Chinese nation!"

The shouts of tens of thousands of people, like rolling thunder, resounded over the Huangpu River.

But amidst this grand welcoming procession, the dozens of uniformed police officers from the yamen stood out conspicuously.

Although they carried sticks in their hands and guns at their waists, they seemed so insignificant in front of the tens of thousands of fierce-looking, deep-spoken men of the Canal Gang.

The fat leader was huddled in the corner, constantly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

He was given orders from above, saying that the Grand Canal Gang had suddenly held a large-scale gathering and that he was afraid of causing trouble, so he was asked to come and "maintain order." If he hadn't been forced to come, he wouldn't have wanted to at all.

As Jiang Zhen arrived, the members of the Cao Gang maintained a terrifying discipline, automatically making way for a wide passage.

As for the police officers? Nobody paid them any attention. They were unwittingly pushed to the very edge, feeling awkward and helpless.

At this moment, Master Feng, Bai Fu, Zhao Yuan, and several other members of the former Modu Hall came forward and said, "Chief, the brothers all volunteered to come and welcome you when they learned of your return, and they even cleared the area a day in advance."

"There's no need for all this trouble. Just tell them to disperse. What you're doing is already disrupting people's normal travel and lives."

Zhao Yuan hurriedly said, "Chief, we have already paid them enough for these two days, so it won't affect them too much."

"That's fine, but you're not allowed to put on such a show again. I don't need it; it's a waste of money and resources."

"Yes, yes, but this time all the disciples came voluntarily, so please don't punish them, Chief."

"But now that they've come all this way..."

"Alright!" Jiang Zhen waved his hand. "Since they're all here, I certainly won't let them down. But remember to make things clear to them later."

As Jiang Zhen spoke, he walked towards the crowd amidst the cheers and was greeted by them.

Fang Dongtian followed behind Jiang Zhen, watching this scene with a sense of shock. Although he knew the Canal Gang was powerful, he never imagined it could be this powerful.