Chapter 142: Ape Bloodline, Overpowering and Subduing

Niu Jimeng said no more. Back then, he had only agreed to Prince Ying's recommendation to send Han Chong to the northwest, without any intention of becoming his backer; he simply found the domineering attitudes of the other three Xuanwei generals distasteful.

"General Han, receive my blow!"

Seeing that no one else objected and without bothering to seek Han Chong's opinion, the fierce-faced Xuanwei general threw a punch straight at the face of Han Chong, who was standing in the center of the hall.

A flash of anger crossed Han Chong's mind. He had not expected this man to be not only hot-tempered but also brazen enough to bully a junior with brute force in public.

However, to the utter astonishment of the dozen or so generals in the hall, Han Chong neither dodged nor evaded, instead meeting the attack with a punch of his own!

Ah! A miserable cry accompanied by a dull, heavy thud resounded. Han Chong remained completely motionless, while the fierce-faced Xuanwei general was sent staggering back more than ten steps. His right arm hung limply at his side as he frantically shook his palm, sucking in cold air through his teeth and staring at Han Chong in absolute horror.

"How is this possible?!" The generals were immensely shocked. The four Xuanwei generals had all reached the Void Return realm, and a simple punch from one of them was difficult for even a peak Heavenly Transformation martial artist to withstand. How could he possibly be defeated by this seemingly gentle and frail newly-appointed Youqi General?

Han Chong smiled and cupped his fists. Having recently advanced to the Heavenly Extreme realm and channeling his supreme physical strength into his arm, his power had doubled instantly.

He was confident that he could shatter a small hill with a single blow; the physical strength of a late Void Return realm expert was likely no greater than this. The fierce-faced general had merely brought humiliation upon himself.

Grown furious out of shame, the latter conjured a seven-foot iron rod in his hands and, disregarding the astonishment of the other generals, brought it crashing down directly toward the top of Han Chong's head!

Such a Xuanwei general, completely devoid of shame—in that case, he had only himself to blame.

With the Demon-Sulping Heavenly Sword in hand, Han Chong actually met the attack head-on right there in the main hall of the Demon Subduing Directorate. His momentum was wild, tyrannical, and overwhelmingly heavy, instantly leaving the fierce-faced Xuanwei general unable to parry.

If a dignified Xuanwei general were actually defeated by a newly-appointed subordinate, the news would likely spread across the entire Fengdu capital within a day, turning him into a laughingstock for millions of commoners during their leisure time.

"Ah! Brat, you're courting death!"

The man's eyes suddenly turned as red as blood, the pale golden fur on his face grew denser, and his stature expanded by three feet as he launched a mad, ferocious barrage of attacks against Han Chong.

Absurd! Han Chong's heart burned with extreme rage. This beast truly lived up to the archetype of unbridled fury among wine, women, wealth, and wrath, always ready to resort to violence and killing at the slightest provocation!

Yet, he had to admit that this fellow seemed to possess the mutated bloodline of an ape-like beast; once triggered, his combat prowess was terrifyingly fierce. Very few people would dare to fight him to the death!

However, Han Chong was no pushover. Since the man had bullied his way to his doorstep, he had to be completely crushed and subdued; otherwise, such a bully would only become even more relentless!

Thinking of this, Han Chong did not hesitate to mentally direct the blood dragon into his right arm. Immediately, a terrifying, scorching, and explosive surge of power erupted.

With a single earth-shattering downward slash resembling the collapse of the heavens, he struck the fierce-faced general—who was wielding his iron rod with both hands—causing the man's entire body to shudder. His knees buckled, and he collapsed heavily onto the ground, smashing two circular craters into the floor!

Since the blood dragon had hatched, this was a simple secret technique he had comprehended to mobilize his bloodline power. By concentrating the bloodline power into a single point, the blood dragon could drastically enhance his physical strength!

The fierce-faced general's expression changed in shock. Looking up in disbelief at Han Chong's heavy sword, he finally regained his clarity step by step and returned to his original form.

"Stop right there! Han Chong, are you attempting to commit insubordination?" Two other Xuanwei generals stood up to bark a warning. If the fierce-faced Xuanwei general were humiliated, their own reputations would be dragged into the mud as well!

Gazing intently at the fierce-faced general, Han Chong smiled with contempt and slowly pulled back his Heavenly Sword, producing a teeth-gritting, screeching metallic friction sound.

The latter sat paralyzed on the ground, filled with both terror and rage. Yet, harboring a profound dread of Han Chong, he dared not act out again. His face flushed completely red as he was helped back to his seat by two Youji generals.

When the other generals looked at Han Chong once more, they recalled how, not long ago, they had watched him being exiled to the northwest as a hostage—some gloating with schadenfreude, some indifferent, and others sharing a sense of sympathetic sorrow.

Now, those feelings had largely transformed into awe, apprehension, and respectful submission!

"Haha, General Han, I never expected you to possess strength no less than our four selves. If you render another major contribution, promotion to Xuanwei will be just around the corner! Old Niu truly didn't misjudge you."

The rest of the generals silently cursed to themselves. This old Niu had merely stood by and watched the spectacle just a moment ago, yet now he was turning with the wind to cozy up to a strong ally. Such thick-skinned opportunism was rarely seen in this world.

Han Chong cupped his fists and smiled, saying, "I must still thank General Niu for his kind nomination. Han Chong will certainly not forget it."

The corner of the other man's mouth twitched slightly. He naturally understood the implication behind the young man's words, fully aware that sending Han Chong to the northwest as a hostage back then had mostly been a journey of nine deaths and zero life.

Now that Han Chong had returned in triumph with such overwhelming strength, Niu Jimeng dared not offend him and could only manage two dry, self-deprecating laughs.

After Han Chong took his leave, the generals in the hall were also dismissed, leaving only the four Xuanwei generals sitting in silence.

"Hmph, General Niu, look at the fine mess you've made! If you hadn't vigorously recommended this brat to go to the northwest to earn merits back then, he probably would have died in the Demon Punishment Prison long ago, and none of today's events would have happened."

"Indeed! Now this brat's strength is monstrously formidable, and having been promoted and commended, even His Majesty knows his name. I'm afraid several of the Imperial Princes will end up resenting us!"

"Heh heh, what's even more ridiculous is that after going to the northwest, this brat must have found out about being sent there as a hostage by the Demon Subduing Camp. General Niu truly picked up a rock only to drop it on his own feet."

"Hmph, how could Old Niu have known things would turn out like this? Oh well, forget it. It seems the Demon Subduing Directorate will soon undergo a drastic upheaval. Old Niu will just indulge in wine and dreams; why should I bother tormenting myself over so many troubles?"

The four of them parted on bad terms.

The next day, Han Chong went to assume his post at the South City Branch Office, immediately dispatching orders to summon his old subordinates from the Qiongzhou Directorate to Fengdu. It had been a long time since they last met, and he wondered how Captain Ning, Leng Yue, and the others were doing.

"Report! To General Han, a messenger from the Prince Hong's Estate has arrived, inviting the General to the estate for a discussion."

"Oh?" What was bound to come would eventually come. During his trip to the Nether Spring Yin Mountain, he had not used the Dragon-Seeking Compass, and the First Prince had no idea where the Yin Moon Dynasty's dragon vein was located. Upon hearing the news of his return to the Directorate, the prince would undoubtedly be impatient to summon and question him.

Following the domestic servant all the way into the rear hall of Prince Hong's Estate, the First Prince sat upright in the master seat, waving his hand to close the doors and windows.

"General Han, I have fulfilled my promise and memorialized the throne to promote you to Youqi General. Well, did you manage to discover the Yin Moon Dynasty's dragon vein during this trip?"

"No," Han Chong said flatly.

"Hmm? Just those two words are enough to dismiss me? Do you really think that now that you've been promoted, I have no way of dealing with you?"

"Heh, I'm afraid that when Your Highness dispatched your humble subordinate to the Nether Spring Yin Mountain back then, you were ninety percent certain that I wouldn't come back alive."

"Indeed, and so what? I asked for your consent, didn't I? Yet you've returned to Fengdu alive and kicking. To claim that you found not even the slightest trace of the dragon vein—that is something I will never, ever believe."

"My humble subordinate did indeed experience a brush with death on this trip. Had I not managed to escape by sheer luck, I likely would have been buried in the Yin Mountains as well. However, I truly failed to find any trace of the dragon vein. If Your Highness wishes to deal with your humble subordinate, I have nothing more to say."

Upon hearing these words from Han Chong, the prince did indeed believe him by three parts; after all, since the founding of the Great Feng Dynasty, no one had ever successfully located the remains of the Yin Moon Dynasty.

His suspicion arose purely from the possibility that Han Chong had recoiled in fear and turned back without ever setting foot into the Yin Mountains, which was why he had been so enraged.