Essence Devouring Art

「Tan County City.」

「At the city gate.」

Due to the wanton brutality of Wu Dao and his men, a large crowd of onlookers had already gathered.

Among them, most were citizens of Tan City, as well as disciples from the White Whale Martial Arts Hall who had rushed over after hearing the news.

In addition, there were also some spies sent by the local prominent families and Nobles of Tan County.

They all wanted to see how this newly appointed Hall Master and Instructor Liu would fight it out, which would make it easier for them to choose a side later.

It couldn’t be helped. Their Eye Power was limited, so they only thought an ordinary Harmonizing Force expert had arrived and believed Instructor Liu could go toe-to-toe with him.

But who could have known...

”This subordinate, Liu Wen, was unaware of the Hall Master’s inauguration today and has been deeply disrespectful. I ask the Hall Master to bestow punishment!”

As soon as Instructor Liu arrived at the city gate, he showed no intention of confrontation whatsoever.

He dropped to one knee and bowed his head, raising his clasped fists above his head. With his head lowered, he adopted the submissive posture of one begging for punishment.

”Please bestow your punishment, Hall Master!”

It wasn’t just Instructor Liu. The group of Vice Instructors and Stewards who followed him all adopted a posture of accepting guilt and punishment.

’An Overseas Dragon has arrived!’

The spies from the major families among the onlookers immediately understood the situation. The quick-witted ones had already left to inform their masters.

Seeing Instructor Liu’s immediate submission, Wu Dao’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. It remained as cold as steel. He lowered his gaze and asked, feigning ignorance:

”You are Instructor Liu?”

Liu Wen was taken aback. He thought Wu Dao wanted to toy with him a little more, so he played along and quickly replied, ”Yes. Please give your orders, Hall Master.”

”There’s no need for orders.”

Wu Dao twisted his neck, producing a CRACKLING sound like grinding metal. He grinned ferociously. ”Just so you understand, I have a nickname: the Skull Shattering Hand.”

”What?”

Instructor Liu was horrified. He felt as if a giant hand had seized his heart, making it hard to breathe. He snapped his head up.

But in that very instant, in the blink of an eye.

WHOOSH~

Wu Dao’s right arm, like that of a savage dragon, shot up. His giant, steel-like palm compressed the air, carrying a majestic Power capable of shattering metal and splitting mountains as it landed squarely on Instructor Liu’s head.

SPLAT!

There were no surprises.

Instructor Liu’s solid skull offered no protection at all. It burst like a watermelon, exploding into a huge cloud of blood mist.

The brutal Power crushed and snapped him!

His seven-foot frame cracked and shattered with a series of pops, folding into a pile of mangled flesh and bone. The resulting explosion splattered in all directions, coating the faces of the terrified onlookers nearby.

’Want to submit?’

’Endure hardship to plot revenge?!’

’Try again in your next life!’

WHOOSH~

Wu Dao flicked his right hand, shaking off the filth. His dark eyes swept over the dazed crowd, the Vice Instructors, and the Stewards, finally settling on the somewhat stunned Zhao Jianji.

HISS...

Under the gaze of those Abyss-like eyes.

Zhao Jianji shivered violently and snapped back to his senses. Cunning as he was, how could he not know that Wu Dao wanted him to handle the aftermath?

At this thought, Zhao Jianji immediately put on a righteous and incorruptible expression and said coldly, ”Instructor Liu disrespected the Hall Master, defied his superior, and formed a clique for personal gain! This is an act of rebellion!

According to the rules of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall.

Only death can atone for his crimes!

Let this be a lesson to all of you! You can only take what the Martial Arts Hall gives you! You cannot snatch what is not given!

Otherwise.

Instructor Liu’s today will be your tomorrow!”

This speech was a classic case of borrowing the tiger’s might.

Not only did it brand Instructor Liu a rebel,

but it also served as a warning to anyone else with ulterior motives.

But Wu Dao felt that a mere verbal warning wasn’t enough. He had to make the fence-sitters of Tan County truly feel the pain. Only then would they learn their lesson and become obedient dogs.

With this in mind, his gaze swept over the numerous Vice Instructors and Stewards, who were already kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear. He spoke coldly to Lv Tiezhu:

”Take some men and raid Instructor Liu’s residence. Don’t spare any of the properties in his name. Confiscate everything!”

”Yes!”

Lv Tiezhu answered briskly, feeling a great sense of satisfaction.

He immediately took his Copper Hammer, picked out a group of White Whale Martial Arts Hall disciples from the crowd to lead the way, and headed straight for Instructor Liu’s residence.

After realizing that Wu Dao and his men were Overseas Dragons, how could these ordinary disciples dare to have any other ideas? Each one was more eager than the last, as if they held a deep-seated grudge against Instructor Liu.

Afterwards, Wu Dao then looked at Chen Ergou and ordered, ”You, take some men and pay a visit to the residences of all the major families and Nobles in the city.

Find out how many people have been colluding with Instructor Liu during this time.

Once verified, the large households will pay ten thousand taels, the small ones five thousand. If they refuse, raid their homes directly and drive them all out of the city to chew on grass roots!”

”Heh, don’t worry, Hall Master. I guarantee I’ll make them obedient!”

Chen Ergou slapped his chest, also picked out a group of men, and rushed toward the grand compounds of the city’s prominent families.

He understood in his heart that it was called confiscation, but it was really just using this as a pretext to extort them and rake in a huge profit.

The lion’s share would most likely go to Wu Dao.

He and the other original followers would get a small cut.

But even a small cut was still a massive windfall.

After all, whether they colluded or not was simply a matter of their word. The room for manipulation was immense.

Finally, Wu Dao glanced again at the many high-ranking members of the branch hall kneeling on the ground and said to Zhao Jianji, ”Later, go over the accounts. See how many of these senior members have been lining their own pockets and leeching off the Martial Arts Hall while the Hall Master position was vacant.

If they hand over their ill-gotten gains voluntarily, I will pretend I didn’t see. But if they think they can get lucky...”

THUD!

Wu Dao stomped his foot violently. The bluestone ground within a ten-meter radius trembled violently with his foot as the epicenter. The stones undulated like waves, sending the kneeling senior members tumbling over one another.

”I’ll count every single one, and they will all be dealt with as rebels!”

”Yes!”

Zhao Jianji wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurriedly agreed.

Wu Dao’s series of Thunderbolt-like methods sent his heart on a roller coaster ride, leaving it suspended in his chest. He now truly understood what it meant to serve a lord as one would a tiger.

At the same time, he was filled with envy.

’This is the benefit of having strength. With enough strength, you can clear even the murkiest waters with thunderous force. He hasn’t even entered the city yet, and he’s already swept away all obstacles.’

With the bloody example of Instructor Liu before them, coupled with the series of measures taken today, it was estimated that from tomorrow onward, only Wu Dao’s voice would be heard throughout the entirety of Tan County.

”Giddy-up!”

After dealing with this mess, Wu Dao’s face was like cold iron. Ignoring the terrified gazes of the surrounding people, who looked at him as if he were the Living Yama, he mounted the spirited horse pulling the Treasure Chest and galloped down the street toward the branch headquarters in the Inner City.

As for the series of actions he had just taken, he didn’t feel they were arrogant or tyrannical in the least.

In the current territory of Guangqing Prefecture, the law was non-existent, and the Government Offices were mere decorations.

The local gangs and Local Bullies were the absolute rulers of their territories.

A Hall Master of a County wielded power even more terrifying than the County Magistrates of old. Within their jurisdiction, the power of life and death was entirely up to their whims.

To be more realistic, there was the wealth that came with power. The benefits a County-level Hall Master could rake in each year were beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

As long as they paid their dues to their superiors and managed those below them, the rest was all theirs!

If this weren’t the case, why would those carefree Pojian Masters fight to the death for the position of Hall Master?

As long as one’s actions weren’t too excessive, didn’t incur the wrath of the people, or infringe upon the major interests of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, the headquarters wouldn’t interfere too much. Because those at the core, the higher-ups, took even more!

After Wu Dao’s figure had disappeared into the distance.

WHOOSH~

Only then did Zhao Jianji let out a long sigh of relief. He was merely in the Divine Power Realm; the pressure of facing Wu Dao, whose power was comparable to a Second Rebirth, was simply too immense.

After glancing at the large pile of mangled flesh and shattered bone on the ground at the city gate, Zhao Jianji’s gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on a middle-aged man in an Arresting Officer Uniform. He adopted the arrogant demeanor of a lackey:

”Hey, you. Stop looking around, I mean you. Since you’re wearing that uniform, you should be serving the people. Give this ground a good wash. This city gate is the face of Tan County. How can it be so filthy?”

The middle-aged constable who was called out felt his face twitch. He lamented inwardly how fickle the world was, how officials were now worse than bandits.

But in the end, he still went forward with a few other constables and obediently began to wash the ground.

’Such is the state of the world. What’s the use of crying about it?’

Never mind little constables like them. If not for the fact that killing an official was tantamount to rebellion, and the White Whale Martial Arts Hall didn’t yet dare to raise that banner, that titular mascot in the County Yamen, Lord Qingtian, would have probably been thrown into the river long ago.

Not to mention... the White Whale Martial Arts Hall was currently funding the various departments of Tan County’s government. They didn’t replace them simply to maintain the County’s normal operations.

Therefore, strictly speaking, Zhao Jianji was the middle-aged constable’s superior. Following his orders was nothing to be ashamed of.

After his display of power, Zhao Jianji had fully settled into his role as the Dog Head Military Advisor. He turned to the Martial Arts Hall’s numerous Vice Instructors and Stewards with a grin and said:

”Let’s go, everyone. You’ve all seen what kind of temper our Hall Master has. Don’t make things difficult for me later.”

”We wouldn’t dare. We will certainly cooperate to the best of our abilities.”

The various Vice Instructors and Stewards knew their little slush funds, which they had only just acquired, were about to be lost. They felt as awful as if their own mothers had died, but on the surface, they still obeyed with fear and trepidation.

After the crowd dispersed.

At the city gate.

only a few onlookers remained. Watching the constables diligently scrubbing the ground, they felt an inexplicable sadness in their hearts, but in the end, they all just sighed and left.

In this world, just being able to survive by any means necessary was a great fortune.

Those who were cynical about the world might not even have food to eat when they got home. How could they afford to talk about being noble?