Chapter 156: Chapter 114: Suppression! Establishing Authority
Acting almost purely on instinct honed by years of life-and-death battles, Zhan Fusheng suppressed his discomfort. He pushed off the ground with a sharp tap of his toes and shot backward like a startled bird, instantly retreating dozens of feet to put distance between himself and Chen Sheng.
His face was a mask of shock and uncertainty as he stared at the phantom Golden Bell, terrified that Chen Sheng would press his advantage and attack.
Yet, Chen Sheng remained standing with his hands clasped behind his back, not having moved so much as an inch. The only change was in his calm gaze, which now held a faint, almost imperceptible hint of disdain and contempt.
"Is this all you’ve got?"
Chen Sheng’s detached voice wasn’t loud, but it reached the ears of everyone on the training grounds with perfect clarity, carrying an undeniable weight of authority.
Zhan Fusheng’s face instantly turned livid. Below the stage, the watching crowd gasped in unison, and the way they looked at Chen Sheng changed completely.
Lu Cheng’s pupils contracted. He stared at the dark-robed figure on the stage, the last shred of his wait-and-see attitude vanishing from his eyes. In its place was an indescribable gravity and a deep sense of trepidation.
’Zhan Fusheng’s all-out attack couldn’t even break through Chen Sheng’s Protective True Qi?!’
’Just how powerful is this new Captain?’
"The Buddhist Sect’s Golden Bell Shield?!"
Zhan Fusheng spat out the words, his expression grim. The gravity in his eyes had reached its peak.
Having wandered and cultivated for many years, he had naturally heard of this Buddhist Sect Secret Technique, famed for its defensive power. He just never expected to see it used by Chen Sheng, and at such a profound level of mastery.
’No wonder. No wonder he’s so arrogant!’
’But it’s come to this. If I, Zhan Fusheng, can’t even break his defense, I’ll never be able to show my face in the Jingwu Bureau again. I have to use my trump card.’
At this thought, a vicious, crimson glint flashed in Zhan Fusheng’s eyes. The qi and blood in his body began to boil and surge. His Innate True Qi, which had seemed to weaken, suddenly flared up again, his aura growing even stronger than before.
With a low roar, he once again became a blurred, cyan afterimage, charging at Chen Sheng with even greater speed and power.
This time, there were no more probes. He pushed his Body Technique to its absolute limit, leaving a trail of elusive afterimages across the stage. Cyan light gathered around his fists, the aura at his knuckles pulsing erratically. Like a ferocious storm, he rained down punch after punch from every conceivable angle, hammering away at the ever-present phantom of the Golden Bell.
"DONG!"
"DONG!"
"DONG!"
"DONG!"
Deep, powerful tolls echoed one after another, an unending peal like the morning bells of an ancient temple, resounding through the sky above the entire Jingwu Bureau.
The sound waves traveled for miles, throwing the entire Bureau into chaos. Countless Jing’an Guards, unaware of the situation, thought a powerful enemy was invading. They scrambled for their weapons, looking around nervously.
At the same time, powerful auras flared up from all corners of the Bureau. Their owners either took to the sky via Flying techniques or stood on rooftops, all staring in astonishment toward the G Camp training grounds.
On the platform in the middle of the training grounds, one man had become a blur of cyan afterimages, his assault as relentless as the tide. The other stood like a boulder rooted to the earth, shrouded by a golden bell, utterly unmovable.
The ceaseless tolling of the bell originated from the clash between the two men.
"What’s going on here? Is that Zhan Fusheng and... the new Captain Chen?" a Peacekeeper Envoy standing on an upturned eave asked in surprise.
"Isn’t it obvious? They’re fighting!"
Someone next to him, arms crossed, spoke with the gleeful tone of a spectator enjoying the show.
"Of course I know they’re fighting! I’m asking *why* they’re fighting. And why are they going at it so intensely?"
"Heh, who knows? Ten to one says Zhan Fusheng wasn’t happy and wanted to put the new boss in his place."
"How dare he? Insubordination is a cardinal sin!"
Someone found it unbelievable.
"Who knows what gave him the nerve? Maybe he’s counting on his backing. But... this Captain Chen is one tough nut to crack. Madman Zhan is going all out, and he can’t even get past his defense?"
"Tsk, tsk. It seems the man Envoy Nie has his eye on is really something else. Not only does he have a powerful backer, but his physique and Cultivation are absurdly tough."
...
Back on the stage, the longer Zhan Fusheng fought, the more his heart pounded with shock and horror.
After that barrage of attacks, he felt as if he were trying to break down an ancient, impenetrable fortress. No matter how he channeled his True Qi or varied his techniques, that damned Golden Bell blocked every single one of his attacks. The rebounding force alone sent excruciating pain through his arms, and his knuckles were already split open and dripping with blood.
Listening to the growing murmurs of the crowd, feeling the shocked, amused, and even pitying gazes of his colleagues, Zhan Fusheng’s heart sank into the abyss.
’It’s over!’
’It’s completely over now!’
’I wanted to get my dignity back, but instead I’ve thrown my last shred of it on the ground for everyone to trample on.’
Overwhelmed by extreme shame and fury, Zhan Fusheng abruptly halted his assault. He stumbled back a few steps, his eyes locked on Chen Sheng as he roared hoarsely:
"Captain Chen! Are you just going to hide in that shell like a turtle? Do you dare get rid of it and fight me properly?!"
Chen Sheng’s calm gaze swept across the ever-growing crowd of onlookers, lingering for a moment on the high-ranking members of the Jingwu Bureau with their powerful auras. A faint, almost imperceptible smile finally touched the corners of his lips.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
His goal was to utterly demolish all of Zhan Fusheng’s confidence and pride, right here in front of everyone, using the most dominant and crushing display of power. This would establish his authority not just in G Camp, but throughout the entire Jingwu Bureau of Ning’an Prefecture.
Hearing Zhan Fusheng’s taunt, Chen Sheng gave a slight nod, his voice as placid as ever.
"Since you’re so determined to be defeated, then... as you wish!"
"DONG!"
As the final toll of the bell echoed, the solid phantom of the Golden Bell dissipated. It dissolved into motes of Golden Light that flowed back into Chen Sheng’s body.
