Chapter 84: Seeking Aid from the Underworld Envoys

After listening to Ah Huang’s explanation, the two finally understood just how many hidden rules were at play here. The supernatural world truly ran deep!

“Shanshan, from what that guy said, your position…” Fu Yang finally recalled what Wang Jian had said to Zhao Shanshan earlier—“you’re still temporarily in charge for now.”

“I was just about to tell you, Fu Yang. I’ve been reassigned, transferred to… Beijing?!”

Fu Yang was stunned. An inexplicable sense of discomfort welled up inside him, leaving him feeling hollow, as if something was missing, though he couldn’t quite put it into words.

“Oh, you’re going to Beijing? That’s the capital! Congratulations, congratulations. Now I can brag that I have connections at the top~” He deliberately put on a playful grin, clasping his hands together like a lucky cat. Shanshan couldn’t help but laugh, her gloom dissipating by half.

“There are still two or three days before I leave. Let’s focus on business for now, and see how Agent Wang Jian deals with the demon tree.”

Half an hour later.

Jiangcheng Botanical Garden.

According to orders, the entire area had been sealed off, with all ordinary citizens barred from entry. The place, usually bustling with people, now lay silent and tense.

Around the perimeter of the Hundred Trees Garden, twenty heavily armed SWAT officers stood in a line. Wang Jian, dressed in a black trench coat, issued his commands with a stony expression: “Soldiers are raised for a thousand days for use in a moment! Today is your time to show your worth. You have five minutes to plant all the explosives. Then detonate them!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Go.”

With a wave of his hand, the SWAT officers carrying timed explosives filed in, sprinting toward the location of the Corpse Bane Demon Tree. Following the blueprint Wang Jian had drawn up beforehand, they began to plant the charges.

Fu Yang, Ah Huang, and Zhao Shanshan watched from the sidelines. Indeed, everything was arranged meticulously and with authority.

“Hmph, do they really think that little bit of explosives can kill the Corpse Bane Demon Tree? I don’t know whether to call it foolish or arrogant…” Ah Huang pursed his lips and grumbled, clearly finding Wang Jian insufferable.

The man in the distance seemed to hear him, turning back with a cold glance. “You can come closer and watch. Then you’ll realize how useless you are. You’ve brought shame to Longhu Mountain.”

“Damn it, this temper of mine…” Ah Huang began rolling up his sleeves.

Fu Yang quickly grabbed him. “Calm down! Let’s kill the demon tree first—there’s time to settle things with him later.”

Though annoyed, curiosity got the better of them. The three moved over to stand beside Wang Jian.

The man stood there as stiff as a board, eyes filled with nothing but the mission at hand, devoid of any human warmth.

Five minutes later.

A SWAT officer jogged back and saluted Wang Jian. “Reporting in, sir! The explosives are in place, awaiting your orders.”

“Detonate.”

“Yes, sir!”

Once everyone had fallen back, a SWAT officer pressed the detonator.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion shattered the silence. Flames shot skyward, black smoke billowed, the ground shook, and debris flew everywhere.

Many of the demon tree’s offshoots were blasted apart, its roots exposed above the ground. As for the massive trunk, which required several people to encircle, it had been rigged with numerous explosives—now, splinters flew and sap, as red as blood, sprayed everywhere…

A rumbling followed as the ground trembled. The wounded demon tree went completely berserk, twisting its trunk and roots, writhing like a demon in a nightmarish dance!

The sight was astonishing. The ancient tree, centuries old, seemed almost alive, just short of tearing its roots from the earth to escape…

Ah Huang watched with schadenfreude, sneering, “See? Not enough explosives. You can blow it half to death, but not kill it outright. Let’s see how he cleans up this mess.”

Wang Jian turned and addressed Ah Huang seriously. “First, this is the maximum yield of explosives the city government allowed me to use—any more, and all the residents nearby would know something major happened here. Second… let me show you how I’ll finish this!”

With that, he flipped back his black trench coat, and five yellow talisman-paper figures, each the size of a palm, flew out.

They floated gently, attaching themselves to both hands and his chest.

A powerful aura surged from Wang Jian.

He moved.

His speed was astonishing! Like a nimble panther, he dashed into the range of the demon tree’s frenzied attacks.

A root, thicker than a grown man’s waist, shot at him from the right. He didn’t dodge at all, but clenched his fist and struck!

Crack!

The massive root shattered under his punch, splinters flying everywhere.

Several roots as thick as thighs swept in, trying to encircle him. Wang Jian twisted his waist and lifted his leg.

A whirlwind kick!

With a sound like a whip, the serpentine roots were all broken. He charged onward, as agile as a panther, and none of the demon tree’s attacks could slow him even for a second.

“Holy shit, he’s insane! Did this guy take some kind of super steroid?” Fu Yang was stunned.

Even the SWAT officers, trained to remain unflappable even if Mount Tai collapsed before their eyes, were dumbfounded, their faces lighting up with fervor.

Ah Huang snorted dismissively. “Show-off… It’s not even his own power. Always borrowing strength from the underworld—do it too much and it’ll cost you years of your life.”

“What do you mean?”

“A Paper Medium. They have good relations with the ghosts and spirits of the underworld. So, when they’re in trouble, they borrow power from beyond. Those five paper talismans represent the strength of five underworld enforcers! With that, his strength should temporarily rise to about the level of a newly advanced Three-Talisman Adept. So in reality, Wang Jian’s own strength is probably at the Two-Talisman Adept level—in other words, a second-level Paper Medium.”

So that’s it.

Fu Yang’s face showed sudden understanding.

“No wonder this guy looks down on you, a mere layman from Longhu Mountain. He’s two levels above you.”

“Two levels, my ass! I’m at least mid-level in the One-Talisman Adept rank—just missing the formal initiation. Screw him!”

“Actually, you should blame your master—he forgot to teach you the Three Pure Ones rune…”

As the two bantered, Wang Jian—now wielding the strength of five underworld enforcers—had already reached the main trunk of the Corpse Bane Demon Tree.

Forming his hands into claws, he suddenly plunged them deep into the trunk!

“Incredible! That’s not the power of underworld enforcers—he’s possessed by the Iron Palm Witch!” Fu Yang was once again astonished by Wang Jian’s straightforward, brutal fighting style.

In truth, it matched his personality as well: direct, simple, and efficient.

“Hmph, don’t be so shocked, Little Yang. If you could unleash the same power you did back when we were surrounded by corpses outside the Zhenhui Silk Factory, you could finish off this demon tree in an instant…”