"Second Brother, you..."
Ji Hongxue looked at the man's strange smile, and her heart suddenly turned cold for no reason.
She stared wide-eyed at the man as he turned around, as if trying to confirm whether he was truly the brother she had respected most.
Ji Changwu's expression was gentle, and a friendly smile remained on his face.
Yet Ji Hongxue was extremely sensitive to killing intent. She had sensed it from him, though she desperately did not want to believe that the killing intent had come from the man before her.
"Third Sister, come over here."
Ji Changwu's voice suddenly rang out.
At that very moment, the flames in the lanterns hanging from the houses around the small garden suddenly went out!
The surroundings plunged into darkness in an instant.
A streak of silver light tore through the air, stabbing toward Ji Hongxue's heart.
Its sharp edge ripped through the air, erupting with a piercing shriek.
Ji Hongxue's eyes narrowed. A dagger slid from her sleeve, and she slashed at the silver light with incredible speed.
Bang!
A crisp collision rang out in the darkness, sparks flying in every direction.
A tremendous force surged into Ji Hongxue's hand, forcing her back several steps before she steadied herself.
"Hehehe... This little girl is pretty good. She actually blocked a strike from Old Devil here," a voice cackled.
A pitch-black figure appeared atop a roof, holding silver light in one hand while twisted green radiance rose from the other.
"A cultivator?" Ji Hongxue's face went pale.
"That's right. Your grandpa here is a Profound Body Eighth Layer cultivator." The figure chuckled.
"Enough nonsense, Shadow Demon. End this quickly. Delays breed trouble." Another figure suddenly appeared on the rooftop. His half-open eyes glowed blood-red beneath the night sky, while his heavy, frigid killing intent directly enveloped the woman below.
Ji Hongxue's face turned even paler. She sensed an even more terrifying aura from that person—he was a Profound Body Ninth Layer cultivator.
Then, a hunched old woman and a man completely shrouded in a black robe appeared on the roof as well, sealing off every possible escape route. They too radiated the fluctuations of the Profound Body Ninth Layer.
If she had still had a chance to escape before, then now, even with wings, she could not fly away.
"I guessed long ago that you were a cultivator, Third Sister, so I specially introduced you to these four Heaven-grade assassins from Other Shore Pavilion. They're just right for exchanging a few moves with you. Do you like them?" Ji Changwu asked with a smile.
Ji Hongxue kept shaking her head, her body trembling slightly as she stared at her second brother in disbelief. "Why... Why do even you want to kill me? Did I do something wrong? Tell me!"
She had never imagined that Ji Changwu calling her here to meet the experts about to take action would actually be a killing trap aimed at her!!
Ji Changwu stood upright in the center of the courtyard. Rather than looking at his sister, whose emotions were spiraling out of control, he gazed at the gloomy clouds overhead and sighed softly. "Little Sister... Ji Wuye's power is far beyond what you imagine..."
"He wants to rebel. Father cannot stop him, and neither can I. Whoever sticks their neck out dies. He sent me word and told me to kill you, so I can only obey..."
Ji Hongxue froze where she stood. Her eyes reddened, but she held back her tears as her voice trembled. "So this is your reason? You want to kill me simply because Ji Wuye wants me dead? One word from Ji Wuye is enough to make you kill the sister closest to you?"
The brother who had grown up playing with her, who had never forgotten to share good things with his little sister, who would step forward to protect her whenever she accidentally made a mistake—he was now going to kill her because of someone else's single sentence...
Ji Changwu's expression twisted savagely. "You don't understand power at all! With power, you can do whatever you want. Do you know what will happen if I oppose Ji Wuye? Not only will you die, but my wife and children, our parents, everyone in Prince De's Estate from top to bottom—they will all die!"
"I have no choice at all!!"
"Azure Dragon Elder, come out. At the very least, let my sister die knowing why..."
As Ji Changwu's words fell.
A figure pushed open a door on the second floor of the pavilion and stepped out. His skin was fair and his features cold. A long dragon like clouds and mist coiled around his body, his aura so powerful that the woman below could barely breathe.
"Azure Dragon Elder." The four Heaven-grade assassins surrounding Ji Hongxue bowed at once.
Azure Dragon Elder nodded slightly. He glanced at Ji Hongxue, disappointment appearing on his face. "Sigh, the cultivator who killed Tyrant Tiger, a Heaven-grade assassin of our pavilion, did not come. What a pity..."
"If he were here, I would let him know what it means that there is always someone greater beyond another, and a sky beyond the sky—what it means to wish for death but be unable to die."
This grand Spirit Attunement Realm cultivator had come here specifically to deal with that young man.
Ji Changwu looked at the solitary woman and said, "Do you see? Other Shore Pavilion has even dispatched an elder-level figure. There are only three great Spirit Attunement Realm cultivators in the entire Azure Kingdom, yet Ji Wuye can command one to personally come and kill you. Do you think money alone can make that happen? You have no idea how vast the power behind him is!!"
"You don't need to prove so hard that you were forced..." Ji Hongxue shook her head lightly and smiled bitterly. "I accept it."
With the four great Heaven-grade assassins here, and even an elder from Other Shore Pavilion personally taking action, how could she possibly have any chance of survival?
Ji Hongxue only felt sorrow in her heart. She was actually going to die at the hands of the person she trusted most.
In the end, she realized that she alone had been the biggest fool. What had she been running herself ragged for?
She looked in every direction and saw only enemies. There was not a single person she could rely on. Stop Ji Wuye? What a fool she had been...
Ji Hongxue laughed at herself.
"Do it." Ji Changwu closed his eyes slightly.
Shadow Demon, the Heaven-grade assassin at the Profound Body Eighth Layer, immediately charged at Ji Hongxue.
The other assassins merely watched quietly.
A battle of this level did not require them to act.
"Hehehe, what a sexy beauty. Die beneath my Bone-Melting Demonic Hand."
Shadow Demon shot forward like a shadow, one hand emitting twisted green light as it slammed toward the Woman in Red before him!
Just then, his vision blurred, and a figure in white suddenly appeared before him.
Before Shadow Demon could react, tearing pain erupted from his chest, followed by the sound of bones shattering.
Boom!!
"Ah...!"
He screamed as his body flew backward like a cannonball, smashing through the artificial rockery behind him. He rolled onto the ground, his life and death unknown.
Almost everyone's expressions changed as they stared blankly at the white-robed man who had suddenly appeared.
Could this guy teleport? When had he appeared?
Even in the dim night, Ji Hongxue recognized him at first glance, her voice trembling. "An... An Bulang?"
"I'm here." An Bulang turned around and gave her a warm smile.
When Ji Hongxue saw that smile, it was as though sunlight had suddenly poured into the most despairing darkness, so dazzling that she lost herself in it for a moment—perhaps even becoming a little mesmerized.
But she quickly came back to her senses and said urgently, "Why are you here? You shouldn't have come. It's dangerous here!"
"Why am I here? Have you forgotten..." An Bulang looked at the solitary woman, her eyes red as she fought back tears, and said seriously, "I'm your guard now! My word is worth a thousand gold. If I said I would protect you, then I will definitely keep you safe."
Ji Hongxue's heart trembled. Her red lips parted, but she could not speak.
An Bulang turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present as he said calmly, "Ji Hongxue is under my protection. Let's see who dares touch her now."
Third update! Please vote and send rewards~