Catching and Killing the King of Samsara

The watch drums of midnight had long since faded into the depths of the neighborhoods, and the streets that had been filled with the clamor of carriages and horses by day had now sunk into slumber.

Only the towering walls of Chaoge City remained, like a dormant giant dragon, its silent and massive outline revealed beneath the cold moonlight.

The soldiers patrolling the city carried lanterns and slowly walked along the road beneath the wall, their steps heavy.

The clanging of iron armor and the dull thuds of boots striking the rammed-earth road were especially clear in the silent night, carrying an unquestionable authority and biting chill that reminded all of the curfew and the might of the Great Shang Kingdom.

The night dew grew heavier, and the cold seeped through their clothes.

Two dark figures crossed the city wall one after another before disappearing into the distant darkness.

"Lei Bin, in all these years, this is the first time you've broken the rules and sought me out. What is it for?"

The King of Samsara wore a black hooded cloak, like a specter emerging from the abyss of darkness.

The hood was pulled low, hiding his face in shadow and revealing only a pair of eyes as cold as frosty stars. They gleamed with a strange and sinister light, seeming capable of piercing the soul and sending chills down one's spine.

His hands were hidden inside the cloak's sleeves, making his movements impossible to see. Yet the faint aura that seeped out seemed to conceal an endless killing intent.

"Both Fine Rain and Rope Trickster died in this operation. I don't want to die. I'm quitting!" Lei Bin said expressionlessly.

"You're afraid!" the King of Samsara sneered playfully.

"If I'd known the target was a Dragon Guard, I never would have accepted this mission!" Lei Bin neither acknowledged nor denied the King of Samsara's doubt.

"So you're quitting?"

"Yes!" Lei Bin paused before continuing, "Pay me the money I've left with you all these years. From now on, I'm leaving Black Stone!"

"Ha ha, ha ha..." The King of Samsara laughed wildly, as if he had heard some joke.

After a while, the laughter gradually faded, and only then did the King of Samsara snort. "What do you take Black Stone for? You can come and go whenever you please?"

"I've risked my life for the organization for so many years. Can't you leave me a way to live?" Lei Bin said ruefully.

"After knowing you for so many years, I never thought..." The King of Samsara was speaking when he suddenly noticed someone approaching from behind. He barked, "Who's there!"

"Black Stone assassins disregard the law, kill for money, and are unforgivable! Cao Feng, Lei Bin, your crimes have been exposed!"

As a clear, chilly voice rang out, one, two, three, four... four black-clad figures slowly emerged from the darkness.

Black cloud-brocade military uniforms embroidered with blue trim, the State Stabilizer and Suppressing the Enemy sabers at his waist—Yu Unit (Camp) Star Department Garrison General, Qin Shuang.

At Qin Shuang's side stood a woman dressed in the same black brocade military uniform with blue trim. Her pretty face was cold as frost, her charming eyes like icy stars. Her beauty carried an extraordinary heroic spirit. She was Cosmos Unit (Camp) Star Department Garrison General, Asura Blade, Qin Hongmian.

Half a step behind Qin Shuang and Qin Hongmian stood a man and a woman, their military uniforms embroidered with orange trim symbolizing the rank of Dragon Guard Squad Leader.

The man was thin as a rake, his complexion sallow with illness. His palms were as huge as cattail fans and covered in thick calluses.

The woman's skin was as smooth as jade. Her eyes and brows were captivating, and her slender fingers were white as spring onions, delicate yet powerful.

They were the two Squad Leaders under Qin Hongmian: Guan Yumeng and Hu Jinxiu.

Guan Yumeng, Tiger-Splitting Leopard-Crushing; Hu Jinxiu, Light as a Flying Swallow!

"Heh heh, as expected of the Dragon Guard. You actually managed to uncover my identity!" A trace of panic flashed across the King of Samsara's face, but he quickly calmed down. He sneered, "But you few Innate Realm cultivators think you can take me down? What a fool's dream!"

Seeing that his identity had been exposed, the King of Samsara no longer had any scruples. With a clang, he drew his sword and pointed it at Qin Hongmian.

In an instant, the atmosphere grew so tense it seemed as though water could drip from it.

Qin Hongmian did not retreat in the slightest. She and Qin Shuang had already agreed that they were determined to win this time. She drew the State Stabilizer Blade and spun it in a flourish, its edge glinting with a chilling light.

Guan Yumeng's knuckles cracked as he readied himself for action, while Hu Jinxiu's figure remained light and nimble, concealed weapons hidden and ready to strike.

The three of them formed a triangle, tightly surrounding the King of Samsara.

Qin Hongmian attacked first. The State Stabilizer Blade slashed toward the King of Samsara like lightning, its wind howling.

The King of Samsara twisted aside and dodged the fierce strike, then struck out with his other palm, the force of it kicking up a wave of air.

Seeing this, Guan Yumeng shouted and strode forward, reaching for the King of Samsara's arm with a grappling move.

The King of Samsara remained unhurried. He twisted skillfully to evade Guan Yumeng's attack, then followed through with a kick toward his chest.

Guan Yumeng hurriedly blocked with his Iron Sand Palm, only to feel a powerful force surge through him and leave his arm numb.

At that moment, Hu Jinxiu flashed forward like a specter, closing in on the King of Samsara. The concealed weapons in her hands shot out like raindrops.

The King of Samsara swept his longsword in a circle, turning it into a mass of light and shadow that knocked all the concealed weapons aside.

While the King of Samsara was dealing with the concealed weapons, Qin Hongmian swung her blade again. Its radiance tore through the air.

The King of Samsara somersaulted aside like a hawk, then flicked his wrist and thrust his longsword straight at Qin Hongmian's throat.

Qin Hongmian reacted swiftly, raising her blade to block. With a clang, sparks flew in all directions.

Guan Yumeng and Hu Jinxiu exchanged a glance before joining forces to attack the King of Samsara again.

Their coordination was flawless: one engaged him at close range while the other harassed him with concealed weapons from afar.

Although the King of Samsara was surrounded, he was not at a disadvantage in the slightest. His longsword darted between the three of them, every move aimed to kill.

On the other side, Qin Shuang had also pointed his blade at Lei Bin and pressed forward with a sudden attack.

Lei Bin was more skilled in assassination with flying needles. Once Qin Shuang closed in, he immediately became flustered and fell into a disadvantage.

The two exchanged more than ten moves before the situation suddenly changed.

Lei Bin abruptly abandoned his defense and rolled toward the King of Samsara. At the same time, he bent and leaned his upper body forward, and dozens of long needles instantly shot from his back, stabbing straight toward the vital points in the King of Samsara's back.

Qin Shuang seemed to have anticipated Lei Bin's change in tactics. At the same moment, he twisted around, yet the longsword in his hand continued forward. Its radiance flashed through the air like lightning, tearing through the darkness as it surged ahead and slashed at the King of Samsara twice in succession.

Dream Slaying Saber Technique, Wolf-Sealing Slash!

Faced with Lei Bin's sudden betrayal, the King of Samsara was caught off guard and was struck repeatedly in the back.

Enraged and humiliated, he raised his longsword in his right hand to block Qin Shuang's State Stabilizer Blade. With his left, he drew a soft sword from his belt and, disregarding his injuries, thrust it straight at Lei Bin.

He was actually willing to trade injury for life in order to kill the traitor!

How could Qin Hongmian give him the chance? She decisively unleashed Mocking Wind's Howl.

In an instant, blue radiance covered Qin Hongmian's body. Her aura locked onto the King of Samsara as she channeled force through her hands, repeatedly pressing and chopping down with her blade, giving him no chance to catch his breath.

Guan Yumeng and Hu Jinxiu seized the opportunity as well, one attacking from close range and the other from afar, repeatedly inflicting heavy wounds on the King of Samsara.

A cold, stern aura radiated from Qin Shuang. The Suppressing the Enemy Blade immediately left its sheath, its light dazzling like a dream while concealing a deadly killing intent.

Deeply trapped within the encirclement, the King of Samsara's expression grew increasingly deranged.

He gripped the longsword tightly in one hand and brandished the soft sword with the other, resembling a vicious beast baring its fangs and claws.