At midnight on the fourteenth day of the sixth month in the 738th year of Jianwu, Great Zhou—Flat Mountain Town, Xiyang County, Dongshui Commandery, Lingzhou—after the night watchman finished sounding the watch and went to sleep, the entire town fell utterly silent and sank into slumber.
The occasional barking of dogs added a touch more peace to the sleeping town.
Yet eleven shadows silently slipped into Flat Mountain Town.
"Here."
"The waiter at the tavern ahead, the scholar in the third courtyard from the east, the two clerks at the carriage house, and the owner of the town's only inn—five targets in all.
"All five may be covert sentries planted in Flat Mountain Town by the Second Route Wind Patrol Office. Work in pairs. Eliminate them at designated points!" the black-clad leader ordered in a low voice.
"Yes!"
After the black-clad men acknowledged the order, their leader added, "Remember, do not let your guard down! Make sure to kill with a single blow. Do not give them any chance to raise an alarm! Keep your auras restrained."
"Yes!"
Under the black-clad leader's watchful gaze, the ten black-clad men split into pairs and swiftly vanished into the deathly quiet Flat Mountain Town.
Several breaths later, an aura of the World King Realm flashed through Flat Mountain Town.
But it was only a fleeting flash, vanishing again the moment it appeared.
That sudden, fleeting aura caused a flicker of anger to rise in the black-clad leader's eyes. How had someone still exposed their aura?
Angry though he was, the black-clad leader immediately rose into the air, concealing himself overhead as his eyes swept over the entire Flat Mountain Town like an eagle's.
Should anyone have been awakened by the aura of that World King Realm expert, he would immediately strike and erase