After parting ways with Deputy General Liu and the others, Gu Cheng didn't hurry back to his residence.
He swung onto his horse and let the Flood Dragon Horse carry him at an easy pace through the streets and alleys of Iron Cloud City.
Ever since he had used thunderous methods to wipe out three major gangs in succession, this "City of Night," once rife with bloodshed and slaughter, seemed to have taken on a new face.
The gang members had long since been scared witless. Some had fled, others had scattered. Even the martial artists who usually loved to brawl and flaunt their strength had reined in their arrogance.
The streets, once drenched in blood and alive with flashing blades, had unexpectedly regained a measure of peace. A hint of long-missed everyday warmth drifted through the air, bringing a sense of calm.
As the Flood Dragon Horse ambled along, Gu Cheng savored the rare tranquility around him, his mind awash with thoughts.
The arrival of those two Demon Suppression Bureau colleagues had come at just the right time.
With them investigating the City Lord's residence, he would be spared quite a bit of trouble.
Besides, one was a Body Refinement great grandmaster, while the other possessed a rare treasure. Even if they encountered danger, they should be able to escape unharmed. There was no need for him to worry too much.
But with the Demon Suppression Bureau getting involved, those lunatics from the Rebirth Sect would surely be driven into a corner and fight back desperately.
Tonight, Iron Cloud City was bound to be anything but peaceful...
"When that time comes, it'll be my turn to make an entrance and harvest lifespans."
At the thought, a cold smile tugged at Gu Cheng's lips.
Winter days were always especially short.
Gu Cheng rode the Flood Dragon Horse around the city for two hours. By then, the sun had slowly sunk below the horizon, and night had quietly fallen.
The shops along both sides of the street lit their lanterns one after another. Their dim yellow light swayed in the cold wind, bringing a touch of warmth to the city as it prepared to sleep.
Just as Gu Cheng was about to return to his residence, a bone-chilling killing intent abruptly locked onto him.
It made no effort to hide itself. It was brazen to the extreme.
Like a hunter baring its fangs in the dark, it flashed with bloodthirsty coldness as it boldly announced to its prey:
I'm coming to kill you!
"Interesting..."
A playful curve formed at Gu Cheng's lips, and a cold glint flickered in his eyes.
Information about the Rebirth Sect colluding with the Evil King Pavilion flashed through his mind. He had already guessed who was coming.
He dismounted and gently patted the Flood Dragon Horse's head, signaling it to return home on its own.
The next moment, he shot into the air and transformed into a streak of black light. Under the astonished gazes of the passersby, he vanished into Iron Cloud City's night.
Whoosh—
The sound of something tearing through the air cut across the night's silence. Gu Cheng darted through the sky like a black owl, moving at astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, he had flown several miles.
Yet that bone-chilling killing intent clung to him like a shadow, relentless as a parasite burrowing into bone.
"What incredible speed..."
Gu Cheng was mildly surprised. His Carefree Wind Riding Art was already among the fastest, yet his pursuer still kept up. Their movement technique was clearly just as impressive. This was no ordinary opponent.
His fighting spirit rose. He deliberately slowed down, leading his pursuer to a remote stretch of forest outside the city.
The moon was dark, the wind fierce, and shadows swayed among the trees.
The biting wind howled like ghosts and wolves, playing the prelude to the slaughter about to begin.
Gu Cheng landed in a clearing and stood with his hands behind his back, quietly waiting for his prey to arrive.
The night wind whipped at his robes with a sharp rustling, like the whispers of the Grim Reaper, heralding the bloodbath to come.
The next instant,
a pitch-black figure appeared soundlessly before him.
A black hooded robe concealed the newcomer's face, leaving only a pair of icy eyes visible. They glimmered with detached killing intent.
"Why have you stopped running?"
A cold female voice came from beneath the mask, devoid of all emotion.
"Running?"
Gu Cheng chuckled and shook his head.
"I was just choosing a suitable grave for you."
Before his words had even faded, red light flashed in his eyes. His Blazing Light Divine Ability activated in an instant!
Whoosh—
Two crimson beams of scorching heat shot out like lightning, slicing through the black-clad assassin's "body" and several great trees more than ten zhang behind her.
The terrifying heat instantly set the cut ends of the trees ablaze. A raging fire soared into the sky, lighting up half the night.
Yet in the firelight, the black-clad assassin's afterimage slowly faded away. Her true form hovered in midair, completely unharmed.
"Not a bad divine ability. Too bad it's too slow."
The assassin's voice remained icy. A streak of blood-red flashed through her dark eyes.
A three-zhang-long black chain appeared out of thin air, floating beside her and writhing like a spirit serpent. Vengeful souls coiled around it, radiating an evil aura that made one's hair stand on end.
"Soul Hooking Chain?"
Gu Cheng raised an eyebrow and glanced at the weapon's unmistakable shape. He had already reached his conclusion.
This black-robed assassin, with her ghostly movements, really was the infamous Ninth Destiny of the Evil King Pavilion!
Still, he had never imagined that this ruthless figure, brazen enough to travel to Chongshan County to assassinate a prodigy of the Demon Suppression Bureau, would be a woman.
But to Gu Cheng, it made no difference whether the assassin was a man or a woman.
He had promised the Xiao siblings that he would avenge their family's blood feud.
Since he had happened to run into her today, he might as well settle things once and for all.
A fierce killing intent flashed through Gu Cheng's eyes as he reached out.
A surge of powerful blood fiend energy erupted from within him like a volcano, rapidly condensing in his palm into a four-chi-long Blood Saber.
Before the blade even arrived, its biting killing intent had already made the surrounding air crackle as if it were being sliced apart.
Gu Cheng gripped the Futuo Treasure Saber and slashed at the black-clad figure hovering in midair!
Whoosh—
A ten-zhang-long blood-red blade arc roared toward the Ninth Destiny like a snarling blood dragon, carrying the might to destroy the heavens and annihilate the earth.
Faced with this terrifying slash, powerful enough to kill a high-stage Innate Realm great demon in a single blow,
the Ninth Destiny's expression didn't change in the slightest. Her hands blurred through a series of gestures, black light flickering at her fingertips.
"Vmmm—"
The once pitch-black Soul Hooking Chain suddenly blazed with evil light, its links swelling until it had grown several times longer in the blink of an eye.
Then it shot out like a spirit serpent, moving faster than the blade arc and coiling tightly around it!
"Crush!"
The Ninth Destiny barked the command. The Soul Hooking Chain snapped tight, and the terrifying blood-red blade arc was forcibly torn apart, exploding into a storm of blood fiend energy!
Boom!
Blood fiend energy and blade qi rampaged through the area, instantly leveling the nearby forest. For a moment, dust billowed, trees shattered, and the whole scene was left in ruins.
"What a bizarre weapon..."
Gu Cheng furrowed his brow. He had fought countless enemies, but this was the first time he had encountered such a sinister weapon.
Before he could think further, the Ninth Destiny formed another hand seal.
The wildly dancing Soul Hooking Chain connected at both ends, forming a bizarre ring in midair. Ghostly energy swirled around it, making it seem as if a gate to the netherworld had opened!
"Ke ke ke ke—"
Amid shrill cries like ghosts wailing and wolves howling, countless wandering spirits and ghosts poured out of the ring.
They came hurtling toward Gu Cheng, bringing a bone-piercing chill and a nauseating stench of decay!
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