Assassination

The next morning, Su Yu stepped out of Skywind City alone, dressed in a blue-green robe.

A finely made Storage Bag hung at his waist, filled with the supplies he had just purchased.

Twenty bottles of Spirit Replenishing Pills, twenty bottles of Blood Replenishing Pills, and enough food and water for half a month.

There were also one hundred thousand taels' worth of gold notes, awarded by Su Tianheng in the name of the Lineage after Su Yu had claimed first place in the Grand Tournament.

Toward Monster Forest, the morning mist had yet to lift, and a few distant roars of beasts could be heard.

Su Yu's expression was calm and his steps steady, as though he were simply setting out on an ordinary journey, not about to venture deep into dangerous territory.

Meanwhile, in the Lin Family's main hall.

A bronze beast-shaped incense burner breathed out dark purple smoke, cloaking the entire hall in an eerie shadow.

Lin Zhentian sat in the seat of honor, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingers. A cold glint flickered in his eyes.

"Patriarch."

A Black-Robed Elder entered without a sound and said in a low voice, "A scout reports that Su Yu has left the city alone and is heading toward Monster Forest."

Lin Zhentian's fingers paused. A cold, sinister smile slowly curled across his lips.

He did not speak. He merely raised his eyes slightly and glanced toward the shadows in the corner of the hall.

Whoosh—

A dark figure appeared like a ghost, entirely cloaked in black. A black iron mask hid his face, leaving only a pair of eyes as cold as a serpent's.

"Black Fiend," Lin Zhentian said blandly.

"You know the target this time."

Black Fiend bowed slightly. His voice rasped like sand scraping against stone. "A junior in the Qi Refining Realm is worth such concern from the patriarch?"

Lin Zhentian let out a cold laugh. "He defeated Tian'er, who was in the Spirit Condensation Realm, while only at Qi Refining Level 8. Do you think he's an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator?"

Black Fiend fell silent for a moment. The gaze behind his mask grew even colder.

"Remember."

Lin Zhentian rose slowly to his feet.

"I want him dead without a sound, with no bones left behind. If even a trace of this matter gets out..."

"Leave it to me, Patriarch."

Black Fiend's voice was low.

"A Spirit Condensation Level 5 cultivator killing someone in the Qi Refining Realm—even if he's a freakish talent... there's no chance he'll survive."

As his words fell, his figure dispersed like smoke, as though he had never appeared.

Silence settled over the hall once more, broken only by the curling incense smoke.

Lin Zhentian stood with his hands behind his back, looking out the window at the brightening sky, killing intent surging in his eyes.

"Su Yu... This time, let's see how you survive!"

At the edge of Monster Forest, the hairs on the back of Su Yu's neck suddenly stood on end.

Deep within his soul, the pale yellow orb flashed wildly, sending him a warning of extreme danger.

A martial artist had him in their sights!

"At least the Spirit Condensation Realm..." Su Yu's pupils contracted, but his steps did not falter.

The Ancient Sword trembled faintly in his Sea of Consciousness, yet gave no further response.

Whoosh—

His blue-green-robed figure abruptly became a blur, racing toward the depths of the forest at a speed far beyond that of the Qi Refining Realm.

The bushes shook violently in the pressure of his passing, startling countless birds into flight.

Seven or eight li away, Black Fiend's brow furrowed beneath his mask. "Interesting."

His black robe billowed as he drifted forward like a ghost. Every plant he passed withered.

The distance between them shrank at a visible pace.

"Damn it!" Feeling the icy aura behind him drawing ever closer, Su Yu gritted his teeth and urged all his spiritual power into motion.

Gale Sword Momentum formed a vortex beneath his feet, making him three times faster.

But the aura of death at his back still clung to him like a maggot to bone—

Five li.

Three li.

One li...

A hoarse voice suddenly sounded three zhang behind Su Yu, like a serpent hissing.

The hairs on Su Yu's body stood on end. Deep within his soul, the pale yellow orb blazed with warning.

He instinctively twisted and rolled aside. A streak of ghostly blue blade light skimmed past his hair and, with a thud, sliced through an ancient tree so wide that three men could barely encircle it.

He hurriedly met the attack with the Wind-Swept Flowing Cloud Sword. The instant the two forces collided, Su Yu flew backward like a kite with its strings cut.

His back smashed through three ancient trees before he finally managed to stop. A coppery sweetness rose in his throat.

Black Fiend approached at an unhurried pace, the black iron mask reflecting the cold moonlight. "You survived one of my attacks. No wonder the patriarch fears you so much."

Black spiritual power, black as ink, gathered at his fingertips. "But this is where—"

ROAR!!!

A Heaven-Shaking Tiger Roar exploded without warning, its waves snapping every tree within ten zhang.

A blood-red tiger, fully two zhang tall, leaped out of the forest. Its scarlet eyes locked onto Black Fiend.

"A Level 3... Blood-Eyed Tiger?!" Black Fiend's voice suddenly broke.

His mask hid his expression, but the violent trembling of his black robe betrayed his terror.

Black Fiend had barely retreated three zhang when the Blood-Eyed Tiger pounced like a bolt of blood-red lightning.

A tiger paw as big as a washbasin slammed down from above, wrapped in a shrill whistle that tore through the air—

Splurt!

The sound of flesh being crushed sent chills through the forest.

Black Fiend's Spirit Condensation Level 5 protective spiritual power was as fragile as paper before such overwhelming strength.

His body flew dozens of zhang like a broken rag doll, smashing through seven or eight ancient trees before crumpling to the ground.

Before he could even land, the Blood-Eyed Tiger was already upon him like a ghost. Its bone-white fangs closed precisely around his throat.

Crack!

The snap of bones, accompanied by a nauseating sound of chewing, echoed through the forest.

Su Yu held his breath, his body rigid as stone. He did not dare so much as stir an eyelash.

Cold sweat trickled down his back, soaking through his undershirt.

Before a savage beast like this, a cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm was nothing but a joke.

Just as life and death hung by a thread—

Deep within his soul, the Ancient Sword suddenly trembled violently.

An ancient, vast aura spread out in ripples, silently wrapping around Su Yu.

The aura was faint, almost imperceptible, yet every plant within ten zhang bent beneath it.

The Blood-Eyed Tiger's chewing stopped abruptly.

Su Yu felt those scarlet eyes fixed intently on him.

Confusion flickered through the tiger's eyes, then gave way to wariness and uncertainty.

Its massive body began to tremble faintly, and its thick paws involuntarily clawed at the ground.

"Roar..."

A low whimper forced its way from the Blood-Eyed Tiger's throat.

The Level 3 Demonic Beast that had moments ago radiated overwhelming menace now retreated slowly like a frightened cat. Then it spun around and fled for its life into the depths of the forest, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Only after the tiger's roar had faded completely did Su Yu finally let out a long breath. His legs gave way, and he sank to his knees.

With trembling fingers, he touched the spot between his brows. A faint trace of ancient sword intent lingered there.

"Just what is the origin of this sword..."