The Nine Illusory Transformations, and Elder Senior Brother's Persuasive Skills

There was a large hall in front of us.

At this moment, Gao Linzhi and Tian Qing were hiding at a corner.

The hall was brightly lit, and although it was underground, the air was fresh, with only the aroma of wine and meat wafting through the air.

There were three or four people eating, drinking, and chatting.

"Yes, they just wanted to scare Prefect Liu," one of them said.

"Now it seems that the prefect was indeed frightened."

"Yes, the Imperial Observatory was very satisfied with this and decided to give us 500 kilograms of gold and 50 grams of the Longevity Water."

"Gold again. Ever since players appeared, this stuff has become a bit of a waste."

"It's better than giving you precious Treasury Note."

"That's true. You wouldn't even want to wipe your butt with Treasury Note."

"Well, these days, it's not easy for us to mine gold here. The imperial court doesn't allow the promotion of technology, but it's very easy for those players to mine gold. I heard that gold there is measured in tens of thousands of tons."

"Yes, the major gold mines here are controlled by the royal family and those powerful clans. They don't even introduce advanced technology for prospecting, afraid of disrupting their feng shui, and insist on using manual methods."

"Acquiring a gold mine would be extremely difficult for us, and it would also easily damage the organization's reputation."

"Yes, an organization like ours isn't suited to occupying physical industries. After all, once exposed, it's hard to run away."

"That's right, hahaha."

After chatting for a while, the conversation quickly turned sour.

They started talking about where to go for food, drinks, and entertainment again...

Then they talked about some fun things.

In short, these are all ways to play that push the limits of human imagination.

Gao Linzhi took this quite in stride.

After all, he was a time traveler, having traversed three worlds and heard far too much.

Instead, he nodded.

That's more like it; this is the true ecosystem of those who possess Powerful.

This is a truly down-to-earth, realistic organization, reflecting real human nature.

Like an emperor from another time and space.

The emperor was extremely extravagant and indulged in excessive desires.

The phrase "a pool of wine and a forest of meat" is somewhat controversial, so I won't go into it.

However, many emperors, for their own selfish reasons, would spend a large portion of the dynasty's wealth, and this is clearly recorded in the accounts.

Keep in mind that's nearly 100 million people.

It can be said that emperors, whether wise or foolish, are the greatest pests on earth.

There is none other than that.

What's most appalling is that his extravagance was considered normal; the entire nation was used to support one person, which was seen as what the ruler and father deserved.

And at this time...

Tian Qing, standing next to Gao Linzhi, gradually turned red in the face.

The veins started to bulge out.

He was clearly very angry.

He never imagined that his painstaking assassination attempt, risking his own life, would become nothing more than a laughingstock for these people.

What these people want to do is exploit him to make money.

They hadn't even considered anything serious.

They have lost their original aspirations.

They have completely forgotten the original purpose of the Heavenly Assassin.

In the earliest days, the Heavenly Assassin had short hair, wore short shirts, and were bare-chested and barefoot.

Now, they're all wearing long gowns, sitting and eating and drinking...

Thinking about this, he felt a pang of shame.

Because he is the same.

At this moment, he couldn't help but look at Gao Linzhi.

I noticed that this unfamiliar young man had such sharp eyes.

I saw through the Heavenly Assassin's filter at our first meeting.

His sudden assassination attempt might not have been for secrecy, but rather because the target had shattered his illusions about the organization, destroying his beliefs...

Thinking of this, he finally couldn't resist and emerged from his stealth.

This is a cardinal sin for assassins.

The people in the hall were taken aback by what they saw.

They immediately stood up and quickly became alert.

It must be said that their reaction speed was quite good, and they did not disgrace the name of the Heavenly Assassin.

These people only relaxed when they saw it was Tian Qing.

They immediately stepped forward to greet them warmly.

"So it's Tian Qing Brother Tianqing."

Why are you only getting back now?

"It's good that you're back safe and sound, junior brother. I've heated up some food for you, come and have some with us."

"Yes, junior brother, I also bought you a new blue robe. It was made by the best seamstresses on the Capital Island, and it took them a month to weave it."

A hint of hesitation and tenderness flashed across Tian Qing's face.

Gao Linzhi, however, smiled from the shadows.

This is clearly using so-called bonds to entangle him.

As a top-tier Heavenly-level assassin, the other party clearly has many people trying to recruit him.

These so-called senior brothers are clearly not as strong as Tian Qing.

After all, if that were the case, the organization would be too powerful, with a whole bunch of Heavenly-level assassins.

This Heavenly Assassin Organization clearly didn't achieve its goal of having powerful senior brothers and masters.

They use a network similar to kinship to bind the strong to themselves.

Of course, the effectiveness cannot be guaranteed.

But it's better than nothing.

And at this time...

Gao Linzhi coughed slightly.

Only then did Tian Qing realize what was happening.

He was deceived once again.

This made him very angry.

He stepped into the hall before him.

The hall was magnificent and opulent, and the four senior brothers before me were simply indulging in extravagance...

He forgot that the restaurant he went to was also frequented by the wealthy and powerful...

The only difference is that he didn't engage in those overly decadent activities.

All he knew was that the other person had fallen.

So he shouted angrily, "You bastards!"

"You bastards!"

Do you know what you've done?

"You have tarnished the glorious name of the Heavenly Assassin!"

"What... what do you mean? We've always cherished this name."

Among the four senior brothers, one with Plain-looking Senior Brother frowned and stepped back behind the others.

The three people who remained at the front were an old man, a middle-aged man, and a boy.

The difference between these three and their senior brother who stepped back was that their eyes all revealed a slick and indifferent expression.

They looked at Tian Qing; the middle-aged man shook his head, the elderly man sighed, and the young man sneered.

The young senior brother stepped forward and said, "Junior Brother Tian Qing!"

Stop fooling yourself!

"You say we're fallen, but aren't you the same?"

"It's just the pot calling the kettle black, what's the difference!"

"Humans are inherently selfish."

"Who can act on behalf of Heaven to punish?"

Now that we have the power, we should take care of ourselves.

"Damn it! You joined the organization, you received power from the organization, yet you colluded with those filthy bastards! You betrayed the organization! You violated the organization's rules! You broke your oath!" Tian Qing roared angrily.

And at this time...

The young senior brother sneered:

"You even brought an outsider here; aren't you violating organizational rules yourself?"

"I brought him in because I want him to be the arrow in the organization's head!" Tian Qing said confidently.

"What?" The four people were all taken aback at the same time.

"Junior Brother Tian Qing, have you gone mad?"

Why does an organization need a sword over its head?

"The organization is supreme; it needs no swords upon it!"

"Ha," Tian Qing sneered, "You have already fallen."

"I've had this feeling before, but only now do I truly understand it."

"Our organization's enemies are not the high-ranking emperors, ministers, prefects, or military commanders outside."

"Our organization's enemy is right here, right inside our organization!"

"If the organization doesn't have a sword hanging over its head, a sword of Damocles, it will fall just like those emperors and ministers!"

Hearing this, the four exchanged glances.

The three people standing at the front—one old, one middle-aged, and one young—immediately shook their heads.

"I thought it was something serious."

"That's right, Tian Qing, don't be silly. Life is only about 200 years long. Even if you can drink the Longevity Water, you still won't live past the age of 500."

"This is the maximum lifespan of our world."

"Life is short. If we don't seize this opportunity to enjoy ourselves, wouldn't we have wasted our lives?"

The three of them tried to persuade him.

Tian Qing was clearly even more furious. "Damn it, you actually pursue those low-class pleasures of vulgar people!"

"Have you forgotten why you joined Sky Assassins in the first place?"

"We haven't forgotten. We joined Sky Assassins to enjoy ourselves," the old man said, shaking his head.

"Yes, we've worked hard for most of our lives, can't we at least have something to eat and drink?"

"That's right, keep playing the music and keep dancing!"

"Junior brother, you're just making it sound nice, but don't you like to eat it too?"

"I've heard that you enjoy eating delicious food from all over the country. You once saved a target's life by three hours because of a single dish."

"Just because he's a skilled cook, he made you an incredibly delicious pan-fried mandarin fish."

"That man thought he could save his life, but who knew that after you finished eating the mandarin fish, you would still suddenly draw your sword and kill him."

"This is so heartless!"

"Junior brother, you can't even be a decent human being, how can you expect to be a qualified Heavenly Assassin?"

I see.

This guy suddenly drew his sword earlier; it turns out he had a history of this.

This guy's personality is just so unpredictable.

To do something unexpectedly.

Just like now.

Gao Linzhi immediately understood.

Clearly, the Tian Qing asked if he wanted to join, the other party had already decided to kill him.

If they don't join in, then only the dead can keep their secrets.

As an assassin organization, secrecy is essential; only a select few will know about it.

Upon hearing this, Tian Qing remained silent for a moment.

He then shook his head and said, "Although... I will still complete the mission."

"Unlike you, who have turned the organization into a tool for personal gain and wealth, you have become the lackeys of those in power."

"Junior brother, are you really going to disregard our years of friendship?" the Elder Senior Brother said angrily.

"Junior brother, do you remember? I treated you to a meal last month..."

"Junior brother, didn't you take a liking to Senior Sister Xu? I was the one who set you up."

Tian Qing coldly said, "Enough with the nonsense, I'll kill you all right now!"

He slowly drew his sword.

It was a jet-black iron sword, without any reflection.

Gao Linzhi had never seen it clearly before, but now he truly sees it clearly.

Even if you kill us, there are many others in the organization just like us!

"Do you think you can sweep across the world and purify the heavens just by carrying a Heaven- Sky-Slaying Sword?"

The three of them, one after another, relentlessly attacked Tian Qing's fighting spirit.

Tian Qing gritted his teeth in anger, but said nothing more.

Gao Linzhi saw him tremble, and nine figures immediately appeared.

Each figure is completely identical to his original form.

"Impossible! You actually mastered the Nine Illusory Transformations of Illusion to the Master Level!"

"I can only train up to the advanced level, how come you can keep training like this?"

"You actually managed to create nine clones? No wonder your brain has gone dull!"

" At the Master Level, he can create nine clones. This is troublesome. We need to kill all nine clones simultaneously within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn in order to kill him!" the Elder Senior Brother exclaimed in surprise.

Gao Linzhi was slightly startled upon hearing this.

This skill is great!

Isn't this just a typical game boss skill?

At the same time, three BOSS clones appear. As long as one of them survives, the entire BOSS will not die.

All three must be killed simultaneously.

He suddenly realized that this guy hadn't even used 10% of his strength when he assassinated the governor.

It seems he never really intended to kill the governor in the first place?

The subsequent retreat was probably because he realized there were some problems with the order.

It seems this guy had the idea of changing the entire Heavenly Assassin a long time ago.

It wasn't that he changed simply because Gao Linzhi provoked him.

"Enough with the nonsense. Out of consideration for our past relationship, I'll give you a proper burial!"

As he spoke, the nine clones charged at the four of them.

He appeared in front of each person in an instant, and immediately delivered a sword strike to their chest!

It's still the same style.

High speed, high flash, high burst!

This is a typical assassin style; without specialized skills to counter it, it's easy to be taken down in one go.

This can be described as the style of Dongfang Bubai, capable of restraining the vast majority of opponents.

Fighting this kind of opponent is exhausting; you have to be constantly vigilant, or you'll be taken down in one fell swoop.

Gao Linzhi said that fortunately, he always used Game Character and Substitute Puppet to travel, and never acted in person.

Otherwise, even if they met at the same age, they would be killed on their first encounter.

And at this time...

These four senior brothers were clearly prepared.

After all, they all know each other well.

Suddenly, a flash of light erupted from the four of them, clearly indicating that the jade talisman's defense had been triggered.

This is the way to deal with high speeds: passive defense.

Gao Linzhi nodded; this approach was correct.

No matter how fast you are, I have prepared an instantly effective defensive jade talisman on my person beforehand.

They immediately begin defense upon being attacked.

Using the time gained by the jade talisman, the old man reached for his cane and slammed it to the ground.

Then a huge jade barrier appeared, covering all three of them at the same time.

Yes, there were four people, so why were only three covered?

Clearly, this means letting the last person try to fight for the Tian Qing.

That person was the ordinary-looking senior brother who had retreated behind the three of them.

The other party was taken aback, but then also slapped dozens of jade talismans onto themselves to defend against the upcoming attack.

"Junior brother, why don't you just turn a blind eye and let things slide?"

"Yes, there are two ways to live: one is to live for others, and the other is to live for yourself."

Most people live for themselves.

The Elder Senior Brother there spoke earnestly and patiently.

"I'm very smart, like my senior brother. I figured things out when I was six or seven years old. I knew that in this world, people must live for themselves."

"People should enjoy everything they are meant to enjoy, so that they won't have regrets or remorse before they die, and won't feel that they haven't tasted all the flavors they've missed."

There is a story...

"An ascetic was dying, and he couldn't breathe his last. His disciples asked him if he had any regrets."

He said he had abstained from sex his entire life and had never actually seen what a woman was like.

"So the disciples pooled their money to hire a prostitute, and after the ascetic saw her, he suddenly realized: 'So she's just like a sheep!'"

"And so he breathed his last peacefully."

"Did you understand?"

The Elder Senior Brother continued speaking while resisting Tian Qing's attacks.

Gao Linzhi couldn't help but want to applaud.

That verbal skill was truly impressive.