Assassin at the Door

Two hours later, Wang Daoyuan's spiritual sense and spiritual power had fully recovered. He walked out of his cave dwelling and realized it was already late at night. The shop's defensive formations were all activated, with a protective light shield covering the entire establishment.

Just as he was about to turn back into his cave dwelling, a dark figure darted out from a corner. Before he could react, he was kicked into the cave dwelling. Wang Daoyuan cried out in pain, but no sound escaped the cave dwelling. At this moment, the cave dwelling was enveloped by a soundproofing formation.

Wang Daoyuan inwardly cursed his bad luck. With that kick, he was already severely injured. Facing an assassin much stronger than himself, he had no chance of winning.

He didn't know that a soundproofing formation had been set up around his cave dwelling. His only hope of survival was to stall the assassin and wait for Ninth Uncle to come to his rescue.

The assassin closed the cave dwelling door and walked up to Wang Daoyuan. He grabbed Wang Daoyuan with one hand, pulled out a black dagger, and held it to his neck, threatening, "Kid, hand over the Clear River Carp, and I'll spare your life. Otherwise, I'll show you what it means to wish you were dead but unable to die."

This assassin was clearly a professional. With a single kick, Wang Daoyuan felt like his whole body had fallen apart, making movement difficult. Yet, he could still speak without issue. The dagger in the assassin's hand reflected no light at all; if not for the dim light in the cave dwelling, it would have been completely invisible.

Facing this assassin, whose cultivation far surpassed his own, Wang Daoyuan wouldn't have stood a chance even if he were unharmed. Moreover, now that he had been ambushed and severely injured, he had no power to fight back.

While thinking of a countermeasure, he stalled for time, "I'll hand over the Clear River Carp. Can you guarantee you'll spare my life?"

The assassin sneered, "Do you think you're in a position to negotiate right now?"

After speaking, the assassin pressed the dagger harder against Wang Daoyuan's neck. The dagger had already broken the skin.

Wang Daoyuan's mind raced as he thought of a countermeasure. He recalled using the Rain Transformation Talisman in the Spirit Pearl Space before. Since the Rain Transformation Talisman could be used in the Spirit Pearl Space, the Illusory Cloud Talisman should work as well.

With no time to carefully consider a plan, he had to take a gamble. His spiritual sense detonated two first-tier high-grade Illusory Cloud Talismans within the Spirit Pearl Space. Before the mist could even form, it was transferred out by the power of his spiritual sense.

Wang Daoyuan split his focus, distracting the assassin, and said fearfully, "Don't kill me. I'll tell you where the Clear River Carp is."

Just as the assassin leaned in to hear the location of the Clear River Carp, a large mass of mist suddenly appeared out of nowhere, instantly engulfing the assassin.

Wang Daoyuan was prepared. Since he had detonated the talismans himself, he could use his spiritual sense to redirect the talismans' power elsewhere, thus avoiding the effect.

This assassin's cultivation was higher than Wang Daoyuan's, and he couldn't accurately determine their level, only that the pressure they exerted was no less than Ninth Uncle's. He deduced that the assassin's cultivation was at least at the ninth level of Qi Condensation.

It was still unknown how long the Illusory Cloud Talisman would trap the assassin in an illusion. The assassin could awaken at any moment.

At this point, he could no longer bother with his injuries. He retrieved a second-tier low-grade Golden Blade Talisman from the Spirit Pearl Space.

He dared not release this offensive talisman in the Spirit Pearl Space and then transfer it out; if it went wrong, it could blow his head off. He had originally intended to use a first-tier high-grade Golden Sword Talisman, but he didn't know the assassin's true strength. If his attack failed, he would surely die. For the sake of his life, he had no choice but to reluctantly use a second-tier talisman.

He detonated the talisman, and a three-inch-long golden blade shot out, directly at the assassin's forehead.

Having lived a life on the edge of a knife for years, this assassin possessed extremely high vigilance. The moment Wang Daoyuan detonated the Golden Blade Talisman, the assassin sensed the threat of death and awoke from the illusion.

Under normal circumstances, the success rate of Wang Daoyuan's sneak attack would be extremely low. However, the assassin was only an arm's length away from Wang Daoyuan, and the assassin had just awakened from the illusion. Before he could react, the golden blade pierced his forehead.

The assassin's face showed disbelief, but he couldn't muster any strength. He could only fall down unwillingly. Wang Daoyuan, who had been held by the assassin, lost his support and collapsed onto the ground.

With great effort, he took out a Rejuvenation Pill and swallowed it. After about half an hour, Wang Daoyuan regained basic mobility.

He collected the assassin's corpse into the Spirit Beast Bag, cleaned up the traces, and walked out of the cave dwelling. Wang Daoyuan then saw that the cave dwelling was covered by a soundproofing formation. He was completely unable to use any spiritual power. He could only use his spiritual sense to detonate a first-tier high-grade Golden Sword Talisman to break the formation.

The soundproofing formation's defensive power was not impressive. Under the Golden Sword Talisman, it didn't even last for a single breath.

After breaking the formation, Wang Daoyuan was too weak to search for anyone. He simply shouted, "Ninth Uncle, help!"

The backyard of the Pill Talisman Pavilion where Wang Daoyuan's cave dwelling was located was only separated by a wall from the general store. Hearing Wang Daoyuan's cry for help, Wang Zhide quickly rushed over.

He supported Wang Daoyuan and asked, "Daoyuan, how are you now?"

Wang Daoyuan replied, "I was ambushed by an assassin. I can't use my spiritual power right now, but I'm not seriously injured."

Wang Zhide felt Wang Daoyuan's pulse and confirmed his condition before he felt relieved. He asked in surprise, "How is that possible? The protective grand formation didn't make a sound. How did the assassin sneak in? Where is the assassin now?"

"He might have sneaked in beforehand, and he was well-prepared. He also set up a soundproofing formation around my cave dwelling," Wang Daoyuan panted. "I repelled the assassin with a talisman, and the soundproofing formation was also broken during the fight. After I called for help, he fled."

Wang Zhide's eyes casually swept over the Spirit Beast Bag on Wang Daoyuan's body and he asked, "Are the items still there?"

Wang Daoyuan subconsciously touched the Spirit Beast Bag at his waist and replied, "The items are still here. After the assassin ambushed and injured me, he wanted to force the location of the items out of me. I repelled him with a surprise talisman attack. After I called for help, he fled in a hurry and didn't have a chance to snatch the items."

Wang Zhide nodded and was about to help Wang Daoyuan to his cave dwelling. Wang Daoyuan's cave dwelling did not have a dedicated defensive formation, so it was unsafe to stay there.

Suddenly, the shop's defensive light shield shook violently. Someone was clearly attacking the formation, and their strength was considerable. The shop's defensive formation was no ordinary item; when operating at full capacity, a Qi Condensation cultivator striking it would only cause minor ripples.

Such a significant disturbance likely meant a Foundation Establishment cultivator was involved.

Wang Daoyuan immediately used all the first-tier high-grade defensive talismans Ninth Uncle had given him. Two layers of golden yellow and one layer of earthy yellow armor silhouettes enveloped his body, which were the effects of the Golden Armor Talisman and Earth Armor Talisman.

After using the talismans, he immediately rushed towards Ninth Uncle's cave dwelling. At this moment, the second attack hit the shop's defensive formation. After the formation's light shield trembled, a gap was broken open.

A dark figure, stepping on a flying sword, flew in through the opening.

Wang Daoyuan inwardly cursed his bad luck. It really was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. With his and Ninth Uncle's strength, they didn't need to worry too much about cultivators below Foundation Establishment. However, the difference between a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Qi Condensation cultivator was like a chasm.

Foundation Establishment cultivators could practice sword control techniques, wield flying swords to kill enemies from a hundred paces away, and even fly. A Foundation Establishment cultivator proficient in sword control techniques would absolutely dominate Qi Condensation cultivators; Qi Condensation cultivators would have no chance of fighting back.

A silver-white sword light emanated from the dark figure, directly targeting Wang Daoyuan and Wang Zhide. The defensive spells on both of them were instantly broken, and Wang Daoyuan was sent flying twenty feet away.

The dark figure headed straight for Wang Daoyuan. Before Wang Daoyuan could even land, the figure had already caught up, snatched the Spirit Beast Bag from Wang Daoyuan's waist, and flew away on the sword.