Assassination

Heavenly Fiend Planet was once the territory of the Heavenly Fiend World Lord.

Now that the Heavenly Fiend World Lord had long since departed, all affairs of this planet were under the full jurisdiction of his disciple, Xuanming Domain Lord.

Xuanming Domain Lord was not only the lord of Heavenly Fiend Planet but also a "Universe Two-Star Mercenary," holding an exalted status and strength that surpassed even ordinary Domain Lords by a notch.

When that C9-Class Spaceship landed in the docking zone, the sharp-eyed administrator immediately approached it.

"Esteemed sir, welcome to Heavenly Fiend Planet. Your spaceship is a Black Dragon Mountain X95 model. The docking fee is 600 Black Dragon Coins per year, with any period less than a year charged as a full year. Here is your docking voucher."

Bai Yuan said nothing more and paid the fee directly.

This was the advantage of owning territory—the entire planet's populace served you.

In prosperous regions, merely collecting spaceship docking fees could accumulate astronomical wealth.

As for why he didn't simply store the spaceship in his storage ring, the reason was simple: oversized storage items exceeding a hundred meters in length and width were far too precious.

Even among Domain Lord-level experts, very few possessed such treasures.

Bai Yuan thought of his second uncle.

That man governed over a thousand life-bearing planets, each generating 6 to 10 billion Black Dragon Coins in annual revenue.

In a single year, his total income reached at least 700 billion Black Dragon Coins, which converted to five or six hundred million Ganwu Coins.

Beyond that, his second uncle also commanded a ten-thousand-strong army, accumulating considerable military merit.

Even so, his second uncle owned only one such storage item, purchased through the Blade Clan's internal channels with a military merit discount.

And that very treasure was now worn on Bai Yuan's own finger.

--

Heavenly Fiend City, the most prosperous city on Heavenly Fiend Planet.

A constant stream of diverse humanoids flowed through, with Planet Realm cultivators everywhere, Star Realm cultivators common as dirt, and even Universe Realm experts encountered once in a while.

For someone like Bai Yuan, at Star First Rank, he was like a stone sinking into the sea—not even a ripple stirred.

"That kid? Same rules as always. Five hundred billion Black Dragon Coins upon completion."

A one-eyed old man spoke coldly, and the two men beside him quickly nodded in agreement.

Five hundred billion Black Dragon Coins was no small sum, but the Cloud Sea Association had no choice but to agree.

Because this old man specialized in soul attacks, capable of silently eliminating a target.

Would it be discovered? Of course.

But as long as the matter didn't blow up, and the higher-ups were properly greased, some would naturally turn a blind eye.

So after all the maneuvering, the one-eyed old man nominally received five hundred billion, but what actually landed in his hands would likely be less than a hundred billion.

Even so, for the one-eyed old man, it was still a massive profit.

Though he was merely a Star Ninth Rank Psychic Master, his accumulated wealth rivaled that of Universe Realm experts.

On the other side, Bai Yuan didn't head directly to the Universe Mercenary Alliance's headquarters.

He rented a villa in the city and settled in temporarily.

"No mistake. Since Qiu Long Planet, I've had this feeling of being watched. I thought it was just my imagination, but now that I'm on Heavenly Fiend Planet, the sensation has returned."

"It's most likely that C9-Class Spaceship that drew attention. If so, the one lurking in the shadows should be at Star Ninth Rank—a Universe Realm expert wouldn't bother with something this trivial."

A moment later, the one-eyed old man's figure appeared outside this villa district.

The private villa district within Heavenly Fiend City naturally had tight security, with every guard at the Star Realm level.

A security guard stepped forward to block him, but before he could even speak to question him, a faint glint of light flashed in the one-eyed old man's eyes.

The guard's expression froze, his gaze quickly going vacant, his consciousness already sinking into oblivion.

"Take me to that person's residence."

"Yes."

The two walked one after another, deeper into the villa district.

But just two seconds later, the security captain monitoring the area noticed the anomaly.

The team member's movement path didn't match the patrol route at all.

He didn't act immediately but instead opened an encrypted communication to report to his direct superior.

"Sir, a suspicious one-eyed old man has infiltrated. Likely a Psychic Master specializing in soul control techniques."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the communication, then an order came through.

"Ignore him. Delete all surveillance records and identification data from the moment he entered."

"Yes... but, sir, are we really doing nothing? If something happens to the resident, we might..."

"Relax, nothing will happen. Bury everything you saw deep in your gut and don't mention it to anyone. If the news leaks, even I won't be able to protect you."

"Understood."

The communication cut off, the captain stood in place, his expression extremely grave.

He himself was a Star Ninth Rank, and his superior was an even more formidable Universe Realm powerhouse. For someone of that caliber to be so wary, even choosing to turn a blind eye to the "One-Eyed Old Man"—just what kind of background did he have?

He stared at the two figures on the screen gradually disappearing into the depths of the villa cluster, and in the end, he silently carried out the order.

Arriving before the villa gate, the One-Eyed Old Man manipulated the controlled guard to step forward and knock.

He himself stealthily retreated to the shadows at the side, his spiritual power quietly coalescing like a viper poised to strike, waiting only for the door to open before delivering a fatal blow.

Boom!

Yet just as he was gathering his strength, the thick metal gate exploded outward from within!

A massive black vine shot out like a giant python, instantly coiling around the two at the entrance.

The One-Eyed Old Man let out a sharp shout, and a blue crescent-shaped telekinetic weapon flew from his sleeve, attempting to sever the vine.

But how could Bai Yuan give him the chance? More vines surged out from inside the door, like a living tentacle prison, locking him and the guard tightly within.

The violent impact and pain caused the guard to partially break free from the mental control.

He struggled and screamed, "It's none of my business! This old man controlled me into coming! I'm just a guard..."

"Hmph! Daring to disturb my cultivation—you will both pay the price!"

An icy, furious female voice rang out from inside the house.

The guard's face turned ashen, and even the One-Eyed Old Man's eyes showed a flicker of panic.

"Hold! My master is the Lord of Tiansha City, a direct descendant of the Heavenly Fiend World Lord! If you kill me, you will face utter annihilation!"

The moment the words fell, the vines' grip indeed loosened slightly.

That instant!

A flash of eerie light blazed in the One-Eyed Old Man's eyes, and an intangible, formless soul attack shot straight toward the source of the voice!

The surrounding vines suddenly froze, then drooped limply.

"No matter how strong a plant lifeform is, it can't withstand soul annihilation!"

A grim smile twisted the old man's face, brimming with the arrogance of assured victory.

Everyone knew that plant lifeforms were linked to their master's soul; if the master died, they would perish along with them.

Schlick!

An icy blade, without any warning, pierced through his back, precisely penetrating his armor and stabbing through his heart.

Fierce blade light surged wildly inside him, rampaging through his body, destroying every shred of vitality.

"Just as I thought... someone like you never changes. You only deserve death!"

The old man's eyes bulged, a gurgling sound escaping his throat as he attempted a final struggle. But the vines that had drooped moments before suddenly lashed out, twisting together in an instant.

Crack.

The muffled sound of bones breaking was swallowed by the vines.

As for the cold female voice from earlier, it was naturally Xingwu speaking through a smart home device inside the villa.

Bai Yuan himself remained hidden in the shadows woven by the Cloud-Touching Vine.

If anything unexpected happened, he would not hesitate to have the Cloud-Touching Vine whisk him away in an instant.