The next morning, as the first rays of dawn broke through the darkness.
After having breakfast, Fang Han hung the Cloudsplitter Sword at his waist and went to the backyard.
Redfire was lying on the open ground beside the Cultivation Ground when it heard footsteps. Its Dark Gold vertical pupils snapped open, and it wagged its tail as it came to greet them.
"They're gone."
Fang Han reached out and patted its huge head, then flipped over and mounted its broad back.
Redfire let out a deep roar, its four paws moving as it carried Fang Han out of the courtyard.
Qui Lan saw him off at the courtyard gate, bowed, and said:
"Take care on your journey, senior brother."
Fang Han nodded slightly, Redfire strode off along the bluestone path toward the mountain gate.
The disciples they encountered along the way were initially startled when they saw the giant lion, which was entirely crimson like Fang Han. However, upon recognizing Fang Han sitting atop the lion's back, they immediately bowed in reverence, their eyes filled with awe.
After leaving the Azure Profound Sect's mountain gate, Fang Han determined the direction, Redfire strutted along the official road towards Liangshui City.
A morning breeze caressed my face, carrying the slight coolness unique to early summer.
In the fields on both sides of the official road, early-rising farmers were working in the fields. When they saw this majestic, crimson giant lion, they were all startled and retreated.
Only after the man and the lion had gone far away did they breathe a sigh of relief and begin to whisper among themselves.
"Buzz--"
Fang Han rode on the back of Redfire and habitually activated the < Nether Guide >.
The cool air flowed slowly through his nasal cavity, and an invisible sense of perception spread outwards like a spider web.
However, he did not unleash his full power, but kept his perception at a minimum, covering only one mile.
It can maintain vigilance without excessively consuming Internal Qi.
Redfire was incredibly fast, yet remarkably stable.
I could barely feel the bumps on my broad back; the scenery on both sides rushed past me, and the wind whistled in my ears.
Fang Han closed his eyes to rest, pondering the various arrangements for his return home.
Discussing the various matters of marriage proposal with parents, preparing betrothal gifts, selecting a matchmaker, and setting the date...
These tasks, though tedious, cannot be taken lightly.
In Azure Profound City, there was an ordinary inn in the east of the city.
Standing by the window of a second-floor room facing the street, Yi Three held a cup of tea that had long since gone cold, and his ordinary eyes suddenly lit up for a moment.
He saw a crimson figure rushing out from the direction of Azure Profound Mountain, speeding away along the official road into the distance.
The crimson figure was enormous, its entire body covered in flame-like mane that gleamed dazzlingly in the morning light; it was none other than the First Grade lion demon mentioned in the intelligence report.
Although the figure in the green robe sitting on the lion's back was too far away to see clearly, Yi Three was almost certain that it was Fang Han.
"They're finally out."
Yi Three put down his teacup. His extremely ordinary face remained expressionless, but the fingers holding the teacup tightened slightly, revealing a long-suppressed killing intent.
He did not rush into action.
Only when the crimson figure had run several miles and was about to disappear at the end of the official road did he leisurely stand up, hang up the inconspicuous longsword at his waist, push open the door, and go down the stairs.
After leaving the inn, Yi Three blended into the crowd on the street, walking with ease, just like any ordinary traveling martial artist.
Only after he had exited the city gate and confirmed that there were no other people around did he suddenly increase his speed.
His gray robes fluttered slightly in the wind, and his toes barely touched the ground as he moved forward along the official road like a gray shadow.
At the same time, his aura began to subside.
That was an extremely sophisticated Breath Concealment Secret Technique.
My heartbeat slowed and became long, my skin temperature blended with the environment, my breathing was almost inaudible, and all the pores on my body closed, not letting out a single breath.
Even that faint killing intent was firmly locked away in the deepest part of his heart.
He was like a piece of dead wood, a rock, a shadow sweeping across the ground, almost perfectly blending into his surroundings.
Such a method of concealing one's presence is among the best even among the "B" rank assassins of the Dark Abyss.
On the official road, Redfire strode forward with steady steps.
Fang Han sat astride the lion's back, his eyes slightly closed, the < Nether Guide > circulating in his nostrils to maintain his perception within a radius of one mile.
That cool aura flowed through my meridians and nasal cavity, taking in all living things along its path—
Farmers working in the fields, wild rabbits darting through the grass, birds chirping in the branches, and even earthworms wriggling in the soil.
Everything is normal, there are no abnormalities.
Unbeknownst to him, a gray figure was silently following him hundreds of meters behind.
The figure moved with incredible speed, yet with remarkable lightness and stability, using the rocks and trees along the way as cover. Each step felt like walking on soft cotton, without causing the slightest disturbance.
"Go further away, away from the Azure Profound Sect, before you make your move!"
Yi Three's unremarkable eyes were fixed on Fang Han, who was sitting on Redfire's back, as he silently calculated the distance and timing.
As the third-ranked assassin among the Dark Abyss's Class B assassins, his cultivation level had already reached the Breakthrough Level 2.
With his superb Breath Concealment Secret Technique and mastery of Sword Intent, his combat strength far surpasses that of a martial artist who Break Three Passes.
Even though Fang Han displayed combat power comparable to a martial artist who Break Three Passes at the Martial Arts Tournament, he was confident that he could successfully assassinate Fang Han.
The only concern is that being too close to the Azure Profound Sect Azure Profound Sect might alert their grandmaster, allowing them to kill their target but not escape unscathed.
He followed Fang Han silently like a lurking viper, waiting for the perfect moment to deliver the fatal blow.
An hour passed.
Two hours passed.
As the sun rises higher, the morning coolness is replaced by the heat of early summer.
The fields on both sides of the official road gradually thinned out, replaced by rolling hills and sparse woodlands.
Redfire had traveled hundreds of miles, its breathing still steady, but its crimson mane shone like a burning flame in the sunlight.
Fang Han sat cross-legged on the lion's back, maintaining the minimum operation of the < Nether Guide >.
Along the way, all they encountered were ordinary passersby, the strongest of whom were only at the Middle Third Grade rank, and there was nothing unusual about them.
His mind gradually relaxed a bit.
Just then--
An extremely faint, almost imperceptible aura, like a fine needle, suddenly appeared in his perception.
The aura was extremely faint, so faint that it was almost imperceptible.
It was like a candle flame that was almost extinguished, swaying precariously in the wind, yet never completely going out.
'Um?'
Fang Han's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.
With the keen senses of the Nether Guide, he only realized something was amiss when someone approached him so closely.
What chilled him even more was that, although the aura was faint, it carried an indescribable danger.
Cold and condensed, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows.
'He's a master!'
Fang Han's hand silently rested on the hilt of the Cloudsplitter Sword at his waist.
He didn't turn around, didn't react in any unusual way, and maintained his previous posture.
However, the Dark Green Internal Qi of the < Greenwood Poison-Avoidance Scripture > within his body had already quietly accelerated its circulation, and the energy circulation method of the Perfection Realm < Wind God Step > was ready to be unleashed.
"We've been discovered!"
Dozens of meters away, Yi Three's ordinary eyes narrowed slightly.
Although Fang Han appeared extremely calm, he still noticed something was amiss.
As an experienced assassin, he could judge whether he had been exposed from the target's subtle reactions, such as the frequency of breathing, the tension in his shoulders, and the movement of his hands.
From the moment he started, Fang Han's reactions were exactly the same as before, seemingly without him noticing anything amiss.
But he noticed that Fang Han's breathing rate had changed, and his hand was abnormally reaching for the sword at his waist.
"Take action immediately!"
Yi Three made a decision in his heart.
He didn't know how Fang Han had noticed, but that didn't matter anymore.
Now that we are far from the Azure Profound Sect, and our whereabouts have been exposed, we should launch an assassination now.
"Whoosh--!"
Yi Three moved.
His aura, which he had been suppressing to the extreme, erupted like a volcano at this moment!
As a martial artist who had broken through the second level, he poured his immense Internal Qi into his legs without reservation. The ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked, and he moved like a gray lightning bolt, instantly traversing a distance of tens of meters.
quick!
Incredibly fast!
It moved so fast that only a blurry afterimage remained in the air!
At the same time, he gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist with his right hand.
"Clang--!"
The longsword was drawn, its sharp, piercing sound like a venomous snake spitting its tongue.
The sword was entirely silver-gray in color, as thin as a cicada's wing, and incomparably sharp.
In the next instant, the Swift Sword Intent erupted without reservation!
A silver-white sword light suddenly condensed on the sword, like a white lightning bolt Void Sundering.
The longsword thrust out.
This sword strike was so fast that it exceeded the limits of what the naked eye could perceive.
The sword light transformed into a straight, thin white line, silently slicing towards Fang Han's throat.
Where the sword's edge passed, a clear white streak was torn through the air, lingering for a long time.
From the moment the attack erupted to the moment the sword was drawn, the entire process took no more than half a breath.
This sword strike embodied all the experience he had gained in his more than ten years of assassination career—fast, accurate, and ruthless, without any fancy variations, only the purest and most lethal blow.
Fang Han's pupils suddenly contracted the moment Yi Three unleashed his power.
He was already on guard, and when Yi Three thrust his sword at him, his right hand, which was on the hilt of the sword, tightened suddenly.
"Clang--!"
The Cloudsplitter Sword was drawn in response, its Dark Cyan blade gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the sunlight.
The < Great Void Wind God Sword > was unleashed without reservation.
The Middle-Grade Artistic Conception Sword Technique at the Beginner stage level allows the Wind Sword Intent to condense onto the sword in an unprecedented way.
A horizontal slash.
The Cloudsplitter Sword transformed into a streak of azure-gold light, precisely meeting the silver-white sword light.
"Clang--!!!"
The two swords clashed, unleashing a deafening clang of metal against metal!
The sound was so powerful, it was like a giant hammer slamming into an anvil.
A visible shockwave spread wildly outwards from the point of impact.
The trees on both sides of the official road were swept by the shockwave, their crowns swaying violently and countless branches and leaves falling down.
Several pine trees, as thick as a bowl, that were close together were snapped in half by the shockwave, sending splinters flying everywhere.
The pebbles and dust on the ground were swirled up, forming a murky ripple in mid-air that spread in all directions.
Redfire let out a deep roar, its massive body being pushed to the side by the shockwave, its four Juzhua carving deep claw marks into the ground.