Mo Wentian!

There really hadn't been any experts tailing them.

Shadow Fiend's ghost domain was withdrawn the instant it touched down. If it remained active too long, it would inevitably draw the Demon Suppression Bureau's attention.

"Make your move at the alley ahead."

He waved his hand decisively and gave the order.

Li Yuan seemed remarkably cooperative as well, leisurely turning into a deep, secluded alley.

The Shadow Killers' eyes all lit up. This was a natural killing ground.

"Prepare to act."

Bloodthirsty light glimmered in Shadow Fiend's eyes, as though victory were already in his grasp.

"Boss, could this be a trap?"

From the shadows, a woman's hesitant voice rang out.

"Hmph, so what if there's an ambush? Stop being so suspicious and follow the plan!" Shadow Fiend cut her off impatiently.

"Should we activate the backup plan..." the woman still tried to dissuade him.

"Shut up! Keep babbling and I'll deal with you for disobeying orders!"

Li Yuan had already reached the middle of the alley, and beyond the exit lay a main street. If they delayed any longer, they might miss their chance.

Shadow Fiend gave a sharp command and charged into the alley first. The other shadows no longer hesitated and followed one after another.

Only the woman remained at the alley entrance, hesitating for a moment. Gritting her teeth, she ultimately did not follow at once. Instead, she shrank deeper into the darkness, concealing her aura to the utmost, like ink melting into blackness.

Deep within the alley, Li Yuan seemed to sense that something was wrong. He abruptly stopped and turned to look behind him.

Seven or eight shadows had silently sealed off his retreat, slowly closing in in a crescent formation.

The leader had his face covered by a black scarf, and his scarlet eyes were filled with naked killing intent.

"Who are you people? What do you want?" Li Yuan was shocked and furious. He hurriedly turned around, only to discover that his path ahead had somehow been blocked as well.

"A dying man need not ask so many questions."

The leader sneered. "A level-nine genius? What a pity. Geniuses always die earlier than others."

"If you must blame someone, blame your own bad luck, hahaha..."

He let out two sinister laughs and spread his ghost domain again. After confirming that there was no ambush in the alley, his expression became ever more arrogant.

"You... are from the Demon Race's Dark Pavilion?"

Li Yuan finally seemed to panic, his gaze fixed tightly upon him.

"That's right. To die at the hands of a Dark Pavilion Shadow Killer, you can consider yourself to have died a worthy death."

He could not be bothered to hide it anymore. In his eyes, Li Yuan was nothing but a corpse now.

"Dark Pavilion?"

Li Yuan suddenly smiled. The young man who had just been flustered and terrified now exuded a calm, unhurried composure.

His gaze swept lightly across the Shadow Killers, and he gave a dismissive snort. "You don't look like much. Just a pack of petty rats that sneak around stealing chickens and dogs."

"You..."

Shadow Fiend felt his eyelids twitch wildly. By now, he had realized that he had been tricked.

But there was no turning back. Ferocity flared in his eyes as he shouted sharply.

"Attack! End this quickly!"

As he shouted, he was already lunging at Li Yuan. A pair of short spikes gleaming with cold, ghostly blue light in his hands shot straight for Li Yuan's heart.

"Hehe, the Dark Pavilion's scum really has remained shameless for decades."

At the same time, a lazy female voice drifted down from above.

"You've followed us all the way. Tired, aren't you? Come, let me buy you a drink."

On the rooftop opposite, a slovenly figure holding a wine gourd revealed himself. At this utterly inappropriate moment, he even let out a leisurely drunken belch. A mouthful of wine sprayed forth, pouring down with peerless killing intent.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A dense series of impacts rang out. Though it was wine, the softest and weakest of things, it made the sound of metal striking metal.

Shadow Fiend's vicious attack could not advance even a fraction further, stopping less than an inch before Li Yuan.

His other subordinates screamed miserably, each coughing up blood as they were hurled backward.

The might of a single move was so wondrous that Li Yuan's eyes shone repeatedly with amazement.

As expected of a major figure in the Essence Condensation Realm. With qi to wield against enemies, all things could become mighty weapons.

Shadow Fiend abruptly raised his head. His scarlet eyes locked onto the man as he ground out each word through clenched teeth.

"Mo Wentian!"

Seeing this Mo Butcher, who had once ridden alone into the Sacred Clan, his heart turned cold. He knew that no matter what happened today, the mission could not be completed.

"And there's us."

A crisp girl's laugh came from the alley entrance. Yu Ling'er strode in with her sword in hand, followed by Shen Lian, Wu Yu, and four others.

Every one of them was high-spirited and eager to try, their eyes brimming with excitement for the coming battle.

On the other side, Chu Yunhe held a spear and led another six classmates, sealing off the escape route.

All twelve members of Pivot Star Class were here, not one missing. They had long been lying in ambush.

Shadow Fiend's eyes nearly split apart. The exquisite ambush he had thought placed him in control of everything had turned out to be a joke from beginning to end.

"I thought the Demon Race's Dark Pavilion would be something impressive. Turns out you're just a bunch of clowns leaping on a stage."

Li Yuan chuckled. With a flick of his wrist, a black dagger that glimmered with dark light appeared in his palm.

"Kill them! Fight them to the death!"

Knowing that death was inevitable this time, Shadow Fiend became even more vicious in his despair. With a furious roar, he prepared to stake everything on one desperate fight.

"Stubborn beyond redemption."

Liu Hongyan snorted coldly and went straight for Shadow Fiend. Yet she said, "Mr. Mo, please hold the line. Let these little rats give the children a proper spar."

"No problem."

Mr. Mo answered lazily. He remained seated on the rooftop, taking occasional sips of wine, but an invisible aura had already quietly enveloped the entire scene.

"Pivot Star Class practical combat drill, begin!"

At Liu Hongyan's command, the youths of Pivot Star Class could no longer suppress the blazing battle intent in their chests. They answered in unison, "Yes!"

The battle erupted in an instant!

Shen Lian, Chu Yunhe, and the other main fighters charged at the Shadow Killer members first. Zhou Mo excelled at calculation, while Shadow excelled at sneak attacks, so the two chose to harass the enemy by catching them off guard.

Meanwhile, Jin Duoduo led the remaining two to circle around the perimeter, using ropes and hidden weapons to interfere and prevent anyone from escaping.

The alley was narrow, making small-scale coordination and individual martial skill all the more crucial.

Though Pivot Star Class was slightly weaker in cultivation, their cooperation had grown increasingly seamless after being tempered in the assessment battle. With Zhou Mo's rapid analysis and guidance, they actually forced the Shadow Killer members into a frantic scramble, leaving them beset by danger at every turn.

The battle on Liu Hongyan's side ended even faster.

Her sword never even left its sheath. Relying only on her bare palms, she moved like drifting smoke, yet her palm force was as heavy as mountains. Within ten moves, Shadow Fiend's two most capable subordinates were already vomiting blood and collapsing to the ground.

Shadow Fiend alone remained, desperately resisting. But under the absolute suppression of strength, he endured only five more moves before a palm struck his chest. His breastbone shattered, and he crumpled to the ground.

The sudden eruption of true qi fluctuations finally alerted the nearby night-patrol martial officers.

Before long, a squad of soldiers wearing the Demon Suppression Bureau's dark light armor rushed to the alley entrance.

The captain leading them was Chen Shuo, who had once presided over the Spirit Awakening Ceremony.

Seeing the scene inside the alley, he frowned, his hand already pressing down on his sword hilt. But when he recognized Mr. Mo drinking atop the roof, he let go.

Liu Hongyan turned to him and gave a slight nod. "Captain Chen, Pivot Star Class of Divine Martial Academy is encircling and suppressing Dark Pavilion assassins here."

"I ask that the Demon Suppression Bureau brothers stand guard around the perimeter. Let not a single one escape, and do not allow any idle bystanders to approach."

Chen Shuo waved his hand, signaling his soldiers to retreat and spread out into defensive positions, firmly sealing off the surrounding area.

"Please proceed, Instructor Liu."

Chen Shuo spoke in a deep voice, folding his arms as he watched coldly from the side.

With those two here, there was no need for them to intervene. This was perfect—it would let these academy geniuses, who held their heads so high, see what true bloodshed looked like.