The Assassination Exposed, All Sides Shaken

Three days later, a piece of news spread swiftly through Heaven Dou City like a stone cast into a tranquil lake.

Yu Tianheng, a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, had spent three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins to hire a level seventy-six Soul Saint assassin through the underground organization Shadow Pavilion, intending to assassinate Lin Chen, a new student at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

The assassin had infiltrated Lin Chen's dormitory at night to carry out the killing, but not only had he failed, he had instead been subdued by Lin Chen.

Afterward, for reasons unknown, the assassin publicly revealed every detail of the affair.

He exposed how Yu Tianheng had contacted Shadow Pavilion, paid the deposit, and signed the contract. Even Yu Tianheng's words—"I want him dead. The more miserably he dies, the better"—were laid bare without omission.

Once the news spread, Heaven Dou Royal Academy erupted.

The cafeteria, classrooms, and training grounds were filled with discussions of the matter.

Some were shocked that Yu Tianheng could do such a thing. Some marveled that Lin Chen had emerged unscathed from a Soul Saint's assassination attempt. Others gleefully waited to see the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan make fools of themselves.

In Yu Tianheng's class, almost no one dared speak to him that day.

Yu Tianheng sat alone in a corner at the back of the classroom, his face as pale as paper.

His hands trembled constantly beneath the desk, and cold sweat covered his forehead. He did not know why things had turned out this way.

That assassin had clearly taken the money. He had clearly promised to complete the job. Why had he turned around and betrayed him?

Yu Tianheng had spent three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins and staked all his possessions, only to receive this result.

He did not dare imagine what would happen once his family heard about it.

How would his father punish him? What would his grandfather think of him? He had utterly disgraced the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

But the first person to confront him was not his family.

The instant Dugu Yan heard the news, she charged straight to Yu Tianheng.

She kicked open the classroom door, ignored the astonished gazes of dozens of students, strode directly up to Yu Tianheng, grabbed him by the collar, and hauled him from his seat.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and towering fury blazed within her dark green slit pupils. It nearly seemed ready to burst from her eye sockets and burn the man before her to ashes.

"Yu Tianheng." Her voice trembled with extreme rage, every word squeezed through clenched teeth. "You actually sent someone to kill him?"

Yu Tianheng's collar was clenched in her fist. His face was deathly pale, his lips quivered, and though he wanted to explain himself, he could not force out a single word.

He had never seen Dugu Yan like this. The Dugu Yan who had always been aloof and indifferent, contemptuous of everything, now resembled a crazed mother leopard, radiating a murderous aura from head to toe.

"If anything had happened to him, I would have made you pay with your life." Dugu Yan spoke word by word, her voice cold and resolute. "I mean it."

She released him, violently shoved him back into his seat, then turned and strode out of the classroom.

The moment she stepped through the door, tears finally spilled from her eyes.

She raised a hand to wipe them away, but more tears surged forth, impossible to stop.

Leaning against the corridor wall, she slowly crouched down, buried her face in her knees, and her shoulders shook.

It was all because of her.

If not for her, Yu Tianheng would not have hated Lin Chen or paid an assassin to kill him. She was the one who had harmed Lin Chen.

Lin Chen had not been injured, but that was because he was strong enough, not because she had done nothing wrong.

What if Lin Chen had not been so strong? What if he had merely been an ordinary student? Would that night's assassination have succeeded? She did not dare think any further.

She cried in the corridor for a long time. Then she stood, wiped away her tears, drew a deep breath, and headed for Lin Chen's dormitory.

She had to see him. Only after seeing with her own eyes that he was safe could she rest easy.

At the same time, Dugu Bo received the news as well.

He was mixing a new poison in his medicine hut when a subordinate rushed in and whispered several words into his ear.

Dugu Bo's movements stopped. He set down the pestle in his hand, slowly turned around, and looked at the subordinate. A chilling glint churned within his golden slit pupils.

"What did you say? Someone hired an assassin to kill Lin Chen?"

"Yes, Master. It was that brat from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Tianheng. He spent three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins to hire a level seventy-six Soul Saint assassin."

Dugu Bo fell silent for a moment, then smiled. That smile was so cold that even the subordinate who had followed him for more than ten years could not help but shiver.

"Good. Very good. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has raised quite the grandson."

Dugu Bo rose and rolled his wrists, his joints cracking. "Yu Tianheng, was it? I may not be able to defeat that old bastard Yu Yuanzhen, but starting tomorrow, I guarantee that everyone in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, from the clan leader to the servants, will have to stay on high alert whenever they leave home. I may not be able to beat Yu Yuanzhen, but I can slaughter every last one of his old, weak, women, and children. Below the rank of Titled Douluo, when I, Dugu Bo, want someone dead, no one can stop me."

He said it as casually as if he were commenting on the pleasant weather, but his subordinate felt a chill run down his spine and hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to respond.

"Go. Keep an eye on every movement within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan," Dugu Bo ordered. "I want to see how they intend to handle this."

Deep within the Heaven Dou City imperial palace, Qian Renxue received the news as well.

She sat before her desk, holding the intelligence report. After reading it, she remained silent for quite some time before placing it over a candle flame and burning it.

She leaned back in her chair, her fingertips lightly tapping the armrest as a meaningful smile curved her lips.

"Yu Tianheng... what an idiot," she murmured. "Hiring an assassin to kill someone who can emerge unharmed from a Soul Saint's attempt on his life? And doing it in such a way? He has completely disgraced the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

She rose and walked to the window, gazing at the blooming autumn chrysanthemums in the courtyard. Her eyes were deep and distant.

The fact that Lin Chen had survived a Soul Saint's assassination unharmed raised her estimation of him even further. As expected, she had not misjudged him.

This young man was far more unfathomable than she had imagined.

And Yu Tianheng's matter might become an opportunity—an opportunity for her to further close the distance between herself and Lin Chen.

"Prepare the carriage," she ordered without looking back. "I'm making a trip to the Royal Academy."

Far away in Spirit City, Bibi Dong also received an intelligence report regarding the matter in the Papal Hall.

She sat upon the Pope's throne, holding the report as her gaze lingered on it for a long time.

Her expression did not change in the slightest. She remained as cold as ice, but the fingers holding the report tightened slightly.

It was one of the rare subtle gestures through which she revealed a fluctuation in her emotions.

"In Heaven Dou City, the direct grandson of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan hired an assassin to kill a twelve-year-old boy?" Bibi Dong's voice echoed through the vast Papal Hall, carrying an unreadable tone. "And that boy is the one holding the Saintess Token?"

She set down the report, fell silent for a moment, then said to the attendant beside her, "Go summon Hu Liena."

The attendant accepted the order and left. Before long, Hu Liena hurried into the Papal Hall.

She wore fitted red combat attire, her long hair tied into a high ponytail. Looking valiant and spirited, she walked before the throne and dropped to one knee. "Teacher, you summoned me?"

"Look at this." Bibi Dong tossed the intelligence report before her.

Hu Liena picked it up and quickly read through it. Her expression changed instantly.

She abruptly looked up, a flash of anxiety and anger appearing in her eyes. "Lin Chen was attacked? Was he injured?"

"The report says he was entirely unharmed and even subdued the Soul Saint assassin."

Bibi Dong's tone remained calm, but her gaze never left Hu Liena's face as she observed her reaction. "You seem very concerned about him."

Hu Liena realized she had lost her composure and hurriedly lowered her head, reining in her expression. "Teacher, he holds the Saintess Token I gave him, so he can be considered an honored guest of Spirit Hall. His safety naturally concerns Spirit Hall's reputation."

Bibi Dong looked at her for a long while before slowly saying, "Handle this matter. Investigate Shadow Pavilion thoroughly. If necessary, uproot it completely. As for Yu Tianheng, let the people of Heaven Dou City know that there is a price to pay for touching a distinguished guest of Spirit Hall."

Hu Liena raised her head, a glimmer flashing in her eyes. "Yes, Teacher!"

She stood and quickly left the Papal Hall. The moment she stepped outside, her expression darkened, and icy killing intent surged in her eyes.

Yu Tianheng, you truly have a death wish. You dared lay a hand on someone I, Hu Liena, have taken an interest in? It seems you do not know how the word "death" is written.