Whoosh-
Rain poured down in torrents, and the thick stench of blood filled the air. Yu Huatian held the Three-Pronged Sword, his gaze icy as he stared at the five dark figures around him.
To his left stood an old man in a heavy cloak, holding two blazing sabers, looking for all the world like a wandering street magician. To his right was a slender figure with a black gauze veil and a thin sword. Behind him stood a burly man in black with his arms folded, alongside a woman in blue who held a longsword and possessed an exceptionally seductive beauty.
The final figure stood before him, masked and clad in black robes, also holding a longsword. Of them all, he posed the greatest threat to Yu Huatian.
"Black Stone!"
"Colorful Performer Lian Sheng, Drizzle, Lei Bin, Ye Zhanqing..."
Yu Huatian swept his gaze over the four around him before fixing it on the black-robed man ahead. His expression was cold. "Wheel King?"
"You have a keen eye, Eunuch Yu. To think you even investigated our identities so thoroughly."
The black-robed man spoke in a hoarse voice, effectively admitting his identity.
Clearly, he was Black Stone's infamous leader, the Wheel King.
Black Stone had made its name before Heavenly Venerable. Both took money to carry out commissions, but Black Stone was far more mysterious than Heavenly Venerable.
Over the years, people had often died at the hands of Black Stone assassins, including martial arts experts and high-ranking court officials. Yet no one had ever known the assassins' true identities. They could only judge whether Black Stone was responsible from the techniques used. The most terrifying of them all was Black Stone's top assassin, Drizzle.
Now that Yu Huatian had identified the Wheel King and the other Black Stone assassins at a glance, they were naturally somewhat startled.
But once the Wheel King considered Yu Huatian's identity, his surprise faded.
After all, gathering intelligence was also the West Depot's greatest specialty.
"Who sent you to kill me?"
Yu Huatian's voice was cold.
He did not know when his identity had been exposed.
But Black Stone had clearly laid this trap specifically for him, intending to kill him.
The Wheel King chuckled softly, though his voice was harsh and grating. "You occupy an important position, Eunuch Yu, and you've offended far too many people. There are plenty who want you dead. Black Stone alone has received several commissions to assassinate you."
"Some came from the court, others from the martial world. Would you like to know who they were?"
Yu Huatian said impassively, "If this wasn't the first commission you've received to assassinate me, yet you've never acted, that means you lacked the ability to kill me. Now that you dare make your move, I imagine there must be more than just the five of you."
"Whoever else is here, come out!"
As his words fell, the scene abruptly went still.
Looking at Yu Huatian's calm, indifferent face, the Wheel King shook his head with a sigh. "They say you're meticulous and astute, Eunuch Yu. You certainly live up to your reputation!"
As he spoke, the Wheel King turned to glance into the distance. "Since Eunuch Yu has already noticed, come out. At least let him understand why he's dying."
Tap, tap-
Footsteps rang clearly through the rain as five figures slowly approached from beneath a distant sand dune.
Yu Huatian turned to look, and murderous intent suddenly surged in his eyes. "Murong Fu, you're courting death!"
Four of the figures strolling through the rain were none other than Murong Fu and his three remaining retainers.
The last was dressed much like the Wheel King, holding a longsword and wearing a black robe that even covered her head, obscuring her face. Her build was somewhat more slender than his, suggesting she was a woman.
"It's you!"
By then, Zhao Tong and Ding Xiu had gathered at Yu Huatian's sides. When Zhao Tong saw the black-robed woman's attire clearly, he immediately sensed something familiar about her.
This black-robed figure was the unfamiliar woman who had followed them through Dragon Gate City the day before.
Yu Huatian also looked at the black-robed woman. Back in Dragon Gate City yesterday, he had sensed murderous intent directed at him from her, but he had not paid it much heed then, wanting to avoid drawing attention.
He had not expected her to have joined forces with Black Stone.
Unless he was mistaken, she must also know his true identity. She likely had a hand in Black Stone's attempt to kill him as well.
"Yu Huatian, today is the day you die!"
The black-robed woman's voice was icy, her eyes holding a trace of bone-deep murderous intent and hatred.
Murong Fu held a folding fan. Dressed in white with his hair bound up, his tall, slender figure gave him the air of a graceful young gentleman. Yet his eyes were equally filled with murderous intent and venom as he looked at Yu Huatian and said:
"To think the mighty director of Ming's West Depot would conceal his identity and mingle with martial artists like us. But did you ever imagine that one day you would die at the hands of the very people you despise most?"
Not long before, upon leaving Yu Huatian's room, he had discovered that the Sun Moon Holy Cult had attacked the inn. Before he could act, however, the black-clad woman beside him had suddenly approached him, revealed Yu Huatian's identity, and invited him to join in surrounding and killing him.
He had personally visited Yu Huatian to seek his friendship, only to be humiliated. Even his subordinate Bao Butong had died at Yu Huatian's hands. He already harbored deep resentment toward Yu Huatian, so when someone else wanted him dead, he had gladly agreed.
The two had hit it off immediately and coordinated with Black Stone to seize this opportunity to eliminate Yu Huatian, leading to the present confrontation.
"You joined forces to kill me while the righteous factions and demonic sects were fighting. Even if word gets out later, the court won't trace it back to you. They'll only believe I died at the Demonic Cult's hands."
"The plan is indeed flawless."
"But for a few minnows like you to think you can kill me-aren't you taking me far too lightly?"
Yu Huatian had now gathered his thoughts, and his expression grew cold once more.
His flawless face held a touch of dominance, confidence, pride, and disdain.
Since his identity had been exposed, he simply stopped hiding it. The commanding arrogance of his body's original owner, who had looked down upon all under heaven, radiated from him once again.
Yu Huatian first fixed his gaze on the greatest threat, the Wheel King, and said coldly, "After today, Black Stone will be no more!"
Whoosh-
A sudden crosswind swept through the rain.
In the blink of an eye, the white-robed swordsman who had seemed like an ordinary wandering martial artist appeared to become an entirely different person.
The ring of a sword leaving its sheath pierced the sky.
They blinked again, and that peerlessly domineering figure had vanished. A bone-chilling arc of sword energy tore through the curtain of rain, striking at the Wheel King like thunder before one could cover one's ears.
An unimaginable dread surged through the Wheel King. His pupils contracted sharply, and only one thought surfaced in his mind: He hid his strength?!
But he had no time to hesitate. With that murderous sword energy already upon him, he flashed aside, twisting through a bizarre arc and narrowly avoiding Yu Huatian's killing strike.
Before he could catch his breath, that icy aura locked onto him again. The Wheel King's expression grew grave. Seizing the moment, he immediately drew his longsword and shouted, "Attack together, or we'll all die!"
Clang-
He needed to say no more. The others had already reacted and brought their weapons into play.
Black Stone's four elite assassins and the black-clad woman beside Murong Fu charged straight at Yu Huatian, joining the Wheel King in surrounding and attacking him.
Murong Fu led his three subordinates in an attempt to intercept Ding Xiu and Zhao Tong.
There was nothing wrong with his plan. In his view, no matter how powerful Yu Huatian was, he would surely die under the combined assault of the Wheel King, Black Stone's four elite assassins, and the black-clad swordswoman whose martial prowess remained a mystery.
He only needed to hold off Yu Huatian's two subordinates and buy time for the Wheel King and the others.
But there was one thing he had failed to account for-
He had underestimated Ding Xiu's strength!
Clang-
Facing Murong Fu's attack, Ding Xiu lost his usual languid expression. A blade flashed through the night, cleaving the curtain of rain as it slashed straight down at Murong Fu's head.
The slash was broad and forceful, with no elaborate technique to speak of.
Japanese Swordsmanship had been created by Qi Jiguang to kill Japanese pirates. It emphasized speed, ferocity, and precision-anything that killed the enemy as quickly as possible would suffice.
The greatest principles were the simplest!
Yet this simple slash made Murong Fu's expression change drastically and his scalp prickle.
Still, he had earned the title Southern Murong in the Great Song Dynasty, and his reputation was not hollow.
In an instant, he swept his folding fan across before him. At the same time, true qi surged within his body, and a strange force flowed out through his fan to block Ding Xiu's slash, redirecting most of its terrifying power. Yet even the small portion that remained was more than he could comfortably bear, forcing him several steps backward.
The strange force nearly knocked the long saber from Ding Xiu's hand. He quickly switched to a two-handed grip and cast a surprised glance at the pale-faced Murong Fu. "The Murong family's Star-Shifting Technique?"
Murong Fu was just about to speak when another powerful, heavy slash appeared before him, accompanied by Ding Xiu's cold snort. "Let's see how many slashes you can redirect..."
Murong Fu nearly cursed aloud. He hurriedly steadied his mind and focused on defending, but within moments, he was struggling again. Taking advantage of a brief pause as Ding Xiu drew breath, he shouted to the side, "He's too strong! One of you, come help me!"
(End of chapter)
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