Robbery and murder.
Ouyang Lie uttered two words, "Don't send the Great Emperor, don't make a big fuss, find a few skilled assassins to intercept him deep in the No Man's Land."
"Once we get the Immortal Seed, we can just find some Dark Remnant Spirit to take the blame, and who can trace it back to us?"
Tang Xuantian nodded slowly. "That makes sense. As long as there's no evidence, even if the Lin Clan suspects it was us, they can't do anything about it."
Jin Wudao was silent for a moment. "Whom should I send?"
Ouyang Lie said, " The Seven Kills Hall."
The moment that name was uttered, the atmosphere inside the hall noticeably changed.
Jin Wudao frowned even more deeply. " The Seven Kills Hall isn't someone anyone can just hire; the price they pay for their services is not low."
"No matter the cost, it's better than the Immortal Seed falling into the Lin Clan's hands," Ouyang Lie said confidently. "I've already sent people to make contact. As long as the price is right, they won't refuse."
Tang Xuantian glanced at him. "You're that confident?"
Ouyang Lie's lips curled slightly. "Because I've already had someone pass on the news of Lin Dong's appearance on the Mysterious Pass Ancient Road to that person."
"That one?" Tang Xuantian and Jin Wudao exchanged a glance, their pupils shrinking slightly at the same time.
"That guy's patience is probably nearing its limit too." Ouyang Lie picked up the teacup on the table and took a small sip. " Lin Dong created such a huge mess back then, do you really think anyone here at Emperor Pass has forgotten?"
The hall was silent for a few moments, then Jin Wudao slowly spoke, "Then let's do it this way."
On the three stone chairs, three figures fell silent, their gazes meeting in the void, like three knives that had been sharpened for a long time, finally reaching the same direction.
On the other side.
A completely black palace floated in the void north of the Emperor Pass.
The palace was surrounded by layers of dark mist, like living snakes slowly swimming in the void.
There were no lights inside the hall, only a few eerie green flames flickering on the walls.
The man in black robes sat in the main seat and listened to the news from his subordinates.
The three emperors were defeated and retreated. Lin Dong's Dharma body appeared, and nearly half of the Mysterious Pass Ancient Road collapsed.
He was silent for a moment, his tone unreadable. " Lin Dong is indeed still alive, and incredibly strong."
Below the stage, the gray-robed cultivator whispered, "My lord, the three clans have already sent people to contact the Seven Kills Hall."
The man in black robes scoffed, "Useless trash, more trouble than they're worth. We might as well hope the Immortal Seed grows legs and runs over here on its own."
He raised his hand and tapped the armrest lightly with his fingertips, making a dull sound, "Go and send a message to that guy, tell him to find a way to hold off Lin Dong's main body."
"Furthermore, inform our people that they don't need to wait for the Seven Kills Hall; they should act first."
The gray-robed monk hesitated for a moment. "Should our people strike first? Won't that expose us?"
"Exposure?" The man in black robes slowly raised his eyes, his dark red eyes flickering slightly in the eerie green firelight. His tone was icy. "What does it matter if we're exposed once we have the Immortal Seed?"
The gray-robed monk dared not ask any more questions and bowed as he withdrew.
Inside the hall, only the man in black robes remained, sitting alone in the main seat, his gaze piercing through layers of black mist as he looked towards the direction of the Emperor Pass city gate.
" The Lin Clan son... a mere ant at the Quasi-Emperor Realm, dares to covet Immortal Seed?"
He muttered to himself, a cold smile curving his lips, "The waters of the Emperor Pass run very deep. Someone as junior as you shouldn't even bother coming in."
On the other side, deep within the Mysterious Pass Ancient Road.
Lin Fan was unaware that the Emperor Pass had prepared more than one assassination plot for him.
He was walking steadily along the ancient road.
The surrounding fog was thicker than before, and a faint, sweet, fishy smell filled the air, as if something was watching him from the shadows.
His Double Pupils lit up slightly, and a purple-gold light flashed through the mist.
He sensed something was amiss.
It wasn't one of the three races, nor was it an ambush from the Emperor Pass. Instead, it was a completely unfamiliar aura, extremely restrained and secretive, like a snake lurking in the shadows, slowly swimming towards him.
"Interesting. It seems more than one group wants to kill me."
Lin Fan said in a low voice, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Heh heh, just right. I've just warmed up, haven't had enough fun yet."
He didn't stop walking, but the Chaos Qi had already silently flowed around him, and the three streams of immortal Immortal Qi, like three dormant dragons, were slowly awakening deep in his dantian.
Ahead of the ancient road, the gray mist suddenly surged violently, as if stirred up from within by something.
A figure emerged from the mist.
Dressed in black, wearing black boots, with a blurred face, he was shrouded in a very faint layer of dark laws, making him look like a knife immersed in shadow.
There was no breath, no killing intent, and not even a sound of footsteps could be heard.
People from the Seven Kills Hall.
Lin Fan stopped and looked at the figure, the corners of his mouth widening even more. "Oh, work's here?"
The assassin in black didn't speak, but simply raised his hand, and an extremely thin black line shot out from his fingertip, silently, like a needle emerging from the shadows, aimed straight at Lin Fan's throat.
Lin Fan did not dodge.
He raised two fingers and gently pinched them together.
The black line stopped at his fingertips, like a snake whose vital point was being pinched. After struggling for a moment, it turned into a wisp of black mist and dissipated.
That's it?
Lin Fan tilted his head. "Who sent you?"
The black-clad assassin's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
He had thought this attack would at least throw Lin Fan into a bit of a panic, but the opponent didn't even lift an eyelid before crushing his killing move with just two fingers.
Without saying much, he blurred into five afterimages, simultaneously flanking Lin Fan from different angles.
Each afterimage carried genuine killing intent and attack, like five swords drawn simultaneously, sealing off all of Lin Fan's escape routes.
Lin Fan laughed. "That's more like it!"
Three streams of Immortal Qi lit up simultaneously, and Chaos Qi surged out of his body like a tide, condensing into a gray-gold light screen around him.
The five afterimages crashed into the light screen, shattering as if they had struck an unshakeable mountain wall.
The true killing move only arrives the instant the final afterimage shatters.
A thin, black sword tip emerged silently from the shadow beneath Lin Fan's feet, aiming precisely for his back.
That was the real killing move; the five afterimages in front were just bait.
The tip of the sword was only three inches from Lin Fan's back.
Then it stopped.
A hand formed from Chaos Qi emerged from behind Lin Fan and precisely grasped the blade of the black short sword.
The black-clad assassin's pupils finally showed a clear change. His figure emerged from the shadows, his sword-wielding wrist gripped tightly by the chaotic hand, leaving him unable to move forward or backward.
Lin Fan turned around, looking down at him with a hint of amusement in his voice. "You said you hid it so well, but you insisted on coming out to deliver it."
The assassin in black gritted his teeth, trying to unleash the power of the laws to break free.
But the Chaos Qi was like a compressed cage, locking his entire body tightly.
His voice was hoarse, filled with disbelief. "You... how could you possibly sense that attack?"
Lin Fan patted his shoulder, his tone serious. "Because of my Double Pupils, I can even see the fluctuations of the laws within your shadow clearly."
Black-clad assassin. "..."
He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Lin Fan released his grip, Chaos Qi suddenly tightened, freezing the black-clad assassin in place, unable to move. "Alright, if you want to kill me, send someone more professional."
"Someone of your skill level, I'll kill one if they come, and two if they come."
"As for you, be more careful in your next life!"
The assassin in black turned completely pale.
Lin Fan simply raised his foot, as if kicking a stone, and the black-clad assassin was kicked into a bloody mist.
"Next."