Chapter 139: Peach Blossom Allure

Thick, dark blood gushed from the mouth of the limit-breaking martial artist.

With a dull thud, he collapsed to the ground. Around his neck, vivid, lifelike peach blossoms began to bloom upon his skin.

"Peach blossom patterns, vibrant and deep—this is the lethal 'Peach Blossom Venom,'" someone nearby exclaimed in horror.

"Peach Blossom Venom is the signature poison of the Dark Moon assassin organization. It is said that once poisoned, it corrodes the internal organs; not even a Martial Marquis can endure it for long."

"There are assassins from the Dark Moon organization here!"

The crowd was thrown into a state of panic. Many immediately distanced themselves from those around them, fearing that anyone nearby might be an operative of the Dark Moon.

No one had seen who struck the blow—not even Lu Yan.

He scanned the seven or eight figures surrounding him. The assailant’s technique was incredibly skillful and discreet, and because the strike came from behind him, he could not pinpoint the culprit.

"The Dark Moon organization? Did Zhao Yi hire them?" Lu Yan pondered.

He recalled the female assassin he had encountered in Qingyang City, who had once tried to pose as a member of the Dark Moon to intimidate him. He never expected to run into the real organization today, and with the intent to kill him. In Lingwang City, he could think of no one other than Zhao Yi who would hire the Dark Moon to eliminate him.

But he had already disguised his appearance; he no longer looked like Lu Ren. How had they found him?

"Could they have targeted me when I met with Zhao Sirong?" Lu Yan speculated.

He had met with Zhao Sirong twice this month, primarily to inquire about Zhao Yi’s movements and the activities of the monsters. It was only during those times that he had shown his face as Lu Ren, making it possible for him to be tracked. The Dark Moon organization was terrifying; if he did not remain flawless, he would never escape their pursuit.

*Swish!*

Lu Yan swung his blade, decapitating a lunging monster, his eyes never leaving the group of seven or eight. Only they had been in a position to strike. Among them, there was certainly one, perhaps two, assassins from the Dark Moon.

He had to flush the killer out. Otherwise, like a ghost in the night, they would keep their eyes fixed on him. If he showed even the slightest flaw, they would seize the chance for a fatal strike.

The Peach Blossom Venom chilled even Lu Yan. The fact that it could directly attack and corrode internal organs meant his Vajra Indestructible Body was useless against it; one dose would mean death. Only Grandmasters began to develop and reinforce the potential of their internal organs.

*Whoosh!*

Suddenly, Lu Yan moved, slashing his blade at a middle-aged man. He had not noticed anything unusual about the man; this was a probe to force the killer’s hand.

"What are you doing?" The man cried out in alarm, raising his sword to block.

He was only a first-level Martial Marquis and could not withstand Lu Yan’s attack. As the blades clashed, he was sent flying like a bolt of lightning, crashing onto the ground. Lu Yan pressed forward, his Scarlet Blood Blade sweeping toward the man’s neck. The man’s face turned pale with despair.

*Swish!*

The blade stopped just inches from the man’s neck. The icy edge gave him goosebumps, and cold sweat streamed down his face.

"Not this one." Lu Yan frowned, pushed off the ground, and swung his blade toward another person.

But that person was only a limit-breaking martial artist, falling to the ground after a single blow. Lu Yan couldn't be bothered to probe him further and turned his attention to a third.

This man let out a low growl, his skin turning a metallic gold, resembling a bronze statue.

"Vajra Body." Lu Yan was startled. It was his first time encountering someone else who practiced the Vajra Body. However, the Vajra Body was a widely circulated second-rate martial art, so it was not unusual to run into someone who knew it. This man was also a Martial Marquis, though his primary discipline was a hammer technique, which the Vajra Body enhanced.

He swung a large hammer at Lu Yan, colliding with his blade. With a clang, the man stumbled backward.

"Stop this madness! I am not with the Dark Moon!" the man roared.

But Lu Yan remained unmoved, his blade cutting through the air toward the man’s throat. Despite being a fourth-level Martial Marquis, the man could not withstand Lu Yan’s assault. Within a few moves, Lu Yan’s blade rested against his heart. The man stood there, dripping with cold sweat and deathly pale, yet he never resorted to any other martial arts.

Lu Yan’s face remained cold as he moved to probe the next person. In the end, he tested all seven or eight of them, yet found no suspicious individuals.

"Should I just kill them all?" Lu Yan’s eyes glinted with a murderous light as he considered the possibility.

"What are you doing? In such dire times, you’re killing each other?" A roar came from the city wall. A burly figure glared down at them in anger.

Lu Yan knew he couldn't kill them; there were too many witnesses. If he slaughtered people indiscriminately, the Grandmasters would likely execute him as someone possessed by a monster.

*Swish!*

Lu Yan utilized his footwork and headed toward the Northern District. Moving at full speed, he soon vanished from sight.

After running for several miles and distancing himself from the battlefield, he reached the border between the Northern and Western districts. The area was quiet, with ordinary people huddled in their homes, afraid to venture out. Lu Yan suddenly flickered into an alleyway, leaped onto a rooftop like a cat, and lay motionless.

The Dark Moon assassin had failed once and would not give up. They would surely follow him, waiting for another chance to strike. Whoever followed him here was the assassin.

Time passed in silence.

After the duration of an incense stick, a figure emerged, clinging to the shadows of the buildings and moving like a phantom toward the Northern District. Silent and soundless, the person seemed to blend into the darkness. Had Lu Yan not been watching with total concentration, he would have missed them.

Soon, the figure drew near.

"It’s him." Lu Yan’s heart stirred.

It was the gaunt old man, one of the original group. Lu Yan had tested him earlier—a third-level Martial Marquis who had shown no flaws, nearly being killed by Lu Yan's probe.

The distance between them closed—one hundred meters, fifty, twenty.

When they were only ten meters apart, Lu Yan pounced like a giant bird, his pitch-black Scarlet Blood Blade slicing through the void with a mournful whistle. The gaunt old man was clearly caught off guard and swung his blade to block.

*Clang!*

The old man retreated violently. "Hold, brother! It’s a misunderstanding!" he cried.

Lu Yan’s eyes were cold and filled with murderous intent. He swung his blade in a continuous, lightning-fast barrage. The old man used his footwork to retreat, but he could not escape Lu Yan’s onslaught.

Realizing he couldn't fool Lu Yan, a grim light flashed in the old man's eyes. He threw his long blade at Lu Yan and lunged forward at incredible speed. Mid-lunge, a thin, flexible sword sprang from his sleeve. It vibrated with a sharp, hissing sound, squirming like a snake as it changed angles to strike at Lu Yan.

Lu Yan stared unblinkingly at the old man, focusing not just on the sword but on every part of his body. This was a terrifying assassin; his methods were not limited to the blade—every part of his body was a weapon.

He swatted the thrown blade aside and tilted his Scarlet Blood Blade upward.

*Clang!*

He struck the old man’s sword edge accurately, but the weapon was incredibly flexible. It bent into an arc, and the tip whipped toward Lu Yan’s throat. Lu Yan retreated a step, dodging the tip, but the old man flicked his wrist, twisting the sword around to stab at Lu Yan’s chest.

As he lunged, a shower of black needles, thin as ox hair, shot out from his sleeve toward Lu Yan’s face.

Facing the crisis, Lu Yan did not panic. He retreated sharply, his left hand rising as his fingers bloomed like a lotus. With a series of *ding* sounds, he deflected all dozens of needles. The sword thrust at his chest was naturally avoided as well.

"A fifth-level Martial Marquis assassin—you really do think highly of me," Lu Yan said, his expression darkening.

He engaged his bone-strengthening power, pushed off with both feet, and charged the gaunt old man, slashing down. The strike had no fancy flourishes; it was fast—fast to the extreme.

The old man dared not block it head-on and dodged to the side. Lu Yan twisted his body, following him closely, and slashed again, forcing the old man to meet him blade-to-blade. Their speed was blinding; in the blink of an eye, they had shifted positions a dozen times without a single strike connecting.

*Bang!*

Lu Yan kicked off the ground again, gripping his blade with both hands. Man and blade seemed to fuse into one. In the dark night, only a flash of steel could be seen. The old man’s pupils contracted; he pushed off a nearby wall with one foot and drifted backward several meters. Lu Yan’s strike missed, burying his blade deep into the wall.

"Die!" Lu Yan shouted, ripping his blade free and cleaving the entire wall in half. Countless shards of stone erupted like rain, whistling through the air toward the old man like bullets.

The gaunt old man, lacking any hard-body cultivation, dared not take the hit and was forced to use his flexible sword to deflect the debris.

*Opportunity!*

Lu Yan surged forward again, slashing diagonally.

*Clang!*

This time, the old man could not dodge and was forced to block with his sword. As the blades collided, Lu Yan’s full bone-strengthening power erupted. The old man’s body shuddered violently, and he stumbled backward, his sword-wielding arm trembling as beads of blood seeped through his skin.

Lu Yan would never miss such a chance. His blade technique became like a raging storm, accompanied by the rumble of thunder. This was the essence of the Nine-Slash Divine Thunder Blade; once unleashed, the momentum rolled like a tide, wave after wave, each stronger than the last.

Having lost the initiative, the old man was completely engulfed by the blade’s momentum, able only to parry. After several more collisions, the old man’s body twitched as if electrocuted. He retreated constantly, his face flushed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

*Hiss!*

With a flick of his hand, he fired another volley of black needles. Lu Yan spun his blade, blocking them all, and then brought his weapon down in a vertical strike.

The old man blocked with his sword, but the overwhelming power forced his legs to buckle, and he knelt on the ground with a thud.

*Pfft!*

The gaunt old man spat a mouthful of blood directly into Lu Yan’s face—and within the blood, there was a plume of black smoke.

Poison gas!