Chapter 79: Midnight Assassination

Night fell over the Crimson Robe Manor. A shadow, ghost-like, appeared on the training grounds. Cold, spectral eyes swept the surroundings.

“Hong Guan, that traitor, stole the sacred ritual for communing with martial spirits from our order and fled to such a remote place. It took me quite some time to track him down.”

“No matter how fast you run, you can’t escape the grasp of the Holy Order.”

The figure muttered in a raspy voice, grating like metal scraping metal.

He was an old man, his face pale and beardless, sallow features accentuated by a wild mane of white hair tumbling carelessly down his back.

His nose twitched as he murmured, “There’s a faint trace of Hong Guan’s scent here, very faint—likely left by someone frequently exposed to Hong Guan’s magic. Whoever it is, they’ve definitely had contact with him. If I find this person, I may uncover Hong Guan’s whereabouts.”

With that, he reached behind his head, parting his tangled hair to reveal a ghastly, pallid face. Its twisted features oozed malice, eyes glinting with ferocity.

A chilling chuckle escaped the face at the back of his head, like a midnight specter. It bared two rows of jagged, razor-sharp teeth.

His nose twitched again, and the old man’s gaze shifted toward the Liu family’s bloodline territory. “Over there. Found you.”

He was about to leave the Crimson Robe Manor when two figures leapt in from outside, crossing paths with him. Eyes widened as they stared at each other.

“Friend, are you here to fish in troubled waters as well? We mind our own business—let’s not interfere with each other,” said one of the masked men.

They were from a certain gang in Longwind City. In their line of work, their senses were keen. When all the Crimson Robe Guards withdrew in a single day, leaving only a garrison around the Liu bloodline, they sensed something was amiss. A storm was brewing; two great clans were about to clash.

When gods wage war, mere mortals suffer. They had no intention of lingering in Longwind City, but before leaving, they wanted to pocket some loot. The abandoned Crimson Robe Manor was an ideal target.

They assumed the old man was a fellow scavenger.

The cold voice came again, though the old man’s mouth remained unmoving: “Unlucky for you to meet me tonight, because—I’m hungry.”

Horror swept over the two; they retreated cautiously, but it was already too late.

The old man’s figure vanished like a phantom. With a sickening squelch, his withered hand pierced one man’s chest, extracting his heart. He brought it to the mouth of the face at the back of his head, which opened wide and devoured the heart in a single bite, chewing as blood dripped.

“Monster… demon…” The other man’s courage shattered. He turned to flee, but the old man seized his throat and lifted him effortlessly. He struggled frantically, but despite his formidable cultivation, he was helpless as a chick in the old man’s grip.

The ghastly face bit savagely into his neck. His complexion rapidly drained of color, skin shriveling as all vitality was drawn away. He became nothing but a dried corpse.

“At last, I’m not so hungry,” the chilling voice intoned, as the pallid face retreated beneath the tangled hair.

The old man frowned, huffed coldly, and with a flicker, vanished into the darkness toward the Liu bloodline’s domain.

…

Three days later.

A deep, moonless night. The wind whispered through the darkness.

Whoosh!

Bang!

Suddenly, a meteor shot skyward, exploding into a shower of sparks.

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!” The urgent cries tore through the night and echoed far into the distance.

Lu Yan, Murong Kai, Wang Lin, and the rest of the Seventh Squad were all shaken, their blood surging as they prepared for battle.

“They’re here,” Murong Kai shouted.

More than a dozen shadows ripped through the night, rushing forward—some wielding spears, others knives, some with bare fists.

The foremost attackers moved with incredible speed. One hurled his spear, which tore through the air straight at Murong Kai.

Murong Kai’s blade was already drawn; he swung with all his might. The clash rang out, forcing Murong Kai back three steps, but he managed to block the spear.

Yet the lead assailants were already upon them.

Slash!

A blade flashed. The head of a Crimson Robe Guard soared high, severed in a single stroke.

Murong Kai engaged two powerful enemies at once.

A chorus of screams erupted as the battle raged. The attackers were well-prepared, their ranks filled with elite warriors. Among them, three had broken through five cultivation limits—far beyond what the Crimson Robe Guards could withstand.

The Guards were slaughtered relentlessly.

“Wang Lin, stay by my side,” Lu Yan stepped forward, landing to Wang Lin’s right, striking with his palm to send a four-limit brute flying. He drew his blade with his left hand, cleaving another four-limit master in two.

Within moments, only Murong Kai, Lu Yan, and Wang Lin remained from the eleven Guards; the rest lay dead in pools of blood.

Cannon fodder!

The Liu family had stationed them on the perimeter as nothing more than sacrifices for early warning.

“Lu Yan, save me! Help me—please!” Murong Kai cried in terror from nearby.

He was surrounded by three five-limit attackers, unable to fend them off. He’d already been stabbed several times; death was imminent.

He knew Lu Yan’s strength was unfathomable—only Lu Yan could save him.

But Lu Yan remained unmoved, watching coldly.

Slash!

Murong Kai’s arm was severed.

“Lu Yan, how cruel! You let me die without helping…” Murong Kai howled as a spear pierced his heart, sending him to the ground lifeless.

“You thought this kid would save you? Naive. He can barely protect himself,” a burly man said coldly, locking his gaze on Lu Yan. “He’s got some strength—let’s kill him together.”

With that, the burly figure charged at Lu Yan, spear aimed at his heart.

But Lu Yan snatched the spear from midair, shook it violently. It vibrated with such force that the attacker lost his grip, blood streaming from his hand as he stumbled back.

“Kill!” Lu Yan strode forward, thrusting the spear’s butt at the man’s chest. It burst a gaping hole, sending the body flying lifeless.

The two other attackers recoiled in terror; icy dread gripped them.

With a single move, Lu Yan slew a five-limit warrior. Though that one practiced only second-rate martial arts, it was enough to prove Lu Yan’s terrifying prowess.

“Bear Blade,” one of them—a Wu clansman—growled. He practiced Earth Bear Strikes; his thick arms grew even more massive, two bone blades protruding from his wrists like twin war knives, slashing toward Lu Yan.

Lu Yan discarded the spear and drew his crimson blade. In the night, it flashed a vivid red, clashing with the bone blades.

In an instant, the bone blades shattered. The Crimson Blood Blade did not stop; with a sickening slash, a head flew from its shoulders.

The third five-limit master was petrified, fleeing without a second thought. The lesser warriors scattered in terror.

“You think you can escape?” Lu Yan’s gaze was cold. He surged forward like the wind, quickly overtaking the five-limit master and cleaving him in two at the waist.

He pursued the others, cutting them down one by one.

Wang Lin watched in awe as Lu Yan slaughtered all before him, unmatched by any foe. Lu Yan’s strength had grown even greater since his battle with the Ge family of Windchase City—truly unfathomable.

The Crimson Blood Blade, worthy of its reputation as a divine weapon, slew many without a single drop of blood staining its edge.

Sheathing his blade, Lu Yan looked toward the mountaintop. “Brother Wang, return to the city first. I’ll head up the mountain to rescue my parents—and I’ll save your family too.”

With the Wu clan attacking and the two great houses at war, it was the perfect moment to fish in troubled waters and rescue his loved ones.

Lu Yan had waited for this opportunity.