"That’s right, I’m Su Mo. Is there a problem?" Su Mo admitted openly.
Blood Cry’s expression stiffened.
Clearly, he hadn’t expected Su Mo to admit it so directly.
Logically, this should have been a good thing.
All he had to do was take Su Mo’s head, and his mission to Qingyang City would be complete. He could return to the Celestial Slaughter Hall to claim his reward.
But for some reason, an instinctual fear gripped his heart.
It felt as if he had just run into the god of death.
Blood Cry hurriedly explained, "N-No problem at all. Since Young Master Su has returned, I won’t disturb you any further. Farewell."
After speaking, Blood Cry tried to leave.
He might be a bit reckless, but he didn’t dare make a move against an opponent who inspired such primal fear.
It was best to avoid a fight if he could.
Otherwise, he would very likely lose his life here.
However, Su Mo had no intention of letting him go. "You made a move against my family. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?"
"An explanation?"
Blood Cry’s mind raced, and he immediately concocted an excuse. "I have long admired Young Master Su and wished to spar with you. I mistakenly identified your family member as you, and that’s why..."
"Just a spar, was it?"
Su Mo saw through Blood Cry’s lie in an instant and asked with a cold laugh, "Heh, then how do you explain the killing intent coming from you?"
"What? You can sense the killing intent on me?"
Blood Cry’s face was filled with astonishment.
As assassins ready to ambush their targets at any moment, they had long since used special methods to wash away all traces of their killing intent.
Moreover, they also specifically cultivated special techniques to hide their killing intent, making it very difficult for ordinary people to detect.
This was why Xiao Lang had exchanged dozens of blows with Blood Cry without sensing his identity as an assassin, naively believing the man just wanted to spar.
"Killing intent? I didn’t feel anything,"
Xiao Lang said, confused.
Blood Cry forced a smile. "Young Master Su must be joking. When I was sparring with your family member, there was never any killing intent. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him."
Xiao Lang stepped forward and said, "I really didn’t sense any killing intent from him."
Hearing this, Su Mo was left speechless.
’Xiao Lang’s perception is too poor. I’ll have to train him properly in the future. Otherwise, he’ll be sold and still be helping the buyer count the money.’
"Young Master, please don’t be angry. I promise I’ll work hard on my perception skills from now on,"
Xiao Lang said with an embarrassed expression, realizing he had misspoken.
Su Mo said coldly, "As punishment, you will practice the Divinity Refining Technique I passed down to you a hundred times. If you don’t, I’ll lock you in a dark room and you won’t get to eat."
"Yes, Young Master."
Xiao Lang accepted the order with pleasure.
Su Mo turned to Blood Cry. "Since you came here to spar with me, let’s exchange a couple of moves. I can’t have you leaving empty-handed."
"This..."
Blood Cry hesitated for a moment before agreeing, "Very well. Since Young Master Su has invited me to spar, I will reluctantly agree."
With that, Blood Cry prepared to use his full strength.
He wanted to take advantage of Su Mo underestimating him and finish him in a single blow, but Su Mo gave him no such opportunity.
SWISH!
In one move, Blood Cry’s head went flying.
Su Mo said indifferently, "My apologies. I really didn’t expect you to be so weak. I used a bit too much force. Sorry about that."
"You... did it on purpose..."
Blood Cry closed his eyes, unwilling to accept his fate. He died without even knowing how.
The surrounding crowd was also stunned.
That was a Mid Stage Martial Monarch, yet Su Mo had sent his head flying with a mere lift of his hand.
He had clearly done it on purpose.
Most importantly, they hadn’t even seen Su Mo’s movement clearly.
Not only did Blood Cry die a baffling death, but they also couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
In the crowd, Ghost Skull’s face was deathly pale.
Cold sweat poured down his back.
’Thank goodness I hid in the crowd and didn’t attack. Otherwise, I would’ve been instantly killed in one move, just like Blood Cry.’
’He’s too terrifying.’
’This is completely beyond what Blood Cry and I can handle.’
’I have to get out of here, now.’
However, just as Ghost Skull was about to sneak away, Su Mo appeared in front of him. "My friend, your companion is dead. Aren’t you the least bit sad?"
Ghost Skull frantically denied it, "No, no, no! Blood Cry is not my friend."
The next second, he realized his mistake.
In his panic, he had accidentally said the name "Blood Cry."
At that moment, Ghost Skull wanted to die.
’Damn it to hell.’
’I tried to stop Blood Cry from being so reckless, but he still stirred up trouble. Now I’m going to lose my life because of him.’
Ghost Skull quickly begged for mercy, "Young Master Su, please listen to me! If you’re willing to spare me, I swear I’ll never set foot in Qingyang City or become an enemy of your Xiao Family for the rest of my life! No... I’ll never set foot in the Eighteen Kingdoms! I swear it to the heavens!"
"And you think an oath is useful?"
Su Mo questioned, then raised a finger and gently tapped Ghost Skull’s forehead, opening a bloody hole.
THWIP!
Blood spurted from Ghost Skull’s forehead as he fell to the ground, dead on the spot. His last thought was regret for not stopping Blood Cry.
’Blood Cry, damn you to hell!’
’You son of a bitch, you got me killed!’
Su Mo pointed at the two corpses and asked, "Has our family offended anyone recently?"
"No!"
Xiao Lang was completely baffled.
’After returning from Qu Luo’s Tomb, we’ve been in seclusion the whole time. We haven’t even left the family grounds. Who could we have possibly offended?’
Hearing this, Su Mo couldn’t help but frown.
He had already dealt with the Celestial Moon Sect.
’The Heaven-Suppressing King hasn’t come out of his seclusion yet, and the Xiao Family hasn’t offended anyone else. So who on earth wants me dead?’
Just then, Master Mo stepped forward and said, "Elder Su, I know this man."
"You know him?"
Su Mo asked in surprise.
Master Mo nodded. "His name is Blood Cry. He’s an infamous assassin from the Celestial Slaughter Hall. Many people in the Northern Profound Domain have heard of him."
"The Celestial Slaughter Hall?"
Su Mo had a sudden realization. It was because he had killed the black-robed elder hired by the Zhou Family. That must have angered the Celestial Slaughter Hall, and now they had sent people to retaliate.
Master Mo said gravely, "Elder Su, the Celestial Slaughter Hall is vicious, cruel, and vengeful over the smallest slight. You’ve killed their assassins, so they will certainly retaliate. You must be on your guard."
"You’re absolutely right."
He nodded in agreement.
He himself wasn’t afraid of the Celestial Slaughter Hall’s retaliation, but the disciples of the Xiao Family were. If things went wrong, the entire family could be destroyed and its members killed.
This threat had to be eliminated as soon as possible.
Su Mo asked, "Do you know where the Celestial Slaughter Hall’s headquarters are?"
Master Mo shook his head. "The Celestial Slaughter Hall has always been mysterious, and their movements are erratic and unpredictable. Finding their headquarters is exceedingly difficult."
Hearing this, Su Mo couldn’t help but frown.
If he couldn’t find their headquarters, he couldn’t completely eliminate this hidden danger. The Xiao Family would have to live in constant fear every day.
’What should I do?’
Master Mo suggested, "Elder Su, although we can’t find their main headquarters, we can find their branch locations."
The Northern Profound Domain was vast; finding the Celestial Slaughter Hall’s headquarters in a short amount of time was simply unrealistic.
But their branches were a different story.
Branches of the Celestial Slaughter Hall were scattered throughout the various kingdoms and factions, responsible for accepting missions. They were much easier to find.
Master Mo continued, "We should first find all their branches within the Eighteen Kingdoms and eliminate them. At the same time, if we strengthen our defenses, we won’t have to fear their retaliation."
"Let’s do that," Su Mo agreed.