Rain poured, thunder roared, and lightning bared its fangs and claws in the night sky, creating an atmosphere of unrest.
The courtyard was still illuminated by lamplight but there was now a thick stench of blood and chilling killing intent mixed with the smell of rain.
Rumble~
Thunder boomed and rippled across the land. A battle became unavoidable the moment those four figures dashed out.
Lin Xun’s expression was cold and ruthless as he swung his blade. Its plain edge gleamed brightly under the lightning’s light, suffused with an intimidating iciness.
With a loud clang, a dual-ax-wielding cultivator with a large frame met Lin Xun’s attack head-on.
Blade and axes crossed for an instant as terrifying power poured out from Lin Xun’s thin body. The cultivator’s large body was sent flying. He crashed through two walls before hitting the ground but did not get up after.
At the same time, a fist swiftly smashed toward Lin Xun’s head from the side. It pulsed with frightening black dipper qi as it punched through the air with great destructive power like a cannonball.
Lin Xun did not take any evasive measures. His left fist was suddenly thrown upwards to meet the attacker’s punch.
Crack!The sound of bone cracking rang out and the attacking fist along with the entire arm exploded into chunks of flesh and bone.
The attacker howled in pain, unable to endure the power of the counterpunch. He was flung away and slammed onto the ground some distance away, instantly losing consciousness.
In the blink of an eye, two people had been incapacitated in succession. The entire process had been fluid and unstoppable.
Lin Xun remained composed from start to end. Amidst the torrential rain, his thin figure stood as straight as a spear, the saber in his hand dripping blood. He looked like a reaper from the underworld: cold, cruel, and merciless.
It was too terrifying!
The expressions of the remaining two cultivators changed drastically. They were seasoned thugs who were used to murder and violence. Although their cultivation was only at the Human Dipper stage, their battle experience and cruel methods were incomparable to an ordinary cultivator.
Despite this, seeing the youngster’s simple, violent, practiced, and bloody killing methods made them feel fearful and uneasy.
Such killing methods could only belong to a slaughterer who had fought countless times on the battlefield. There was no hint of elegance or fanciness but every attack was aimed to kill! It was not something an ordinary youngster should possess.
They had seen numerous ruthless characters over the years, but this was the first time they had witnessed such a freakish fighting style.
It was like an even more frightening version of how soldiers fought!
Who was this youngster?
The remaining two cultivators were already overwhelmed by fear. They repeatedly dodged the deadly attacks, wishing they could escape but did not dare to do so.
The youngster had locked onto them. The moment they tried to escape, they would definitely receive a fatal blow.
One of the cultivators shouted, “Friend, who are you? We have no grudge with you, so why did you come here to kill us?”
Swish!
The only response he received was another slash. Amidst the torrential rain, Lin Xun’s figure abruptly arrived like a flash of lightning.
The cultivator felt his entire body turn cold as he instinctively tried to dodge. However, the attack was akin to an inescapable net that made it impossible to avoid.
The cultivator roared and swung his sword with all his might in hopes of blocking. However, he miscalculated this time.
The blade slid down his sword and chopped off his hands.
At the same time, Lin Xun’s figure dashed forward, grabbed the falling sword with his left hand, and ruthlessly thrust it into the opponent’s heart.
Shlick!
The cultivator’s eyes bulged in disbelief as if he had been struck by lightning. His lips trembled as if he was trying to say something but nothing came out and his body fell to the ground.
Rustle~
The other cultivator had taken the opportunity to dash toward the courtyard entrance.
Lin Xun’s figure did not give chase. Instead, a crossbow appeared in his hand and he swiftly activated the mechanism. With a loud rumble, a ball of light that was as gorgeous as the sunset blossomed in the pitch-black rain.
The beautiful sight disappeared in a split second, leaving a corpse lying at the courtyard entrance.
The corpse had died a horrible death. The entire body was riddled with holes and blood was flowing out from all of them.
Lin Xun kept the crossbow and dashed out of the courtyard.
The six enemies had already been killed. Although the disturbance might have been masked by the rain and lightning, it would not escape a cultivator’s senses. Hence, he needed to leave immediately.
However, the moment Lin Xun stepped out of the courtyard, an ominous feeling rose in his heart and he abruptly threw himself to the side.
Swish!
An arrow struck the ground where he had been just a split second ago, soundlessly creating a deep hole.
Lin Xun shivered. A real expert had finally arrived!
The arrow had arrived without any noise and had only been detected by Lin Xun at the very last second. Moreover, it had surprising power and had clearly come from a formidable expert who was skilled at assassination.
Lin Xun immediately took cover behind the door and looked in the direction the arrow had come from. A rooftop far away, he could just barely make out a blurry figure amidst the pouring rain and the darkness of the night.
If not for Lin Xun’s superior spirit sense, it would have been very difficult for him to detect the gray figure.
The figure began to escape upon seeing the arrow had missed.
At the same time, a cold viper-like voice rang out by Lin Xun’s ear, “Kid, your life is mine tonight.”
The blurry figure swiftly vanished. This mysterious assassin clearly knew some kind of stealth technique.
Lin Xun icily chuckled but was no longer in a rush to leave. He squatted down and started to carefully inspect the hole left by the arrow.
After a long time, Lin Xun surmised that it was not shot from a crossbow but a bow. It had a strange power and was most importantly soundless and almost impossible to guard against.
From the power of the arrow, the other party’s cultivation was at least the Human Dipper stage.
“So you want to play with me. Let’s see if you’ll survive the night…”
A cold smile rose from the corners of Lin Xun’s lips.
In the year he had spent in Blood Kill Camp, there had been several training sessions related to art of assassination. Only a small handful of people knew that the pretty and sexy Xiaoman was actually a master of the art!
After spending a year with Xiaoman, Lin Xun’s mastery of the assassination art was far better than any of the other students.
During the Demon Cloud Ridge assessment, Lin Xun had spent several days setting up a trap to kill a top-tier assassin from the Water Brute Tribe.
That assassin was called Shui Ying and was a second-level Brute Soldier that was comparable to a human Earth Dipper expert. The stealth art he used was even more strange and frightening than the bow-wielding assassin.
However, Shui Ying had ultimately died at the hands of Lin Xun, who had only been at the True Martial ninth layer back then!
……
It was not long before Lin Xun noiselessly left the courtyard.
The rain was growing heavier and heavier, drowning the entire Haze City in beads of water, booming thunder, and wildly dancing silver snakes.
There was almost no one left on the streets, only scurrying wild dogs and cats barking and mewing in the heavy rain.
Lin Xun walked in the shadows. He was completely drenched by the rain but it seemed to have no effect on him as he continued on his way.
The second group of targets had already been dealt with and he was heading for the third group that was from Jadelight Pavilion.
They were composed of cultivators working for Jadelight Pavilion.
According to the information from Chu Feng, Jadelight Pavilion had dispatched nine cultivators. Among them, two Earth Dipper experts were the biggest threats!
One was called Chang Henshui and had joined Jadelight Pavilion more than ten years ago. His Earth Dipper cultivation gave him high status among the other cultivators under Jadelight Pavilion’s payroll.
The other was called Lu Zhong and was a cultivator that had retired from the frontlines. His battle style was rumored to be extremely fierce and ruthless.
The Jadelight Pavilion group’s plan was to strike right before dawn.
Lin Xun intended to go right to their gathering spot again. However, he found the place empty when he arrived. After quickly assessing his options, he decided to head back home.
It was normal for the information to be not entirely accurate at times. Since Chang Henshui, Lu Zhong, and the rest of the group were not at their gathering spot, they must have started the operation ahead of schedule.
Since their target was Lin Xun, there was only one possible location: his home.
However, Lin Xun suddenly stopped at a street near his house. He raised his eyes and peered into the distance
Rumble~~
Deafening thunder suddenly boomed across the sky as beautiful silver lightning arced through the darkness, instantly illuminating the surroundings.
Omm!
However, Lin Xun’s ears seemed to ignore the thunder, focusing on the faint piercing sound of something rushing through the air.
The sound suddenly became a piercing whistle. Moreover, it was not just one but many from all directions.
Lin Xun’s heart shook. He abruptly curled his body like a pulled bow and kicked his body backward.
Boom!
The area in a several hundred feet radius around Lin Xun was enveloped in dazzling light.
Countless arrows gleaming sharply and filled with astonishing penetrating power seemed to weave together, creating unimaginable destructive power.
Amidst the sound of a frightening explosion, a giant hole was blasted open in the center of the street, causing the nearby buildings to collapse.
Lin Xun gasped. If he had been just a little slower, he would have been turned to chunks of flesh!
It was clearly a carefully prepared ambush!
Who had leaked his movements?
The blurry figure of the assassin he had just seen immediately appeared in his mind. Lin Xun was certain that he was the culprit.
“Kill!”
“Friends from the other great factions, please work with us and kill this kid!”
Loud shouting could be heard from all directions, sounding especially frightening amidst the pouring rain at night.
Within Lin Xun’s spirit sense, numerous figures were swarming toward him from various streets within a ten thousand feet radius. There were so many that it was difficult to count them all!
However, Lin Xun could still tell that this ambush had been prepared by the factions that were after him!
In other words, they had very likely colluded for an all-out assault against him!
I can’t believe that these bastards sent so many people. They really give me too much credit…
Lin Xun mumbled inwardly. His black eyes were already filled with iciness as killing intent surged in his heart.
A split second later, he had already twisted his body and dashed into one of the side alleys like an inconceivable quick shadow.
There were too many enemies. He was dead if he allowed himself to be surrounded.
In Lin Xun’s view, the complicated alleys of Haze City enveloped by pouring rain and darkness were the perfect battlefield for someone using assassination tactics.
Although there were many enemies, he would kill them all sooner or later as long as they failed to trap him!