“No!” Boss Man cried out in horror, but having just been injured, he had no time to defend himself. A sharp longsword pierced through his back and emerged from his chest.
*Splat!* A gush of blood sprayed from Boss Man’s chest and mouth.
Turning his head in disbelief, Boss Man saw a girl grinning triumphantly at him.
An assassin!
That was the last thought that flashed through Boss Man’s mind before, in his terror, he slowly lost all signs of life.
“Heh heh, these Saint Yuan Academy techniques aren’t half bad!” Hu Yue smirked smugly, pulling her sword free and letting Boss Man’s body slump to the ground.
Seeing this, Ling Hu was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t even noticed when Hu Yue had appeared. He never imagined that this usually unassuming little girl could strike so ruthlessly, waiting in the shadows to deliver a fatal blow.
Ling Hu gave Hu Yue a dazed thumbs-up, and she responded with a midday-bright smile.
Everything had happened in an incredibly short span of time. Boss Man’s men were still reeling from the shock of seeing Boss Hu killed on the other side.
Meanwhile, Boss Hu’s men had just caught sight of Boss Man’s death, and they too were struck with disbelief.
As they turned around and realised their own leader had also been slain, their fighting spirit vanished entirely. Faces filled with dread, they began to scatter and flee.
“Kill!” Lin Xiao shouted, swapping his heavy rod for a longsword. His speed surged, accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder, as he charged towards the fleeing bandits.
The Tianmen disciples unleashed their killing intent, their strongest powers erupting one after another.
*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* …
The sounds of close-range combat rang out in succession. With their morale shattered, the two bandit groups’ strength was halved, and the battle quickly turned one-sided.
In a short while, more than half of the two groups were dead or injured, with only a small fraction managing to escape. Those who fled had impressive survival skills.
If this had been outside the city, a pursuit over dozens of miles would have ensured no one escaped. But since it was within the city, Lin Xiao didn’t want to cause too big a scene, so he let them go.
The strength and talent of those who fled posed no threat to them, and they likely wouldn’t dare return to cause trouble, so there was little to worry about.
After wiping out dozens of bandits, their storage rings were divided up. Naturally, Lin Xiao reaped the greatest haul.
Boss Hu’s collection was substantial—hundreds, even thousands of spirit cores. That amount could be exchanged for two Martial King essence pills. It seemed Boss Hu had been robbing quite a few people lately.
Ling Hu and Hu Yue also gained significantly. Boss Man’s storage ring contained two Martial King essence pills, which they split evenly, one each.
Beyond that, their wristbands each gained over a hundred additional slaughter points.
The commotion here drew plenty of attention. Seeing the strength and decisive ruthlessness of this group of over fifty, many onlookers grew wary.
As Lin Xiao led his group forward, the crowd ahead parted to make way, and no other faction dared to challenge them along the rest of their path.
Meanwhile, in a bustling inn, a cold, handsome young man dressed in black stood by the window railing, gazing ahead with icy killing intent flickering in his eyes. His lips moved slightly as he muttered, “Lin Xiao, you’ve finally arrived!”
“Big Brother, the Tianmen people are so arrogant,” said a young man in a dark robe beside him, his eyes brimming with anger and murderous intent.
“Hmph, let’s see how long they can stay arrogant!” the cold young man replied in a frigid tone. “They’ve humiliated our Mo Alliance. Tonight, I’ll make sure the entire Tianmen is buried in Black Wind City!”
These two were none other than Mo Yi and Mo Xuan. Nearby, the silent Mo Chang stood as well, his face also etched with coldness.
“Are we acting tonight? The auction hasn’t even started yet. Won’t we cause too much of a stir?” Mo Xuan asked with a hint of concern.
“Hmph, once my strength is revealed, even the city lord’s mansion won’t dare interfere lightly,” Mo Yi said, his expression turning somewhat ferocious as he stared ahead. “Originally, I wanted the Third Prince to deal with you personally, but I’ve changed my mind. I’ll bring your corpse to him instead!”
“I don’t want to see him live a single day longer! Call on Snake Valley and pay them the deposit,” Mo Yi’s face grew impatient.
Hearing this, Mo Xuan frowned slightly and said, “The deposit isn’t an issue, but after it’s done, giving them seventy percent of the loot as payment— isn’t that too steep a price? Those people probably have a lot of valuables on them.”
“Don’t worry. Once Tianmen is wiped out, not only will they not get that seventy percent, they’ll have to cough up everything they own too,” Mo Yi said, a flash of anger crossing his face as he mentioned Snake Valley, his eyes glinting with ruthless cunning.
…
As night fell, Black Wind City descended into darkness. Shadows flitted through the city, probing one another, giving off an air of brewing tension.
The calmer the night, the more dangerous it became.
In a tavern, the Tianmen group had settled in. With their strength, their alertness was high—ready to spring into action at the slightest sign of trouble.
Inside his room, Lin Xiao sat cross-legged on a soft bed, eyes closed. As a dark shadow gradually appeared outside his door, his eyes slowly opened.
“Young Master Lin Xiao!” a soft, soothing voice drifted in from outside.
Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed slightly. He spoke calmly, “Come in.”
At his words, the wooden door was gently pushed open, and a waft of fragrance swept in. An alluring figure appeared before Lin Xiao’s eyes.
The woman wore a moon-white, sheer dress, her silken hair cascading down. Her brows were like autumn waters, her dark eyes shimmering, and her jade-like body faintly visible beneath the thin fabric.
The dress clung to her elegant neckline, her delicate skin rising and falling subtly, creamy and tender. Her snow-white legs peeked out from the slit skirt, exuding a captivating charm.
This was none other than Qing Yun, the woman who had led them into the city.
Now, Qing Yun fully revealed her stunning beauty. Such allure caused even Lin Xiao’s eyes to flicker slightly.
“I assume you didn’t bring us to Black Wind City just for the sake of it, did you?” Lin Xiao rose slowly, speaking in a calm tone, his expression composed.
Qing Yun stepped forward, intending to close the distance with Lin Xiao. Beneath her naturally captivating beauty, there was a hint of inexperience. A trace of sorrow flashed in her eyes before she smiled and said directly, “Young Master Lin Xiao is indeed no ordinary person. I do have a request for your help.”
“What is it?” Lin Xiao’s expression remained steady.
“I’d like you to save my father,” Qing Yun said, her lips tightening briefly before she continued decisively. “The Junzang map and key were discovered by my father, but they were ultimately taken by the Black Wind City lord. My father was then imprisoned in the dungeon.”
“Oh?” Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected the Junzang map and key to have come from Qing Yun’s father, only to end up in the city lord’s hands.
However, with the city lord’s Martial King strength, possessing both the map and key yet choosing to auction them off— that didn’t seem so straightforward, did it?
