“Give him a swift end,” Jiang Moran sighed. Seeing him driven so mad was rather pitiable.
Fengqingzi nodded. Clutching his long sword, he lunged forward once more. This time, the battle was over in less than fifteen minutes; a single thrust of his sword pierced Guo Yang through the heart, killing him instantly.
By the time the patrol squad rushed over, all they saw was a man in white, a residence filled with corpses, and another man delivering finishing blows on the blood-red snow.
“You lot...” one of the patrol guards began, his face flushed with anger, but he was pulled back before he could finish his sentence.
“Look at that man,” the person holding him back whispered, throwing a subtle glance toward Jiang Moran, who was still finishing off survivors. “He was the one causing a scene this morning. Even the Young City Lord didn't dare cross him. Let's just stay out of this...”
Two people had completely wiped out the number one family in the city. No matter what, they were not people the guards could afford to provoke.
“Let's go.”
The members of the patrol squad slunk away, none of them daring to utter a single word in the face of this horrific scene. And leaving along with them was the news that the Guo Residence had been completely annihilated...
As the news spread, the noble families that had remained quiet for years in the outside world were collectively outraged.
Within the entirety of Yinhan City, only the Guo Family had possessed the credentials to liaise and negotiate with them. Now that the Guo Family was gone, by the time another family took their place, Yinhan City would probably have already been trampled to dust by marching armies!
The Jiangming Clan, one of the three great noble families of the Central Plains.
Clan Head Jiangming Wusui sat in a high position, staring with a deep frown at the letter in his hands, which bore only a few large characters.
“The Guo Family has been wiped out! Done by the white-clad swordsman and another man. The other man's origins cannot be traced.”
Jiangming Wusui handed the letter to the attendant waiting by his side and said in a heavy voice, “Inform the Clan Elders. We must immediately renegotiate the north-south trade route.”
“Yes.”
The messenger took his leave. Jiangming Wusui stood up and gazed out the window, a boundless sea of thoughts hidden behind his deep eyes.
Meanwhile, the other two great noble families also received the news, though they held differing attitudes.
Among them, the Bai Family was the first to take a stance, sending two Enshrined Masters on a journey through the night.
...
Inside a certain inn.
Rip! The letter from Yinhan City was torn to shreds, revealing a pale face behind the paper.
“The white-clad swordsman...” A cold smile slowly curled the corners of his lips.
...
Deep within a bamboo forest stood a simple and ancient Shaolin Temple. High above, a bronze bell was struck, its melodious tolling echoing through the mountains. Seated right beside that massive bronze bell was a monk.
The letter beside him was jarred by the sound of the bell, slowly drifting downward...
...
On a muddy path, a trail of footprints stretched from afar. At the end of these footprints, an eccentric man carrying a large black casket on his back made his way forward slowly.
He had a messy stubble on his face, and his hair was in complete disarray. Yet his eyes were exceptionally deep, faintly carrying a long-buried sense of weariness and loneliness.
The direction the eccentric man's footsteps pointed was toward the freezing Northern Desert.
...
The ground trembled slightly as clouds of dust billowed in the distance. An oppressive, murderous aura permeated the air. It was a massive army of iron cavalry.
Flapping amidst the army was a great banner bearing the character “Ye”, radiating absolute imperial majesty!
The Prince of Zhenbei, riding on a black stallion, galloped at the very front of the army with overwhelming momentum. Pointing his crescent halberd straight to the north, his voice resounded through the clouds like a clap of thunder:
“By my command, march the army north!”
“Northern Expedition!!”
“Northern Expedition!!”
In an instant, the Central Plains, quiet for many years, fell into commotion once more. This time, whether they were noble families and powerful elites, or the jianghu martial world, every single one of them bared the fangs they had hidden for so long!
When the news of the Zhenbei Army's Northern Expedition reached the borders of the Kingdom of Liang, it sent shockwaves through both the court and the commoners. The Emperor of Liang was utterly furious at the actions of the Tianwu Kingdom.
He immediately issued an imperial decree to assemble his army and launch a crusade against the Tianwu Kingdom, swearing to make them pay the price!
That very night, a secret letter was dispatched from the Emperor's bedchamber, eventually making its way into the hands of the Hall Master of the Assassin Hall.
Under a high hanging full moon, a figure stood atop a cliff, the sleeves of her robes fluttering in the howling wind.
Not far behind her, seven figures slowly stepped out of the darkness. Their arrival was silent, as hair-raising as ghosts.
The Heaven-Rank Assassins—all seven had gathered.
The Hall Master slowly turned around. Her snow-white hair fluttered in the night wind, making her look both beautiful and mysterious. No one would have ever imagined that this woman, who appeared to be in her early twenties, was the leader of the most powerful faction in the assassin world.
“Hall Master!” the seven greeted her with respectful bows.
She said nothing, only slowly dropping the Emperor's secret letter onto the ground. The eyes of the seven instantly locked onto the thin sheet of paper.
【Ruler of Tianwu Kingdom, Ji Ye】
“This time, the target of the assassination is the Lord of Tianwu Kingdom. The client is our current Emperor,” she said flatly.
Hearing this, the faces of the seven showed a variety of expressions. After all, even as Heaven-Rank Assassins, they had never assassinated the ruler of a nation.
Sweeping her gaze over them, she continued, “This mission is extremely difficult and carries immense risk, but it also brings rich rewards.”
“Once successful, you will be allowed to choose whatever divine weapons and lost secret techniques you want from the imperial treasury.”
As her voice fell, the breathing of several among them grew rapid. The Emperor's treasury was a place where the world's finest divine weapons and extraordinary arts were gathered; the temptation was far too great for them to resist!
“I can't go,” a voice rang out just as the crowd was wavering.
The Hall Master looked over. It was a blind man, his wide robes hanging loosely on his frame.
Yet none of them dared to look down on this man in the slightest, simply because he was number one on the Heaven-Rank List—Wu Wu.
“My current mission is still ongoing. I cannot leave,” Wu Wu said.
If the Hall Master hadn't explicitly ordered everyone to return, he wouldn't have bothered wasting his time coming back at all.
With that, Wu Wu ignored the reactions of the others, turning around to walk straight down the mountain. The Hall Master watched his retreating back, her eyes flickering slightly before she quickly withdrew her gaze.
The others were already used to this. If they were number one on the Heaven List, perhaps they would dare to act this way too.
In the end, only three people chose to accept the mission, while the others opted to pass due to the high risks involved.
The Hall Master looked at the three.
Number four on the Heaven List: Cold Snake.
Number three on the Heaven List: Ghost Lament Blade.
Number second on the Heaven List: The Umbrella Bearer.
“Within ten days, I want to see the head of the Tianwu Lord,” the Hall Master said calmly. As her voice faded, her figure vanished beneath the moonlight.
Leaving behind only the three who had accepted the mission.
Cold Snake was clad in black robes with a veil covering her face, revealing only a pair of icy eyes. The chill radiating from her body easily overshadowed her devastatingly beautiful features.
The Umbrella Bearer was a handsome man. Holding an umbrella made of human skin, he looked at Cold Snake with a smile on his face.
Within the Assassin Hall, everyone knew of the second rank's affection for the fourth rank on the Heaven List. Yet everyone also knew of The Umbrella Bearer's naturally debauched nature; even the umbrella he carried was crafted from the skin of numerous beautiful women.
“Cold Snake... such a beautiful yet frosty name,” The Umbrella Bearer chuckled softly.
Cold Snake didn't even look at him. However, as he tried to lean closer, the chill emanating from her grew increasingly intense, even forming a thin layer of frost on the ground.
Seeing this, The Umbrella Bearer could only back off, though the smile on his face remained undiminished.
“Your name and your title are quite the perfect match. Cold Snake, Xu Nianxue... both are just as icy.”
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