Chapter 363 - 216: Assassin 6

Chapter 363: Chapter 216: Assassin 6

"There’s an underground river beneath us!"

Xie Yuan said grimly.

Both of them were wary of a sneak attack from the assassin and had moved away from the Wu River. They never expected the terrain here to be so peculiar!

Situ Qin bit her lip slightly, her eyes scanning the ground along with Xie Yuan’s. However, the surroundings had fallen silent again. How could they possibly see any movement underground?

But they could guess that the Celestial Tier assassin was like a shadow, lurking somewhere beneath them, ready to strike again at any moment.

Xie Yuan’s expression was grave. He once again took out two medicinal pills, preparing to put them in his mouth.

’A Third Transformation Realm expert is hard to fight, and a Celestial Tier assassin is even harder,’ he thought. ’I have to find a way to deal with this hidden threat, or we’ll both be in danger.’

Just as Xie Yuan reached out his hand, he suddenly heard Situ Qin’s solemn voice:

"You can’t take any more medicine."

"But..."

"Put on the things I gave you earlier. Hold your breath, block your ears, and ready your axe."

Xie Yuan was taken aback for a moment. Seeing Situ Qin’s unprecedentedly serious expression, he didn’t hesitate. He took out two oval, jade-like stones that resembled earplugs and placed them in his ears.

In an instant, he could no longer hear anything from the outside world.

Seeing him follow her instructions and summon his great axe, Situ Qin nodded and placed her hands solemnly on her zither.

’I was reluctant to use this piece before,’ she thought, ’but it seems I have no choice now.’

She pressed a string lightly.

Xie Yuan couldn’t hear a single sound, but watching Situ Qin’s movement, he felt as if his heart had skipped a beat.

The ground seemed to tremble faintly. In the distance, the waters of the Wu River suddenly churned, and a cold wind kicked up across the flat land.

A dark cloud drifted over, obscuring the last rays of the setting sun.

The world suddenly changed color. Situ Qin’s hands began to move, and the sound of blood and slaughter instantly filled the main road.

The underground river surged violently. The ground near the road shook as if an Earth Dragon were turning over in its sleep.

One after another, columns of water mixed with mud shot into the sky. Countless geysers erupted all around. Amidst the sky-blotting pillars of water, Situ Qin played her zither with her head bowed, lost in a frenzy. Her hairpins came loose, and her long, beautiful hair danced wildly in the wind.

Xie Yuan had never seen Situ Qin like this. He felt a faintly intimidating aura emanating from her, which made him a little uncomfortable.

Suddenly, a geyser of water erupted, flinging out a figure. The shadow’s body was completely rigid, its eyes wide open, and blood trickled from its mouth and nose as if it had been struck by lightning. It was as if it had been hit by an Immobilization Skill, or its mind and body had been paralyzed by something terrifying.

Situ Qin abruptly looked up and shouted.

Though Xie Yuan couldn’t hear, he recognized the opening to attack. His eyes flew open as he strode forward, pouring every last bit of his Qi and Blood and internal energy into his axe, holding nothing back.

A terrifying arc of light from the axe blade slashed through the air, cleaving directly toward the shadow.

The assassin watched helplessly as the axe light approached. He couldn’t move a muscle, only able to twitch his limbs in vain.

The axe light flashed past without pause, only gradually dissipating high in the air. It had sliced through numerous skyward water columns, and the assassin along with them.

SPLAT. SPLAT. The assassin, now in two pieces, fell to the ground. His body twitched a few times, then went still.

The upper half of the body was still facing them. Only now did Xie Yuan get a clear look. It was the unremarkable face of a middle-aged man, one that seemed familiar, yet at the same time utterly common.

Situ Qin slowly withdrew her hands, clearly exhausted. After confirming the assassin was dead, she let out a small sigh of relief, then her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground.

Xie Yuan saw Situ Qin sitting on the ground with her legs splayed out. He wanted to help her up, but as soon as he took a step, he staggered and fell down himself.

The two looked at each other, speechless, then suddenly let out wry laughs in unison.

Xie Yuan sighed.

"So I’ve been holding you back this whole time?"

The sonic Martial Dao excels at fighting groups and attacking hidden enemies. It is also the least afraid of assassins.

But at the same time, it’s the one that least needs a partner.

Although she had given him special earplugs beforehand, Xie Yuan had thought Situ Qin’s precise Qi Force, as delicate as embroidery, would be enough. It turned out she still needed to play a truly powerful piece.

Situ Qin’s face was pale. She shook her head.

"This music score... my mother gave it to me. I only started practicing it recently, and this was my first time using it. I wouldn’t have used this move unless I had absolutely no other choice."

She looked at the slowly dissipating columns of water, many of which were tinged dark red. It wasn’t just the assassin’s blood; it was also the blood of the fish in the underground river and the animals nearby.

"This piece carries too much killing intent... The Eight Great Families would surely never approve. But I could only injure the Celestial Tier assassin. In the end, it was your peerless axe skill that had to finish him."

Xie Yuan let out a breath.

"You controlled the enemy, I killed him. We make a perfect team."

They looked at each other, excitement shining in their eyes.

A Celestial Tier assassin from Autumn Wind Building, an expert at the Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm.

Such a formidable enemy had fallen to the combined efforts of two young people.

For a moment, Xie Yuan and Situ Qin felt that as long as they worked together, they could match any foe, no matter how strong.

Xie Yuan quietly reached out his hand, and Situ Qin naturally extended hers. Their hands clasped together gently.

The water rippled, and the scene slowly faded away.

A handsome young man in servant’s clothes looked up. He casually poured the water from the jade plate into the river, then stood by the ship’s rail, looking back upstream.

"He actually died?"

He murmured to himself in surprise.

"I was thinking that with two Third Transformation Realm experts, we might have been able to take her... It’s a good thing I held back. I knew it! How could Situ Qin not have a hidden ace up her sleeve? And I’m sure it’s not her only one!"

He praised his own caution and patience for a moment, feeling rather pleased and a little fortunate.

After humming a little tune, he thought of that handsome young man, and his expression instantly shifted from cheerful to sullen.

’Who the hell is this kid? With that level of cultivation, he could actually trade blows with a Celestial Tier assassin from Autumn Wind Building. And that axe... I don’t even know what to say about it. What kind of Second Transformation expert has that much power? I need to investigate him thoroughly!’

’One Situ Qin is trouble enough. I can’t let her have a helper like that. I need to come up with a plan...’

「Three miles from the main road along the Wu River.」

Li Tai was in a standoff with a faint shadow.

This shadow looked very similar to the assassin Xie Yuan and Situ Qin had encountered; its form was dark and indistinct.

However, compared to that assassin, this shadow was even fainter, its aura more obscure. Not even Li Tai could make out its true appearance.

Li Tai’s face was grim.

"Since your Autumn Wind Building insists on getting involved, the King of Pingxi’s estate accepts your challenge. Today, I’ll start by making you stay right here. Let’s see what that face you can’t show in the light really looks like!"

He drew his long sword. The moment he raised it, he was already in front of the shadow, slashing down fiercely!

The shadow abruptly flashed backward a hundred feet to create distance. Seeing Li Tai charge again, it suddenly dodged aside, clearing the path.

Li Tai froze for a second, his brow furrowed.

"What’s this?"

"The mission has failed. We’ll count this one as a loss. Farewell."

The shadow flickered, then suddenly transformed into a streak of ghostly light invisible to the naked eye, vanishing over the horizon in an instant.

"Mission failed?"

Li Tai frowned, sheathed his long sword, and gazed toward the main road. Then he, too, vanished from the spot.