Chapter 457: The Hidden Kill Pavilion

At the same time, Li Musheng's group, guided by the Hidden Kill Pavilion's assassins, arrived at an unremarkable residential house in the central district of White Emperor City.

Shen Anran, Cang Yinyue, and the others waited outside the residence for the time being, while Li Musheng, led by Lianxing and Huan Hu, entered the house.

The layout inside was no different from any ordinary residence, except that two figures stood before the main hall facing the courtyard, apparently having waited there for some time.

Li Musheng was no stranger to either of these two figures. They were the Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion and the Assassination Saint with whom he had once crossed blades, both of whom he had met before back in the Great Li imperial capital.

The Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion stood as before, dressed in dark robes and wearing a bronze mask over his face, standing in silence.

The Assassination Saint's frame was slightly stooped, and a faint mist seemed to hang over his face, concealing his true features.

"Your Highness, we meet again."

The Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion, who appeared as nothing more than an ordinary elderly man, was the first to speak in welcome upon seeing Li Musheng.

Lianxing and Huan Hu stopped at the entrance to the courtyard, no longer accompanying Li Musheng further inward.

"Your Hidden Kill Pavilion's location is much too far. The roads here aren't easy to travel."

Li Musheng offered this offhand complaint. The distance from the Great Li imperial capital to White Emperor City had indeed been considerable, and it was only because he had incidentally traveled the martial world along the way and studied various martial arts techniques that the journey hadn't felt too tedious.

At those words, the Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion's expression remained composed as he led Li Musheng into the main hall of the residence, giving a slow nod, "The Hidden Kill Pavilion was born in White Emperor City, situated in the Western Desert. Compared to the rich and fertile lands of the five dynasties, it is admittedly rather remote and impoverished."

"If Your Highness formally assumes the position of Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion in the future, and Your Highness wishes to relocate or change the organization's headquarters, Your Highness would be entirely free to decide that personally."

At those words, Li Musheng gave the Pavilion Master a somewhat unusual look. Perhaps the man understood he was no match for him, given how consistently deferential his manner remained.

"I have no particular interest in relocating the Hidden Kill Pavilion's headquarters. My main reason for coming to White Emperor City this time is to attend to other matters."

Li Musheng seated himself in a chair in the hall and accepted the porcelain cup the Pavilion Master personally handed him, taking a sip of tea.

Throughout the entire Western Desert's martial world, no one had ever received such deferential treatment from the Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion, an organization that struck fear throughout the martial world. Li Musheng was, without question, the first.

Even the Assassination Saint standing nearby showed no reaction of surprise at this, as though he found the whole thing perfectly ordinary.

Even so, upon hearing what Li Musheng had said, the bronze-masked Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion and the Assassination Saint beside him exchanged a glance, and the expression beneath the bronze mask showed a clear hint of hesitation.

But very quickly, the Pavilion Master turned his gaze back to Li Musheng and spoke carefully, "By the original rules of the Hidden Kill Pavilion, now that Your Highness has obtained the Hidden Kill Order and passed the Hidden Kill Pavilion's trials, the position of Pavilion Master should already be settled, belonging to no one but Your Highness."

The Pavilion Master paused briefly before continuing, "It's simply that, unfortunately, some complications have arisen concerning the matter of who will assume the position of Pavilion Master. The White Tiger Divine Hall has expressed reservations about Your Highness succeeding to the position."

"This being Your Highness's first time in White Emperor City, you may not be familiar with the situation regarding the White Tiger Divine Hall..."

The Pavilion Master was about to give Li Musheng a general introduction to the White Tiger Divine Hall's background, but Li Musheng raised a hand to stop him, "Though I don't particularly care about this Pavilion Master position, I would like to know what reason the White Tiger Divine Hall has for opposing my succession."

At those words, the Pavilion Master's eyes beneath the bronze mask studied Li Musheng carefully from head to toe, then he suddenly said, "There's something I would like to confirm. Might Your Highness have cultivated demonic arts and fallen into the demonic path?"

At the same time, the Assassination Saint of the Hidden Kill Pavilion, his true face still obscured, also fixed his eyes on Li Musheng, as though trying to see straight through him.

Faced with the Pavilion Master's question, Li Musheng appeared rather indifferent, spreading his hands and saying, "That's right, I have indeed cultivated demonic arts, and not just one supreme demonic technique either. What of it?"

At those words, the Pavilion Master let out a sigh and said, "This is precisely the reason the White Tiger Divine Hall opposes Your Highness succeeding to the position of Pavilion Master. They believe that letting a demon lord command the Hidden Kill Pavilion could, should his demonic nature ever erupt in the future, bring about a catastrophe beyond imagining."

Li Musheng raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at the Assassination Saint, "I don't agree with that reasoning. Your Hidden Kill Pavilion never said that cultivating demonic arts disqualifies someone from becoming Pavilion Master. Besides, do either of you actually think I look like a demon lord?"

At those words, both the Pavilion Master and the Assassination Saint fell silent for a moment. Since first meeting Li Musheng, the two of them had actually been quietly observing his condition all along.

But no matter how they investigated, they had been unable to sense the slightest trace of demonic aura from him, nor any sign whatsoever of abnormal demonic nature. He genuinely appeared as ordinary as could be.

Even so, when Li Musheng had just been questioned by the Pavilion Master, he had personally admitted to cultivating demonic arts.

This confirmed that the Hidden Kill Pavilion's intelligence was not mistaken, and that the fact neither of them could detect anything only showed how extraordinarily skilled Li Musheng was at suppressing his demonic nature and concealing his demonic aura.

"Your Highness's martial cultivation is unfathomably deep, far beyond what either of us could match. Even so, the demonic path is a perilous and treacherous road. Though Your Highness may be able to suppress it for now, this is by no means a solution for the long term."

The Pavilion Master spoke with a grave expression, "During our conversation back in the Great Li imperial capital, I mentioned that the Hidden Kill Pavilion has consumed my entire life's devotion, and I have no wish to see it destroyed at the hands of my successor. Your Highness's current situation genuinely places me in a very difficult position."

"There's something else Your Highness may not be aware of, concerning the relationship between the Hidden Kill Pavilion and the White Tiger Divine Hall. Though the Hidden Kill Pavilion is a top-tier assassin organization with reach throughout the entire martial world, the true power controlling it from behind the scenes is actually the White Tiger Divine Hall of White Emperor City."

"The White Tiger Divine Hall holds the final say in decisions regarding the position of Pavilion Master. This is precisely why I told Your Highness back in the Great Li imperial capital that even I, as Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion, have no ability to interfere with the rules governing the Hidden Kill Order."

At those words, the Assassination Saint beside him gave a slight nod, continuing along the same lines as the Pavilion Master, "Your Highness, at such a young age, already possesses martial cultivation surpassing even mine. In my heart, Your Highness is, in truth, the unequivocal choice for the position of Pavilion Master."

"It's simply as the Pavilion Master has said. The situation within the Hidden Kill Pavilion is not as simple as outsiders might assume, involving as it does the intervention of the White Tiger Divine Hall, which is not something we old relics, myself and the Pavilion Master included, can decide unilaterally."

"For this reason, this old one humbly begs Your Highness's understanding of our difficult position, and asks that you grant us some time to go and communicate with the White Tiger Divine Hall. We promise that we will ultimately provide Your Highness with a satisfactory answer."