Chapter 97: A Single Glance, Souls Scattered

Chen Tianyou took a step back cautiously, putting some distance between himself and the girl. His heart was still pounding like a drum, but as a Peak Core Formation Realm expert, he couldn’t show weakness in front of his subordinates.

"May I ask... who is the esteemed guest? he asked humbly lacking his previous arrogance.

The girl didn’t answer his question directly. Instead, her bright, starry eyes slowly swept across the messy hall, looking at the broken furniture, the spilled wine, and the trembling assassins.

A disdainful sneer appeared on her exquisite face.

"So, you are the rats that were sneaking around in the shadows when I was on a date with him," she said, her voice clear but carrying an undeniable chill.

Hearing this, Wang Xiong, who was still kneeling on the ground, suddenly felt a surge of courage.

’She didn’t answer Senior Chen’s question. She’s must be some pretty little girl relying on some weird movement technique!’ Wang Xiong’s eyes darted around. He counted over thirty black clad assassins, including several Peak Foundation Establishment Realm experts and most importantly, a Peak Core Formation Realm master. With such a lineup, what was there to fear?

He puffed up his chest, his face twisting into a vicious grin. He pointed a trembling finger at her and lashed out, "You ignorant little girl! In front of Senior Chen, you dare act so arrogant?! You better get on show some respect to Senior Chen, or else today you—"

Halfway through his reprimand, Wang Xiong’s voice suddenly choked in his throat as he felt chill.

It wasn’t just a feeling, It was a literally cold. The temperature in the main hall plummeted instantly. A layer of white frost rapidly spread across the wooden floorboards, crawling up the pillars and freezing the spilled spirit wine into solid ice. Wang Xiong’s breath turned to white mist, and his skin instantly turned a ghastly blue. The cold was so intense it felt like it was freezing his very blood.

She looked down at him, her eyes completely devoid of emotion.

"It was you that tried to assassinate him," she stated flatly.

She raised her delicate hand and lightly snapped her fingers.

Snap

BOOM!

Without any warning, Wang Xiong’s body violently exploded! Blood, flesh, and shattered bones sprayed across the hall like a gruesome firework. The Peak Foundation Establishment Realm restaurant owner was reduced to a fine mist of blood in a single second. Not even a piece of bone larger than a fingernail was left behind.

The remaining assassins and Lin Ao were completely dumbfounded. Their eyes bulged in sheer terror.

’How?! How did she do that? He just... exploded!’

Before anyone could process the shock of Wang Xiong’s death, Meihua’s cold gaze slowly shifted and landed on Chen Tianyou.

Looking into those eyes, Chen Tianyou felt as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into an ice cave. His survival instincts screamed at him to run, but his body was locked in place by her sheer presence.

"Kill her!" Chen Tianyou roared, his face twisted with panic and killing intent. "All of you, attack immediately! Don’t hold back! Kill her!"

The thirty two assassins instantly snapped out of their daze. They circulated their spiritual energy, drawing their weapons and preparing to unleash their deadliest techniques.

But just as they were about to move, the space beside Meihua rippled slightly.

Two figures suddenly appeared out of thin air, flanking her.

On her left was a graceful woman with striking gray hair. On her right was a massive, two meter tall bear-kin, radiating an overwhelming, tyrannical physical presence.

The moment these two appeared, the entire hall came under an invisib pressure. The assassins’ knees buckled, and several weaker ones instantly spat out mouthfuls of blood.

Chen Tianyou’s pupils contracted, and his face went pale with fear.

’Th-This aura... it’s even more terrifying than my Peak Core Formation Realm! Are they... Nascent Soul experts?!’

The gray haired woman, stepped forward slightly, her eyes flashing with a dangerous light as she looked at the assassins. The massive bear-kin just stood their protecting that girl.

"Miss," The woman said respectfully, though there was a clear trace of killing intent in her voice. "We will handle these people. You shouldn’t risk your safety. If anything happens to you, Young Master will be heartbroken."

The girl raised a delicate hand, stopping them. The icy coldness in her eyes softened slightly as she spoke of that Young Master.

"You know he is the reason I allowed you to tag along in the first place," she said softly. "Let me handle it alone."

Yes, the people who had arrived were none other than Meihua, Yan Ruo, and Hei Lang.

To understand this, one had to look back at what had happened earlier.

When Yu Liang and Meihua were enjoying their date at the restaurant, Meihua had noticed that there were people watching them from the shadows. The spiritual senses scanning them were very subtle, almost undetectable to ordinary cultivators, but how could they hide from someone of her caliber.

Yan Rou had immediately noticed it too and was about to send a spiritual message to inform Yu Liang. However, before she could act, she received a spiritual transmission from Meihua. ’Don’t tell him. Let us enjoy our date.’

Then after bidding a warm farewell to Yu Liang, Meihua’s gentle demeanor vanished, and she immediately tracked the watchers down to this Golden Phoenix Restaurant. She was originally going to come here alone to clean up the trash. However, Yu Liang had given his protectors a strict, absolute command. ’Never leave Meihua alone under any circumstances.’

Meihua had tried to shake them off, but they were stubborn and insisted on following closely behind. It was only when they used Yu Liang’s name that she allowed them to follow her.

She assured them, "Don’t worry. I can handle it easily."

Seeing Meihua’s absolute confidence, Yan Rou and Hei Lang hesitated for a second, but ultimately bowed their heads. "Yes, Miss." They took a step back.

Seeing the two terrifying experts step back, Senior Chen Tianyou thought they were just arrogant or that the girl was truly alone now. He gritted his teeth, deciding to risk it all. If he didn’t kill her today, Blood River Assassination Guild would be finished!

"Now! Kill her!" Chen Tianyou roared, pushing his Core Formation Realm cultivation to the limit.

The thirty two assassins, including the squad leaders, erupted with murderous aura. They transformed into black streaks of light, slashing their weapons toward Meihua from all directions. The attack was swift, ruthless, and left with no blind spots.

Facing this deadly assault, Meihua didn’t dodge. She didn’t even raise her hand.

She just lazily lifted her eyelids and glanced at them.

Instantly, the world seemed to stop.

The thirty two assassins, froze completely in their place including Chen Tianyou. Their weapons halted inches from her body. Their expressions were locked in a mask of fierce killing intent, but their eyes were completely dead.

The entire hall fell silent.

Standing a few steps away, Yan Rou frowned slightly as to why people froze in mid movement. She swept the stopped assassins with her divine sense.

A moment later, her elegant eyebrows shot up in genuine shock.

There were no life signatures.

She investigated deeper as her divine sense penetrated their bodies. What she saw made her breath hitch. Their physical bodies were perfectly intact, but their sea of consciousness was completely empty. Their souls had been utterly scattered into the void, erased from existence without leaving a single trace.

Yan Rou looked at the peaceful, unbothered face of the her young miss, a complex expression of delight and horror flashed in her eyes.

A single glance.

That was all it took. Just one look, and over thirty two cultivators, including a Peak Core Formation Realm expert, had their souls annihilated.