63: Chapter 63 Assassination!

In the mountain forest on the outskirts of Mingkong City, two figures stood on the edge of a cliff, looking down at the city from afar.

The once-prosperous Mingkong City was now strewn with corpses. A vast pitch-black Undead Army occupied all sides, sealing off the entire city layer by layer, as a suffocating aura of death washed over the area.

"Bishop Wilson... Mingkong City has fallen after all."

Gavin looked at the ruined city, his heart throbbing with sharp pain. He slowly closed his eyes, two lines of scalding tears silently sliding down his face.

Compared to the heartbroken Gavin, Wilson's expression was much calmer and indifferent.

Having been transferred to Mingkong City for merely ten years, he had no deep-rooted ties here. The only thought in his mind was to report the fall of Mingkong City back to the Council as quickly as possible to get reinforcements.

Wilson turned his head to look at Gavin beside him and said solemnly, "Gavin, I must return to the Council immediately to report the situation here. Will you retreat with me, or do you have other plans?"

Gavin took a deep breath to suppress his surging grief, leaving only a numb resolve in his eyes.

For generations, his family had been rooted in Mingkong City. His homeland, clan, and generational glory were all here; the fall of the city meant the destruction of his home.

"Bishop Wilson, I know the Council has an emergency secret passage outside the city. I implore you to tell me its location."

Hearing this, Wilson instantly understood his intention to die with the city and hurriedly tried to persuade him, "Gavin, while there is life, there is hope..."

"There's no need to persuade me," Gavin interrupted decisively, his voice hoarse and bitter. "My home and my roots are all in this city."

Seeing his stubborn and resolute demeanor, Wilson remained silent for a long time, ultimately sighing helplessly, "Follow me."

The two walked under a vigorous old tree. Wilson raised his hand and struck several hidden nodes on the trunk with precision.

Accompanied by a subtle vibration of mechanisms, the ground slowly split open, quietly revealing a dark and deep secret passage.

"You must think this through carefully," Wilson warned solemnly with a grave expression. "This secret passage is a one-time emergency route. Once opened, it will completely collapse in thirty minutes, leaving you with no retreat."

Gavin did not respond. He merely took one last look at his fallen homeland, then stepped forward, resolutely walking deep into the secret passage.

Watching his lonely back, Wilson murmured softly, "Gavin, take care."

Gavin's footsteps paused slightly, but he did not look back. His silent steps grew ever firmer, and in an instant, he disappeared into the gloomy passage.

Once the secret passage was completely closed without a trace, Wilson took a deep look toward Mingkong City. Hesitating no longer, he turned and sped away through the air.

...

Inside the city, in the shadow beside a divine statue, a burst of holy radiance suddenly erupted!

"Blasphemer, die!"

Gavin shot forward, his eyes blood-red and filled with soaring intent to kill, locking firmly onto Su Ming before him.

At this moment, the two were extremely close, almost within arm's reach in an instant.

Gavin's face was frantic, the last glimmer of hope burning in his heart.

He knew the shortcoming of trial takers like Su Ming. As long as he killed Su Ming, the vast Undead Army would collapse on its own and perish, giving him a sliver of hope to reclaim Mingkong City.

A desperate, fatal sneak attack like this would likely succeed against almost any other trial taker.

But he had encountered Su Ming, who was already fully prepared.

Beside him, Ganie and Wawan were on high alert at all times, never slacking;

and Yelie, within Su Ming's shadow, was ready at a moment's notice.

The moment Gavin revealed himself, the pitch-black shadow violently erupted. Yelie turned into a streak of black light, instantly guarding Su Ming. Right behind him, layers of Soul-Devouring Red Ribbons swept out, instantly blocking all of Gavin's advancement paths.

Clang! Clang!

Two clear sword cries rang through the air. Both the yuanhong and Changhong swords at Ganie's waist unsheathed simultaneously. A chilling sword light swept across the sky, precisely intercepting Gavin's fatal attack.

Su Ming stood to the side with his hands behind his back, his expression calm as he watched Gavin fight desperately with great interest.

A burst of reckless courage was, in the end, merely futile.

"Damn it!"

Gavin's full-power fatal strike didn't even get close to Su Ming before it was tightly entangled by the sky full of red ribbons.

He gritted his teeth and urged his Holy Power, struggling to slash through the layers of ribbon, but his path forward was firmly blocked by cold, sharp sword light.

In terms of cultivation realm, Gavin, a Half-Step Holy Knight, still held a firm advantage over Ganie. However, in terms of sword realm and battle control, Ganie had reached perfection. His offense and defense breakdowns were flawless, firmly controlling the rhythm of the battle and trapping Gavin completely.

Coupled with Wawan's red ribbons constantly weaving around to pin him down, Gavin had a body full of majestic Battle Qi but could not advance half a step, falling completely into a passive state.

Unable to breach the defense after attacking for a long time, and with the battle at a stalemate, Gavin grew increasingly anxious.

He clearly knew that Su Ming's Undead Army was spread across the entire city, and reinforcements would arrive in an instant. Once completely surrounded, he would have no chance of turning the tables.

"Blasphemer, die!!"

Gavin's eyes turned blood-red as the Holy Power around him violently surged, exploding with majestic power in an attempt to forcefully knock everyone back for a desperate struggle.

But Ganie had already anticipated his move. His sword momentum suddenly skyrocketed, and a condensed, hundred-zhang giant sword formed out of thin air, crashing down from above to forcefully suppress his violent outburst.

Right at this moment, Xuankui and Ah Da led a squad to reinforce them just in time. The four instantly surrounded Gavin, completely locking down all his options for attack and retreat.

Fighting one against four and restricted at every step, Gavin was ultimately unable to hold out alone and fell back continuously.

Completely exhausted from trying to withstand the four's relentless onslaught, he failed to notice a silent shadow blade quietly drawing near to his vital spot from behind.

*Slash—!*

A cold glint flashed as the sharp blade pierced through his chest!

Gavin's pupils contracted violently, his face filled with disbelief as he instinctively clutched his chest. A hideous bloody hole had pierced through his heart, and scalding blood gushed out, soaking his holy armor.

As a ninth-rank High Holy Knight, Gavin's vitality far exceeded that of ordinary transcendent powerhouses. Even with his heart shattered, strong vitality still remained.

The Battle Qi inside his body surged rapidly, and faint light condensed at his chest wound as he attempted to forcefully rebuild his heart and reconnect his life force.

However, a strand of cold and domineering power on the wound constantly eroded and annihilated his vitality, forcibly severing his repair and rebirth.

Under normal circumstances, he could still exert all his Battle Qi to dispel this power and repair his body.

But currently trapped in an encirclement, he was completely unable to break free and save himself.

Seeing this situation, how could Ganie and the other three miss such a prime combat opportunity? They immediately exerted their full power to suppress Gavin.

In just five short minutes, the Battle Qi around Gavin completely dissipated, his vitality drained rapidly, and the light in his eyes gradually faded.

Yelie struck once again. A blade light flashed across, and a crimson streak bloomed on Gavin's neck.

Gavin took one last affectionate look at Mingkong City beneath his feet. Full of unwillingness and regret, his body went limp, and he fell heavily to the ground, perishing completely.

Su Ming quietly looked down at this scene, his expression calm and unruffled.

This was war—it was either you die or I perish, with no place for sentimentality.

Furthermore, once someone fell into Su Ming's hands, even in death, they would not find peace.

Su Ming raised his hand and activated his Nether Godly Power, sending wisps of grey gas surging into Gavin's cold corpse.

The lifeless eyes lit up once again with an intelligent, divine glow.

"Subordinate pays respect to the Divine Lord! Thank you, Divine Lord, for granting me the grace of rebirth!"

The resurrected Gavin showed utmost respect, bowing deeply to Su Ming.

Su Ming nodded slightly, though a faint trace of weakness washed over his form.

Forcibly resurrecting a ninth-rank knight had almost completely drained the divine power in his body.