174: Chapter 174 The Sudden Shadow Assassination

After three days in the Liuxin Pool, Ye Tian underwent a complete transformation and emerged from his Breakthrough.

Ye Tian felt the five-colored vortex within his Dantian, which was churning with majestic power, and his heart surged with emotion.

The transformation of True Essence into liquid was a leap in the level of life itself. It brought not only an explosion of power but also a qualitative change in his perception of heaven and earth.

He needed a quiet place to carefully comprehend this brand-new Realm...

He did not return directly to the outer Sect, but instead came to a sparsely populated cliff at the edge of the inner Sect.

Clouds and mist swirled around the cliff's edge, and below was a bottomless mountain stream.

Ye Tian landed on a giant rock, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to concentrate.

His Divine Sense spread out, several times more acute than when he was in the Ningyuan Realm. Within a radius of dozens of feet, even the slightest things could be perceived.

Within his body, the Five Elements Sword Body glowed with an internal luster, and his True Essence flowed incessantly.

With a slight thought, he pointed his fingers like a sword. A wisp of five-colored Sword Qi shot out from his fingertips, easily slicing a nearby rock in half, the cross-section as smooth as a mirror.

"The power of the True Martial Realm is truly extraordinary..."

Ye Tian praised inwardly, immersed in the subtlety of his power control.

However, at the very moment his mind was focused on introspection, a premonition of death originating from his Soul's instinct instantly pierced into Ye Tian's Sea of Consciousness!

There was no sound of breaking wind, no energy fluctuation; an absolute "nothingness" silently attacked the vital point at the back of his head!

This attack was more like an assassination targeted at his life Origin!

Ye Tian's spiritual sense, sharpened to the extreme, exploded!

He didn't even have time to think; his body made a limit-breaking reaction driven by instinct!

"Buzz!"

The five-colored brilliance around him instantly collapsed inward, forming a layer of Five Elements True Armor on his body's surface!

At the same time, he jerked his neck to the side!

Ssh!

That "nothingness" attack grazed the edge of the Five Elements True Armor. The armor instantly dimmed, but in the end, it was not completely penetrated!

Immediately after, a cold, eerie power that directly invaded the Divine Soul actually tried to enter his body, but fortunately, it was crushed by the majestic Five Elements True Essence within Ye Tian!

Even so, Ye Tian felt a burning pain at his neck, and his Divine Soul even wavered slightly!

He took advantage of the momentum to roll forward, instantly widening the distance by ten feet. He turned around abruptly, his gaze locking onto the source of the attack!

In the shadows of the cliff edge where there had been nothing, a figure slowly emerged.

The newcomer was entirely shrouded in a strange black robe. It wasn't a mask on his face, but a layer of thick, writhing black gas that made it impossible to see his features, save for a pair of emotionless gray pupils staring at Ye Tian.

Most notably, on the black robe of his left shoulder, there was an embroidered dark purple pattern of a strange design with a hooked tip!

"You actually... managed to dodge Shadow Erosion?"

The black-robed killer's voice sounded somewhat surprised.

His move, "Shadow Erosion," was not a physical attack but directly corroded the target's shadow to attack their life Origin. It was impossible to guard against and had never failed!

Ye Tian had lingering fears, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

At that moment just now, he had truly smelled the scent of death!

If he hadn't just made a Breakthrough and had his spiritual sense explode in sensitivity, he would likely be a corpse by now!

His gaze coldly swept over the dark purple hook mark on the other's shoulder, his heart filled with both suspicion and anger!

He had never seen this mark before, but that sinister and ominous feeling made him wary!

"You rat who hides your head and shows your tail! Who sent you?"

Ye Tian's voice was ice-cold, and the True Essence within his body was ready to be unleashed.

The opponent's aura was obscure, but the pressure he gave off far exceeded any previous opponent. His cultivation was at least the True Martial Realm Middle Stage!

Moreover, his methods were strange and vicious; he was a professional killer!

"A dying man has no need to ask so many questions."

The killer gave a raspy laugh, his figure blurring again as he instantly merged into the shadows beneath his feet!

In the next moment, the shadows of the ground and rocks around Ye Tian turned into countless twisted black hands that coiled toward his feet. The tentacles emitted a cold aura that shackled True Essence and corroded the physical body!

Shadow Binding Technique!

Ye Tian's pupils constricted. He stepped out with the Taixu Star-Shift Steps, his figure avoiding the entanglement in the nick of time.

However, he was still hit by a wisp of black gas, though it didn't cause any real damage.

At the same time, he pointed his fingers repeatedly, firing several Starfall Fingers at the areas where the shadows were most concentrated!

Puff, puff, puff!

The finger force sank into the shadows, only stirring up a few ripples, failing to harm the opponent's true body!

This killer's movement technique could actually merge with shadows!

"It's useless... In the Shadow Domain, no attack can harm me!"

The killer's voice came from all directions, elusive and uncertain.

Suddenly, from the shadows above Ye Tian's head, a Shadow Blade formed entirely of darkness wordlessly and vertically stabbed down!

Its speed surpassed visual perception!

Ye Tian pushed his Divine Sense to its limit, narrowly capturing the energy fluctuation!

He let out a roar and no longer dodged. Five-colored brilliance flared on his right fist as a Dragon-Elephant phantom roared, and he threw a punch upward!

Fist Tilting Mountains and Seas!

Boom!

Fist and blade collided with a thunderous explosion!

The Shadow Blade shattered, but a cold force also shook Ye Tian's blood and Qi, causing the rock beneath his feet to crack inch by inch!

The opponent's strength far exceeded his estimations!

“Shadow Strangulation!”

The killer's offensive changed again. Dozens of shadow figures identical to his true body instantly split from the surrounding shadows. Each one carried real killing intent and held Shadow Blades, launching attacks at Ye Tian from various tricky angles!

Truth and falsehood were intertwined, making it hard to distinguish the real from the fake!

It was far stronger than Luo Qiushui's shadow sword.

Ye Tian fell into a bitter struggle, pushing his movement technique to the extreme to dodge with difficulty. At the same time, his palms flew as his Five Elements True Essence turned into layers of palm shadows, dispersing the incoming attacks one by one.

But the shadow Clones were endless and possessed considerable power. He could only defend passively, and his True Essence consumption was massive!

"I can't let myself be trapped to death!"

A fierce light flashed in Ye Tian's eyes, and the Five Elements Sword Intent seed in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly lit up!

He no longer blindly defended. Pointing his fingers like a sword, a wisp of Chaos-colored sword light carrying a Concept of returning all things to nothingness stabbed toward a lunging black shadow!

"Five Elements Void-Breaker!"

Ssh!

The black shadow was struck by the finger light and instantly began to disintegrate from within, leaving not even a trace behind!

"Huh? What power is this?!"

The killer's voice, filled with shock and uncertainty, came from the shadows.

Ye Tian's finger force could actually directly annihilate his shadow Clones?

Ye Tian's spirits rose as he captured the subtle fluctuation of the source of the voice!

He slammed his body toward the rear-left, enduring the attacks of two shadow Clones, and used the force to shoot toward a certain shadow on the cliff wall!

At the same time, he fully activated his Five Elements Sword Intent and pointed out with one finger!

His target was aimed directly at the killer's true body hidden in the shadows!

The killer clearly hadn't expected Ye Tian to find him so accurately. In his haste, he manifested from the shadows, a physical short blade appearing in his hand. The blade was pitch-black, swirling with the same black gas as his face, as he parried Ye Tian's finger light!

Clang!

Fingertip and blade edge collided!

This time, there was no energy explosion!

However, Ye Tian's finger light tore through the black gas on the short blade!

The killer let out a muffled groan, and the black gas swirling on his face writhed violently, as if he had been injured!

The dark purple hook mark on his shoulder became even clearer and more eye-catching amidst the surging black gas!

"Kid! You're looking for death!"

The killer was completely enraged. The black gas around him surged, and an even more terrifying aura spread out!

Ye Tian knew he couldn't stay long. The opponent's strength was unfathomable and his methods were strange; the successful strike just now was already a stroke of luck.

Without hesitation, his figure retreated explosively. At the same time, his hands formed seals, and the little True Essence remaining in his body poured out frantically, laying down an incessantly circulating Five Elements Reincarnation Barrier in front of him!

"Want to leave? Too late!"

The killer grinned hideously, raising his short blade high as the black gas condensed into a giant Ghost-Head Saber-Glow, about to strike down!

Just at this critical moment.

"What petty scoundrel dares to commit a crime on my Liuli Sect's territory!"

A majestic and angry shout descended from the sky!

A terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire cliff!

A powerhouse from the Sect had been alerted!

The killer's expression changed drastically. He abandoned Ye Tian without hesitation, his figure instantly dissipating into countless wisps of black smoke that merged into the shadows in all directions, disappearing without a trace, leaving not even a hint of his aura behind!

The pressure dissipated, and an old man wearing an Elder's robes appeared at the top of the cliff. He scanned the traces of the battlefield with a solemn expression, finally resting his gaze on Ye Tian, whose aura was somewhat disordered.

"Disciple Ye Tian greets the Elder!"

Ye Tian hurriedly performed a salute, his heart still pounding.

The old man looked at Ye Tian, a flash of surprise in his eyes: "True Martial Realm? You are... the top winner of this Outer Sect Grand Competition, Ye Tian? What happened just now?"

Ye Tian briefly explained the ambush, emphasizing the killer's strange movement technique and the dark purple hook mark on his shoulder.

Hearing this, the old man's brow furrowed: "Shadow Kill technique, dark purple hook mark... Could it be people from the Shadow Calamity Tower?

They actually dare to stretch their hands into my Liuli Xuan Sect!

This matter is no small thing. Follow me to see the Law Enforcement Elder!"

Ye Tian's heart turned cold. Shadow Calamity Tower?

He remembered this name.

Looking in the direction where the killer had disappeared, he clenched his fist tightly.

This sudden assassination was like a bucket of cold water, waking his mind which had become a bit heated from the Breakthrough.

The path of martial arts was indeed filled with killing intent at every step; one could not relax for even a moment!