88: Nighttime Assassin!

Chen Xu's voice echoed through the entire Golden Throne Hall: "Your Majesty, why the rush to conclude?"

With that single sentence, the entire hall fell silent.

Everyone's gaze converged upon him.

Chen Xu looked at the Old Emperor, who was still vigorously performing on the dragon throne, and gently shook his head: "It is still undecided who is truly colluding with the Demonic Path."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire Golden Throne Hall erupted in an uproar.

Prince Yu, Qin Kai's pained expression froze on his face.

A bead of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

Chen Xu ignored the shock of the crowd and continued in his calm tone: "Now, I only want to know, where is the demon?"

One sentence brought everyone's thoughts back to the main topic.

Yes, they were vying for power, but this "state protecting celestial master's" objective...

From beginning to end, there was only one—exterminate demons!

Inside the hall, the atmosphere instantly changed.

After a long while, Chen Xu's gaze finally shifted from the Old Emperor and landed on Qin Kai, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

"Your Highness Prince Yu's loyalty and courage are commendable; this Venerable One is deeply gratified."

Prince Yu was stunned upon hearing this, then his heart swelled with wild joy!

He took the bait!

This Chen Xu, though strong in power, wasn't very clever!

He was so easily deceived by him!

He quickly suppressed the smugness in his heart and once again respectfully kowtowed: "To share the Celestial Master's worries and eliminate traitors for the Great Feng Dynasty is Qin Kai's duty!"

"Very good."

Chen Xu smiled and nodded: "This Venerable One is new to the capital and unfamiliar with the area; I happen to need someone familiar with this place to lead the way."

"Next, the investigation into the remnants of the rebellious faction will be jointly handled by you and me."

"This humble servant... obeys!"

Prince Yu was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately accepted the order.

He had already begun to scheme how to use this opportunity of "joint responsibility" to lead this troublesome state protecting celestial master into the death trap he had meticulously set.

To ensure he would never return!

Chen Xu's decision plunged Qin Wujie, who was standing by, into despair.

It's over.

Even this last hope was deceived by Prince Yu.

The Great Feng Dynasty... is finished.

Meanwhile, in the corner of the hall, King Cheng, Qin Zhe, who had been keeping his head down, his face pale,

As if he could cough up blood and die at any moment, slowly raised his head when no one was looking, and cast a deep glance at Chen Xu on the imperial seat... After the court session, Qin Kai acted with extreme enthusiasm.

He personally escorted Chen Xu to the former State Preceptors Residence as his lodging.

The residence featured pavilions, terraces, carved beams, and painted rafters, filled with abundant Spiritual Qi, exuding extreme luxury.

"Celestial Master, you must be tired from your journey; please rest here first."

"All provisions within the residence, I have already ordered to be prepared according to the highest standards."

Prince Yu smiled obsequiously: "I have also specially selected a team of the most astute maidservants and guards for you. Should you have any commands, simply dispatch them."

Soon, a team of graceful maidservants and a team of formidable guards.

Stood respectfully before Chen Xu.

"Greetings, Celestial Master!"

Chen Xu's gaze swept over the seemingly respectful faces of these spies, and he gave a slight smile.

He waved his hand, signaling Prince Yu that he could leave.

Once everyone had departed, and the vast residence was left with only Chen Xu,

He slowly poured himself a cup of tea.

The tea's aroma wafted, refreshing and invigorating.

Chen Xu picked up the teacup, looking at the floating tea leaves, his eyes calm, and he began to speak to himself: "What will Prince Yu's first grand gift be?"

...That night, deep as ink.

As the heart of the Great Feng Dynasty, the bustling and prosperous Imperial City, at this moment, fell into silence.

The daytime traffic and clamor were completely swallowed by the boundless darkness.

Only the faint sounds of the patrolling imperial guards' armor rubbing and the watchman's clapper occasionally broke the deadly silence.

State Preceptors Residence.

This residence, which in the previous dynasty symbolized supreme authority, second only to one person and above all others, after decades of silence, finally welcomed its new master.

However, the residence was not brightly lit; instead, it was eerily quiet, as if not even a single servant was present.

Inside the main courtyard's pavilion, Chen Xu sat alone, calmly before a stone table.

On the table, a pot of clear tea, with steam gently rising.

He did not drink the tea, but simply cast his gaze towards the dark night sky outside the courtyard.

His eyes were calm and unperturbed.

At a certain moment, he picked up the teacup, gently blew away the swirling steam, and a slight smile played on the corner of his lips.

"By my reckoning, they should be here by now."

No sooner had his voice fallen.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Several figures, almost merged with the darkness, silently scaled the tall courtyard walls of the State Preceptors Residence.

Their movements were as light as cats, landing without a sound.

They did not leak even a hint of magical power fluctuations, nor even the slightest Killing Intent.

Their concealment was perfect.

The three leaders had their auras reined in to the extreme, but their occasionally flashing eyes were exceptionally sharp.

They were clearly three experienced Golden Core Stage Cultivators!

Behind them followed more than ten black-clad death warriors, each a Late Foundation Establishment Stage elite.

Their entire bodies exuded a chilling Death Qi.

This was a terrifying force capable of easily annihilating a medium-sized Cultivation Family!

One of the Golden Core Cultivators at the head made a gesture.

The team immediately moved like a pack of well-trained hounds, quietly infiltrating the main courtyard deep within the residence.

They proceeded unhindered; the so-called defensive Restrictions within the residence were like mere illusions in their eyes, easily bypassed.

This caused their last shred of vigilance to completely dissipate.

It seemed that this so-called state protecting celestial master was merely a brute with raw strength, completely clueless about Formations and Restrictions!

Soon, they had stealthily reached behind the rock garden outside the main courtyard.

The leading Golden Core Cultivator took out a token from hisIn my arms.

On it, the character "Jing" was carved in a vigorous, Dragon-Phoenix style.

It was precisely the Seventh Prince, Qin Wujie's, princely token!

He made a throat-slitting gesture to the death warriors behind him, his eyes extremely cold.

Their mission was clear.

To storm into the main courtyard with lightning speed and kill the target!

Then, to throw this token beside the corpse.

With both human and material evidence present, the charge of the Seventh Prince, Qin Wujie, colluding with assassins to murder the state protecting celestial master, would be undeniable in the court tomorrow!

A faint hoot, the signal for action.

"Move!"

The three Golden Core Cultivators, like three arrows released from a bowstring, suddenly burst forth!

More than ten death warriors followed closely behind, their Killing Intent erupting at this moment, enveloping the green-robed figure in the pavilion!

However!

The moment they stepped into the main courtyard's perimeter!

The pavilions, terraces, rock gardens, and flowing water before their eyes instantly vanished!

In their place was a vast, boundless, brilliant starry sky with no discernible edges!

Beneath their feet was no longer solid ground.

But an unfathomable, endless abyss!

They seemed to have been instantly pulled from the real world, plunged into a completely alien dimension!

"Oh no! It's an illusion Formation!"

The leading Golden Core Cultivator's face drastically changed, letting out a shriek!

He desperately circulated the Golden Core within his body, attempting to break free from the spatial restraints, but was horrified to discover that his connection to the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi outside had been completely severed!

The magical power within his body was like water without a source; use a bit, and there's a bit less!

"How is this possible?! When did we fall into a Formation?!"

Another Golden Core Cultivator, looking frantic, summoned his Flying Sword and madly hacked at the surrounding stars.

But that Sword Qi, powerful enough to split mountains and crack stones, upon touching the starlight...

Vanished into thin air, like a clay ox entering the sea.

The remaining death warriors were even more engulfed in immense panic.

They stumbled around like headless flies in this boundless starry sky, only to find that no matter which direction they ran, it was as if they were treading in place.

In an instant, boundless fear surged into their hearts.

Causing their minds to subtly begin to collapse.

And just as their minds were on the verge of collapse.

A detached voice slowly drifted down from the starry sky above their heads.

"Welcome to my world."

Everyone looked up in horror!

They saw a green-robed figure, guarded by billions of stars, sitting calmly upon a throne condensed from brilliant starlight.

He rested one hand on his chin, the other holding a cup of steaming clear tea.

He was looking down at them with an amused expression, as if they were mere ants.

It was Chen Xu!

He did not exude any terrifying pressure.

But just that single figure, that single gaze, made these three Golden Core Cultivators feel a pressure a hundred times more terrifying than facing a Nascent Soul Ancestor!

It was as if they were not facing a Cultivator.

But facing the Dominator of this starry sky, this world!

"You... who exactly are you?!"

The leading Golden Core Cultivator's voice trembled, all color draining from his face.

"Me? Just... someone you can't afford to provoke."

Chen Xu set down his teacup, looking at the terrified assassins below, and a slight smile played on his lips.

He didn't even bother to make a move.

He simply snapped his fingers gently.

Clap!

A crisp sound echoed in the deadly silent starry sky.

The next moment!

The countless stars suddenly burst forth with dazzling light!

Streaks of starlight descended, instantly transforming into unbreakable silver chains in mid-air!

"No~!"

The assassins let out desperate roars.

They struggled desperately, summoning various Magic Treasures and Talismans, trying to resist.

However, everything was futile.

The starlight chains ignored all their defenses, passing through them like air, easily coiling around their bodies.

"Sizzle!"

The chains tightened, an irresistible, terrifying power of Restriction,

Instantly sealed off all their Meridians and Dantian!

Let alone mobilizing magical power, at this moment, even moving a single finger became a luxury for them!

"Plop! Plop!"

The three Golden Core Cultivators and more than ten black-clad death warriors, like dumplings falling into a pot, were tightly bound and tumbled from mid-air, piling up in a disheveled heap.

The entire process was smooth and incredibly fast!

From the moment they stepped into the trap until their complete annihilation, only three breaths passed!

...Meanwhile.

Imperial City, Prince Yu's Residence.

Inside the study, lights were brightly lit.

Prince Yu, Qin Kai, dressed in a magnificent python robe, paced back and forth restlessly.

He occasionally glanced out at the dark night.

His eyes filled with malice!

"Your Highness, why such impatience?"

From the shadows of the study, an old man, hunched over as if he might fall apart at any moment, spoke in a hoarse voice, "Shadow Cultivators never fail."

"What's more, this time three Golden Core Cultivator offerings are personally leading the team. Even if Chen Xu has three heads and six arms, he's dead for sure!"

"This Prince isn't worried about that!"

Prince Yu, Qin Kai stopped and snorted coldly, "This Prince is worried that they won't kill him cleanly enough! If any loose ends are left behind and discovered by Father Emperor, then all our plans will be ruined!"

"Hehehe..."

The old man let out a hooting laugh like a night owl, "Your Highness worries too much. This is a plan to kill two birds with one stone."

"If it succeeds, Chen Xu dies, and the Seventh Prince takes the blame for assassinating the celestial master, never to rise again."

"At that time, if Your Highness then uses thunderous force to uncover the truth of the Seventh Prince colluding with the Demonic Path, setting things right, this will be a great merit!"

"Your Majesty's health is already poor. After this blow, I'm afraid... hehe, the Great Feng Dynasty will sooner or later be in Your Highness's grasp."

"What if it fails?"

Prince Yu, Qin Kai frowned.

"If it fails, it doesn't matter."

A glimmer flashed in the old man's eyes, "Shadow Cultivators are all dead men; they will never reveal anything about Your Highness. And those assassins are carrying the tokens of the Prince Jing's Residence!"

"Regardless of success or failure, the Seventh Prince is stuck with this blame!"

"More importantly..."

The old man paused, his voice growing colder, "We can also use this to test Chen Xu's true unfathomable depth. Knowing ourselves and our enemies allows us to fight a hundred battles without defeat."

"A dead state protecting celestial master and a state protecting celestial master whose background we've figured out are both good things for us."

Hearing this analysis, the look of anxiety on Prince Yu, Qin Kai's face finally eased slightly.

He sat back down in the Grand Tutor's chair and picked up his teacup.

A sinister smile appeared on his face.

"You're right! No matter what, this Prince stands in an invincible position! Qin Wujie, this time, let's see how you'll fight against this Prince!"

...State Preceptors Residence, within the Starry Sky Illusion Formation.

Chen Xu's figure slowly floated down from the Starlight Throne.

He arrived in front of the assassins, who were tied up like zongzi.

He looked at the terrified expressions on their faces and chuckled softly, "Sure enough, the enemy is even more anxious than I imagined. The more anxious they are, the more mistakes they make."

His gaze swept over the faces of the three Golden Core Cultivators one by one.

Finally, it landed on the Golden Core Cultivator whose eyes were the most shifty and whose desire to survive was the strongest.

A playful smile appeared on Chen Xu's face.

He flicked his finger.

"Whoosh~!"

A wisp of purple-gold Qi, as thin as a hair, silently entered the Golden Core Cultivator's body.

The next second, the Golden Core Cultivator was horrified to discover that the starlight chains binding him had inexplicably loosened a little!

The completely sealed Golden Core also recovered a trace of its weak operational ability!

This was... a flaw in the Formation?

Immense joy instantly overwhelmed his mind!

He didn't even have time to ponder the strangeness of it all.

The instinct to survive had already overridden everything!

"Blood Escape Technique!"

He let out a frantic roar, a look of determination flashing in his eyes!

"Pfft~ !"

He actually forcibly self-detonated one of his arms!

Violent blood Qi shot into the sky, transforming into a dazzling blood light that enveloped his body and slammed towards the direction where the chains had loosened!

"Crack!"

With a crisp sound, the starlight chains snapped!

The blood light formed by the Golden Core Cultivator fled this starry sky without the slightest hesitation!

The remaining two Golden Core Cultivators and the group of dead men watched their companion "escape to freedom," their expressions first startled.

Then their faces turned to despair.

Why... why him?

Why did the flaw in the Formation appear precisely in his position?

Their last hope.

It was completely crushed with the disappearance of that blood light.

Chen Xu looked in the direction where the blood light disappeared, the smile on his lips growing wider.

That wisp of Primordial Violet Qi was a Divine Soul beacon he had deliberately left behind.

It had already perfectly fused with the Golden Core Cultivator's Divine Soul Origin.

Unless a powerful being intervened, no matter where he fled, he would be like a firefly in the dark, unable to hide from his perception.

"Alright, now, it's your turn."

Chen Xu turned around, his gaze coldly sweeping over the remaining assassins.

He slowly extended his right hand and placed it on the head of the closest Golden Core Cultivator.

"Soul Search."

Two words were uttered.

The Golden Core Cultivator's body trembled violently, his eyes instantly losing all their luster.

They became completely hollow.

Countless fragments of memory, like a revolving lantern, flashed rapidly through his mind.

Then they all poured into Chen Xu's Sea of Consciousness.

A moment later, Chen Xu withdrew his hand.

The Golden Core Cultivator's body, as if drained of all life force, fell softly, turning into a handful of dust.

"Shadow Cultivators... Prince Yu, Qin Kai's secret dead men organization..."

A hint of understanding flashed in Chen Xu's eyes.

"Framing Prince Jing, testing my strength... Hehe, they sure think beautifully."

He no longer wasted time, repeating the process, searching the souls of all the remaining assassins one by one, then erasing them.

After doing all this, he gently waved his hand.

The starry sky illusion Formation that enveloped the entire main courtyard quickly receded and disappeared without a trace.

The courtyard was still the same courtyard.

The pavilion was still the same pavilion.

The tea on the table even had a faint wisp of heat rising from it.

As if the thrilling assassination and counter-assassination that just occurred had never happened.

Chen Xu sat back down at the stone table and closed his eyes.

Within his Divine Sense perception, a faint but incredibly clear speck of light was rapidly traversing more than half of the Imperial City, frantically fleeing towards the outskirts.

Passing through quiet streets, crossing silent markets, evading patrolling Imperial Guards... Finally, that speck of light plunged into the outskirts of the city.

And in front of him was a vast royal villa.

Its defenses were extremely strict!

Chen Xu slowly opened his eyes, a trace of Killing Intent flashing in them.

The next moment, he flicked his fingertip, pouring the leftover tea in his cup onto the ground.

Then he slowly rose, and in the blink of an eye, his figure merged into the shadows behind him!

At the same time.

On the outskirts of the Imperial City, a crimson streak of light was skimming the ground.

Fleeing frantically at an unbelievable speed.

It was that Golden Core Shadow Cultivator.

At this moment, there was no trace of relief on his face from having escaped to freedom.

Only fear remained.

Too terrifying!

That man was not human at all!

He didn't even move his hands; with just a glance and a snap of his fingers, he toyed with their elite assassination squad, led by three Golden Core Cultivators, as if they were in the palm of his hand!

That starry sky illusion Formation was an even more terrifying existence he had never seen before.

Within the Formation, he felt like an ant trapped in a cage; the opponent could make him live or die with just a thought.

He was able to escape, definitely not because his Blood Escape Technique was so brilliant, but because the opponent... deliberately let him go!

As this thought arose, all the hairs on his body stood on end!

He didn't dare to look back, nor did he dare to use his Divine Sense to probe behind him. He could only burn his essence blood and Lifespan, pushing his speed to the extreme.

He plunged headfirst into the place that could bring him a sense of security!

Finally, he stopped in front of a vast estate, entirely built of dark, heavy wood.

"Jingxin Garden."

The three gilded characters on the plaque appeared exceptionally serene under the moonlight.

This place was precisely a villa under Prince Yu, Qin Kai's name, used for quiet cultivation.

The Shadow Cultivator did not hesitate, skillfully forming a magic seal. His entire body transformed into a phantom, directly passing through the defensive Formation surrounding the estate and disappearing into the depths of the garden.

The moment he entered the villa.

Under the shadow of an eaves a thousand meters away from the villa.

Chen Xu's figure slowly emerged.

He raised his head, his gaze calmly fixed on the seemingly tranquil, yet actually murderous, estate.

"Purple Pupils of Delusion Breaking"!

In an instant, the entire world transformed into a different appearance in his eyes.

Countless Formation lines composed of Spiritual Qi enveloped the entire villa.

There was a guard every three steps, a sentry every five steps.

Dozens of guards, whose cultivation had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, were hidden in various corners. Their aura perfectly blended with the surrounding environment, making it difficult for even the Divine Sense of ordinary Golden Core Cultivators to detect them.

In the central area of the villa, there were even several powerful auras, no weaker than the Late Golden Core Stage, in slumber, like dormant fierce beasts.

With such defenses, let alone assassins, even if an army were to launch a forceful attack.

They would probably pay a heavy price.

However, all of this was transparent in Chen Xu's eyes.

Those complex Formation nodes, hidden patrol routes, concealed Killing Intent... all the secrets were revealed in his mind without any place to hide.

In a few breaths, a complete map was formed.

"Interesting, a villa used for quiet cultivation, yet its defenses are ten times stricter than Prince Yu, Qin Kai's own residence."

Chen Xu sneered coldly.

This place was clearly not a benevolent one.

He did not choose to force his way in.

His figure flickered, once again merging into the night.

The next moment, he had already appeared beneath the wall of Jingxin Garden.

He strolled leisurely, as if walking in his own backyard.

Each step landed precisely in the gaps of the Formation's operation, and each turn perfectly avoided the sight of the patrolling guards.

A hidden sentry, concealed in the tree canopy, only felt a gentle breeze brush past him.

He vigilantly looked around, sweeping with his Divine Thought.

But he found nothing, so he shook his head in confusion and continued to lie in wait.

He did not know.

That in that very instant, Yama had brushed past him.

Chen Xu, as if entering an uninhabited land, effortlessly passed through layers of defenses and arrived in the depths of the villa.