188: Chapter 188 Fatal Assassination

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Countless poisoned crossbow bolts struck his body, but they only produced a series of crisp metallic clashing sounds before being deflected entirely by his indestructible golden skin!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Countless Explosive Shells detonated around him. The terrifying shockwaves, capable of tearing steel into fragments, could only cause his charging figure to pause for a fleeting moment!

He was like a war behemoth walking among humans. Wherever he passed, every conspiracy and every trap was crushed into dust by his pure, unreasonable, and absolute power!

"No! This is impossible! How could he not fear the attacks of the 'Ten Directions Absolute Killing Formation'?!"

Wang Jing, who had been sitting securely on the fishing platform, looked at the terrifying figure rushing madly toward the formation core like a demon god. On his face, usually filled with confidence and madness, a look of horror like seeing a ghost appeared for the first time!

However, Gao Feng did not give him any time to think at all!

His figure, like golden lightning, finally reached the huge stone lion after paying the heavy price of enduring hundreds of explosions and thousands of crossbow bolts!

The Qi and blood inside his body surged, and a mouthful of scalding blood could no longer be suppressed, spraying wildly from his mouth!

But he seemed completely unaware of it. His golden eyes, burning with monstrous rage, locked tightly onto the target before him!

He raised the Emperor's Sword high in his hand, pouring all the remaining power in his body into it without reservation!

"Shatter for me—!!!!!"

He let out a terrifying roar that could move heaven and earth. The Emperor's Sword in his hand, carrying the supreme Divine Might capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, transformed into a brilliant ten-zhang long golden blade Aura, hacking fiercely onto the huge stone lion!

"Boom—!!!!!"

A terrifying roar that seemed to overturn the entire Qingzhou City suddenly erupted!

That huge stone lion, carved from the hardest granite and weighing ten thousand catties, was actually hacked into dust filling the sky by this heaven-destroying slash from Gao Feng!

With the destruction of the formation core, the terrifying killing formation shrouding the entire long street vanished instantly like a punctured balloon!

The rain of arrows stopped, and the deafening explosions disappeared.

The whole world seemed to fall into a dead silence at this moment!

However, just as the dozens of surviving Iron Guard soldiers erupted in crazy cheers for surviving the disaster.

A strange voice, filled with endless cold and chilling killing intent, seemingly devoid of any human emotion, sounded quietly behind Gao Feng without any warning.

"Remarkable."

"To be able to withstand the 'Ten Directions Absolute Killing Formation' of my 'Heavenly Punishment' with the cultivation of a Seventh-Rank Great Grandmaster, and even accurately find and destroy the formation core after paying such a heavy price."

"Gao Feng, you are indeed the most brilliant and talented young person I have seen in these hundred years."

"It is just a pity that you must die here today."

Gao Feng's pupils shrank violently. An unprecedented sense of terrifying crisis, enough to make his Soul tremble, struck from behind him!

Without thinking, he performed a clumsy roll, throwing himself wildly to the side in an extremely wretched posture!

"Swish—!"

A pitch-black sword light, as thin as a hair, flashed past, almost grazing his scalp!

The pitch-black sword light looked unremarkable, but the terrifying power contained within it left a bottomless sword scar on the steel-built wall behind him, as if cutting through tofu!

Gao Feng broke out in a cold sweat. He turned his head abruptly, only to see that at the position where he had just been standing, a black figure like a phantom had appeared silently, without anyone knowing when!

The man wore black clothes and a pure black metal mask on his face, revealing only a pair of hollow and dead-silent eyes.

He just stood there quietly, holding a strange longsword that was also pitch-black as ink, seemingly capable of absorbing all light.

There was no powerful Qi and blood fluctuation on his body, nor any terrifying Aura emitted. The whole person was like a ghost merged into the shadows; if not seen with one's own eyes, it would be impossible to detect his presence!

However, Gao Feng could clearly feel a terrifying pressure radiating from this person, enough to make him feel suffocated!

That was an absolute crushing at the level of life!

Eighth-Rank, Martial Saint!

And, a terrifying Martial Saint who specialized in the Dao of assassination!

"You are the leader of 'Heavenly Punishment'?" Gao Feng slowly stood up from the ground. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes burning with golden flames, locking tightly onto this unprecedented terrifying enemy!

"You can call me Shadow Kill." The Man in Black's voice remained as cold as ever, without a hint of emotion.

"Gao Feng, you are very strong, even much stronger than I imagined. If you were given another ten years, perhaps even I would not be your match."

"It is just a pity that you will not have that chance."

Before the words fell, Shadow Kill's figure flickered strangely on the spot and then disappeared!

Gao Feng's pupils instantly contracted to the size of pinpoints. The Mental Energy in his body warned him frantically, and a fatal sense of crisis struck from his left side!

Without thinking, the Emperor's Sword in his hand turned into a golden lightning bolt, hacking fiercely toward the empty space on his left!

"Clang—!"

A crisp metallic clashing sound rang out!

Shadow Kill's ghost-like figure appeared out of thin air in that open space. The black longsword in his hand precisely blocked this sure-kill slash from Gao Feng!

Two equally terrifying forces collided violently!

Gao Feng only felt a cold and eerie, penetrating, terrifying force rushing crazily into his body along the sword, raging wildly within his internal organs!

He let out a muffled groan, his whole body forced back several steps by this terrifying power. Each step left a terrifying footprint several inches deep on the hard bluestone slabs!

And Shadow Kill's figure, once again like a ghost, merged into the shadows and disappeared!

Fast!

Too fast!

Fast to the extreme!

Is this the terrifying strength of an Eighth-Rank Martial Saint?

A monstrous wave rose in Gao Feng's heart. He knew that he had likely encountered the most dangerous and deadly death trap since his Transmigration!

"Your Highness, watch out!"

Just at this moment, a terrifying roar filled with endless violence and wildness exploded like a thunderclap on flat ground!

Only to see the Iron Guard, like an iron tower, had appeared on the battlefield, not knowing when!

From his burly body, a terrifying Aura like an ancient Vicious Beast erupted. The special heavy sword in his hand, carrying a terrifying sonic boom capable of tearing the air, smashed fiercely toward a shadow in front of Gao Feng!

"Boom—!"

A loud noise!

Shadow Kill's ghost-like figure was forced out again. Looking at the suddenly appeared Iron Guard, a trace of surprise appeared for the first time in those dead-silent eyes that had always been as still as an ancient well.

"Hmm? There is actually another Seventh-Rank Peak Great Grandmaster? And he is a Body Refining cultivator specializing in frontal attacks? Interesting."

However, before his words fell, another more strange and even more deadly purple figure, like a death ghost crawling out of Hell, appeared behind him without any warning!

Purple Guard!

The purple short blade in his hand, like a viper's fangs, carried a heart-stopping arc of death and stabbed silently toward Shadow Kill's vital back heart!

"Hmph! Can a grain of rice dare to shine?"

Shadow Kill snorted coldly. His body twisted violently at a strange angle that completely defied physical common sense!

Not only did he narrowly avoid this sure-kill strike from the Purple Guard, but the black longsword in his hand also struck out like a viper leaving its hole, slashing backhandedly toward the Purple Guard's throat!

The speed of this sword was extreme, and it was ruthless to the extreme!

However, the Purple Guard's reaction was not slow either. His figure, as if boneless, leaned backward, narrowly avoiding this deadly sword with an "Iron Bridge" posture!

At the same time, the attacks of Gao Feng and the Iron Guard also arrived simultaneously!

For a time, the four top-tier expert figures of the current world unfolded an unprecedented bloody melee on this narrow long street!

Sword Qi crisscrossed, and blade light shot everywhere!

The terrifying energy storm destroyed all the surrounding buildings, and the entire long street turned into a mess of ruins!

Shadow Kill was indeed worthy of being an Eighth-Rank Martial Saint. Even under the joint siege of Gao Feng, the Iron Guard, and the Purple Guard, he was still handling it with ease, and even faintly held the upper hand!

His movement technique was truly too strange, like a ghost, flickering and uncertain, making it impossible for people to lock onto his true body!

His swordsmanship was even more sinister and ruthless; every sword pointed directly at vital points, filled with deadly killing intent!

"Puchi!"

A muffled sound!

The Iron Guard was careless for a moment, and Shadow Kill seized a flaw, piercing his shoulder with a sword. The black blood instantly stained his armor red!

"Puchi!"

Almost at the same time, a terrifying wound deep enough to see bone was cut into Gao Feng's waist by that ghost-like sword edge!

"This won't work! We will be worn out by him sooner or later!" A flash of determination flickered in Gao Feng's eyes!

He suddenly transmitted his voice to the Iron Guard and the Purple Guard!

"Iron Guard! Purple Guard! Listen to my command! After three breaths, at all costs, trap him for me for a split second!"

"Yes!"

The Iron Guard and the Purple Guard did not hesitate at all and responded immediately!

Three breaths later!

"Roar—!"

The Iron Guard let out a crazy roar like a beast. He completely abandoned all defense, letting Shadow Kill's deadly sword pierce into his chest!

He used his hands, like iron pliers, to grab Shadow Kill's sword blade tightly, using his own flesh and blood to create that fleeting and precious opportunity for Gao Feng!

The Purple Guard's figure transformed into hundreds of purple phantoms, launching a frantic, suicidal attack on Shadow Killer from all directions, completely sealing off all his retreat routes!

Now is the time!

A brilliant divine light, unprecedented in intensity, erupted from Gao Feng's eyes. He squeezed out all the remaining power within his body without any reservation!

He and the Son of Heaven Sword in his hand completely merged into one, transforming into a brilliant golden divine rainbow that pierced through heaven and earth!

"Die—!!!"

He let out a terrifying roar filled with endless determination and monstrous killing intent, and with a desperate, self-destructive posture, he fiercely crashed into the tightly trapped Shadow Killer!

Watching the terrifying golden divine rainbow crashing towards him like a falling meteor, Shadow Killer’s eyes, which had always been filled with dead silence, revealed the emotion of "fear" for the first time!

He wanted to dodge, but his sword was tightly gripped by the Iron Guard!

He wanted to retreat, but his escape route was completely sealed off by the Purple Guard!

He could only watch helplessly as the deadly divine rainbow grew larger and larger in his pupils!

"Boom—!!!"

A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar, more terrifying and brilliant than any previous explosion, erupted!

A massive golden mushroom cloud, filled with the Aura of destruction and death, soared into the sky above Qingzhou City!

That terrifying energy storm, like a category 12 super hurricane, instantly swept through the entire city!

Countless houses, under the terrifying, earth-shattering shockwave, were torn into pieces as easily as if they were made of paper!

As the dust filling the sky slowly dissipated.

The once bustling long street had already turned into a terrifying giant crater, dozens of zhang deep!

In the center of the giant crater, Gao Feng was covered in blood, kneeling on one knee, gasping for breath. The Son of Heaven Sword in his hand was left with only a bare hilt.

Beneath his feet lay a mangled, unrecognizable corpse that was dead beyond any doubt.

It was none other than that arrogant Eighth-Rank Martial Saint—Shadow Killer!

Not far away, the Iron Guard and the Purple Guard were also seriously injured, their Auras weak, but their eyes were filled with the wild joy of surviving a disaster!

They won!

They had actually joined forces and killed an Eighth-Rank Martial Saint!

Although the victory was extremely tragic and came at an incredibly heavy price, they had won in the end!

Gao Feng slowly stood up from the ground. Although he was seriously injured, his deep eyes were flashing with an unprecedented, bright light!

This battle gave him an incredibly clear understanding of the strength of an Eighth-Rank Martial Saint!

More importantly, from Shadow Killer's mangled corpse, he found an ancient Secret Manual made of unknown animal skin, and a black token symbolizing the highest authority of the "Heavenly Punishment" organization!

On the cover of the Secret Manual were two ancient seal characters filled with an eerie Aura—"Shadow Escape"!

This was a top-tier assassination technique that would drive any assassin crazy!

And that token represented the unimaginably vast wealth accumulated by the "Heavenly Punishment" organization over the past hundred years, along with its terrifying intelligence network spread throughout the world!

This time, although he had narrowly escaped death, the gains he had obtained were equally immense!

Gao Feng put away the spoils of war and slowly raised his head. His cold gaze, filled with endless killing intent, swept over the Qingzhou officials who were already scared to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering and slumped on the ground, and Wang Jing, who was equally ashen-faced.

He issued the most ruthless order of his life in a tone devoid of any emotion, as if declaring a truth.

"Order the army outside the city to enter immediately!"

"Anyone who participated in this rebellion, whether official or so-called 'commoner', shall be... executed without exception!!!"

"I want to use their blood to teach everyone in this world with ulterior motives a lesson—"

"There is only one end for betraying me, and that is death!"

With one order, rivers of blood flowed!

The Qingzhou City, which had just experienced a tragic slaughter, was instantly enveloped by an even thicker and more desperate Aura of blood!

The main force of the Panshi Army, which had been waiting outside the city for a long time, rushed into this city, which had already lost all ability to resist, like a flood from a broken dam!

The butcher knives in their hands showed no mercy and no hesitation!

Whether it was the Qingzhou officials in official robes slumped on the ground, the peripheral members of "Heavenly Punishment" who were just acting as "enthusiastic commoners," or the innocent civilians who were swept up in it and had no idea what was happening, at this moment, all became merciless victims of the Panshi Army's fury of revenge!

The shrill screams, desperate wails, and the crying of women and children converged into a doomsday dirge filled with death and destruction, echoing over the entire Qingzhou City for a long time, endless and incessant!

That night, Qingzhou did not sleep.

That night, blood stained the long streets.

That night, Gao Feng used a horrific, bloody massacre to declare his unquestionable iron-blooded will to the entire world!

Those who submit to me will prosper, those who resist me will perish!

This seemingly simple phrase was, at this moment, vividly demonstrated by him in the most direct and cruel way!

When the sun of the second day slowly rose again from the distant horizon, casting its warm sunlight onto the city that had already turned into a living Hell, the entire Qingzhou City fell into a deathly silence.

On the originally bustling streets, corpses were piled up like mountains, and blood flowed like rivers.

The dark red blood even completely filled the gaps in the bluestone slabs, gathering into shocking streams of blood that slowly flowed back into the moat outside the city.

The air was filled with a nauseating, thick scent of blood, intertwined with the stench of rotting corpses, forming a terrifying Aura that would cause any normal person to collapse on the spot.

However, the battle-hardened soldiers of the Panshi Army showed no emotion on their faces.

They just expressionlessly executed the orders given by their monarch, dragging the cold corpses like dead dogs to the giant pit outside the city for the simplest burial.

Gao Feng stood on the city tower that had long been stained red with blood. He quietly watched the tragic scene before him, which resembled a Shura Hell. In his deep eyes, there was no pity, nor any remorse, only a coldness and indifference like ten-thousand-year-old ice.

He knew that from this moment on, his false reputation as a "Benevolent Monarch" would be completely replaced by the notorious name of "Tyrant of the North."

But he didn't care.

In this chaotic world where people eat people, so-called benevolence is nothing more than a ridiculous fantasy that the weak use to deceive themselves.

Only the fear that makes everyone tremble is the most effective and reliable means of maintaining rule!

He would use the blood of the hundreds of thousands in Qingzhou City to lay the first indestructible foundation stone for his future imperial throne!

He wanted everyone in this world with ulterior motives to feel the most primal fear from the depths of their Soul the moment they heard his name!

The news of the Qingzhou Incident, as if it had grown wings, swept across the entire world at a speed more terrifying than any previous event!

For a time, the world was shaken!

All the warlords who were still watching or harboring illusions felt a bone-chilling coldness shoot from the soles of their feet to their scalps upon hearing this news!

Killing an Eighth-Rank Martial Saint!

Slaughtering hundreds of thousands in a city!

These two terrifying pieces of news, either of which would be enough to shake the world, had now both happened to the same person!

The name Gao Feng, at this moment, was completely equated with words filled with blood and fear, such as "Devil," "Tyrant," and "God of Killing"!

His already booming reputation reached an unprecedented Peak at this moment!

However, just when the whole world had fallen into dead silence and panic because of Gao Feng's iron-blooded methods, a piece of news that shocked everyone came out of Jinzhou in the Central Plains.

The new King of Wei, Cao De, who was the younger brother of the old King of Wei, Cao Meng, whom Gao Feng had personally killed, had actually sent an envoy, carrying his personally written letter of surrender and the Imperial Jade Seal symbolizing the power of the King of Wei, to rush to Qingzhou overnight to express his unconditional surrender to Gao Feng!

In the letter of surrender, he even earnestly expressed his willingness to offer up the entire Jinzhou, asking only to lead the horse and hold the whip for Gao Feng, the "Master of Heavenly Mandate," to repay the "deserved" death of his brother!

Once this news came out, the world was in an uproar!!

Everyone was stunned by Cao De's shameless act of crawling and scraping without any bottom line!

The hatred of killing a brother cannot coexist under the same sky!!!

Not only did Cao De not think of revenge, but he also begged for mercy so humbly; this was simply the biggest joke in the world!

However, after receiving this letter of surrender, Gao Feng only let out a cold laugh filled with sarcasm and disdain.

He knew these so-called overlords too well.

In their eyes, there was never any family affection or morality, only naked interests and calculations.

Cao De's move, while seemingly stupid, was actually extremely shrewd.

He was using a near self-destructive method to show weakness to Gao Feng, to numb Gao Feng's vigilance, and to buy precious breathing time for himself and the entire precarious Southern Alliance!

"Interesting." Gao Feng tossed the letter of surrender into the brazier, a glint of amusement flashing in his deep eyes. "I'd like to see what other tricks you so-called Southern Kings can come up with."