168: Chapter 168 King-Level Assassination

"Kill—!!" Li Wen's sharp shout was like a bugle call, waking Lin Yue and the other two.

Their brief shock was replaced by sky-high Battle Intent! The relief of surviving and absolute awe for Li Wen transformed into the strongest power.

Ignoring their injuries, they burst with their final potential and followed closely behind Li Wen, like hungry tigers pouncing into a flock of sheep, launching a fierce pursuit of the Yao Race who had already lost their Souls and only wanted to flee.

The Yao Race finally collapsed completely.

The psychological impact of their Great Sun Realm leader being insta-killed was too great; coupled with the Human Race's fierce counterattack, they could no longer organize any effective resistance, their only thought being to flee back to the Interstellar Gate.

This was a one-sided crushing.

Under the leadership of Li Wen's overwhelming strength and the desperate cooperation of Lin Yue and the others, the remaining Yao Race resistors were quickly cleared, and the escapees were caught and killed one by one.

In just a moment, the once noisy and tragic battlefield was left with only the heavy breathing of the Human Race soldiers and the sporadic sounds of finishing blows and confirming Yao corpses.

The Nanzha County Interstellar Fortress was held once again.

Lin Yue leaned on his blood-stained weapon, panting heavily as he looked at the mountain of Yao corpses around him, then at the young figure slowly descending from the air in front of the damaged city wall, his eyes filled with unprecedented awe and gratitude.

The three couldn't help but gather toward Li Wen, and the surviving soldiers from all around also converged.

Their gazes focused on Li Wen like spotlights, filled with the relief of escaping death, incomparable respect for the strong, and shock at that incredible blade strike.

Lin Yue stepped forward and solemnly gave Li Wen a military salute, representing the highest respect of fellow combatants.

Li Wen looked at the excited faces, some even with tears and bloodstains, feeling the thick scent of blood in the air and the excitement of surviving; he nodded slightly, his expression still as calm as water.

Monster Realm.

Deep in the Chiyan Mountains, inside the Yao King Palace.

Marquis Level Yao King Xie Tong was pacing anxiously.

In his large palm, he tightly gripped a small, crack-covered white jade life tablet—representing Chi Ling's Soul imprint.

The moment the pink mist enveloped the battlefield, the life tablet in his hand began to vibrate violently, its luster flickering.

His fingertips unconsciously turned white from gripping, his heart in his throat.

He had sent the strongest infiltrator, used precious Yao cores, even sacrificed the entire raid unit as bait, just for a certain kill to eliminate that Human Race Nine Heavens Divine Body Prodigy. As long as it succeeded, no matter the cost, it was worth it!

"It's done—it must succeed—" Xie Tong roared in his heart, his eyes full of greedy expectation for the great achievement, as if he could already see the glorious scene of himself promoting to King-rank after exchanging Li Wen's corpse for treasures.

However, that light only flickered for a very short time.

Crack!

A very slight cracking sound, yet like a thunderclap exploding in his mind, rang out.

Xie Tong shook violently and looked down abruptly. He saw the cracks on Chi Ling's life tablet spreading like a spiderweb, covering the entire surface in an instant.

Then, under his horrified gaze, with a soft "clatter," the entire life tablet shattered completely, turning into a pinch of lusterless white powder that trickled through his fingers.

"No—Impossible!!!" Yao King Xie Tong's face froze instantly, turning into extreme distortion and fury, a low growl like a wild beast's.

He stared in disbelief at his empty palm; the scattered powder seemed like the ashes of his ambitions for promotion.

An ominous premonition, like a cold snake, coiled around his heart.

He stood in the empty, luxurious Yao King Palace, staring fixedly in the direction of the Nanzha County Interstellar Gate, though he couldn't see it across the endless space.

Time passed bit by bit in the dead silence, every second like a dull knife cutting flesh.

His wishful thinking had already wavered the moment the life tablet shattered, but a lingering fantasy kept him rooted to the spot.

He ordered all his confidants to watch the gate, praying that even one or two remnants could escape back to report—

Half an hour—an hour—

The sky outside the palace began to pale with the first light of dawn.

The other side of the Interstellar Gate remained dead silent, with no sign of any Yao soldiers returning, not even a ripple of energy sent back.

Xie Tong's heart also extinguished bit by bit along with the passing time.

The madness burning in his eyes was replaced by anger.

Failed. A complete and utter failure.

Deep night enveloped Kindling University.

On the back mountain of Wudao Peak, a simple and ancient pavilion stood quietly.

The Principal sat in the pavilion, a deep blue light screen floating before him, countless streams of information scrolling silently, reflecting the dynamics of various frontline battlefields.

His gaze was calm and rippleless, as if he were reading a most ordinary report.

When the light screen scrolled and the intelligence of Li Wen again annihilating the invading Yao Race in Nanzha County came into view, a trace of indiscernible fluctuation finally flashed deep within the Principal's eyes, which seemed to contain ancient stars—a light of insight and understanding.

He didn't look up, but spoke to the seemingly empty night, his voice clear and low:

—

"Number 2, notify Cloud Dragon King to set off immediately for Qingshi County." After a brief pause, he added, "Tell him the fish we've been waiting for so long seems about to take the bait."

A faint ripple appeared in the air, and a mechanical synthesized voice without emotion responded: "Instruction received, relaying to Cloud Dragon King immediately."

That same night, somewhere on Blue Star, deep underground where the light of human civilization could not reach.

This was the core lair of "Shadow".

Deep inside a palace grand to the point of exaggeration, twelve high-backed chairs were arranged in a large metal ring.

The seats were not occupied by physical people, but by twelve hazy light shadows condensed through cutting-edge virtual projection technology.

They had different images, but their faces were completely covered by the twelve zodiac animal masks they wore—Rat,

Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.

These twelve figures were the highest power core of the "Shadow" organization—the leaders of the Twelve Departments.

This was a vast shadow composed of traitors who had abandoned the Human Race to join the wings of the Yao Race.

The organization was massive, covering the entire Blue Star, divided into twelve independently operating departments, each managing a region and implementing fine management and penetration.

Those who could sit firmly in these positions were at least threshold King-rank gods or demons, with no lack of powerful King-rank existences among them.

The figure sitting in the primary seat, wearing a majestic Dragon mask, had the most solid form and emitted the thickest invisible aura, manifesting his top-tier King-rank power.

A synthesized voice, processed through multiple complex layers, came from under the Dragon mask, cold, distorted, and carrying absolute authority: "This gathering is because the Royal Court has issued a mission to kill the human Prodigy Li Wen."

Dragon's voice echoed in the empty palace, "The Royal Court has issued a high-priority instruction to us to eliminate this human Prodigy with immense potential."

The round table fell into a brief silence, the atmosphere heavy as iron.

A figure wearing a Monkey mask made a raspy electronic sound: "Nine Heavens, Nine Heavens Divine Body—indeed troublesome. Kindling University must have already heightened their vigilance regarding him, and might even be laying a counter-trap. The rumors of King Shanyu descending to Qingshi County for rescue last time are worth noting."

The target's own combat power is nearly invincible in the Bright Moon Realm, and he has a resilient will and extremely high alertness. Whether a direct attack or infiltration, we must be extremely cautious.

The leader with the Ox mask beside him said deeply: "The defensive deployment in Qingshi County is relatively traceable. He frequently guards the Interstellar Gate, which is a relatively fixed risk point. The key is how to bypass Kindling University's possible protective umbrella for a one-hit kill."

Discussions arose, and analyses, concerns, and suggestions were exchanged among the cold virtual projections.

Finally, their gazes focused on one person in unison.

That figure wore a Snake mask with winding and eerie lines.

He sat in a relaxed posture, yet his projection exuded a cold and slimy aura, like a venomous snake from a swamp.

The region he was responsible for happened to cover the area where Qingshi County is located.

Sensing everyone's gaze, a "hissing" low laugh came from under the Snake mask, also processed but making one's spine chill: "Hehe—since it's my jurisdiction and a strict order from the Yao Royal Court, I will naturally take over."

His voice carried a kind of cruel mockery, "Rest assured, everyone. Dealing with a junior in the Bright Moon Realm, even if he is of the Nine Heavens, he won't be able to make much of a wave."

I will select the most suitable chess pieces to send him on his way. I guarantee that those old fellows at Kindling University will only be able to find some vague, headless clues afterward.

The leader with the dragon mask nodded slightly: "Since Snake has volunteered, this matter will be handled entirely by your department. Remember, the target is sensitive and concerns the Royal Court's trust in us. Ensure everything goes without a hitch, clean and efficient. There is no need to detail the operation here."

"Understood," Snake replied, his projection twisting and flickering slightly. "Wait for the good news."

Immediately after, his figure was the first to fade, disappearing into the air.

Following that, the projections of the other eleven leaders also silently vanished, as if they had never existed.

The cold palace fell into a dead silence once more, leaving only the dim light projected from the dome illuminating the empty chairs, which looked like the fangs of a giant beast.

Time passed peacefully amidst cultivation and duty, arriving at July 27, 231 of the galactic calendar.

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 23]

[Realm: Bright Moon Realm Late Stage (Level 48.6 → 48.7)]

[Class: Scholar Lv13 (404320 → 409180/409600)]

[Skills: Blade Technique - Soul Realm (50%), Xuanqiong Five Styles (Star Gallop 100%, Thunder Strike 100%, Heaven's Gate 52.5%

)]

[Cultivation Technique: God-Shocking Sting · Fifth Layer (100%)]

Over the past few days, Li Wen's life had been extremely regular.

Six hours of unwavering, high-intensity study every day allowed his Scholar experience points to grow steadily by several thousand.

At this moment, the panel clearly showed that he was only 420 experience points away from upgrading to Scholar Lv14.

This meant that today, he only needed to complete his planned six hours of study to cross this minor threshold.

The morning sunlight spilled across the desk through the window.

Li Wen finished washing up and had a simple breakfast on time, changed into comfortable loungewear, and sat down at his desk.

Spread out before him was a precious ancient text involving the correlation between ancient star maps and spatial energy anomalies.

With birds chirping crisply outside the window, he was soon immersed in the vast and complex information and deductions, his mind and the book merging completely into one.

Six hours of highly focused reading, understanding, memorizing, and deducing felt like just a single moment.

[You have studied intently for six hours. Scholar Experience +540]

[Class: Scholar Lv13 (409180 → 409720/409600)]

[Class: Scholar Lv14 (120/819200)]

The moment the panel information changed, it was as if a mental floodgate had been opened.

An invisible surge of Mental Energy, more turbulent and majestic than ever before, erupted violently from the core of Li Wen's Sea of Consciousness.

It wasn't a destructive impact, but rather a gentle yet irresistible tide, spreading out in all directions with the Primordial Spirit miniature at the center of his Sea of Consciousness as the focal point.

Rumble—within the Sea of Consciousness, there seemed to be a muffled sound like thunder, but that was merely the perception of the Soul.

The vast "space" was forcibly expanded and pioneered on a level "invisible" to the naked eye.

The originally clear and perceptible boundary lines were pushed further away by an invisible giant hand, becoming blurrier yet more grand.

In the center of the Sea of Consciousness, that cross-legged Primordial Spirit miniature underwent a startling transformation at this moment.

It was no longer a five-foot-tall figure composed of a solid, jade-like halo.

Under the influx of that pure and vast Mental Energy, the Primordial Spirit miniature seemed to absorb some kind of Origin energy; its entire form began to elongate, expand, and solidify.

It was as if time was extremely compressed within it. In his mental "vision," he could clearly "see" it growing upward inch by inch, like spring bamboo shoots sprouting; its contours became clearer, and the expression between its brows seemed to carry a deeper sense of mystery.

The originally warm luster turned into a blazing white during the instant surge, then slowly receded, settling into a more restrained and resilient crystalline glow.

Finally, as the tide of Mental Energy gradually subsided, the Sea of Consciousness returned to calm.

The Primordial Spirit miniature stood firmly at the core, its height now reaching seven feet!

It floated there quietly, appearing more heavy and solemn than ever before, its eyes tightly closed, yet seemingly harboring a glimmer of insight into all things.

Strands of nearly transparent energy, like the flow of a galaxy, circulated slowly within its body.

Li Wen slowly opened his eyes in reality, a deep glint flashing through them before returning to stillness.

He immediately focused his mind to perceive his own changes.

His Primordial Spirit perception spread out silently in all directions like mercury spilling on the ground, with himself as the center.

With a slight thought, its perceptual characteristics were clearly grasped: "Precise coverage range—a radius of five kilometers!"

"Limit boundary for rough investigation—a radius of fifty li!"

This meant that without needing to move deliberately, while sitting still, any movement or variation in strength within fifty li could not escape him.

Especially within the core five-kilometer range, even the flight of an insect, the trajectory of a falling leaf, or the slight ripple of Source Energy fluctuations were clearly presented as if under a high-powered microscope.

Unless the opponent possessed a higher level of Primordial Spirit Realm to actively block or disguise themselves, it would be difficult to escape this all-encompassing detection.

After verifying the significant improvement in his Mental Energy Sea of Consciousness and Primordial Spirit perception, there wasn't much of a fluctuation on Li Wen's face, only a trace of satisfaction deep in his eyes.

He took a step forward, and his figure instantly disappeared from the quiet room.

He appeared on the Martial Arts Field in the courtyard.

Without any world-shaking momentum, Li Wen had already appeared in the center of the open field.

[Absolute Focus] brought by Scholar Lv14 was the ability he most urgently wanted to apply to actual combat at this moment.

With a thought, [Absolute Focus, Activate].

In an instant, Li Wen felt the entire world go quiet, or rather, the world had never been so "clear."

Manifold complex stray thoughts were blocked out as if by an invisible barrier.

The sound of the wind, the faint sounds of training in the distance, and even the sound of his own blood flowing instantly fell silent.

All external information interference was stripped down to the minimum.

His entire mind, all his perception, calculation, and willpower, were highly concentrated in an unimaginable way.

Highly concentrated on himself and—on the blade in his hand.

The alloy training longblade he held seemed to become the ultimate extension of his limbs at this moment.

His sense of touch was infinitely magnified; every subtle curve, center of gravity, weight distribution, and material elasticity of the blade was clearly fed back into his mind.

He could even feel the real sensation of the hilt's texture rubbing against his skin through his fingertips and could "hear" the extremely faint, almost nonexistent hum as the air brushed past the edge of the blade.

Spirit, will, and energy—the three seemed to have found the perfect point of convergence, instantly merging and connecting.

Without needing any warm-up, he directly began practicing the core blade paths of the Profound Vault Rainbow Silence Chapter.

The movements didn't seem particularly rapid; he didn't pursue thunderous speed, but instead proceeded with an almost stagnant slowness.

Raising the blade, exerting force, transitioning, hacking, swiping, piercing—

Every movement was forcibly segmented into countless tiny fragments by the state of [Absolute Focus].

He repeatedly verified, adjusted, and polished within each fragment—did every inch of force from his arm muscles reach optimal synergy?

Was the rotation of his waist and core perfectly integrated with his arms?

Was the path of power transferring from his heels to the ground, then through his spine, and finally concentrating at the tip of the blade smooth and precise?

Was the angle of the blade cutting through the air achieving the fastest speed and strongest cutting power with the minimum energy consumption?

How could the Source Energy cover every inch of the blade most evenly and surgingly during the process?

He painstakingly integrated the majestic Concept of the Heaven's Gate Form—which invoked spatial pressure and slashed through the shackles of the firmament—into this process based on perfect physics and control.

He attempted to find the critical point of that matchless power eruption, sufficient to shake space, within absolute "slowness."

There was no brilliant Source Energy explosion above the Martial Arts Field, only that almost stubborn figure moving slowly,

changing postures.

Yet the space around him seemed to be slightly twisting and compressing, then suddenly relaxing. Time here seemed to be forcibly stretched and folded.

Sweat quietly soaked his training clothes, and fine beads of perspiration broke out on his forehead; however, his gaze was like a deep pool, without a ripple, containing only the most extreme focus, precisely tempering the Saber Intent of every moment.

In the most tedious way, he was trying to touch the deeper level of the Realm that pointed directly to the Origin of the Dao of the blade.