7: Chapter 7 I'm too weak, I couldn't even fool a lowly soldier like you.

The strength of this assassin was such that even City Lord Liu admitted he would find it difficult to deal with.

Once his speech concluded, the entire military camp quickly organized themselves, preparing to retreat back into Yingyang Pass.

Though it was called a temporary retreat, they were effectively being forced to evacuate.

The ten miles of territory they had fought so hard for was being handed back just like that.

A single assassin had directly forced them to give up a strategic stronghold.

Li Yuan listened to the conversations around him and heard the news spread by the sentry who had survived.

The assassin moved like a ghost; his tracks were hard to find during the day, let alone at night.

The technique he used was the Breath-Concealing Cultivation Technique from the Jin Kingdom's Langhe Docks!

The Langhe Docks was a power that ruled over the waters, and this Breath-Concealing Cultivation Technique was originally a Breath-Holding Skill used for walking along the riverbed.

After generations of refinement, this method was no longer limited to underwater use.

He could come and go silently.

Killing without leaving a trace or a shadow.

Furthermore, he possessed the martial strength of the Sixth Rank; even the experts in the army found it difficult to escape his hands.

"After retreating to Yingyang Pass, there will definitely still be people patrolling the front lines, and more incidents will occur.

Young Li, you must be extremely careful when you go to collect the corpses.

Assassins don't follow any rules or ethics; if you go to collect a body, he'll strike at you just the same!"

Hearing this, Li Yuan nodded in agreement.

If the man truly intended to interfere with his corpse collection, then Li Yuan would have no choice but to eliminate him.

To be honest, Li Yuan had been calculating this matter in his mind for a while now.

Collecting corpses for others was not only a means for him to improve himself but also a kind act that allowed the deceased to return to their roots.

Originally, there was a tacit understanding between Da Shun and the Jin Kingdom.

When facing a Corpse Collector, they would let them be if they could.

If this assassin refused to follow this rule, then Li Yuan had the means to deal with him.

Another important reason was that the appearance of this Jin Kingdom assassin was drawing more and more imperial experts.

For him, this was not a good thing.

What if an expert sent by his enemies arrived?

If he wanted to peacefully scavenge corpses and increase his strength here, the situation at Yingyang Pass had to remain controllable.

He was currently only at the Sixth Rank, and there was still a gap between him and those top-tier Martial Artists.

Although his speed of improvement was already astonishing—something even those with Heaven-Grade Ninth Rank talent would find hard to match—

For Li Yuan, the great enemies he had to face were not the young people of his generation.

Inside Yingyang Pass, various tents were quickly set up in the open spaces.

Li Yuan also entered the city, where he saw the servants who had previously been with him at the City Lord's Manor.

They also saw Li Yuan, their faces filled with sympathy.

They pitied Li Yuan for living on the edge of a blade, not being as safe as they were.

On the second day after moving back to Yingyang Pass, Li Yuan received an order: near the front lines, a six-man patrol squad had perished.

Li Yuan pushed his wooden cart for collecting bodies and hurried over once again.

During these two days, Li Yuan heard many rumors in the army saying that they were going to ask the Enshrined Experts to take action.

But after hearing this, Li Yuan felt the possibility was slim.

If a single assassin threw the army into such chaos that an Enshrined Expert had to step in,

Then Yingyang Pass would be easily manipulated by the Jin Kingdom.

The energy of an Enshrined Expert was limited; they were not gods or immortals.

If the Enshrined Experts of Yingyang Pass exhausted their energy and stamina, what would they do if the enemy's experts struck then?

He pushed the wooden cart back to the front-line area.

Too many battles had occurred here; the original yellow earth seemed to have been dyed black by blood.

From a distance, he could see several corpses floating with green light dots.

In addition to the bodies of the Yingyang Pass soldiers, there were also two bodies of Jin Kingdom soldiers.

As Li Yuan drew closer, he suddenly noticed something strange.

Among the six corpses of the Yingyang Pass soldiers, one of them did not emit any light dots.

Not even a white light dot.

This situation indicated that the person was not yet dead and still had their life.

But that was where the strangeness lay.

This person had a large wound on his chest, and bloodstains were smeared all over his protective armor.

Looking at him, he had the appearance of someone who had perished.

The exposed skin was completely devoid of color.

Despite looking like this, he was still not dead.

Having collected so many corpses, Li Yuan quickly deduced the problem.

Such a situation could only mean one thing: this 'corpse' was faking death!

Since he, a Da Shun Corpse Collector, had arrived, why would the person still be faking death in front of one of their own?

This could only point to one conclusion: the person before him was not a real soldier of Yingyang Pass.

He had changed into their armor and outer robes, wanting to use Li Yuan's hands to be carried back behind the lines of Yingyang Pass!

Rather than thinking about how to use movement techniques to sneak in, it was better to rely on the help of this Corpse Collector.

This was that Jin Kingdom assassin who moved like a ghost.

Li Yuan walked a few steps and picked up a broken blade from the ground.

At the same time, the corpse faking death also stood up.

He shed the damaged armor from his body, seemingly reluctant to wear the clothes of the Da Shun Dynasty.

He looked up at Li Yuan with a hint of helplessness.

"I am still too weak; I couldn't even deceive a lowly soldier like you, sigh..."

The tone of the person before him was filled with frustration.

It seemed that having his disguise seen through by Li Yuan was a great humiliation to him.

"Why is the essence of this Breath-Concealing method always so hard to grasp..."

As he spoke, the man already had a dagger in his hand.

A weapon like a dagger did not hold an advantage in a frontal confrontation.

It was suited for stabbings and assassinations.

But the assassin before him clearly did not take Li Yuan seriously.

He was just a Corpse Collector; even without a weapon, he could easily snap the other's neck.

Holding the dagger, he approached step by step.

"Your luck is very poor; you are likely one of those rare people in the world who loses their life because they have a bit of skill.

In fact, if you hadn't seen through my, Jiang Qian's, disguise, you could have kept your life safely.

I have no interest in your worthless life, and this dagger in my hand similarly looks down on the blood in your body.

But there's no helping it. Your luck is too poor; you can only die."

This assassin named Jiang Qian spoke with a tone that even carried a hint of regret and sympathy.

While he was speaking, Li Yuan instead gripped the broken blade and walked toward him step by step.

This action took Jiang Qian very much by surprise.

Amidst his surprise, he simply felt that Li Yuan had gone mad or was paralyzed by fear.

"I will finish you in one strike; I won't make it too painful for you.

I don't have time today, so I won't torture you."

As Jiang Qian's words fell, his figure suddenly vanished.

The movement techniques of a top-tier assassin were far superior to the Martial Skills they mastered.

Of course, these Martial Skills would also become stronger when bolstered by such movement techniques.

He had already decided to resolve this Corpse Collector in one move.

Afterward, he would continue his disguise and wait for Yingyang Pass to send the next Corpse Collector over.

Once he infiltrated the city, it would be like a hungry tiger entering a flock of sheep.

He would certainly take the lives of two or three important figures.

With that, he would become famous throughout the entire Jin Kingdom.

His calculations were perfect, but in the next moment, as the dagger in his hand slashed out, it hit nothing but air!

Although his move was somewhat casual, it wasn't something a mere corpse-collecting soldier should have been able to dodge...

In his eyes, that touch of casualness vanished in an instant.

This top-tier assassin of the Jin Kingdom felt a sense of threat.

Just as he thought that, in the next breath, a surging blade intent lunged directly at him!