37: Shadow Assassin

In the Cangmang Mountain Range, ancient trees towered into the sky, and miasma permeated the air.

Ye Chen walked alone along the rugged mountain path, his figure like the wind, his footsteps falling on the thick decaying leaves almost without a sound.

His Divine Sense was fully unfurled, like invisible feelers covering a radius of a hundred zhang around him; any subtle movement in the mountain forest could not escape his perception.

It had been a day since he left Tianfeng Academy, and according to the map, with another half-day's journey, he would arrive at the general area where the ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave was located.

The closer he got to his destination, the more chaotic the Spiritual Qi in the air became, faintly revealing an ancient and dangerous aura.

"You have been following for so long, are you not going to show yourselves?"

When he reached a relatively open valley, Ye Chen suddenly stopped, speaking indifferently without turning his head, his voice echoing clearly in the silent valley.

As his voice fell, the air in the shadows around the valley rippled like water, and five ghostly figures emerged silently, forming an encirclement and trapping Ye Chen in the center.

These five people were all dressed in pitch-black tight-fitting clothes that blended with the shadows, wearing hideous ghost masks on their faces, revealing only pairs of cold and ruthless eyes.

Their auras were obscure, and there was almost no leakage of Spiritual Qi fluctuations during their movements; they were clearly experts proficient in concealment and assassination.

The leader was tall and thin, his eyes like a viper, and his cultivation had reached the Peak of the Kaiyuan Realm Sixth Level! The other four also possessed the strength of the Kaiyuan Realm Fourth or Fifth Level.

"Shadow Fiends..." Ye Chen's gaze swept over the five, and he stated their origin in a calm tone.

This was a killer organization active in the surrounding regions, known for their ruthless methods and mysterious movements; Lin Hong was certainly willing to spend a fortune.

"Since you know who we are, you should also understand your fate."

The tall, thin assassin leading them, codenamed "Shadow Snake," spoke in a hoarse, dry voice, as if sandpaper were rubbing together, "Someone paid a high price to buy your life. Will you end it yourself, or shall we do it?"

As he spoke, the other four assassins moved in tacit agreement, blocking all possible retreat paths for Ye Chen, and a cold, bone-chilling killing intent descended like an invisible net.

Ye Chen seemed not to feel the suffocating killing intent, only gently gripping the hilt of the qingfeng sword at his waist, a cold arc curling at the corner of his mouth: "Just by relying on you few head-hiding-tail-exposing trash?"

"Courting death!" A cold light flashed in Shadow Snake's eyes; no longer wasting words, his figure suddenly blurred as if merging into the shadows. The next moment, he appeared on Ye Chen's left, a dagger quenched with dark blue deadly poison striking toward Ye Chen's ribs like a viper flicking its tongue! The speed was extreme, the angle tricky and vicious!

At the same time, the other four assassins also launched their attacks! Two attacked head-on, blades and swords drawn together, Spiritual Qi shining to attract attention; one circled behind, throwing several black chains with barbs from his hand, wrapping toward Ye Chen's legs; the last one hid in the dark, holding poisoned flying needles in his hand, waiting for an Opportunity to strike!

Their cooperation was tacit, their division of labor clear; it was clearly not their first time working together to kill!

Facing this lethal strike from all directions, Ye Chen's eyes suddenly sharpened!

"Clang!"

The qingfeng sword unsheathed! The dark golden sword light was like lightning tearing through the night!

He ignored the lethal dagger from Shadow Snake on the side, did not care about the chains attacking from behind, and did not even look at the two attacking head-on! Under the Realm of Luminous Sword Heart, he instantly insighted the weakest link in this combined attack technique—the Kaiyuan Realm Fourth Level assassin using a blade on the front left!

"Flowing Wind Fleeting Shadow — — Break Formation!"

Ye Chen's figure seemed to turn into a wisp of green smoke, advancing instead of retreating, charging defiantly against the attacks of the two assassins in front! In the nick of time, he dodged the blade of the sword-wielding assassin on the right by a hair's breadth, while the qingfeng sword, like maggot on a bone, precisely tapped onto the blade surface of the left-side blade-wielding assassin, whose downward strike was about to be unleashed!

"Ding!"

A sound crisp to the extreme! The assassin only felt a Sword Intent that was incredibly sharp yet carried a strange rotating force transmit through the blade, his entire arm instantly numb, and the blade's momentum couldn't help but veer off! And Ye Chen's sword tip had already slid in along the deflected blade, piercing straight toward his throat!

Fast! Tricky! Ruthless!

The assassin turned pale with shock; wanting to retreat was already too late!

"Puchi!"

The sword tip plunged into his throat without obstruction, bringing out a spray of blood! The terror in his eyes instantly froze, and his body slumped to the ground.

In one encounter, he killed one person instantly!

Almost at the same time, Shadow Snake's dagger had already touched Ye Chen's clothes! But just as the dagger tip was about to pierce the skin, Ye Chen's body, as if boneless, twisted at an incredible angle, the dagger grazing his ribs, only tearing the clothes and leaving a shallow white mark — — "Immovable Rock Guarding Heart" Sword Intent spontaneously protected his body!

The chains wrapping from behind were also led by the mysterious footwork under Ye Chen's feet, missing him by brushing past his ankles!

The attacks of the other sword-wielding assassin in front and the flying needle assassin hiding in the dark also missed completely!

In an instant, Ye Chen not only dodged all attacks but also counter-killed one person!

"What?!" Shadow Snake's pupils shrank, and stormy waves surged in his heart. This Ye Chen's strength was far more terrifying than described in the intelligence! Especially that ghostly movement technique and the terrifyingly precise swordsmanship!

"Form the 'Five Poisons Lethal Formation'! Trap him to death!" Shadow Snake shouted sternly, his voice carrying a trace of exasperation.

The remaining three assassins immediately changed Formation, standing in four directions together with Shadow Snake, simultaneously casting streams of pitch-black Spiritual Qi from their hands. These Spiritual Qi strands intertwined in the air, instantly turning into a large black net covering dozens of zhang, the net filled with foul-smelling poisonous gas, descending toward Ye Chen's head! At the same time, countless poisoned hidden weapons shot out from the net mesh like a rainstorm!

This "Five Poisons Lethal Formation" was the signature killing Formation of the Shadow Fiends; once formed, it could greatly restrict the opponent's movements and erode them with deadly poison, its power astonishing!

Facing the descending poison net and hidden weapons, Ye Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. He could feel the corrosive power contained in the poison net and the deadly toxins on the hidden weapons.

"Cannot be trapped!"

With a thought, the "Qingyuan Sword Foundation" within his body operated at full power, Spiritual Qi pouring into the qingfeng sword! On the sword body, the dark golden patterns shone brightly!

"Extinction — — Crescent Moon!"

He gave a low shout, and the qingfeng sword drew a condensed dark golden semi-circular sword arc, meeting the descending poison net! In this sword strike, he used that trace of "Extinction" Sword Intent; although it was far from reaching the level of truly extinguishing all things, its contained annihilation characteristic had a natural restraint against this kind of Formation composed of energy and toxins!

"Shh — —!"

The dark golden sword arc made contact with the black poison net; there was no earth-shattering explosion. The poison net containing deadly poison and binding force, as if ice and snow meeting the scorching sun, rapidly dissolved and disintegrated with the sword arc as the center! Along with the poisoned hidden weapons, they were also affected by the Sword Intent, their spiritual light dimming, their power greatly reduced!

The sword arc's momentum did not diminish, slashing directly toward Shadow Snake standing in the front!

Shadow Snake turned pale with shock; he completely did not expect that the killing Formation he was proud of would be so easily broken by the opponent! In his haste, he crossed his daggers to block, his body's Spiritual Qi surging wildly!

"Boom!"

The sword arc slashed onto the daggers, a force filled with destructive aura instantly erupted! Shadow Snake seemed to suffer a heavy blow, groaned, vomited blood, his whole person flew backward, and the daggers in his hands even showed cracks!

The other three assassins were also affected by the Formation backlash and the aftermath of the Sword Qi, their figures staggering, the Formation instantly broken!

Ye Chen did not forgive after gaining the upper hand, his figure like the wind, pouncing directly at the heavily injured Shadow Snake! The qingfeng sword, carrying cold killing intent, aimed straight for his head!

"Stop him!" Shadow Snake screamed in terror.

Those three assassins endured their discomfort, desperately rushing forward to block.

"Get lost!" Ye Chen's eyes turned cold, "Wind Shadow Sword Art" was deployed to the extreme, sword light divided, as if facing three people at once!

"Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!"

Three soft sounds, accompanied by three screams. Those three Kaiyuan Realm Fourth, Fifth Level assassins, under Ye Chen's full power outbreak, were completely unable to resist, instantly pierced through their vital points by the sword light, falling to the ground dead!

In the blink of an eye, of the five Shadow Fiends assassins, only the heavily injured Shadow Snake remained!

Shadow Snake looked at Ye Chen, who was approaching step by step like a god of slaughter, his face full of despair and fear. He finally understood what a hard iron plate they had kicked on this mission!

"Don't... don't kill me! It was Lin Hong! It was Lin Hong who instigated us to come! I can tell you his plan!" Shadow Snake collapsed on the ground, clutching his chest, begging for mercy with difficulty.

Ye Chen walked up to him, the tip of the qingfeng sword resting on his forehead, his tone cold: "Speak."

"He... he not only sent us, but also set up a more powerful 'Bone-Eroding Soul-Confusing Formation' at the entrance of the ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave! And... and he seems to have contacted something... inside the Immortal Cave..." Shadow Snake, in order to survive, incoherently revealed information.

"Something?" Ye Chen frowned slightly.

"It's... it's a very cold... very ancient aura... Lin Hong seems to be able to communicate with it..." Shadow Snake's eyes flickered, seeming to know very little about it.

Ye Chen stared at him with sharp eyes, and after confirming he was not lying, he slightly pushed the sword tip in his hand.

"Puchi."

A red dot appeared on Shadow Snake's forehead, his eyes instantly dimmed, and he died on the spot.

For these killers who sold their lives for money, he would not have the slightest pity.

Ye Chen put away the qingfeng sword, looking at the corpses all over the ground, his eyes deep.

"Bone-Eroding Soul-Confusing Formation... the thing inside the Immortal Cave... Lin Hong, you are quite well prepared."

He was not only unafraid but even more determined to go to the Immortal Cave. The greater the risk, the greater the Opportunity! Moreover, he faintly felt that the qingfeng sword seemed to have some special resonance with that Immortal Cave.

Clearing the battlefield and putting away useful items, Ye Chen did not linger, his figure moved, continuing to sweep toward the depths of the mountain range.

After this battle, he had a clearer understanding of his current strength. The Luminous Sword Heart combined with the transformed qingfeng sword was enough to let him challenge across levels against the Kaiyuan Realm Sixth Level, and even contend with the Seventh Level. But if facing stronger opponents, or strange Formations, or unknown existences, he still needed to be extremely careful.

Ahead, the entrance to the ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave was already in sight, and the hidden killing intent and Opportunity were waiting for his arrival.