230: A chance encounter, an assassination attempt, and the Moon Princess, the Marquis of the Underworld.

Arriving at a small town near Mount Leigu, Chu Wanli stopped the carriage in front of a tavern.

"Young Master, it's noon, time for a meal," Chu Wanli said to Duan Zhengchun.

"Hmm..."

Duan Zhengchun acknowledged and stepped down from the carriage. Upon entering the tavern, he saw many martial artists.

It must be said, the Zhenlong Chess Game had indeed attracted many from the Jianghu to come and watch the spectacle.

However, in this current era, his own appearance had changed many things.

He didn't know if it would be as bustling as it was twenty years later, after all, some of the figures who were supposed to appear then were already dead.

The Four Great Evils had not yet appeared at this time, Xiao Feng and Murong Fu were still young, and Duan Yu hadn't even been born.

Xu Zhu was still an Infant Boy; these protagonists had not yet appeared.

The excitement was certainly much less.

But for him, they were all juniors.

There were still many outstanding and brilliant talents from his own era.

Moreover, this was a Comprehensive Martial World, so there were likely even more.

"The Old Immortal of Star Constellation, his divine presence graces the Central Plains, his divine abilities are vast, his magic power boundless, undefeated in battle..."

Just as Duan Zhengchun sat down, he heard the sound of gongs and drums.

The noise made Duan Zhengchun frown slightly. He hadn't expected to encounter that idiot Ding Chunqiu as soon as he arrived near Mount Wuliang.

Chu Wanli and the others didn't feel much about it. After all, the Jianghu was vast, what kind of people weren't there?

However, a figure in a corner of the tavern caught Duan Zhengchun's attention.

This figure wore a daring blue dress, with snow-white long legs faintly visible, and a face of peerless, cold beauty.

Sitting opposite her was a man built like an iron tower, with bulging muscles and a beard, standing a full two meters and ten centimeters tall.

Even sitting, he gave off a sense of oppression. Both of them possessed considerable strength, at the Initial Grandmaster Realm.

Their attire was not of the Central Plains style, which made Duan Zhengchun think of an organization.

Dark River assassins. Their iconic attire could only belong to that duo.

Nether Marquis and Moon Princess.

The two were partners, one fiercely strong, the other subtly soft.

Working in perfect tacit agreement, they had never known defeat when they struck together, making them quite famous in the Jianghu.

He just didn't know why these two were here. Could they also be here for the Zhenlong Chess Game?

His radar showed that Moon Princess's appearance met the System's conditions. Capturing her would yield a rich reward.

Since he had encountered her, naturally he couldn't let her slip away.

However, Duan Zhengchun didn't know that Nether Marquis and Moon Princess had two purposes for being here: one was for the golden coffin, and the other was to assassinate him.

It was already winter, with snow covering the nearby landscape.

According to their intelligence, their target this time would pass through here.

The clamor of gongs and drums outside caused Nether Marquis to frown slightly, feeling somewhat displeased.

"Dammit, which bastard is making all that racket, disturbing this lord's mood?" Nether Marquis growled angrily.

As his voice fell, the noise outside instantly ceased.

Then, the sound of footsteps echoed as a group of people entered the tavern.

Leading were several young Disciples, followed by a middle-aged man with graying hair and a goose-feather fan in his hand.

The middle-aged man exuded a sinister, cold aura with a wicked glint in his eyes, clearly not a benevolent sort.

"Who is the reckless fool daring to provoke our Star Constellation Old Immortal?"

"It was your granddaddy who said it. What of it? One more word and I'll cleave you in two," Nether Marquis said coldly.

Moon Princess hadn't turned her head to look from beginning to end, merely sitting there quietly sipping her tea.

Her exquisite, curvaceous figure suggested she was a peerless beauty even from behind.

As Nether Marquis's words fell, an air of murderous intent filled the space.

"Heh... So there really are people who aren't afraid to die. Master, this brat dares to provoke you; we absolutely cannot let him off."

Ding Chunqiu's face darkened as he looked at Nether Marquis. When his eyes fell upon Nether Marquis's iron-tower-like physique, his gaze instantly sharpened.

This man was tall and imposing, with a formidable aura, not the least bit inferior to himself.

"Your Excellency, who might you be? This old man has not offended you, has he?" Ding Chunqiu asked with a smile on his face.

"You're not worthy of knowing this lord's identity."

"If you dare make another racket here, disturbing this lord's meal, I'll end you all," Nether Marquis snorted.

"How dare you! How dare you speak to our Master like that! Do you have a death wish!"

"Exactly, Master! This guy is so ungrateful, daring to disrespect you. Let me kill him!"

"Hmph, seeking death..."

Before Ding Chunqiu could speak, Nether Marquis had already moved.

He instantly rose to his feet, and the greatsword by his side came crashing down with a mighty swing.

Instantly, the sound of splitting air rang out. The Star Constellation Sect Disciple who had spoken had no time to react before being cleaved in two by the sword.

The scene was exceptionally gruesome, and the smell of blood instantly permeated the air.

Nether Marquis's ruthless methods made everyone present gasp in shock. No one had expected him to resort to killing at the slightest provocation.

When Nether Marquis and Moon Princess had first appeared, discerning eyes could tell this duo was not to be trifled with, but no one expected them to strike so viciously.

Ding Chunqiu's face turned livid. He hadn't expected the other party to dare kill his Disciple right in front of him, making him feel as if his face had been thoroughly slapped.

"Your Excellency, isn't this going a bit too far?" Ding Chunqiu said, glaring darkly at Nether Marquis.

"What? He dared to speak insolently to this lord. Killing him was an honor for him," Nether Marquis retorted without any courtesy.

"Good, very good. In that case, this old man shall seek some instruction from you."

After speaking, Ding Chunqiu suddenly waved his feather fan, instantly releasing a cloud of white powder.

Nether Marquis hadn't expected Ding Chunqiu to strike so treacherously, actually using poison.

Caught off guard, a strange fragrance entered his nostrils. Instantly, Nether Marquis felt dizzy and completely devoid of strength.

"Haha... Brat, daring to act fierce before this Old Immortal. Now you know this Old Immortal's power, don't you?" Ding Chunqiu couldn't help but laugh triumphantly after his successful strike.

"Star Constellation Old Immortal, magic power boundless, divine abilities vast, undefeated in battle."

"You despicable villain, using poison..." Nether Marquis glared furiously at Ding Chunqiu. He desperately wanted to kill him, but due to the poison, he had no strength at all.

"Hmph, daring to attack this Old Immortal. Today, I'll send you to Hell."

As he spoke, Ding Chunqiu directly struck out, aiming a palm strike at Nether Marquis.

If this palm landed, Nether Marquis would be severely injured at best, if not killed, especially since he had just been poisoned.

He now had no ability to resist.

The instant Ding Chunqiu attacked, a purple figure flashed past, and blood spurted from Ding Chunqiu's palm.

"Ah... My hand!" Ding Chunqiu let out a scream, clutching his wrist, his face pale.

It turned out Moon Princess had, at some unknown time, arrived beside Nether Marquis. It was she who had struck with that sword just now.

"Hand over the antidote..." Moon Princess's tone was cold and filled with killing intent.

Her sword strike just now could have directly killed Ding Chunqiu, but she hadn't actually done so.

After all, she didn't yet know what poison Nether Marquis had been hit with. If Ding Chunqiu died, no one would know the antidote.

It was only then that Ding Chunqiu realized this woman in purple was actually a Master at the Late Stage Grandmaster Realm.