Chapter 285: Cut Off the Weed at its Roots!

Chapter 285: Cut Off the Weed at its Roots!

July 20, 2024

"Senior Lu Qing, who do you think sent these assassins from Wujian Tower to kill us?" Lu Qing's question caused a momentary pause from the owner of Tianji Tower, who then fell silent for a prolonged period.

Seeing his reaction, Lu Qing smiled and said, "It seems that Senior has already formed a suspicion."

The owner of Tianji Tower remained silent.

"Brother Lu Qing, do you know who sent these assassins?" Magu couldn't help but ask.

"It's quite an obvious question. We haven't wronged many people, and even fewer have a grudge that warrants death," Lu Qing replied. "Now, who do you think wants us dead the most?"

"Xuan Kong Mountain!" Magu exclaimed without hesitation. "They pretend to be righteous, but their actions are despicable! During the day, they tried to forcefully convert Chen Lao under the pretext of a discussion. They're even worse than the evil sects. Brother Lu Qing, you not only ruined their plan but also killed their people. These assassins must have been sent by them!"

"Indeed!" Wei Zian chimed in. "In my opinion, the reason why Wujian Tower was able to survive that crackdown hundreds of years ago might have something to do with Xuan Kong Mountain secretly protecting them!"

Upon hearing this, everyone, including Lin Zhirui, couldn't help but look at the owner of Tianji Tower, awaiting his response.

Being the focus of everyone's gaze, the owner of Tianji Tower finally sighed and said, "Hundreds of years ago, when the various sects joined forces to suppress Wujian Tower, there was indeed a strange incident that puzzled the experts at that time. When they had eradicated Wujian Tower's forces and slaughtered almost all their disciples, the sect leader of Wujian Tower and several grand elders, after suffering severe injuries in their battle against multiple experts, fled to their headquarters. They then set the entire place ablaze, along with the remaining disciples who were still holding their ground. The fire was so intense that even the experts from the various sects, who had Wujian Tower's headquarters surrounded, could only wait for the fire to die down before they could advance. However, when they finally entered, they were met with a horrifying scene. The headquarters of Wujian Tower was filled with half-melted remains and ashes, making it impossible to identify who was who. It was unclear whether the sect leader and grand elders of Wujian Tower had perished in the fire or not, and this became a mystery that remained unsolved. But in the following hundreds of years, Wujian Tower never reappeared. So, everyone believed that the sect leader and grand elders had indeed perished in that fire, and Wujian Tower had turned to ashes, completely vanishing without a trace. Who would have thought that they would resurface tonight?"

"There's no need to speculate further. It's obvious that the sect leader and grand elders of Wujian Tower from back then didn't die, and they must have been protected by Xuan Kong Mountain!" Magu stated with conviction.

The owner of Tianji Tower did not refute this claim.

In fact, according to the highly confidential records he had accessed, after the eradication of Wujian Tower, the various sects did not let down their guard for a long time. They continued to send people to search throughout the world, fearing that there might be remnants of Wujian Tower left, which could lead to their resurgence. It wasn't until decades later, when no traces of Wujian Tower were found anywhere in the world, that the sects finally confirmed that Wujian Tower had indeed been completely wiped out. Given the intensity of the crackdown by the various sects back then, it would have been highly unlikely for remnants of Wujian Tower to go unnoticed if they had survived.

However, now that assassins from Wujian Tower had appeared before him, it could only mean that Wujian Tower had been hiding in the shadows all these years, biding their time. And to be able to evade detection for so long, even from sects like Qishalo, experts in assassination and infiltration techniques, there were only a handful of mysterious places in the entire world that could provide such concealment. But without concrete evidence, the owner of Tianji Tower could not make such an assertion.

The truth was simply too shocking.

It was important to note that the proposal to eradicate Wujian Tower hundreds of years ago had been initiated by Shenshan, and the decision had been made jointly by the Four Secret Lands. Yet, in the end, it turned out that a Secret Land had been sheltering the remnants of Wujian Tower. If this were to become known to the various sects, it would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar. After all, many people from the sects had lost their lives during the crackdown on Wujian Tower.

Some sects were even wiped out, their leaders perishing in battle. If word got out about what had transpired today, it would turn their sacrifices into a laughingstock.

Some sects would surely lose their temper if they found out.

Times were already turbulent, and the Central Plains were on edge. If this news spread, it could reignite the recently calmed situation and plunge it back into chaos.

"Senior Tianji Lou, there's no need to worry," Lu Qing said, having guessed the other's concern. He smiled and added, "This is merely Master Ma and their speculation. We won't take it as fact, and we'll investigate the truth ourselves."

Though he said this, the Tianji Tower Master could tell that Lu Qing and his group were already convinced that Xuan Kong Mountain was behind this.

He sighed again and said, "Young Master Lu, the reappearance of Wujian Tower is shrouded in mystery and is likely not as simple as it seems. While Xuan Kong Mountain is highly suspected, we can't be completely sure that they are the culprits. I hope you will think carefully and not fall for someone else's scheme, becoming their pawn without realizing it."

"Rest assured, Senior. I'm not one to act impulsively," Lu Qing nodded.

"Good." The Tianji Tower Master nodded. "However, the reappearance of Wujian Tower after hundreds of years is no small matter. I must report this to the Holy Mountain. Young Master Lu, you must be exhausted after tonight's events. Please take a good rest, and I will send people to deal with the corpses."

"Thank you, Senior," Lu Qing said, not objecting. He bowed to the Tianji Tower Master.

Soon after the Tianji Tower Master left, some other Tianji Tower disciples arrived and, after bowing to Lin Zhirui, began to remove the corpses. Lu Qing and the others did not stop them.

"Know-it-all, what are you thinking about?" Lu Qing asked, noticing that Lin Zhirui seemed lost in thought after the disciples had taken the corpses away.

"I'm thinking, if we confirm that Xuan Kong Mountain is behind this, what will you do, Young Master Lu?" Lin Zhirui asked.

"What else can we do? They're powerful, and we're just small fries. Besides staying far away from them, what else can we do?" Lu Qing replied nonchalantly.

If you're a small fry, then probably no one in this world would qualify as a big shot. Lin Zhirui scoffed inwardly.

What insignificant being could crush the disciples of Xuan Kong Mountain and emerge unharmed? Who else, with a mere mortal body, could severely injure a Xuan Kong Mountain disciple who had attained the Great Perfection of the Innate Realm?

However, Lin Zhirui also knew that Lu Qing was just brushing him off.

Considering Lu Qing's unyielding personality, he wasn't one to shy away from a challenge. In the past, when he was still at the Muscle and Bone Realm, he had boldly challenged a Martial Arts Master. The formidable reputation of Xuan Kong Mountain wouldn't easily daunt him.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to crush the life out of a Xuan Kong Mountain disciple in front of so many people during the day.

Of course, Lin Zhirui didn't try to dissuade Lu Qing.

At their level of cultivation, their personalities were extremely independent, and their willpower was as sturdy as steel. Once they'd made a decision, it was rare for them to change their minds due to someone else's words.

The enmity between Xuan Kong Mountain and Lu Qing's group was already irreconcilable and beyond Lin Zhirui's ability to mediate.

Thus, Lin Zhirui didn't say anything further before taking his leave.

...

Not long after Lin Zhirui returned to his small courtyard, in another part of the Holy City, several figures with strange auras gathered in a mansion, gazing at several shattered jade tokens before them in silence.

After a while, one of them, his voice hoarse, spoke up, "The tokens are shattered. They're all dead."

"How could they have failed so quickly? They just went in not long ago, right?" another figure asked, disbelief lacing his voice.

"Four at the Foundation Stage of Precelestial Realm, nearing Profound Perfection, all deceased. Weren't they meant to target several at the Postcelestial Realm and one at the Precelestial Realm? Or did the elder from Heavenly Tower intervene?" asked another figure.

"It doesn't make sense. Even if it was that old man, he shouldn't have been able to detect our men's movements."

"Regardless of the reason, it's clear that we've been played by those bald donkeys from Xuan Kong Mountain. The information they provided was incomplete," the hoarse-voiced figure said coldly.

"I knew it! Those bald donkeys wouldn't be so kind as to let us take action. They wanted us to walk into a trap!" one of the figures raged.

"So, what now? Even our men at the Small Success stage of the Innate Realm have failed. Are we still going through with the mission?"

"Of course, we have to continue. Do you want to defy Xuan Kong Mountain's orders?

The mere mention of this sent shivers down the spines of the assembled figures.

Though they cursed the bald donkeys, they knew full well the true terror of Xuan Kong Mountain. It was a formidable force beyond their means to resist.

"Get ready. We'll make our move soon. After that last assassination attempt, they won't expect us to strike again so soon." The hoarse voice spoke with cold determination.

"Is that so?" Just as he finished speaking, a calm voice echoed from outside, "Then have you considered whether you'll live to see tomorrow?"

"Who's there?!"

The figures in the room were startled beyond measure. They couldn't believe that someone had approached so close to their master assassin without being detected. The intruder's ability to conceal their presence was terrifying!

Boom!

As the figures within the room were still reeling from shock, the windows and doors of the house exploded, and several cold, piercing lights, carrying immense power, surged forward with the force of a whirlwind, aiming to strike them down.

"Get out of the way!"

Though the attack came suddenly, the assembled figures were no amateurs. They immediately scattered in different directions to avoid the onslaught.

Bang!

The powerful impact caused the house to shatter into pieces, with the walls collapsing.

One of the figures had just barely escaped the house when he saw a dazzling blade glow in front of him.

"How..."

His eyes widened in disbelief as he hadn't sensed anyone in front of him at all. But by the time he saw the blade, it was too late.

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt dizzy and disoriented, and the last thing he saw was his headless body.

"Elder San!"

"Brother San!"

"Third Senior Brother!"

The remaining figures rushed out of the cloud of dust, only to be greeted by a horrifying sight. Their hearts turned cold as they realized the gravity of the situation.

Elder San, who had recently broken through to the Great Perfection of the Innate Realm, had just faced a single strike and was beheaded.

Who was this attacker? Was it a master of the Innate Realm Perfection, who had sensed their presence and come to kill them?

The figures turned their attention to the person standing before Elder San's headless body, trying to discern his identity.

However, when they saw his appearance, they were taken aback.

The attacker was clad in black, his face hidden behind a ghostly mask, making it impossible to discern his true features. More importantly, his aura was ethereal, as if he had merged with the surrounding space.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have sensed his presence at all, even with their soul power.

His ability to conceal his aura was comparable, if not slightly superior, to their own [Invisible Walker] technique.

"Who are you, and why are you attacking us?" The hoarse voice demanded an answer.

However, Lu Qing had no intention of replying. Instead, he used his soul power to transmit a message to Xiao Li: "Xiao Li, make your move. Finish them quickly, and leave none alive!"

Indeed, the black-clad, masked figure was none other than Lu Qing.

After killing the assassins who had attacked the courtyard earlier, he had used his ability to investigate their identities.

Furthermore, he had gained a crucial piece of information from the numerous notes—there was another group of assassins from Wujian Tower hiding somewhere in the Holy City.

So, after Lin Zhirui left, he informed his master and brought Xiao Li with him to the location where the remaining Wujian Tower assassins were hiding.

Having learned about the assassins' modus operandi from the Tianji Tower Master, Lu Qing couldn't let these unscrupulous killers live any longer.

"Mm!"

Hearing Lu Qing's soul transmission, Xiao Li, who had already activated his innate talent to hide in another layer of space, quietly acknowledged and swiftly pounced on one of the figures.

At the same time, Lu Qing brandished his long sword and rushed towards the remaining three figures.

"Be careful!"

Sensing the killing intent emanating from Lu Qing, coupled with the might he had displayed when beheading Elder San earlier, the three remaining Wujian Tower assassins didn't dare to underestimate him. They quickly drew their weapons and prepared to face the incoming attack.

However, one of them suddenly widened his eyes in disbelief as he looked down at his chest. There, a bowl-sized hole had appeared, and his heart was nowhere to be found!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end