Free Web NovelChapter 429: Chapter 359: Haunted by Vengeful Spirits
As Murong Hui had a sudden premonition, the assassin, perched on a stone pillar thirteen hundred steps away from the Skeleton Document Square, also released the "bowstring".
The assassin wore a gray-black triangular hat, his scarf pulled up to cover his nose, and a dirty long trench coat, revealing only a pair of deeply-set eyes and a few strands of white hair. Leaning back, his right hand grasped a Black Ebony Spear—a material only produced in the Fourth-Turn Secret Realm, which even refined steel weapons could not mark.
As his heart pounded like a war drum, all the muscles from his feet to waist, shoulders, and arms, akin to steel cables twisted to the extreme, burst forth iron-like blood, and the bones in his right arm fractured inch by inch.
Yan Qing was not mistaken. To launch a Foundation Establishment level attack with Third Transition Cultivation exacted an extremely heavy price—this price being his body, Qi Blood, and lifespan!
Using life as the trigger, body as the bow, bones as the string, and Qi Blood to draw the bow, thus comes the Ultimate Path Arrow!
The so-called Ultimate Dao was the assassin’s Third-Turned Legendary Profession, the Extreme Messenger. This was a highly secretive path of profession change that ordinary messengers could never reach; only the East Sea Imperial Court could cultivate it. However, out of a hundred messengers attempting the Ultimate Dao path, approximately ten might successfully change professions, and at most one would gain the favor of the Imperial Court and be granted a Foundation Establishment Pill to continue exploring the Ultimate Dao path.
Thus, the assassin was fortunate, having successfully changed professions to the Extreme Messenger, yet he was also unfortunate. Unlike other messengers with no hope, the Imperial Court gave him an unattainable hope, allowing him to complete tasks to earn merits to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill—other messengers had no such exchange options, even if they had the merits!
However, this task wasn’t issued by the Imperial Court. As the co-ruler of the East Sea, the Imperial Court only managed and controlled internal affairs within the East Sea. Assassination and similar activities were directed only toward the Outer Realm. Although Murong Hui was a person from the Central Plains, the Murong surname was uncommon, and the Gusu Murong Family of the East Sea was a significant noble family within the Imperial Court...unless a conflict of interest arose, the Imperial Court would turn a blind eye to the Yanzi Murong of the Central Plains.
This task was a private job obtained by the assassin through secret channels, unlikely intended to target an emerging prodigy from the Central Plains. He vaguely realized he was perhaps being drawn into the power struggles of Foundation Establishment Immortals, but as long as he refused to accept mediocrity, although the road between immortals and mortals was fraught with peril, what harm was there? If not for the path of the Ultimate Dao, he wouldn’t even qualify to be used.
As a Third-Turned Legendary Profession, the Extreme Messenger possessed a feature deemed a Divine Technique: "Burning Blood for Life." By permanently burning one’s own Qi Blood, one’s Qi Blood could be increased several-fold or even dozens of times over a short period; the more burned, the higher the multipliers, easily reaching a fake Foundation Establishment level!
Moreover, the burned Qi Blood could be replenished through training; if used wisely, it equated to conventional fake Foundation Establishment battle power!
This was why the Imperial Court placed such importance on the Ultimate Dao path. If further developed alongside Divine Techniques, it might allow a Sixth-Turn Foundation Establishment to rebel against a Seventh-Turned Immortal Monarch!
Yet "Burning Blood for Life" had a fatal flaw: an unestablished Foundation Establishment messenger couldn’t possibly endure such abundant Qi Blood, and would instantly experience a blood-boiling phenomenon, with even bones burning into vitreous. The Imperial Court identified candidates with immunity against blood-boiling through special means and trained them meticulously—this assassin was the culmination of two hundred years of the Imperial Court’s efforts on the Ultimate Dao path. From traits, emblems, to battle methods, he exploited his potential to the fullest!
There wasn’t any Third-Transition in the world that could withstand his Ultimate Path Arrow; even Foundation Establishment would avoid its edge... At least, it should have been that way.
Sixteen years ago, upon achieving Third-Transition mastery, this was the first time the assassin had attempted thrice against the same target.
The first time, the Mummy Man deflected the Black Ebony Spear with an unimaginably swift speed, making the assassin consider abandoning the mission right there. No one understood the speed of the Ultimate Path Arrow better than he did—it was like a divine lightning, catching even a Foundation Establishment Zhenren off guard... Yet later he discovered the Mummy Man’s speed was typically quite ordinary, evidently not his true strength.
The second time, the Ultimate Path Arrow hit, with Murong Hui trapped in the mire, having no chance to evade. Yet she was immediately healed by Healing Authority. Rationally, the assassin knew his mission was already doomed to failure; even if he hit, so what? Murong Hui could heal on the spot unless he fired consecutively.
But he could only be immune to the blood boiling; fully leveraging the Burning Blood for Life feature, half his body would be devastated by the excessive Qi Blood. If he rested normally, it wouldn’t recover in months. His quick recovery relied not just on Blood Replenishing Pills but also on Heaven-Repairing Powder produced by the Imperial Court, rapidly healing injuries by exhausting lifespan. This strategy mortgaged the future to grasp the present.
Finally, the assassin decided to stay and wait for an opportunity.
Was it because he paid too high a price to continue the task? Just like a gambler all in after losing everything.
Was it envy toward the Mummy Man? His Foundation Establishment Pill had already been upgraded to a legendary level.
The moment he "fired" the Black Ebony Spear, the assassin suddenly understood why he hadn’t given up.
He did not want to lose.
Born simply as a fisherman’s son, he only managed to join the Imperial Court with difficulty and, due to having no background or resources, had no choice but to set foot on the path of the Ultimate Dao, receiving special training from the Imperial Court. Despite standing out, he still wasn’t as dazzling as his most brilliant younger sister, wasting over a decade still only being a Third-Turned Messenger. His life was one of resignation—accepting his background, accepting his poverty, accepting his mediocrity, and in the end... would he also have to accept his failure?
In sixteen years, I traveled through Northern Barbarians and Nanyue, assassinating a total of one hundred and seven people, including prodigies from prestigious families and heirs of major clans. The Foundation Establishment Pill was indeed a motivator, but silencing these young men of far better upbringing, more resources, and greater talents, wasn’t that also proof of my victory? Background, resources, talent—none could determine victory or defeat, for only those who last till the end are victors!
Therefore, I will win, I must win!
If I cannot win in my life, what meaning does it have!
Now wasn’t the best timing, for the Baibao Guards hadn’t yet engaged Murong Hui and her people directly, rendering Murong Hui’s instant healing artifacts useless. The only flaw was that Murong Hui and the Mummy Man were separated, ensuring the Mummy Man couldn’t shield her.
Yet from the start, for assassination, there never was a "best timing." If the windmill doesn’t turn, then he would be the wind to drive it!
If his guess was correct, this battle might last quite some time; if he seized the time to recover, maybe he could release a second, slightly weaker Ultimate Path Arrow.
His right side might have been shattered, but his left side could still Burn Blood for Life!
In the blink of an eye, Murong Hui only had time to sidestep behind a puppet. But it was meaningless, the assassin saw clearly—their puppet was near death, even needing their help to shield against arrow showers; the Black Ebony Spear would pierce through the puppet and pin her to the ground! Destroying the heart—even with Healing Authority—it was uncertain she could survive!
Yet at this moment, the back of the assassin’s neck suddenly bristled with goosebumps, a chilling atmosphere coming from behind him. He turned to look, letting out a bitter laugh.
A phantom-like demon had appeared behind him, terrifying in appearance and full of spite, yet the assassin was inured to life-and-death, long fearless of superficial horror. What truly moved him was that the demon, by its appearance, was exactly the puppet that had just been standing in front of Murong Hui.
The assassin didn’t resist, his current half body was no better than a tattered rag, full of holes. This wasn’t a weakness of the Ultimate Path Arrow; with such a large attack range and high flight speed, an Extreme Messenger could easily choose an absolutely safe environment to launch the Ultimate Path Arrow. Even a Foundation Establishment Zhenren couldn’t possibly instantaneously traverse such a distance to pursue.
So, splendid, truly splendid.
To dare use oneself as bait to calculate the hidden me from the open, this time...
I lost.
...
...
Murong Hui raised the long blade high, the Buddhist Mantra Inscription on the blade glowing with orange flame-like light, with "All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, or a shadow" inscribed on the left, and "Like dew and lightning, thusly should they be contemplated" on the right, it was none other than the Bingzi Pepper Forest!
At the moment the Black Ebony Spear hit, Murong Hui promptly took out the Bingzi Pepper Forest given by Yan Qing, immediately recovering all injuries!
Yan Qing glanced at the stone pillar in the distance; with his sharp eyes, he saw nothing, but the unjustly deceased ghost’s death speech, [Doomed Soul Enshrouded], had clearly been triggered, dealing 5000 points of damage to the enemy who killed it—an amount absolutely unbearable by a Third-Turn Messenger.
The reason he placed the "Unjustly Deceased Ghost" in the starting lineup was precisely to deal with the assassin. This was an inevitable measure; just as Murong Hui thoroughly developed the Shadow Dance Messenger, the assassin also took a routine to its zenith—they were equally unmatched at their level unless they were put in an Octagonal Cage for a deathmatch. They surely had ways to escape.
Only by leveraging the "Unjustly Deceased Ghost’s" trait of counter-killing the attacker could they resolve this trouble decisively.
Now, three troubles were resolved, one of them. Yan Qing looked at the Transformed Self-Reliance Celestial Demon dancing wildly and the Baibao Guards initially forming a military formation, his lips curling slightly upward, lifting his hand to look at his cards.
Now, it’s time to solve the remaining two troubles together!
