Free Web NovelChapter 428: Chapter 166: Assassination, The Might of the Divination Skill
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In a small, dense wood beside the main road, a petite figure was running for her life.
She kept glancing back over her shoulder, her face a mask of terror.
"Terrifying. Utterly terrifying."
The petite woman in black wiped her forehead, only to find it drenched in cold sweat.
’This is too much, just way too much. Why did I ever take this job?’ the petite, masked woman thought.
Every time she looked back at the woods, she felt a terrifying pressure wash over her entire body, making her heart tremble.
She didn’t know who her target was this time, only that she was supposed to wait on this main road.
But she never, ever expected to be met by someone so horrifying.
Her partner, an expert in the Unity Realm, was pierced by blood-red Sword Qi in an instant, with no chance to even fight back.
The sight had left her trembling uncontrollably, feeling as if she were being stalked by some malevolent specter.
Now, all she wanted was to run, to get away from this place and never see that man again.
Though it was daytime, a fog of dread seemed to cloud the woman’s heart.
A vast, dense forest lay ahead, and the woman quickened her pace.
If she could just make it into the trees, she might be able to use the terrain to escape with her life.
’I absolutely cannot fly into the air,’ the woman thought. ’Otherwise, I’ll be spotted instantly.’
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a faint whistling sound suddenly cut through the air.
When running at high speed, the sound of wind was normal.
But this wind was coming from behind her.
The woman had been in this line of work for a long time, taking on assassination jobs—relieving people of their wealth to save them from disaster, as she saw it—so she was no stranger to bloodshed.
Hearing the wind at her back now, her sixth sense screamed that danger was approaching.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the woman spun around and dove to the side, rolling across the ground before springing back to her feet.
The move wasn’t graceful, but it was incredibly effective.
A violent roar echoed from the spot she had just vacated. A massive crater had appeared in the ground, with a sliver of blood-red Sword Qi embedded within it.
The woman whipped her head around to see Shen Bai, the carriage driver in tow, standing right before her.
At such a close distance, the woman could even see the hint of excitement in Shen Bai’s eyes, a sight that sent a chill down her spine.
’How did he find me?’ A flicker of confusion crossed the woman’s mind.
She and her partner had planned this operation for a long time.
The plan was for her partner to strike first. If the fight reached a stalemate, she would then attack from the shadows.
But her partner had died too quickly, leaving the woman with no choice but to flee.
Logically, she should have been perfectly safe.
Yet here he was, having found her with ease. The shock of it brought a fresh, dense layer of cold sweat to her brow.
"Strange, isn’t it? How I found you so easily at a time like this."
A smile touched Shen Bai’s eyes. He let go of the carriage driver, telling him to stay put, then blurred into an afterimage, reappearing right in front of the woman.
A terrifying pressure emanated from Shen Bai, crashing down on the woman like Mount Tai and making it difficult for her to breathe.
The woman gritted her teeth. Crossing her hands, she produced a pair of silver needles and lunged, stabbing straight for Shen Bai’s chest.
The silver needle in her left hand aimed for the center of his chest, while the one in her right curved around toward his abdomen.
It was a treacherous move; a successful strike in either spot would neutralize him, leading to instant death.
Shen Bai watched the masked woman’s technique, shook his head, and said, "To still be able to attack under these circumstances shows courage. But it’s not enough."
As his voice fell, Cold Moon flashed with light.
With two sharp CLANGS, Shen Bai knocked the silver needles from the woman’s hands, sending them clattering to the ground.
The next moment, a large hand clamped around the woman’s neck, lifted her up, and slammed her violently onto the ground.
A wave of excruciating pain washed over the masked woman; it felt as if every bone in her body was about to shatter.
Before she could speak, she caught a whiff of a strange, fragrant scent.
The woman immediately knew something was wrong and tried to hold her breath, but it was useless.
"This is poison... You know Poison Techniques?"
A hint of astonishment appeared in the woman’s eyes.
"Surprised? You didn’t investigate my background before coming after me? How reckless."
Shen Bai said coolly, "Or did you really think two experts in the Unity Realm would be enough to kill me?"
As he finished speaking, Shen Bai circulated the Qi in his body, activating the poison from his Poison Avoidance and Rejuvenation Skill.
In the next instant, the woman felt a heart-devouring pain erupt from within, spreading through her entire body in a flash. She let out a piercing shriek and began to writhe on the ground.
Not far away, the carriage driver witnessed the scene, a deep chill seizing his heart. He couldn’t help but shudder.
The Shen Bai before him now was a stark contrast to the gentle, refined young master he had imagined.
He then remembered that this man, in addition to his title as the Eight Extremes Young Master, was also known throughout the Jianghu for his ruthless cruelty.
Seeing this, the carriage driver even took a silent step back, quickly lowering his head and muttering to himself that he shouldn’t be watching.
The woman continued to flail on the ground, her agony growing more and more apparent.
"Kill me! Just kill me!"
Consumed by the heart-devouring pain, she began to beg frantically, planting her hands on the ground and repeatedly smashing her head against it with a series of sickening THUDS.
