Chapter 175: Assassin
Chapter 175: Chapter 175: Assassin
Retreat?
A brief silence fell over the scene.
"Are you crazy?" Su Feibai said in disbelief.
"Don’t you always go on about ’gentlemen’ and ’benevolence’ while throwing punches at me and stealing my things? What’s with today..."
"I have never done such a thing." Yan Liyuan’s expression remained unchanged, his face still stern.
"The Human Race is at a critical juncture for its very survival. Even True Monarchs have been mobilized."
"We should set aside our past grievances and work together to harvest the treasures in Nanyue Mianhuang."
"All the most powerful experts in Nanyue Mianhuang have fallen. If we can’t even conquer it, wouldn’t we be a disgrace to this generation of the Human Race?"
Yan Liyuan was incredibly stern, like an old scholar scolding his students.
This left Su Feibai speechless. "Are you here to give us a lecture?"
Guan Julan also sneered. "I hate you disciples from the Confucian Family as much as I hate pig shit."
"Miss Ju Lang, you are the Eldest Senior Sister of the Cloud Dream Immortal Sect. You should be dignified and courteous. How can you be so crude?" Yan Liyuan shook his head, then said,
"In any case, you two should set your sights on Nanyue Mianhuang. Come with me to suppress those Third Realm members of the Barbarian Race."
’They’re not fighting?’
Zhu Ge, who had been hiding below for a good while, couldn’t help but frown.
’Fight!’
’Why did they suddenly stop?’
’If they don’t fight, how is he supposed to reap the rewards?’
’That’s an Elemental Level Spring Eye!’
However, Zhu Ge also knew that with Yan Liyuan present, a fight was indeed unlikely to break out.
Yan Liyuan, styled the Humble Alley Dweller, ranked forty-first on the Sheji Chart, a student of Bai Ma Academy, once beat a Great Demon so badly it couldn’t lift its head.
Compared to Guan Julan and Su Feibai, this Yan Liyuan was truly a powerhouse.
Anyone who could rank in the top fifty of the Sheji Chart was a ruthless character.
And the higher the rank, the stronger they were.
"We stop fighting just because you say so?" Su Feibai snorted.
"I agree not to fight." Guan Julan chuckled. "Or, Yan Liyuan, how about you and I take out Su Feibai and split the loot?"
"No. Brother Su’s combat power is exceptional; it would be a waste for him to fall here." Yan Liyuan shook his head. "He should be in Nanyue Mianhuang, unleashing his Jadeite Blade Intent to slay the prodigies of the Barbarian Race."
"Easier said than done. I’m leaving." Guan Julan shot Yan Liyuan an irritated glare before flying south.
Seeing this, Su Feibai immediately followed.
"Brother Su, wait!" Yan Liyuan said softly. "To prevent you from giving chase, it’s best you wait for me. We’ll go together."
Su Feibai’s expression soured. "Why should I go with you?"
Yan Liyuan replied, "Does Brother Su wish to be ambushed by that assassin?"
Hearing this, Su Feibai narrowed his eyes and scanned his surroundings. "You arrived a while ago?"
"No." Yan Liyuan shook his head and also looked down. "But I sensed an aura of the Martial Dao."
As he spoke, Yan Liyuan’s expression grew solemn. "This assassin is elusive, their aura almost perfectly concealed. It must be some of those notable figures from the Assassin Organization."
"Once they strike, it’s a matter of life and death. You don’t want to be seriously injured in a surprise attack, do you?"
’Those notable figures from the Assassin Organization?’
Hearing this, Su Feibai’s expression also became grave. "Fine. I’ll go with you."
Watching Su Feibai and Yan Liyuan depart, Zhu Ge sighed inwardly.
’Nothing to be done.’
Originally, Zhu Ge couldn’t even win a one-on-one fight.
Let alone now, when there were three of them.
Still, this experience helped Zhu Ge see the gap between himself and these prodigies.
He had moved through the Red River Prefecture unhindered, nearly killing a Third Realm Sword and Axe Mantis with a single punch.
It had even led him to believe he was a genius on the level of the ancient sages.
Genius, prodigy, and the ancient sages.
A genius can dominate their peers at the same realm, while a prodigy can cross realms to kill their enemies.
As for the ancient sages?
Based on the information Zhu Ge had, the ancient sages were likely the most powerful among the prodigies. Not even those in the top ten of the Sheji Chart were guaranteed to reach that level.
By that metric, he naturally wasn’t considered exceptionally strong.
But then he remembered that he was, after all, fighting a Third Realm opponent while in the Second Realm.
Even if he was just a prodigy, he was still among the stronger ones.
’Things being as they are, I should head back for now.’
He had come on this trip with the mindset of just taking a look. Now that there was no opportunity to pick up scraps, he might as well go back.
But it wasn’t a total loss.
Having witnessed the power of other prodigies, Zhu Ge felt a flicker of anticipation for what he would be like after breaking through to the Third Realm.
After all, he could already withstand a Third Realm prodigy while at the Mid-Mountain Shattering Realm.
What would happen once he reached the Third Realm and opened his Upper Yuan Palace and Mud Ball Purple Mansion?
However, just as Zhu Ge was thinking this and rising to leave, a sudden roar echoed from above:
"Little thief, so you were hiding here!"
At the same time, two other voices rang out.
"Hmph, leave your head behind!"
"So it’s a new face? Which Assassin Organization are you from?"
’Not good!’
Zhu Ge looked up.
He saw the three of them staring right at him.
Even Guan Julan, who had left long ago, had somehow concealed herself in the clouds high above.
’Not good!’
Zhu Ge instantly realized it—the three of them had been trying to trick him out!
He had been hidden, and their Divine Senses couldn’t detect him.
But now, he had moved.
That single movement immediately caused a significant reaction.
The surrounding grass and branches, the air, the dirt beneath his feet, and so on.
Although the three of them couldn’t find Zhu Ge himself, by paying close attention, they could detect the traces of his movement!
So, the moment Zhu Ge moved, he was discovered.
"BOOM!!!"
Before Zhu Ge could react, he was struck by a blast of rain needles from Guan Julan’s hand.
Dust flew, and vegetation was shattered all around.
Zhu Ge snorted and, in an instant, brandished his Purgatory Star Rod.
"I was about to leave anyway. Why press me so hard?"
Zhu Ge declared, "Wouldn’t it be better for us all to go our separate ways in peace?"
But the first to step forward was Yan Liyuan.
"Brother, since you are a member of the Assassin Organization, you should know that your kind are like rats crossing the street—everyone has the right to hunt you down."
There was killing intent in Yan Liyuan’s eyes. "You people only accept money, with no regard for who you assassinate. We would be ashamed to associate with you."
"Oh?" Zhu Ge was actually a little curious upon hearing this.
’They hate the Assassin Organization that much?’
It seemed the three of them had communicated for a while using their Divine Senses.
That’s when they must have decided to lure him out and kill him.
The question was, was the Assassin Organization really that hated?
"But I’m not from the Assassin Organization." Zhu Ge shook his head. "If I were, why would I reveal myself before you?"
"If I were from the Assassin Organization, I would have already used my Concealing Technique to kill the three of you. Why would I retreat?"
Zhu Ge had no desire to fight a pointless battle.
He wanted to practice his martial arts, but not by being ganged up on by three prodigies.
That wasn’t practice; it was self-torture!