Chapter 587: Chapter 369: Encountering the Black Nether Assassin Again
The Duan Family in the Beiding Continent is not considered a major clan, as it has never produced a Martial Saint powerhouse. However, over the years, it has had quite a few Martial King powerhouses, making it a relatively formidable Martial King family.
The family’s influence is also considerable, controlling a large city with a population of nearly one million—Pan Yang City.
At the bustling entrance of Pan Yang City, a man and a woman entered the city along with the crowd.
"Should we directly storm the Duan Family and kill Duan Qingfeng, or wait for a chance to assassinate?" Wei Fan curiously glanced around while transmitting his thoughts to Feng Hua.
He had changed his appearance again!
It’s not that he feared the strongmen of the Zilan Sect coming for revenge, but because performing tasks like a Territory Guardian War General’s mission should remain unseen. Disguise was necessary.
If Wei Fan were to assassinate Duan Qingfeng in his true identity, there was a high chance the Duan Family would seek vengeance unaware of the circumstances.
Feng Hua shook her head, "Let’s wait for a chance to assassinate. This time, we are in the guise of assassins and cannot act openly. Also, Duan Qingfeng is currently not in Pan Yang City.
In three days, it will be his father’s six hundredth birthday. He should appear then. Let’s find a place to stay first."
Pan Yang City was bustling, or rather, the not-so-large city housed nearly a million people, making the streets crowded and bustling.
"Spare some money, kind folks!"
A disheveled beggar with a broken bowl begged from passersby, but hardly anyone gave him money, rather they waved him off with disdain.
He quickly approached Wei Fan and Feng Hua, extending his worn-out bowl towards Feng Hua.
"Kind-hearted..."
Before he could finish, Wei Fan had already reached out, holding a substantial gold ingot. The beggar’s face lit up with a smile, while Feng Hua instinctively reached for money.
The next moment, Wei Fan’s hand suddenly changed direction midway, clamping onto the beggar’s skull.
The sudden change caused Feng Hua’s action to freeze, puzzled, she turned to the beggar.
The beggar’s face was full of terror, trembling, "Spare my life, hero, I don’t want the money anymore."
[Black Nether Assassin: Martial King Ninth Layer, has assassinated multiple Human Race Martial Kings]
[Kill him to gain 100,000 years of Ordinary Power, 900 years of Martial King Power]
Wei Fan glanced at the panel, speaking coldly, "Your act is quite convincing, but unfortunately, you have too many flaws!"
That being said, he was secretly astonished; the beggar before him was almost flawless, even under his critical gaze, he did not discern the beggar to be a Black Nether assassin.
The beggar’s aura was weak, eyes dull, and skin loose, really resembling a beggar who hadn’t eaten for days and nights.
His killing intent was well hidden. Even when close to Wei Fan, the golden Primordial Spirit didn’t issue a warning, deceiving his Spiritual Sense.
"He is..." Feng Hua was a bit unsure.
As he seemed just an ordinary beggar; even after using the Power of Heart and Spirit to scan his body, she didn’t detect any cultivation.
"The Black Nether Assassin!" Wei Fan’s fingers were still clamped on the beggar’s skull, his voice soft, but it made Feng Hua break out in a cold sweat.
She didn’t doubt Wei Fan’s judgment, meaning she had encountered the Black Nether Assassin unknowingly. Had Wei Fan not detected it, if this beggar suddenly attacked, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Spare my life, hero..." The beggar continued begging for mercy, attempting to kneel and kowtow, but couldn’t due to Wei Fan’s firm grip on his head.
"What’s going on, bullying a beggar?"
"If you don’t want to give money, so be it. What’s the point in making things difficult for a beggar?"
"If you can recognize a Black Nether assassin at a glance, would he still be called a Black Nether assassin?"
...
People around started criticizing Wei Fan; some martial artists who overheard his conversation with Feng Hua couldn’t help but express disdain.
What is Black Nether? It’s a terrifying assassin organization that has even managed to assassinate Martial Saints. If they could be identified at a glance, Black Nether would have been extinct by now.
Wei Fan didn’t mind the crowd’s words: "It doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it. I don’t need you to admit. If I say you’re a Black Nether assassin, then you are a Black Nether assassin!"
While speaking, a palpable murderous intent appeared in his eyes.
"You..."
Boom!
Seeing this, the Black Nether assassin no longer hid his intentions, suddenly bursting with terrible momentum, a black dagger silently appeared in his hand.
In this situation, he chose not to escape, still intent on assassinating Wei Fan.
However, Black Nether assassins are outstanding for their assassination techniques and skills in concealing aura and identity. Their combat power at the same level isn’t strong. When discovered at close quarters, an ordinary person might suffice, but against a top master like Wei Fan, who can even slay a Saint Son, it leads only to a dead end.
Pfft!"
Wei Fan’s five fingers suddenly clenched fiercely, blood splattered everywhere, and half of the Black Nether assassin’s head was clawed off. The sword he was about to extend froze in mid-air.
[Killed Black Nether Assassin, gained 100,000 years of Ordinary Power, 900 years of Martial King Power]
[Ordinary Power: 220,000 years]
[Martial King Power: 11,500 years]
"Is he really a Black Nether assassin? How did this person discern it at a glance?"
"I don’t know if he’s a Black Nether assassin, but that beggar is obviously a Martial King powerhouse!"
...
No matter how powerful the stealth cultivation technique is, it can allow someone to hide their true cultivation even after death. As he was killed, the withered body became plump, and a strong aura burst out from within like smoke. The expressions of those who previously accused Wei Fan changed.
They were unsure if this beggar was a Black Nether Assassin, but they were certain that he was a Martial King powerhouse.
Feng Hua’s expression also changed: "How did you recognize him?"
"My martial arts spiritual sense told me!" Wei Fan bluffed.
It seemed that killing a Black Nether assassin last time wasn’t enough to deter them, but he wasn’t too worried.
No matter how powerful the stealth cultivation technique, it was useless in front of the panel.
If the opponent wanted to hide and ambush, it might bring some crisis. Coming directly to him, the difference between hiding and not hiding was minimal.
"Who is causing trouble in Pan Yang City!"
From a distance, city patrols came rushing over. Wei Fan and Feng Hua left the corpse behind and strode away. In the crowd, they changed their appearances and quickly blended in, checking into an inn.
"Is there a way to find Black Nether’s lair?"
Constant entanglement with Black Nether was not an option. If possible, it’s best to take the initiative to attack.
Feng Hua shook her head: "It’s too difficult. Black Nether has very few contact points. Even when accepting missions, it’s all done through specific communication tokens."
The most crucial point is that even if you catch a Black Nether person, it’s useless. The minds of those assassins are restricted by prohibitions. Soul searching is impossible unless they willingly provide Black Nether’s information. The assassin organization has existed since ancient times, and countless people have tried to annihilate them.
...
On this day, the Duan family was decorated with red and green, and firecrackers resounded. Because today marked the 600th birthday of the Duan family patriarch, Duan Xingnian.
Although the Duan family had never produced a Martial Saint powerhouse, they were not unknown in the Jianghu of Beiding Continent. With the patriarch’s 600th birthday, many Jianghu heroes came to celebrate and offer their gifts.
It was even said that the Holy Sect from nearby Yunxiao City had sent a Martial King powerhouse to deliver gifts, elevating the Duan family’s prestige to its peak.
"The Mang Mountain swordsmen have sent a pair of Ink Jade Qilins and a thousand Spirit Crystals, congratulating Patriarch Duan on his 600th birthday!"
"The Jiang family from Jiang City has sent a thousand-year snow ginseng and a thousand Spirit Crystals, congratulating Patriarch Duan on his 600th birthday!"
"The Cloud City Gunman has sent three hundred Spirit Crystals, congratulating Patriarch Duan on his 600th birthday!"
...
Wei Fan prepared a gift of five hundred Spirit Crystals and infiltrated the Duan family with Feng Hua. The two had stayed near the Duan family for days, but had not seen Duan Qingfeng appear, so Feng Hua suggested they sneak in.
A gift of three hundred Spirit Crystals seemed a bit conspicuous, but it was a generous enough gift not to attract undue attention.
Wei Fan originally did not want to give that much, but since there was no connection with the Duan family, giving less might draw attention.
The two followed a servant’s guidance and were soon seated at a table.
Wei Fan sensed that most of those seated were Martial King powerhouses, but mostly with cultivation of the Martial King First and Second Level. Naturally, there were also some young people who accompanied their elders to gain experience, and these young ones mainly had Martial Venerable cultivation.
"No response!"
Feng Hua transmitted to Wei Fan. She carried Duan Qingfeng’s aura and previously thought the lack of response was due to array isolation. But upon entering the Duan family, even after she activated Duan Qingfeng’s aura, there was still no response.
This meant that Duan Qingfeng wasn’t at the Duan family. If he’s not in the Duan family, eliminating Duan Qingfeng would be troublesome.
Relying solely on aura tracking might not find Duan Qingfeng in ten or half a month, and if unfortunate and the distance is too great, aura tracking would be useless.
After a while, with no one else joining the seats, a middle-aged man in a longevity robe appeared, and someone at the banquet greeted him.
"Brother Duan, your demeanor remains unchanged!"
"Six hundred years old, Brother Xingnian, your heroic spirit hasn’t diminished from before!"
...
This man was Duan Xingnian, with a resolute face, hair and beard bristling like a lion, clearly a person with a fiery temperament.
Wei Fan kept observing the people present, including Duan Xingnian and the Duan family disciples, but the panel showed no response, suggesting that the issues lay solely with Duan Qingfeng.
Duan Xingnian clasped his hands and said, "Thank you all for taking the time to attend my birthday banquet. I am deeply grateful."
At six hundred years old, compared to the lifespan of one to two thousand years for Martial King powerhouses, it is actually still young. However, due to backlash from unsuccessful breakthroughs to Martial Saint, most Martial Kings don’t live beyond a thousand years. Adding the Jianghu battles and Human-Demon wars, six hundred years old already makes one a senior in the Jianghu.
Many stood up, clasped their hands, and said it was only proper.
"Brother Duan, why isn’t Qingfeng here?"
Someone asked. Duan Qingfeng is said to be the most outstanding disciple of this generation of the Duan family and also the offspring of Duan Xingnian. His absence made people suspicious.
"Father, forgive me, your child is late, arriving tardy at your birthday banquet!"
Duan Xingnian was about to speak when suddenly a voice came from outside the Duan family courtyard. Everyone turned to see four or five robust men striding in, led by a vigorous man, dragon-like in his steps, bearing a resemblance of five or six parts to Duan Xingnian.
"That’s Duan Qingfeng!" Feng Hua hurriedly transmitted to Wei Fan upon seeing him.
In fact, Wei Fan did not need her reminder, as upon looking over, the panel had already reacted.
[Duan Qingfeng: Martial King Ninth Layer, colluding with the Demon Fiend, harming Human Race Martial Kings]
[Killing him grants 100,000 years of ordinary power, 900 years of Martial King power]
The intelligence from the Demon Hunter Organization was correct. Duan Qingfeng had indeed colluded with the Demon Fiend, causing the deaths of many Human Race Martial Kings.
Comments