Chapter 230: Chapter 218: Annihilation of the Assassin Union
Back then, Nie Yun hadn’t had the chance to study Assassination Qi before that Assassin Master took his own life. As a result, he never formed the so-called Assassination Dantian and couldn’t possibly use the Assassination Technique.
His previous move was merely an imitation of an ordinary assassination technique. It lacked the one-hit-kill capability of a true Assassin Master. Even if the middle-aged man hadn’t charged over, Nie Yun wouldn’t have been able to kill Lik Nansou. The entire purpose of the act was to lure him in, release the Heart-Devouring Poison, and kill him with it in a single stroke!
The middle-aged man was the controller of the Array. As long as he was poisoned to death, the Array would naturally become meaningless.
"What?"
"Is that a poisonous gas? How can there be a poison this potent...?"
Seeing their leader—a mighty Ultimate Venerable Peak Powerhouse—bleed from all seven orifices the moment he touched the dark brown smoke, the seven remaining men in the Array were so terrified their faces turned deathly pale and their eyes bulged.
Assassins would stoop to any means to complete a kill, and poison was one of their most common tools. Therefore, most of them were experts in toxicology. ’To poison an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse to this extent in a single instant... what kind of poison is this? It’s horrifying!’
"Die!"
Having succeeded with his first move, Nie Yun wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip. The Profound Jade Sword in his right hand never paused. With an eruption of Power, the Momentum of the Earth formed once more and smashed down viciously on Lik Nansou!
With the middle-aged man poisoned, the Array had lost its flexibility. Lik Nansou was only at the Qi Sect Realm; how could he possibly block such an attack? SPLAT! The immense force obliterated his internal organs, muscles, and bones, smashing him flat against the ground until he was nothing more than a meat patty.
"As for the rest of you... die!"
After poisoning the middle-aged man until he bled from all seven orifices, destroying the Grand Array, and killing Lik Nansou, Nie Yun flicked his wrist. The Profound Jade Sword in his palm trembled once more before smashing down on the six remaining Qi Sect assassins.
The essence of the Momentum of the Earth was its immense, crushing weight. Combined with his Powerful Qi, a fan-shaped wave of force pressed down. Before the six masters could even think of escaping, they met the same fate as Lik Nansou. They were turned into meat patties, plastered to the ground like dark spots blooming across the earth.
"Run!"
With the Array broken and their leader bleeding from every orifice, even the dimmest of the assassins now understood how terrifying the young man before them was. The once-arrogant killers all cried out in alarm and scattered in every direction.
SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!
They hadn’t gotten far before several streaks of light shot past them. In the next instant, their heads and bodies were torn to pieces, falling from the sky.
The Wind Wolf King, Zi Tong, and Hei Yan had made their move!
With the Assassin Union’s strongest members—their leader and Lik Nansou’s group—either poisoned or killed by Nie Yun, there were no experts left. How could the remaining assassins possibly be a match for three Ultimate Venerable Demon Beasts? The air bloomed with crimson fireworks as the once-proud Assassin Union was transformed into an Asura Battlefield in the blink of an eye.
"Tell me who your client is and where Yangg Yan and Feng Xiao’s bodies are. I’ll spare your life if you do."
After sealing the remaining poisonous gas back in the Jade Gourd, Nie Yun looked coldly at the leader, whose face had already turned black as he hovered on the verge of death.
"As long as you don’t kill me, I’ll tell you! Actually... Yangg Yan and Feng Xiao aren’t dead!"
The middle-aged man wasn’t like the Death Warriors Nie Yun had encountered before, who would rather die than submit. He roared, desperately fighting through the agony.
Assassins study the art of killing, so they understand the terror of death. Unless backed into an inescapable corner, they are utterly unwilling to die.
The best swimmers are the ones who drown; the best riders are the ones who fall. Doctors can save others, but they most fear falling ill themselves. Assassins excel at killing, but it is they who fear death the most!
It was an axiom!
That was why the moment the middle-aged man realized he was about to be poisoned to death, he begged for mercy faster than any ordinary person would.
"Not dead?" Nie Yun froze. "Where are they?"
"They’ve been sent to the Assassin Union headquarters! Now save me, I’ve told you everything...!" the middle-aged man roared, struggling.
’Sent to the Assassin Union headquarters? They’re really not dead?’ A wave of emotion washed over Nie Yun.
’The only reason I went on this rampage, killing the Luonan City Lord and the others, openly defying the Emperor of the Empire, and wiping out the Assassin Union, was because Yangg Yan’s death drove me into a frenzy. How wonderful would it be if they weren’t dead?’
"They’re definitely not dead! At the time, Lik Nansou just knocked them unconscious and brought them here. He didn’t kill them... Later, headquarters sent someone to take them away!" the middle-aged man said hastily.
"Where is your headquarters? And who was your client?" Seeing from the man’s eyes that he wasn’t lying, Nie Yun pressed.
"Our headquarters is in the Divine Holy Empire. Our client is the Imperial Family. It was His Majesty the Emperor of the Divine Wind Empire who paid me..." the man said.
"His Majesty the Emperor of the Divine Wind Empire? Are you trying to frame the Emperor and get us to destroy each other?"
Nie Yun’s hand shot out and clamped around the man’s neck as he snorted coldly.
"No! This is the proof! If you don’t believe me, look..."
Feeling the pressure on his throat, the man hurriedly pulled a small ledger from his robes.
One glance was all it took for Nie Yun to recognize it as an Assassin Union ledger. He flipped to the last page and, sure enough, found the entry for the assassination of Yangg Yan and Feng Xiao. The payment was listed as cash from the Emperor of the Empire.
"I’ve told you everything, I’ve even shown you the proof! Save me! I’m willing to be your slave..."
The man roared, apparently no longer able to withstand the ravages of the poison.
"Hmph!"
Ignoring his pleas, Nie Yun squeezed his hand. CRACK! The man’s throat was crushed.
’Why didn’t you have this attitude when you went after Yangg Yan? Since you did the deed, you have to face the consequences.’
’Assassins like him are ruthless. Keeping him alive would only cause trouble sooner or later. Besides, I don’t have the antidote for the Heart-Devouring Poison anyway. It’s better to just kill him and be done with it.’
"You..."
The middle-aged man’s eyes bulged. He couldn’t comprehend it. He had told him everything, yet the other man had still killed him!
’The Emperor of the Empire? The Assassin Union headquarters?’
Nie Yun’s eyes narrowed as he mulled over the bizarre situation.
’The Emperor of the Empire told me Yangg Yan and Feng Xiao were dead. The moment I left the Imperial Capital, I was ambushed by the Demon Race. Then, the Emperor gave me the location of the Assassin Union, and I walked right into the Yin Yang Assassination Extinction Array! If not for the Heart-Devouring Poison, I would have died here for sure.’
’Could this all be the Emperor’s scheme? Is he the true mastermind behind all this?’
’My appearance put so much pressure on the Imperial Family that they could barely breathe. For a ruler with absolute authority, that’s a tremendous insult. It’s not surprising he would resort to something like this.’
"Royal Family of the Divine Wind Empire... I didn’t want to force your hand, but you’ve forced mine!"
Boundless killing intent glinted in Nie Yun’s eyes.
’Initially, I had no plans to annihilate the Imperial Family. But now that they’ve dared to plot against me, their crime is unforgivable!’
"Master, all members of the Assassin Union have been eliminated. Not a single one escaped!"
Just as he made his decision, Zi Tong’s voice rang out.
