Chapter 2343: Chapter 2343 Let It Ends
The other martial cultivators in the City Lord Manor were utterly dumbfounded. None of them had anticipated such a turn of events, leaving them momentarily frozen in shock and unsure of how to react.
"Chase after him!"
Wen Xingtang realized that Liu Meng’s death at the hands of one of their own was far from a simple accident and finally snapping out of his daze.
He immediately barked orders for a squad of soldiers to give chase, demanding the martial cultivator be taken alive. Several elite fighters from the city lord’s mansion also sprang into action, bolting after the fleeing man.
"Halt them!"
Wen Xingtang was not about to let anyone slip away. He commanded his soldiers to cut off the pursuers.
The martial cultivators found openings to escape in the chaotic scene. Three of them managed to break free from the City Lord Manor, sprinting after Ye Liuyun and his group.
After swiftly eliminating the remaining martial cultivators within the manor, Wen Xingtang wasted no time leading his troops in pursuit.
Thus, a bizarre chase unfolded. Everyone was now tailing the lone martial cultivator who had killed Liu Meng.
As the martial cultivator neared the city gates, he was intercepted by the guards stationed there.
But what no one noticed that he had discreetly tossed his Interspatial Ring to Ye Liuyun, who was chasing after him, during his desperate spirnt.
The moment the interspatial ring landed in his grasp, Ye Liuyun quietly withdrew the disguised soldiers he had stationed nearby. He halted his pursuit by feigning an injury, then slipped away unnoticed under the cover of his concealcape to return to his quarters.
Meanwhile, the fleeting martial cultivator recklessly charged towards the gate guards under the control of Ye Liuyun’s slaving seal. Ultimately, he dropped all his defenses suddenly, allowing himself to be struck down on the spot.
Right on his heels, the three elite pursuers from the city lord’s mansion arrived.
The guards, who were on high alert, immediately intercepted them. Soon, the soldiers who were pursuing caught up and swiftly executed those three on the spot.
By the time Wen Xingtang arrived with his men, not a single survivor remained. Liu Meng’s body was nowhere to be found as well.
Wen Xingtang sensed something amiss. He detained all the soldiers present for interrogation, yet unable to find any leads.
With no other options, he could only pin it down to Liu Tianhe, who had stirred up the conflict. Liu Meng had killed to protect his son and attacked the garrison troops sent to investigate. This version of events firmly pinned the blame on Liu Meng.
Wen Xingtang knew the Sanctuary Dynasty would eventually investigate. To ensure his story held up, he had to eliminate every martial cultivator in the City Lord Manor.
He then dispatched troops once more, slaughtering every last survivor within the City Lord Manor. Meanwhile, the major factions, who had intended to reinforce Liu Meng, quickly changed their stance upon learning of his defeat.
They fell in line with Wen Xingtang’s account, letting the dead shoulder the blame.
When envoys from the Sanctuary Dynasty arrived to investigate, the trail would had gone cold and the matter would be quietly dropped.
With the grand talent selection trials imminent, the local marquisate could not afford disruptions.
Eager to avoid further complications, the marquisate who was incharge of the domain swiftly appointed a new city lord, transferred Wen Xingtang’s garrison elsewhere and swept the entire incident under the rug.
Back in his private courtyard, Ye Liuyun was braced for a city-wide manhunt, convinced the uproar would lead to relentless searches.
He sent scouts out repeatedly, only to find that days passed without any significant stir.
Soon after, the new city lord took over. The local garrison was replaced with a new group.
With that, the storm had blown over.
Such an earth-shattering event was erased with unsettling ease.
In no hurry to report his mission back at the Stygian Secret Realm, Ye Liuyun found himself weighing a critical decision which was whether to become a member of the elite assassin under Stygian’s command.
From this incident, he vaguely sensed the formidable power behind the Stygian. At least in these remote towns, their influence was nothing to scoff at.
If he could harness this force, it would undoubtedly be far quicker than building his own from scratch. Otherwise, wishing to topple a huge force like Sanctuary Dynasty would be no overnight feat.
He consulted both Umbra Phoenix and Liu Jing again. They both agreed that Ye Liuyun’s low cultivation level actually made him more appealing to the Stygian. In assassination missions, the greater the disparity in strength and cultivation between the killer and the target, the less likely suspicion would arise.
Thus, to infiltrate the Stygian’s inner circle and uncover their secrets, Ye Liuyun decided to join their elite assassin squad.
Returning to the Stygian’s secret realm, Ye Liuyun presented Liu Meng’s head to Scythe.
Given the magnitude of the incident, there was no need for Ye Liuyun to explain. The Stygian was already well-informed.
"Using others to do your dirty work. Now, that’s a masterstroke!"
Scythe could not help but praise Ye Liuyun’s tactics.
Without elaborating, Ye Liuyun exchanged his reward for points and then asked Scythe to arrange identity tokens for Mo Shaowen, Liu Yang, Liang Bin, Xue Rongwu, Thousand Faces, Twin Strike, Songstress and the others.
His plan was to dispatch them to Valorcrest, marquisate’s domain.
Wan Weihou, who governed the region, was residing in Valorcrest. His jurisdiction spanned seven major cities and over a hundred smaller towns like Lunaris City, making it the highest authority in the territory.
Ye Liuyun intended for his people to infiltrate Valorcrest and gather intelligence on the major factions and their intricate relationships.
Scythe did not pry and promptly handed over the identity tokens.
Ye Liuyun earned three hundred points in one go. Even after spending some, he still had enough to qualify for the Stygian’s elite squad.
"Have you made up your mind? Ready to officially join the Stygian?" Scythe posed the question to him.
"Let me take a look at the divine soul contract with Stygian first!" Ye Liuyun replied without immediately agreeing.
"Of course!" Scythe responded while displaying the terms of the divine soul contract to Ye Liuyun and patiently explaining any points of confusion in detail.
After reviewing it, Ye Liuyun found that the restrictions imposed on him were minimal. He then agreed and formally signed the divine soul contract with Stygian.
Qisha promptly replaced his insignia and instructed him to imprint a wisp of his divine sense into it.
He then brought out a token, asking Ye Liuyun to imprint his divine sense. As soon as Ye Liuyun infused his divine sense, the token unexpectedly glowed.
Scythe explained, "This token remains at Stygian’s headquarters. It allows us to track your location and confirm whether you’re alive. If you’re killed, the token will go off."
Afterward, Scythe led Ye Liuyun out of the reception room and toward the inner hall of the Exchange Hall.
The atmosphere here was strikingly different from the front hall. The space was arranged like a tavern, filled with tables and chairs. Private booths lined arounf the hall with their doors tightly shut.
Numerous martial artists, some cloaked in black robes while others with their faces uncovered, lounged around the tables and were chatting idly. A few reception elders mingled among them, engaged in casual conversation.
"Next time you come to report on a mission, you can find me directly in here!" Scythe pointed towards one of the booth while saying. "The main hall is where Stygian’s assassins and reception elders gather. Feel free to rest here whenever you like."
With that, Scythe ushered Ye Liuyun into the private booth.
