Martial Sovereign of the Turbulent World

Chapter 187: Chapter 185: Night Assassination, Surprise

Ink Garden.

In a lavish bathroom with black and white patterned marble tiles on the floor and a crystal chandelier hanging overhead, Fu Juemin was half-reclined in a massive, Western-style ceramic bathtub, quietly lost in thought.

’Spiritual Light... Huai Hai...’

Big Cat had helped him decipher the four-character maxim given to him by Master Huai Kong of Purple Cloud Temple on the way down the mountain that very day.

Spiritual Light referred to Spiritual Light Temple, and Huai Hai referred to another eminent monk of the same generation as Master Huai Kong, one who also hailed from Celestial Blessing Temple—Master Huai Hai.

Huai Kong’s meaning couldn’t have been clearer: if Fu Juemin went to Spiritual Light Temple and found the other Celestial Blessing monk named Huai Hai, he might obtain what he was looking for.

And what did Fu Juemin want?

Naturally, it was the legacy of the two remaining techniques among the Celestial Blessing Four Great Iron Body Skills—the *Bright King Shackles Skill* and the *Bodhi Vajra Formula*.

Fu Juemin had never met Huai Kong before, so how did the master know his purpose in seeking an audience was to find the legacies of these two Cultivation Techniques?

It wasn’t as if Huai Kong could predict the future. Obviously, Big Cat and Kitty had spoken to him in advance.

Fu Juemin guessed that after he had mastered the Pharmacist Skill and the Dragon Elephant Skill, Big Cat and Kitty must have brought the matter up with Huai Kong. The outcome wasn’t bad at all; not only was Huai Kong not displeased, but he had also given him a clear direction, saving Fu Juemin a great deal of time and energy.

’Spiritual Light Temple is an ancient monastery passed down from the former dynasty, located in the Yingjing region...’

A glint appeared in Fu Juemin’s eyes. He recalled what Shen Yijun had once told him: "All the world’s Demon Fiends gather in Yingjing." It seemed a trip to Yingjing City was truly unavoidable.

’I have to go, but there’s no need to rush.’

Fu Juemin patted the brass, lion-headed faucet beside him, turning up the hot water. He then grabbed a handful of bath salts from an enamel soap dish, tossed them in, and closed his eyes, silently organizing his thoughts.

Two days had passed since the Xuanwu Platform incident. In that time, the streets and alleys of Shenghai Beach had been utterly "flooded" by newspaper reports about the affair.

On the Xuanwu Platform, he had consecutively killed three long-famous Half-Step Gratitude Realm masters and, in front of everyone, slapped Zhao Jigang, the president of the Martial Dao Association.

Once the news broke, it shocked every circle of Shenghai society, high and low. The name "Young Master Shenghai" resounded throughout Shenghai Beach, his fame now rivaling that of the two young masters of power and wealth.

Of course, Fu Juemin had never wanted this kind of fame. With that one slap, he had forged a feud with Zhao Jigang that would not end until one of them was dead.

That was why, especially at a time like this, he couldn’t leave.

If he left, those who hated him would surely turn their blades on Aunt Ding. He had caused this trouble, and he couldn’t let Aunt Ding bear the consequences for him.

’I need to find some time... I’ll deal with Zhao Jigang in the next day or two.’

As he was thinking, Fu Juemin’s eyes suddenly flew open. He casually reached for a printed Buddhist Scripture from the rack beside the tub and began to flip through it.

He had always relied on allocating points to level up his martial arts, but if he could save a few Skill Points, that would be for the best.

Fu Juemin was reading *The Sutra of the Ten Directions and the Extensive Buddha’s Flower Adornment*. This scripture was known as the "King of Sutras" and also served as the general outline for the Six Great Seal Techniques of Dragon and Elephant.

Of the Six Great Seals of Dragon Elephant Wisdom, Fu Juemin had already reached the Entry Level of comprehension for the "Covering Sea" and "Bengshan" seals. He was now focused on contemplating the "Infinite" and "Jiezhi" seals.

Previously, when Fu Juemin had used three seals to kill Zhou Feibai on the Xuanwu Platform, his final move had been the Infinite Seal Technique.

For that seal, Fu Juemin had mainly relied on the brute force of his "Dual Soul Unity." However, whether by chance or because it aligned with the Infinite Seal’s core concept of being "boundlessly vast," he seemed to have faintly grasped a trace of the seal technique’s true essence.

’The Infinite Seal is like an upgraded version of the Sea Covering Seal. With my [Demon Body], my strength can increase almost without limit, which makes comprehending the Infinite Seal far easier for me than for an ordinary Martial Artist.

But the Jiezhi Seal Technique...’

Fu Juemin flipped through two more pages of the Buddhist Scripture, his brow furrowed. Finally, he simply spread the scripture open over his face, leaned his head back against the edge of the tub, and closed his eyes to meditate.

In Buddhist Teachings, "jiezhi" means "the most minute of things." As the saying goes, "a drop in the ocean, a mustard seed in the universe."

He found the Infinite Seal relatively easy to comprehend; it was merely a matter of visualizing his own immense power as a boundless sea—infinite, endless, immeasurable, and vast.

But with anything, "releasing" power is always relatively simple. "Containing" it is the difficult part.

’To hide the sea in a single mustard seed...’

Fu Juemin recalled how Li Tong, when teaching him the "Infinite" and "Jiezhi" seals, had made it look effortless, releasing and retracting his power at will. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of admiration. If he had Li Tong’s level of mastery in the Six Great Seal Techniques of Dragon and Elephant, then even at his current strength, he could probably kill Zhao Jigang as easily as slaughtering a chicken, without even activating his [Demon Body].

To put it bluntly, he just hadn’t allocated enough points...

Just as his thoughts were drifting, an extremely faint yet incredibly clear tremor, like a bolt of cold lightning, shot through his mind without warning.

Beneath the scripture covering his face, Fu Juemin’s closed eyes snapped open.

In the steamy bathtub, a pale hand rose and slowly removed the Buddhist Scripture from his face.

Fu Juemin slowly pushed himself up in the tub. Under the soft light of the crystal chandelier, water droplets slid down his solid chest.

An indescribable, strange, and ghostly light flickered within his eyes.

"In the middle of the night..."

Fu Juemin swallowed slowly, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and muttered to himself, "To think ’takeout’ would deliver itself to my door... What a, truly, unexpected surprise."

.....

The night was thick as ink, without a star or moon in the sky.

A shadow deeper than darkness itself, like flowing "petroleum," swiftly passed through the perimeter wall and into Ink Garden.

The shadow moved deep into Ink Garden, following its dark and winding paths. Occasionally, passing servants or patrolling bodyguards would step right on it, yet they felt nothing, as if treading on a mere patch of ordinary night.

Upon reaching the unlit side of a pavilion, the flowing shadow climbed up a pillar and gradually solidified into a young man with a deathly pale face, dressed in a crisp, black military uniform.

He Xin had started following Luo Zhengxiong at the age of thirteen.

Back then, Luo Zhengxiong wasn’t Commander Luo yet; he was known as Grand Marshal Luo.

He fought alongside Luo Zhengxiong everywhere, winning battles and losing them... He was exceptionally skilled at killing, with a great talent for torture and slaughter. Coupled with his unwavering loyalty to Luo Zhengxiong, he was selected for Luo Zhengxiong’s Personal Guard Team at a young age and held the rank of Deputy Officer.

Later, Luo Zhengxiong’s army was granted amnesty and absorbed by the Xin Republic, and Grand Marshal Luo became Commander Luo.

During his three years in Shenghai, Luo Zhengxiong’s ambition grew beyond being a mere commander. He maneuvered between the great powers and the Westerners, and as a show of "sincerity," he secretly sent batches of able-bodied young men into the Concessions to serve as "materials" in the Westerners’ laboratories.

He Xin was involved in almost every "dirty deed" Luo Zhengxiong committed. He was Luo Zhengxiong’s most loyal enforcer.

Commander Luo desired to become the "True Dragon Emperor." To win the "merit of aiding a dragon’s ascent," He Xin volunteered himself for the "Demon Fiend transformation" experiments.

He climbed out of the Westerners’ transformation tank alive, completing his metamorphosis from human to "fiend."

He became the "Spirit Shell" for that "Palace Guardian Demon." A so-called Spirit Shell meant one soul inhabiting two bodies.

A human’s soul and a demon’s ferocity were forcibly fused using Western technology. He often couldn’t tell if he was He Xin or a Palace Guardian Demon that loved to lurk in shadows and rip out hearts to drink blood.

Of course, none of that mattered.

What mattered was that tonight, he could finally go on a proper killing spree, indulging in the thrill of slaughter and savoring the fresh sweetness of flesh tearing between his teeth.

At this thought, He Xin extended his long, forked tongue and slowly licked his pale, dry lips.

Following the map memorized in his head, his figure moved like a phantom, shuttling silently and with uncanny speed between corridor pillars and the shadows of trees.

Before long, he stopped outside a room.

This was the study of his first target for the night. Through the door, he could clearly "smell" the presence of the living inside.

—Two of them.

One was very weak. The other... was probably the target’s guard.

Its aura was more concealed, but to He Xin, the hiding technique was so clumsy it was almost laughable.

He cocked his head, thinking. The strength of this "guard"... seemed a cut above the two "traditional Martial Artists" he had torn to shreds while testing his abilities back at the Westerners’ transformation base.

But it didn’t matter.

As the Commander often said, "humans" are such fragile creatures.

Even if you cultivate the so-called Martial Dao to a very high realm, you are still as fragile as paper against Western firearms or the power of Demon Fiends.

He Xin stood outside the study door, the corners of his mouth pulling into a stiff, cold arc.

He was about to use the Guardian Palace Demon’s ability to turn into a shadow and seep through the crack under the door.

Just then, a strange presence was suddenly released from nearby.

He Xin whirled around. A primal desire surged from the depths of his being. He stared intently in the direction of the presence, swallowing repeatedly...

Finally, he changed his mind.