Chapter 87: Surrender the Token
Dongyuan Pavilion was a grand compound reserved exclusively for the reception of high-ranking sect members when they visited Li City, and its splendor was unrivaled. Though Wu Yuan had never set foot in this place, he had heard countless tales of its grandeur during his time at the martial academy in Li City.
With Transfiguration, no one will be able to recognize me. Wu Yuan glided through the shadows towards Dongyuan Pavilion. Sparing the woman's life isn't an issue.
She was nothing more than a woman who pleasured men with her body, ignorant of all other matters. When Wu Yuan assassinated Bald Wolf Wang Xian, he spared the life of Fairy Fragrant Zither as well. To snuff out their existence required nothing more than a mere thought, yet it was meaningless.
On his journey to Li City, Wu Yuan cautiously erased his tracks to prevent the experts of the Cloudstride Sect from tracing his path.
Within the general's manor, he also made sure to tread carefully. Firstly, he wanted to avoid alerting Xu Shouyi until he had located him, preventing his target from fleeing. Secondly, he had no desire to commit unnecessary murder.
I'm here. Wu Yuan leaped into Dongyuan Pavilion from a dark corner of the building, extending his consciousness in every direction as he focused on sensing his surroundings.
Xu Yuanjie mentioned earlier that Xu Shouyi is hosting a banquet for several high-ranking members of the sect. An event of great importance, it seems. Wu Yuan flitted through the corridors. His form melded with the shadows as he kept himself constantly attuned to his surroundings. Soon, he approximated his location.
The main hall! There are indeed quite a few experts gathered here. Utilizing his soul sense, Wu Yuan detected the oddly high number of powerful auras within the main hall.
The Dongyuan Pavilion was heavily guarded, its security not inferior to that of the general's manor or the county mayor's manor.
Normally, even a first-rate Adept would find infiltrating the compound a daunting feat. For Wu Yuan, whose martial skills had reached the level of Environmental Mastery, this was more complicated than a walk in the park, but still relatively straightforward.
Drawing closer to the main hall, Wu Yuan concealed himself among the beams above the corridor.
Hmm? Is that... Xu Shouyi's voice? Wu Yuan's keen hearing caught snippets of conversation from the hall tens of meters away.
Apart from Xu Shouyi, Wu Yuan also spotted dozens of Southdream Army soldiers guarding the front door, including several captains in heavy armor.
Zhu Hong, Liu Ye? A cold glint flashed through Wu Yuan's eyes. Good, it appears they are all here.
When his special recruitment offer was first made known to the public, many high-ranking officials in Li City hosted banquets in Wu Yuan's honor. At that time, Xu Shouyi was absent, but Zhu Hong and Liu Ye were among those representing the Southdream Army. Naturally, Wu Yuan recognized the two of them.
Several auras present are strong enough to pose a threat to me. Wu Yuan frowned. They are at least second-rate Adepts, possibly even first-rate Adepts.
With his current strength, anyone who could intimidate soul sense was at least a second-rate Adept. In such circumstances, Wu Yuan couldn't risk getting any closer. The closer he got, the higher the chances of exposure.
No need to rush. Let's wait a bit more, they should be in the midst of their feast. But every feast will come to an end. When they leave the compound, I'll confirm Xu Shouyi's location and eliminate him in one strike. Wu Yuan told himself to be patient.
And so, he waited. Unexpectedly, this wait lasted nearly six hours! One by one, the soldiers guarding the door began to doze off, yet the tinker of cutleries from the main hall did not subside.
This feast is meant to last until dawn? Wu Yuan furrowed his brows slightly. Daybreak is less than two hours away. If I delay any longer, itll soon become problematic to take action.
Killing Xu Shouyi was not difficult. The real challenge lay in escaping unscathed. Wu Yuan only felt confident in his ability to escape if the sky remained dark. Once the sun rose, the risk of exposure would increase tenfold! Wait till tomorrow night to attack? Many changes could occur in a single day!
My only option is to assault them forcefully. Wu Yuan's eyes grew frosty. With a silent command, the blood-red mist left his upper dantian lobe, instantly eradicating his fatigue. He landed silently and headed straight towards the main hall.
The brightly lit main hall was magnificently decorated. Numerous candles illuminated the hall as if it were daytime and a cadre of maidservants lined up on either side.
"Senior Brother Fu, do the dishes from Li City suit your palate?" Xu Shouyi cautiously inquired.
"Haha, they're not bad. Xu Shouyi, your senior brother did not misjudge you back at the sect," a morbidly obese man in purple robes chuckled. His table was laden with an abundance of meat, which he gobbled up heartily.
Trays of food were served without end. On one side of his table sat two men, one young and one old. Though both possessed robust physiques, they appeared feeble and emaciated compared to the girthy Senior Brother Fu.
Watching Senior Brother Fu, the others couldnt help but shake their heads inwardly. Despite eating and drinking all night, Senior Brother Fu still had room in his stomach for more. He was truly an insatiable glutton.
"General Xu, with regards to the Chu-Jiang Token, do you have any additional clues beyond what was reported to the sect?" an elegant youth with white hair cascading down his head asked in a refined manner.
"Unfortunately, those were all the clues I had," Xu Shouyi said. "Protectorate Zhang, the last lead I discovered suggests that the token was either taken by Beast Mountain Ming Lie or a mysterious spear-wielder."
"Hmm." The white-haired youth nodded slightly, his expression thoughtful.
"How are we to investigate without any concrete clues? If Ming Lie is the culprit, he will have handed the token to Old Yuanhu," a black-clad old man shook his head. "As for that mysterious spear-wielder, do we have any information about him? His family or background?"
"I couldn't find anything at all," Xu Shouyi admitted, a bitter smile on his face.
"Useless!" The black-clad old man snorted dismissively.
Internally, Xu Shouyi seethed with frustration, but he dared not retort. These three individuals were far more powerful than him in terms of strength and status, hence they had been assigned to investigate the Chu-Jiang Token. In particular, the black-clad old man was the most powerful of the three.
"Hm?" Suddenly, the black-clad old man turned his head.
Almost simultaneously, the purple-robed obese man and the white-haired youth who had been leisurely enjoying their meal also focused their attention outside the hall, their expressions turning solemn.
"What's wrong?" Xu Shouyi asked, still trying to make sense of the situation.
Whoosh~ Bang! Whoosh~ Bang! Liu Ye and Zhu Hong, the two captains of the Southdream Army guarding the door, were sent crashing into the hall. Each had a grievous wound on their neck, and blood flowed profusely. They were still struggling, but it was clear that their chances of survival were slim.
"Assassin!" "Assassin!" It was only at that moment that the guards stationed outside the hall snapped out of their daze and cried out in alarm.
Almost instantly, everyone heard a series of thuds as the guards at the entrance were tossed aside like ragdolls. They crashed into walls, slammed into the hall, or landed on the distant azure stone ground. Everything unfolded in the blink of an eye, none of them stood a chance against the attacker.
Whoosh! A robust figure cloaked in black darted into the grand hall, brandishing a saber. Donning a ghostly mask, he halted abruptly, his piercing gaze sweeping across the hall until it settled on Xu Shouyi. His voice carried an icy edge as he spoke, "Xu Shouyi, the time has come to settle our grudge from fifteen years ago."
A grudge from fifteen years ago? Xu Shouyi was dumbfounded. What grudge?
The three experts who had traveled to Li City to investigate the token rose from their seats.
"You have impressive skills to infiltrate this place without a sound. Quite bold." The white-haired youth's eyes were cold, "No matter who you are, you are guilty of killing disciples of the Cloudstride Sect. Today, you shall meet your end."
"Oh? Is that so?" Wu Yuan glanced at the trio, his words laced with indifference. "Just the three of you? Xu Shouyi won't live to see the morning sun."
Boom! In a blur of movement, Wu Yuan launched himself towards Xu Shouyi.
"Die!" A voice thundered.
Boom! Senior Brother Fu swung his axe with great force. His aura was formidable and his armor clinked with the movement. The elderly man in black and the white-haired youth hung back, observing the clash.
Senior Brother Fu is ranked among the top 300 of the Human Rankings. Xu Shouyi watched eagerly. He had no idea who the man in black was. He only knew that he was here to kill him.
Crash! Boom! The two figures flashed past each other.
The axe flew from the fat man's hand and smashed a large hole into a nearby wall. The man himself was then thrown to the ground, blood flowing freely from a gaping wound in his abdomen.
"Youre a Savant expert?" The purple-robed mans eyes filled with horror.
"Fu San, known as Fat Axe, ranked 287 on the Jiang Continent Human Rankings," Wu Yuan's voice was cold and emotionless, like an echo from the abyss, "If you wish to die, feel free to step forward."
Wu Yuan then swept his saber in a clean arc, causing the blood to pool on the tip of his weapon.
Drip~ The blood rolled off, splashing onto the ground. The hair-raising sound was clearly audible within the great hall, which had fallen into a haunting silence.
Everyone stared at Wu Yuan in shock. With two swings of his saber, this intruder had defeated an expert ranked in the top 300 on the Human Rankings.
Senior Brother Fu was defeated in one strike? Xu Shouyi was utterly stupefied. A Savant expert? Such a terrifying person has come to kill me?
Hes seeking revenge? But what grudge could I have formed fifteen years ago that would provoke such a terrifying Savant expert? Despite racking his brains, Xu Shouyi found no answers.
The white-haired young man looked at Wu Yuan, a trace of fear appearing in his shocked gaze. In terms of combat power, he was around the same level as Fu San.
Swish~ The old man in black blocked Wu Yuans advance with his sword. His face was weathered, appearing to be in his 60s or 70s, but his expression was calm. Fu San's injury did not seem to rattle him.
"You must be Shadow Blade, the one who killed Bai Yuxian in Southdream Province a few days ago," the old man in black said softly.
Wu Yuan was slightly taken aback, but his expression remained unchanged, "Shadow Blade?"
"Shadow Blade is merely a nickname we've given you, for we are ignorant of your true identity," the elder man in black robes spoke slowly. "Furthermore, I suspect it was you who slew Yang Long of the Vicious Tiger Gang."
The entire hall fell into stunned silence, all eyes fixated on Wu Yuan.
"And what if I were to deny any involvement?" Wu Yuan's voice was steady.
"Other than you, I can think of no one else." The elder man's voice was gentle, yet his gaze bore into Wu Yuan. "I suppose the Chu-Jiang Token is also in your possession? Surrender the Chu-Jiang Token, and perhaps we will spare your life!"
"The Chu-Jiang Token? Pray tell, what is that?" Wu Yuan maintained an air of indifference. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you're talking about. I'd rather avoid conflict with the Cloudstride Sect, but if you insist on blocking my path, then don't blame me for what comes next." Wu Yuan's voice turned icy as he raised his saber.
The black-clad elder remained motionless, only the tip of his sword shifting slightly.
"Then prepare to die!" Wu Yuan's voice echoed through the hall as he transformed into a phantom, materializing instantly before the elderly man.
Whoosh! A fearsome blade ray tore through the air.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel