Chapter 77

A slender and petite figure emerged from the darkness.

It was clearly a little girl, her pale chin gleaming with a lustrous sheen under the dim starlight.

Could it be that the opponent was just a child?

The Black Widow found it hard to believe.

Swish!

Suddenly, the Black Widow's vision blurred, and she felt a sharp pain in her neck, as if clamped by an iron vise. Her strength instantly vanished, and she was lifted up.

Throughout the entire process, she didn't even have time to react!

A great terror surged in the Black Widow's heart. She possessed the cultivation of the Seventh Level of True Martial Realm and was a well-known professional killer in Donglin City, with rich and fierce combat experience. Yet, this was the first time she had been so easily defeated, and by a little girl!

How could this be?

The Black Widow was dazed.

Not long after, Xia Zhi returned home with the Black Widow in hand, casually tossing her to the ground and then turned her gaze to the center of the courtyard.

There, Lin Xun was battling Du Xiao, the fight intense and fierce, the air humming and dust flying.

Lin Xun wielded the Sky-Piercing Saber with great skill, the brilliant azure saber light fierce, swift, and clean, pushing the "Six-Character Saber Technique" to its limits.

But his opponent, Du Xiao, was no ordinary foe. On the contrary, Du Xiao's combat prowess was even more ruthless, displaying a fierce and fearless madness.

Du Xiao wielded a slender and sharp spear, his moves light and unpredictable, extremely difficult to deal with, forcing Lin Xun to sometimes choose to dodge and defend.

Xia Zhi stood quietly on the side of the courtyard, showing no intention of helping.

Beside her, the Black Widow had given up all thoughts of escape, her expression changing as she watched the battle.

"Do you think who will win?"

A voice sounded in her ear, startling the Black Widow. She glanced at Xia Zhi, unable to see her face clearly, but feeling as if this little girl beside her was a mountain, pressing down on her until she almost suffocated, unable to move.

Taking a deep breath, the Black Widow gritted her teeth and said, "Du Xiao has the cultivation of the Seventh Level of True Martial Realm, and his combat skill 'Cloud-Scrolling Spear' has reached the 'Precision' level in the martial arts realm. The young man only has the cultivation of the Fifth Level of True Martial Realm, and although his saber technique is exquisite, his combat experience is clearly lacking. If nothing unexpected happens..."

The Black Widow dared not say more.

In her view, even if Du Xiao won this battle, he would not escape death, because there was still this mysterious and powerful little girl beside her!

Thinking of this, a sense of despair welled up in the Black Widow's heart. Not only Du Xiao, but she herself would likely have no chance of survival this time.

Her gaze inadvertently fell on a corner of the courtyard, where a collapsed and broken wall lay a corpse.

It was her other companion, "Old Man Frowning."

This made the Black Widow's heart churn. Old Man Frowning had the cultivation of the Eighth Level of True Martial Realm, with extremely formidable combat power, far beyond the ordinary. He had successfully assassinated a Ninth Level True Martial Realm cultivator in the past, making him a renowned senior killer in Donglin City.

But now... the formidable Old Man Frowning had become a dead body!

How could this little girl's combat power be so terrifying?

A sense of helplessness welled up in the Black Widow's heart.

"There won't be any unexpected outcome. Your companion will definitely lose this battle."

Xia Zhi watched the battlefield intently, her expression serene, "Didn't you notice? Lin Xun has gradually adapted to the battle, and he is about to advance."

Advance?

The Black Widow's heart shook violently, her gaze turning to the battlefield. Indeed, the young man seemed to be under pressure, but as the battle continued, his saber technique became more refined, and his aura more severe.

Especially his qi, like a column of smoke piercing the sky, boiling like a torrent, each time he exerted force, it produced a rumbling sound like thunder.

Strands of white mist enveloped him, a sign that his blood was about to ignite, and this was also a sign that he was about to advance to the Sixth Level of True Martial Realm, the "Blood Ignition" stage!

"To be able to break through during a battle, this is only possible when one's cultivation foundation is extremely solid!"

The Black Widow was stunned.

She had only been focused on Xia Zhi's terrifying power and hadn't paid much attention to Lin Xun. But now, seeing this scene, she suddenly realized she had underestimated this young man.

With the cultivation of the Fifth Level of True Martial Realm, he could persist against Du Xiao, which was extremely unusual. At least, any other ordinary Fifth Level True Martial Realm cultivator would have been easily eliminated by Du Xiao.

Now, seeing the combat aura he displayed, it seemed he was about to break through in the battle. Those who could achieve this were almost all world-renowned geniuses!

According to the Black Widow's knowledge, three years ago, the second-place winner in the Imperial Examination, Wu Lingcong, had also broken through to the Linggang Realm during a battle, earning the praise of the current Emperor, who said, "In the world of martial arts, Wu Lingcong can claim a place among the top."

The first-place winner of that year's Imperial Examination was the Little Sword Lord Xie Yutang, and the third-place winner was Song Xinglie, both renowned prodigies of their generation. However, the only one to receive such high praise from the Emperor was Wu Lingcong!

Although this young man only had the cultivation of the Fifth Level of True Martial Realm and was far from being compared to a prodigy like Wu Lingcong, the fact that he could show signs of breaking through in battle was already enough to shock the world.

The Black Widow's heart was in turmoil. A young man and a little girl, each more terrifying than the other. Compared to them, she couldn't help but feel defeated.

There was really no way to compare!

"Your companion is about to lose."

Xia Zhi's sudden words startled the Black Widow. Looking at the battlefield, she saw that although Du Xiao's attacks were still fierce, he was gradually unable to suppress Lin Xun.

Du Xiao roared in anger, his narrow face filled with shock and rage, seemingly unable to believe that his opponent was so stubborn and difficult to deal with.

Boom!

Du Xiao let out a long howl, thrusting his spear forward with all his might, as if determined to fight to the death.

At that moment, a bright red glow suddenly appeared on Lin Xun's skin, as if a furnace inside him had suddenly erupted and ignited.

In an instant, his aura surged and climbed, as if he had undergone a rebirth, transforming into a completely different person.

He had advanced!

The Black Widow's heart sank, her spirit lost. Such a rare and extraordinary event had actually been achieved by this young man...

"Impossible! You... you..."

Du Xiao seemed to be equally shocked by this sudden turn of events, his face twisted with endless unwillingness.

Bang!

At the same time, Lin Xun's saber flashed like lightning, fiercely slashing away Du Xiao's spear. The terrifying force shattered Du Xiao's wrist with a crack, and he let out a惨叫, flying backward.

Puff!

Lin Xun leaped forward, delivering a clean and decisive blow, severing Du Xiao's throat. A gush of hot, crimson blood spurted out, splashing into the night, a tragic and shocking sight.

Panting heavily, Lin Xun looked at Xia Zhi and then sat down cross-legged, focusing all his energy on cultivation.

The battle had lasted for a long time and was extremely dangerous, a life-and-death struggle.

Even Lin Xun had to admit that Du Xiao was the strongest opponent he had encountered since his cultivation began. Not only was his cultivation two levels higher, but his combat experience was extremely seasoned, far beyond the ordinary.

By the end of the battle, Lin Xun's spiritual energy was almost depleted, and he was in extreme danger.

Fortunately, at the last moment, he seized the opportunity and broke through to the next level at a critical juncture, turning the tide.

Although he had killed Du Xiao, breaking through during the battle had caused his blood to boil like a furnace, and the surging spiritual energy was like a wild horse, rampaging through his body. If he didn't quickly regain control, he risked going into a state of spiritual madness.

Under the night sky, Lin Xun's expression was serious and calm, fully immersed in cultivation.

The Black Widow, however, paid no attention to this. She stared blankly at Du Xiao's corpse, her beautiful face appearing dejected and helpless in the night.

After "Old Man Frowning," even Du Xiao was dead...

If only she had known, she shouldn't have taken on this assassination mission!

The Black Widow thought bitterly. Next, it would be her turn, wouldn't it?

"If you tell me who sent you, I will let you go." Xia Zhi said softly, her voice still serene and ethereal.

But to the Black Widow, these words sent a chill down her spine, knowing that death was near.

"I am just an assassin, hired to kill the target. The identity of the employer is not something we can know. Kill me if you must." The Black Widow's face was pale, her voice low and dejected.

She truly didn't know, and even if the other party didn't believe her, she had no more to say. From the moment she became an assassin, she had been prepared to face death if a mission failed.

This was a test every qualified assassin had to face.

Xia Zhi was silent for a moment, then said, "You may go."

For a moment, the Black Widow almost thought she had heard wrong. Stunned for a long time, she finally exclaimed, "You're letting me go?"

"Killing you would serve no purpose." Xia Zhi said indifferently.

The Black Widow thought the other party had become merciful, but when she heard this reason, she bitterly realized that the other party simply didn't consider her worth anything.

What did it mean to serve no purpose?

It meant that even if she died, it would have no value to anyone!

"Thank you."

The Black Widow was silent for a long time, then got up and bowed to Xia Zhi. She then pointed to the corpses of Du Xiao and "Old Man Frowning" and said, "They are dead. Can I take their remains to bury them?"

Xia Zhi glanced at her with surprise and nodded, "That would be best."

The Black Widow bowed deeply again, then carried the two corpses and quickly disappeared into the night.

"Is it the Wu Clan? Or Lian Fei?"

Xia Zhi stood guard beside Lin Xun, silent in the deep night, her black eyes cold and indifferent.

For the past ten days, she and Lin Xun had been waiting for news, waiting for a chance to kill Lian Fei. Unfortunately, according to the information brought back by the spies sent by Diao Fat, Lian Fei had been hiding in Donglin Academy and had not ventured out.

But unexpectedly, before she and Lin Xun could act, the other party had already sent assassins...

"Whoever it is, they must pay the price of death!"

The little girl lifted her head, a few strands of black hair fluttering in the cold wind from under her hat. Her serene and beautiful pale face flashed with a hint of killing intent in the darkness.

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PS: The next chapter will be at 1:30 PM.