Chapter 141 - 170: Demonic Red Eyes, Unify the World! Who Are You?
The convoy from the Prime Minister’s Mansion rumbled out of the city.
Su Bai followed from behind, his form concealed by the Soaring Snake Transformation.
The carriages sped along the ground, while he followed from the clouds above, his hands clasped behind his back.
Su Bai cast down his Divine Thoughts.
He quickly found the source of the faint wisp of Demon Qi.
It was in the last carriage of the convoy.
Inside the relatively simple carriage.
Five or six female members of the Prime Minister’s household sat together, eating candied fruits and sweets. They chattered away, chirping like a flock of larks.
That faint wisp of Demon Qi emanated from a young girl dressed in red.
The girl appeared normal, her behavior and mannerisms no different from the others.
But as she gazed out the window at the passing scenery, a crimson, demonic gleam flashed within her smiling eyes.
Gone in a flash!
In a magnificent gold and purple carriage at the center of the convoy.
Three men sat facing one another.
"Chancellor Chen, rest assured!"
Before Chancellor Chen could finish speaking, one of his two companions, an elderly man in his sixties, spoke with confidence: "I dare not make any other promises, but as long as I am alive, I will ensure that the assassins from the Evil Spirit Pavilion cannot harm a single person on this journey!"
Wang Feng, seated beside them, also chuckled. "Lord Tao is a senior elder at the Celestial Craft Institute and has been immersed in the Dao of Arrays for decades. His mastery of Arrays far surpasses his own Cultivation."
"Chancellor, even if you do not trust me, Wang Feng, you should have faith in Lord Tao’s Arrays."
"Indeed!"
The old man nodded vigorously.
Chancellor Chen smiled, his heart finally relaxing a little.
Compared to the bookworms of the Hanlin Academy, the Martial Dao Cultivators from the Celestial Craft Institute were a bit more rigid and dull in their speech and behavior.
In truth, he himself had been the one to propose this plan—to lure the snake from its hole and catch them all in one go—after mulling it over for many days.
If he didn’t trust these two men, he never would have resorted to this desperate measure.
After a moment’s thought, Chancellor Chen suddenly turned to the white-haired old man, Lord Tao Dian, and said gravely, "When the Evil Spirit Pavilion assassins appear, I hope you, Lord Tao, will pay special attention to the female retinue!"
"Of course, I understand!"
"I will not allow the Chancellor’s daughter to come to even the slightest harm."
"Lord Tao, you misunderstand. I’m referring to the women in the *other* carriage!"
"Oh?"
Tao Dian was taken aback. His eyes flickered, a thoughtful expression dawning on his face.
’Is Chancellor Chen pulling a bait and switch?’
Coming back to his senses, Tao Dian said slowly, "Understood."
Wang Feng, sitting next to them, saw Chancellor Chen’s solemn expression and also seemed to have realized something.
A thoughtful look appeared on his face.
...
’Evil Spirit Pavilion? The Seventh Sequence assassin?’
High in the clouds above the convoy, Su Bai walked upon an auspicious cloud, his steps light and his bearing effortless.
A flicker of interest crossed his face as he listened to the conversation among the three men in the carriage below.
He immediately cast out his vast Divine Thoughts, letting them spill forth like a shower of light.
His Divine Thoughts, so powerful that even ordinary Dao Palace Realm experts could only hope to follow in their wake, stretched far ahead.
They reached all the way to the convoy’s destination—Dongchan Mountain!
A quick sweep revealed a group of suspicious-looking people on Dongchan Mountain.
’What an unexpected discovery!’
Su Bai flicked his sleeve, and his figure disappeared into the radiant clouds. He left the convoy behind and headed for Dongchan Mountain.
He had originally followed the people from the Prime Minister’s Mansion to investigate that faint wisp of Demon Qi.
He had now located the source of the Demon Qi, but he never expected to find this little bonus.
’Might as well take care of them, then.’
’Perfect timing...’
’I’ve been wanting to capture a few people to suppress in the depths of my prison, but I haven’t found any suitable candidates!’
’You’ll do nicely.’
...
Dongchan Mountain, true to its name, was lush with fir trees and abuzz with the sound of cicadas.
It was now August, and the flowers had already bloomed and withered.
But here on the mountain, spring seemed to have arrived a little late.
At the summit of Dongchan Mountain, several century-old Purple Fir Wood trees were still in magnificent bloom, creating a picturesque scene.
The air was heavy with their sweet fragrance!
Just then, a group of several dozen men stood beneath the Purple Fir Wood trees.
They were gathered around a plain-looking, average-sized middle-aged man, apparently discussing something in hushed tones.
"That old geezer comes to Dongchan Mountain every September to pay his respects to his deceased wife."
"I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but he’s a month early this year."
"Still, that’s good for us. Saves us another month of waiting."
"How many are in his party? Did you get a clear look at their strength?"
"Six at the Innate Realm. No Spirit Transformation."
"The target likely has some Cultivation, but he’s definitely not above the Innate Realm!"
"Tsk... With a lineup like that, I doubt Lord Seventh Sequence will even need to make a move. The rest of us can handle them easily."
Suddenly, someone asked, "But what if a Spirit Transformation expert is hiding among them?"
"It wouldn’t matter! Lord Seventh Sequence has even assassinated a Great Venerable before!"
"A mere Spirit Transformation expert is just a fish on the chopping block to him."
The middle-aged man addressed as Lord Seventh Sequence couldn’t help but smile and nod at this.
A hint of pride appeared on his face.
"As expected of Lord Seventh Sequence, you’re amazing!"
The one who had asked the question exclaimed in admiration, then continued, "Lord Seventh Sequence, you’re already powerful enough to assassinate a Divine Platform Realm Venerable."
"Does that mean the top-ranking Lords of our Evil Spirit Pavilion can kill even Dao Palace Realm Great Powers whenever they please?"
The Seventh Sequence’s eyes flickered. He then said lightly, "Saying we can kill Dao Palace Realm Great Powers whenever we please is a bit of an exaggeration. However, the First Sequence did indeed slay a powerful expert of the Dao Palace Realm!"
"That was the battle that established our Evil Spirit Pavilion, the one where we truly made our name and became the number one assassin organization in the Evil Dao!"
Upon hearing this secret, the surrounding crowd gasped in amazement, their faces filled with aspiration and reverence.
The man who had asked the question was particularly full of praise.
He even began to exhort them, "Lord Seventh Sequence, since our Evil Spirit Pavilion is so powerful, why don’t we come out into the open?"
"Kill all the masters of both the orthodox and Demon paths, and destroy this Great Xia Dynasty!"
"Take the entire territory of the Imperial Dynasty firmly into our hands."
"And rule the world!"
"Then, for generations to come, you lords will have the final say over the entire Jianghu."
Hearing this, however!
The Seventh Sequence frowned. "The Evil Spirit Pavilion is an organization of assassins. Why would we come out into the open?"
"And what’s all this about ruling the world? What nonsense is this?"
"Wait a minute!"
"Who are you?"
"I don’t remember ever seeing you before!"
In an instant!
The group under the Purple Fir trees instantly reacted, their heads swiveling in unison to look at one person in the crowd.
He was a young man who looked to be eighteen or nineteen years old.
His bearing was exceptional and his eyes were clear. The faint smile on his face was as pleasant as a spring breeze.
Yet to the Seventh Sequence and the other assassins of the Evil Spirit Pavilion, this seemingly harmless young man was like a ghost seen in broad daylight!
Expressions of absolute horror appeared on all their faces!
Because...
They had no idea who this person was!
They didn’t know where he had come from, nor when he had arrived.
WHOOSH!
In an instant.
The dozens of men on the scene had the young man completely surrounded!
A bone-chilling killing intent radiated from every single one of them!