Chapter 101: Assassination From Ghost Fan Tower
Snowflakes swirled wildly.
Wails of agony continued unabated in the black pine forest.
Thorn vines burst through the snow, transforming into countless poisonous snakes that coiled upward, their wooden thorns serving as the snakes’ fangs, viciously twisting toward Hong Yuan’s legs.
Fierce winds blew, pine waves surged, countless tiny dust particles merged into the snow powder, assaulting downward.
Almost at the same moment.
A pitch-black figure appeared abruptly like a ghostly figure in the dark night, a cold gleam flashing in his hand, silently and swiftly stabbing toward the back of Hong Yuan’s head.
This was truly no way to heaven, no door into the earth; in an instant, Hong Yuan was trapped in an unprecedented crisis.
On the other side, Hua Shouzheng’s face was twisted in ferocity; as Qing Lingzi opened his mouth to shout, Hong Yuan’s expression remained calm, his chest and abdomen suddenly swelling as if inflating.
Splash!
Vaguely, everyone present seemed to hear the sound of a great river surging, like crashing waves, like raging billows!
That was the commotion of qi and blood echoing within Hong Yuan’s body.
With his current physique’s extraordinary strength, the thickness of his qi and blood had reached a level unimaginable for ordinary martial artists.
He inhaled, then immediately exhaled!
A straight sword-like qi energy shot out, merging swiftly with the airflow upon contact, transforming into a powerful spiral storm that abruptly engulfed all the incoming snowflakes and dust, sending them swirling back.
At the same time, force surged under Hong Yuan’s feet; without visible leg lift or stomp, a massive shockwave exploded within a radius of several zhang.
Puff puff puff!
The vines coiled around his legs shattered inch by inch, surrounding snowflakes churned like dragons and scattered, revealing large patches of muddy ground.
“Since you like playing underground rat so much, then be buried below!”
In the light murmur, the ground buzzed again; the sand, stones, and soil in a circle around Hong Yuan’s feet directly turned to powder, a muffled grunt came from below, and a large spray of blood gushed out, staining the snow red.
Immediately after, Hong Yuan slightly shifted his body, casually brushing his palm backward, fingers splayed wide, qi energy surging between his claws with a hissing sound.
A crisp ‘ding’ rang out; the incoming cold gleam violently collided with Hong Yuan’s fingers and palm—it was a long sword of dark hue.
In the next instant, at the moment the sword body met Hong Yuan’s palm, the qi energy from his fingertips was instantly triggered, exploding like a fierce bolt of lightning.
Crack!
The sword body shattered in an instant, exploding into countless fragments that countered back, striking straight toward the ghostly figure’s face.
This assailant didn’t even manage a scream before his face was turned into a sieve, blood flowers splashing as he fell straight to the ground.
Only then did Qing Lingzi’s voice ring out in the pine forest: “Alliance Leader, be careful!”
But as Qing Lingzi shouted this, he himself was already stunned, gaping foolishly at Hong Yuan in the field, speechless.
Hua Shouzheng’s ferocious expression also froze on his face.
“Ah!”
A sudden short and shrill scream pierced the night sky, startling the two awake.
A ‘thud’ of a heavy object hitting the ground followed; a figure crashed down from a tall pine tree—still alive, but screaming incessantly, hands frantically clawing at his own body.
Hong Yuan glanced over and saw the man’s skin and flesh rapidly rotting and blackening, a horrific sight.
Qing Lingzi rushed forward, saw it clearly, and immediately drew in a cold breath, stumbling back several steps, exclaiming in shock: “Bone-Eroding Soul-Melting Powder… This, this is Ghost Fan Tower’s method?”
His gaze then fell on the swordman’s corpse on the ground, his expression grave: “They are Ghost Fan Tower’s assassins!”
“Haha!” Hua Shouzheng laughed maniacally in collapse, his expression deranged: “Don’t think escaping this time means you can rest easy. Once Ghost Fan Tower accepts a task, they never stop until the goal is achieved. Just wait and…”
Whoosh!
A piece of gravel shot out, instantly shattering all of Hua Shouzheng’s teeth, blood gushing from his mouth.
Hong Yuan’s figure flashed, suddenly appearing beside him; with a palm strike on Hua Shouzheng’s shoulder, the latter’s qi and blood immediately dispersed, collapsing limply to the ground.
“So much nonsense. How I fare is none of your concern. You might as well think more about your own manner of death.”
Hua Shouzheng glared with wide eyes, but couldn’t even twitch a finger.
Hong Yuan didn’t kill him immediately; with so many subordinates of the Town Sea Alliance dead, they needed to keep a few culprits for public execution to intimidate others.
Without need for Hong Yuan’s orders, Qing Lingzi immediately led his men to rush out and capture the remaining live ones.
Hong Yuan clasped his hands behind his back and walked to the tree hollow, looking at the short figure curled into a meatball inside the trunk.
This person had also been subdued by him, left alive.
“Ghost Fan Tower, huh?”
Hong Yuan recalled Hua Shouren’s dying words; it must have been when deploying troops at Mingguang Courtyard that he considered the worst outcome and preemptively placed a task with Ghost Fan Tower.
Now, Hong Yuan’s understanding of this world’s courts and Jianghu had gradually left the novice stage, so he naturally knew of Ghost Fan Tower’s name.
One of the world’s three great assassin organizations!
It could be considered one of this world’s top forces; in terms of threat to an individual, it even surpassed the Eight Great Clans, the six great vassal states, and the northern twelve military towns.
After all, killing was their profession.
But claims like “once we accept the job, we never stop until the target is dead”—Hong Yuan didn’t believe them.
He’d heard such promises too many times.
Essentially the same as gym memberships sold at “rock-bottom prices” or supermarket signs saying “last three days, clearance sale”—better to believe he’s Qin Shihuang, immortal, still alive today.
However, Ghost Fan Tower’s advertising was convincing enough to fool so many, clearly not something they’d abandon after one failure.
Hong Yuan scanned around; the poison-using assassin’s half-face had already melted away to expose bone, his howls weakening.
These four assassins were crushed and killed by him in the blink of an eye—not because they were weak.
No need to mention the ‘meatball’ before him; subdued by Hong Yuan’s single strike, force invading his body, he hadn’t even had a chance to act, but the black box in his hand was likely some powerful hidden weapon.
That thorn-coiling sorcery was of the wood element among the five elements; shattered by his force, yet in truth, those thorn vines had astonishing twisting power and extreme toughness—ordinary people couldn’t even cut them with swords.
As for the effects of the Bone-Eroding Soul-Melting Powder, they were still visible right there…
And the swordsman who struck from behind—his speed and vicious sword technique were no less than Qing Lingzi’s.
Even excluding this ‘meatball’, just the sorcery vines restricting movement—any momentary hesitation would mean death by poison powder and fast sword.
This lineup could instantly kill even a first-rate Microscopic Level Grandmaster if they were the least bit careless.
The reason they couldn’t even make a splash against Hong Yuan was simply because he was too far beyond the norm.
Just the Net Perception from Six Void Force achievement, incorporating Earth Vein Listening Force, made all traps within a hundred steps an ‘open-book exam’ for him.
A series of combat shouts rang out in the black pine forest.
The remnants of the Guo and Hua Families numbered only a few dozen; after many were killed by Hong Yuan’s shockwave porcelain thunder and reversed arrows, and with leaders Guo Xiaochuan and Hua Shouzheng lost, the rest were no match for Qing Lingzi and the others.
Not long after, Qing Lingzi approached Hong Yuan with lingering killing intent to report: “Alliance Leader, we’ve captured over a dozen live ones; a few escaped, and I’ve sent men to pursue them.”
Hong Yuan waved it off; he didn’t care about such matters.
At this time, Zhang Dian Shi returned carrying his blade, knelt before Hong Yuan, pointed at the collapsed Hua Shouzheng, and said through gritted teeth: “Lord, please hand this wretch to me for disposal. They killed Senior Brother Li; I must avenge him.”
His eyes bloodshot, he said in grief: “Senior Brother Li and I were both disciples of Master Yang.”
Hong Yuan glanced at him: “If you hadn’t shown up before me, I’d have forgotten you. Dispose of him along with the rest.”
As he spoke, Hong Yuan flicked his sleeve robe.
Qing Lingzi immediately stepped forward, grabbing with one hand to seize Zhang Dian Shi.
The latter’s face turned panicked: “Lord, what wrong have I committed?”
Qing Lingzi’s face was icy cold as he stared at him: “The Guo Family and Hua Family remnants knew our actions like the back of their hand and set up an ambush in advance. Zhang Dian Shi, can you explain?”
Qing Lingzi wasn’t a fool; considering Zhang Dian Shi’s every word and action, how could he not guess this man was guilty.
“Lord, are you suspecting me of leaking secrets? I come from Yang Family Martial Arts School—how could I do such a thing?”
Zhang Dian Shi looked to Qing Lingzi, arguing vehemently: “Sir, you have over a dozen subordinates—why suspect me?”
Unfortunately, neither Qing Lingzi nor Hong Yuan bothered with him; this wasn’t an investigation—they didn’t need evidence.
Hong Yuan pointed at the ‘meatball’ in the tree trunk: “Pry open this one’s mouth as best you can and ask about Ghost Fan Tower’s intelligence.”
Hong Yuan held little hope, tossing out one more line: “Handle the rest cleanly and return to the prefecture city.”
“Yes! Alliance Leader!” Qing Lingzi bowed in acknowledgment, his expression reverent.
He had witnessed the battle at Twin Dragon Gorge, seeing Hong Yuan single-handedly crush two Microscopic Level Grandmasters and subdue the Grain Transport Gang’s hundreds.
Back then, Hong Yuan’s martial arts prowess had shocked him to the level of celestial being, but he could still comprehend it somewhat; the techniques displayed tonight, however, were completely beyond his understanding.
Hong Yuan stayed no longer; with a shift of his figure, he suddenly merged into the wind, snow, and dark night, vanishing in an instant.
Seeing Hong Yuan leave and ignoring him, Zhang Dian Shi grew increasingly terrified, his face ashen, shouting: “Lord, spare me, Lord! I have my reasons—my old mother was captured by them…”
Bang!
Qing Lingzi slapped a palm on his head; Zhang Dian Shi’s pupils dilated wildly, unable to make another sound.
About the time it takes to burn a joss stick later, the martial artists returned, their weapons bloodied, reporting: “Sir, all remnants have been executed.”
Qing Lingzi nodded: “Take all the live captives. These men will be executed publicly before the people of the two counties to stabilize hearts.”
“Yes!”
In short order, the martial artists escorted over a dozen live captives out; Qing Lingzi stripped some clothes from corpses, tore them into long strips to bind the ‘meatball,’ and personally took him away.
Soon, this black pine forest was left with only corpses strewn about; amid the howling wind and swaying branches, it truly resembled a ghost domain.
Some time later, faint sounds came from the mountain cave; a mottled ‘rock’ fell from the cave wall.
As soon as this ‘rock’ hit the ground, it swiftly blended with the surrounding weeds, and vaguely, a blurry figure emerged.
When this figure stepped onto the snow, his sparse form was nearly transparent; if not for the shallow footprints on the snow, one would truly think it a ghost.
The ghost first went to where Hong Yuan had first appeared, standing motionless for a while, then to the large pine tree, examining the trunk pierced by a palm strike, touching it with his hand for a moment.
Finally, he went to the two Ghost Fan Tower assassins, observing intently for a long time, then pressed his palm to the ground before leisurely exiting the black pine forest and drifting down the mountain.
Soon, this ghost descended the mountain, ran forward another few dozen zhang, then suddenly halted, motionless.
When he moved again, faint ripple outlines were still visible, but once stopped, he truly merged with the cold wind and night, colorless and formless.
His eyes, however, shifted slightly as he looked ahead.
Ahead, on a large green stone, a tall figure stood with hands behind his back, leisurely poised.
“I thought you would at least try to rescue your companion or silence witnesses, but you stayed remarkably composed.”
The one waiting here was naturally Hong Yuan, now sizing up the other with a peculiar gaze, clicking his tongue in amazement: “Invisible man? Transparent man? With such abilities, why not do something promising instead of being an assassin? What a waste!”
The ghost’s light body technique was impressive, flitting left and right like a feather, yet discovering the opponent tracked his every move.
The ghost abandoned all luck, knowing the other could truly see him; he stomped his foot, bursting with true force, retreating like a swift wind into the mountain forest.
Only in the jungle would his techniques be truly traceless and unpredictable.
Whoosh!
Hong Yuan leaped from the green stone, instantly whipping up a raging gale that carried ferocious airflow in a surprise attack; even in this high speed, he still had leisure to speak, his voice clearly reaching the ghost’s ears.
“Ghost Fan Tower claims to be one of the world’s three great assassin organizations—with such a grand reputation, how could they not probe my background?”
“Those four assassins earlier—if they killed me, perfect; if not, they were bait to lower my guard.”
“The real trump card is you, right?”
The ghost didn’t respond, pushing his speed to the limit; in the blink of an eye, he plunged into the jungle, leaping to vanish into darkness.
A ripple spread, then turned formless and shadowless.
Hong Yuan shot into the forest like a bird, his toes touching ground as he slowly turned, gradually closing in on the ghost’s direction.
“How is this possible?” The ghost’s heart was shocked to the extreme.
“Once I return to the prefecture city, Your Excellency would likely follow soon after. I could wait for you to come knocking, but never mind…”
Bang!
Mud and sand churned under Hong Yuan’s feet; his figure flashed like lightning, arriving above the ghost’s hiding spot, his large hand probing through the air, fierce force pressing down to make ground branches and weeds rustle.
“Fun projects like ‘transparent human realm intrusion’ are delightful in theory, but not when they happen to you.”
The ghost felt the force boiling, surging like mountains and seas; knowing he couldn’t hide, he channeled true force with a cold snort, his illusory form suddenly solidifying, sleeve robe flaring as he punched into empty air.
In the next moment, astonishment appeared on the ghost’s face—his force vanished continuously the instant it struck out, as if swallowed by a bizarre vortex.
Puff!
In midair, a finger descended, striking the ghost’s forehead; he immediately collapsed, motionless.
