Chapter 782: Assassin

"No wonder..."

Chen Ling ate his king crab while glancing at the two dark, crowded round tables. "With their pillar of support having betrayed them, the Esoteric Sect had no choice but to send out their most pampered Young Sect Master... It seems the five major domains are playing for real this time."

"The five major domains, plus the six official divine path organizations—Even, Book, Medicine, Craft, Strategy, and Strength... With so many people fighting for seven [Heaven-Reaching Star Positions], they're going to turn the entire Tian-Shu Domain upside down, right?" Jian Changsheng clicked his tongue.

"The official divine path organizations are one thing... The truly terrifying ones are the folk divine paths that haven't joined the official organizations."

Spade 9 said flatly, "The saying 'true masters are found among the people' isn't just talk... The most important purpose of the five major domains establishing the [Heaven-Reaching Star Positions] is to gather those hidden experts who exist outside the public eye and give them a chance to ascend to the heavens in a single step.

Some niche paths in the divine arts might only have one or two practitioners; others are fading paths like Yellow, Divination, Theater, or Prostitution; or even the four ancient divine paths that have long since vanished into the river of time... Humanity needs these people now. They are the protagonists of this trial."

……

"Hiccup—"

At the same time,

Sun Bumian, in the steamed bun shop across the street, swallowed his seventh bun, patted his stomach, and let out a satisfied burp.

He stared intently at the very last bun left on the table, seemingly hesitating whether to finish it in one bite or pack it up for dinner...

……

"So you mean the current Tian-Shu Domain is a mixed bag of fish and dragons, with all sorts of monsters and demons showing up?"

"Exactly... So you two need to keep a low profile and try not to get into conflicts with others. After all, our identities are quite sensitive," Spade 9 said earnestly.

Chen Ling looked down at the clean crab shells on his plate, pretending not to hear.

He wanted to keep a low profile...

But his [Emperor's Fate] and the audience inside him might not agree.

"Did you hear that? The senior is talking to you." Chen Ling simply shifted the blame to Jian Changsheng.

"?" Jian Changsheng, who was busy stuffing his face, froze. Thinking Spade 9 was displeased because the twelve king crabs were too flashy, he nodded vaguely. "Got it, got it..."

Watching these two "6-generation" members stuffing their faces, Spade 9 felt a bad premonition for some reason.

"Right, I almost forgot to give you this." Spade 9 reached into his robes and pulled out a letter, placing it on the table in front of Chen Ling.

"What's this?"

"A letter sent from our higher-ups, addressed specifically to you." Spade 9 shrugged. "I've been a member for so many years, and I've never had the chance to see a letter signed with four Ks..."

Chen Ling took the envelope in surprise and found that the signature was indeed four playing cards, along with a jester's mask. On the front, five large characters were written:

——"To be opened by Little Junior Brother."

A letter from the senior brothers of the Theater Path's ancient treasury...

The images of his senior brothers and sisters appeared in Chen Ling's mind, warming his heart... Master had said before that they were always thinking of him. This must have been written after Master returned and told them he was about to arrive in the Tian-Shu Domain, so they sent it ahead.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Jian Changsheng's eyes were full of envy. "What a grand gesture, Little Junior Brother~"

Chen Ling rolled his eyes, having no time to deal with him. He was just about to tear open the envelope to see what was inside...

The next moment, a flash of cold light suddenly illuminated the entire restaurant!

A chilling murderous intent, like water from a rootless source, suddenly surged from the void. Behind the two round tables next to them, a black shadow was outlined out of thin air. His five fingers locked onto the head of the Young Sect Master, who was still eating slowly, and smashed him into the round table with a boom!

Bang—!!!

It all happened too fast. The person seemed to have struck from a gap in time, his fingertips tearing through the light of day... Neither Chen Ling's group nor the other figures around the Young Sect Master could react in time.

A blade of extreme cold was gripped in the person's hand, slicing through the air and plunging fiercely into the back of the Young Sect Master's neck amidst the shattered table!

Bright red blood splattered out!

"Young Sect Master?！！！!" The surrounding men in black exclaimed, swarming toward the attacker!

The attacker's figure was incredibly agile. He released the long sword stuck in the Young Sect Master's neck and drifted backward lightly, weaving through the encirclement of the men in black like a ghost.

"...The Esoteric Sect of the Xuanyu Domain is nothing more than this." He sneered.

This sudden turn of events left the restaurant guests stunned... It wasn't until the Young Sect Master's blood stained the floor that they snapped back to reality and fled downstairs in terror!

In an instant, the entire second floor was basically empty, save for the table piled with king crabs where the three of them sat, looking completely bewildered.

"...No, what is going on?" Jian Changsheng widened his eyes. "I know the Tian-Shu Domain is chaotic right now... but has it gotten this bad??"

"The Prostitution Divine Path, the [Assassin] path, huh..."

Spade 9 was a veteran, after all, and recognized the origin of the person who had ambushed the Young Sect Master at a glance. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Most of those who walk this path are ruthless people... It is said that the leader of the [Assassin] path back then almost assassinated the Silver King, who was about to step into the ninth rank."

"Assassinated the Silver King??" Jian Changsheng was surprised. "Are they that fierce?"

"That peak battle between the Thief and the Assassin is said to have lasted for three years. The Silver King was hunted by the Assassin leader all the way from the southernmost South Sea Domain to the northernmost Aurora Domain... Later, for some reason, the Silver King suddenly ascended to the rank of Demigod, and the situation reversed," Spade 9 said slowly.

"After that, the Silver King retaliated by hunting down every possessor of the [Assassin] path, almost driving the entire path to extinction... I didn't expect that after so many years, a new [Assassin] would appear."

Chen Ling nodded thoughtfully. "A blood feud, then..."

"They're fighting. Should we run?"

"What about the king crab? We've only eaten half."

"How about... we find a waiter to pack it up for us?"

“……”

As the three were chatting, a deafening roar erupted from the side again!

Boom—!!

A fierce shockwave spread in all directions, directly blowing away the three largest men in black. The assassin's figure rushed out from the flying debris, only to be surrounded by other men in black who had arrived!

"Who are you? How dare you assassinate our Young Sect Master??!" A man in black's roar sounded like a thunderclap.

"So what?" The assassin said flatly. "Before him, I've already killed several people today... But to be honest, he was the weakest. He had no guard up at all; I killed him with just one sword... With that level of skill, he dares to come and fight for the Heaven-Reaching Star Position?"