125: Chapter 125 Assassination

After eating breakfast, Lin Tian went to bid farewell to the Liu Family Clan Chief.

The Liu Family Clan Chief tried to persuade him to stay for a while, but seeing that Lin Tian's mind was made up, he did not insist further.

He had someone prepare some dry rations and water, personally handed them to Lin Tian, and offered some polite parting words about being careful on the road and visiting often in the future.

Liu Yiyi accompanied him all the way to the city gates.

The gates of Yunzhou Prefecture cast long shadows in the morning light. Liu Yiyi stood at the city gate, her eyes red, as if she were holding back something.

She opened her mouth several times, but in the end, she only said: "Big Brother Lin, you must come back to visit when you have time."

Lin Tian nodded, waved at her, turned around, and stepped onto the main road.

Liu Yiyi's voice came from behind: "You must come back!"

Lin Tian did not look back; he simply raised his hand and waved once more, then strode into the morning light.

On both sides of the main road were vast stretches of fields, and further away were rolling forests.

Lin Tian walked at a steady, moderate pace.

The autumn water sword at his waist swayed gently with his stride, the scabbard occasionally tapping against his leg and making a faint sound.

He walked for half a day.

The sun rose from the east to its zenith, then shifted from the zenith to the west. The daylight turned from bright white to golden, and finally sank behind the mountains.

Twilight surged in from all directions like a tide, and the light in the forest dimmed inch by inch.

The moon rose.

The path in the forest became blurred under the moonlight, and the shadows of the trees on both sides swayed with the wind, as if something were moving within them.

Occasionally, the cries of night owls could be heard, sounding exceptionally jarring in the silent forest.

Traveling in the forest at night was too dangerous. It was not the Yao Beasts he feared, but the inability to see the ground clearly, risking a misstep into some ravine.

Moreover, the people from the Black Tiger Gang might still be looking for him, and traveling at night made his target too obvious.

Lin Tian found a sheltered clearing, gathered some dry branches and leaves, and started a fire.

The firelight illuminated a small area around him, pushing the shadows of the trees further away.

He caught a few wild rabbits in the forest, skinned and cleaned them, and skewered them on branches to roast over the fire.

Before long, the fat on the surface of the rabbit meat sizzled from the heat of the fire, and an appetizing aroma wafted out.

Lin Tian sat by the fire, turning the roasting rabbit while keeping an eye on the surroundings.

Suddenly, his brow twitched violently.

An indescribable feeling welled up in his heart, as if something in the darkness was watching him.

He was all too familiar with this feeling—it was the same sensation he had felt when being targeted by a Yao Beast in the Black Wind Forest, and when being targeted by that eagle in the canyon.

He did not hesitate and stood up immediately.

His gaze was like lightning as he swept across the surrounding darkness.

In the depths of the dense forest where the firelight could not reach, he could see nothing, but the feeling of being watched grew stronger and stronger.

"Who is it? Come out!"

Lin Tian's voice exploded through the night forest, startling several roosting birds that flapped their wings and flew away.

No one spoke.

The surroundings were deathly quiet, save for the crackling of dry branches burning in the fire. The flames danced, casting his shadow on the ground, making it stretch and shrink.

In that very instant, a flash of blade light ignited from the darkness.

The blade light came extremely fast, as if it had been poised and ready for a long time. The sound of the blade slicing through the air was sharp and jarring as it slashed straight down toward Lin Tian's back.

Lin Tian swayed his body, unleashing his Cloud Shadow Step, and his whole figure vanished from the spot like a cloud dispersed by the wind.

The strike hit empty air, and the force of the blade caused the fire to dim suddenly, sending sparks flying everywhere.

The blade light did not stop.

Having missed, the blade's momentum shifted, and the edge swept upward, slashing toward Lin Tian's waist and ribs.

This change of move was extremely seasoned; whoever attacked was clearly a master with the blade.

Lin Tian did not meet it head-on.

While dodging, he had already turned around, reached out with his right hand, and gripped the hilt of the autumn water sword stuck in the ground beside him.

Drawing the sword, striking out.

The autumn water sword traced a cold, clear arc in the firelight, the tip thrusting straight at the wrist holding the blade.

This thrust was both accurate and ruthless. If the opponent continued to swing the blade, their wrist would collide with the tip of the sword.

The person reacted extremely quickly as well, pulling the long blade back sharply and holding it horizontally in front of them, just in time to block the sword strike.

Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal exploded in the night forest. Sparks burst from where the blade and sword met, mixing with the sparks from the fire before vanishing in a flash.

Taking advantage of that momentary flash of firelight, Lin Tian saw the assailant clearly.

It was a Masked Man. He was wrapped entirely in black clothing and wearing a mask, revealing only a pair of eyes.

Those eyes glinted with a cold, eerie light in the firelight, like two ice beads.

"Who are you?"

Lin Tian demanded coldly. His voice was not loud, but it was clear in the silent forest. Was it someone from the Black Tiger Gang? Or someone else?

The Masked Man did not answer. He let out two cold laughs, the sound coming from behind the mask, muffled and unrecognizable.

Then his long blade moved again.

Flashes of blade light ignited one after another, as if someone were striking fire starters in the dark.

Every strike aimed straight for his vitals—throat, heart, waist, knees. The momentum of the blade was continuous, each strike faster than the last, and every strike was lethal.

This was a professional killer.

It was not the style of a Gang-affiliated Martial Artist like those from the Black Tiger Gang; the attacks were more decisive, more ruthless, and every strike was aimed at taking his life.

Lin Tian swung his sword to counterattack.

The autumn water sword danced in the firelight, forming a cold curtain of light. He unleashed the Xiaguang Sword Technique, move by move, blocking those lethal flashes of blade light one by one.

The sword edge and the blade edge collided repeatedly, the clanging sounds as dense as raindrops hitting roof tiles.

Fortunately. Lin Tian rejoiced inwardly. Fortunately, his Xiaguang Sword Technique had already broken through to the Minor Achievement Realm.

If it were the him from five days ago, he likely would not have been able to block such blade techniques.

But now, it was different.

With the Xiaguang Sword Technique at the Minor Achievement Realm, the sword momentum was more harmonious, the strikes faster, and the changes in moves smoother.

Those flashes of blade light, which were almost too fast to see, were dismantled one by one under his sword.

He could not fight for long.

Thoughts raced through Lin Tian's mind. If this person was sent by the Black Tiger Gang, there might be other accomplices hiding in the forest.

One killer was already this troublesome; if a few more came, he would truly be unable to escape. He had to end the fight quickly.

Thinking of this, a cold killing intent appeared in Lin Tian's eyes. He no longer defended passively but instead stepped forward and thrust the autumn water sword out fiercely.

Xiaguang Sword Technique—Five Lights in One Sword.

Previously, when his sword technique was still at the Proficiency Realm, a single thrust could condense at most three sword lights.

But now that the sword technique had broken through to the Minor Achievement Realm, both the sword momentum and the Sword Intent had reached a higher level. With a single thrust, five sword lights appeared simultaneously in the void.

The five sword lights bloomed in the night, like the first rays of dawn bursting across the horizon, brilliant and dazzling.

They thrust toward the Masked Man from five different angles, sealing off all his escape routes.

The Masked Man's pupils constricted sharply.

He swung his blade to parry, the blade light sweeping out like a bolt of silk.

Clang, clang, clang, clang—the four sounds merged into one as he deflected the four sword lights, which shattered into fragments of light and dissipated into the night sky.

But the fifth sword light passed through his web of blades. The sword light pierced his left shoulder and exited through the back of his shoulder.

With a squelch, blood blossomed in the firelight. The Masked Man let out a miserable scream, his entire body sent flying backward by the force of that sword strike.

He rolled upon landing and, without the slightest hesitation, turned and rushed into the depths of the dense forest. In a few flashes, he was about to disappear into the shadows of the trees.

This killer was extremely decisive.

After failing a strike and getting injured, he immediately retreated, refusing to linger. This was the style of a professional killer.

"Want to leave?"

Lin Tian snorted coldly and unleashed his Cloud Shadow Step at full power.

His figure transformed into a blurred afterimage under the moonlight, skimming over the grass and passing through the tree shadows, catching up to the Masked Man in a single breath.

Hearing the sound of rushing wind behind him, the Masked Man turned his head abruptly, an expression of disbelief in his eyes. He clearly had not expected Lin Tian's movement technique to be this strong as well.

But this person was truly ruthless. At the very moment Lin Tian closed in, he switched hands to hold the blade and slashed down with a backhand strike.

This strike was sharper and fiercer than all the previous blade lights. A layer of dark, dim light even lit up on the blade; it was the manifestation of Internal Energy being poured in to the extreme.

The blade edge sliced through the air, emitting a wailing sound, as if something were weeping on the blade. This strike was enough to split a giant boulder in two.

Moreover, the blade was imbued with Hidden Energy. Once it struck, the Hidden Energy on the blade would immediately surge into the opponent's body, destroying the Meridians and damaging the internal organs. This was the ultimate killing move.

Facing this peerless strike, Lin Tian's steps suddenly paused. He did not retreat, nor did he block.

He merely shifted his body slightly, like a fallen leaf blown off course by the blade wind, dodging the blade edge in a precarious manner.

That long blade slashed down beside him; the blade wind cut off a few strands of his hair, but it didn't even touch the corner of his clothes.

At the same time, the autumn water sword in Lin Tian's hand flicked lightly. The sword body bent, like a snake poised to strike.

The tip of the sword thrust out at an extremely tricky angle, tapping lightly on the Masked Man's arm holding the blade.

It looked like just a light tap. But the moment the sword tip touched the arm, the Hidden Energy within Lin Tian's body also surged out.

With a squelch, a bloody hole exploded on the Masked Man's arm. Blood gushed out, and he let out a shrill scream; he could no longer hold the long blade in his hand, and it clattered to the ground.

Clasping his bleeding arm, the Masked Man dared not stay any longer and turned to flee.

This time, Lin Tian did not pursue.

He stood where he was and slowly retracted the autumn water sword. Beads of blood on the sword slid down the blade and dripped onto the fallen leaves on the ground.

The Masked Man in front had run dozens of meters when his body suddenly twitched violently, as if his heart had been gripped by an invisible hand.

His steps faltered, and he rushed forward a few more steps before collapsing headfirst onto the ground, twitching twice, and then becoming motionless.

Lin Tian walked over and looked down at him. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, shining on the Masked Man. His body was curled up, and the eyes beneath the mask had lost their luster; they were wide open, still retaining the terror from before his death.

"You thought you could run after being hit by my Hidden Energy?"

Lin Tian's voice was very cold.

With that sword strike earlier, when he tapped the opponent's arm, the Hidden Energy had already surged into the opponent's Meridians. That Hidden Energy traveled up along the Meridians, striking straight toward the heart pulse. Now that the Hidden Energy had erupted, the heart pulse was shattered, and even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal could not save him.

Lin Tian crouched down and ripped off the opponent's mask. Beneath the mask was the face of a middle-aged man. His features were plain, his cheekbones were somewhat high, his lips were thin, and there was an old scar on his chin.

He looked carefully for a few moments, confirming that he had never seen this person before.

He searched the Masked Man's body again. There was nothing in his robes—no Medicinal Pill, no silver, and no tokens that could indicate his identity. Even the weapon had no markings; although the long blade was of decent quality, it was just common merchandise that could be bought on the market.

He couldn't find anything. The opponent had come prepared. Specifically to kill him, they had cleared away everything that could trace their identity.

Lin Tian frowned. It wasn't for robbery. Since it wasn't for robbery, it must be for revenge. But who was the enemy?

The Black Tiger Gang was the most likely candidate; he had killed several Fourth-Rank Warriors of the Black Tiger Gang in the canyon, so it was normal for them to send people to retaliate. But it could also be someone else—although he didn't have many enemies in the Qixia Sect, he wasn't without any enemies either.

Now was not the time to think about these things.

Lin Tian stood up, glanced at the corpse on the ground, and turned to leave. He did not go back to the fire, and he left the roasted rabbit behind.

Since someone could intercept him here, it meant his whereabouts had already been exposed. If he stayed any longer, he didn't know who else might come.

He unleashed his Cloud Shadow Step, his figure blending into the night, and hurried overnight toward the direction of the Qixia Sect.