When the sun finally rose again, a drunken Dantai Feng was assisted back to his room. Lin Xun's eyes were also fluttering a little. After slowly walking back into his room, he circulated his cultivation to disperse the alcohol, before exhaling a breath of turbid air. In the room, his true body chuckled as he put the clone away, before he fell into deep thought. Although he had failed to assassinate Wen Shaoheng, he had at least killed Granny Xue, a formidable individual who was far more powerful than a Ninth Realm Ancestor. At the end of the day, it could be said that he had at least gained something from the whole affair. Moreover, he also obtained a considerable fortune from Granny Xue, where the amount of first-grade cosmic origin crystals alone numbered over three hundred thousand. In addition, there were several Emperor-grade weapons of excellent quality and a variety of divine materials and medicines that added up to quite a staggering value. Among the spoils, a certain black, conch-shaped treasure soon caught Lin Xun's attention. Layers of strange dao patterns were branded on the conch. When power was injected into it, the strange dao patterns began to transform into a line of mysterious text. "In half a year, Frost will arrive and eliminate the target. Remember to have your young master prepare the remaining two million cosmic origin crystals." The text made Lin Xun fall into thought, realizing that Crane's defeat hadn’t brought the assassination to an end, but instead, drew out an even more powerful Frost! Lin Xun asked, "Green sparrow, do you know Frost from Empty Hidden World?" "Frost?" The green sparrow appeared to be startled. "Could it be that Empty Hidden World is still planning to assassinate you?" Lin Xun nodded. "I believe so." The green sparrow was stunned for a while. After some time, it finally said, "You may be about to encounter a seriously deadly threat." It then began to tell Lin Xun about some of Frost's feats. A Supreme-Emperor-rank assassin from Empty Hidden World who was ranked fourth among them, and a mysterious woman who made even Ninth Realm Ancestors fearful. It was said that her assassination dao had reached the level where it could threaten an Ancestor of a Path, making it horrifyingly terrifying! It was also said that Frost had never failed a mission and was more than a level above Crane in strength. It was also said that... These various horrific rumors shrouded Frost in an air of mystery and terror. Towards the end, the green sparrow couldn't help but curiously remark, "Crane was already terrifying enough. With Frost now dispatched as well, I wonder how much Wen Shaoheng spent." "All of this only proves that he intends to fight until one of us perishes." Lin Xun's eyes gleamed coldly. "When the opportunity arrives, I won't let him escape a third time!" Anyone who was targeted by a mysterious and unfathomable assassin faction would be afraid to sleep at night. Furthermore, Lin Xun only had Wen Shaoheng to thank for this! Moreover, he had also disrupted Lin Xun's plans. He originally planned to achieve his cultivation breakthrough in the city, but that was no longer possible now. The assassination attempt on Wen Shaoheng stirred up the entire Origin City early the next day, creating a giant commotion. "How dare someone commit murder in the city?! Is he tired of living?" Many clicked their tongues in disapproval. "That’s not even the least of it. Wen Shaoheng is a noble figure from an Immortal Imperial Clan and an expert from the Eternal True Realms. Who would dare to disrespect him, let alone assassinate him? Ling Xuanzi must be sick in the head!" "However, you have to admit that Ling Xuanzi is a fearsome individual. Not only did they fail to catch him in the act, it’s even rumored that City Lord Heng Tianshuo wasn’t able to do anything to him. That’s honestly remarkable." The city was abuzz with discussion. After all, it had been a long time since such an astonishing incident had occurred in the city. Coupled with the fact that the target, Wen Shaoheng, hailed from an extraordinary background, it was easy to imagine how big of a commotion it was. The furor continued for many days. When Lin Xun’s fellow travelers from the Kun Earth Realm Gate, Xing Mutian, Starry Jade Emperor, Mad Scholar Emperor, and Ning Daozhi arrived in Origin City, they were also immediately bombarded by the news. For a time, all of them couldn't help but feel dumbstruck. While the deaths of Fang Xuanzhen and his party was already pretty shocking, the fact that Ling Xuanzi had even gone to try and assassinate Wen Shaoheng in the city was akin to piercing the sky and left them in deep disbelief. After some searching, they soon found Lin Xun in his inn. Unlike what they expected, instead of being worried and nervous after such a big incident, Lin Xun appeared relaxed as if nothing had happened. They couldn’t help but inwardly admire his mettle. Despite this, none of the four dared to talk too much with Lin Xun and instead consciously distanced themselves. It was clear to anyone that Lin Xun was in a delicate situation. He was like an impending calamity, and no one wanted to be caught in the crossfire. After all, it would be an absolute disaster for any of them if Wen Shaoheng thought they were in league with Lin Xun. With regards to their reactions, Lin Xun merely observed but didn’t say anything. It was human nature to seek good fortune and avoid evil. Moreover, he wasn’t really friends with any of them and naturally didn’t mind if they kept their distance. Meanwhile, Wen Shaoheng hid in the City Lord Residence and never appeared in the city again. Lin Xun had also long since abandoned his plan of killing Wen Shaoheng in the city. Heng Tianshuo might have opted to hold back the first time because of Dantai Feng, but it was unknown if he would do so next time. In the following days, Lin Xun pretty much locked himself in the room. Although he was unable to achieve a cultivation breakthrough, he invested all of his time and energy into solidifying his dao and studying his various inheritances. Time continued to flow and two months passed by in a flash. Group after group of cultivators continued to arrive at Origin City. Among them, there was no lack of individuals who were more terrifying than the likes of Ning Daozhi, Xing Mutian, and Starry Jade Emperor. In truth, this wasn’t out of the ordinary. Every month, a group of formidable experts above the Emperor Stage would pour into the eight realm gates leading to the Great Thousand Battle Domain. Many among them were heaven-defying titans whose names were well-known throughout their respective worlds. After all, not just anyone could fight their way from the Ancient Nightmare Battlefield to Origin City. As more and more experts poured into Origin City, the city’s atmosphere grew increasingly austere. While a lake might be able to contain many dragons, when there were too many dragons, a slight movement from any one could easily cause a scuffle or conflict to break out. Fortunately, Origin City had Heng Tianshuo at its helm, so the worst didn’t come to pass. However, it was clear to everyone that with so many terrifying individuals now gathered in the city, trouble would occur sooner or later. Thankfully, the Secret Realm of Trial’s opening was rapidly drawing near. To Lin Xun’s surprise, Dantai Feng and his group left in a hurry before the Secret Realm of Trial opened. They had supposedly collected enough star sources to continue their journey without needing to participate in the trial. It made Lin Xun finally realize that Dantai Feng was indeed someone who didn't have to worry about money. After all, how could any ordinary rich person possibly buy so many of those incredibly expensive star sources? In fact, he probably had way too much money to spend! Before leaving, Dantai Feng personally came to bid goodbye to Lin Xun. "If Brother Ling arrives at the Eternal True Realm, you can come visit Mount Qingyuan of the Dantai Clan so we can drink again." Lin Xun agreed with a smile. As he watched Dantai Feng leave, the latter suddenly turned his head, winked and smilingly said, "Brother Ling, I've heard that the Ancient Nebula Road only has a single supreme Emperor named Lin Xun and have never heard of anyone called Ling Xuanzi." Lin Xun was taken aback. However, Dantai Feng merely laughed heartily as he departed. After a while, Lin Xun also chuckled silently before he turned around to return to his room. Over the next few days, the city was busy like never before despite the stifling atmosphere. Many experts had finally left their rooms and visited tea houses and restaurants to gather information. After all, there were only a few days left until the Secret Realm of Trial finally opened. One day, Lin Xun walked out of the room and was approached by a smiling server. "Elder, the list of trial participants has just been released. Would you like a copy?" Surprised, Lin Xun asked, "How much?" "A thousand cosmic origin crystals." The server then quickly explained, "Please don’t think that I’m being greedy. This list is from the City Lord Residence and has a lot of valuable information. I'm confident you won’t be disappointed." Lin Xun pondered briefly and decided to buy a copy. With a wide smile on his face, the server left to find other customers. Lin Xun chose a random seat on the first floor, ordered a pot of wine, and began to study the list. He soon revealed a slightly surprised expression. Over six hundred experts were participating this time, with the weakest among them at the fifth realm Emperor Stage. In fact, even Ninth Realm Ancestors seemed to be rather common. However, Lin Xun completely ignored all of this information as he scrutinized the names of those labeled as ‘supreme.’ There were fifty-four supreme Emperors, and each one was an unrivaled titan from their respective worlds among the Great Thousand Worlds. Their cultivation levels ranged between the fifth and eighth Realms. Lin Xun couldn’t help but inwardly shiver. He noticed that almost all of these supreme Emperors were from the top ten worlds of the Great Thousand Worlds. In fact, almost twenty of them were from the top-ranked Divine Ascension Starfield! From this, it was easy to imagine how powerful the Divine Ascension Starfield was to be ranked first among the Great Thousand Worlds. They definitely lived up to their reputation. However, Lin Xun also discovered that although there were many supreme Emperors, not a single one had reached the ninth realm! Lin Xun thought to himself, "It seems that the ninth realm is a giant wall to overcome for the supreme Emperors..." Suddenly, a surprised cry rang out, "Absolute Sword Mountain!" The three words seemed to give off an invisible pressure that made a strange silence fall over the previously noisy first floor. All the guests shut their mouths and revealed shocked expressions as they looked towards the inn entrance. Five figures appeared at the door and stepped in. The one in the center had the posture of a dragon or phoenix, wore a purple-gold crown, and a white jade sash around his waist. He was clearly extraordinary and gave off an overwhelming presence. It was as if a king had arrived to tour the land!