The first thing popping up in Lin Xun's mind was the legendary assassin of Empty Hidden World who had never once appeared. However, he quickly dismissed it. Because in this split second, an illusory figure suddenly flew straight toward the blue-robed woman next to him, thrusting a sword at her! The sword qi shooting out from it was incomparably fast, silently piercing through the heavy fabric of space. The strangest thing was, as it approached, the outside world seemed to be cut off. Everyone else in the area appeared unaware of it like they were in a different plane. Only Lin Xun, who was closest to the blue-robed woman, was alerted right away, and was astounded by the attack. The assassin was definitely a top expert that was even more terrifying than Crane. This surprise sword strike seemed to be the masterpiece that had been perfected through one’s whole life, concentrating every bit of energy at a point while locking up this small area like an invisible cage. Anyone who was confined to this space would find it impossible to avoid the attack! This assassination art was simply on par with Creation on how marvelous it was. Imbued with the essence of the killing dao, the sword strike was bizarre and merciless to an unimaginable degree. Its target had absolutely zero chance of survival. In this dangerous moment, that blue-robed woman finally seemed to notice it. She quickly raised her jade fan to block. However, her reaction had been a little too slow. The matchless sword qi shattered the fan with a bang, reducing it to powder. Meanwhile, the sword qi’s momentum remained the same as it kept going! The protective energy layers on the blue-robed woman burst in succession. As her face paled, the various defensive treasures on her also exploded at once, unable to endure the sharpness of the sword strike. The series of movements happened in an instant! The attacker displayed a ferocity that most cultivators had never seen in their lives, one that far surpassed Empty Hidden World’s Crane. Even Lin Xun got caught up in the sword's momentum. It was as if it wanted to grate away this whole area along with the blue-robed woman! This sword finally broke through the last of her defensive layer, about to stab into her flesh. At this critical juncture, in a swift, magical flash, a finger appeared atop the sword qi and flicked out. A deafening clash ensued. What seemed to be a slight flick of a finger smashed down like a divine hammer of a hundred thousand pounds, blasting the sword’s powerful momentum as well as its overwhelming killing intent into disarray. The sword qi issued a buzz that tore people’s eardrums as it collapsed. That finger flick was naturally Lin Xun’s. In the nick of time where lives were at stake, he had blocked the attack and, at the same time, braced himself to take on the full impact of its supreme killing intent. As a matter of fact, he had been left with no other choice. The might of the sword had also enveloped the spot where he stood. No matter whether the blue-robed woman could block it or not, Lin Xun would definitely still suffer the repercussions. Despite having successfully stopped the strike, the horrible killing intent that filled the sword surged into Lin Xun. Bizarre and overbearing, it instantly tried to destroy his internal organs, meridians, and acupoints, as well as his True Self Emperor World. Lin Xun took a deep breath, his eyes profound as his whole cultivation sprang into operation like a great abyss, grinding away that killing intent bit by it until it was completely erased. That assassin seemed to be caught off guard, never expecting that his masterpiece of a sword strike would actually be countered, and even its power was forcefully suppressed and dissolved. This assassin pulled a classic move in spite of what he shouted. After all, he was a supreme expert in his field. After his first strike failed, he withdrew his sword and transformed into an illusory shadow that sped toward the horizon. “Hmph!” How could Lin Xun allow the assassin to escape? His hand made a grabbing gesture. A massive hand swept through the air, blotting out the sky like a curtain of eternal night and locking up the whole world. The area outside the city gate crumbled in explosions. The soldiers and cultivators nearby were all alerted, and their faces drastically sank. What a terrifying power! As Lin Xun's gigantic palm was about to cover that assassin, the latter’s figure suddenly flickered. There was a series of clangs as from his hand, a sword qi slashed out left and right hundreds of times in mere seconds, each of them infinitely sharp with concentrated killing intent. The massive palm was riddled with holes and then torn apart. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the assassin teleported far away. Lin Xun hesitated. Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to reveal my full strength because I need to conceal my identity... In this moment of hesitation, a deep and icy voice resounded from within Tiger's Den City, "Criminal, where do you think you are running?!" Countless violet lightning bolts erupted. A magnificent figure appeared in mid-air, bathed in the lightning storm, with a might so great that the soldiers and cultivators in the area had difficulty breathing. Shock ran through their hearts as they felt an incomparable pressure. That assassin had run extremely far away, but at this instant, he suddenly shuddered as if electrified. Because a blade of violet lightning had teleported through the void and struck him with a destructive power, knocking him back! As the assassin staggered, the magnificent figure bathed in lightning had shot toward him. Eye-catching lights of law power danced on the palms of the figure. The heaven and earth were ripped apart and became a torn picture. As his two hands crossed, the law power transformed into all sorts of complex lightning and thunder energy, forming a sea that speedily blanketed down. “Damn it!” That assassin could only let out a short scream before the sky-blotting violet bolts enveloped him. His physical shell burst, and his spirit was destroyed. An Ancestor of a Path! Lin Xun's heart flinched, knowing that the person who had appeared was a true Emperor Ancestor. Only someone who wielded a complete grand dao law could display such might and power. This person’s aura was even stronger than that of Heng Tianshuo. “Youran, are you alright?” A tall, handsome, and dashing-looking young man in violet clothes hurriedly walked to the blue-robed woman with a concerned expression. “I'm fine.” The blue-robed woman's eyes were clear, and there was nothing but tranquility and calmness on her bright and ethereally beautiful face. The unexpected assassination attempt did not seem to have surprised her too much. However, facing the care and attention of the violet-clothed young man, her ink-black brows imperceptibly furrowed in what seemed to be reluctance. The Ancestor of a Path returned and landed on the ground. The entire field was silent. The blazing violet lightning had converged and transformed into a majestic middle-aged man. Wearing a tall crown and traditional outfit, he resembled an ancient monarch. His aura was as lofty as a mountain. When he blinked, the sparks in his eyes emanated a domineering power that could crush everything. This was the might of an Emperor Ancestor! “Greetings, City Lord!” the soldiers at the gate solemnly saluted in unison. The nearby cultivators revealed a look of realization. Emperor Ancestor Qianhe, coming from the Immortal Imperial Peng Clan, was currently presiding over Tiger’s Den City. Rumor had it that he had already reached the peak of the Emperor Ancestor Stage and could break into a higher immortal level at any time! Lin Xun also knew the other party’s identity as he had heard about him on the way here. The Peng Clan, like the Wen, Heng, and He Clans, was one of the four great Immortal Imperial Clans. It wasn’t at all inferior to the Wen Clan, where Wen Shaoheng was from, and the Heng Clan, where Heng Tianshuo was from, in terms of heritage and strength. “He killed that assassin with a single move. Truly impressive.” “I wonder who that assassin was?” "The man who saved that girl is also a formidable one as well, blocking that assassin in the nick of time and then hindering his escape. If it hadn’t been for him, the assassin would probably have fled the scene..." Voices of discussions arose as the situation had calmed down. As the previous commotion had startled many cultivators outside this area, they had caught the qi fluctuations and were also rushing over. “Miss Youran.” Peng Qianhe, surprisingly, also walked up to the blue-clothed woman before anything else with a hint of apology in his gaze. “My failure to take everything into consideration is to blame. I didn’t expect that someone would dare to carry out an assassination attempt right outside the city gate. You must have been scared.” Despite being an Ancestor of a Path, he was very polite and respectful to her, which took Lin Xun aback a little. “I'm alright, thanks to this brother's timely help,” said the blue-robed woman, whose gaze softened as she turned to Lin Xun. “Thank you very much.” Peng Qianhe finally turned to Lin Xun. His eyes had regained the previous authority as he nodded, “Your strength is commendable, little friend. I’ll make sure to reward you fairly for saving Miss Youran.” Lin Xun shook his head, “Forget about it. I just happened to be next to her, and I did it to protect myself.” He was only telling the truth. Peng Qianhe was stunned and couldn't help but take another look at Lin Xun. Right at this moment, the violet-clothed young man, who had just hurriedly arrived earlier, coolly said, "Credit must be given where it’s due. Otherwise, people will laugh at our Peng Clan for not knowing etiquette. Just tell us what kind of repayment you want, and the Peng Clan will satisfy you as long as it’s within our capability." He called it a repayment, but there was a flavor of dispensing charity between the lines. From the discussions of the surrounding people, Lin Xun had learned that this violet-clothed young man was also a member of the Peng Clan named Peng Tianxiang. He was a supreme Great Emperor who was quite prestigious in Tiger’s Den City. The city lord, Peng Qianhe, was his third uncle. Before Lin Xun could reply, the blue-robed woman frowned and said coldly, “Peng Tianxiang, watch the way you talk.” Peng Tianxiang smiled wryly, “Youran, I just want to express my thanks to this...benefactor on your behalf.” Next to him, Peng Qianhe laughed out loud, “Miss Youran, even though Tianxiang worded it a bit inappropriately, he means well. Please don't misunderstand him.” “There is no need for you two to labor over this. I want to personally repay him,” the blue-robed woman's tone was permeated with displeasure, even when talking to Peng Qianhe. Even so, Peng Qianhe kept a smile on his face and showed not a trace of annoyance. From this, it was increasingly clear how extraordinary the blue-robed woman's background was. "My dao brother, I know you must have doubts in your heart. How about we enter the city and have a drink together? Let it be a chance for me to express my gratitude in person." The blue-robed woman looked at Lin Xun with a friendly expression. Obviously, she was grateful from the bottom of her heart for his previous intervention. However, Peng Tianxiang's gaze darkened as he watched. He swept an icy glance at Lin Xun, transmitting a silent warning. It was as if so long as Lin Xun dared to agree to her offer, he would be making an unforgivable mistake.
