Chapter 593: Fourth-Rank Assassin
"A treasure-hunting compass... seems like a good item..."
Zhang Ruochen nodded in satisfaction and let Lin Yue go. If he had a treasure-hunting compass, he could search for sacred stones on his own, without needing to return to Qingyun Commandery City to trade with Duanmu Ya, and without worrying about Mu Lingxi discovering his true identity.
The old man in the green robe glared coldly at Lin Yue, unable to understand how Lin Yue could yield so easily. Was a demonic cultivator truly that terrifying?
Zhang Ruochen walked over to the old man in the green robe, pressing a hand crackling with electric light against his forehead to prevent a sudden sneak attack. With his other hand, Zhang Ruochen searched the old man's body and indeed found a compass forged from black iron.
This was it!
Zhang Ruochen pulled it out from the old man's robes and held it in his hand. He could faintly sense two distinct streams of energy—one cold, one hot—flowing from the compass, making one half of his palm icy and the other half scorching hot.
"So it's a vessel forged from Yin-Yang Mysterious Stone. Not a bad ancient artifact."
Zhang Ruochen held the treasure-hunting compass in his palm and was about to ask the old man how to use it. Suddenly, as if sensing something, his heart tightened, and every hair on his body stood on end. A chill rose from the soles of his feet, shot up his spine, and rushed to his forehead.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen's nerves tensed up completely. Every joint in his body stiffened, and he dared not move an inch.
Killing intent.
An incredibly terrifying killing intent.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen was certain that the assassin was only ten zhang away from him, or even closer.
"What incredible concealment technique, able to silently approach within ten zhang of me. Who could it be?" Zhang Ruochen thought in alarm, his back drenched in cold sweat.
Since arriving in the Eastern Domain's Evil Lands, Zhang Ruochen had only clashed with the Blood Cloud Sect. It seemed likely that the person lurking nearby was a top assassin from the Blood Cloud Sect.
The disciples of the Liangyi Sect, unaware of the hidden assassin, only saw Zhang Ruochen suddenly freeze in place and found it strange. What was wrong with him?
Zhang Ruochen didn't move because he could sense the killing intent but couldn't pinpoint the assassin's exact location. If he acted rashly, he would only expose more weaknesses, giving the enemy an opening. Thus, it was better to wait for the opponent to strike first. Once the enemy attacked, Zhang Ruochen could locate him.
The assassin hidden in the shadows knew Zhang Ruochen had detected him, so he didn't wait any longer. He immediately thrust his sword, aiming for Zhang Ruochen's back.
"Whoosh!"
Ripples of transparent energy appeared in the air, like liquid waves surging toward Zhang Ruochen. A three-finger-wide sword pierced through the ripples, turning into a blinding flash of blood-red light. It tore through Zhang Ruochen's robe and was about to pierce his body.
Zhang Ruochen activated the Thunderbolt Technique, transforming into a bolt of lightning and shifting three steps sideways, narrowly dodging the assassin's sword. With a tearing sound, the robe on Zhang Ruochen's back was slashed open by the sword energy, leaving a long gash. This showed how perilous the moment had been. If Zhang Ruochen's speed had been even a fraction slower, a bloody hole would have appeared in his body.
"Wind-Thunder Finger!"
Zhang Ruochen immediately spun around, channeling his spiritual power, and pointed a finger at the exposed black-clad assassin. The assassin's speed was also astonishing. Having failed in his strike, he didn't hesitate and leaped forward, as if jumping into another space, vanishing without a trace.
Zhang Ruochen's Wind-Thunder Finger struck the air, turning into an electric shuttle that didn't harm the assassin at all.
The opponent was a top-tier assassin who had killed countless people, with an incredibly high cultivation level. Although Zhang Ruochen had struck quickly, he was still a step too slow.
"What incredible concealment technique. Even my spiritual power can't detect you."
Zhang Ruochen stopped again, gathering his spiritual power in silent vigilance without launching another attack.
A low voice echoed through the air, saying, "Your alertness is the highest I've encountered among cultivators, fellow Daoist. The fact that you dodged my sword strike is quite impressive. It's no wonder Fang Jie and Cao Ying died at your hands—they weren't wronged."
The voice surrounded him, but he couldn't pinpoint its source. It was as if dozens of people were speaking simultaneously in his ear, sometimes near, sometimes far, making it impossible to track.
Zhang Ruochen's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Your cultivation isn't low. Among the Blood Cloud Sect's top ten assassins, you should rank in the top five, right?"
"You guessed correctly. I am indeed from the Blood Cloud Sect. Listen carefully—the one who kills you is named Luo Shi. When you reach the underworld, don't wrong anyone else," the low voice echoed again.
Lin Yue, kneeling nearby, exclaimed in shock, "The Blood Cloud Sect's fourth-ranked assassin, Luo Shi!"
The Liangyi Sect disciples were stunned once more, a wave of intense fear washing over them. Luo Shi's name had been renowned for decades, earning a place even in the entire Eastern Domain's assassin world. For the younger generation of disciples, Luo Shi's name was synonymous with a murderous demon. How could the disciples, who had spent years in the Liangyi Sect, not be terrified upon encountering a legendary demon?
"That masked man is the mysterious expert who killed Fang Jie and Cao Ying. And we wanted to snatch his sacred stones—we were practically asking for death!"
"Why are we so unlucky? We just came out for training and ran into two demonic masters."
Even the old man in the green robe was shocked. He never expected to encounter Luo Shi, a murderous demon. He regretted letting greed for the sacred stones cloud his judgment. But what use was regret now? Once the two demonic masters started fighting, the area for dozens of miles would become their battlefield. Even the residual energy from their battle could crush them.
While the Liangyi Sect disciples were panicking, Zhang Ruochen remained exceptionally calm, showing no signs of fluster.
"It seems I'll have to use the Space Domain to find him."
Zhang Ruochen decided not to wait any longer and prepared to take the initiative. He slowly released his Space Domain, searching for Luo Shi's traces. Soon, he detected a faint fluctuation of energy seven zhang to his left. When his Space Domain covered that area, he could make out a human silhouette, but it was completely undetectable to the naked eye or spiritual power.
"As expected of a top assassin. His concealment skills are formidable. Even a top expert at the Fish-Dragon Ninth Change could easily be killed by him if caught off guard."
Having located Luo Shi, Zhang Ruochen struck without hesitation.
"Nine-Strike Electric Blade!"
Without warning, Zhang Ruochen spun around and swung his arm toward Luo Shi's direction.
"Crackle!"
The world's spiritual energy converged like surging waves, forming lightning blade patterns over ten meters long. One blade after another struck at Luo Shi.
"How is this possible..."
Luo Shi never expected Zhang Ruochen to find his position. With a tearing sound, an electric blade struck him directly, sending him flying. Fortunately, he had a protective treasure on him that absorbed the blow. Otherwise, even the first electric blade would have severely injured him.
Even though the protective treasure blocked the hit, Zhang Ruochen's attack was comparable to the power of a Fish-Dragon Eighth Change cultivator. It left the unprepared Luo Shi with his blood and energy churning, making it hard to stabilize the true qi in his meridians.
He was supposed to be the assassin catching Zhang Ruochen off guard, but instead, the tables had turned. Zhang Ruochen had caught him off guard and left him in a sorry state. For a top assassin, this was a great humiliation.
Luo Shi activated his technique to stabilize his true qi, but Zhang Ruochen didn't give him the chance. With another crackling sound, the second electric blade pattern appeared before him.
The energy in his protective treasure was depleted, and Luo Shi dared not use his physical body to block the electric blade pattern. In haste, he channeled as much true qi as possible into his arms, gripping his sword with both hands, gathering power, and slashing forward.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
Eight consecutive electric blade patterns fell, each stronger than the last, forcing Luo Shi to retreat step by step. By the time he had fully blocked Zhang Ruochen's Nine-Strike Electric Blade, his arms were completely numb from the lightning strikes, losing all sensation and hanging limply.
It was incredibly frustrating. In his decades as an assassin, Luo Shi had never been beaten so badly.
The Nine-Strike Electric Blade was a top-tier first-level spell. Since Zhang Ruochen had mastered it, Luo Shi was the first person to block all nine blades. This showed that despite being an assassin, Luo Shi's personal strength was not weak.
"At the Fish-Dragon Seventh Change, but with the power to rival a Fish-Dragon Eighth Change cultivator, even in a direct confrontation, he would be a formidable opponent," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Once one reached the Fish-Dragon Realm, aside from those with sacred bodies or special constitutions, crossing realms to fight was extremely difficult. After all, everyone who reached the Fish-Dragon Realm was an outstanding talent. Luo Shi's ability to fight across one realm made him a standout among Fish-Dragon Realm cultivators. Unfortunately, he had been too careless from the start, allowing Zhang Ruochen to seize the advantage.
"Wind-Thunder Finger!"
Zhang Ruochen didn't give Luo Shi a chance to catch his breath. He pointed a finger, and a thick, bowl-sized electric shuttle shot from his fingertip, unleashing a powerful force. If the Nine-Strike Electric Blade was the strongest first-level lightning spell, then the Wind-Thunder Finger was the most concentrated, capable of easily breaking through a cultivator's protective true qi.