Dusk fell, leaving the town's streets silent and empty.
Lin Chen walked alone, carrying Lord Gou's severed head in his only arm. Drops of blood dripped from the hair, splattering dark red spots on the bluestone road. His clothes were soaked with blood, dark blue poison veins crawling across half his face. Every step he took exuded a bone‑chilling coldness.
Doors and windows on both sides of the street were tightly shut. Occasionally, terrified glances peeked through cracks. No one dared speak, no one dared approach.
He walked in silence toward the Shadow Assassins Pavilion.
The courtyard gate stood open, and the stench of blood drifted out first.
The gray‑robed elder sat behind a stone table, eyes closed, seemingly waiting.
Lin Chen stepped into the courtyard and flicked his arm.
Thud.
Lord Gou's head rolled to the elder's feet, blood splattering the edge of the stone table.
The elder opened his eyes. His gaze swept over the head, then settled on Lin Chen—one‑armed, blood‑stained, poison‑veined, weak yet sharp as a blade.
He asked nothing of the process, nothing of casualties. He only spoke calmly:
"It is done."
His voice was steady, yet carried a faint, unspoken gravity.
Lin Chen nodded, saying nothing.
The elder flicked his finger. Three Body Tempering Pills and a bag of silver shot out, landing before Lin Chen.
"Your reward."
Lin Chen put away the pills and silver. He clamped the low‑grade Cleansing Pill in his palm and squeezed it to pieces with his fingertips.
Medicinal energy instantly flooded his body. A cool sensation spread through his meridians, slowly suppressing the raging poison in his chest. The blue veins faded, and his breathing steadied.
At that moment—
[Ding! Host has completed the first assassination mission. Check‑in successful!]
[Obtained: Spiritual Sea Realm Fragment – Shadow Kill Steps]
[Obtained: Increased True Essence Condensation]
A stream of information poured into his mind. A set of eerily swift movement techniques imprinted itself in his consciousness, and the true essence in his dantian quietly grew more condensed.
A faint light flickered in Lin Chen's eyes, yet his face remained expressionless.
The elder stared at him and suddenly spoke:
"You moved against Black Wind Stronghold?"
Lin Chen lifted his gaze, calm:
"On the way."
One word—cold, indifferent.
The elder fell silent, his withered fingers tapping the table.
"The Shadow Assassins Pavilion does not care about grudges, only missions. But you have provoked the Spiritual Sea Realm. Trouble will come for you."
Lin Chen spoke softly:
"I do not fear trouble."
The elder looked at him deeply, then waved him away.
"Rest. A new mission in three days."
Lin Chen turned, his lone‑armed silhouette vanishing into the shadow of the gate.
Inside the courtyard, the elder watched him leave, a sharp glint in his eyes.
"One‑armed, poisoned, True Martial Realm… yet dares to slay the Spiritual Sea."
"This boy… is both a disaster and a blade."
Night deepened. A dim oil lamp still glowed in the street‑side cloth shop.
Lin Chen left the Shadow Assassins Pavilion, slipped the silver into his chest, and turned toward the corner. The blood‑soaked clothes clung to his body, sticky and foul. Even with his cold heart, he felt uncomfortable.
The cloth shop keeper was counting accounts. When he saw the figure push the door open, he suddenly looked up.
The dark blue poison veins had not yet fully faded. His empty left sleeve hung limply. The unfading killing aura around him made the keeper freeze. His abacus clattered to the counter.
Lin Chen's gaze swept over the black clothes on the shelf. He pointed to a plain suit in the corner. "Wrap it."
His voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable chill.
The keeper dared not hesitate. He hastily took the clothes, wrapped them carefully in coarse cloth, and held them out with both hands. "S‑sir… your clothes."
Lin Chen took them, tossed out a piece of silver, and turned to leave.
The keeper clutched the silver, staring at Lin Chen's retreating back. Cold sweat soaked his back. Only when the figure vanished into the night did he finally dare to breathe heavily.
Returning to the shabby hut assigned by the Shadow Assassins Pavilion, Lin Chen closed the door behind him. He tore off his blood‑stained old clothes and threw them into the corner.
He put on the new plain outfit. It fit neatly, covering his wounds and remaining bloodstains, leaving only faint blue veins on his neck hidden beneath the collar.
He propped himself up with one arm on the table and closed his eyes to rest.
The poison was suppressed, but his injuries remained severe.
Yet with clean clothes, he seemed to have washed away the blood of Gou Manor and hidden the wretchedness of his broken body.
His gaze was cold and determined. The road ahead was long, and the killing would not cease.
The journey had only just begun.