Chapter 66: Assassination

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Assassination

Half an hour later, ten shadowy figures slipped through the silent mountain forest and into a small valley like ghosts.

Lin Chuang, who was in the lead, came to a halt, and the others stopped as well.

"The mission location is just ahead, but we have to settle something first."

As Lin Chuang spoke, he counted the group by the moonlight. His brow furrowed tightly when his eyes landed on Yi Xiaoyao.

The others also looked over.

"Kid, the ultimate goal of this mission isn’t just to kill all the enemies, but also to get the keys. There are only eight keys, but there are ten of us. In the end, only eight people can complete the mission. You know that, right?"

Lin Chuang sneered at Yi Xiaoyao with an air of superiority.

Moonlight spilled down, reflecting two icy glints from Yi Xiaoyao’s deep, dark eyes as he stared indifferently at Lin Chuang.

"I know. So what?"

Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze made Lin Chuang extremely uncomfortable. "Since you know," he said coldly, "I might as well tell you that even if you manage to get a key, it’ll end up in our hands."

Yi Xiaoyao remained calm upon hearing this; he had long been aware of what Lin Chuang and the others were planning.

"You want to snatch the key from me?"

Yi Xiaoyao asked for confirmation, as if their answer would trigger a decision he had already prepared.

"You’re not a complete idiot. But with your meager Cultivation, you really think you can get a key?"

The moment Lin Chuang’s words fell, all the other young men—except for Ye Ping—burst into laughter.

Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze swept over them. "And you all," he asked, "do you feel the same way?"

"Heh, we’d be giving you too much credit by trying to snatch your key."

"Kid, we couldn’t care less if you go get yourself killed, but you’ll only drag us down. Saying we’ll snatch your key is putting it nicely. Even if you run into danger, there’s no way we’ll save you."

"So, you should just obediently piss off and go back. Don’t be an eyesore."

Hearing their replies, Yi Xiaoyao nodded.

At that moment, Ye Ping walked over.

"Yi Xiaoyao, just stick with me from now on. Don’t mind them. Since I promised my father, I will protect you."

Yi Xiaoyao glanced at Ye Ping. ’This woman isn’t half bad,’ he thought.

"Thank you for your kindness, but I don’t need your protection. If you run into danger later, I can help you instead."

Ye Ping shook her head. ’To think Father would ask me to protect someone so arrogant and strange,’ she thought.

Lin Chuang also scoffed. "Ye Ping, not only does this kid not appreciate your offer, he’s incredibly arrogant. Are you really going to stand with someone like him?"

Ye Ping frowned. "Who I stand with is none of your business. Let’s start the mission. The sun will be up soon."

Lin Chuang’s expression darkened. After a cold snort, he said, "Very well. In that case, I’ll lay out the plan."

"Inside this valley is the Spirit Stone Vein. The vein is divided into three areas: the left and right perimeters, and the central interior."

"The left and right perimeters each have five guards, and the central interior has twenty. We’ll split into two groups, take out the ten sentries on the perimeters, then regroup and enter the central area."

After speaking, Lin Chuang started pointing people out. "Yuan Da, Yuan Er, and Lu Da, Lu Er—you two pairs of brothers will come with me to the right perimeter. The rest of you, take the left."

The two pairs of brothers, the Yuans and the Lus, agreed happily.

But the remaining five—all except Yi Xiaoyao—looked extremely displeased.

"Chuan, this isn’t right. It’s one thing that you picked all the strongest members for your team, but why do we have to be grouped with this deadweight at the Second Realm of Foundation Establishment?" a long-faced youth complained.

Lin Chuang said, "I know your team is weak. The five of us will take care of the enemies on the right, then we’ll come help you."

With that, Lin Chuang and his four companions sped off toward the right side of the valley.

Ye Ping nodded to Yi Xiaoyao, signaling for him to follow her as they headed toward the left area.

The remaining three whispered amongst themselves for a moment, seemed to reach a consensus, and then followed closely behind Yi Xiaoyao and Ye Ping to the left.

A moment later, Yi Xiaoyao saw a light ahead, but Ye Ping pulled him into a patch of tall grass.

Not far off was a massive mine cave surrounded by a wooden fence. Flaming braziers were placed every fifty yards for light, and in the very center stood a huge Copper Bell.

In the firelight, four middle-aged men could be seen patrolling around the mine.

Ye Ping’s hand gripped Yi Xiaoyao’s arm tightly as she whispered, "We have to assassinate them silently. If the enemy rings that alarm—the Copper Bell—we’ll be in danger. So before we attack, we need to confirm if there really are five enemies here, and figure out where the last one is."

Yi Xiaoyao could feel the hand gripping his arm trembling slightly, and he understood why she was so nervous.

After all, this was ten people against thirty, all of whom were at the Fourth Realm of Foundation Establishment. A stealth assassination required absolute certainty, leaving the enemy no time to ring the Copper Bell.

Yi Xiaoyao and the others observed from the grass for a while and discovered that there were indeed five enemies. One of them would rotate into the cave to rest periodically, always leaving four to patrol outside the mine.

Just then, Ye Ping said to Yi Xiaoyao, "I’ll take care of the one resting in the cave. You stay here and don’t move."

With that, she moved like a shadow, quietly approaching the mine cave.

Seeing this, the other three young men muttered to each other, "The one in the cave is resting; his guard must be down. We can’t let her have such an easy target all to herself. Let’s go, too."

The three young men also followed stealthily.

A glint appeared in Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes. Every time he had tried to move earlier, Ye Ping had held him back. Now that she was gone, he was finally free.

Yi Xiaoyao looked at the four patrolling guards, all at the Fourth Realm of Foundation Establishment, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.

’They actually left four for me. I should thank those three cowards.’

The next instant, Yi Xiaoyao silently darted toward the nearest of the four guards.

Under the light of a raised brazier, the guard seemed to sense something and spun around abruptly.

Yi Xiaoyao grinned at the man. His blade was already suffused with Spiritual Power and Sword Qi as he raised his hand and slashed down at the guard.

The guard reacted with incredible speed. He had no time to cry out under the descending blade, but when he sensed the aura of Yi Xiaoyao’s Cultivation—only the Second Realm of Foundation Establishment—his confidence surged. He swiftly drew the saber from his waist and slashed back at Yi Xiaoyao.

Just as when he had slain Shi Tong, he unleashed the Silent Swordsmanship with his Bloodthirsty Sword. In an instant, both the guard’s saber and his head disappeared.

If the other nine had witnessed this scene, their jaws would have hit the floor. Yi Xiaoyao had just achieved a one-hit kill, even after being discovered.

This was something that not a single one of the other nine could have ever accomplished.