Zhiran was certain that if he had been even a second late, he would have died without a doubt. Even his protective amulet would not have been enough.

That attack carried power approaching the late Foundation Realm.

A Qi Condensation cultivator had just been targeted by an attack unleashed with strength comparable to the late Foundation Realm.

Zhiran could not help but feel a chill run down his spine. He was truly lucky that his consciousness had warned him in time.

"Huh? Teleportation? No… how did you react in time?"

While Zhiran was alert, the assasin on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded.

In his long years of being an assassin, he hadn't missed once. This was all because he never looked down on his target.

Whether it was a Qi Condensation or a foundation realm cultivator, or even if the target was a mortal, he always gave his all.

Even though he was only at the early stage of the foundation realm, he used power far greater than he could wield and strike when Zhiran was distracted.

Yet he missed. Of course, he was confused.

*Swish!*

But he didn't have time to get confused, as Zhiran wasn't someone who would waste his time.

As soon as he got out of the assassin's target range, he immidiatley used the Jade Array given by Elder Yan Yue, enveloping the dark figure.

Then, without waiting even a second, he took out a fiery talisman and ignited it without the slightest hesitation.

"BOOM!"

A massive explosion thundered through the forest, crimson flames erupting outward and swallowing everything within.

The dark silhouette of the assassin was completely engulfed in the fiery flame that could melt even those foundation realm monsters.

"BOOM!"

But that wasn't the end, as Zhiran never stopped for a moment. While making sure the array was on full swing and the figure was trapped, he began throwing one after another talisman.

"Bastard! Ugh...!'

Sure enough, one flame was never enough as Zhiran could hear his shout even after the massive explosion.

Fortunatley, he had lots of such trump cards that he purchased for this secret realm exploration.

Even one wasn't enough, then two...

If two wasn't enough, then three...

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

The continuous explosions were so intense that even the ground began to rumble violently, as if it were about to collapse. The sheer amount of power was enough to finally shatter the Jade Array given to him by Elder Yan Yue.

But that was enough.

Along with the charred remains of the surroundings, the assassin's figure was completely decimated.

In the area where the person had stood just moments ago, nothing remained.

"Heh...even if you are a foundation realm, how can you survive such attacks?"

Zhiran acted smug after seeing the destruction due to his impromptu attack, just like any Qi Condensation cultivator should when fighting someone above his rank.

After all, not everyone could kill a foundation realm cultivator in the Qi Condensation realm. He deserved to be proud.

*Swish!*

However, just as Zhiran was celebrating his victory, his vision suddenly went dark as, out of nowhere, a long blade pierced straight through his chest while cold, emotionless eyes looked at him as if mocking him.

Surprisingly, the person who attacked was the same assassin who had been after him.

Even after such a great explosion that had decimated all the surroundings, he seemed only a little ruffled yet completely uninjured. In fact, he seemed rather amused.

"Kid, you are indeed strong. Really, I knew you were somewhat different."

After seeing the dull look in Zhiran's eyes, the assassin looked pleased as he began to speak in a hoarse voice.

"Being able to make me use my trump card is indeed noteworthy. To be honest, you almost had me."

Feeling Zhiran's heartbeat grow slower, he smiled and twisted his blade with a sickening grin.

"But you see, unlike you, I have countless experiences at my hand. I never let my guard down in front of anyone, especially if that someone belongs to a sect."

He said this before thrusting the blade further, forcibly cutting Zhiran's life completely.

He had already let him go once, and he could not do that again, as he did not like his record getting destroyed just like that.

'Tch… wasted so many treasures. Hope there is still something worthy on him.'

The assassin thought as he leaned down, intending to take the Storage Ring from Zhiran's finger, only to get stumped suddenly.

'No, this is a trap.'

"Too late!"

The moment the assassin examined the body more closely, he noticed that something was wrong with Zhiran. But before he could do anything, he heard a faint whisper, followed by a sword piercing straight through his chest from behind.

However, even though he was stabbed unexpectedly from the back, he felt no pain. Instead, a strange numbness spread rapidly throughout his body, halting him in his tracks as if he were completely paralyzed.

The assassin belatedly realized that he could not even move.

If only he could, even if his chest had been pierced, he was confident he could still kill Zhiran and survive.

'What… the… why can't I move?'

He tried to command his body, but it refused to budge even an inch. Feeling this bizarre state, for the first time in his life, fear began to creep into his heart.

Unfortunately, aside from hearing a whisper from behind, there was nothing he could do.

"You are already infected with Nine Yin Freezing Venom on my sword. No need to try to move."

'Nine Yin Freezing Venom? Why do I feel like I've heard that name somewhere?'

Hearing Zhiran's whisper, the assassin tried desperately to recall where he had heard it, hoping it might help him escape this situation.

He didn't need to wait long, as Zhiran continued calmly.

"Nine Yin Freezing Venom is one of the forbidden demonic methods, you see. Unless you are well-versed in the art of poison, with your realm, it is nearly impossible to rid yourself of this state."

Zhiran said this with a faint smirk, as if he was in no hurry to kill his prey.

'Forbidden demonic method? Wait a minute… did he mean that?'

When the assassin processed Zhiran's words, he finally remembered where he had heard that name. A violent shiver ran down his spine as thick despair clouded his mind.

After all, Nine Yin Freezing Venom was something even a sect like the Divine Cauldron feared.

This venom was so potent that he had heard no one in the Foundation Realm could get rid of it. The only way to cure it was through rare healing pills that were extremely expensive and precious.

But the most dangerous aspect of this venom lay in its method of concoction.

He had heard that only by cruelly sacrificing nine young virgin girls through a forbidden ritual could this venom be created. This meant that as long as someone had access to such victims, they could produce this poison cheaply and in large quantities.

Such a vicious, demonic method was, of course, forbidden. After all, it defied morality even within the cultivation world.

Yet the assassin never imagined that someone would actually use such a thing on him today.

Any remaining hope of freeing himself vanished the moment he realized what was affecting him. If it truly was that forbidden venom, then today, he was finished.

'Bastard! You will incur the wrath of heaven. How dare you use such a thing as a disciple of a righteous sect?'

The assassin wanted to curse Zhiran for being so heinous, but he couldn't even speak. All he could do was despair and wait for death, which, surprisingly, seemed to be taking far too long.

"Alright, I think this method will work. This way, I can get the least damaged brain from you."

Before he could process those words, he heard Zhiran's whisper once again, followed by the horrifying sensation of something grabbing his heart from the inside.

'Wait… b-brain? W-What do you mean?'

The assassin was horrified by the implications of Zhiran's words, but before his despair could deepen, his heart was crushed by a powerful force, ending his life instantly.

He couldn't even cry out in pain.

"His soul is still intact. Although it isn't as pure as that Han guy, it should be good enough, right?"

Zhiran mumbled with a hint of excitement, showing no sign of remorse for killing someone like this.

He hadn't even targeted this guy in the first place. He was merely defending himself, wasn't he?

---

[A fresh brain with a damage level of 9% has been detected!]

[Do you want to perform extraction?]

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