The assassins closed in with deadly precision—silent steps, black robes swirling, daggers coated with a faint, poisonous sheen. Their movements were synchronized, practiced, lethal.
Su Chen inhaled sharply.
His fingers brushed the stone floor.
A torrent of information flooded into him—
Object Truth Vision.
He saw it all in an instant:
• The assassins' footwork pattern—Shadow Serpent Steps.
• Their dagger material—Nightbane Steel, effective against qi shields.
• Their formation—Four-Point Kill Lattice, designed to overwhelm a single target.
• Their affiliation—tiny emblem on their belts, hidden under cloth: Crimson Veil Faction.
Su Chen's eyes narrowed.
So… the Crimson Veil dares attack inside the sect?
"Yun Mei! Xinyue! Watch their left wrists—those are signal triggers!"
Both girls reacted instantly.
Yun Mei summoned her flame qi, palm igniting with bright orange fire.
Lei Xinyue unsheathed her sword, its blade humming like a cold, silver moon.
---
The First Clash
Two assassins lunged at Su Chen.
He shifted slightly—
Void Resonance surged.
His body blurred, as if two layers overlapped, one solid and one ethereal.
Their daggers sliced through his afterimage.
"Void Step."
He reappeared behind them.
A twist of his hand—Void Strike.
A ripple of transparent force blasted into their backs.
They staggered, coughing blood.
But the other two assassins were already on Yun Mei and Lei Xinyue.
---
Yun Mei's Flames Roar
Yun Mei's eyes sharpened.
I won't let them hurt him.
She slammed her palm outward.
"Blossom of Burning Dawn!"
A ring of fiery petals exploded from her hand, forcing her attacker to leap back—but the assassin flicked his wrist, releasing three poisoned needles.
Yun Mei gasped.
Su Chen was already behind her.
He tapped a falling needle—
Object Truth Vision triggered:
Poison: Silent Night Venom. Lethal within minutes. Source… Crimson Veil Assassins.
He flicked his finger, applying Void Resonance to the strike.
The needle shattered harmlessly.
Yun Mei's breath hitched.
"You—You saved—"
"Stay focused."
Her cheeks warmed, but she nodded fiercely.
---
Lei Xinyue's Sword Dance
The fourth assassin faced Lei Xinyue.
He smirked beneath his mask.
"You're just a first realm sword girl. Sit quietly and let us take him."
Lei Xinyue's eyes turned icy.
"You talk too much."
Her sword traced a crescent arc.
"Moonlit Sever."
Silver light split the air.
The assassin barely dodged—but Su Chen caught a brief glimpse with Object Truth Vision:
A slight limp in the man's left ankle.
Old injury. Weak point.
"Xinyue! Left ankle!"
She didn't question.
Her next slash curved low, fast.
CRACK!
The assassin screamed as his ankle gave way.
Xinyue's sword was at his throat in an instant.
---
The Assassins Regroup
The four assassins pulled back into a defensive pattern, forming a square around Su Chen, Yun Mei, and Lei Xinyue.
The leader hissed:
"Abort the kill. Switch to containment! The target can't leave alive!"
Containment?
Su Chen's eyes sharpened.
They're trying to capture me?
That meant information.
Secrets.
A larger plan.
Crimson Veil wasn't acting alone.
---
Su Chen Breaks Their Formation
He knelt quickly and touched the ground.
Truth Vision activated.
He saw faint qi threads woven under their feet—micro-formation markers.
They're preparing a spatial cage…
"Xinyue! Mei! Do NOT let them step on the glowing spots!"
The girls leapt back immediately.
The assassins reacted too late.
Su Chen slammed his palm onto the central marker.
Void Resonance surged.
BOOM!
The micro-formation exploded, sending shockwaves outward.
The assassins were thrown into the courtyard walls, coughing blood.
---
The Leader's Desperation
The leader staggered to his feet, eyes burning with frustration.
"He's too dangerous. We weren't told he possessed this kind of ability!"
So they knew about him.
But not everything.
Su Chen stepped forward.
"Who sent you?"
The assassin spit blood.
"Crimson Veil bows to no sect. But we follow the will of our… benefactor."
"Name."
"You'll die before knowing."
He rushed forward in a suicidal charge, dagger aimed straight for Su Chen's heart.
Su Chen's eyes turned cold.
Void Resonance gathered in his palm.
"Void Pulse."
A shockwave erupted point-blank.
The assassin's body bent backward unnaturally before he crashed into the far wall, unconscious.
---
Aftermath
Silence.
Yun Mei rushed to Su Chen.
"Are you hurt? Did they poison you? Did—"
Su Chen gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm fine."
Lei Xinyue sheathed her sword, stepping closer.
"This was no random attack. They knew your schedule. They knew your location. Someone inside the sect is leaking information."
Su Chen nodded grimly.
"Someone… wants me alive but controlled."
Yun Mei swallowed nervously.
"Who would dare… undermine the Sect Master?"
Su Chen touched the discarded dagger.
Truth Vision activated.
A faint imprint of qi lingered—cold, elegant, unmistakably high-ranking.
His eyes widened.
This dagger… was supplied by someone from the Inner Council.
Someone powerful.
Someone close to the top.
He looked up.
"This isn't just an ambush."
He clenched the dagger in his fist, expression darkening.
"It's the beginning of a war."
---