In this world, there are genius cultivators who can kill across realms, but at best, they can only defeat opponents one minor realm above. And the higher the cultivation, the harder it is to cross realms and slay your enemies.
But now, Ian Song—only at mid Out-of-Body stage—has just killed a Grand Valor Sect expert at early Nascent Divinity, crossing an entire major realm.
If they hadn’t witnessed it themselves, they would never have believed it.
Meanwhile, the seven assassins still struggling under hundredfold gravity and endless wind blades saw this scene and felt a surge of fear and regret—they never should have coveted spirit crystals and come to assassinate Ian Song.
"Well done, Brother Song!"
Bada laughed heartily, his voice breaking the silence. But if you looked closely, you could see deep shock in his eyes.
"Young Master Song is mighty!"
The six guards spoke up one after another, not bothering to hide their admiration for Ian Song.
Just then, one assassin spoke again: "Young Master Song, please withdraw your array. This old man is willing to surrender—just spare my life!"
As he spoke, the black fog around him faded, revealing the thin figure of an elderly man.
"Young Master Song, we’re willing to surrender too!"
The other six assassins dispersed their black fog, revealing four men and two women. When she saw one of the women, Raina Quinn’s face was filled with disbelief. "Aunt Hannah, why is it you?"
That’s right—one of the women was Hannah Xia, the Jade Maiden Blade of the Calamity Blade Sect. Not long ago, she’d come to recruit Ian Song for her sect; who would’ve thought she’d soon turn assassin and try to kill him herself?
Hearing this, Hannah Xia’s face flashed with embarrassment, but she said nothing.
Ian Song casually formed a hand seal, and countless wind blades stopped attacking—though they still hovered in midair.
But when Bada saw their faces clearly, his own expression turned furious. "You sects have some nerve—how dare you try to assassinate someone His Highness personally recruited!"
"Senior Bada, we were blinded by greed and made a terrible mistake. Please, Young Master Song, spare our lives!" The gaunt elder who surrendered first spoke awkwardly.
"Come on, all of you—report your backgrounds," Ian Song said coolly.
The gaunt elder spoke first. "Young Master Song, I am Gale Lu, an elder of the Bright Sun Sect."
Next, a middle-aged man stepped up. "Young Master Song, I am Ethan Chen, an elder of the Blackrock Sword Sect."
After that, aside from Hannah Xia, the other four all reported their backgrounds—they were all elders from first-rate sects.
Suddenly, Ian Song’s gaze landed on Hannah Xia. With a mocking tone, he said, "And you, Senior? Which sect are you from? Why so quiet?"
Hannah Xia grew even more embarrassed. Just a short while ago, she’d looked down on Ian Song; now, she was his prisoner.
"So you don’t want to live, huh? In that case, I’ll send you on your way!" Ian Song’s eyes turned icy, killing intent radiating.
Panicking, Hannah Xia cried out, "Don’t, Young Master Song! I’m Hannah Xia, elder of the Calamity Blade Sect. Please, for Raina’s sake, spare my life!"
Ian Song glanced over the seven elders and sneered, "Well, well. Who would’ve thought I’d be important enough for all these first-rate sect elders to join forces and try to kill me?"
The female Nascent Divinity elder quickly added, "Young Master Song, we were all misled. If you spare us, we’ll be grateful and never trouble you again!"
This elder was Elder Heartbane of the Flowing Water Sword Sect.
Ian Song’s voice rang out again: "Elder Heartbane, is it? So you mean if I don’t spare you, your sect will become my enemy?"
At those words, Elder Heartbane’s face changed instantly, and the other six silently cursed her stupidity—provoking Ian Song now was just asking to die.
Elder Gale Lu of the Bright Sun Sect quickly said, "Don’t misunderstand, Young Master Song! That was just Elder Heartbane’s opinion, not ours!"
"Yes, yes, it’s not what we think at all!" the others chimed in hurriedly.
To bring together elders from so many first-rate sects to assassinate him, only two powers could manage it: the Tang Dynasty, or the Prime One Church.
The Tang Dynasty is the imperial court—if they wanted him dead, they’d send experts openly, not resort to assassination. So the true mastermind could only be the Prime One Church.
But why would the Prime One Church want him dead?
It probably had to do with Lila Li—Master Mingtan wanted her to marry the Sixth Prince, but Ian Song’s appearance threatened to disrupt things. The simplest solution was to kill him.
If that’s really the case, then Master Mingtan must already know about Ian Song and Lila Li.
At this, all seven looked deeply conflicted.
"What, you don’t want to say?" Ian Song sneered.
"That was Damien Fang, the Shadow Demon," Hannah Xia replied.
"Old Tian, do you know this Shadow Demon’s background?" Ian Song asked.
Old Tian’s eyes flashed with shock. "Young Master, Damien Fang—the Shadow Demon—is an extremely dangerous assassin. So far, he’s killed ninety-six people: sixty-eight Nascent Divinity experts, twenty-seven Out-of-Body experts, and one at the Nascent Soul stage. No one has ever escaped him—once he marks a target, he becomes their living nightmare and won’t stop until they’re dead. As for his origins, no one knows. Some say he’s a rogue cultivator; others claim he belongs to a powerful sect."
To bring together elders from so many first-rate sects to assassinate him, only two powers could manage it: the Tang Dynasty, or the Taiyi Sect.
The Tang Dynasty is the imperial court—if they wanted him dead, they’d send experts openly, not resort to assassination. So the true mastermind could only be the Taiyi Sect.
But why would the Taiyi Sect want him dead?
It probably had to do with Lily Li—Master Mingtan wanted her to marry the Sixth Prince, but Ian Song’s appearance threatened to disrupt things. The simplest solution was to kill him.
If that’s really the case, then Master Mingtan must already know about Ian Song and Lily Li.
Thinking this, Ian Song grew annoyed. The plan he’d set up before was now pointless—he’d have to come up with something new, and fast. Only a bold, shocking move could force Master Mingtan to change his mind.
Focusing himself, Ian Song asked, "Who was that late-stage Nascent Divinity who ambushed me earlier?"
"That was Shadowfiend Fang Tiantong," Hannah Xia replied.
"Old Tian, do you know this Shadowfiend’s background?" Ian Song asked.
Old Tian’s eyes flashed with shock. "Young Master, Shadowfiend Fang Tiantong is an extremely dangerous assassin. So far, he’s killed ninety-six people: sixty-eight Nascent Divinity experts, twenty-seven Out-of-Body experts, and one at the Nascent Soul stage. No one has ever escaped him—once he marks a target, he becomes their living nightmare and won’t stop until they’re dead. As for his origins, no one knows. Some say he’s a rogue cultivator; others claim he belongs to a powerful sect."