A Way to Take Over the Assassin Alliance

Sean Xuan barely glanced at Nolan Dongling’s reaction; intrigue didn’t interest him, duty did. Deliver the message—nothing more. He felt a sharp ache at Serena Feng’s early departure, but he knew Skyvault Palace Sect had lost the power to keep her. There was no room for sentiment.

With a muted sigh, Sean Xuan didn’t just let William Wang Jinling and Serena Feng go—he ordered the sect to clear their path, granting every favor so they could escape as far as possible. Deep down, he wished Nolan Dongling would never catch up to them again, not in this lifetime.

In times like these, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Sean Xuan and William Wang Jinling—unlikely allies. If they joined forces, Nolan Dongling would be left with nothing but frustration.

Once the arrangements were set, Sean Xuan led Skyvault Palace Sect’s disciples down the mountain through a hidden passage—one of the sect’s deepest secrets. They moved with silent urgency, preparing to strike the coalition army of the three realms.

Meanwhile, at that very moment, Moonvault Palace Sect—a mysterious clan with the ‘Xuan’ name—was on the move. Its young mistress thundered toward Skyvault Palace Sect, three thousand disciples riding hard at her heels.

Moonvault Palace Sect’s young mistress wasn’t here to pick up scraps. She’d come to charge into the fray, ready to play the heroine and rescue the young palace lord when Skyvault was in peril. Whether she’d pull it off depended on their speed—and on how thoroughly Nolan Dongling and Storm Cloud Bu had laid their traps.

Sean Xuan, mind locked on the coming war, had no inkling that when the dust settled, a romantic trap—a pink snare—was waiting for him.

William Wang Jinling and Serena Feng tore down the mountain, both refusing to let thoughts of war cloud their minds. Their worries were buried deep, drowned out by the rush of escape.

This war was a tidal wave—unstoppable, indifferent to their wishes. No amount of worry could change its course.

As soon as they left the mountain, William slowed their pace. Even with dark-guards flanking them, he didn’t dare stray far from Skyvault Palace Sect. Serena Feng was now the ultimate prize for every assassin in the realm—one careless move could spell disaster.

A thief can steal for a thousand days, but no one can guard against thieves for a thousand days. The threat lingers, no matter how vigilant you are—one day, something will break through.

To the assassin world, Serena Feng was a walking fortune—gleaming gold with every step. Her movements had become their obsession. After Zuo An’s failure, those hungry for the bounty quietly banded together into small strike teams, plotting to claim the biggest prize in the realm.

Word of Serena Feng’s presence at Skyvault Palace Sect had already spread like wildfire. Every curve along the mountain road was thick with assassins, some lying in wait for days, their patience as ruthless as their blades.

Assassins had their own twisted code: take a thousand taels, and you earn it. Several had camped beneath Skyvault Palace Sect for three or four days straight, freezing in the bitter cold, unmoving—waiting for Serena Feng to appear.

William Wang Jinling and Serena Feng hadn’t even crossed out of Skyvault Palace Sect’s shadow, but the assassins lurking nearby were already moving. Using secret signals, they alerted their partners and prepared for the kill.

Men will risk death for riches, birds for food. Normally, these killers wouldn’t dare touch Skyvault Palace Sect, but with two hundred thousand taels of gold dangling before them, all caution vanished. Greed ruled.

Seeing William and Serena slow, the assassins no longer cared about offending Skyvault Palace Sect. With a flick of the wrist, they signaled their hidden partners—attack was imminent.

The assassins moved with ghostly silence, but William’s dark-guards were no amateurs. From the moment they left Skyvault Palace Sect, the guards were on high alert. At the first sign of movement, they caught on and quietly signaled William.

William Wang Jinling gave a subtle nod, calm and unshaken. Ambushes were a given—he’d been ready for this from the start.

Holding Serena close, William murmured, "We’ve hit a little snag, but don’t worry—I’ll sort it out. Nothing to fear."

If William dared to ‘elope’ with Serena Feng, he had the skill to shield her. He’d never let a moment’s recklessness put her at risk.

"Trouble I brought on myself, huh?" Serena’s senses were razor-sharp, her hand already curled around her hidden gun, ready to fire the instant danger struck. She hadn’t expected William’s guards to catch the ambush first.

"More or less." William saw Serena’s calm and relaxed; if she wasn’t afraid, neither was he. There was no real danger.

"These people never quit. It’s beyond annoying." Serena caught the distant clash of steel—William’s guards were already fighting off the assassins.

"No doubt. Being hunted by assassins is a nightmare—if you want peace, you’ll have to end it for good." William’s eyes narrowed, sharp with calculation as he weighed their options.

Serena kept her ears tuned to the hidden fight. "So, how do you fix it?" Unless she died, the problem would never go away.

William thought for a beat, then said, "There are two ways. First, you could spend your life in the Capital, never setting foot outside. Second, you seize the Assassin Alliance—make yourself its hidden master, and turn the entire assassin world into your weapon."

The first option was easier, but just kicked the danger down the road. William clearly favored the second—a clean, permanent end to the bounty threat.

"Would living in the Capital really keep me safe?" Serena’s brow furrowed, weighing William’s ideas with real seriousness.

Spending a lifetime in the Capital wasn’t unheard of. In this era, plenty of women never left the city—some barely stepped past their own gates. But did that really mean safety?

"It’s safe. The Four Kingdoms and the assassin world have a pact—no assassin can operate inside any of the four imperial capitals. Of course, the capitals can’t shelter anyone on the assassin world’s hit list, or take in outsiders. You’re a native of the Capital, so the pact doesn’t apply to you. That’s why, the moment you step outside, the assassins start hunting." William revealed a secret few ever learned.

"Huh. So that’s how it works." Serena’s eyes narrowed; this solution had its own traps.

If she handed her fate to the Doyle imperial clan, she’d be chained to their whims for life. Her freedom would be gone.

If they ever threw her out of the Capital, she’d be dead—no second chances.

Serena shook her head, rejecting the idea outright. "Spending my whole life in the Capital is too risky. My life, my death—none of it would be mine to control. Tell me about your second option. What is this Assassin Alliance, really?"

To survive, Serena would have to conquer the entire assassin world. She cursed her luck—this was a challenge fit for a monster, not a mortal.

That lunatic Irene Lu had dumped this mess on her. Damn it, it was enough to make her want to tear her hair out.

The distant clash grew fiercer, the metallic tang of blood thick in the air. Serena felt a murderous urge rising—but even if she carved Irene Lu to pieces, thousands of assassins would still be after her.

If she wanted to live without a knife at her throat, she’d have to build a force so fearsome that every assassin in the Nine Provinces Realm would flinch at her name.