(The Assassins)
Xian Xi jolted awake, heart pounding.
Something was wrong.
The midnight air was cool, and the courtyard was eerily silent, save for the occasional chirping of insects. But beneath this peaceful facade, an unmistakable tension lingered in the air.
They had come.
Ignoring the pain from his wounds, he grabbed his bow and quiver, slinging them over his back, then strapped his long sword to his waist before silently slipping out of his room.
The cool night breeze brushed against his skin as he stepped outside, but his suspicions were immediately confirmed—
Three dark figures were dashing toward Xuan Xi's cultivation room at an unnaturally swift pace.
Despite the darkness, Xian Xi's sharp eyes picked them out easily. What truly unsettled him was that he couldn't hear their footsteps at all.
"Silent assassins..."
A chilling glint flashed in Xian Xi's eyes.
"You guys are courting death."
The assassins moved with trained precision, reaching the main door of Xuan Xi's cultivation room. The first assassin reached for the handle—
THWACK!
An arrow pierced clean through his chest, straight into his heart.
The assassin froze, eyes widening in disbelief before collapsing lifelessly onto the ground.
The remaining two assassins flinched in shock. Before they could react—
WHIZZ!
Another arrow struck the second assassin's forehead, piercing straight through. He didn't even have time to scream before slumping over, dead.
The third assassin, however, was smart.
Instead of freezing up like the others, he reacted instantly, releasing his divine energy.
Hundreds of glowing green lights erupted from his body, rushing toward Xian Xi's direction like a deadly storm.
Xian Xi's expression remained calm as he reached into his robes and pulled out a protection slab.
CRACK!
The moment he shattered it, a glowing ember-colored shield enveloped him.
Protection slabs were items ordinary humans used to guard against divine warriors. They only lasted a short while, but that was all Xian Xi needed.
The hundred streaks of green light slammed into the shield, causing cracks to spread across its surface.
Before it could shatter completely, Xian Xi leaped from his hiding spot, drawing two arrows at once and firing them at the last assassin.
The assassin's reflexes were sharp—he dodged one and deflected the other.
He retaliated immediately, sending another blast of divine energy toward Xian Xi.
But Xian Xi was already moving.
He flipped into the air, grabbing another arrow from his quiver.
This time, he dipped the tip into a small pouch tied around his waist.
When he withdrew it, the arrowhead was coated in a sticky blue liquid.
With practiced ease, he crushed a small stash of red powder from his sling bag and sprinkled it over the arrow.
FWOOSH!
The arrowhead ignited into a scarlet-red flame.
Xian Xi loosed the arrow.
The assassin immediately sensed the danger and conjured a divine energy shield.
That was his mistake.
The flaming arrow struck the shield—
SHATTER!
The shield collapsed instantly, and the arrow pierced the assassin's throat.
Before the assassin could scream, his entire body was engulfed in flames.
Within seconds, he was reduced to ash.
---
It was unbelievable.
A mere human with a crippled divine core had eliminated three top-tier assassins.
But in truth—
No one had ever truly known Xian Xi's full capabilities.
Divine warriors rarely favored melee combat or archery, dismissing them as inferior techniques. That was why few people, aside from his parents, his sister, and Jean Si, knew that Xian Xi had trained himself to perfection in those skills.
Moreover, these assassins—while skilled—were merely at the energy divine realm, likely weaker than Kang Gu. They had underestimated him.
With his earth-grade level-two arrows and special potions, Xian Xi had turned what should have been a one-sided battle into his victory.
But at a cost.
Pain shot through his body as his excessive movements reopened his wounds.
He barely had time to breathe, let alone rest.
Because at that moment—
A blinding white light shot through the night, streaking toward Xian Xi at insane speed!
His instincts screamed—
DODGE!
Xian Xi dived to the ground.
The radiant attack whizzed past him, missing by a hair's breadth, before embedding itself into the wall behind him.
Xian Xi's eyes narrowed.
A new enemy had arrived.