The two male assassins looked to be around forty, with ordinary appearances but sturdy builds from practicing Iron Sand Palm. Their right hands stood out, rough and thick like bear paws, but now they were shattered and bleeding. Having trained in physical techniques for over thirty years, they finally achieved remarkable feats at this age, yet they were defeated by a young man in his early twenties, which was hard for them to accept.
Nearby, the female assassin woke up, feeling excruciating pain in her face and arms. Wang Xuan walked over, grabbed her, and snapped her other arm with a loud crack. The pain was so intense that she nearly screamed. Wang Xuan thought they were all desperate, dangerous killers; without breaking their arms, he couldn't be sure they wouldn't attempt something else, like pulling out a gun or using a knockout drug.
To the three of them, Wang Xuan's cautious approach felt completely different. They increasingly saw him as a formidable monster, indifferent to human life. "Just put me out of my misery," one of the men with Iron Sand Palm croaked, his voice hoarse, lying there with broken bones and little strength left.
"Which organization do you belong to?" Wang Xuan asked.
"Grey Blood," surprisingly, the man lying on the ground responded readily, showing no reluctance. Wang Xuan maintained his composure but was somewhat astonished by the cooperation. The assassin's fear was palpable; seeing him so easily break arms made them think he could be extremely ruthless and they preferred to quickly disclose their affiliation, believing they had no valuable secrets that could threaten Grey Blood.
From then on, they answered all his questions. They were not fanatics, just professional killers for hire, loyal to no one. The Grey Blood organization had suffered heavy losses that night, with its bases in the Old Land being taken down, yet some remained hidden and unaffected. The three were assigned to kill Wang Xuan amidst the chaos of the night, and regardless of the outcome, they couldn't act recklessly the following morning.
Wang Xuan's expression was cold. The intimidation of the Old Land worked, but these killers still dared to attack him on the last night, thinking they could easily deal with him. "There were indeed others who increased the bounty to kill you, but we really don't know who…" They merely received the order to kill, and had no clue who was providing the astonishing bounty from behind the scenes.
As for the higher-ups of the Grey Blood organization, they were even further removed from knowledge, as there were strict measures for self-protection. Even if many assassins were captured, it wouldn't affect the organization's operations. Continuously being targeted was intolerable for Wang Xuan; after all, he wasn't someone to be easily trampled upon. The fact that someone repeatedly hired Grey Blood to kill him was simply too much to bear.
Looking at the three incapacitated assassins on the ground, he raised his hand to gesture but then hesitated. Ultimately, they were just tools for killing, far removed from the mastermind behind it all. Killing them wouldn't affect the hidden figure, nor would it make a difference to Grey Blood. Earlier, in a surge of killing intent, Wang Xuan had been furious, but now that he had calmed down, he found it hard to bring himself to kill them and felt a bit queasy about it.
"Where are the ones who tried to kill me last time?" Wang Xuan asked.
"They've all retreated. One became a vegetable, and another got a heart transplant; his life is effectively over." Even the usually cold-hearted middle-aged man, accustomed to Iron Sand Palm, felt a chill at the thought of the previous assassins' fates. This young man, once he attacked, truly struck fear into people.
Wang Xuan was surprised; he hadn't expected the last thrown stone to leave one assassin a vegetable and the other to survive a punctured heart. "It's a good thing I've never killed anyone," he mused, but to the three assassins, it sounded insincere, even mocking.
Wang Xuan looked down at them and said, "Why don't you three just kill yourselves, or help each other out?" The assassins' faces changed, fear creeping in. Was this even human? He didn't want to do the dirty work himself but was clearly finding ways to kill them; he was definitely a dangerous individual!
They misjudged him. Wang Xuan genuinely didn't want to kill, but felt he couldn't show mercy when they had come to kill him; he couldn't let them go. The three assassins lay there, their bodies stiff, unsure of what to do. Were they really supposed to take their own lives? It felt tragic, as they thought Wang Xuan was torturing them psychologically, which was even worse than being killed outright.
"Forget it, I can't do it." Finally, Wang Xuan sighed and shook his head, saying, "After all, I've never killed anyone, and I don't want to break that record." Hearing this, the three assassins felt as if the dark clouds of their lives had parted to reveal a ray of sunshine; could their fate really change this dramatically?
Wang Xuan glanced at them and said, "What are you thinking? Your hands are covered in blood; if I let you go, it's like allowing evil to thrive. I won't give you another chance to kill. I'll leave it to the professionals to handle you; let them send you on your way."
He contacted Qingmu directly to help deal with them. Otherwise, just handling their bodies would be a hassle. After all, he was a law-abiding citizen. The three assassins, filled with hope at first, were quickly plunged into despair, enduring emotional whiplash. They felt he was a true monster, tormenting them psychologically, which was far more terrifying than outright killing them.
Wang Xuan was completely unfazed; he hadn't thought that deeply and lamented, "I'm still kind-hearted and soft-handed!" The three on the ground felt even worse, sinking into despair and concluding he was a devil!
When Qingmu received the message, he rushed over, furious. Just recently, he had spoken to Wang Xuan, informing him that the Grey Blood organization had been uprooted in the Old Land and that everyone should keep a low profile. Yet, here they were again, making a last-ditch attempt to kill Wang Xuan; was this madness or sheer arrogance?!
Upon seeing the situation in the room, Qingmu grinned. Wang Xuan's methods were ruthless; the female assassin's face was a total wreck. "Given this, you're not going to give them another slap? Just put them out of their misery."
"I've never killed anyone!" Wang Xuan firmly refused.
Qingmu rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'll interrogate them myself and then deal with it." He waved his hand, and a few people came in to carry away the three assassins, also bringing in people to clean up the bloodstains—very professional indeed.
Wang Xuan asked him if the silver beast skin book he obtained from Qingcheng Mountain had been appraised yet and when he would receive extra compensation. Qingmu had mentioned before that the book was extraordinary and far exceeded regular exploration rewards, and he would receive compensation according to the organization's rules.
"Not yet, it's still being deciphered. That bizarre script has stumped many scholars who can't even recognize it. What's wrong? Are you in dire need of money now?" Qingmu asked in surprise.
Wang Xuan sighed, "You see, the landlord said this desk is mahogany. As a fresh graduate, I haven't even received my first month's salary, so I can't afford to pay for it." Qingmu looked at him with a serious expression, then at the three assassins he had just beaten up, and suddenly felt speechless. It was all so bizarre.
"Alright, I'll lend you some personally." Qingmu asked for his account number and then turned back to ask, "Didn't you think of another way? You have three assassins in your hands; why not make them transfer some money?"
Wang Xuan replied, "I'm afraid of being targeted by the relevant authorities. I don't want dirty money; it must be earned legitimately."
"You're something else." Qingmu patted his shoulder, thoroughly speechless, and turned to leave.
The room fell silent as Wang Xuan tidied up and murmured, "I hope the two pieces of Ascension Stone don't let me down." It was precisely because he had recently mastered the Golden Body Technique that he had enough strength to face the three assassins and successfully take them down.
He didn't know what the future held, but he needed to rise quickly to confront everything confidently, including the Grey Blood organization. As long as he was strong enough and stood high enough, he would eventually pull out the puppet master behind it all.
Once he reached a certain level of strength, instilling fear into Grey Blood, they might even voluntarily turn over the mastermind or send them to him. Wang Xuan believed that at all times, he should ensure his true strength exceeded external expectations, allowing him to protect himself better and deal with enemies effectively.
A smile appeared on his face as he held the two pieces of Ascension Stone, filled with anticipation, hoping for a surprise!
The room was tranquil, and rich mysterious energy flowed through the stones into Wang Xuan's body, nourishing his mind and cleansing his bones. Soon, he indeed saw… the edge of the inner realm, hazy and close, and he longed to approach it.
The Ascension Stones were indeed extraordinary; although he hadn't activated his super-sense today, he could still see that vast, empty realm! Wang Xuan longed to enter again; without a doubt, it would bring tremendous rewards. However, despite his vigorous spirit and the operation of the ancient techniques from pre-Qin sorcerers, he still couldn't get closer to that hazy place. Though he could see it, there remained a distance between him and that realm.
"Crack!" Without hesitation, Wang Xuan crushed one of the Ascension Stones. Instantly, he was engulfed in rich, mysterious substances, and he found himself drawing nearer; the inner realm was almost within reach.
"Crack!" He shattered another Ascension Stone without hesitation, and even denser mysterious energy enveloped him. In an instant, Wang Xuan realized he had entered the inner realm; he had truly succeeded! However, it seemed that today's inner realm was somewhat different from the one he had entered last time!