Chapter Sixty-Four: Assassination

“Coincidence? Or perhaps they’re also after the passage?”
Xu Zhe was somewhat surprised. He withdrew his spiritual sense, stepped forward, and leapt after them.
“Uncle Xu, where are you going? Wait for me!” Qu Hongxiu stood behind, seeing Xu Zhe suddenly dart off into the distance, and hurriedly called out.
“Don’t come over. Stay in the Fire Poison Mist and continue cultivating the Heaven and Earth Departing Flame. Wait for my return.” Without turning his head, Xu Zhe left only these words and vanished into the mist.
Qu Hongxiu was stunned, then puffed out her cheeks, feeling annoyed.
She had come to protect this Uncle Xu, yet somehow she’d become the one being protected. Now she seemed reduced to a burden, abandoned here.
Hmph, rotten man.
Once I get out, I’ll definitely complain to Master and have her use her deadly scissor-legs to crush you.
“But cultivating the Heaven and Earth Departing Flame here, my progress is so fast. And it’s safe, too—no matter if I meet a Nascent Soul stage expert, they wouldn’t dare attack me in here… Wait, it seems I could actually attack them instead.”
Qu Hongxiu suddenly realized she possessed a geographical advantage, and her eyes sparkled brightly.
She scanned her surroundings, her weak spiritual sense extending outward.
But she found nothing.
This Fire Poison Mist was vast, and those who could enter were few; not even every Nascent Soul expert could make their way in.
“I heard from that disciple surnamed Zheng from Jade Pool that Li Xunhuang arranged twenty small teams to kill me, at least ten Nascent Soul cultivators among them. If I go to the outer region of the secret realm and lure them in to chase me…”
Qu Hongxiu’s eyes narrowed, a sweet smile blossoming on her face.
With her Heaven and Earth Departing Flame shield, she hummed a cheerful tune, skipping toward the outer region.
…
Meanwhile, Xu Zhe had already broken through the Fire Poison Mist, entering the very heart of the secret realm.
The scenery before him transformed instantly—no longer a sky ablaze with fire, nor searing air.
Instead, he found himself beneath a clear blue sky, with lush green grass all around.
The air was fresh and comfortable, saturated with spiritual energy.
From the forests ahead came the calls of birds, and faint wafts of fragrance drifted by, refreshing the mind.
Everything teemed with life, forming a stark contrast with the poisonous mist and fiery mountains outside.
“So that’s it…”
Xu Zhe looked back at the mist that blocked his way and finally understood: everything outside was merely the range of the secret realm’s mountain-protecting formation.
Perhaps, after countless years, or due to someone violently damaging the formation, it had shattered, causing some pre-laid mechanisms to erupt, transforming the area into Flame Mountain and creating the Fire Poison Mist.
Still, these obstacles could only block weaker Core Formation cultivators. Anyone with some skill, or a stronger Nascent Soul stage, could break through and reach the heart of the secret realm.
At this moment, Xu Zhe’s spiritual sense remained locked on Li Xunhuang and his companions, sensing their movements as they too headed toward the spatial disturbance.
“A bit of trouble.”
Xu Zhe frowned slightly.
Li Xunhuang was only at the Core Formation stage—he could be ignored.

But those other five Nascent Soul cultivators would be troublesome if confronted directly.
“Unfortunately, I’m not a sword cultivator. The sword arts I’ve encountered are all at the Immortal King level, and I can’t use them yet, nor control that bronze flying sword. As for the seal-type treasure…”
Xu Zhe pondered for a moment and shook his head. “My spiritual energy and sense aren’t strong enough. I need to truly reach Core Formation before I can wield it.”
That meant, right now, his overall strength on paper could only handle one Nascent Soul stage opponent.
“Whoosh!”
As he contemplated, a sharp sound suddenly reached his ear—a slender silver needle pierced the air, aiming for his head.
“What’s this…?”
Xu Zhe was startled, quickly retreating.
The needle brushed past his face, and he countered with a punch, sending a surge of force sweeping forward.
Bang!
His punch collided with the needle, producing a dull thud, and Xu Zhe was jolted back a few steps.
“Mysterious Soul Spike!”
He frowned, surprised.
This was the most common hidden weapon of the Demon Gate in the Sky Domain. Extremely hard to forge, but its tiny form packed a deadly punch—once it pierced flesh, it unleashed tremendous destructive power. Even those with formidable bodies, at the Dominant Physique stage, would not survive.
Thus, in the Sky Domain, the Demon Gate’s use of the Mysterious Soul Spike for assassinations was nearly unstoppable.
Of course, it was only effective against cultivators below the Grand Ascension stage.
Above that, such tricks could be easily seen through.
Xu Zhe had dodged in time only because the one who used the spike was not highly cultivated—merely Nascent Soul stage.
Had it been someone at the Out-of-Body or even the Spirit Severing stage, the outcome would have been dire.
This left Xu Zhe unsettled, but more than that, surprised.
Why would the Demon Gate’s hidden weapon from the Sky Domain appear in the Azure Domain?
“No wonder you’re Xu the Prodigy. My Immortal Devouring Spike has never failed, yet now it falls short against you.”
A teasing voice came from the woods.
A beautiful woman with a seductive figure, wearing only a sheer black gown that revealed much, emerged with a bewitching smile.
…
Xu Zhe frowned. She called the Mysterious Soul Spike the Immortal Devouring Spike?
So she wasn’t from the Sky Domain—which meant apart from Ji Dali’s ancestor, others had returned from the Sky Domain, bringing the spike or its forging method?
“Are you an assassin?”
Xu Zhe asked.

This mid-stage Nascent Soul woman had managed to evade his spiritual sense and attack silently—she must have mastered a powerful aura-concealing technique, usually practiced only by assassins.
“Assassin?”
The woman covered her mouth and laughed softly.
Her tight, creamy flesh quivered as she giggled.
She cast Xu Zhe a flirtatious glance. “Xu the Prodigy, have you ever seen such a beautiful assassin?”
“Ugh…”
Xu Zhe’s face turned grim, and he bent over, dry-heaving.
“???”
The woman was stunned.
“You’re not an assassin, yet you strike so ruthlessly… Are you working with Li Xunhuang?” Xu Zhe swiftly returned to normal, his face pale but calm.
The woman was dumbfounded, then flew into a rage.
What did he mean?
What was that dry-heaving about?
And now he acted as if nothing happened, continuing to question her?
Was he even human?
“Shua!”
Furious and humiliated, her face contorted with resentment and murderous intent as she strode forward, flicking her slender hand through the air.
The silver needle Xu Zhe had knocked down trembled and flew quickly back to her hand.
But at that moment, her expression froze, shifting to shock and despair.
The needle had bent!
Its surface bore obvious cracks, dull and lifeless, stripped of its former lethality—it was now just an ordinary little silver needle.
“You… how dare you destroy my Immortal Devouring Spike?”
Her voice became shrill with rage, like a husky whose throat had been seized, her eyes wide as if she would chew Xu Zhe to bits.
“Miss, please, don’t be like that. I was bitten by a dog as a child—when you act this way, I get scared!”
Xu Zhe quickly backed away several steps, pulling out the small bronze sword from his sleeve. Still uneasy, he picked up a stone from the ground, raising it as if to throw.
He really was afraid of dogs!
…