C21 The Crisis Was Resolved

"Why would the Nebula Pavilion want to kill a nobody like me? I'm just a cook in the Devil Sect."

Jiang Su quickly deduced that the man in black, with the Pavilion's emblem on his sword hilt, was an assassin from the Nebula Pavilion, a notorious organization from the Lower Realm.

Yet, why target him? At present, he was merely Jiang Hee, a cook within the Devil Sect, not the consort to the Female Ruler or a prince of the Tianqi Royal Family.

It was baffling.

"The dead have no need for such knowledge."

The assassin recognized Jiang Su's mastery of the Shadowless Step. He halted his pursuit emotionlessly and stood his ground.

Then, from every direction within the bamboo grove, more black-clad figures emerged, each with distinct attire. The first to appear, a Golden Core Stage cultivator with an ancient rune stitched on his garment, was evidently a figure of authority.

All the assailants were at least at the Qi Sensing Stage, posing a considerable challenge to Jiang Su.

They wasted no time. Swords drawn, they charged at Jiang Su, who once again employed the Shadowless Step to evade their onslaught.

Not one could land a blow.

As the wind picked up, Jiang Su refrained from engaging directly. He hadn't yet clashed with the leader and couldn't afford to expose his true capabilities.

Watching the wind swirl before him, Jiang Su smirked at the head assassin. With a gesture, a flurry of pebbles rose from the forest floor, guided by the breeze into his palm. He toyed with the stones momentarily before hurling a handful with precision, each striking the assailants squarely in the face.

The men in black collapsed with cries of pain!

Struggling to regain their swords from the ground, they found themselves drained of strength, unable to even rise.

The leader, previously stoic, watched as his men's attacks were effortlessly dodged by Jiang Su. This unexpected turn fractured his impassive demeanor.

This young man was unmistakably a Qi Sensing Stage warrior, yet he managed to repel a cultivator of equal rank with ease. It was quite the mystery. Why wouldn't his employer retain such a talent?

But, having been paid, he was bound to carry out the task, no questions asked.

It was time to get down to business.

A formidable pressure from the Early Nascent Infant Stage bore down on Jiang Su, nearly causing him to cough up blood.

His assailant was none other than a Nascent Infant Stage cultivator—Nan Qi, one of the four elite assassins of the Nebula Pavilion!

Could they despise him that much? To send a Nascent Infant Stage powerhouse to dispatch a mere Qi Sensing Stage cultivator seemed extreme.

As Jiang Su wilted under the pressure, Nan Qi regarded him with an icy stare. Killing Jiang Su now would be child's play. Despite Jiang Su's status as a Qi Sensing Stage cultivator and his prodigious talent, his fate was sealed—today he would meet his end. If not for his employer's directive, Nan Qi would have taken this white-robed youth back to the Nebula Pavilion himself.

Jiang Su had all the makings of a formidable assassin.

Such a waste.

Nan Qi's sword flashed from its sheath once more. He soared into the air, sword poised to strike, intent on ending Jiang Su's life. Every part of Jiang Su ached under the crushing pressure, but he was far from immobilized.

With a swift raise of his hand, he met the descending blade with his bare flesh, miraculously parrying the strike. Employing the Shadowless Step, he quickly put distance between himself and Nan Qi.

Jiang Su kept moving, fearing that any pause might render his body unresponsive to his will.

Were it not for the Ancestral Dragon Martial Spirit within him and the awakened Golden Dragon Bloodline, that lethal edge would have already claimed his life.

His hands trembled, yet he deftly grasped the folding fan at his waist. Channeling the spiritual energy from his Dantian, the fan transformed into a blade as lethal as any sword, and he thrust it towards Nan Qi.

Nan Qi's pupils shrank. How could a mere folding fan exude such immense power, infused with a vast surge of spiritual energy? It far exceeded what any ordinary cultivator's Dantian could store.

As Nan Qi was momentarily stunned, the sharp edge of the folding fan had already pierced his left arm. It twirled through the air before returning to Jiang Su's grasp. Clutching the fan's handle, Jiang Su could no longer bear the strain and half-knelt, bowing his head to expel a mouthful of blood that quickly stained the ground beneath him.

Truly, the might of a Nascent Infant Stage Expert was formidable!

Nan Qi cast a peculiar glance at his wound, seemingly impervious to pain, his gaze fixed on Jiang Su. Jiang Su looked up, his eyes shining with an intensified glow.

Nan Qi burst into laughter. A mere Qi Sensing Stage youth had withstood the overwhelming aura of a Nascent Infant Stage Expert and had even managed to wound him. This young man's mastery over the wind was remarkable; he was exceptionally strong.

While Nan Qi held a genuine admiration for the youth, his desire to kill him persisted.

An assassin must maintain professional integrity.

"I no longer engage in battles with Qi Sensing Stage cultivators. Perhaps you're unaware of the true power that a Nascent Infant Stage cultivator wields?" he mused.

Jiang Su was well aware that Nascent Infant Stage powerhouses possessed eternal life. Through the condensation of vital energy, they could cultivate a Nascent Infant in the Upper Dantian, achieving an undying soul.

Jiang Su hadn't forgotten about his Higher Level Offering Card, capable of slaying those above his own rank.

The silence of the system was surely significant.

Harnessing the formidable divine sense of the Nascent Infant Stage, Nan Qi conjured a flurry of over a hundred sword shadows before him, a dense array poised for attack. With a mere thought, he could unleash them upon Jiang Su, sealing his fate.

The twitch of his lips conveyed his intent, and Jiang Su perceived the unspoken message. "Farewell," he declared.

At last, the familiar mechanical voice chimed in.

Do you choose to use the Higher Level Offering Card?

Jiang Su nodded subtly and responded, "I will use it now."

The target of the Higher Level Offering Card: Nan Qi, one of the Nebula Pavilion's four elite assassins.

Through the maze of sword shadows, Nan Qi caught sight of Jiang Su's smile, the blood at the corner of his mouth rendering his expression all the more daunting.

This Qi Sensing Stage youngster, facing imminent death, could still muster a smile.

A second later, Nan Qi sensed an oddity. His consciousness plunged into disarray as the hundred sword shadows he had summoned began to fade, some plummeting to the ground.

He looked at his hand, only to find it had turned transparent.

"What sorcery is this?" Nan Qi cried out. "My soul is eternal. Even in death, I can rebuild my body or start anew. You just wait."

Jiang Su rose to his feet, swaying slightly from his injuries, and said calmly, "Today, you will meet your end here. In the future, as I practice my swordsmanship, you can watch and judge my progress. Farewell, Elder Nan Qi."

Amidst Nan Qi's terror, he became entirely transparent, his soul and consciousness fading away.

Who would have believed that a Nascent Infant Stage Expert, capable of assassinating one of the Nebula Pavilion's four great killers, would fall to a mere Qi Sensing Stage youth?

His followers watched in utter shock. Glancing down, they too noticed their bodies slowly turning transparent. One clad in black staggered and knelt before Jiang Su, pleading in terror, "Please, spare us."

Jiang Su observed the scene with a hint of surprise. He hadn't anticipated these men would also be slain. But before he could speak, they vanished just like Nan Qi.

Jiang Su paused, reflecting. Whether by choice or coercion, they had sought his life, and for that, he felt no pity.

In that instant, a radiant light enveloped him. The glow rushed into his being, soothing his internal injuries and replenishing his depleted spiritual energy.

The system retrieved several top-quality immortal pills from the storage space, which Jiang Su promptly consumed. His meridians surged with renewed energy.

Jiang Su was restored to his former self.

The ordeal was finally at an end.

"Congratulations, Host, on unlocking and successfully completing the hidden quest: Real Combat with a Nascent Infant Stage Expert. Combat experience has increased. Reward: Sky Heart Grass x5."