When Ren Yuanhao realized this matter was not as simple as he imagined, the assassin was already near the unclaimed ability core.
The assassin was hidden in the overgrown areas near the riverbank. The river water flowed over the submerged stones, making ding-dong sounds that perfectly masked his footsteps.
The assassin's usual vigilance told him that someone must be hiding nearby, waiting for the bait to fall into the trap. However, he did not wish to be that bait.
He advanced slowly. As an assassin, he was accustomed to completely concealing himself in such environments, and he was confident he would not be discovered.
As he got closer to the ash pit, the pungent smell of fully burnt grass instantly filled his nostrils. Not only were the assassin's hearing and sight top-notch, but his sense of smell was also excellent.
Within these pungent smells, a nearly putrid bloody scent was concealed. This scent was enough to put him on high alert.
He very carefully pushed aside a patch of inconspicuous grass and peered intently. Upon seeing it, his face immediately turned ashen white!
It wasn't that the unclaimed ability core had disappeared, but rather that near the ability core, there were at least seven or eight corpses that had been sucked dry, leaving only skin and bones!
"Holy crap? What kind of ability core is this savage?"
Just as he was wondering, a possibility flashed through his mind. At that very moment, the weeds bent over stiffly to one side like withered flames. A strong gust of wind whipped back, rippling the water's surface like crinkled light. A great sense of danger gripped his throat!
"You're all here, why hide so timidly? If you don't come out soon, I'll take this unclaimed item!"
The assassin could only hear the voice, but could not see the person. His usual ability to discern location by sound seemed to be interfered with by some strange frequency at this moment.
"It seems you have the desire but not the guts. Since that's the case, just stay hidden, and I won't be polite."
The assassin's steel needles were ready. He waited for the hidden person to lose patience and come to snatch the treasure. He held his breath, his eyes fixed on the ability core that emitted a layer of mist. In an instant, the ability core vanished right before his eyes!
This change completely panicked him. If an assassin panicked, things would develop in a direction he did not want. The next moment, he felt the frequency of his suppressed abilities being stirred up like firewood in a stove being poked by tongs.
"Caught you."
The voice was so clear it felt like it was right beside his ear. But when the assassin turned around, he found nothing behind him!
"Playing mind games!"
The assassin tapped his toes lightly, and his entire body leaped up like a swallow, taking a powerful leap backward.
But at the same moment, the assassin felt a gust of wind tear open the space at his left shoulder, and a long, slender, bright silver saber instantly slashed down!
Even with the assassin's sharp and agile movements, he could not dodge this blow. The bleeding wound on his left shoulder spurted out dazzling red droplets like a flood. The assassin knew he had encountered a difficult opponent, and already had a seven-tenths inclination to escape.
"Trying to run?"
The assassin covered his left shoulder, and looked in the direction of the sound, but still saw no one.
"Only turtles and tortoises like to hide in their shells. If you have the guts, show yourself and fight me fair and square? Even if I get killed, it'll be because I'm outmatched, and I won't say a word. If I die mysteriously, I'll turn into a vengeful spirit to find you, and make you experience fear every day."
The assassin talked incessantly. At this moment, the unseen voice said, "Don't you usually like to hide and fight others? What's wrong? Only officials are allowed to set fires, but common people aren't allowed to light lamps? Have you no shame?"
"That's different. I'm still an assassin, and you're just a coward who doesn't dare to confront anyone head-on."
While speaking, the assassin channeled his inner energy to sense the man's location. Beneath the black robe, even with sufficient daylight, the assassin's face could not be seen at all.
He slowly pulled out the large steel needles from his arm, and with each one he removed, his pupils turned redder.
"Oh, your ability has a bit of self-harm to it. Although I despise it, someone will always fancy it!"
As the assassin pulled out the third needle, he could gradually pinpoint the man's location. Just then, a strong gust of wind swept from behind him again. Its speed was incredible. The assassin, gripping the steel needles tightly, crossed his hands and, at the last critical moment, blocked the bright silver saber. However, steel needles were ultimately mortal objects. With a flash of the saber's cold light, the needles snapped.
The assassin retreated rapidly, his feet dragging a long vertical streak on the ground covered in black ash. Thick grass ash swirled around him like dark clouds.
The broken steel needles slanted and pierced the earth, but the man had, once again, disappeared somewhere.
"I've probed enough. I'll reluctantly accept your ability!"
The man who had concealed himself held complete control of the attack. As soon as his voice fell, it seemed as if the sound of blades chopping echoed throughout the world.
However, the assassin had already released the fourth steel needle. The suppressed power, as if burning the assassin's life force, returned through his body once more!
"Rainstorm Net!"
With the assassin's fierce roar, countless tiny steel needles, like threads of rain, surged towards the concealed man. This time, the assassin had perfectly located the man and launched a killing blow, as if he could already taste victory. The face hidden in the darkness slowly lifted into a blade-like smile.
But at that moment, his blood-red eyes widened, and he looked in disbelief as the man, unharmed, broke through the dense steel needles. The saber, as if reflecting spring snow, drew a graceful arc in the air, heading directly for his vital neck!
In that instant, the assassin truly felt that there was no way to turn back. The shadow of death instantly enveloped him. However, when pushed to the brink, the assassin would never leave himself any retreat!
A beam of cyan light shot out from his eyes beneath the black robe, directly covering the bright silver saber. This was the pupil technique ability the assassin had obtained from Zhu Qingfeng, which could instantly render the target shrouded by the cyan light powerless.
Then, with a startled exclamation, the hidden man's true face was finally revealed.
"It's you!"
"That's right, it's me."
After unleashing his ultimate moves, the assassin had lost all strength, only able to stand precariously with the support of the steel needles. The hidden man was not much better off, using the saber held vertically to support his body.
"I never imagined that the employer of an assassin would one day want to kill the assassin they hired!"
The assassin sneered, accumulating strength to launch a counter-attack and seize the unclaimed ability core that rightfully belonged to him. But just then, several streams of white energy erupted from the employer's body, forcefully breaking through the restrictions of the ability with ferocious true qi!
"Only when you take secrets to the grave will secrets truly be secrets."