Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Eight: The Assassin

Lü Yunke shook his head and said, "Do not speak thus. Jingyun's mastery advances with extraordinary speed. Should we test our skills in combat now, victory is by no means certain for me!"

With these words, he glanced at Ye Hua with a slight smile and said, "Junior Brother Ye only knows my Daoist name as Lü Yunke. 'Lü Yunke' is merely a Dharma name bestowed upon me by my sect. When I was fortunate enough to enter the Eastern Immortal Origin, I discarded my mortal birth name entirely!"

Ye Hua gave a soft "oh" and smiled, saying, "So Senior Brother Lü does not actually bear the surname Lü after all! I have been calling you by it casually for quite some time, making myself a laughingstock, ha-ha!"

Lü Yunke smiled faintly in return and said, "That is hardly Junior Brother Ye's fault. Aside from my fellow junior brothers, very few people know my true given name; everyone simply honors me with the title of Senior Brother Lü! My original compound surname is Dongfang, and my given name is Baihua. I hail from the Baoding Prefecture region in Jizhou!"

Ye Hua was startled and exclaimed, "Senior Brother Lü—no, no, Senior Brother Dongfang is from Baoding Prefecture?! Could it be that Dongfang Jingyun and Senior Brother Dongfang are... are of the same clan?!"

Lü Yunke smiled slightly and said, "Indeed, just as Junior Brother Ye surmises, Dongfang Jingyun is indeed of my bloodline. The Dongfang clan is a prominent and influential family in Baoding Prefecture. Although the clan possesses ancestral martial arts techniques, the younger generation often seeks out other immortal cultivation sects to study the Dao and refine their skills in pursuit of mastery! Dongfang Jingyun and I have known each other since childhood; in terms of generational ranking, he is my nephew. Bound by our ancestral family rules, he would never dare to provoke me or resort to violence in my presence!"

Ye Hua nodded and said, "So that is how it was. I suppose later on, Senior Brother Lü entered the Eastern Immortal Origin, while Dongfang Jingyun entered the Ban Family..."

Lü Yunke nodded in assent. "Quite so. A few days ago, I chanced to meet him in the capital. Later, he sought me out at Yunju Temple on White Ribbon Mountain. When our conversation turned to martial arts and the cultivation of the Dao, his hands grew itchy for a contest, so we sparred. In the end, his skill fell short by a fraction, and he departed in defeat."

Tian Liang laughed and said, "I still remember how things stood then. That Dongfang Jingyun was utterly arrogant! Although he respected our eldest brother as an elder and did not dare to overstep his bounds, his words still betrayed his belief that his cultivation had transcended the ordinary and surpassed all his peers. Naturally, our eldest brother refused to lower himself to his level. Yet he had no business demanding a duel! Heh, well, he had only himself to blame once he did!"

The other members of the Eight Friends of Taoyuan chuckled and added, "Before even a few dozen bouts had passed, Dongfang Jingyun's magpie-sandalwood axe was shattered by a single sword stroke from our eldest brother! Naturally, Dongfang Jingyun was both terrified and enraged by his defeat, struck dumb with astonishment and forced to concede wholeheartedly!"

"When he took his leave, he swore an oath that whenever he encountered our eldest brother in the future, he would give way by a wide berth—unless the day came when he believed he could defeat our eldest brother."

Ye Hua could not help laughing and said, "So that is the truth of it! I never imagined such a history existed between you."

Lü Yunke shook his head. "Not at all. Junior Brother Ye must not heed their exaggerated accounts; Dongfang Jingyun's cultivation is in truth remarkably profound, and I merely won against him by a stroke of luck! My cultivation method differs from others. Unless my primordial force, spiritual energy, and physical strength all reach the peak of the Seven Treasures Realm, it is impossible to break through to the Three Truths Realm! This is vastly different from the cultivation methods of other sects, which only require an abundance of primordial force."

Just as Ye Hua was about to speak further, he heard someone outside laugh aloud: "Junior Brother Ye, we have come to pay you a visit!"

Ye Hua rose to his feet and looked toward the courtyard, where Zhang Shaohua, Liu Ruoming, and several others were walking in with broad smiles. Ye Hua stepped forward to welcome them, saying with a smile, "Senior Brother Zhang has arrived remarkably fast!"

Zhang Shaohua laughed. "Junior Sister Liu brought me such wonderful news—how could I not be overjoyed? I hurried here without a moment's delay to express my gratitude!"

With that, he turned to Lü Yunke, bowed deeply from the waist, and said, "Many thanks, Senior Brother Lü, for your immense virtue in coming to our rescue in our hour of peril! On behalf of all the junior brothers of the Awakening Hall, I offer our heartfelt thanks for your noble righteousness!" He then bowed deeply a second time, while Shaohua and Liu Ruoming behind him likewise bowed low.

Lü Yunke hastily said, "Junior brother and junior sister, please rise quickly! There is no need for such formality! As for the duel, it merely cost me a little physical effort! The aspirations and righteous deeds of the junior brothers of the Awakening Hall have always been deeply admired and revered by us, the Eight Friends of Taoyuan! If we can be of even the slightest assistance, it is the greatest glory for the Eight Friends of Taoyuan. You need not offer thanks!" He reached out to gently help Zhang Shaohua up.

Zhang Shaohua said, "I have already sent word to Senior Brother Zhou, and he is aware of the situation. However, he is currently still in the Thunder Roc Pavilion and cannot spare the time to come and meet with you all in person. He asked me to convey his apologies to you, senior brothers! He will surely emerge from seclusion at the earliest possible date."

Lü Yunke smiled and said, "I have long admired Senior Brother Zhou as well! Last time by the shores of Azure Dragon Lake, circumstances were too pressing for us to converse at length, which has been a profound regret of mine. When the day comes that he emerges from seclusion, we shall meet then! Since our minds were already attuned in spirit, why should we rush for a day or two?"

Zhang Shaohua asked, "There are still five or six days until the trial at the Grand Promotion Arena. I wonder how Senior Brother Lü and the others plan to spend these coming days?"

Lü Yunke replied, "We, the Eight Friends of Taoyuan, are currently lodging at Haiguang Temple. Since the trial is five days away, we shall wait a few more days and come at the summons of you junior brothers when the time arrives. What are your thoughts on this, Junior Brother Zhang?"

Zhang Shaohua smiled. "That would be for the best. Should any urgent matter arise, I shall send someone to Haiguang Temple to invite you senior brothers! I only fear that we are disturbing your quiet cultivation, and I hope you will not hold it against us."

Tian Liang laughed, "Not at all, not at all!" After exchanging a few more casual remarks, Lü Yunke and the other Eight Friends of Taoyuan rose, bid farewell to Ye Hua and the others one by one, and took their leave.

Two days passed in this manner. Evening was already drawing near, and Liu Ruoming was keeping Ye Hua company in idle conversation. As the two of them happened to be discussing how Ye Hua had once practiced cultivation at Bishan Temple, Ye Hua's brow suddenly twitched, and he spoke in a low voice: "Junior Sister Liu, be careful! There is someone on the roof!"

Liu Ruoming gave a slight nod, her expression unchanged. She stood up, walked over to the square table, reached out to take a fine needle, and gently trimmed the wick of the oil lamp. For reasons unknown, the oil lamp suddenly gave a sharp "crack," sputtering a cluster of bean-sized lamp sparks. Liu Ruoming flicked her fingers sharply, and that cluster of lamp sparks suddenly shot forth like a thunder-driven arrow or a bolt of lightning, flying straight toward the roof!

A cold snort came from the roof, followed by a thunderous crash. A streak of silver light pierced right through the roof tiles and met the lamp spark head-on. With a muffled "bang," the lamp spark burst apart, yet the remaining momentum of the silver light carried it straight toward Liu Ruoming!

Liu Ruoming's expression shifted slightly. With a soft cry, she struck out with both palms in rapid succession, sending forth a hundred-odd palm shadows to intercept the silver light!

The figure on the roof let out a low shout and casually flicked a finger. The cluster of silver light in midair suddenly dispersed, transforming into tens of thousands of threads of light that drifted and fluttered down, enveloping both Ye Hua and Liu Ruoming. The hundred-odd palm shadows, struck by this force, were utterly dissolved and vanished into nothingness.

Ye Hua felt a shock in his heart and cried out, "Watch out!" He pushed forward slightly, intending to summon his magic sword, but instead felt a sharp pain erupt within his body, causing his inner primordial force to stagnate completely. Ye Hua could not help groaning inwardly, realizing that the restrictive spell cast by the elderly man surnamed Liu to seal the Six Crows Blood Curse in order to save him had not yet fully faded away! At this moment, he was no different from an ordinary mortal!

Liu Ruoming's face turned icy cold. With a clear, crisp cry, she demanded, "Which petty scoundrel has come here?! Why skulk about in hiding and lack the courage to show your face?" She struck out toward the empty air, and a purple-radiant object spun forth, whirling rapidly until it grew to a size of several zhang, enveloping half the small sky!

Liu Ruoming flashed to Ye Hua's side and whispered urgently, "Senior Brother Ye, you must escape first! I will hold this person off!"

The person on the roof seemed to overhear their exchange and chuckled softly, "Neither of the two of you is going to escape! And do not harbor any vain hopes that someone will come to rescue you. Heh, this place has already been sealed off by my spatial restriction! Don't you think this is simply marvelous—ha-ha?!"

Liu Ruoming glanced outward and indeed saw ripples shimmering across the window frames, with a faint layer of white light drifting over them. Her heart sank instantly: "This intruder set up an array and restriction without a sound, making all preparations beforehand. Yet we detected nothing at all—their cultivation is vastly superior to mine! What is to be done now?!" She turned her head to look at Ye Hua, only to see him smiling back at her! A strange trace of bewilderment arose in her heart: "Why is he still smiling at a time like this? Could it be he has no fear of death?! Is he truly ready to face martyrdom?!"

Even as she thought this, the purple-radiant object overhead was struck fiercely by the myriad threads of light from the adversary, causing it to press downward violently. Then, a flash of rosy light appeared, and after dropping a zhang, it barely managed to hold its ground under strain.

The person on the roof sounded slightly surprised as they said, "The 'Flowing Gold and Purple Brocade Gauze'! You actually possess an imitation of such a rare treasure! Ha-ha! Let us see how long you can sustain it!" With another casual wave of their hand, several streaks of silver radiance shot from their fingertips, slowly pressing downward.

Liu Ruoming felt the force pressing down from the 'Flowing Gold and Purple Brocade Gauze' suddenly surge, nearly cutting off her breath at the chest. She cried out anxiously, "Who on earth are you?! How dare you trespass into the Awakening Hall! And how did you know about my 'Flowing Gold and Purple Brocade Gauze'?"

With that, she rapidly formed hand seals and spat out a mouthful of energy. A pillar of green light, dragging a crystalline small sword behind it, flew out, spun gracefully, and shot toward the roof with the speed of a falling star and lightning.

The person on the roof let out a muffled grunt, struck downward with both palms, and unleashed a fierce surge of force. The crystalline small sword was obstructed, and its rosy radiance instantly flickered on and off. The figure sneered coldly, "In consideration of this Flowing Gold and Purple Brocade Gauze, if you leave now, I can spare your life! All I want is this brat's head!"

Liu Ruoming said indignantly, "In your dreams!" Formulating another incantation, she recalled the crystalline small sword from midair, and it materialized firmly in her grip.

Ye Hua said in a low voice, "Junior Sister Liu, you must leave first! I will hold him steady. Given how urgent this is and that we are within the Awakening Hall, he will certainly not dare to cause too great a commotion! Once you get outside, you can summon the senior brothers for help. Although I have lost a portion of my cultivation, I still have some confidence in my ability to stall him!"

Liu Ruoming replied resolutely, "No! Senior Brother Ye, do not try to deceive me! You cannot mobilize even a shred of your inner primordial force right now—how can you possibly stall him? Are you simply trying to send me away? Could it be that you are unwilling to die with me?!" With a sudden flash of indignation, the crystalline small sword in her hand blazed with a surge of rosy light, transforming into a massive sword several zhang long that slashed fiercely toward midair!

The figure on the roof shouted, "Stubborn and incorrigible! Since it has come to this, do not blame me!" Their figure flickered and drifted downward, then moved with eerie swiftness, transforming into several afterimages to evade the giant sword's slash.

At this moment, Ye Hua and Liu Ruoming looked over and saw that the intruder was dressed in black clothes, of medium build, and wore a black veil that concealed most of their face, making it utterly impossible to discern their identity.

Liu Ruoming demanded angrily, "Who are you?!" Yet the long sword in her hand did not pause for an instant. Channeling her inner primordial force to the fullest, she lunged straight toward the assailant.

The figure in black chuckled in a low voice, "Who am I?! I am Lord Yama himself, come to harvest your soul!" The words barely left their lips when they flashed forward, reached out with a sudden grab, and lunged directly toward Liu Ruoming's arm!