Chapter 199
Not suddenly.
In the next moment, the box exploded.
The interior realm descended in an instant.
Pitch black, the tavern was engulfed in a thick darkness where one could not see their own hand, as if all light had vanished in an instant.
A change of day and night?
Wasn't this the signature martial art of the Evil Ming King?
A name flashed through everyone's minds.
The disciple of the Evil Ming King, ranked seventy-third on the list of assassins, the "Ten Thousand Horses Silent Blade"—Peng Keshan.
---
**Chapter 216: The Breakthrough Path of Classmate Li**
In the darkness, the murderous intent was palpable.
A blade's edge devoured all surrounding light, lunging straight for Li Mo's throat.
Trapped in the darkness felt like being ensnared in a quagmire.
At that moment, Li Mo felt an overwhelming heaviness in his body; if he were an ordinary observer in the Spirit Observation realm, he might not even be able to move a finger.
But with four Xuan Dan operating simultaneously, and the moonlight's gentle glow enveloping him, he had regained his mobility.
Yet he did not dodge, for there was no need.
Clang—
The Money Tree grew rapidly, illuminating the darkness in an instant.
As his vision cleared, he saw the strange black long knife blocked by a peculiar furnace, its owner being repelled by Elder Xue and Elder Qian, who shouted:
"Kill him first!"
Peng Keshan hadn’t come alone.
On the roof and outside the windows, black-clad figures swarmed in.
The air turned cold, as if a stream of mercury had coalesced, causing Ying Bing to conjure a long sword formed from tea water in her palm.
With a gentle motion, she unleashed hundreds of sword intents, freezing several black-clad figures into ice sculptures riddled with holes.
"So many people took the bounty?"
Li Mo swung the Chixiao Sword, slipping through the opponent's openings, piercing through both the person and their dagger.
Sun Gui and the guards he brought joined the fray.
In an instant, the large tavern was thrown into chaos.
But Li Mo remained vigilant.
From his experience, the assassins from the Drizzle Tower were not the type to fight to the death; if one strike failed, they would retreat and seek another opportunity, rather than engage in a stubborn fight.
Yet these assassins showed no intention of leaving.
Just as this thought crossed his mind—
Crash—
The floor suddenly shattered.
A chain, clawing and writhing as if alive, shot forth like a raging dragon, stirring up a tumultuous wave.
This was also an attack from the interior realm.
However, the opponent's domain had been compressed to the extreme.
It appeared weak in momentum, but its lethality was more concentrated, the aura of death almost freezing one's thoughts in an instant.
Smack—
A sudden pink fist plunged into the chaos, belonging to Shang Wu, who had been standing by without making a move.
With a single strike, she accurately grasped the chain, and then golden flames rolled back.
The moment the beautiful master made her move, the battle was already over.
The hidden assassin from the interior realm never expected that the seemingly drunken lady in palace attire would be so fierce.
The scene was somewhat brutal.
---
A few minutes later.
The tavern's furnishings, doors, and windows were all destroyed, leaving a scene of utter disarray.
The assassins from the Spirit Observation realm lay sprawled on the ground in various positions.
Only two of the Drizzle Tower's interior assassins remained, still clinging to life.
"It was just a moment of carelessness; I didn't expect you to be so prepared, but..."
The heavily injured assassin wielding the death chain, lying on the ground, looked at the encircling crowd and still spoke defiantly:
"We're just getting started, heh heh heh... Don't waste your efforts; we won't say a thing..."
"Oh, you don't plan to talk, huh?"
Shang Wu's expression remained unchanged as she delivered a punch that drove his head into his chest.
Peng Keshan fell silent for a moment, forcing out a smile that was more painful than crying: "You can ask; I'll tell you everything..."
Bang—
His head exploded.
"Ask your mother."
Shang Wu scoffed, kicking the very unpeaceful Peng Keshan out into the Yulong Lake.
He spun three and a half times in the air, the movement far from graceful, splashing water everywhere, resembling a fish being fried.
Classmate Li rated it zero points, disqualifying him from the competition.
Hopefully, Peng would reflect on this and not make such mistakes in his next life.
"Gulp..."
Sun Gui swallowed hard, standing at attention the moment the palace-dressed lady turned her gaze toward him:
"I, as a representative of Hengtong Trading Company, guarantee with the reputation of my ancestors for eighteen generations that this matter has nothing to do with me!"
"That box was originally filled with Xuanjing..."
Elders Shang Wu and Qian looked at Li Mo.
It was well-known that Classmate Li had a keen eye for people.
Li Mo sheathed the Chixiao Sword and nodded: "That's correct."
This Sun manager indeed bore him no ill will, and there was no relevant information in his recent encounters.
After clarifying, Li Mo noticed that the beautiful master seemed displeased.
Perhaps it was because... she couldn't make a profit?
Fortunately, Manager Sun was quite understanding; not only was he willing to offer compensation for mental distress, but he also promised to fully cooperate with Qingyuan Sect.
He had to take on some responsibility for this matter.
Sun Gui headed back to Hengtong Trading Company.
The tavern fell silent once more.
After tidying up a bit, everyone sat at the one intact table.
Though the storm had passed, Xue Jing still wore a frown:
"There’s only a thousand days for a thief; there’s no way to guard against a thief for a thousand days."
Qian Bufan nodded: "As long as the bounty remains, there will be no peaceful days."
"It’s not just about the bounty."
"I’m probably now considered a traitor by the Drizzle Tower."
Li Mo spoke up.
Whoever succeeded would not only receive the bounty but also additional rewards from within the Drizzle Tower.
So even with interior protection nearby, there were still those willing to take risks.
Xue Jing's expression darkened, and he sighed:
"Traitors of the Drizzle Tower will face endless pursuit until they are dead."
"I’ve never heard of anyone who managed to escape..."
"There are some."
Ying Bing suddenly spoke.
Everyone turned to look at her.
She parted her red lips:
"Achieving the seventh realm is the way."
Li Mo: "..."
That makes a lot of sense; I can't argue against it.
How many seventh realm experts are there in the world? That level, known as the Saints, if they did nothing but cause trouble for a certain faction, even the Great Yu would have a headache.
"Who can survive the Drizzle Tower's relentless pursuit and reach the seventh realm?" Xue Jing chuckled bitterly.
First of all, how many people have ever reached the seventh realm?
Let alone facing a bounty on their heads.
Ying Bing's gaze shifted to Li Mo.
She had once achieved it.
Classmate Li felt the inexplicable trust from the ice princess... she truly believed in his capabilities.
"This could be a method, though the process might take longer."
"I'm certainly not lacking in confidence; it’s just that there are always assassins knocking on my door, which is too troublesome."
"In fact, the Drizzle Tower has a weakness we can exploit."
Classmate Li, who was deep in thought, spoke earnestly.
Hmm?
Everyone looked at him in unison.
There’s a way?
"Weakness? What is it?" Ying Bing asked softly.
Li Mo slapped the table, as if his thoughts had finally clicked:
"Greed, they are driven by profit!"
"Huh? Is that really a weakness?"
Shang Wu straightened up, frowning.
"Naturally, it wouldn’t be a weakness for an ordinary person."
Li Mo smiled humbly:
"But I happen to have some assets."
No one doubted this point.
But Xue Jing stroked his beard, not quite understanding Li Mo's meaning:
"So what? That bounty is for the Saintess; you can’t just hire an assassin to kill Yin Mianmian."
"Moreover, even if the person dies, the bounty still exists."
Just like Xu Yi had killed both of his employers back then.
This was indeed something the Drizzle Tower could do.
"Elder Xue's thinking still hasn't opened up; I have an idea."
Li Mo smiled:
"I'll go to the Black Tower and hire assassins from the Drizzle Tower to protect me, right?"
Xue Jing was taken aback, leaning back slightly.
It could be... done this way?
Qian Bufan hesitated: "But don’t they only take assassination contracts..."
"Whoever kills me, they’ll kill them too; isn’t that still murder?"
Li Mo felt this made perfect sense.
The bounty for protecting himself would surely be higher than the one for killing him.
If the former was so enticing, the latter would be even more so.
At that point, within the Drizzle Tower, everyone would be on edge, turning it into a dark forest.
No one would know which bounty their companions had taken, leading to potential infighting.
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