Nie Yan stealthily moved toward that direction, getting closer to Kuangfa, Yingsha, and others, but maintaining a distance of more than fifteen yards.
Kuangfa and others chatted for more than an hour, and Nie Yan could no longer wait. He activated his Vanish ability and slowly approached them, trying to overhear their conversation. For about fifteen minutes, Kuangfa and his group discussed topics related to the Cowherd Tribe.
“The boss recently issued an order—if you can’t handle Kuangzei Nie Yan, you can switch targets and instead assassinate the elites of the Cowherd Tribe, such as Bubu Die’s Bad Kid and Shili Huasha,” Kuangfa said to Yingsha.
Hearing Kuangfa’s words, Nie Yan’s expression turned slightly strange. He turned to look at Yingsha beside him, wondering how Yingsha would react. Based on Nie Yan’s past understanding of Yingsha, he sensed that Yingsha was an arrogant and self-confident person who couldn’t tolerate being considered inferior. Kuangfa’s words undoubtedly touched the most sensitive nerve of Yingsha.
Yingsha’s face was hidden beneath his hood, so his expression was indiscernible.
“I won’t go after other members of the Cowherd Tribe until I’ve killed Kuangzei Nie Yan,” Yingsha replied, his voice carrying a hint of anger.
“Do you really think you can kill Kuangzei Nie Yan? What was the outcome of the last assassination attempt?” Kuangfa sneered. His words had been sharply rebutted, and he felt extremely displeased. After all, he was the leader of an organization, while Yingsha was merely a skilled mercenary.
“I will either kill Kuangzei Nie Yan or be killed by him. As for the rest of the Cowherd Tribe, they aren’t even worthy of my attention,” Yingsha said in a harsh tone.
“What? Don’t tell me you won’t even follow the boss’s orders?” Kuangfa angrily retorted.
“I never follow anyone’s orders—not even Cao Xu! We walk different paths and thus cannot travel together.” Yingsha replied and turned to walk away.
Watching Yingsha’s retreating figure, Kuangfa sneered. What an ungrateful fellow.
Yingsha turned and exited the hall.
Observing Yingsha leave, Nie Yan pondered. It seemed that relations between Century Capital, the Mage Union, and Yingsha were not harmonious. This gave Nie Yan an opportunity to poach him. If Yingsha could accept defeat gracefully, Nie Yan could attempt to recruit him after defeating him, or even hire him if recruitment failed. If Yingsha couldn’t handle losing, Nie Yan would have him assassinate three people according to their bet. Nie Yan would choose targets like Anyi Tian Shi, prompting a complete rift between Yingsha and Century Capital or Angel Dominion. At that point, even if Nie Yan didn’t act personally, Angel Dominion and Century Capital would take care of Yingsha for him.
Nie Yan followed Yingsha from a distance, heading toward the corridor beside the main hall.
Kingsoul and Sun had already arrived; Kuangfa and Shengyan could be left to them. With Kingsoul and Sun’s abilities, there should be no failure.
His target was Yingsha!
After exiting the hall, Yingsha walked down the corridor toward the garden.
“Have you located Kuangzei Nie Yan’s position yet?” Yingsha asked in his studio’s group chat.
“Boss Yingsha, Kuangzei Nie Yan seems to have vanished suddenly. No one knows where he went,” replied a studio member named Haus.
“Kuangzei Nie Yan might be on a quest. We can’t track him for now,” another player named Suhao added.
“Keep searching until you find Kuangzei Nie Yan’s location,” Yingsha ordered. Thinking back to Kuangfa’s words earlier, he clenched his fist tightly, his veins bulging, clearly showing his inner fury. It was the first time he had ever been underestimated like this, and he felt his dignity had been trampled.
The corridor here was lined with thick stone pillars, and the ceiling was carved from silvery-white wood, creating a gorgeous and dazzling scene outside.
Yingsha walked nearly a hundred yards, appearing somewhat absent-minded. Yingsha could not be loyal to anyone, not even Cao Xu. He was an assassin with his own principles, yet also the leader of a studio where many people relied on him for their livelihood. If he continued to resist Cao Xu’s demands while focusing solely on Kuangzei Nie Yan, Cao Xu would cut off funding for the studio, causing a significant drop in their income.
He believed he was doing the right thing, upholding the honor and dignity of an assassin. Except for a few like Kuangzei Nie Yan in the Cowherd Tribe, the rest were simply not worth his effort. His sole target remained Kuangzei Nie Yan!
Nie Yan followed Yingsha from behind. After walking about a hundred yards down the corridor, he surveyed the surroundings. It was very quiet here, with few people around. It was time to act!
Since Yingsha had just had a falling out with Kuangfa, Nie Yan was certain Yingsha wouldn’t immediately report his defeat to the Mage Union. Yingsha would never want to spread the news of being assassinated by Nie Yan.
Therefore, Nie Yan could act without any restraint here!
This would be Yingsha’s graveyard!
Nie Yan examined the terrain. The corridor was wide enough to allow movement during a fight.
However, besides a direct duel, were there other methods?
Given Yingsha’s strength, it wouldn’t be easy for Nie Yan to defeat him. Rogues had many escape skills. Nie Yan needed to prevent Yingsha from using those skills to ensure a swift victory!
As Nie Yan looked up, he noticed a horizontal beam about five yards above the ground. A sudden inspiration struck him.
He had an idea!
Nie Yan quickly crossed the garden path ahead of Yingsha, activated the skill from his Ring of the Crawler, climbed a pillar, leaped, and landed on the beam, looking down at the corridor below.
Nie Yan executed all of this very secretly and carefully.
The corridor remained quiet. Normally, except during important meetings, there was rarely anyone here.
Watching Yingsha approach step by step, Nie Yan crouched slightly, like a hunter hidden in the darkness, watching Yingsha’s every move intently. Yingsha was now only about six yards away. Nie Yan deactivated some of his stealth-enhancing skills.
As Yingsha walked, he furrowed his brow, stopped, glanced around, found nothing, and took a few more steps forward. Yet the uneasy feeling persisted.
Yingsha had now reached directly beneath the beam. He felt uneasy but couldn’t identify the source.
Blood Shadow Vision!
A crimson flash passed through Yingsha’s eyes, emitting a dark red glow as he scanned the surroundings—nothing was there.
Too much thinking, Yingsha thought with a self-deprecating smile, and resumed walking forward.
Just having used Blood Shadow Vision, Yingsha’s vigilance had relaxed. With no one else around, it was his most vulnerable moment.
Yingsha continued walking forward.
Seeing this, Nie Yan’s lips curled into a cold smile. This was the moment!
As Yingsha took a few steps forward, Nie Yan suddenly extended his left hand and shot out a strand of spider silk. The silk thread shot toward Yingsha rapidly.
Yingsha felt something odd behind him but was certain it wasn’t a sharp weapon like a dagger.
As he turned his head, the thread stuck to his waist, firmly attaching to his leather armor.
Nie Yan, standing on the beam, forcefully pulled the thread with both feet planted firmly.
Before Yingsha could even look back to see what it was, a tremendous force pulled him upward, lifting him off the ground.
Turning his head, Yingsha saw a white thread and was shocked. He swung his dagger, assuming the thread would snap immediately. However, the flexible silk thread only suffered a tiny cut from his blade.
No good!
His body was suspended in the air, unable to touch the ground. At that moment, he caught sight of a figure. His heart pounded—it was Kuangzei Nie Yan! How could he be here!
Nie Yan’s cold smile reached Yingsha’s eyes, making him shudder. He understood now—he had been ambushed!
Suspended in midair, he couldn’t use any escape skills. His body swayed uncontrollably, making it impossible to determine direction.
Nie Yan swiftly delivered a stunning strike to Yingsha’s forehead, lightning-fast.
Yingsha was about to block with his dagger when suddenly a crackling sound hit his body. He immediately became paralyzed.
“Damn, I’m done,” Yingsha couldn’t help but curse. At that moment, Nie Yan’s stunning strike successfully hit Yingsha, leaving him in a daze.
Throat slash!
Nie Yan’s Zennarde sword sliced across Yingsha’s throat, splattering blood everywhere.
After finishing the attack, Nie Yan retracted the silk thread, landed gracefully, and Yingsha’s corpse crashed onto the ground.
Yingsha probably couldn’t even comprehend how he had died so easily. Using conventional methods, Nie Yan could never have killed him so effortlessly. Even if Nie Yan was stronger, Yingsha could have escaped using his escape skills. However, Nie Yan’s assassination technique was too unique, and Yingsha had been completely unprepared, falling victim instantly.
First, Nie Yan used the silk thread to lift Yingsha into the air. As Yingsha’s body was suspended and lost its sense of direction, Nie Yan immediately cast a lightning spell from his Lightning Ring. While suspended, Yingsha couldn’t use any escape skills, and without Nie Yan’s powerful abilities like Divine Arbiter, he couldn’t defend against the lightning spell. As Yingsha was paralyzed by the lightning, Nie Yan’s stunning strike landed.
The entire process was seamless. From start to finish, Yingsha didn’t even have a chance to retaliate!
Thus, within just a few seconds, he became Nie Yan’s victim.
Nie Yan glanced at Yingsha’s corpse on the ground. He had succeeded. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. He sheathed Zennarde’s sword and bent down to collect the dropped equipment from Yingsha—a piece of sub-legendary shoulder armor, its attributes unknown.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage