Chapter 665

“The old servant hasn’t asked. He only said the ancestors left in a hurry and left no message behind.”

The steward answered cautiously.

“To sneak into Zhou Tian City and assassinate a Nascent Soul cultivator, there are only a few forces in the world capable of such a feat. The Monster Domain, the Demon Domain, and the Netherworld Palace. And the most likely one is the Netherworld Palace.”

The middle-aged noblewoman calmed herself and began her analysis. She had first-hand experience with the might of the Netherworld Palace.

Back then, she had issued a bounty to assassinate Nangong Yuanwu of the Nangong Clan. Later, that old man was nearly killed within his own clan’s territory, and it was said that even now he remained gravely wounded.

From that moment, the noblewoman came to understand just how terrifying the Netherworld Palace truly was.

Now that Gongshu Lian had been assassinated, the most likely explanation was that someone had placed a bounty on his life there. Only the assassins of that place could infiltrate Zhou Tian City without a trace and strike with such precision.

Unfortunately, she was now confined to Xiaoyou Peak , forbidden from leaving. Even her many previous businesses had been taken from her hands. She no longer had the ability to commission another bounty. Otherwise, she would have certainly placed one again, to see Nangong Yuanwu finished off entirely and her beloved Yu’er avenged.

Just as the middle-aged woman was seething in silent hatred, a sudden voice echoed in her ears: “You do have some insight, recognizing that the Netherworld Palace was behind the assassination.”

“Who?!”

The unexpected voice startled her. The steward at her side turned pale and hurried to shield his mistress.

But just as he moved, a surge of killing intent swept over him. Sword qi burst forth, sharp beyond compare, as if it could cleave apart heaven and earth itself. It was irresistible.

The steward was horrified. His spiritual power had only just stirred when the sword qi pierced his brow, snuffing out his soul. He fell dead instantly.

As for the noblewoman, before she even caught a glimpse of Lu Qing’s face, she was sealed away inside the Li Huo Cauldron.

With her suppressed and contained, Lu Qing looked over at the lifeless steward. He had learned from a maid’s soul earlier that this man was equally vile and guilty. Ending him was no more than tying up a loose end.

Lu Qing collected the corpse, then allowed a strand of his divine sense to enter the cauldron. When he killed the steward, he had already sealed the surrounding space, letting not even a wisp of aura escape. For now, no one outside would notice. And Xiaoyou Peak was usually deserted, making it a safe spot for the moment.

Inside the Li Huo Cauldron, the noblewoman found herself trapped in a prison of void. The endless darkness terrified her at first, but soon she forced herself calm. As the legal wife of the Gongshu Clan’s second branch master, her cultivation was only at the mid Golden Core Realm, yet her knowledge was not shallow. She recognized that she was inside the space of a spiritual artifact.

“Not bad. As expected of the second branch’s matron—you do have some composure.”

Lu Qing’s figure appeared in the void. But the form he revealed was not his true face, rather that of a cloaked figure wearing a ghost mask.

“Since you captured me instead of killing me, you must want to speak. Then why should I panic?” she said, steadying herself further.

“Then tell me, why do you think I caught you?” Lu Qing asked, amused.

“If I’ve guessed right, you must be the mysterious expert who slew Gongshu Lian?”

“Yes. That was me.” Lu Qing did not deny it.

“You dare kill Gongshu Lian, then your cultivation is unfathomable. But the Gongshu Clan’s elders are not easy foes. With the Zhou Tian Star Formation active, even senior Nascent Soul cultivators would find it impossible to leave the city. Since you’ve entered the inner city, you must be searching for a way to escape?”

Her eyes were steady, but inside her heart was pounding. She could not imagine how this assassin had evaded so many ancestors’ senses to slip into the inner city. Trapped within a spiritual artifact, she had no way of passing word out. Her only hope was that her guess would prove correct—making her still of some use.

“So, you can help me?” Lu Qing asked calmly.

“Of course. If you wish to leave, I can help you!” she answered without hesitation. Whether true or not, survival was her only concern.

But to her dismay, Lu Qing’s eyes glinted with a mocking smile. “You are clever. But unfortunately, I did not come seeking a way out. I came specifically for you.”

“For me?”

Fear surged through her heart. She opened her mouth to speak, but a ripple of divine soul force sank into her brow. At once, endless illusions swallowed her consciousness.

Time in the illusory space flowed quickly. With only the mid Golden Core Realm, her soul willpower was far too weak to withstand Lu Qing’s soul illusion. In less than ten breaths, he had gleaned all that he sought.

Withdrawing the illusion, Lu Qing sealed her soul’s strength. He did not kill her, for she had a soul lamp in the Gongshu Clan’s ancestral shrine. If she died, her clan would know immediately. He still had one important task ahead, and if successful, he would no longer need to risk his life running endless assassination missions.

Thinking of the information he had just pried from her memory, Lu Qing’s eyes glowed with cold light. He vanished again, his aura perfectly hidden, and sped toward his target.

His destination: Hui Xing Peak.

This was one of the inner city’s largest peaks, home to the Gongshu Clan’s second branch. Qiu Rong, before being confined to Xiaoyou Peak , had lived here. Lu Qing’s purpose was none other than the second branch’s treasury.

From her memories, he learned that the Gongshu Clan had eight branches. Though most resources were controlled by the clan head, each branch still held industries of their own. The second branch was no exception. Qiu Rong herself had even possessed private industries—like the Tianji Workshop in Canglan City of the Xiao Cang Realm.

More importantly, the revenues of the second branch were partly held by her husband, the branch master, and partly stored in a treasury on Hui Xing Peak. That was Lu Qing’s goal.

Stealthily, he ascended Hui Xing Peak. Though its protective arrays were many, he had already learned their locations and keys from her memory. And with the branch master himself among those absent outside the city, the peak was practically undefended. He moved like a ghost, erasing guards and sentries as he passed.

At last, he stood before the treasury doors. His hand seals flared, pressing against the gate, and array light flickered.

Meanwhile, outside the city, the Gongshu ancestors wore grim faces. “Why can’t we find him? Old Fourth, are you certain he was still inside before the Zhou Tian Star Formation was fully sealed?”

“Of course,” replied the black-robed elder. “Father, would I lie? Less than ten breaths after he killed Seventh Brother, I arrived. In such a short time, he could not have escaped the city.”

“But we’ve searched the outer city thrice. Under the Zhou Tian Star Formation, even a Nascent Soul cultivator versed in spatial Dao would leave some trace!”

The elders were baffled, unable to imagine how the assassin had disappeared. Unless… he possessed a top-grade treasure that could conceal his aura completely?

“Father, there is one place we haven’t searched,” another elder suddenly said.

“Where?”

“The inner city. Could he have slipped inside while we were distracted?”

“Impossible!” the white-haired elder snapped. “When we left, I sensed nothing unusual. And the moment we stepped out, we sealed the inner city completely. Tell me, how could he slip past the Zhou Tian Star Formation under our very eyes?”

The elder fell silent. It did sound absurd. Yet what other explanation was there?

Their faces darkened. If they could not find the assassin, how could they avenge Seventh Brother? Such disgrace to the Gongshu Clan was intolerable.

Just then, one elder’s face twisted with fury. “Second Brother, what is it?” the white-haired elder asked sharply.

“N-nothing…”

“Nothing? Your face betrays you. Speak!”

The second branch master hesitated, then admitted bitterly: “Father, the treasury of my estate… its array has been opened. That damned woman must be causing trouble again!”

“I told you to keep her under control—wait. Didn’t you confine her to Xiaoyou Peak? How could she open the treasury?”

Realization struck the old patriarch like lightning. His eyes widened. “No! The assassin must truly be inside the inner city! Quickly, we must return!”

He darted back toward the city, the others following with heavy hearts. The thought was absurd: the assassin had slipped under their noses and infiltrated the inner city. But if not, how else could this be happening?

They raced toward the inner city, cursing the Zhou Tian Star Formation. Under its weight, space was locked down. Even Nascent Soul experts could not unleash full speed, nor use spatial teleportation. Otherwise, they would have already returned much faster.

“Damn it!” The second branch master was the most frantic. If the assassin ruined the treasures within, his loss would be immense.

Inside the treasury, Lu Qing wasted no time. He knew the array was bound to the branch master’s soul, and its opening had already alerted him. Every second counted.

Treasure light dazzled his eyes as he entered. Without pausing to inspect, he released both the Li Huo Cauldron and the Heaven and Earth One Qi Bag. The two great artifacts roared to life, sucking everything in sight.

The protective formations on the treasures could not resist. Wind howled through the vault as one after another, the riches flew into his artifacts. Within breaths, the massive treasury was stripped bare—not a single scrap left behind.

Task complete, Lu Qing transformed into a streak of sword light and shot away. Already, he could feel more than ten powerful auras rushing toward him.