Lu Changsheng, accompanied by several disciples, continued to travel far and wide. However, since the day he was put on the hit list by the seven Great Demon sects, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched.
Lu Changsheng surveyed his surroundings with his Divine Sense, but he couldn’t detect the presence of any other cultivators.
“What’s going on?”
Lu Changsheng, now a ninth layer Heavenly Immortal, with keen senses, had never felt such danger before.
Could it be his imagination?
No, it didn’t seem like a mere illusion.
“Master, what’s wrong?”
Seeing Lu Changsheng halt, his disciples couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
“Nothing, let’s continue on our way.”
Lu Changsheng tried to appear nonchalant, yet he broke out in a cold sweat.
He suspected that a cultivator was secretly watching him, ready to strike at any moment.
The most frightening aspect was that Lu Changsheng couldn’t detect the other party’s presence; they seemed to have blended into the Void, beyond the reach of the Three Realms, outside the Five Elements.
Lu Changsheng’s mind raced, and he was nearly certain of three things.
First, someone was secretly trailing him.
Second, this person wasn’t a Daluo Golden Immortal. If they were, they wouldn’t need to hide and wait for an opportunity. They could have just confronted him directly and killed him.
Third, this person’s tracking skills were exceedingly high, leaving no trace, merging with the natural world.
Taking these points into account, it was likely that, after being put on the hit list by the seven Great Demon sects, a cultivator was after him for the bounty. They wanted to kill Lu Changsheng, but might not have the strength to face him head-on, so they remained hidden, waiting for the right moment.
Assassin!
A thought surfaced in Lu Changsheng’s mind.
He was being targeted by an assassin.
Having wandered the Immortal Realm for thousands of years, Lu Changsheng knew that in the Cultivation World, there existed assassin sects composed of cultivators.
These assassin sects didn’t engage in productive work but specialized in killing wanted cultivators to acquire resources for cultivation.
To prevent retaliation, assassin sects either moved unpredictably and mysteriously or were so powerful that they feared no revenge.
Some of the well-known assassin sects, like Eternal Night Pavilion and Asura Valley, would even dare to kill Daluo Golden Immortals.
These assassin sects were both righteous and evil; whether their target was an Elder from the Orthodox Sects, a Demon King from the demon sects, or a Demon Chief from the Demon Sect, as long as the price was right, they dared to take the job.
Of course, the assassins from these sects demanded an exorbitant price, and ordinary people couldn’t afford to hire them.
Assassins were divided into four levels: Heavenly, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. A Heavenly level assassin would even dare to kill a Daluo Golden Immortal.
If it were a Heavenly level assassin, killing him would be effortless; they wouldn’t have followed for so long.
Therefore, the assassin who was secretly tracking him was very likely an Earth level one.
“I must find a way to lure them out.”
After weighing his options, Lu Changsheng formed a plan.
Lu Changsheng and his four disciples rested in a dilapidated temple on a nearby barren mountain.
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Lu Changsheng said, “In Unparalleled City, while dueling with the Green Ox King, I had a sudden insight and decided to use this place for seclusion. You four should protect me.”
Lu Qinglian said excitedly, “Master, are you about to break through to the Half-Step Great Luo Golden Immortal realm?”
“Mm.”
Lu Changsheng was satisfied with Lu Qinglian’s inadvertent cooperation.
To deceive the hidden assassin, he had to first deceive his disciples.
Lu Changsheng began his secluded meditation in the temple, with the Purple Aura Coming from the East extending thirty thousand miles, rapidly enhancing his cultivation presence.
Lu Qinglian, Ning Qianqian, Xiao Fan, and Dugu Aotian guarded him from the east, south, west, and north directions respectively, serving as his protectors.
The female assassin who had been following Lu Changsheng continued to spy on him and his disciples from the shadows.
She observed Lu Changsheng entering seclusion in the temple and overheard his conversation with Lu Qinglian.
“He’s actually only at the ninth layer of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, and now he is trying to step into the Half-Step Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm. If he could kill the Green Ox King at the ninth layer of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, what happens once he steps into the Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm? I might not be able to kill him then.”
“But his four disciples are not easy to deal with either. If I approach while they’re protecting him, I will surely alarm them, and he’ll immediately halt his breakthrough. Should I make my move now?”
The female assassin was torn.
Assassins from the Eternal Night Pavilion prized killing with a single strike, and if they failed, they risked being killed by Lu Changsheng or allowing him to escape.
This was her first time accepting a mission to assassinate a cultivator with the combat power of a Half-Step Great Luo Golden Immortal.
Suddenly, Lu Changsheng’s rapidly ascending aura plummeted sharply.
“Pfft!”
Lu Changsheng coughed up a mouthful of blood, his expression wilted, his face as pale as gold foil.
“Master!”
Lu Qinglian sensed Lu Changsheng’s declining aura and was frantic with worry, rushing into the temple.
Ning Qianqian, Xiao Fan, and Dugu Aotian also came to check on Lu Changsheng, their faces white as sheets.
Their master’s condition suggested that he might have been overtaken by devilment during his breakthrough, not only failing to progress but possibly even suffering a great loss in his cultivation level or a drop in realm.
Lu Changsheng looked haggard but forced himself to speak, “I’m fine; I just failed to impact the Half-Step Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm. I need to enter seclusion for a while to recover my cultivation.”
“But Master…”
“You can’t help me with this, go outside.”
“Yes…”
Unsure why their master was so stern all of a sudden, the four disciples indeed had no way to help Lu Changsheng recover his cultivation.
But the female assassin observing from the shadows felt a surge of elation.
The very target of her assassination mission had succumbed to devilment during his breakthrough!
Lu Changsheng’s aura had fallen to the eighth layer of the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
As a Half-Step Great Luo Golden Immortal assassin, even if Lu Changsheng had four early stage Heavenly Immortal Realm disciples by his side, they wouldn’t be able to stop her.
This was the perfect opportunity to strike!
She emerged from the Void and turned into a shadowy figure, swiftly approaching the ruined temple.