“`
“Who goes there?!”
“`
Dugu Aotian was the first to sense the terrifying presence that had suddenly appeared, and he unsheathed the Blood Sword in an attempt to intercept the dark figure.
However, the speed of the shadow was too fast, and the cultivation technique it utilized was so elusive that it managed to bypass Dugu Aotian altogether!
“Not good!”
The four disciples felt their skin crawl as they realized that a formidable enemy had been lying in wait, choosing to strike just as Lu Changsheng was in the throes of cultivation deviation!
With their master in such a state, he was certainly incapable of stopping the attacker!
But it was already too late for the four disciples; the assailant was a Half-Step Great Luo Golden Immortal assassin who aimed for a one-hit kill and would not allow them time to react!
The female assassin drew a short sword, which shot forth like lightning as she rushed into the dilapidated temple, aiming straight for the meditating Lu Changsheng.
It was coming!
Lu Changsheng’s previously fatigued gaze suddenly became sharp, and his declining aura surged dramatically.
When the female assassin’s short sword was a mere three feet from Lu Changsheng, the Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda materialized above his head, emitting radiance in all directions. The treasure light from the nineteen layers of the pagoda blocked the short sword!
The short sword barely penetrated two feet into the treasure light, unable to advance any further.
“You…”
The female assassin, dressed in night clothes and masked with black cloth, widened her bright eyes in shock.
She had been hoodwinked!
Where was the weakness of cultivation deviation in Lu Changsheng at this moment?
The Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda was a defensive artifact, and coupled with Lu Changsheng’s preparedness, the short sword failed to break through the treasure light of the Exquisite Pagoda.
“There really was someone lurking in the shadows.”
With a thought, Lu Changsheng unleashed the Immortal Slaying Four Swords from within his body, launching them at the female assassin!
The other party was extremely proficient in tracking; most probably an assassin from the Assassin Sect. There was no personal grudge to speak of; they had come for the bounty.
Lu Changsheng showed no mercy, directly summoning the Immortal Slaying Four Swords.
As an assassin, one must be prepared for the possibility of failing the mission and being killed!
Despite the female assassin’s cultivation reaching the Half-Step Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm, and her being an assassin with rapid reactions, she was able to intercept the Immortal Slaying Four Swords with her short sword.
The collision of sacred artifacts numbed the assassin’s hand, and caught off guard, she only managed to deflect three of the Immortal Swords, but the Slaying Immortal Sword pierced her body.
The two were too close; the female assassin, believing Lu Changsheng was in a state of cultivation deviation, focused solely on her attack, aiming to end his life with a single stroke, neglecting her defense.
“Pfft!”
The female assassin was struck by the superior Immortal Slaying Sword, with its primordial ferocity wreaking havoc inside her and causing serious injury.
However, her constitution was extraordinarily dominant, and she struggled to resist the primordial ferocity of the Slaying Immortal Sword to avoid succumbing.
The female assassin clenched her teeth and continued to resist the Immortal Slaying Four Swords.
Hmm?
Lu Changsheng was somewhat surprised.
Despite being struck at such close range by the Slaying Immortal Sword, the female assassin was not critically injured.
It appeared the assassin was a special constitution genius.
[Ding, the system has identified a suitable disciple candidate for you… One has been found.]
[Ding, the disciple identified by the system is named Su Xiaoqi.]
[The system is now loading the candidate’s information.]
[Name: Su Xiaoqi]
[Race: Human]
[Talent: Body of Nothingness, Chaos Spiritual Root, Tracking Genius]
[Cultivation: Half-Step Great Luo Golden Immortal]
[Identity: Earth Level Assassin from Eternal Night Pavilion]
…
Suddenly, a notification from the Disciple Apprenticeship Simulator popped up.
The other party indeed turned out to be an assassin from the Assassin Sect, an Earth Level assassin, which nearly matched Lu Changsheng’s speculation.
Only, Lu Changsheng hadn’t expected that this female assassin would actually meet the requirements for discipleship of the Disciple Apprenticeship Simulator!
Caught in a brief moment of hesitation, Lu Changsheng pondered his options.
Lu Changsheng had always been merciless towards those who sought his life.
But this Su Xiaoqi was from the Assassin Sect, taking money to eliminate disasters for others, and it wasn’t a matter of personal vendetta.
Moreover, to accept her as a disciple would mean acquiring a Half-Step Great Luo Golden Immortal realm disciple.
A disciple with a higher cultivation realm than his own was beyond Lu Changsheng’s imagination.
A Half-Step Great Luo Golden Immortal disciple could potentially be rewarded with a superior Ultimate Treasure, with a chance of direct return of a Holy Artifact.
“`
A half-step Daluo Golden Immortal disciple could also be bestowed with fourteen-grade Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and fourteen-grade Immortal Pills.
If he performed the Power-infusing Initiation, the returned cultivation level might explode his Dantian and Qi Sea!
Lu Changsheng immediately made up his mind.
Lu Changsheng activated the Holy Fire Pillar of the Sky-Connecting Divine Artifact, eight pillars of Divine Fire soared into the sky then smashed down heavily onto the ground!
In the eight directions of the broken temple, a pillar of Divine Fire stood tall, forming a barrier, sealing the space, trapping Lu Changsheng, Lu Qinglian, Ning Qianqian, Xiao Fan, Dugu Aotian, and the female assassin within!
The female assassin’s complexion drastically changed; she realized she was trapped!
Lu Qinglian, Ning Qianqian, Xiao Fan, and Dugu Aotian, the four disciples, had already entered. The four, together with Lu Changsheng, besieged the female assassin.
Even if the female assassin was a half-step Daluo Golden Immortal, after being stabbed by the Slaying Immortal Sword, and having to split her attention to fight against Lu Changsheng, she couldn’t ignore the joint attack of the four fledgling Heavenly Immortals.
“Don’t kill her, I want her captured alive.”
Lu Changsheng transmitted a message to his four disciples as he still wanted to use the female assassin to farm for treasures and magical items, so she still had value to him.
The four disciples were surprised, not expecting their master to be so magnanimous as to plan not to kill the female assassin.
The female assassin desperately tried to escape, her mind racing to find a way out.
But trapped within the barrier of the Sky-Piercing Divine Fire Pillars and entangled by Lu Changsheng, she couldn’t break free.
“Hmph, daring to injure my master!”
Lu Qinglian’s fist, imbued with Fire Lotus True Qi, struck the female assassin’s back, and she let out a muffled grunt as if she were in considerable pain.
Even as a half-step Daluo Golden Immortal, being hit by Lu Qinglian, who possessed the Martial King Divine Physique, was clearly painful.
Especially since she was injured.
The female assassin’s aura gradually weakened as she dragged her wounded immortal body, only managing to defend passively.
If an assassin couldn’t succeed with the first strike, they would end up quite at a disadvantage.
Lu Changsheng patiently tormented the female assassin, aiming to deplete her True Qi as much as possible to prevent her from having the strength to escape.
Lu Changsheng’s way of accepting disciples was always about mutual willingness, but this time, he planned to force the other party to become his disciple.
Accepting a half-step Daluo Golden Immortal as a disciple had many benefits.
“I’ll give you ten million Immortal Stones, just let me go!”
The female assassin became anxious, quickly making an offer.
She failed to assassinate Lu Changsheng for two billion Immortal Stones and now had to pay out ten million, but compared to her life, ten million meant nothing.
She had saved up quite a few Immortal Stones rising from a Yellow Grade assassin to a Profound Level and then an Earth Level.
“Don’t even think about leaving.”
Lu Changsheng was determined to take a disciple, so what was ten million Immortal Stones to him?
Bestowing a top-quality Ultimate Treasure on a half-step Daluo Golden Immortal disciple offered the chance of returning a Holy Artifact.
One Holy Artifact, how could its value be limited to just ten million Immortal Stones?
“What price would you accept to let me go? I can offer twenty million Immortal Stones.”
The female assassin grew increasingly anxious as her True Qi rapidly drained while she was under the besiegement of Lu Changsheng and his disciples, and the situation turned more dire for her.
Lu Changsheng did not respond, continuing the attack.
Su Xiaoqi truly lived up to being a half-step Great Luo assassin genius. Even after being wounded by the Slaying Immortal Sword, she endured for quite a while before exhausting her True Qi.
Lu Changsheng extended his fingers and sealed Su Xiaoqi’s acupoints, preventing her from smoothly operating her cultivation techniques.
At that moment, Su Xiaoqi was no different from a mortal.
Unable to resist, Su Xiaoqi became a captive of Lu Changsheng.
“So master was pretending to lose control to madness, then lured out the enemy, giving us quite the fright.”
“Truly worthy of being our master.”
Xiao Fan and Dugu Aotian both heaved a sigh of relief while wholeheartedly admiring their master.
Without realizing that a half-step Daluo Golden Immortal like Su Xiaoqi was tracking them covertly, only Lu Changsheng had noticed and drew her out, even capturing her alive.
“Master, why not kill her?”
Lu Qinglian still held hostility towards Su Xiaoqi. After all, she had just attempted to kill Lu Changsheng moments ago.
“I’m keeping her for a clever use.”
Lu Changsheng knew Su Xiaoqi was extremely proficient in the art of tracking, her skills even superior to his own. The fact that Su Xiaoqi could accurately track down Lu Changsheng’s location was proof of her expertise.
Lu Changsheng hadn’t been able to find Xia Ningxue, but if he utilized Su Xiaoqi, it might be possible to find her.
A clever use?
Upon hearing that Lu Changsheng was keeping her for another purpose, Su Xiaoqi’s complexion turned pale.
Could it be that Lu Changsheng intended to torture her endlessly?
Watching Lu Changsheng approach step by step, she nervously backed away, “What, what are you planning to do?”