Chapter 624: Having Killed Too Many, I've Gone Numb

Lin Yuan quickened his steps, his form like a ghost relentlessly pursuing.

Lin Yuan's gaze… locked firmly onto the black shadow's trail ahead.

At the same time, Lin Yuan channeled power into his fingertips; three Silver Needles were already primed and ready.

In the narrow stairwell… the airflow surged violently; as the two darted back and forth, their sleeves fluttered loudly.

The sense of urgency in the pursuit grew ever stronger.

Taking advantage of the moment when the black shadow pushed off the wall and hung briefly in midair…

Lin Yuan snapped his wrist, and a Silver Needle shot out, wrapped with the force of a thousand jun!

The Silver Needle tore through the air, and due to extreme speed and violent friction with the airflow, it emitted a low, dragon-like hum.

The sharp, piercing Silver Needle headed straight for the black shadow's vital point behind the heart.

The black shadow sensed the deadly killing intent behind him, pupils constricting; in a hurried motion he waved his dagger to block, but it was already too late to fully avoid.

"Pfft—!"

The Silver Needle, accurately striking the black shadow's chest, though slightly deflected by the dagger, still pierced the fabric and entered the flesh.

The black shadow's whole body jerked stiff, as if hit by an immobilization technique; his body instantly lost control, and he could no longer maintain his lightness skill posture.

The black shadow crashed heavily onto the steps, his limbs stiff and twitching, unable even to rise.

Lin Yuan seized the moment to leap forward, not waiting for the black shadow to struggle, his fingertips launched several more Silver Needles!

The Silver Needles precisely struck several major acupoints all over his body.

"Ugh—!"

The black shadow let out a shrill, miserable howl, his meridians feeling as if scorched by fierce fire and yet frozen by icy cold…

That sensation of stagnant qi and blood, with sore, swollen flesh and bones, made him break out in a cold sweat that soaked his clothes, curling up on the steps, unable to move.

Lin Yuan bent down, grabbed the black shadow's collar in one hand, and hauled him up roughly, his eyes icy cold like a blade.

Only then did Lin Yuan get a clear look at the black shadow's face.

He was a man in his forties.

However, this middle-aged man was a stranger to him, his face bearing a ferocious scar; obviously, he too was a seasoned killer of the martial world.

Lin Yuan seized the man's throat and demanded in a cold voice: "Speak! Who are you? Why are you lurking here, secretly watching me?"

Lin Yuan pressed a Silver Needle against the man's forehead death point; if the man hid anything, he would instantly suffer a lethal blow.

The middle-aged man, his acupoints sealed, was wracked with excruciating pain he could barely endure, yet he gritted his teeth and refused to speak, a flash of ruthlessness and resolve crossing his eyes…

Seeing this, Lin Yuan exerted a little more pressure with his fingertips, and the Silver Needle shot straight into one of the man's acupoints!

The middle-aged man instantly felt the pain double, as if thousands of steel needles were threading through his meridians, and he could no longer hold back the resolve deep inside!

"Ugh—!" the middle-aged man wailed in anguish…

"I… I am a member of the Blood Shadow Pavilion!" the middle-aged man's voice hoarse, laced with pain and unwillingness he could not conceal, and at last he spoke…

Blood Shadow Pavilion? Hearing that name, Lin Yuan frowned.

He had never heard of that sect's name.

Although Lin Yuan was an inheritor of ancient martial arts, he had never entered the martial world, so his knowledge of the sects therein was limited.

Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly, and a chill instantly surged around his body.

Lin Yuan pressed harder with his fingertips, driving the Silver Needle further into the man's acupoint.

Lin Yuan's tone icy: "Blood Shadow Pavilion, what sect are you? What is your purpose in tailing me?"

The middle-aged man writhed in pain, his voice growing hoarser.

The middle-aged man trembled: "We… we, the Blood Shadow Pavilion, are an assassin sect of the martial world, whose foundation is cultivating ancient martial assassins, making a living by taking on assassination contracts domestically and abroad…"

The black shadow paused, his breath weak, and added: "This time the Thunder Tiger Sect's destruction caused too great a stir; the Pavilion Master saw that the enemy could annihilate an entire sect single-handedly, judged him a top expert, and thus sent us in multiple batches to infiltrate Hangcheng to investigate. I just ran into you using Silver Needles to easily dispatch the mercenaries, recognized your concealed-weapon technique as far beyond ordinary, and so secretly followed you."

Lin Yuan heard this, his pupils constricting.

"So, what is your purpose in tailing me?" Lin Yuan demanded coldly!

"The Pavilion Master means… he wants to recruit you." The black shadow's voice carried a hint of apprehension: "Your precise, ruthless concealed-weapon skill is exactly the top-tier assassin we, the Blood Shadow Pavilion, most need. If you agree to join, the Pavilion will not only bestow upon you endless wealth, but also provide lost ancient martial secret manuals to elevate your abilities even further."

After hearing this, Lin Yuan's mouth curled into a cold sneer, the killing intent in his eyes undiminished.

Recruiting him as an assassin? Pure fantasy!

Lin Yuan twirled his fingertips, sinking the Silver Needle a bit deeper, his tone full of mockery and resolve: "Just by you, Blood Shadow Pavilion, do you think you're worthy of letting me join?"

The middle-aged man was awed by Lin Yuan's aura, yet he knew deep down… falling into Lin Yuan's hands meant certain death…

A flash of ruthlessness suddenly crossed the middle-aged man's eyes…

The middle-aged man… actually, taking advantage of the moment when the acupoint seal loosened, suddenly launched an attack!

The middle-aged man's left hand slapped hard at Lin Yuan's wrist pressing against his forehead, while his right hand simultaneously reached for the concealed dagger at his waist; a cold light flashed, and the dagger thrust straight for Lin Yuan's vital chest.

The middle-aged man's move was vicious and decisive, fully revealing his assassin nature.

Lin Yuan had anticipated this; he lightly turned his wrist, evading the slap while sidestepping, the dagger grazing his collar and scraping off a thread of fabric.

But taking advantage of the opening as Lin Yuan blocked and dodged…

Knowing he could not inflict serious damage, the middle-aged man immediately discarded his dagger and fled, turning to sprint down the stairwell, merely wishing to escape this demonic man as quickly as possible.

"Trying to run?" Lin Yuan barked coldly.

Lin Yuan's fingertips already held three Silver Needles ready; he snapped his wrist upward, and the needles shot out like arrows from a bow, piercing the middle-aged man's nape with perfect accuracy.

The middle-aged man's fleeing form instantly stiffened…

He clutched his bleeding neck with both hands, blood spurting wildly between his fingers, staining the steps before him red.

The middle-aged man struggled to turn his body, his eyes filled with disbelief and unwillingness…

The middle-aged man's lips trembled… he wanted to say something, but could only emit a hoarse "huh-huh" of escaping air…

The middle-aged man's body swayed, then he collapsed heavily onto his knees on the ground…

Finally, the middle-aged man's head tilted, and he breathed his last; the Silver Needle at his neck still trembled slightly.

Lin Yuan walked forward slowly, coldly staring at the corpse lying in the pool of blood, his eyes icy and unreadable.

This was already who-knows-how-many times Lin Yuan had killed this month.

To conceal the Ghost Doctor Sect's secret, Lin Yuan… had no choice but to silence them.

Anyone who knew his identity or probed his cultivation technique must die!

This was a rule his grandfather had set down many years ago.

Since the people of the Blood Shadow Pavilion had come knocking, they could only face a dead end.

Lin Yuan bent down… pulled out the Silver Needle from the black shadow's neck, casually wiped off the blood on it, then kicked the corpse to confirm the other party was completely dead.

Lin Yuan turned around and returned to the rooftop.

He bent down, carefully cleaning up the traces left at the scene.

The charred remains and splattered blood spots were each cleaned up.

Even the traces left by the Silver Needle were wiped away by him, and he deliberately erased the footprints as well.

Lin Yuan made sure… not to leave any clues pointing to himself.

Once the rooftop had returned to nothing but the mess left after the explosion, he then hurried back to the street via Fire escape stairwell.

The fire on the street dwindled, and the burning vehicles still trailed thin black smoke.

Scattered corpses and shell casings littered the road.

Lin Yuan moved through the chaos, efficiently cleaning up.

He removed the Silver Needle from the corpses and wiped away any traces he had touched.

He neatly stored the weapons and miscellaneous items of the Black Wolf Mercenary Group, staging it to look like an internal clash among mercenaries that had been wiped out.

Lin Yuan's movements were precise and calm, as if he were handling a completely ordinary trivial matter.

Fortunately, this street area was in the suburbs, with no one around, so nobody witnessed this.

Now, Lin Yuan's ruthlessness in handling matters has become so great that even he himself is afraid.

Since he opened the killing ring to protect the Ghost Doctor Sect's secret, he has been unable to stop.

Lin Yuan also became increasingly ruthless.

Having killed too many, he had long since become numb.

Lin Yuan confirmed that no trace of himself remained at the scene, then he opened the Tesla's car door and drove away.

Lin Yuan drove away while his fingertips dialed Mu Lingxue's number.

The moment the call connected, Lin Yuan's voice was calm and waveless, giving no hint of the turmoil he had just experienced in a life-and-death battle.

"Qian Renhao sent overseas mercenaries to assassinate me," Lin Yuan said, leaning against the cold wall, pressing his hand to his shoulder wound, his tone calm, "I've dealt with all the assassins, I've cleaned up the scene, leaving no trace of myself."

On the other end of the line, Mu Lingxue was in a meeting; hearing this, she froze instantly?

Mu Lingxue's voice was full of anxiety and shock: "What? Qian Renhao actually dared to hire mercenaries to strike? Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

In the phone call, Mu Lingxue's relentless questioning hid barely concealed worry.

Lin Yuan brushed off his injury lightly: "I'm fine, just a minor wound."

Mu Lingxue fell silent for a moment, forcibly suppressing the shock and worry in her heart; Mu Lingxue said solemnly: "Rest assured, leave it to me. I will immediately dispatch a team to take over the crime scene, fabricate the scene record, and define the case as a mercenary arson, ensuring nothing can be traced back to you."

"Thank you." Lin Yuan's voice softened a bit.

In those two words lay his gratitude for Mu Lingxue's unconditional trust.

Mu Lingxue then changed tone, her voice turning grave: "By the way, have you found any evidence that Qian Renhao hired assassins? He sent mercenaries to kill you, which is already a serious crime; I will immediately send the major crimes squad to the Qian Family to arrest him and bring him to justice."

"For now, there's no solid evidence." Lin Yuan's tone suddenly turned cold, a flicker of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes, "Don't move against him for now; my grudge with Qian Renhao, I'll settle it myself."

Mu Lingxue's heart tightened, and she hurriedly advised: "Lin Yuan, don't act recklessly! This is a society ruled by law; everything has legal sanctions; you cannot use extreme measures, or else you'll only put yourself in a passive position."

She knew Lin Yuan's temperament too well; once he made up his mind, not even ten horses could pull him back.

But she did not want to see him… cross the legal red line for the sake of revenge.

Lin Yuan's fingers gripping the phone tightened slightly, his voice icy: "Reasoning with lawless criminals is useless; we can only fight fire with fire."

As soon as his words fell, without waiting for Mu Lingxue to persuade further, Lin Yuan directly pressed the hang‑up button…

He slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Killing intent surged in Lin Yuan's eyes…

Since Qian Renhao dared to send killers, he must… pay the price!