Chapter 144: Assassinating Lan Er Wu Si

He waited until deep night, and Ke Lai En opened his eyes from a light nap.

"The time's about right, let's set off!"

After a slight nod, Lei Kedun stepped forward two paces, placed a hand on Ke Lai En's shoulder, and prepared to go straight through the spirit realm.

"Boom— boom—"

At that moment, the well‑guarded gate was knocked, and before Lei Kedun could open it, he heard De Si Ti Ni's voice:

"I've received a hint: if you can obtain that extremely anomalous item tonight, there will be an extra breakthrough."

Lei Kedun, who had intended to open the door, paused; he sensed that after speaking, De Si Ti Ni left the doorway.

He turned around, locked eyes with Ke Lai En for a moment, then said:

"I think I know what that anomalous item he mentioned is!"

"What is it?"

Ke Lai En asked curiously.

"Some remnants of the True Creator!"

Having said that, without waiting for Ke Lai En's reaction, Lei Kedun stepped forward two strides, reached out to grab Ke Lai En's wrist, and stepped directly into the spirit realm.

They reappeared, already arriving at Dongbailang Shipyard located at the pier.

After briefly surveying the surroundings, Lei Kedun led Ke Lai En to step into the spirit realm again, and they emerged on a nearby bell tower.

"The Black Night Church's operation doesn't seem to have started yet."

Lei Kedun surveyed the area and said.

"Hmm, let's wait a while first!" Ke Lai En nodded lightly, his emotions appearing very restrained.

Lei Kedun fell silent, his eyes faintly glowing blue‑white, and reached out to drag the shadow ahead. The shadow moved as if solid, then enveloped both of them, concealing their silhouettes, breath, and all traces of their existence.

Ke Lai En turned his head slightly to glance at Lei Kedun, and said with some surprise:

"Is this the ability of a hidden cultivator? You seem to have parsed many extraordinary abilities."

"It used to be. After I was promoted to Arcane Mentor, I adjusted this extraordinary ability, integrating some secret powers from the Black Night Path."

"During the first half of the year at sea, I caused trouble everywhere just to record more extraordinary abilities, but unfortunately, most of those pirates followed the Hunter and Sailor Paths."

Lei Kedun replied with some pride.

Ke Lai En gave a complicated look to the guy beside him whose true name was still unknown; the fellow was especially gifted at causing trouble and lightening the mood, completely ruining Ke Lai En's originally solemn demeanor.

Ke Lai En couldn't contain his curiosity and asked the question he had long wondered about:

"What's your real name? You can refuse to answer; I'm just curious about your true identity."

Lei Kedun glanced at the now serious Ke Lai En, clicked his tongue, and said:

"Lei Kedun Sos, the identity I'm using now is also mine; the only difference is that one is wanted, the other is not."

"As for my roles, I could be called a hired hand of the Knowledge Wilderness stationed at the Knowledge Church, moonlighting as a pirate on the Future Vessel and a white tower at the Tarot Society."

"You have quite a few identities! Very"

Klein let out a sigh; he had thought he had already roughly guessed the other's identity, but it turned out the other's identity was more than he had guessed.

Ke Lai En sighed; he had thought he had roughly guessed the other's roles, but the other actually had more than he guessed.

"Very... a double‑crosser?"

Lei Kedun caught the unfinished words of Ke Lai En.

He thought the other was going to lay his cards on the table and reveal his identity as a transmigrator, but he hadn't imagined how he himself had been exposed.

He thought the other would reveal the time‑traveler identity to him, but he hadn't realized how he had been exposed.

Lekton interrupted Klein's words before he could speak, gazing into the distance; a huge airship painted deep black flew toward them. The airship's propellers turned silently, making no sound.

Lei Kedun cut off Ke Lai En before he could finish speaking, staring into the distance as a massive, deep‑black painted airship flew toward them. The airship's propellers turned silently, making no sound.

"We can speak; no need to be overly nervous, I've applied some concealment."

Lei Kedun reminded the nearby Ke Lai En, whose breathing had quietly slowed, with a word.

As soon as the words fell, Lei Kedun felt Ke Lai En's breath hitch and then resume, as if nothing had happened, though his gaze at Lei Kedun carried a hint of melancholy.

Lei Kedun defended himself with a sentence:

"We'd been chatting, didn't get a chance to say, and you didn't ask these!"

Ke Lai En exhaled, his eyes fixed on the pitch‑black airship, and said:

"There's no sound; it must have been handled with an extraordinary ability, but this is a densely populated city—aren't you afraid of massive collateral damage to the surrounding citizens?"

"The Black Night Path excels at secrecy; as for collateral damage, there must be some related extraordinary ability or seal to resolve it, or perhaps it simply isn't applicable at all."

After pondering, Lei Kedun offered a reasonable conjecture.

The airship, upon approaching, began a slow descent, eventually hovering about ten meters above the ground.

Three figures dressed in black trench coats silently appeared before the brick‑red cottage where Lan Er Wu Si resided, and Ke Lai En stared intently at the leader among them.

The next moment, Ke Lai En's gaze was blocked by Lei Kedun's outstretched hand; seeing Ke Lai En turn his head, Lei Kedun withdrew his hand and said:

"Don't keep staring at them; although I've applied some concealment, it's only for us, and overly intense gazes will still alert them."

Klein nodded slightly, then continued to observe the movements ahead, but this time his gaze became gentle and casual.

Ke Lai En nodded slightly, then continued to observe the scene ahead, his gaze now softer and more casual.

"Want to see what's happening inside that house?" Lei Kedun asked aloud.

"May I?" Ke Lai En turned his head toward the youth standing beside him.

"Relax, don't resist."

Lei Kedun gave a slight nod, then his eyes radiated bright violet light, his sight piercing all barriers to witness the events occurring in the mirror world created by Seals 1–63.

He lightly tapped Ke Lai En's left shoulder with his right hand; under Ke Lai En's puzzled gaze, Lei Kedun's violet‑haloed eyes met his, and he shared the vision he saw with Ke Lai En.

"This is Real‑Time Projection 2.0, a secret technique I developed out of boredom; it allows connection through eye contact, transmitting the images in one's mind."

Lei Ke Dun stared at the brick‑red little building ahead, and through the wall's separation from the mirrored world he peered into what was happening inside.

Ke Lai En, linked by the spell, also saw in his mind the scene Lei Ke Dun was witnessing.

The goddess‑sword Sai Xi Ma's Night Sentinel squad was clashing with a "giant," but the battle looked odd: the giant's attacks were always off by a hair from the three Night Sentinels, never actually striking them.

"What a strange ability—probability or luck?"

Ke Lai En asked softly.

"Misfortune, the Black Night Path—or the Dark Path—has a sequence called the Misfortune Knight."

Lei Ke Dun gave the answer.

In the mirrored world the fight proceeded smoothly; Sai Xi Ma's bone sword pierced the blood‑soaked ground, and the "giant" that had merged into flesh and blood could only manage to form a face full of despair.

As shadows writhed around Sai Xi Ma, three extraordinary ones of the Aurora Assembly were shot dead by the Night Sentinels.

Just as Ke Lai En was about to marvel at the Night Sentinels' strength, the figure of Lan Er Wu Si appeared in his mind, calmly descending the dim staircase.

Lan Er Wu Si exchanged a few words with Sai Xi Ma, then dramatically tore off his linen undershirt, revealing deep‑red flesh and blood without skin between his chest and abdomen.

The scene in Ke Lai En's mind had been filtered by Lei Ke Dun, and it showed no trace of the True Creator's aura.

Yet he saw the glass‑like shattering of the space around Sai Xi Ma's party and the sudden disappearance of the image in his own mind.

Ke Lai En nervously looked at Lei Ke Dun beside him; the recent anomaly was clearly indicating a change.

Lei Ke Dun endured a headache and wiped away a line of blood‑tears from his eyes; as a Secret Seeker he can see more, which caused him the most severe injury among everyone present.

Deprived of Lei Ke Dun's vision, Ke Lai En could not see inside the house, but he watched the gas streetlamps in that area go out one by one.

The place turned pitch black, and a feeling that left an extremely deep impression erupted there.

It was the sensation of looking down from the essence, crushing all beings.

"Al? Are you okay?"

Ke Lai En reached out to steady the trembling Lei Ke Dun, held back his own body's and soul's shiver, and asked aloud.

After wiping away the blood‑tears, Lei Ke Dun unexpectedly found that the True Creator's aura could not affect him much.

To be precise, it could not affect his mind; his body still shivered because of it.

After a while, once he became a bit accustomed to the physical discomfort, Lei Ke Dun finally spoke:

"It's fine. Seeing the True Creator's projection, a Secret Seeker can perceive more, which caused me some injury. Fortunately I often interact with the Hidden Sage, so this level of injury is still tolerable."

"How did this happen?"

Ke Lai En felt his teeth tremble as he spoke.

In the next instant he felt the space beside him empty, turned his head, and found Al gone.

Ke Lai En furrowed his brows, instinctively believing Al had entered that brick‑red little building.

"That extremely strange artifact? An extra expansion?" Ke Lai En recalled the hint given by the mysterious elder before departure.

(End of chapter)