Chapter 44: Assassination, Eight People, Eight Cranes, Golden Stone Platform!

Sitting on the back of the seven‑headed celestial crane were Xu Yueer, Nan Beibei, Yu Er, Yan Xiaoyu and the other women who had gone separate ways with Chen Zheng.

What surprised Chen Zheng was that hadn't the eight women gone to the underground world of the Great Li Dynasty?

Why would they appear here?

"Junior Brother Chen!"

Xu Yueer, who was riding a celestial crane together with Nan Beibei, also saw Chen Zheng, and a look of delight flashed across her pretty face.

Originally, Chen Zheng had been venturing alone in this dangerous underground world, and she was a bit worried.

After all, Chen Zheng was only at Physical Body Ninth Layer; if he encountered monsters like Flying Yaksha or other Demonic Path disciples, danger would be inevitable.

Now that she saw Chen Zheng safe and sound, she felt relieved.

Only…

The seven‑headed celestial crane quickly flew over and landed on the ground beside Chen Zheng.

Xu Yueer blinked her big eyes, examined the skull‑patterned crimson robe on Chen Zheng, and asked with suspicion, "Junior Brother Chen, why are you wearing the Blood Shadow Demon Sect's robes?"

Not only her, but Nan Beibei and the other women also wore puzzled expressions, scanning Chen Zheng's crimson robe from head to toe.

Chen Zheng replied casually, "Found it."

He naturally wouldn't tell Xu Yueer that he was conveniently masquerading as a Blood Shadow Demon Sect disciple, which is why he wore the Blood Flame Crown Prince's robes.

Whether the women believed him or not was none of his business.

"Found it?"

The women were speechless for a moment.

Where could one pick up clothing from a major Demonic Path sect?

"By the way, how did you end up here?" Chen Zheng casually changed the subject.

Xu Yueer didn't dwell on the clothing issue, and gave a wry smile, "Over there, disciples of the Taiyi Gate, Star Gate, Primordial Demon Sect and other righteous and demonic factions are everywhere. They're in a chaotic battle, with many cultivators wielding divine techniques, causing mountains to crumble and the earth to split. We couldn't stay there, so we came here and will return to our sect through this fissure."

She pointed to several black bone spikes hanging on her celestial crane and laughed, "You haven't caught a Flying Yaksha yet, have you? I've already hunted many; these are bone spikes taken from a Flying Yaksha's body. When we return to the sect, I'll give you one, and you can present it as proof to the Elder."

Their mission this time, though ordered by Jin Rilie to search for Bai Haichan's trace, also had another Elder say that slaying a single Flying Yaksha would likewise earn a slot in the inner sect assessment.

"Yueer, how can you give the bone spikes we worked hard for to someone else?" Before Chen Zheng could speak, Yu Er was already displeased.

The other women also looked at Xu Yueer with resentful eyes.

Earlier, Chen Zheng had abruptly left the group, which already displeased the women; now Xu Yueer wanted to give the hard‑won bone spikes to Chen Zheng for free, naturally inciting further resentment.

"A bunch of short‑sighted women, how could they know Brother Chen's terror?"

Xiao Hezi glanced at Yu Er and the other women, his crane eyes full of disdain.

These foolish women are upset over a few bone spikes, even if they cultivate for a lifetime…

No, even cultivating for ten lifetimes, it would still be like this.

They will never achieve divine power!

But Xu Yueer, she will surely become a great talent in the future.

"Our…"

"I don't need it."

Xu Yueer, in a hurry to reason with the women that there were extra bone spikes and offering a favor was harmless, was cut off by Chen Zheng's dismissive wave.

If Xu Yueer weren't such a decent person, he would have simply ignored the other women.

Moreover, when he previously killed the Chi Dragon, he had already extracted a bone spike from its body and placed it in a chaotic space.

The Chi Dragon is an Asura above the Flying Yaksha; bringing its bone spike back to the Elder would easily secure qualification for the inner sect assessment.

"Yueer, this item…"

Chen Zheng was about to draw a flying sword to give to Xu Yueer and then return to the sect, when he seemed to sense something, raised an eyebrow, and turned his gaze toward the distance.

Whoosh!

In his line of sight, a jet‑black long sword sliced through the air, hurtling like a meteor from the heavens, covering several li in an instant.

Between the star‑like flashes along the blade, it slashed fiercely toward his throat.

Someone far away was controlling the flying sword to assassinate Chen Zheng!

The women who saw this all turned pale.

Xu Yueer even shouted hoarsely, "It's a spiritual flying sword, Junior Brother Chen, move quickly!"

She also possessed a spiritual artifact—a guqin hanging on the celestial crane—that she had borrowed from her inner‑sect senior sister Long Xuan.

It was precisely because she had this zither that she could hunt down the powerful Flying Yaksha.

She also knew how formidable a spiritual artifact could be.

And Chen Zheng was assassinated by a spiritual artifact. Too abrupt.

She couldn't intervene in time.

Chen Zheng, hanging.

Unless he could dodge it himself.

However, contrary to Xu Yueer's and the women's expectations, Chen Zheng didn't move, his face remained completely unruffled, as if the flying sword hadn't even crossed his mind.

This made Xu Yueer's heart rise to her throat.

Even at the moment the flying sword was about to strike his throat, Chen Zheng made a move that left everyone stunned.

He lifted his right hand, pinched the sword between his two fingers, and directly clamped onto the flying sword.

"……"

The women were all stunned by his action.

This novel you to

How sharp is the flying sword?

Chen Zheng actually tried to pinch it with his fingers?

Are you crazy?

Clang!

But the next moment, the flying sword was indeed seized by Chen Zheng's two fingers, unable to budge an inch.

"Wha… what?"

Xu Yueer instantly widened his eyes.

Yu Er, Nan Beibei, Yan Xiaoyu and the other girls were all dumbfounded.

And in the darkness ten li away, a black‑robed man almost had his eyeballs bulge out.

He had originally thought that by tailing Xu Yueer and the others to find Chen Zheng, then stabbing him with his own flying sword, it would be as easy as crushing an ant, and would surely succeed.

Who would have known…

The flying sword was clamped by Chen Zheng using only two fingers?

How is that possible!

The black‑robed man only felt his head buzzing and exploding, as if ten million bolts of thunder bombarded his brain, leaving him clueless how to react.

Whoosh!

Chen Zheng wouldn't give the black‑robed man any time to react; with a flick of his finger, a straight, arrow‑like stream of qi shot out in an instant, traversed ten li, and pierced straight into his brow.

The black‑robed man died instantly.

And the arena fell into silence.

"Brother Chen, this is Zuo Lingfeng's Starlight Sword!"

Xiao Hezi stared at the flying sword Chen Zheng held between his fingers for a while, then broke the silence.

Chen Zheng asked, "Who is Zuo Lingfeng?"

Since joining the Feathered Ascension Gate, he has never held a grudge against anyone, so he didn't think the black‑robed man was his enemy, only assuming he was a murderous treasure‑seeker.

It now seems that was not the case.

Xiao Hezi flapped his wings, flew beside the black‑robed man, examined his face closely, then returned to report to Chen Zheng: "Brother Chen, that man is indeed Zuo Lingfeng; he is a henchman under the true‑line disciple Jin Shitai of our sect."

"Jin Shitai?"

A murderous glint flashed in Chen Zheng's eyes.

Why would Jin Shitai want to kill me?

Could it be because of Fang Qingxue?

It must be so.

It seems that once I advance my divine ability, the first person I must slay is that Jin Shitai.

"Yueer, you take this sword; I'm leaving first, see you inside the sect."

With another enemy added, Chen Zheng's desire to advance his divine ability grew even more urgent; he placed the Starlight Sword into Xu Yueer's hand, then rode Xiao Hezi and flew toward the opening above the crack.

Only the bewildered Xu Yueer, and the conflicted Yu Er, Nan Beibei and the other girls remained standing dumbfounded.

"Heavens! Yueer, you have received a top‑grade spirit artifact bestowed by Senior Brother Chen!"

"Senior Brother Chen turned out to be so powerful, and I—how could I be so short‑sighted!"

"Did you all see that? Senior Brother Chen's crane has several spirit artifacts hanging around its neck! He must have gifted those artifacts to the crane; we… we aren't even worthy of a mount…"

After a long while, several intertwined sighs of regret and envy rose faintly, though no one knew who they came from.

(End of Chapter)