Chapter 56: Which of You Will Go First?

"Ding!"

Waves of zither music emanated from Shen Yu's hands, and a terrifying power instantly swept through the surroundings. As the speed at which Shen Yu played the zither grew faster and faster, the surrounding assassins fell as quickly as moths to a flame, unable to even struggle for a moment.

The vast majority of them could not even get close to him; the distance of mere inches felt like the ends of the earth, and they were completely pulverized by the zither music before they could even draw near. A mist of blood filled the sky, painting a thick layer of rouge over the green hills and clear waters of this place.

The attacks of the sonic wave technique were intangible and formless, yet their power was unfathomable and difficult to resist. This was also their first time seeing such a terrifying sonic wave technique; even battle-hardened assassins could not help but feel some fear.

"An expert?" Suddenly, Shen Yu felt a terrifying killing intent flash and vanish from his side, and this sudden murderous aura gave him a start. If the person hadn't exposed a trace of killing intent, he would never have sensed it just now.

He didn't know how this person had gotten so close to him; this group of assassins really did have some tricks up their sleeves!

With a turn of his figure, Shen Yu pulled hard on the zither strings, his True Qi condensing upon them. The assassin who had rushed up was torn into pieces by the sonic waves before he could even get close.

"Bastard!" Seeing this scene, Mo Xuesheng's expression changed. Another one of the copper-medal assassins he had painstakingly cultivated had fallen. Not only that, but these assassins were all people he had spent years cultivating, and now the losses were heavy.

Since he had taken charge of the Golden Rain Tower in Tanzhou, he had never suffered such a massive loss, and Mo Xuesheng felt as if his heart were bleeding. Who could have imagined that a matter he thought was foolproof would run into such a tough nut to crack?

"Little County Magistrate!" Pointing toward the refugees in the distance, Mo Xuesheng's icy voice carried a hint of suppressed anger. "If you dare to make another move, I will kill them!"

"Ding, dong, dong!" The answer to him was not Shen Yu's submission, but a series of zither notes; that rapid and powerful zither music instantly erupted with terrifying force. The assassins surrounding the refugees were all precisely wiped out. Then, a wave of power swept across, causing those assassins who were closer to also perish completely.

"Kill, kill, kill them for me!" At this moment, Mo Xuesheng also understood Shen Yu's intentions. This little County Magistrate before him would never stop because of their threats; he wanted to eliminate everyone here, a fight to the death!

The zither music rang out incessantly, and Shen Yu wore a cold sneer. "Do you really think I'm that naive? Only by killing you all can the lives of these commoners truly be protected!"

"Bang!" Suddenly, there was a riot beneath the ground beside Shen Yu, and a figure emerged from below. The sharp blade in their hand stabbed rapidly toward the close-at-hand Shen Yu, which truly gave him a fright.

The ground here was mostly rock, yet they could drill through it? Most importantly, the opponent had arrived within three feet of him, and he hadn't sensed it at all. The unique skills of this group of assassins really could not be underestimated!

"Clang!" Being this close, Shen Yu had no time to dodge. The blade successfully struck his body but failed to pierce through completely. The opponent's expression changed drastically, and they tried to exert more force, only to find that the sharp blade in their hand could not pierce the opponent's body no matter what.

At the same time, a force of counter-shock arrived, throwing them away violently.

"Hardened Body Technique?" Suddenly, this assassin guessed that Shen Yu possessed a Hardened Body Technique. Even a blade infused with their own Inner Energy couldn't pierce him, and instead, a counter-shock force had sent them flying.

The opponent's Hardened Body was not only powerful but had also been cultivated to a considerable depth; this was what truly made one feel it was thorny.

Their sword technique was terrifyingly strong, they had this horrifying sonic wave technique, and most importantly, they actually possessed a Hardened Body Technique. With the three combined, they were a meat tank that could both attack and defend. How the hell were they supposed to fight this? What kind of person had they provoked?

"Life-Taking Heavenly String!" At this time, Shen Yu was not idle. He pulled hard on the zither strings, and an invisible force field pierced through this assassin.

Watching the opponent scramble up quickly, seemingly wanting to rush up again, Shen Yu smiled coldly. "You have already been struck by my Life-Taking Heavenly String. Let me remind you: do not use your internal energy, or you will die the moment you do!"

However, it was clear that Shen Yu's friendly reminder could not stop the opponent's footsteps. After scrambling up, they still quickly hid their figure, wanting to sneak attack just like before. As a qualified assassin, how could they let go before completing the mission?

But before they could rush up, the person shattered in mid-air, turning into a mist of blood. The miserable end made the remaining people tremble in their hearts.

"Another one!" Gritting his teeth as he looked at Shen Yu, Mo Xuesheng wished he could rush up and tear him to pieces. Of the six ace assassins under his command, only one lone seedling remained; the loss made his heart bleed.

"I already told you, you would die. If he doesn't listen to me, there's nothing I can do!" Looking at the remaining people, Shen Yu's expression remained unchanged, though his eyes inevitably held a hint of mockery. Although his internal energy was quite depleted, dealing with the few remaining should be no problem.

"Great River Hand!" With a sudden slap on the ground, Mo Xuesheng displayed his full cultivation without reservation, and the terrifying aura belonging to Innate Perfection shrouded the area. A massive rock, some ten meters long, was sent flying toward this place by Mo Xuesheng's palm.

"Bang!" The zither strings were pulled and released by Shen Yu's hand, and countless air waves struck the rock. After several hits, this massive rock was smashed into pieces. At this moment, a sword pierced out from behind the rock, arriving before Shen Yu before he could react.

In almost an instant, the opponent struck more than a dozen times, each strike aimed directly at Shen Yu's vitals. Moreover, the blade seemed to hide within the shadows, making it impossible for one to see where the blade actually was. Often, the blade would appear and slash down fiercely from places one didn't notice.

"Ink Shadow Sword, following like a shadow! As long as the opponent is alive, the sword technique never stops!" Watching his final trump card, Mo Xuesheng nodded with satisfaction. Among the six ace assassins in his hands, only this Ink Shadow Swordsman was the most terrifying.

Even when he faced them himself, he would be injured if he were the slightest bit careless. This was the ace of aces in his hands, an unstoppable sharp weapon.

"Eight Tones Piercing the Heart!" Ignoring these extremely fast sword techniques, Shen Yu relied on his Wind God Leg and Golden Bell Shield to forcibly withstand the opponent's continuous blades, while his hand pulled hard on the zither strings. Since the sword technique was terrifying, Shen Yu would just eliminate the person holding the sword.

"I advise you not to move! After eight steps, you will surely die!" Holding the zither in one hand, Shen Yu dodged the opponent's sword technique while carefully guarding against Mo Xuesheng, who was watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, not daring to relax in the slightest.

The opponent clearly did not listen to his words and continued to attack incessantly. Each sword strike was like falling rain, and their feet moved positions along with the sword technique. However, after eight steps, the person suddenly paused, and then exploded on the spot, flesh and blood flying everywhere in an instant.

"I told you not to move; why do you all never listen!" While sighing, Shen Yu looked at Mo Xuesheng, who was staring at this place, and the person who looked like a butler beside him. A faint smile appeared on his face, and his hand landed on the zither strings.

"Next, only the two of you are left. Which of you will go first?"