Wandering Shadows

"Wait! Everybody stop!"

The man leading the group of assassins suddenly raised his fist into the air, forcing the group of bandits to halt.

A few moments later, the man approached the carriage before them and said to Wu Tianyi, "Where's the Foundation Establishment expert?"

"Foundation Establishment?" Wu Tianyi raised an eyebrow. "We don't have anyone like that here."

"Who do you think you are trying to fool, little boy? I have inspected the corpses myself. I know that there's an expert amongst you."

"Oh, you mean those bandits? I was the one who killed them." Wu Tianyi casually retrieved his sword.

"..."

The man could smell the scent of blood coming from Wu Tianyi's sword and frowned.

"Then die for me!"

The man suddenly lunged himself at Wu Tianyi, unleashing his cultivation base that was at the fourth level Foundation Establishment.

Wu Tianyi also stepped forward with his ninth level Qi Condensation cultivation base.

"Ha!"

Their swords clashed a second later, causing a strong ripple to appear.

However, neither Wu Tianyi or the bandit were pushed back after the clash.

"Impossible!"

When the other bandits witnessed a ninth level Qi Condensation Cultivator successfully block an attack from someone at the fourth level Foundation Establishment, their eyes widened with shock and filled itself with disbelief.

"I see… so you were speaking the truth."

The man suddenly jumped back and distanced himself from Wu Tianyi.

"A disciple from the Unwavering Sword Sect, huh? I could've never imagined that such a talented individual would exist in a Tier 9 Sect. You belong to at least a Tier 7 Sect."

"Is that so?" Wu Tianyi remained nonchalant.

"It'll be a pity to kill someone like you so why don't you join us? While I cannot disclose the name of our group for now, I can promise you that you'll not regret it."

The man extended his hand for Wu Tianyi with his intents crystal clear.

Wu Tianyi showed a smile and said, "You want me to join the Wandering Shadows?"

"..."

The man's eyes widened with surprise and said, "This is truly unexpected. You recognize us?"

"Of course. The assassins of the Wandering Steps have a unique way to their cultivation, after all. I can recognize any of you with a glance." Wu Tianyi nodded.

"No way! They are actually the legendary assassins from the underworld, the Wandering Shadows?!" Yan Jinxuan covered her mouth from shock and terror.

"W-Why would such a notorious group of assassins come after us?" Geng Lijuan turned to look at her and asked, "What is the Yan Family transporting that's so important to them?"

"All I know is that it is an item requested by Heaven's Justice Sect!"

"A Tier 7 Sect!" Geng Lijuan was dumbfounded.

The Wandering Shadows is a notorious group of powerful mercenaries that will do anything for money, and their connections and operations are rooted throughout the entire Continent. It would not be an exaggeration to call them one of the most powerful groups that currently exists in this world.

However, despite their influential power and countless operations, they have managed to remain in the shadows for thousands of years with their main hideout a mystery to the world.

"You… know too much for a nobody…"

The man's eyes narrowed with killing intent.

"Although I had intended to recruit you, it seems like I will have to kill you after all. However, it won't be before I make you spew everything you know about us," said the man.

"Don't be too rash in your decisions. If you kill me, even your status as a Silver Shadow will not save you," said Wu Tianyi.

[He also knows our ranking structure?! Who is this little brat?! Does he have some kind of connection with us?] The man was deeply shocked by Wu Tianyi's knowledge of the Wandering Shadows and began to ponder.

[Perhaps he's already one of us? No, that's not possible. I was unable to sense our unique cultivation method in his body when we clashed weapons.]

Wu Tianyi casually stood there with a calm expression on his face while the assassin stood there in silence.

"I will give you guys a chance to disappear from this place and tell whoever hired you guys to screw off, or you will all deeply regret it." Wu Tianyi suddenly said to them.

"Who the hell do you think you—"

Before the man could even finish his sentence, Wu Tianyi opened his mouth and said a name.

"Shi Jianqiao."

"?!?!?!?!?!?"

All three Foundation Establishment experts could feel their heart skip a beat after hearing this name. However, the assassins behind them remained unmoving, clearly unaware of the importance of this name.

"Y-Y-You bastard! How do you know that name?!" The man spoke in a trembling voice.

"Of course I would know the name of my drinking buddy." Wu Tianyi casually said.

"D-Drinking buddy?! Do you think I am a fucking chicken with no brain?!"

"Eh? You don't believe me? Then why don't I tell you about the place where we drink? It's deep within the Silent Valley, near the—"

"Stop!"

The man hastily stopped Wu Tianyi from speaking, as he was about to reveal the location of the Wandering Shadows' hideout, something only those with real status within the group would know!

"But if I don't say it, you won't believe me…" Wu Tianyi showed a troubled expression.

"I get it! I get it! I believe you!"

"Really? Then will you also leave us alone?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, the man reluctantly nodded his head. While the chances were almost zero, he did not want to risk even the slightest chance that Wu Tianyi was telling the truth. After all, this involved the Master of the Wandering Shadows, Shi Jianqiao!

"We're leaving!" The man said to his group, dumbfounding them.

They were just going to leave like this? What about the mission?

"Wait a second. Once you go back, let Shi Jianqiao know that I will be visiting her in the near future. If she doesn't have the Soul Withering Wine ready by the time I arrive, I will make her regret being born." Wu Tianyi suddenly said to them with a smile on his face.

[This motherfucker dares to disrespect our Master in such a fashion?! And does he really think I have the authority to speak with the Master of Wandering Shadows?! Only Golden Shadows and above are authorized to see her, much less speak with her!] The man cursed inwardly before disappearing with his group.

After the Wandering Shadows left the scene, Wu Tianyi returned to the carriage with a casual expression on his face, acting like nothing out of the ordinary just happened.

"T-They left just like that? Are we really safe now?" Yan Jinxuan asked him.

"Yes, and they shouldn't return anymore." Wu Tianyi nodded.

A few moments later, their group returned to the road.

An entire day has passed since Wu Tianyi drove away the Wandering Shadows, and somewhere within the Silent Valley, a middle-aged man was kowtowing on the ground, and before him were a dozen figures wearing gold and black robes, their bodies emitting a powerful aura that belonged to those in the Core Consolidation stage, an entire realm above the Foundation Establishment!

"So… you're telling me that some little brat you met during one of your missions had spoken the name of our Master? What's more, he even knew the location of our hideout?" One of the figures spoke in a calm yet cold voice.

"That's correct, Esteemed Elder."

The people before the middle-aged man were all figures with extremely high standings within the entire Wandering Shadows, and they are comparable to Elders within a Sect.

"If what you said is indeed true, then why have you returned alone? There's an unknown individual out there with information that could put our entire organization at risk, yet you allowed him to escape?! What kind of brain do you have as a Silver Shadow?!"

One of the Elders suddenly slammed his fist into a table, causing the entire place to shake.

"B-But he claimed that he knew our Master! If what he said was true and I forced him here, that would be akin to offending the Master!" The middle-aged man said, fearing for his life.

"What he says has some logic to it," said another figure within the room. "I wouldn't want to offend the Master even if the chances were slim to none."

The Elders began talking back and forth, giving their opinions on the situation.

After a few minutes of conversation, a new voice suddenly resounded in the room, and it belonged to that of a woman.

"This is an interesting conversation that you guys are having. Why don't you let me in on the fun?"

A tall and alluring figure with an extremely beautiful face suddenly walked into the room. However, what was most impressive about this beauty was her aura that far exceeded the Elders at the Core Consolidation realm. She was at the Heavenly Enlightenment realm, which is considered to be the peak of cultivation in this Continent.

The room instantly turned silent before the presence of this beautiful woman.

"This disciple greets Master!"

All twelve Elders immediately stood up and bowed to the beautiful woman with deep respect.

[T-This is the Master?! This is the first time I've seen her face in my ten years of service with the Wandering Shadows!] The middle-aged man also kowtowed to her with his heart beating like war drums.

The beautiful woman ignored all of them and calmly walked past them to reach her seat in the middle of the room.

"Now then, why don't you tell me more about this young man?" she said to the middle-aged man with eyes of interest.