Chapter 46: The Wind Sweeps the Northern Yan

Chu Xiaotian was aware of the news of the Holy Academy issuing a hunting order. He frowned slightly. The most important aspect of being an assassin is the secrecy of the assassination, and such a public declaration obviously had the opposite effect. "What does the Holy Academy want to do?" Chu Xiaotian's expression turned a bit ugly, wishing he could immediately go and scold the person in charge of the Holy Academy.

"Have you identified the other party's identity?" In the location of the Holy Academy, a cold voice spoke again. "No, there's no such person throughout the entire Northern Yan." The person who went to investigate Chu Xiaotian's information came back empty-handed. After all, Chu Xiaotian had changed his appearance by now, and even those familiar with him did not recognize him.

"It seems there's only one way now, to kill him directly." The cold voice, after hearing this, fell silent for a while before slowly speaking. "Wait here for me, I'll be back soon." The owner of the cold voice emerged from the darkness. He was dressed in a black robe that covered his entire body, making it difficult to see his specific features. He was tall and emitted a bloodthirsty aura that was chilling.

Leaving these words behind, the man in the black robe turned and left the place. After several detours, the man in the black robe entered the royal palace and directly went to the Imperial Study Room where the Emperor was located.

Inside the room, a middle-aged man was standing with his hands behind his back. He had a majestic appearance, a robust physique, and emanated an emperor's aura, dominating and awe-inspiring. His dragon-like eyes had a deterring effect, seemingly real and illusory, making it difficult to discern the truth. He also emitted a faint aura of a strong person, not to be underestimated.

This man was none other than Bai Li Xuan, the Emperor of the Northern Yan.

"Little brother, you've arrived." Bai Li Xuan smiled warmly at the black-robed figure, his demeanor amiable and approachable. But everyone knew that emperors were typically ruthless, and this was merely a facade.

"Brother, regarding the one who wants the life of our royal family, I have not yet obtained specific information. So, I've decided to forcefully take down the opponent." "But I can't make this decision on my own, so I came to consult with you," said the man in the black robe respectfully to Bai Li Xuan.

"Alright, since you've made your decision, go ahead and do it. This fellow often opposes me; this time, his life will be exchanged for your plan," Bai Li Xuan nodded and then handed a list to the man in the black robe.

"Okay, brother, take care of yourself. I will leave first," the man in the black robe respectfully nodded and then turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared without a trace.

After the man in the black robe left, Emperor Bai Li Xuan's gaze shifted forward, and he softly spoke, "The time is now ripe. From today onwards, there will be no martial academies in the Northern Yan, only the royal family shall reign supreme."

"Pass down my order, inform the heads of the other martial academies that the Seven Academies Competition is to be held earlier, and invite all the deans to come to the palace for a gathering."

Emperor Bai Li Xuan issued an order. "Yes, Your Majesty!" Hearing this, a figure emerged from the shadows, respectfully responded, and then disappeared without a trace.

In a short period of time, all the deans of the seven major martial academies received this news. One by one, they sent the elite disciples from their academies to the capital, accompanied by the seven deans.

A storm was about to sweep across the entire Northern Yan. It was unknown whether, after this, any of the seven major martial academies would survive or continue to stand in the Northern Yan!

The man from the Holy Academy, after receiving information from Emperor Bai Li Xuan, returned to the Holy Academy. He immediately arranged for assassins from the Holy Academy to go and kill a minister. That night, the minister died in his home, his death a tragic one, filled with unwillingness.

This news shook the entire court, and the Emperor was furious, determined to eradicate the Holy Academy. For a time, the court was in chaos, with no one managing the state affairs. Fortunately, the imposing presence of Emperor Bai Li Xuan reassured everyone and stabilized the court.

"Send someone to seek revenge and then implement a beheading operation," the man in the black robe from the Holy Academy ordered the assassins. "Yes, Your Holiness." Upon receiving the order, a group of assassins vanished without a trace, blending into the darkness and heading toward the agreed-upon location, waiting for Chu Xiaotian's arrival.

"So soon?!" Chu Xiaotian was shocked by the efficiency of the Holy Academy. Just after the hunting order was issued, they managed to kill a minister overnight. It seemed the Holy Academy was not to be underestimated.

"Let's go." As night fell, Chu Xiaotian headed toward the agreed-upon location. Because of the assassination of a minister, Chu Xiaotian needed to pay the fee so that the Holy Academy would continue to hunt the next person.

Although the Holy Academy had a bad reputation and was denounced by everyone, their credibility was unquestionable. They recognized money, not people, and did an excellent job at that. Moreover, they never revealed the identity of the client, which is why the Holy Academy had become the number one assassin force in the Northern Yan, feared by all.

Chu Xiaotian and the Holy Academy had agreed to meet beneath a withered tree outside the imperial city. Although this place was only a few dozen miles from the imperial city, it was deserted, and the entire village was uninhabited.

"He's here!" Just as Chu Xiaotian entered the village, he felt uneasy, a sense of foreboding enveloping him. "It seems I must be cautious. I feel something might happen." Chu Xiaotian was alert, fully extending his spiritual power.

Now he had stepped into the Xuan Ling realm and reached the initial stage of a level two psychic. It was rare for anything to make him feel uneasy unless a Xuan Ling realm powerhouse was ambushing him in the dark.

"Am I overthinking it?" Chu Xiaotian spread his spiritual power, covering an area of several dozen meters, but found no danger.

"Let's go." Chu Xiaotian's heart relaxed slightly, and he quickly headed toward the withered tree in the village.

"You're here." As Chu Xiaotian arrived at the withered tree, a dark figure was there. Even under the faint moonlight, it was impossible to see his face clearly, and Chu Xiaotian's spiritual power couldn't detect the person's face or cultivation.

"Does he have a spirit tool that prevents spiritual power detection?" Sensing this, Chu Xiaotian became alert again. A simple payment didn't require such a big setup, yet a spirit tool was used.

"Here's the payment, five hundred thousand taels." Chu Xiaotian wanted to approach but was stopped and told to leave the payment and retreat fifty

 meters away. It seemed that the person didn't want Chu Xiaotian to know his identity.

Seeing that Chu Xiaotian had placed the payment on the ground, the shadowy figure checked the amount and nodded. "Whoo-whoo!"