Beast Essence Powder

Since Ethan revived at night, the [Godly Revival Ability] also came out of cooldown at night exactly after seven days.

As soon as he received the system, Ethan didn't waste any time leaving the town, knowing that the assassin would follow him.

"You can come out now."

Ethan said in a steady voice but carried a sharp edge of defiance.

The air grew heavy as the masked man stepped out of the shadows, his presence exuding danger.

"..."

The assassin didn't speak as he silently looked at Ethan, whose face was half-covered and half-burnt.

"You want the head in my possession, right?"

Looking at the assassin, Ethan asked while maintaining his calm tone.

Since death would only make him more powerful, Ethan was no longer worried about dying. Thus, he was able to maintain a calm look even in front of his killer.

Moreover, Ethan had already figured out that the assassin didn't know he was the same person he had killed a week ago.

Hence, he decided to use that to his advantage.

"I don't know who you are, but you are going to die tonight."

Hearing Ethan's words, the assassin swore to kill Ethan because the mission he was assigned was top secret, and anyone who knew even the slightest information had to be killed.

'Only the dead keep the secrets.'

This was the motto he believed in and followed.

'Swoosh'

[Shadow Steps]

'Swish'

Ethan used his movement cultivation technique to barely dodge the incoming assassin's attack.

"I wonder what happens if your employer finds out you didn't bring the target's head?"

Despite the fact that he barely escaped the deadly strike, Ethan continued to maintain his calmness as he followed his plan to agitate the assassin.

When he successfully revived, Ethan noticed that his previous body had disappeared and hence, he guessed that the head in the assassin's possession must have vanished.

He also guessed that the assassin had a way to track him, and since no one could guess that Ethan had the ability to revive—not especially the assassin who had killed him with his own hands—he planned to exploit that advantage.

"For that, you need to stay alive."

The assassin was slightly agitated; however, he remained rational and attacked Ethan for the second time with his dagger.

'He is using [Shadow Steps]?'

At the same time, he recognized Ethan's movement technique; however, he didn't think much about it, as anyone with some money and connections could buy it.

As for the connections, the assassin wasn't too worried since the cultivator in front of him was only a Level 6 Qi Refining Cultivator.

"Do you really think I am alone, Shadow Ryu?"

Ethan scoffed at the assassin's threatening words as he used [Shadow Steps] to run away from the assassin into the depths of the Blackcloud Forest.

This time, he intentionally mentioned the assassin's name, shocking him.

'He even knows my name. I can't let him live… I can't let him live.'

If the assassin was slightly agitated earlier, now he was completely shaken. He wanted nothing more than to kill the person in front of him.

Soon, he followed Ethan into the Blackcloud Forest using Shadow Steps.

The Blackcloud Forest was a dangerous wilderness filled with many Spirit Beasts that had strength equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Realm and even the Golden Core Realm.

The most important part of Ethan's plan was to lure the assassin into the Blackcloud Forest, and he successfully did it.

'The first step of the plan is successful.'

Ethan smiled a little as everything was going smoothly, and the subsequent steps of his plan were not difficult.

"Shadow Ryu, who is your employer? If you tell me, I can give you the head."

While running away, Ethan tried to bargain with the assassin.

Although there was a three-level difference in their cultivation, within the Qi Refining Stage, the disparity in strength wasn't great.

Hence, Ethan was able to dodge and run; however, it wouldn't be long before the Spirit Essence in his Essence Pool was consumed.

All cultivators possessed an Essence Pool, a vital reservoir where they stored the Spirit Essence absorbed from nature through their cultivation techniques. The higher the cultivation level, the larger the Essence Pool became, allowing for the storage of greater quantities of Spirit Essence.

Moreover, Spirit Essence was the fuel needed to use cultivation techniques like Shadow Steps.

Since the assassin's cultivation was three levels higher than Ethan's, Ethan could not outperform him just based on Spirit Essence.

'I just have to lure him a little deeper into the Blackcloud Forest.'

Ethan pushed himself to the limit as he continued to lure the assassin into the forest.

'Swish'

'Swish'

"Do you think you can outrun me?"

As expected, it didn't take long for the assassin to catch up to Ethan, aiming to kill him in a single strike.

"I know that."

Suddenly, Ethan turned around and used his right hand to block the incoming dagger.

'Swish'

At the same time, Ethan threw a glass bottle at the assassin with his left hand.

'Puchi'

'Clang'

'Swoosh'

The assassin slashed at Ethan's right hand with lightning speed. At the same time, before he could react, the glass bottle was already too close—shattering on impact and releasing sparkling powder all over the assassin's body.

"T-this… this is Beast Essence Powder."

The assassin was shocked to realize he had been tricked, and now, it was too late for him.

The Beast Essence Powder was a special powder created using the Blood Beast Grass that could not only attract but also agitate the Spirit Beasts within a radius of one kilometer.

Ethan used four Qi Refining Pills to exchange for this Beast Essence Powder, which was quite expensive; however, Ethan didn't hesitate to buy it.

Since Ethan had lured the assassin more than a dozen kilometers into the Blackcloud Forest, there was no way for the assassin to escape without a huge fight.

'Roar'

'Hiss~'

Soon, their surroundings were filled with roars and hisses as all the Spirit Beasts within a one-kilometer radius became agitated.