Chapter 214: Shadows of Assassins

"Is it over?"

The thought echoed in the minds of every being on Viet Dragon Star, their faces still shrouded in terror.

Two cataclysmic events had shaken Western Hai Zhou, leaving millions of creatures reduced to dust. The ocean roared, spatial cracks scarred the void, and the heavens lay in ruins. Restoring the former tranquility would take eons.

The appearance of an Immortal Realm powerhouse was beyond comprehension. Many still knelt, awestruck. On a world that revered strength, where Transcending Tribulation cultivators held supreme status, the emergence of an Immortal King inspired worship. Yet none knew a young man had sparked it all.

Lan An cared little for their ignorance. The Heavenly Dao had brought this upon itself. He cultivated the Immortal Derivation Scripture, not as a world-destroying fiend or a sin-laden villain. Why did it target him, seeking his death without cause?

If he perished, what would become of his beloved wives? Ji Ya, Su Mai, and Little Lion, bound by life-death contracts, would die with him. Lan An dismissed the so-called cosmic rules. If the heavens wanted him dead, he wouldn't waste effort safeguarding them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Countless renowned Hai Zhou cultivators arrived, hovering to inspect the site of the Eye's appearance, seeking the cause. Lan An donned his Tearless Mask, blending into the crowd, feigning curiosity to avoid suspicion.

"No worries," Jin Ni sneered. "If an Immortal King couldn't detect you, these ants stand no chance."

Lan An nodded. With the Eye gone, slumbering for ages to recover, he had time to grow without fear of the Five-Colored Thunder Tribulation. His spiritual cultivation had reached Late Spirit Transformation, his physical cultivation Early Fifth Revolution. Yet resisting the Five-Colored Thunder was a pipe dream. The Body-Reconstructing Herb only restored his body, not enhanced it. His physical gains came from enduring early thunderbolts and one Tri-Colored bolt after forming the Thunder Cauldron.

The Tri-Colored bolt that obliterated their upper bodies had nearly killed them using it to boost physical cultivation was impossible in that crisis. His physical cultivation, previously Late Fourth Revolution after refining Anomalous Fire with Qin Meng Ying, lagged behind his Peak Nascent Soul spiritual cultivation. Little Lion, as a beast, naturally cultivated her physique, now rivaling Fifth Revolution after the tribulation. Both had made staggering progress in spiritual and physical cultivation, but his soul cultivation remained stagnant at Late Nascent Soul.

Seeing the crowd focused on the scene, Lan An slipped away to find Ji Ya.

Suddenly, space twisted beside him, a sharp dagger slicing toward his throat.

"Your life's tenacious… Spirit Fist!" Lan An sneered, two Anomalous Flames erupting, enveloping his fist in blazing might.

Boom! The assassin's wrist shook, flames burning through his spiritual defenses, sending him skidding through the air.

Lan An retreated dozens of steps, steadying himself without spitting blood or tumbling as before.

"How?" The assassin gasped, stunned by Lan An's newfound strength, forcing him back.

His figure melted into space, vanishing in an instant.

Lan An's white eye scanned intensely, hoping to catch the assassin's trail, but only spatial ripples remained. Last time, in the teleportation array, the assassin suppressed his cultivation to Spirit Transformation, making him detectable. Now, at Refining Void, fleeing desperately, he was elusive.

"Damn Seven Kills Sect, persistent as ghosts," Lan An muttered, recognizing the assassin as Lian from the sect.

The assassin had survived the bomb explosion and tracked him again. With his current strength, Lan An was confident he could thrash Lian in a fair fight, but a Refining Void cultivator escaping through space was beyond his reach. Purple Heart Space-Burning Flame could burn space, but only if the foe lingered nearby, as with Dark Li's ambush. Lian, striking and fleeing instantly, was untouchable.

Lan An sighed. "I need to cultivate Void Gate soon."

Void Gate granted control over the void, preventing Refining Void foes from escaping. Realizing the Tearless Mask's limited use, he stored it, planning to sell it through Treasure Pavilion.

While he couldn't pursue Lian, Little Lion could. Her figure vanished into space.

Lan An continued onward, unfazed.

"Husband!" A breathtaking beauty threw herself into his arms.

"My treasure, I worried you," Lan An smiled, embracing her soft, fragrant form.

Ji Ya inhaled his scent, her world brightening at their reunion. Still disguised as Bai Su Mai for safety amid Heavenly Secret Palace's spies, she clung to him.

Lan An kissed her forehead, wrapping her waist tightly. They descended to a deserted island's peak.

"Husband, your eye? Your cultivation?" Ji Ya gasped, examining him, shocked to her core.

"Sought opportunity in peril and succeeded," Lan An said, stroking her hair, his smile carefree.

Ji Ya was speechless. Though accustomed to his heaven-defying feats, his progress was staggering. Sensing her thoughts, he chuckled, "I want to protect you all with my own hands, not let you risk battle. I'm still too weak."

Her heart softened, yearning to merge with him. She studied his features: untamed black hair tied loosely, a sharp nose, heroic brows, one black and one white eye exuding roguish charm, thin lips curled defiantly, and a physique honed by body cultivation. The more she looked, the more she approved.

"Handsome as ever," she teased. "How many more sisters will you find us?"

Lan An laughed, his restored black eye unremarkable but better than being the one-eyed dragon Yan Ruo Xue once mocked. "Did you see the Immortal Kings' battle?"

Ji Ya nodded gravely. Their world-shattering clash, merely a skirmish without their true forms, awed her.

"The path to strength is long," Lan An said earnestly. "I want you all by my side, husband and wives striving together."

"As long as you don't betray us, we'd follow you to hell without regret," Ji Ya murmured, kissing him.

He met her lips passionately, their tongues entwining, each cherishing the other more than life itself. Lan An's heart ached—she hid her true face for safety, a sacrifice fueling his resolve to crush Ji Shao Huang.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Purple lightning roared. The Western beauty, Little Lion, appeared, dragging a charred, bald youth Lian, subdued without her using Tri-Colored Thunder. Her speed outmatched his.

Ji Ya gasped, inspecting Little Lion. "Little Lion?"

"We both advanced," Lan An explained, grinning.

"Sister Ji Ya," Little Lion smirked, confident she could now rival Ji Ya and protect their master.

Lan An let them chat, kicking the limp youth. "Hey, alive?"

Lian groaned, unable to speak.

"He tried poison to suicide," Little Lion said. "I blasted his mouth with purple thunder. He's mute now."

Lan An's lips twitched. Lian's spiritual power was sealed, his lips and tongue destroyed. A professional assassin, he'd tried to end himself upon capture.

"Unseal enough spiritual power for him to transmit sound," Lan An instructed.

"Is that Le Wen Lian, Earth Fiend?" Ji Ya exclaimed, recognizing the assassin with her past connections.

"Rank 68 on the Golden Ranking?" Lan An's eyes widened. He'd known him as Lian, not the infamous Earth Fiend.

"My Lioness is a new star on the Golden Ranking," he praised, giving her a thumbs-up.

Little Lion giggled, releasing a spark of thunder to unseal Lian's cultivation to Foundation Establishment.

"Kill me if you dare," Lian transmitted venomously. "I'll never talk."

As a Seven Kills Sect assassin, he followed their creed: strike once, flee if failed, and await the next chance. Experienced, he'd fled instantly after failing, only to be chased by Little Lion's terrifying purple thunder, overpowering his darkness.

"Who in Wu Yuan Continent hired the Seven Kills Sect to hunt me?" Lan An demanded, suspecting the Fire Monkey Clan, Earth Wolf Clan, or Bat Clan.

Lian spat disdainfully. "Think I'd tell you, Lian?"

"Interesting," Lan An sneered, his White Moon Soul-Seizing Eye flaring. "Soul Chains."

A chilling voice echoed as a translucent chain shot from his brow, piercing Lian's forehead.

"Aaah!" Lian's scream was agonizing, his soul bound and yanked from his body.

"Soul cultivator? I'm done," he thought, despairing.

But his soul returned, unharmed. Before relief set in, Lan An grinned wickedly.

"Aaaah!" Lian writhed, his soul tormented as if by countless ants, his body convulsing like a dying dog.

"Not so fearless now?" Lan An mocked. "Thought Earth Fiend was cold-blooded?"

"What did you do?" Lian gasped, pain subsiding.

"Your soul's origin is mine," Lan An said calmly. "You're my slave now. One thought, and you die—or suffer worse."

Ji Ya and Little Lion massaged his shoulders gently.

"Soul cultivator? From Heavenly Secret Palace?" Lian asked, terrified. "If so, my loss isn't shameful."

"Call me master," Lan An snapped, triggering agony.

"Aaah! Master, I was wrong," Lian panted, collapsing.

"Who hired you? What's the price?" Lan An pressed.

"I don't know," Lian said honestly, offering a hide. "The order came from Wu Yuan Continent's Mission Hall. I collect rewards after completion."

Lan An examined the hide, finding his portrait, the Wu Yuan origin, and a bounty of 100,000 top-grade spirit stones—enough for a powerful Heaven-grade treasure. No further clues.

"Damn it!" Lan An roared, stomping the hide.

"Calm down, husband," Ji Ya and Little Lion soothed, assuming his anger stemmed from the lack of leads.

Lan An huffed, "Those Wu Yuan bastards are so poor they couldn't offer a higher bounty?"

The trio froze, dumbfounded.