Lust Demon followed that flickering golden figure, stepping inch by inch into the remote No. 2 Mine.
In the gloom, his breathing suddenly seized, and his pupils constricted from intense excitement.
The mine was not entirely dark.
A beam of sunlight slanted down from a jagged rock crevice above.
It cast a clear pillar of light into the dim mine, with dust motes drifting slowly within the beam.
Right at the edge of that pillar of light, atop a smooth, massive stone...
Holy Saintess Eve sat quietly.
Her posture was upright yet relaxed, as if she were not in a peril-laden mine tunnel, but rather sitting in the prayer room of the Temple of Light.
Those purple eyes, which seemed to contain stars and oceans, were gently closed.
Her long, thick eyelashes cast faint shadows on her eyelids.
Her hands were folded naturally upon her lap, her fingertips glowing with a faint, soft light.
Her entire being seemed enveloped in an invisible, holy aura.
It formed a stark contrast with the dark, decaying environment around her.
She was like a pure white snow lotus blooming in the mud.
Fragile, yet breathtakingly beautiful.
This extreme holiness and beauty acted like a violent surge of electricity.
It instantly pierced through the heart Lust Demon had long since let grow numb.
His life was filled with plundering, killing, and fleeting physical pleasures.
He had spent it rolling in the mud like a walking corpse, never once seeing true light.
Joining this doomed Saintess Assassination Plan was, to him, just another form of self-destruction.
Until that day, when the Holy Church of Light's envoy entered the Royal Capital.
He had caught a fleeting glimpse through the gaps in the crowd, seeing the Saintess atop her high carriage like a goddess descending to earth.
Holy, pure white, and supremely majestic.
In that moment, a massive stone was hurled into the stagnant pool of his heart.
He had found the final meaning of his existence.
And that was...
To drag this bright moon hanging high in the heavens down into the mortal dust.
To defile her, to possess her, and to let her sink into the depths alongside him.
"I've found you... my goddess..."
Lust Demon's voice was hoarse with emotion.
He did not lunge immediately. Instead, he approached slowly, like an observer admiring a work of art that was about to be his.
His gaze swept greedily over every inch of the Saintess's skin.
"Stop pretending. Did you really think I wouldn't see through such a clumsy trap?"
"You lured me here so your companions could ambush me?"
A sinister grin played across his face. His strength as a High-tier Transcendent gave him the confidence to be fearless.
"But I don't care... do you know? From the very first moment I saw you, I swore I would have you!"
"You are so holy, you should have stayed away from all filth—including men!"
His tone suddenly became agitated and angry.
"But I saw it when I was tracking you!"
"That black-haired mage... he stood so close to you!"
"You actually allowed him to get close! You are unchaste! You are unworthy of this holiness!"
Manic possessiveness and twisted love intertwined, distorting his features.
"Once I've had my fill of you, I'll kill that man who touched you, and then I'll end your life with my own hands."
"Finally... I'll accompany you to hell! We'll be together forever."
Facing this frenzied confession and accusation, Eve remained with her eyes closed.
However, the corners of her mouth curved into a faint, mysterious, and shallow smile.
She did not even speak a single word.
Yet this silent response and that faint smile were like sparks dropped into a barrel of oil.
They completely incinerated the last of Lust Demon's sanity.
"What are you laughing at?!"
He growled, unable to restrain himself any longer. He lunged forward, desperate to taste her beauty.
At the very moment he moved.
Screech!
A sharp, piercing sound of air being torn open rang out right behind his back!
The sneer on Lust Demon's face did not fade.
The reaction speed of a High-tier Transcendent assassin allowed him to spin around in an instant.
A hand wrapped in thick battle force lunged out in a grab!
Crack!
The blade of a steel longsword was actually crushed by his bare hand!
He looked at Elvia, whose ambush had failed, his eyes full of mockery.
"Your Highness, is this all you've got? You can't even get close to me..."
But halfway through his sentence, his heart suddenly sank.
Something was wrong!
How did a High-tier High Rank knight manage to sneak up behind him so silently that she wasn't detected until the blade was already upon him?
He was a High-tier Transcendent!
A true powerhouse of the Royal Capital.
And an assassin most skilled in the art of concealment at that!
No sooner had this trace of unease surfaced...
Than he saw that Elvia did not have the panic of a failed ambush on her face.
Instead, she wore a smile as if her scheme had succeeded.
She extended a slender finger, pointing to his left.
"There's one more over there~"
Lust Demon was startled and instinctively dodged to the side.
At the same time, he looked warily toward the direction Elvia was pointing.
There was no one!
He had been tricked!
Hum—!
A violent, cold wave of energy filled with the aura of destruction erupted behind him like a volcanic explosion!
A sense of lethal crisis pierced his mind!
He didn't even have time to turn his head. He only felt an irresistible, massive force slam violently into the small of his back!
Boom!!
The arrow Theia shot was wrapped in demon energy so thick it was tangible, roaring like it had come from the abyss.
Everywhere the arrow passed, the air was torn and distorted, and the gale it generated ground the rubble on the ground into fine dust!
A Low-tier Transcendent arrow, bolstered by the most violent demon energy among the five great energies...
Actually exploded with power comparable to a High-tier Transcendent.
This arrow slammed solidly into the center of Lust Demon's back.
His protective qi shattered instantly.
His entire body was sent flying, smashing heavily into the rock wall.
The crisp sound of snapping bones was clearly audible, and the blood spraying from his mouth stained his front crimson.
This arrow heavily wounded him, but the vitality of a High-tier Transcendent kept him from dying immediately.
He struggled and roared, trying to use an assassin's instincts to go into hiding.
However, Theia did not give him any chance.
As soon as Lust Demon was sent flying, she followed him closely with quick steps.
The moment Lust Demon fell, she stepped on him.
Her boot, wreathed in demon energy, crushed his chest.
She slammed Lust Demon's head, which he had just tried to lift, back into the ground.
At this moment, a violent red light from the demon energy flickered in Theia's eyes.
Her usual elven elegance had vanished completely, leaving only a bloodthirsty intent to kill.
She looked down from above, her movements fast as lightning as her bowstring hummed repeatedly!
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
Four arrows were precisely fired, piercing through Lust Demon's wrists and ankles!
The bones at his joints were instantly blown to pieces by the demon energy contained in the arrows!
Almost simultaneously, the Shroud of the Gloomy Night descended.
It completely swallowed the agonizing scream about to burst from Lust Demon's throat, neutralizing it into nothingness.
After confirming the target's limbs were ruined and he had no strength to resist...
Theia's movements did not pause for a second as she drew her bowstring to the limit once more.
The arrowhead, wrapped in lethal demon energy, was pressed steadily against Lust Demon's eyes, which were filled with despair, terror, and disbelief.
"Wait a moment."
The Saintess's voice rang out softly.
Theia raised an eyebrow and looked at Lin Gui not far away.
Lin Gui nodded slightly.
Yet Theia's hand holding the bow remained steady as a rock.
The arrowhead remained locked onto Lust Demon's head.
Even though the opponent was already a broken man...
With his hands and feet mangled...
If he showed even a single trace of an expression she found suspicious...
Theia would not hesitate to blow his head off.
Eve walked slowly to Lust Demon and crouched down gracefully, that same pure, shallow smile still on her face.
She leaned in slightly and, in a volume only the two of them could hear...
Spoke softly to the despairing Lust Demon:
"You're as stupid as an ungelded boar. With a face and a character like yours, you think you're worthy of touching me?"
"Go to hell and lick a demon's ass, you piece of scum."
Lust Demon's eyes widened. Even the excruciating pain seemed to be overshadowed at this moment by absolute shock.
What had he just heard?
This... this foul language... had it really come from the mouth of that holy, flawless Saintess?!
After Eve finished speaking, she stood up and nodded slightly to Theia.
Theia released her finger from the bowstring.
Splatter!
Flesh and blood sprayed everywhere.
Lust Demon, a man of terrifying infamy in the Royal Capital...
Had his head burst open in an instant, losing all signs of life.
"Let's go!"
Lin Gui barked in a low voice as his mana surged.
Levitation was precisely applied to the three women.
He manipulated his staff, carrying them into the air.
They silently vanished into the entrance of a narrow tunnel nearby that led to a higher observation point.
This location had been scouted by Lin Gui beforehand; it offered an excellent view.
From here, they could clearly see the area where Lust Demon's corpse lay.
Moreover, the spot itself was shielded by massive stalactite columns and rock outcroppings, making it extremely well-hidden.
Although the Shroud of the Gloomy Night had masked the sound...
The destruction caused by Theia's arrow, which contained violent demon power, was far too great.
The massive crater in the rock wall, the spiderweb-like cracks all over the ground, and the energy turbulence that had not yet fully settled in the air...
All of it signaled that a short but intense battle had just taken place here.
This commotion would not escape the notice of Caesar and the others, who were nearby.
And this was exactly the result Lin Gui wanted.
To startle the grass and alert the snakes, drawing them out from their hiding spots.
Compared to the relatively closed and structurally complex main No. 3 Mine...
This area, which connected multiple branch tunnels, was exceptionally open.
The dome was higher, and the underground space was larger.
Most importantly, there were very few obstacles.
It was very unfavorable for assassins to hide.
In the shadows of the mine's dome, the air distorted slightly as Lin Gui and the others sat on a ledge, silently staring down at the corpse.
"Theia, if we move later, remember not to use demon energy."
Lin Gui's voice was kept extremely low, echoing in the small hidden space.
Upon hearing this, Elvia couldn't help but turn her head to look at him, her blonde hair brushing against his ear.
"Why? With the enhancement from that demon energy, the half-demon's combat power skyrockets to the High-tier Transcendent level."
"Plus your ridiculous concealment magic... wouldn't it be easy to kill the remaining four if you worked together?"
She paused, her tone taking on a deliberate hint of provocation.
"Or... have you gone soft?"
"What if there's a 'good person' among them who hasn't done anything wrong? Would killing them bother your conscience?"
As she spoke, she leaned in even closer.
Her warm breath almost reached into Lin Gui's ear, her voice pressed down in a wet, low whisper.
"I don't really like someone with a personality like yours."
"If you want to survive in this era, it's best to discard those trivial values of yours."
"Be ruthless, be cold, and have the resolve to stab someone in the back at any moment."
Lin Gui glanced at her indifferently.
That look was calm and ripple-free, yet it made the words Elvia was about to say next catch in her throat.
He spoke, his voice showing no fluctuation.
"If Caesar dies, won't the forces he controls naturally fall into your hands?"
"Of course you can't wait to use my hand to kill him."
Elvia's expression turned awkward, as if her inner thoughts had been laid bare. She coughed twice to hide her embarrassment.
"Uh... while that is part of the reason, I'm also thinking of you."
"If you don't pull out the weeds by the roots, the tiger will return to its mountain. Be careful not to crash and burn later!"
"Crash and burn?" Lin Gui chuckled softly, his voice carrying a trace of mockery.
"In a few days, Theia and I will be leaving the Royal Capital."
"How are they going to cross the peril-laden wilderness specifically to find me for revenge?"
Elvia was momentarily speechless.
Lin Gui continued, his tone turning a bit colder.
"The reason I intend to spare their lives is purely because I'm annoyed."
"Just thinking about inadvertently helping those damn nobles get rid of a major threat makes me very unhappy."
At the very least, Caesar had to live.
Lin Gui still wanted to see if this guy...
Had the capability to blow that damn palace sky-high.
Having said that, Lin Gui shot Elvia a cold look.
Elvia was stared at so intensely she almost broke into a cold sweat. She waved her hands quickly to clarify.
"Hey! Can you not always drag me into it when you mention 'nobles'!"
"It's true I'm a noble, but I'm one of the good ones!"
A tiny arc formed at the corner of Lin Gui's mouth.
"The high-ground gatekeeper of noble morality?"
Elvia's mouth twitched violently, and she decided to stop bickering with him.
After a brief and silent "clash," the surroundings fell back into a dead silence.
Theia lay nearby, her sharp gaze sweeping across the empty mine below.
After waiting for a long time without any sign of movement, she couldn't help but whisper in confusion.
"Why... haven't they come over yet? Did they not hear such a large commotion?"
Lin Gui's eyes remained locked on every corner of the mine below, his voice low.
"While Elvia and I were bickering, they had already arrived."
"They're here?" Theia was even more confused, straining her eyes.
"Where? Why can't I see them?"
Upon hearing this, Elvia let out a cold laugh filled with a sense of superiority.
"Ignorant half-demon."
"As top-tier assassins of the High-tier Transcendent rank, concealment is their life-saving specialty. How could they let you see them easily?"
She was right.
The assassin class—a branch refined from the warrior profession...
Had poured nearly all their training into concealment, perception, burst power, and defense penetration.
A powerful assassin could even hide within the shadow of a rock...
Waiting patiently for the moment the prey let down their guard.
To launch a lethal strike that condensed their entire cultivation.
For that single strike that decided life and death, their patience was often incredibly long.
In fact, shortly after Lin Gui had hidden his team, Caesar and the others had silently slipped into this No. 2 Mine.
However, they had made the same choice as Lin Gui.
Hide, and find the enemy.
Thus, an eerie balance was formed within this massive underground space.
Lin Gui could not see through the top-tier concealment techniques of Caesar and his team, which combined magic, battle force, and items.
And Caesar and his men were equally unable to see through Lin Gui's Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
"Are we really just going to stall like this?"
Elvia frowned and looked at Lin Gui.
Her tone carried a trace of habitual skepticism that she hadn't even noticed herself.
"Lin Gui, can your mana hold up?"
As someone who had followed Lin Gui all the way from Caran City through the Whispering Forest and the Withered Rift to the Royal Capital...
Elvia knew very well that this man's mana endurance was...
High-tier.
On the surface, he could lead them across dangerous regions in a day.
But in reality, most of his mana was spent maintaining the Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
Levitation, being a Novice-level spell, consumed very little.
But the Shroud of the Gloomy Night was a proper High Rank magic spell, and maintaining it was no small burden.
On the journey through the wilderness, as long as they didn't encounter demons with ridiculous strength...
Lin Gui tried to avoid using it as much as possible.
Holy Saintess Eve, who had been staying quiet the whole time, gave a shallow smile, her ethereal voice ringing out.
"Do you need me to transfer mana to you?"
She raised her fair hand, and a faint magical light began to gather at her fingertips.
Lin Gui nodded, not being polite: "Yes."
Eve softly chanted a brief incantation and pressed her palm lightly against Lin Gui's back.
A warm and pure stream of mana, like a mountain brook, slowly flowed into Lin Gui's body.
The Mana Restoration spell she cast was extremely efficient.
That pure replenishment happened to exactly offset the continuous consumption of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
Lin Gui could feel that his mana reserves, which had been slowly decreasing, had stabilized.
In this way, Lin Gui and his group, hidden in the dome, began a silent standoff and wait with the enemies below, whose figures were also invisible.
This wait lasted for a full four hours.
Elvia looked at the mine below, which remained as silent as ever.
She couldn't help but ask Lin Gui again in a low voice.
"How long are we going to wait?"
"For you, it shouldn't be hard to see through their disguises, right?"
She had that confidence.
Although Lin Gui was not a professional assassin...
His understanding and mastery of concealment magic were absolutely far deeper than those of Caesar and his men below.
Though assassins' concealment methods were varied and combined multiple systems...
Elvia believed that Lin Gui had the ability to find a flaw.
But he had not acted, merely stalling here.
Elvia did not understand what Lin Gui was waiting for.
Lin Gui did not answer, his eyes still sharply scanning the area below.
Part of his mind, however, was immersed in the silent system interface within his body.
He was waiting.
Waiting for that crucial system notification.
Waiting for the status of the Find the Tomb of Catriona commission...
To jump from "In Progress" to "Completed" at that very moment.
Only by obtaining the reward, the Eyes of the Netherworld...
Would he truly possess the trump card to see through everything in this darkness and deal with the true dangers to come.
Rate on N.U.
