"Oh my…" murmured someone in the crowd, their voice filled with awe and trepidation. "The Saintess of Misty Peak, Sarah Long! The chief disciple of the Great Thunder Temple, Skylar Do! And Xavier Lo, the young lord of the Demonic Sect!"
These three stood as pinnacles of the younger generation, causing quite the stir among the onlookers. The faint murmurs of admiration rippled through the gathered crowd.
"Heh," chuckled Master Tian Xing, the chief scribe of the Celestial Pavilion. "This lineup is formidable, yet we're still missing a few who represent the very peak of our generation's strength. There's still…"
"Lucia Dong, the Second Lady of the Dong family; Wyatt Ye, the young master of the Cangjian Manor; Ryan Mo, the heir of the Valley of Villains; Sylvia Lu, the Saintess of the Ming Sect; and, of course, Ryan Yu, Crown Prince of the Yuhua Dynasty."
As these names echoed across the field, people in the crowd nodded, their eyes wide with expectation. With these eight prodigies, including those already present, one could truly call this the pinnacle of the current generation. They represented the Seven Great Powers, excluding Livia Dong, who already stood at the forefront. The prospect of all these figures gathering in one place was simply unimaginable.
Sarah Long, her expression icy, stood quietly, casting her gaze into the distance. She paid no mind to the murmurs around her, yet her brow suddenly furrowed. She could feel a gaze—a subtle yet brazen one—examining her intently.
"Hmph!" She scoffed, turning sharply toward the source of the audacious stare. A chill emanated from her, an ethereal sword intent laced with deadly killing intent, aimed squarely at Xavier Lo.
With a sinister smile, Xavier waved a hand, summoning black demonic energy to engulf Sarah's sword intent entirely. "Why the hostility, Princess Changle?" he sneered. "Shouldn't you be preparing for your little 'three-year promise' with that Ye family boy? Why waste time meddling here?"
"How dare you!" Sarah snapped. She despised any mention of her three-year promise, yet she quickly regained her composure, forcing a cold smile.
"What about you, Xavier?" she retorted. "Shouldn't you be hidden away in the Demonic Sect, perfecting your dark arts until you're ready to descend the mountain? Or perhaps your grand achievements—like killing your own fiancée to achieve enlightenment—still haunt you? If your demonic powers are incomplete, Wyatt Ye may very well tear you limb from limb."
Xavier's face darkened, his previous smirk erased in an instant. The air grew tense and suffocating, as if the entire space was frozen with malice.
Though the crowd was oblivious to the full details, everyone knew of two explosive events that had shaken the continent in recent years. First, Sarah Long had broken off her engagement with the Ye family's Ethan Ye, establishing a three-year promise to settle matters. Ethan Ye's defiant declaration, "Three decades east, three decades west; never look down on the young!" was still fondly repeated among many.
Compared to that, however, Xavier's scandal had drawn even greater ire. Three years ago, seventeen-year-old Xavier had met the eldest daughter of Cangjian Manor, and the two had quickly fallen in love, pledging themselves to each other. Yet, much like their opposing sects, their union was doomed. The relationship ended with Xavier coldly killing her, sacrificing his emotions for the sake of demonic mastery. This tragic end led Cangjian Manor to declare war on the Demonic Sect, with both sides clashing until the intervention of Tianji Elder, who finally brought peace.
However, Wyatt Ye, heir of Cangjian Manor, had sworn to kill Xavier with his own hands—a vow known across the continent.
"You're here to defeat Jason Ji, aren't you?" Sarah's mocking smile was hidden beneath her veil. "You must think you'll reclaim the top spot on the Azure Sky Ranking by stealing the Immortal Slayer Sword. But shouldn't you first go and offer your respects at Lady Ye's grave, shed a tear or two? Perhaps then you might resemble a man, not some heartless beast."
"Shut up!" Xavier roared, his eyes blazing with a dark, almost tangible energy that writhed like vines. He was enraged, his figure trembling with suppressed power.
"Oh, are you upset?" Sarah taunted, her ethereal sword intent radiating from her like a shimmering mist, cloaking her figure.
The crowd took several steps back, retreating from the impending clash. Tensions were thick, and the air crackled with hostility.
"Amitabha," murmured Skylar, who had been silent until now. "Please, restrain yourselves, both of you."
"Stay out of this, you bald fool!" Xavier sneered, shooting a venomous glare at Skylar.
"Step aside, Master Skylar," Sarah instructed, her voice cold as ice. Her graceful yet deadly presence seemed unshakeable.
Skylar sighed deeply and pointed into the distance. The crowd turned to look, and gasps of shock rippled through them.
"Is that… Tom White of the Heavenly Assassins Pavilion?" someone murmured, his voice quivering with fear.
The legendary assassin's name echoed across the field, the tension between Sarah and Xavier momentarily forgotten. Both glared at each other, huffed in disdain, and retreated several steps, agreeing to hold off—for now.
As Tom White strode forward, each step brought with it a dark, suffocating aura. People dared not look him in the eye, avoiding even a glimpse of his cold, lethal presence. The sheer weight of his killing intent was enough to make onlookers feel nauseated. How many lives had he claimed to cultivate such palpable bloodlust?
Arriving at the gates of Chang'an, Tom White scanned the crowd briefly before nodding at Master Tian Xing. With a calm composure, he sat cross-legged at the gate and closed his eyes, entering a meditative stance.
The client's demand was simple: kill Jason Ji at the gates of Chang'an. And Tom White intended to fulfill that request, precisely as instructed.
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