Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

Upon hearing the news, the proprietor of the Drunken Phoenix Tower's face changed dramatically, and he exclaimed in shock, "Impossible! How could the dishes possibly be poisoned?"

The waiter was also panic-stricken, shaking his head like a rattle-drum, and said, "I don't know, I really don't know, it has nothing to do with me."

The other martial artists in the Drunken Phoenix Tower also had their faces change colors, hastily putting down their chopsticks.

The restaurant proprietor's expression was in utter chaos; as restaurateurs, if word got out that their dishes were poisoned, it would be the end of the Drunken Phoenix Tower.

Moreover, Gu Chen was not only the top-ranked on the Star Ranking but also the Metropolitan Procurator of the Jing Tian Department. If he were to die today from eating the poisoned dishes at the Drunken Phoenix Tower, the entire restaurant, including his family members, would not be able to escape their fate.

Gu Chen's expression was solemn, but he didn't immediately lash out, for he knew that this had nothing to do with the Drunken Phoenix Tower; the proprietor wouldn't be foolish enough to dare to poison a court official.

"I... I'll go get the chef who made this dish right away, just a moment, please."

After finishing this sentence, the proprietor hurriedly scampered towards the kitchen and soon returned with a middle-aged man whose appearance was honest and whose stature was average.

"Did you make this dish?" Gu Chen eyed the middle-aged man before him.

"Yes," the honest-looking middle-aged man nodded.

"During the cooking process, did you see any suspicious people?" Gu Chen asked, frowning.

"No," the honest man shook his head; Gu Chen asked, and he answered succinctly, and it was easy to see that he was a man of few words.

"I see," Gu Chen nodded, signaling to the proprietor that he could take the man away.

The proprietor hastily said, "Lord Gu, as you can see, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with our restaurant. Perhaps it was just an accident?"

Gu Chen was just about to speak, but the next moment, he suddenly felt a strong surge of murderous intent.

Swish!

In the Drunken Phoenix Tower, a gleaming cold light flashed in somebody's eyes. A flying knife, no bigger than a thumb, zipped through the air at an incredible speed, aiming for Gu Chen's throat.

Faced with this sudden danger, Gu Chen's pupils dilated, and the silhouette of the flying knife became clearer in his vision. In the nick of time, with a flick of his expression, Gu Chen extended two fingers and deftly caught the flying knife in his hand.

This seemingly inconspicuous, thumb-sized flying knife was incredibly sharp, barely visible in terms of quality it actually surpassed a low-grade treasure weapon, almost cutting through his skin.

However, its strength and other aspects were far inferior; with a gentle effort, the flying knife in Gu Chen's fingers snapped into two pieces.

It seemed the assailant was quite familiar with Gu Chen's situation, knowing that he was a martial body practitioner, and thus had specifically prepared this specially crafted weapon to deal with Gu Chen.

Seeing Gu Chen attacked in his own restaurant, the proprietor was horrified. He was just about to speak when Gu Chen beat him to it.

"Get out of the way, quick!"

On hearing this, the proprietor was taken aback and suddenly felt a burst of strong wind behind him, causing his body to instinctively shiver.

Bang!

At that moment, Gu Chen appeared behind him, blocking the hit for him.

Gu Chen looked at the honest-faced middle-aged man before him, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and said, "That was a close call."

If it weren't for that man's move, Gu Chen would have almost failed to notice that this person had martial skills; the way he had concealed his abilities was truly exquisite, well-suited for assassination, assuring near-certain success with few able to react in time.

"Are you an assassin from the Blood Clothing Pavilion?" Gu Chen asked coldly; such extreme secrecy in concealing one's presence was very rare in the martial community, and given the strong murderous intent that the man had just released, Gu Chen had his suspicions.

By gathering all his vital energy within his body, hiding it at a single point and releasing it at the critical moment with the speed of thunder, this was a secret technique of the Blood Clothing Pavilion.

"An assassin from the Blood Clothing Pavilion?!"

Inside the Drunken Phoenix Tower, upon hearing the three words "Blood Clothing Pavilion," the other martial artists' faces turned pale as if they were facing a great disaster, and they scattered, each running a good distance away.

The Blood Clothing Pavilion, one of the "Three Unorthodox Paths," referred to the three most notorious assassin organizations in the world, with the Blood Clothing Pavilion being one of them.

Among the Three Unorthodox Paths, the Blood Clothing Pavilion had been the most active in recent years, and so its notoriety was the greatest.

The Blood Clothing Pavilion claimed that there was no one under heaven they dared not kill. In reality, it was indeed true; from royal nobles and high-ranking officials of the court to the major powers of the martial world of the nine provinces, the Blood Clothing Pavilion dared to send people to assassinate them.

It could be said that merely the name "Blood Clothing Pavilion" was enough to evoke fear and trepidation in the martial community.

After all, they were a group of assassins, who knew no bounds; offending them meant endless pursuit, relentless until death.

Before the current Emperor of Da Xia sequestered himself, he had once contemplated eradicating the scourge that was the Blood Clothing Pavilion, but to no avail, as the pavilion was too elusive, always lurking in the shadows, never exposed. Hence the task remained unaccomplished. Stay updated on m v l e mpyr

Of course, due to the Emperor, the Blood Clothing Pavilion had been somewhat restrained until these last few years while the Emperor continued to remain in seclusion, only then daring to re-emerge.

The honest-faced middle-aged man did not speak. With a casual tear, he ripped his clothes apart, revealing a blood-colored garment underneath, and on the chest, embroidered with a black "Kill" character.

"A Black List assassin!"

Some martial artists couldn't help exclaiming in alarm. The Black List was an internal ranking within the Blood Garment Tower. Being on the Black List implied that one's strength exceeded that of other assassins of the same level, marking the person as an elite.

At the same time, Black List assassins did not make their move lightly, only targeting renowned veterans of the martial world or prodigies like Gu Chen, who had risen to the Stars Ranking. Only for such targets did the Blood Garment Tower dispatch Black List assassins.

And once a Black List assassin was mobilized, it meant that the person had entered the Blood Garment Tower's must-kill list, with a relentless pursuit until death.

"Who would pay such a huge price for the bounty?" All the warriors were puzzled.

To prompt the Blood Garment Tower to send a Black List assassin, the price had to be extremely steep, only warranted by deep-seated hatred and grudges.

Of course,

it was also possible that the Blood Garment Tower, seeing Gu Chen's rise to the top of the Stars Ranking, wanted to assert their power, hence they sent a Black List assassin to kill Gu Chen.

After all,

during the current Emperor's campaign against the martial world, although he did not completely destroy the Blood Garment Tower, he did deal a major blow to them, killing many of their experts, including one of their Vice Masters.

Because of this, the Blood Garment Tower held a grudge against Da Xia, but due to the current Emperor, they had remained hidden and inactive.

After all,

if the Blood Garment Tower had dared to emerge back then, they might have been completely eradicated by now.

The current Emperor of Da Xia was universally recognized as the top martial artist in the nine provinces, his strength and status unrivaled, standing at the pinnacle, overseeing the world.

Had it not been for his pursuit of breaking through to the Heaven-Man Realm, spending twenty-three years in closed-door cultivation, perhaps the nine provinces would have achieved unification long ago, with the people living in peace and contentment.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the Black List assassin made his move. Gu Chen saw clearly that the other party had barely shifted the fingers at his sides, when instantly a cold gleam shot toward Gu Chen.

It was still a throwing knife!

But this time, Gu Chen was ready. His eyesight was exceptionally sharp, and when the knife almost reached him in mid-air, he flicked his finger, producing a "clang." The blade shattered into countless fragments, scattering in all directions.

"Go!"

Gu Chen threw a palm strike, gathering the fragments with his inner breath and incorporating them into his palm wind, directing them toward the Black List assassin.

Expressionless as if suffering from facial paralysis, the Black List assassin did not show any emotion from beginning to end. Seeing Gu Chen's palm wind approaching, he also struck with a palm, his energy robust. The two palm winds collided, and with a loud bang

the inn collapsed in an instant, people screaming as they fled outside.

The assassin showed not the slightest surprise at Gu Chen also being at the External Qi Realm; evidently, all this was within his expectations.

As an assassin, frontal combat was not their way; fleeing thousands of miles after a failed strike was what they should do. Having tested Gu Chen's strength, the Blood Garment Tower's Black List assassin was ready to flee.

"You can't escape!"

Gu Chen coldly shouted, his expression grave, not about to let someone who tried to assassinate him escape so easily.

Hiss!

Gu Chen pointed his finger, and a burst of force with searing heat shot out, aiming for the assassin's back. Sensing the power behind Gu Chen's attack, the Black List assassin's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but without turning back, he released his inner breath to form an air wall behind him, intending to block Gu Chen's strike.

Bang!

The force from the Burning Vein Finger penetrated the air wall and hit the assassin's back, causing his body to tremble, disbelief in his eyes.

He was a late-stage External Qi Realm practitioner; how could he not block an attack from someone in the early stage of the same realm?

The force of Burning Vein Finger exploded inside him, his meridians and internal organs experiencing a burning sensation. Acknowledging Gu Chen's difficulty, he knew he had to leave as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, once Phoenix Sun City's defense forces arrived, he would not be able to escape.

As an assassin, concealing one's presence and escaping were top skills. His footwork was extraordinary, his speed swift, yet suddenly, he felt a gust of wind in his face—it was Gu Chen, who had quickly reached his side.

Boom!

Without a word,

Gu Chen threw a punch, and the assassin felt as if a small mountain had hit him, the force astonishing.

"How can he be so fast?" the Black List assassin wondered, but as a late-stage External Qi Realm practitioner with rich combat experience, he tilted his body backward, almost parallel to the ground, narrowly dodging the punch. Gu Chen's fist wind scratched his cheek, causing stinging pain.

Gu Chen, unfazed as if expecting this, suddenly spread open his gathered fingers and smacked downward fiercely.

"Ahh!"

The Black List assassin cried out in agony, apparently not expecting Gu Chen's change of moves to be so swift. Even with inner breath protection, Gu Chen's palm strike made him feel as if his internal organs were about to shift, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

He had just truly felt Gu Chen's majestic inner breath, a strength far deeper than his own, even though he was an External Qi Realm late-stage martial artist.

Fear flashed in the man's eyes. Even if Gu Chen were a genius, the first on the Stars Ranking, how could he have surpassed him in power right after advancing to the External Qi Realm?

Not caring for the man's thoughts, Gu Chen saw him trying to flee and pointed into the air again, a scorching force leaving a scorched trail in the air as it charged forth.

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