The Cunning Treasure Hunter

He was as elegant and pristine as a lone white crane.

It was said that martial arts were originally created by mimicking the movements of animals in ancient times.

Whether that was true or not, witnessing this scene made it seem entirely believable.

Crescent and Galen gazed in awe at Elder Thorne's movements.

His feet lightly pressed against the air, descending slowly like a feather.

And when he finally landed, there was no sound at all.

"So... you wish to see me?"

Elder Thorne's sharp gaze landed on the two young heirs of Everstone Family.

Crescent cupped his hands respectfully.

"...Dark Emperor has appeared in Everstone Family. Vera is in grave danger."

"I see... I can already guess what this is about."

What Edwin knew, Elder Thorne, who had roamed the martial world even longer, would undoubtedly know as well.

He had encountered Dark Emperor more times than most.

Of course, he also had knowledge of the high-ranking members of Bloodshadow Pavilion.

An old master was, in essence, a living witness to the history of the martial world.

With the information gathered from Aiden and Aria, Elder Thorne swiftly deduced Dark Emperor's motives.

The true identity of Lord of Midnight Celestial Pavilion, his connection to Dark Emperor—everything became clear.

"I will go ahead. You young ones, follow at your own pace. And, gatekeeper?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Tell our Sect Leader that his ever-immature senior will be absent for a while."

"Ah, understood...?"

And with that, Elder Thorne's figure blurred.

A blink later, he had vanished.

His mastery of Lightness Skill was so profound that afterimages lingered in his wake.

"The true meaning of Shadow Veil Step..."

Crescent shook his head in disbelief.

But Galen was not merely astonished—

he was already contemplating.

"...Brother. Doesn't this seem strange?"

"What do you mean?"

"He is an assassin. His so-called disciple, Ezekiel, simply failed a mission and died. And now he seeks revenge for that? It does not match the mindset of the assassins I know."

Crescent pondered his brother's words.

His encounters with assassins were few and far between.

And in those rare cases, there was never time for conversation.

The only answer was to kill or be killed.

But his younger brother was a strategist.

Though he had never met an assassin himself,

he had gathered, analyzed, and deduced information from those who had.

In such matters, Galen was several steps ahead.

"Then why would he target someone under the protection of Everstone Family, a place fortified with formations and mechanisms?"

"My guess is... he has a far more important objective... Ah!"

"Did you realize something?"

"Did you read the reports from Eastern Mountain Fiery Blade clan?"

Everstone Family had strong trade relations with Nomads' Sect, exchanging vast amounts of intelligence and financial support.

Providing top-tier strategists with elite information to predict future trends.

That was Everstone Family's survival and expansion strategy.

Through this, they had also received word of the events at Eastern Mountain Fiery Blade clan.

Naturally, this included the rumors of Asura Brigade and Sword Demon.

"Could it be..."

"The Heart of Thousand Killings, Heavenly Sound Blood Absorption Technique."

Galen stated with certainty.

The Heavenly Sound Blood Absorption Technique.

If there was any group that understood it second only to Demonic Sect, it was Everstone Family.

A secret technique capable of shattering bottlenecks and allowing one to ascend to the next realm.

Was it not similar to a certain technique of Everstone Family?

The Heaven-Revering Gate Art.

A secret art passed down solely to the leader, enabling ascension into Kingdom of Harmony.

A technique that shattered the bottleneck of Peak Expert Realm when certain conditions were met.

The Heavenly Sound Blood Absorption Technique and Heaven-Revering Gate Art shared the same origins.

The only difference was that one was a secret technique, while the other was a cultivation method.

Being a secret technique, it required physical materials to function.

Thus, the Heavenly Sound Blood Absorption Technique demanded a terrifying price—

the heart of a child suffering from Nine Sound Vein Disorder, or one born with the Celestial Blade Star.

But the Heaven-Revering Gate Art was a cultivation method.

One with a low success rate, requiring mastery of all prior techniques before its practice.

Thus, it required no special materials.

Instead, it demanded immense hardships, trials, and sheer fortune.

"I know it has resurfaced... but Dark Emperor is already in Kingdom of Harmony, is he not?"

"Someone in Kingdom of Harmony may not be able to use it to reach Profound Realm... but we cannot say there would be no benefit at all, can we?"

Mid-Stage of Kingdom of Harmony.@@novelbin@@

Among all the martial artists in the world, he was undoubtedly one of the strongest. No one knew how a mere assassin had reached such a level.

But Dark Emperor was a living martial master of the Kingdom of Harmony, and aside from Sword Sovereign, few could match him.

"...This is getting tiresome."

Master of the Void Fist grumbled, clenching his fists once more.

Behind him, Edwin had already collapsed.

Standing in his place was Caleb.

However, his condition was dire.

His upper garments had long been shredded, and his body was covered in countless cuts, blood flowing freely.

He had barely survived thanks to Vera's warnings about the deadly Blood Threads targeting his vital points, and the constant support from Clear Peace.

"I feel the same way, elder."

"Ha, and here I was lecturing you."

Caleb had arrived at the worst possible moment.

Just as Edwin fell to Dark Emperor.

Fortunately, he had worn multiple layers of Heaven Silkworm fabric reinforced with hardened glue armor beneath his clothes.

Thanks to that, he avoided a fatal strike piercing through his chest, though he was still sent crashing into the wall, unconscious.

But now, he too was at his limit.

His sword, crafted from White Lotus Refined Steel, was tattered from repeated clashes with Dark Emperor's sword aura.

If he blocked another strike, it would shatter.

"You've lasted longer than expected."

Dark Emperor muttered in a low voice.

His pride had been wounded.

Even though he was a Mid-Stage Kingdom of Harmony martial master...

he still hadn't been able to eliminate them all quickly.

He knew why.

He was, after all, an assassin.

His martial art, Ten Thousand Ghosts Descend Sword Technique, was designed for assassinations.

Yet here he was, engaging in open combat against multiple opponents.

An absolute mistake for an assassin.

Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Naturally, he was at a disadvantage.

More importantly, Master of the Void Fist's martial art was Grand Harmony Fist.

Not just any Grand Harmony Fist—

it was the legendary Grand Harmony Divine Fist, his signature martial technique.

The deadly sword techniques of Ten Thousand Ghosts Descend Sword Technique struggled to break through the profound balance of Grand Harmony's harmonizing movements.

"But this ends now."

Unlike Soul Slaughter Sword, which focused purely on destruction,

Ten Thousand Ghosts Descend Sword Technique expended much of its energy suppressing the sound of the blade.

But now, he switched to Soul Slaughter Sword.

While it was not considered a higher-tier martial art,

to a Mid-Stage Kingdom of Harmony master who had grasped its full essence,

it was as powerful as any supreme martial art.

A terrifying aura erupted from Dark Emperor's blade as he performed the Soul Slaughter Sword stance.

Waves of sword energy and murderous intent filled the air, distorting the space around them.

Even Clear Peace instinctively took two steps back.

A mistake.

"Die now."

With a cold, merciless voice, Dark Emperor flew forward.

Unlike before, he did not move silently.

Instead, he overwhelmed the battlefield with sheer murderous intent.

A deafening explosion echoed as the air was ripped apart.

A sword technique unlike any assassin's—

A raw, explosive attack designed solely to kill.

A deadly fusion of destructive sword energy and relentless slaughter intent.

"Fall back!"

Clear Peace drew a Grand Harmony circle with both hands, stepping forward.

Behind him, Caleb gripped his sword tightly, retreating.

There was no way he could block it.

If he tried, his sword would break.

If he was unlucky, it would impale someone.

But even Clear Peace's Grand Harmony Divine Fist could not guarantee absolute defense against such a strike.

The murderous intent imbued in the blade was too overwhelming.

"...The center."

At that moment, Vera's voice whispered softly.

Clear Peace immediately understood.

That frail child, unable to stand on her own, had given critical advice for survival before.

And now, she had done it again.

"The center..."

Indeed, Dark Emperor's blade targeted the very core of his Grand Harmony formation.

His technique was still incomplete.

Dark Emperor had found its weakness.

Clear Peace swiftly changed his stance.

Defense was meaningless if he knew the exact point of attack.

He channeled his swirling Grand Harmony energy into his right fist.

He stomped down hard, sending a deep tremor through the ground.

A thunderous roar erupted as his foot anchored into the earth.

Grand Harmony Divine Fist - First Form: Sky-Crossing Dragon Head Strike.

A fist strike like the head of a dragon soaring across the sky.

The assassination sword of Bloodshadow Pavilion and the ascension fist of Celestial Sword Sect collided head-on.