As soon as the stunning woman hears that, her eyes brighten. She then says smilingly: “Please wait a minute. I’m sorry. The information about Zhen Xu’s movements isn’t at my place.” Almost as she finishes saying, an old man appears. He gives Qin Yu a look then puts a letter before him.
“This is the information about Zhen Xu’s movements in the last few days. Tut-tut … challenge a gold card mission. Too bad this mission is very difficult. A gold card assassin even died while carrying it out. Do you want to give up?” says that old man while staring at Qin Yu.
Qin Yu takes the letter and gives the old man a cold look. He then turns around and leaves immediately.
The beautiful woman takes out a black book whose front cover has 2 words -- Liu Xing!
“On the 8th of the 11th month, at 2.10 am, assassin Liu Xing received a gold card mission -- to kill Zhen Xu!” A beautiful line of a small regular handwriting appears on a new page.
Chapter 23 Gold Card Mission (2)
In a gloomy room of an old house, there is a candle on a desk. The candle, with its dusky light, is shining on one side of the face of a man who is sitting at the desk. Under the flicker of the candlelight, that man’s face is only a vague shape.
The only exception is that pair of eyes -- a pair of eyes which radiate so much eeriness and grimness that they are both pronounced and frightening. At the moment, this pair of eyes is staring at the top of the desk where a hand is writing nonstop with a pen.
After a while, the pen is put down.
Suddenly, the candle’s flame brightens, lightening the face of this man clearly -- it is a handsome and pale face. At first sight, even though this man is already in his forties or fifties, there is an air of a sickly beauty about him. However, when coupled with that pair of eyes, the entire bearing of this man changes.
This man is none other than Zhen Xu, the absolute genius of the Xiang royal clan’s intelligence service. Even the head of the intelligence service will tremble upon seeing him. He is also the one person Xiang Guang appreciates the most.
Zhen Xu takes out from his bosom a square block of jade, which radiates gentle rays of light. There seems to be some marks on this square block of jade. Zhen Xu examines the marks carefully then slightly shakes his head and says: “Trans-Heaven diagrams. This is the first Trans-Heaven diagram. Pity after a half year of research I haven’t achieved anything. I better give it to the Emperor. Perhaps I’ve been delaying for so long that he can’t wait anymore.”
Zhen Xu gets an iron case from the side of the desk. At the same time he puts the secret letter and the square jade black in it. Then he closes the lid of the iron case and locks it up using a key.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! ……
Suddenly Zhen Xu continuously pokes the iron case several times. The case gives a series of clacking sounds then the key hole disappears. This case uses the same security mechanism as the iron case the Qin clan used to keep the secret books. Someone who does not know the method of opening simply cannot get anything from it.
However, at this moment outside the room, a silvery-masked man is standing in the center of this old house’s courtyard.
Qin Yu’s eyes are closed.
“Trans-Heaven diagrams.” Qin Yu’s interest is aroused. His marvelous perception allows him to sense clearly everything happening in the room which is several tens meters away from him, including the several places Zhen Xu poked at on the iron case. Qin Yu commits them to his mind completely.
Thanks to the benefit of the Meteoric Tear, Qin Yu’s soul is now as strong as a Xiuzhenist’s. His strong soul has given him a marvelous perception, which is also a Xiuzhenist’s ‘holy sense.’ As the soul becomes stronger, the range of the holy sense will also become longer.
Qin Yu does not make any wind sounds when walking and he is holding his breath so, for the moment, Zhen Xu in the house actually does not know that he is outside.
“Little brother, take this iron case into the palace at once. You must be quick and this key must be hidden carefully. There’s a Trans-Heaven diagram in the case so you mustn’t be careless,” says Zhen Xu suddenly.
A man who has been staying in a dark corner walks out. This man will make other people feel as if he is a juvenile. However, Zhen Xu knows this juvenile-looking man is already over 40 years old because he has been following him for more than 20 years.
Zhen Xu’s 2 subordinate generals -- Nalan Feng and Nalan Dan.
The Nalan brother and sister are very weird. Despite being in their 40s, they still look like juveniles. According to the Nalans’s guess, this has something to do with their eating a kind of holy fruit during their adolescence. The Nalan brother and sister only listen to Zhen Xu’s orders and do not even care about Emperor Xiang Guang in the slightest.
“Don’t worry, big brother. I’ll attach this key to my key chain.” Nalan Feng takes out a key chain and strings the iron case’s key on it. He also suddenly takes another key out from the key chain and puts it in his chest as if it is very important.
“Little brother, you’re still the same,” says Zhen Xu smilingly.
Nalan Feng raises his eyebrows and says: “Big brother, precautions avert perils, right? Even if someone killed me, he would surely think the key in my chest is the right one and wouldn’t think that the real key is on my key chain. Moreover … I’ll even let a subordinate of mine carry this key chain.”
“Feng, you’re always thinking that you’re so clever.” A cold and clear voice rises. A grim girl also comes out from a dark corner of the room. She sticks her tongue out and gives her palm a lick. In the palm, there is …
“A heart!” Outside the room, Qin Yu’s body suddenly trembles once. A hint of solemnity flashes in his eyes uncontrollably. Through his holy sense, Qin Yu knows clearly what that young girl is holding in her palm.
It is a very small heart and cannot be the heart of an adult.
Nalan Feng slightly frowns and says: “Dan, can’t you change your habit? When you eat a child’s heart, don’t eat it in front of us, okay? I’ve been telling you so for so many years but it has all come to nothing.”
“You know it is useless then why bother saying it? Moreover, you’ve been saying it for so many years. You seem to have never stopped for the last 22 years. Feng, you’re really ridiculous,” says Nalan Dan coldly.
“Pal, why have you come to my place in the middle of the night?” Zhen Xu says coldly all of a sudden. His loud and clear voice resounds through the entire house. However, the strange thing is that every servant in the house is still sleeping like a log and no one wakes up.
Qin Yu gives a faint smile. Just now because his holy sense discovered that there was a child’s heart in the palm of the young girl, he was shocked and his breathing was disrupted. Zhen Xu, therefore, immediately detected him.
“Why? I’m a Heavenly Net assassin. You think why I’ve come here?” says Qin Yu coldly. Since he started to undertake assassination missions, he has never assassinated anyone sneakily. He has always killed his targets fair and square. This time is no exception even though Qin Yu has discovered that Nalan Feng and Nalan Dan are also Xiantian experts.
Bang!
The room’s door suddenly opens. A black silhouette shoots up into the sky then lands on the center of the courtyard. It is a black-clad juvenile. At the same time, another black silhouette shoots up into the sky then lands beside the black-clad juvenile. It is none other than a black-clad young girl.
Afterwards, a while-clad, pale-faced, handsome middle-aged man slowly walks out. At first sight, his entire body seems to be very weak, but when combined with that cold grim pair of eyes he looks like a frightening lone wolf.
“Silver card assassin?” Zhen Xu slightly frowns while looking at Qin Yu.
“To be exact, it’s silver card assassin Liu Xing,” says Qin Yu coldly. He has never been afraid of telling his opponents his assassin name. After all, they will all die at his hands soon, so he should let them know who will kill them, should he
not?
“Liu Xing?” The corners of Zhen Xu’s mouth slightly curve upward into a smile. “You dare come to kill me and just now you even stayed in the courtyard for so long without being detected so you should be a Xiantian expert, right? But that’s strange. Who would’ve thought I wouldn’t be able to see through you?” says Zhen Xu in a slightly amazed manner.
Qin Yu casts a glance at the Nalan brother and sister then looks at Zhen Xu and says: “I’m also amazed. It’s already unbelievable that a Xiantian expert took up a lowly post like the intelligence head of the 3 Eastern region counties. But he even has 2 Xiantian experts as subordinates. There are no more than 100 Xiantian experts in the entire Chu kingdom, but you even have 3 here.”
“You talk too much.” Nalan Dan suddenly says. “Assassins shouldn’t talk too much.”
“Assassins shouldn’t kill people fair and square either, right, Miss Baby-heart-eater?” Qin Yu says laughingly. “Ah, right, you must actually be older than a miss. Perhaps I should call you auntie.”
Nalan Dan’s face immediately changes color. What she loathes the most is that other people mention her real age.
Qin Yu takes a look at that room whose door is wide open. He knows there is an iron case on the desk in that room which contains a Trans-Heaven diagram. Of course, in order to obtain that Trans-Heaven diagram, he must kill all of the 3 people before him. Worse still, they are all Xiantian experts.
Nalan Dan casts a look at Zhen Xu, who slightly nods.
“Assassin Liu Xing, right? Too bad, the life of a meteor is always very short.” Nalan Dan laughs coldly then, with a movement of her body, she seems to turn into a gust of cold wind and sweeps across Qin Yu’s surroundings completely. For the present, there are unexpectedly several afterimages in his surroundings.
This is the 1st time Qin Yu has had a death match against a Xiantian expert but there are even 2 other hostile Xiantian experts watching on one side.
Chapter 24 Liu Xing Rises
Nalan Dan is using her body-maneuvering skill, which is what she most excels in, to move around Qin Yu very fast. She wants to make it impossible for Qin Yu to tell where her body actually is. But Qin Yu is still standing stock still. Because he is wearing a silvery mask, other people simply cannot see that he is giving a faint cold smile.
Competing in speed?
As a result of Qin Yu’s body training, speed has always been his strongest point. When he was 13, he could only lift 100 jin with one arm but his speed was already superior to that of an ordinary Houtian expert. The current Qin Yu just became a Xiantian expert at one stroke and his entire body’s muscles and cells have been undergoing transformations since. When he was still at the peak of the Houtian level, he could already lift 1500 jin with one arm. Now, his one-armed strength must not be lower than 2000 jin, then what level has his speed reached?
Moreover, in terms of control, muscles are naturally easier to control than Xiantian energy. And in terms of endurance, muscle power is much more durable than Xiantian energy as well.
“I detest being called auntie the most.” Nalan Dan’s ice-cold voice comes into Qin Yu’s ears. Using her beautiful hands, with which she rips babies’ hearts out, she creates countless illusions, which together look like a full-blown lotus, and attacks Qin Yu.
“How great is the strength of the 1st Xiantian external expert since antiquity?” Qin Yu thinks to himself. He then smiles as he looks at the countless attacking illusions. “I’m testing it on you now.” He immediately throws a punch with his entire power.
Straight line!
“Whizz ~~~” An extremely sharp whistle rises. Qin Yu’s right fist comes at Nalan Dan directly with a mountainous force.
As Nalan Feng and Zhen Xu hear that terrifyingly sharp whistle, their faces change color. When Nalan Dan is still unprepared, the fist has already come close to her face. The wind of the punch hurts her face like needles. Having no time to think much, she suddenly withdraws the full-blown-lotus-like illusion into her hands and starts to madly channel the Xiantian energy in her body to the midpoint between her hands. But she basically cannot concentrate more Xiantian energy at the midpoint because the fist has already arrived!
Bang!
It hits the midpoint between Nalan Dan’s palms fiercely like a smash of a great iron hammer. Nalan Dan’s body swiftly retreats but her expression has become very ugly.
Qin Yu has over 2000 jin of strength in one arm and yet he executed this one punch with all his might. Strength in fact has never been Nalan Dan’s strong point and, moreover, she is only at the early phase of the Xiantian level so this punch has hurt her arms to the point where they tingle. All of a sudden Nalan Dan does not dare to continue her attack.
“This bloke is a freak. He’s too strong,” says Nalan Dan in a frightened voice.
Zhen Xu says with a faint smile: “With so much strength, he must be a Xiantian expert who has been practicing a technique which puts emphasis on strength such as the Impertinent Bull Power.” If Qin Yu did not exist in the world then Zhen Xu’s conjecture would probably be correct. After all, it is extremely hard even for Xiantian experts to reach such a terrifying level in strength.
“Little brother, little sister, both of you must attack together.” Zhen Xu gives an order.
After circulating her Xiantian energy, Nalan Dan’s arms are no longer in pain. Even though they are still a bit uncomfortable, she can continue to fight with them. Nalan Dan and Nalan Feng exchange a look then suddenly turn into 2 blurs and attack Qin Yu again, only that this time they both use weapons -- scimitars.
The scimitars are crescent-shaped and radiate ice-cold rays of light.
Qin Yu slightly narrows his eyes. At the same time, he suddenly clenches his fists and throws 2 fierce punches in 2 different directions. Carrying the extremely great power of a Xiantian external expert, his fists seem like 2 aquatic dragons coming out of water. Afterwards, with 2 bangs, Qin Yu’s fists smash on one side of the scimitars precisely.
Bang ~~~
Nalan Dan’s and Nalan Feng’s bodies get a shock.
“Dan, how can this scumbag be just a silver card assassin? Even among gold card assassins, this bloke would definitely be considered a high-class figure,” says Nalan Feng using controlled sound transference. At the moment he also feels that his opponent’s punch carried a terrifying force. That fierce strike has made him feel uncomfortable in the chest.
“Feng, let’s use speed. We can only rely on speed.” Nalan Dan’s voice is transferred confidentially to him.
Nalan Dan and Nalan Feng are very distressed.
Qin Yu’s fists are really too heavy. Being hit with a punch from him is as uncomfortable as being smashed on by a huge rock. When a 2000 jin rock smashes down, at least the interface will be very large. But Qin Yu focuses the force equivalent to the weight of 2000 jin in a fist so the impact pressure he causes is even stronger.
Qin Yu still remains motionless despite 2 people moving extremely fast around him.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! ……
Qin Yu is punching in a relaxed manner but every punch from him is heavy like a huge rock falling or an iron hammer smashing. Nalan Dan and Nalan Feng are about to go mad because whenever they approach him to attack, he sends them backing off with a punch each, forcing them to keep moving so fast all the time, which has also been causing them to consume huge amounts of Xiantian energy.
By contrast, Zhen Xu is coldly watching. There are only images of Qin Yu’s strikes in his pupils. It is impossible to know what he is thiking.
“I just reached the Xiantian level. In principle, I’m also at the early Xiantian level, but I’m an early phase Xiantian external expert. You’re merely early phase Xiantian internal experts.” Qin Yu thinks. “But they’re too weak. Alright, let’s finish them off quickly.”
Qin Yu has always been fooling around. After all, this is the 1st time he has fought a Xiantian internal expert.
However, Qin Yu is wrong. It is not that the opponents are t
oo weak but that a Xiantian external expert is really so extraordinary. To other external practitioners, being able to lift 700 to 800 jin with one arm at the peak of the Houtian level is already an outstanding achievement. But Qin Yu could lift 1500 jin with one arm at the peak of the Houtian level.
Now that Qin Yu has reached the Xiantian level, how can ordinary early phase Xiantian experts compare with him?
“Let’s end this!” Qin Yu’s eyes suddenly shine brilliantly.
“No good!” Only at this moment does Zhen Xu discover that everything is far from all right. But … it is already too late.
He only sees Qin Yu’s body turn into several afterimages then the afterimages merge into one. Qin Yu is still standing at his original place, as if he has never moved. But Nalan Dan and Nalan Feng are now motionless like 2 statues. Suddenly --
Stellar Transformations Page 31