A Chaotic World

"The Thunder Hawk Sect? I have heard of them," Ruan Ling said. "They are a rather powerful influence that is a tributary of the Timeless Flame Sect."

"Looks like this senior here knows about the Thunder Hawk Sect," Longshao Wenqin nodded. "That's right, the Thunder Hawk Sect is a tributary of the Timeless Flame Sect, and have direct dealings with members of the ancient sect. If you join us, few people would dare to act carelessly towards you."

In this world where strength decided one's status, Ruan Ling who was at the Fifth Cycle Origin Core realm was naturally considered a senior in Longshao Wenqin's eyes.

"Thank you for the offer, but I think we'll pass," Nanlan Qianxue declined. "There are still some matters that we have to tend to, so it is not too convenient for us to join another group."

"If that's the case, then I won't force you either," Longshao Wenqin did not mind. "But let's exchange communication marks. This way, we can still contact each other when necessary."

Nanlan Qianxue nodded.

She might still have some reservations towards Longshao Wenqin, but exchanging communication marks was not an issue.

Just as they were done, Ruan Ling suddenly frowned and said. "Who are you guys?"

"Hmm?" Longshao Wenqin and Nanlan Qianxue looked at her in surprise, only to see that she was looking all around them, as though trying to find someone.

It was late at night now, and the streets were dark and empty.

Even as Origin Core realm martial artists, they were unable to spot anyone around them.

"What a surprise, you are more alert than I thought. Maybe this will actually be fun instead," a deep voice sounded out. It seemed to be coming from all directions at once, so it was impossible for the trio to pin point the location of the other party.

"Who sent you? And what do you want?" Ruan Ling continued to question.

At the same time, she took a treasure mace out from her spatial ring.

Nanlan Qianxue also whipped out her Frost Jade Sword, while Longshao Wenqin got into a barehanded battle stance.

As for Bo'er, she could only stand nervously behind Ruan Ling.

"Hehehe," the other party merely snickered, not bothering to answer her questions.

"How many enemies do you have that you don't even know who is targeting you?" Longshao Wenqin felt the corner of his lips twitch.

"If you are unhappy about it, feel free to leave," Ruan Ling snapped.

"Do you really think they will just let me leave?" Longshao Wenqin said with a bitter smile. "And in any case, I just said that those from the west should take care of each other. What would that make me if I leave just like that?"

"Heh, is that pride?" Ruan Ling smirked. "You know this pride of yours can get you killed here, right?"

"It's not pride, it's loyalty," Longshao Wenqin shrugged. "If I die here, that just means this is my limit. But don't look down on me. I am not going to die this easily."

At that moment, Ruan Ling suddenly sensed the presence of someone standing right behind them, causing a chill to run down her spine.

She had absolutely no idea when or how this person got there without her noticing!

"Dodge!" Ruan Ling suddenly cried out before grabbing Bo'er and leaping away.

Longshao Wenqin did not hesitate either. When he heard Ruan Ling's warning, he immediately leapt away with lightning-fast reflexes.

But now that the other party had already gotten this close, how would he allow them to get away so easily?

Holding a dagger in his right hand, the dark figure behind them struck like a viper, aiming straight for Ruan Ling.

Of the four of them, Bo'er was irrelevant, while Ruan Ling had the highest cultivation level among the rest.

As long as Ruan Ling was taken out of the picture, the rest should be a piece of cake!

But just as he was about to hit the retreating Ruan Ling, the dark figure suddenly felt a sense of danger coming from the side.

When he took a quick glance to his side, he could not help but widen his eyes in shock.

A pale blue sword with faint wisps of frost energy was heading straight for his throat!

This was the Primary Origin Core rank Frost Jade Sword, wielded by none other than Nanlan Qianxue.

While Ruan Ling and Longshao Wenqin were busy dodging out of the way, Nanlan Qianxue had decisively thrust her Frost Jade Sword towards the dark figure that had appeared behind them!

Nanlan Qianxue might not be as strong as Lu Tianzi, but she had also been through a fair share of group battles.

Be it the war against the Dragon Cauldron Kingdom, or the battle at Bog Town against the members of Blazing Wings, she had been fighting against numerous opponents at once, which meant that she needed to be absolutely aware of their surroundings at all times.

By going through these messy battles where every misstep or moment of distraction could possibly result in death, Nanlan Qianxue had managed to hone her awareness to an extremely high level. This was something that geniuses who had been sheltered by their prestigious influences from young sorely lacked.

Not just that, but Nanlan Qianxue had also been through multiple spars against Lu Tianzi, who had an unorthodox movement technique in the Flowing River Silent Strides.

Repeatedly going against Lu Tianzi's unpredictable movements had trained her perception to a level far beyond her peers. If not for that, she would not even qualify to be a sparring partner.

As a result, her perception range might not be as far as the Fifth Cycle Origin Core realm Ruan Ling, but within her own perception range, Nanlan Qianxue was definitely far more aware than Ruan Ling.

In fact, she had begun making her move before Ruan Ling even sensed the arrival of the dark figure!

Faced with Nanlan Qianxue's sudden attack, the dark figure had no choice but to abandon his original plan of taking down Ruan Ling. He hurriedly brought his dagger down to block Nanlan Qianxue's sword, but even that was not fast enough.

The sound of metal clashing sounded out, followed by a spurt of blood.

Slice-!

Even though the trajectory of the Frost Jade Sword had been slightly altered by its collision against the dagger, its long blade still managed to cut the dark figure on the cheek, deep enough to draw blood.

But Nanlan Qianxue was still not done.

She immediately followed up by striking out with her left palm, aiming straight for the dark figure's chest.

"You're courting death!" the dark figure roared while striking out with his palm in response.

He was a martial artist at the Fifth Cycle Origin Core realm. Even though he had the initiative in this fight, he had still ended up being wounded by the Second Cycle Origin Core realm Nanlan Qianxue. This made him feel extremely annoyed.

And now, it seemed that Nanlan Qianxue was even trying to take him on all by herself, so how could he not feel enraged?

Just because she managed to catch him by surprise the first time, did she really think that he was a pushover?

Bang-!

The two palms collided and Nanlan Qianxue was blown away as expected, a streak of blood escaping from the corner of her lips.

By now, Ruan Ling and Longshao Wenqin were already rushing over.

Ruan Ling flew to catch Nanlan Qianxue in mid-air, while Longshao Wenqin quickly stood between them and the dark figure to prevent the latter from following up.

However, what happened next went completely against his expectations.

"Argh!" the dark figure bellowed in pain as crystals started spreading out from his palm, cutting into his flesh as they slowly crept up his arm. "You bitch! You actually tricked me!"

At the moment of collision, the dark figure finally realised why Nanlan Qianxue had dared to follow through with her palmstrike despite the difference in their cultivation levels.

That was because Nanlan Qianxue had never intended to overpower him in the first place.

Instead, she had secretly placed a talisman in her palm, activating it upon impact to inflict the dark figure with this strange condition!

Her actions had not only caught the dark figure by surprise, but even Ruan Ling and Longshao Wenqin were momentarily stunned by the sudden turn in events.

"End him before he recovers!" Nanlan Qianxue called out, breaking the duo from their daze.

But before any of them could make a move on the dark figure, eight others had stepped up from behind him.

Seeing this, Ruan Ling and Longshao Wenqin no longer dared to approach.

Once again, none of them could tell how these people got there.

What they could do this time, however, was to take a good look at their opponents. All of them wore a dark cloak, such that it was impossible to see their face or their figure.

Including the original dark figure, six of them were martial artists at the Fifth Cycle Origin Core realm, two at the Sixth Cycle Origin Core realm, while one of them was even at the Seventh Cycle Origin Core realm!

Judging from how they appeared, they must be extremely well trained in the art of assassination.

The Seventh Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist walked towards the original dark figure and placed his hand on the latter's arm. After channelling his Origin Force into the original dark figure, the spreading crystals shattered and fell harmlessly to the ground.

"You got careless," the Seventh Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist said.

"I am sorry, she caught me by surprise," the original dark figure said apologetically. "I will not make the same mistake twice."

"Everyone, take this as a wake up call. Even the simplest of missions can backfire if you do not take it seriously," the Seventh Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist turned to say to the rest.

One could tell from his actions that he was not worried at all, even taking this chance to give his subordinates a lecture.

"Understood!" the rest answered in unison.

"Good," the Seventh Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist nodded in satisfaction. "Now, kill them all."

"Run!" Ruan Ling shouted, and the group immediately turned tail and ran.

With the strength of their current group, there was no way they would be able to deal with the other party in a direct clash!

***

In the Valley of Finesse, a group of dark figures stayed hidden within the bushes as they carefully observed their target.

The Silver Blossoms Tree swayed with the wind, its silver leaves and flowers glittering beautifully under the moonlight.

Below it sat a young man who remained in deep meditation, slowly absorbing the dense World Origin Energy in the surroundings.

The dark figures looked towards their leader, who nodded in return.

That was the signal they needed.

In a flash, five dark figures disappeared from their original positions and appeared around Lu Tianzi.

These five were all martial artists at the Fifth Cycle Origin Core realm.

They acted extremely quickly, not giving him a single chance to react as they thrust forward the dagger in their hands, each aiming for a different vital point.

Stab-! Stab-! Stab-! Stab-! Stab-!

Blood stained the ground as the sound of metal cutting flash broke the silence of the night.

However, the other dark figures who had remained hidden in the bushes could only widen their eyes in shock. That was because the scene that played out before them was absolutely not what they had expected to see.

Lu Tianzi who had five daggers pierced into him slowly vanished, as though his presence there had always been nothing but an illusion.

On the other hand, the five dark figures around him each had a sword hilt protruding from the back of their heads.

They had all been stabbed from the back, creating five fountains of blood that shot out in five directions like a blooming red flower.

It was only then that Lu Tianzi slowly flew down from the top of the Silver Blossoms Tree, gently landing between the five dark figures. It was as though he had always been standing on top of the tree, yet none of them had noticed him before this.

Looking straight towards the bushes where leader of the dark figures was hiding, Lu Tianzi said with a cold silvery light in his eyes. "Are you going to come out yourself, or are we going to do this all night?"