Chapter 324: Not Nervous, I'm Just Here to Take Your Life

A clear look of confusion appeared on the uncle's face.

However, he was clearly someone who had been through a lot. Even though his shoulder was bleeding from the collision, he didn't utter a sound.

“Young man, you're not looking where you're going, and now you're blaming me?”

“Assassin?”

He burst out laughing, clearly amused. He slapped his thigh repeatedly, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Suspicion gained, Passive Value, 1.”“Ridicule gained, Passive Value, 1.”

Xu Xiaoshou saw these two messages and instantly felt a wave of relief. This system couldn't possibly be fake! Even if this uncle was an excellent actor, he couldn't fool the system's power to distinguish truth from falsehood. So, he truly was just a passerby?

“Phew…” Xu Xiaoshou watched him laugh, and then he, too, chuckled. He was so nervous he hadn't even realized it himself; his back had been drenched in sweat since the moment he stepped out.

“My apologies, I was just preoccupied and didn't see you.”

The scruffy uncle waved his sleeve, wiping tears from his eyes with his elbow, and shook his head. “Young man…” he began, “did you know, if that had been me in my younger days, you’d be dead right now!”

Xu Xiaoshou's eyebrow twitched. He noticed a large scar on the uncle's dirty neck, one that looked like it had almost severed his throat. He immediately realized that this person, in his younger days, was likely not someone to be trifled with.

Who doesn't have a dark, passionate, or reckless past? If not for the hardships of life, if not for being completely crippled, a Spirit Refiner wouldn't be so down and out, abandoning the path of Spirit Refining altogether to collect scrap metal!

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at him. Post-Heaven realm. The decline of his cultivation was immediately apparent; his cultivation realm had clearly been forcefully shattered. His face was rugged, a face belonging to a hardened individual, but it was so dirty—grease and grime coexisted, suggesting it hadn't been cleaned in ages. A foul stench wafted from him, making his features completely indiscernible.

“I'm off.” Xu Xiaoshou handed him a bottle of Vermilion Gold Pills, said nothing more, and brushed past him. A heavy weight pressed on his heart; until it was lifted, he was in no mood to joke with passersby or earn any passive value.

The scruffy uncle tugged at his sack, adjusting it on his shoulder. He stared at the Vermilion Gold Pills in his hand for a moment before letting out a soft, mirthless laugh. He took two steps forward and called out, “You're going the wrong way!”

Xu Xiaoshou, however, had already disappeared into the crowd.

“Alas.”“Young people are just impulsive…”

The agonizing ten minutes felt like an eternity, and the minor incidents along the way only heightened Xu Xiaoshou's agitation. He twisted his wrist, and his bones popped with a 'crack crack' sound.

His heart lurched. Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized that something was wrong. Even having encountered beings of the Throne realm before, was this truly him, consumed by such anxious delusion?

“Ah Jie.” Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes and softly called out.

However, there was no response…

*Swoosh—*

A chill shot through him, and goosebumps instantly spread from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Xu Xiaoshou felt completely cold. His face paled, but his steps remained resolute as he pressed forward, doing his best to appear normal.

“It has already begun…”“No, it began a long time ago!”“That uncle?… No, that's not right. It wasn't the uncle; I must have been confused the moment I stepped out!”

“Illusion array?” Xu Xiaoshou's mood shifted erratically; he refused to believe this was an illusion array. No matter how powerful an illusion array, it would eventually trigger the system's "Delusion Received" notification, which had been confirmed when he previously spied on Rao Yinyi bathing.

But if it wasn't an illusion array, how was it affecting him?

“Observation gained, Passive Value, 1.”The information panel refreshed with a new message, and Xu Xiaoshou suddenly understood.

“The Throne…”“Is this the power of the Heavenly Dao?”

He suddenly stopped in his tracks. By now, he could see that while the direction he was heading seemed similar to the path to the Pill Tower, it was fundamentally and entirely different! He hadn't even noticed it immediately…

Xu Xiaoshou's heart grew cold. He had been careless! Truly careless! He shouldn't have come out early during these ten minutes. Even just sitting in the inn would have been better. Why did he suddenly have the urge to come out directly? Even if Xin Gugu was on his way, it would take time. He already knew the extraordinary nature of this assassin, so why was he still so impulsive?

Xu Xiaoshou abruptly squeezed his eyes shut, his heart plummeting into an abyss.

“There's no need to blame yourself.” A faint voice drifted casually from ahead. Ahead, a white-robed man wearing a red mask approached him. His hands were clasped over his Dantian. His fingers were fair and neat, his nails meticulously trimmed, and his demeanor was ethereal and spotless. Around his waist, he wore a red token. Carved on the token were three incense sticks: one red, one purple, and one deep green.

Xu Xiaoshou opened his eyes, a flash of sorrow in their depths. “Indeed…” He instantly grabbed his communication jade slip, about to contact Jiao Tangtang, but with a wave of the man's hand, the jade slip instantly crumbled to dust.

“No need to be nervous. I'm merely here to end your life.” The voice seemed to drop from the heavens, utterly nonchalant and carefree, as if the matter held no weight.

Xu Xiaoshou's face turned pale green. In that instant, he suddenly understood exactly how those people he often provoked felt.

“Who are you? Three Incense Sticks… an assassin? Do you know Li Qi?” Xu Xiaoshou asked calmly, steadily backing away. He had to buy time. This person was too strong! With just one glance, he knew this was a being absolutely no weaker than individuals like Xiao Qixiu or Ye Xiaotian. Not possibly—absolutely! Absolutely no weaker than the grand figures of the Spirit Palace!

The assassins of Three Incense Sticks were in a completely different league from the 'Dark Nether Street' organization Li Qi belonged to; there was simply no comparison. Facing him, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he were encountering Elder Sang for the first time again! That wanton disregard for human life, that casual indifference… this was the mark of a grandmaster, accustomed to their lofty position and holding the fate of lives in their hands!

How could he possibly defeat such a person now! How could such a person appear before him at this moment? Only despair remained in Xu Xiaoshou's heart.

“My name is Honggou; it's what others call me.” The white-robed man took a step, instantly appearing beside Xu Xiaoshou. No matter how much Xu Xiaoshou retreated, the man clung to him like a persistent shadow, impossible to shake off. Honggou was tall, half a head taller than Xu Xiaoshou. He leaned down and whispered into his ear, “You are quite extraordinary.”

He tilted his head, seemingly weighing his words. “This is the first time I've encountered a junior of the Innate realm worth so much… Honestly, I accepted this mission purely to get a look at you.”

“But!” He changed his tone, his curiosity vanishing as he stated indifferently, “My kill rate for 'death' missions cannot drop from one hundred percent because of any single person, not even you.”

“Do you understand me?”