Chapter 325: 狂虐皮球受

Xu Xiaoshou slowly closed his eyes, his body trembling.

"How long have you been watching me, five days?"

"No wonder I've been so restless these past few days."

Red Dog adjusted his mask and chuckled lightly, saying, "You're very composed. You must have faced many assassination attempts, haven't you? Are you used to it?"

"You must be a genius; otherwise, no one would pay such a high price to kill you."

"Geniuses are always clever."

"You're stalling for time... have you called for help? Is it another Throne? Is it someone from your Spirit Palace – an elder, or the dean?"

His eyes, subtly visible through the mask, held a smile. His voice was soft, yet his tone conveyed an undeniable certainty.

Xu Xiaoshou's heart sank.

His stalling tactic was seen through so easily. He hadn't even had time to ramble on, when suddenly, a message flashed in his mind's information bar.

"Ambushed. Passive Value: 1."

Even with his "Agility" reaching Grandmaster level, Xu Xiaoshou still couldn't react in time.

Without any warning, Red Dog's death-like aura spread and enveloped the entire area while he spoke.

*Clang!*

A crisp metallic clang erupted as a black dagger flew into the sky.

Xu Xiaoshou clutched his chest, completely pierced and thrown back!

Even with his "Resilience," the thunderous blow still caused his flesh to burst apart, sending him reeling back.

"Resilience" wasn't invincible.

Xu Xiaoshou knew that if the enemy's attack exceeded his endurance limit, he would be finished!

Red Dog, who had intended to kill him with one blow, was also stunned.

He never gave his enemies any breathing room, not even a Xiantian.

Yet, using nearly seventy percent of his power, he was actually repelled by a single strike?

"What kind of body is this?"

Red Dog was utterly shocked!

"A Grandmaster Physique?"

He looked utterly incredulous. Even after decades in the assassin trade, killing geniuses for so many years...

...he had never seen anyone so young possess a Grandmaster Physique!

He shook his hand.

His left arm, which had wielded the dagger, was twisted from the impact of the blow, and he could faintly detect a hairline fracture. For Red Dog, this was simply inconceivable.

A mere Xiantian, yet able to injure him?

With a *snap*, he twisted his arm back into place, his eyes once again fixed on Xu Xiaoshou.

"What Spirit Art is that?"

Xu Xiaoshou hunched over, severely wounded by the blow that had almost pierced his chest. Yet, under the effects of "Endless Life," he had almost fully recovered at that moment.

He didn't show it, maintaining a pained expression as he covered the fully healed wound with his hand, using the bloodstains to conceal the truth.

His past conjectures had come true: as long as the opponent didn't kill him with a single blow, even if they were a Throne, his recovery ability was truly astonishing.

Even so, he wasn't confident in striking back to kill.

Because he knew it was pointless!

No matter how strong his attack was, could he kill the opponent with one blow?

This was a Throne!

And it was obvious that this casual strike was certainly not the limit of Red Dog's attack.

If he rashly charged forward and angered the opponent, he might truly never see the sun rise tomorrow.

"That's not a Spirit Art; it's a talent."

Xu Xiaoshou continued, his voice trembling, "As you've probably realized, I truly do have a Grandmaster Physique..."

Another dagger flew out, giving Xu Xiaoshou no time to react, striking him directly in the forehead.

With a *boom*, Xu Xiaoshou was blasted away.

His body was sent flying backward and upward, but before he reached his maximum speed, he suddenly seemed to hit an invisible barrier, getting stuck in mid-air.

"Is it a Domain...?"

Xu Xiaoshou's face was covered in blood, despair filling his heart.

This Red Dog was too ruthless, giving him no chances at all—definitely a highly experienced assassin!

Xu Xiaoshou had also vaguely heard of the invisible barrier that blocked him.

A Domain: a small world that only Throne cultivators could manifest. Within their Domain, the Domain Lord was an invincible god.

Based on their profound understanding of the Heavenly Dao, a Domain Lord could control almost everything within their Domain.

Xu Xiaoshou realized he had been led into Red Dog's Domain, possibly from the moment he bumped into that disheveled old man.

Because after that, his consciousness had become completely agitated, no longer under his control.

This was a sign of interference from the Heavenly Dao!

"Is this the end...?"

Xu Xiaoshou's body fell weakly from the air.

*Clang!*

The dagger, similarly repelled by Xu Xiaoshou, flew in a perfect arc and landed simultaneously with his body.

Red Dog touched his mask, seemingly lost in thought.

"Interesting."

"Your Grandmaster Physique seems to be more than just ordinary. Is this unique recoil force a Spirit Art?"

"Or rather, is it a power from your innate bloodline?"

With a curious step forward, he instantly moved in front of Xu Xiaoshou and then crouched down.

A dark shadow suddenly shot out from Xu Xiaoshou's chest, piercing straight towards Red Dog.

However, at such close range, he merely twisted his body and flexed his hand, sending the black sword flying away.

*Buzz!*

"Hidden Suffering" shrieked mournfully, the weakness of a tenth-grade Spirit Sword utterly exposed at that moment.

Even wrapped in the Blackfall Scabbard, and even with just a gentle flick from Red Dog, "Hidden Suffering" seemed on the verge of shattering!

Xu Xiaoshou's heart clenched. The black sword shattering wasn't the issue.

What mattered was the opponent's reaction speed, leaving him no opportunities at all!

"Heh, an ambush?"

Red Dog chuckled lightly, reaching out to cover Xu Xiaoshou's head with his hand, his voice cold.

"Little one, your speed is too slow!"

With that, he lifted Xu Xiaoshou's head and slammed it violently into the ground.

A deep crater was instantly blasted open, but the young man's body, just as he expected, bounced straight back up.

Red Dog smiled, a morbid delight gleaming in his eyes.

"Interesting, so interesting!"

"Hahaha, how can you be so interesting!"

His eyes were wide, as if he had discovered an incredible toy. He seized Xu Xiaoshou's rebounding head and slammed it down again.

The figure bounced back up.

Red Dog became maniacal, laughing wildly.

"This is too interesting! How can you have such properties? Bouncing? Recoiling?"

"Are you even human? Ah hahaha... You're a rubber ball, aren't you!"

*Thump, thump, thump—*

Clumps of blood splattered on the ground. Xu Xiaoshou was utterly defenseless. He wanted to resist, but couldn't summon even a shred of physical strength.

Red Dog's Heavenly Dao restraint was too terrifying; it completely immobilized his entire body.

He was like a puppet, repeatedly slammed down, bouncing up, bouncing up, slammed down again by the masked man...

"Ugh!"

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't spit out the mouthful of blood; it choked him and forced him to swallow it back.

He felt his vision go black, seemingly unable to see anything clearly anymore.

The world blurred around him in a dizzying haze.

"This was the power of a Throne?"

Xu Xiaoshou's lips felt dry and bitter. The opponent hadn't even exerted himself, merely toying with him, yet all of Xu Xiaoshou's trump cards were completely unusable.

Life, as if a cruel joke, was abruptly nearing its end.

He slowly closed his eyes.