Chapter 570: One Step, One Kill

Her formerly flat chest and the faint Adam's apple on her neck must have been an illusion created by some magical artifact. To think she possessed such ample assets at such a young age—what would she be like when she grew up?

Zu An couldn't help but sigh, wondering why, despite being born of the same mother, both the eldest sister and the third sister inherited Qin Wanru's extraordinary talents, while only the second sister truly had a flat chest. Chu Hanzhao was truly miserable!

Chu Youzhao was still in a daze after her chest was touched. Earlier, when her buttocks were slapped, she could rationalize it by thinking the other person saw her as a man—only she knew the truth of her gender. But what about now? If he knew she was actually a woman, wouldn't recalling what had just happened be utterly mortifying?

She noticed his fingers rub slightly and a strange smile appear on his face. Her mind exploded, and she cried out in shame and fury, "Shameless pervert, die!"

Anger value from Chu Youzhao: 1024!

She immediately drew a short sword and lunged at him. Although she had been angry before, thinking of his relationship as her brother-in-law, she had only intended to use her fists and feet without resorting to weapons. Now, however, she couldn't care less; all that remained was the thought of revenge.

However, someone was even faster than her. A black figure shot past like a cannonball, also rushing towards Zu An.

"Get lost!"

Clearly feeling she was in the way, the person casually waved a hand.

Chu Youzhao saw several glints of cold light in the person's hand and quickly held her sword horizontally in front of her. She had never realized she could execute this sword move so well.

With a crisp clang, her short sword met the opponent's unknown weapon. Immediately, she felt a tremendous force, sending her flying backward to crash heavily against the wall. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, feeling her internal energy in disarray and unable to muster any strength for a moment.

She couldn't help but be shocked. She was, after all, a peak fourth-rank practitioner, an outstanding talent among her peers, and even considered a skilled fighter in the world. Yet, she couldn't even block a casual blow from her opponent? She could tell that the opponent's main focus was on Zu An, and this casual strike probably only used two or three tenths of their strength.

"This must be a sixth-rank master, right?" Many teachers in the academy were at this level, so she could generally perceive it. That pervert will probably die, right? It was rumored that he was just a street ruffian. Although she had heard he recently had some fortuitous encounters, his foundation was too poor; how much could he improve in such a short time?

Chu Youzhao bit her lip tightly. Although she also wished she could kill Zu An, that was just in a fit of pique. He was her brother-in-law, after all; this was an internal conflict. What would it mean if he were killed by an outsider now?

At this moment, Zu An's pupils constricted as he saw the opponent's dark attire. On his way to the capital, he had also been assassinated by similar individuals, who were dark elves. However, this person's build was not as slender and delicate as an elf's. He saw clearly what the glint of cold light in the opponent's hand was: miniature blades, like tiger claws, mounted on a fist. Those who wielded such weapons were often masters of close-quarters combat.

A peak sixth-rank cultivator!

If it were before, facing such an opponent, he would probably be forced into a frantic struggle, only able to dodge immediately and then struggle to endure wave after wave of subsequent attacks. But after absorbing the Mosquito Daoist's cultivation, he now saw the opponent's movements as if in slow motion. He directly extended a finger and clamped down on the opponent's menacing tiger-claw blade.

Lingxi Finger!

Not far away, Chu Hanzhao, who had been worried, was instantly dumbfounded. She instinctively rubbed her eyes, wondering what was happening—was she seeing things? Not just her, but even the tiger-claw blade assassin was stunned. The plot development seemed off; shouldn't the target have avoided his attack and then fallen into his relentless storm of attacks? The intelligence said the target was somewhat strange, but it didn't say he would be this powerful. He tried several times to pull the blade back, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge.

Zu An sighed, "Do you think you're Wolverine?"

As he spoke, he bent a finger, directly snapping off one of the blades. Then, holding it, he casually swiped, severing the assassin's hand tendons, and then continued the motion towards his neck. Assassins who launched killing blows from the start didn't deserve mercy. But just as he moved halfway, a warning sign flashed in his mind. He quickly leaned back, and with that momentum, kicked the tiger-claw blade assassin in the chest, directly shattering his life force. Then, using the force, he flew back. The spot where he had just stood was now surrounded by over a dozen hexagonal throwing darts.

He looked back and saw a killer dressed like a ninja swinging a blade down at him. "I didn't expect this world to have ninjas too," Zu An exclaimed in surprise. He tapped his toe, executing "Sunflower Mirage," and dodged the formidable cleave. Then he executed Lingxi Finger, pointing at his armpit. He expected the opponent to lose mobility immediately, but Zu An frowned; the sensation was wrong. With a "bang," the person transformed directly into a block of wood and fell to the ground. What he had just touched was this block of wood. These ninjas indeed had many such strange and varied skills.

At that moment, another cold gleam pierced through, a dark, narrow rapier darting forward like a ghost. Chu Youzhao, watching from the side, felt utterly ashamed. She had never imagined a sword could move so quickly. She had been quite satisfied with her own sword draw moments ago, but compared to this one, it was like the difference between clouds and mud.

"Be careful!" she instinctively cried out, but her voice abruptly cut off because she saw the sword had already pierced Zu An's neck.

"He just died like that?" A chill ran through her heart. Although she disliked this guy, her sister loved him so much. If she knew about this, who knew how long she would grieve. However, her eyes suddenly widened because she saw another Zu An appear, directly pointing a finger at the sword master's back. A burst of blood mist erupted from his chest. Clearly, his heart meridians had been shattered; not even gods could save him.

At this moment, another new assassin had just entered the room. He held a strange bow, whose sides were sharpened to a razor's edge. Clearly, he was different from ordinary archers; even after engaging in close combat, he possessed considerable fighting power. Unfortunately, he was now filled with regret. He had originally intended a quick battle, and since the indoor terrain was not conducive to archery from outside, he had specifically rushed in. Who knew that this target would be so much stronger than the intelligence suggested? It was too late for him to try and create distance to use his bow and arrow.

Zu An recalled the power of that arrow and knew it would be quite troublesome if the assassin hid far away and kept firing sneak arrows. So, he directly summoned Great Wind and teleported to the assassin's side. The bow-wielding assassin quickly rotated his bow and arrow, his whole body moving as if in a dance, executing an extremely skillful combat technique that defended his entire person flawlessly. He knew that if he could just hold out for a moment, his ninja companion hidden in the shadows could attack and pin down the target, allowing him to then gain distance and slowly snipe him with his bow and arrow.

Unfortunately, he suddenly felt as if a strange bird appeared before his eyes, and then his soul experienced intense pain, causing a momentary pause in his full-body defensive combat technique. In that instant, he saw a sword. He had always greatly admired his companion, believing his swordsmanship to be incredibly swift and devious, unmatched by anyone of equal cultivation in the world. But at this moment, he knew he was wrong. He didn't even see the sword in front of him clearly; he only felt a flash before his eyes, and then a chill in his throat.

As an assassin, he naturally knew his neck had been pierced. In his final moments as he fell, he cursed the ancestors of the colleague who provided the intelligence for this mission back eighteen generations. Who the hell said the target was only fifth-rank? Although his combat power was a bit strange, sending four sixth-rank assassins should have been more than enough. As assassins, they never focused on direct confrontation. Each of them could challenge those above their rank, and some had even killed seventh-rank powerful individuals. But this guy in front of them was killing them like slaughtering chickens. Was he eighth-rank? No, even an eighth-rank wouldn't be this easy. Ninth-rank, or a Grandmaster? But how the hell was that possible!

Zu An suddenly turned his head, frowning as he looked at the corner of the wall. The ninja assassin had already appeared, but he was now holding Chu Youzhao hostage, with a long blade across her neck, his voice as grating as a crow's: "Don't move, or your friend is dead!"