Nie Li had just finished explaining the first part of the cultivation technique for the Heavenly Mark Physique to Nie Yu.
Soon after, Nie Yu found a suitable spot and began her training.
The night deepened, and dark birds occasionally flitted through the forest.
Nie Li suddenly became alert, peering into the distance.
He noticed some shadowy figures moving among the trees, several kilometers away on the edge of a cliff.
He furrowed his brow slightly and waved his hand.
A shadow appeared out of thin air and sped swiftly towards the woods.
Although demon spirits could not fight directly without merging with the demon spirit master’s body, the master could perceive what the demon spirit saw and heard, which could sometimes be quite useful.
Ordinary demon spirits were easily detectable, but the Shadow Demon Spirit could conceal its presence, making it well-suited for reconnaissance and terrain exploration.
The Shadow Demon Spirit quickly identified a few figures in the distance.
Through its eyes, Nie Li saw three individuals dressed in black robes hiding among the trees.
He maneuvered the Shadow Demon Spirit behind a tree, peering through the darkness to locate the three figures, who were engaged in conversation.
“This is the territory of the Heavenly Mark Family!” one of them said.
“We must be careful. The Heavenly Mark Family has several Gold-level powerhouses! If we run into them, we’re doomed!” another warned.
“Are you sure that brat Nie Li lives in that shabby house at the foot of the mountain?” the last one asked.
“Of course! We investigated during the day! That kid’s parents don’t practice martial arts, so we can eliminate them without anyone knowing!”
Listening to their conversation, Nie Li frowned slightly.
Were they from the Divine Sacred Family? It seemed these three had come to make a move against him! However, they all appeared to be only at the Silver rank.
One of the voices sounded very familiar to Nie Li.
Suddenly, he recalled it belonged to the Deacon Yunhua from the Dark Guild! After their encounter in Ancient Orchid City, Nie Li had firmly etched this voice in his memory.
Thankfully, they were only Silver rank! The number of Gold-level powerhouses in Glory City was not vast, and each possessed a unique identity token.
Thus, it was challenging for a Gold-level member of the Dark Guild to infiltrate Glory City.
Therefore, the strongest among them was merely Deacon Yunhua and his companions.
Nie Li frowned slightly as the Shadow Demon Spirit unleashed its perception power.
He sensed the soul strength of these Silver level adversaries: one was Silver Five Stars, and the other two were Silver Three Stars!
“A bit troublesome!” Nie Li frowned.
If they were Silver One or Two Stars, he could handle them easily.
Even against a Silver Three Stars martial artist, he had ways to cope.
But a Silver Five Stars was indeed a challenge.
If those three went to Nie Li’s home, trouble would ensue.
“Little Yu, hurry and go tell the elders that we’ve spotted members of the Dark Guild in the woods at the back of the mountain!” Nie Li instructed Nie Yu.
“Members of the Dark Guild?” A glimmer of fear flashed in Nie Yu’s eyes.
She had heard stories of the notorious Dark Guild since she was small. “What about you? Brother Nie Li, let’s leave together!”
“I’ll be fine. I won’t confront them head-on. I’ll keep an eye on them here. You need to hurry and get the elders. There’s a Silver Five Stars among them, so we need a Gold-level individual!” Nie Li said.
To guard against any demon beast attacks, the Heavenly Mark Family always had a Gold elder patrolling at night.
Just calling that elder would suffice!
“Little Yu, quickly! We can’t delay any further!” Nie Li urged anxiously.
Nie Yu glanced at Nie Li with worry, but in the end, she nodded and swiftly flew away.
Once Nie Yu was far off, Nie Li let out a subtle sigh of relief.
By sending Nie Yu to find assistance, he not only sought help but also ensured she was out of the way.
This would allow him to act freely!
Nie Li carefully concealed himself and slowly approached the location of the three newcomers.
Though his opponents were strong, they were in the light while he was hidden in the dark.
Consequently, there was a chance to contend with them.
Deacon Yunhua advanced cautiously through the woods alongside the two Silver Three Stars martial artists.
“What’s wrong?” Deacon Yunhua suddenly sensed something unusual, as if something strange was peering at him from the shadows.
Although the feeling was faint, it was there nonetheless.
“What’s the matter, Deacon?” the two Silver Three Stars martial artists asked.
“Could I be mistaken?” Deacon Yunhua furrowed his brow.
He let out a low growl, and a massive shadowy black tiger manifested, its chilling gaze sweeping the dark woodland around them.
A Silver Five Stars demon spirit master possessed the Heavenly Star Black Tiger spirit!
That made things more complicated! Nie Li furrowed his brow.
Hiding in a shadowy corner, he held his breath while the Shadow Demon Spirit remained motionless behind the tree.
Nie Li was about fifty to sixty meters away from Deacon Yunhua, and the Heavenly Star Black Tiger, only Silver level, could not detect such a distance.
On the other hand, the Shadow Demon Spirit was concealed a mere five meters from Yunhua and his companions, fully blending into the surroundings.
The tiger’s pupils glowed with a faint blue light in the night, scanning the area but failing to identify anything alarming.
Deacon Yunhua finally relaxed, saying, “I must be overthinking it!”
Deacon Yunhua reverted the Heavenly Star Black Tiger to its spirit form.
Exposing a spirit made it easy for other masters to sense them, so it was better to be cautious.
“Let’s wait a moment. Liu Qing, you’ll head down to check if the Heavenly Mark Family’s patrol is absent and signal us if it’s clear!” Deacon Yunhua thought for a moment.
The risk of this mission was considerable, so he didn’t wish to take unnecessary chances.
Liu Qing felt a bit disgruntled, thinking why he had to go, but he dared not argue with Deacon Yunhua’s orders.
He nodded and quickly moved down the mountain.
Deacon Yunhua and another martial artist named Liu Yan slowed their pace.
Seeing Liu Qing drift away from them, Nie Li raised an eyebrow.
This was an excellent opportunity!
Facing three opponents alone was still challenging for Nie Li, but it was entirely different against a single Silver Three Stars martial artist.
Although Liu Qing was two levels higher than Nie Li, he was still just a martial artist, whereas Nie Li was a demon spirit master!
Especially since Nie Li was using the Shadow Demon Spirit, a type of spirit not commonly known.
Most people wouldn’t have any knowledge of its capabilities!
With a thought, Nie Li manipulated the Shadow Demon Spirit, and it transformed into a streak of black light, darting back swiftly and merging with him, altering his form.
Nie Li fixed his gaze on Liu Qing not far away, a cold smile playing on his lips.
He focused, vanishing from view, and stealthily approached Liu Qing.
“What’s going on?” After sprinting hundreds of meters, Liu Qing suddenly felt an unusual aura.
He halted and cautiously looked around.
In the stillness of the night, aside from the rustle of leaves in the wind, there was nothing else.
Am I being paranoid? Liu Qing chuckled to himself and moved on, thinking that as long as he vaguely satisfied Deacon Yunhua, he needn’t take any risks.
Nie Li held his breath, silently closing in on Liu Qing.
With the Shadow Demon Spirit’s stealth capabilities, it was nearly impossible for an ordinary person to detect him.
Five meters.
Three meters.
Two meters…
Liu Qing had no clue that Nie Li was already directly behind him.
Suddenly, Liu Qing felt a lethal intent locking onto him, a chill rushing down his spine.
He pulled back in shock, spinning around to kick out.
The kick connected with nothing but air!
“What the hell was that?” Liu Qing felt a chill grip his heart.
He had clearly sensed the imminent danger; why was there nothing when he turned?
Just at that moment, an apparition materialized next to him.
Liu Qing barely heard a swoosh as a glint of cold light sliced through the night, cutting across his neck.
A fresh wound opened on Liu Qing's neck, crimson blood gushed forth.
He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out as his vision gradually faded.
With a thud, he fell to the ground.
Until his last moments, Liu Qing could not fathom what had attacked him.
From the day he started cultivating, he had faced countless foes, yet he had never experienced such an assault before.
However, he would never have the chance to understand.
After landing a successful strike, Nie Li’s body gradually dimmed once again, returning to hiding.
Nie Li lingered around Liu Qing’s corpse, preparing for his next ambush.
Though pleased with his first successful attack, Nie Li felt it wasn't entirely satisfactory.
Liu Qing had sensed the threat before the strike.
Although he ultimately succeeded, Nie Li viewed it as a failure.
A true assassin should take their target down before they can even react or sense the danger!
The Shadow Demon Spirit had only just merged with Nie Li, and his control over its abilities wasn’t yet refined.
Making mistakes was only to be expected.
If others had managed to do so well on their first attempt, they would be quite pleased.
But Nie Li held himself to very high standards, striving for perfection.
Silently, Nie Li lay concealed in the shadows, patiently waiting.
A faint smell of blood began to permeate the forest.
“What happened?” Deacon Yunhua frowned, his keen senses picking up something was amiss.
He leaped forward, and Liu Yan followed closely behind.
After leaping a short distance, they came upon Liu Qing's lifeless body, their pupils contracting in shock.
“There’s someone here!” Deacon Yunhua gasped, his heart racing.
Someone had quietly eliminated a Silver Three Stars martial artist so close to them! Could it be a Gold-level master?
Liu Yan felt a surge of fear seeing this sight.
Liu Qing had only made it a short distance away before being killed without making a sound; how was that even possible?
The two slowly drew back together, standing back to back, cautiously scanning the nearby Woods.
In the pitch-black night, amidst the stillness of the forest, occasional bird calls broke the silence, and while their line of sight showed nothing out of the ordinary, a horrifying sense of being watched lurked just beneath the surface, making their hair stand on end.
Since Deacon Yunhua and Liu Yan were motionless, Nie Li remained silent as well, biding his time.
In any case, dragging this out would work in his favor; soon, Nie Yu would bring the elders over.
Time ticked by, each second stretching into eternity.
Sensing something off, Deacon Yunhua’s brow furrowed as he barked, “Let’s go!” He was a cautious man.
Since they had encountered unexpected setbacks this time, it was best to retreat and reconsider their strategy.
Liu Yan was eager to leave and immediately nodded in agreement.
As Deacon Yunhua prepared to take off, Liu Yan followed closely behind.
“Wish to leave? Not so easy!” A cold glint flickered in Nie Li’s eyes.
He suddenly revealed himself, swinging his sickle-like bone spike straight at Liu Yan.
Having already lurked near Liu Yan for some time, Nie Li was just five or six meters away.
When he launched his strike, it was incredibly quick.
In that instant when Nie Li emerged, Liu Yan and Deacon Yunhua’s eyes went wide.
“Who?!”
How could someone have hidden so close without their notice after all this time?
“Kill!” Nie Li’s eyes narrowed, releasing a chill of murderous intent as he struck at Liu Yan like a bolt of lightning.
Liu Yan snorted, divine light bursting forth from his body.
He had two pieces of Silver-grade arm protection on.
He raised his arm to block the attack and kicked up at Nie Li simultaneously, trying to deflect the strike.
As a Silver-level martial artist, Liu Yan had experienced many battles, giving him a wealth of combat experience.
In a moment of crisis, his response was remarkably swift.
Unfortunately, the one ambushing him was no ordinary opponent, but Nie Li, who had merged with the Shadow Demon Spirit!
Facing Liu Yan, Nie Li suddenly extended his forearm.
The hooked spike on his bone weapon swung around and caught Liu Yan at the back of his neck, piercing effortlessly.
Liu Yan's pupils dilated as he lost focus, unable to comprehend why this person’s arm seemed impossibly long, able to reach around and attack him from behind.
In that fleeting moment, Nie Li had just taken down another foe.
Though Liu Yan was a stronger opponent, Nie Li had not engaged him directly.
Instead, he launched a surprise attack in a manner Liu Yan could not anticipate.
There was no time for a reaction, resulting in Nie Li's successful and lethal strike!
(The End of This Chapter)