The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

"That power just now was terrifying! It's definitely not something an ordinary Human Qi Realm cultivator could possess!"

Another middle-aged man dressed as a wandering monk wiped the rain and cold sweat from his face, still shaken.

"We underestimated them...we all underestimated them!"

Someone muttered to themselves, their voice filled with regret and fear.

"The intelligence severely underestimated his strength! This is no mere brat who can be easily surrounded and killed; he is clearly... a ferocious beast that will devour its prey!"

The tragic scene before them served as a chilling warning bell, striking the hearts of everyone who followed.

The contempt and greed that arose from the sheer number of people and the backing of powerful forces were instantly replaced by an overwhelming chill.

The surprise attack on that rainy night came at a far greater cost than they had imagined, and the terror of the target known as "Master Xuan" far exceeded their expectations! An invisible panic began to spread quietly among the pursuers.

Jiang Xuan's figure darted through the maze-like streets at high speed, like a ghost blending into the rainy night.

While the Storm Mill's strike is incredibly powerful, it also consumes a huge amount of energy.

As he ran, he circulated his inner energy with all his might, restoring his surging true qi.

The soul's perception is like the most sensitive radar, constantly scanning every rustle and movement around it.

suddenly!

From the shadows at the alleyway ahead, an aura as heavy as a mountain and as deep as an abyss suddenly erupted! This aura carried a strong sense of oppression, far surpassing that of the previous ambushers!
Jiang Xuan's pupils suddenly contracted, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks!
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows and blocked the narrow alleyway entrance.

This man was stocky and had an ordinary, even somewhat simple, face, but his eyes were sharp as a hawk's, exuding a coldness and murderous aura from someone who had been through many battles.

He held a dark gold spear over ten feet long in his hand, its shaft covered with intricate spiral patterns, and its tip gleaming with a chilling light. Just standing there, he exuded an aura of unshakeable grandeur!

Earthly Realm expert!
Moreover, he was by no means a beginner! The powerful and refined aura emanating from him far surpassed any opponent Jiang Xuan had encountered before! It was him, one of the nine great disciples of the Azure Light Pavilion.

Is it Lu Zhong, nicknamed "Iron Arm"? Or someone else?
Without a word! The kind-looking middle-aged man clearly recognized Jiang Xuan, and a murderous glint flashed in his eyes!
He let out a low shout, not to bolster his courage, but to instantly unleash his power to the extreme! The bluestone beneath his feet shattered, and he shot forth like an arrow, accompanied by a violent gale, man and spear becoming one, aiming straight for Jiang Xuan's heart!
"Buzz!"

The dark golden spear tore through the rain curtain. Even before its tip arrived, a terrifying pressure, heavy as a mountain, completely enveloped Jiang Xuan! The air crackled under the immense pressure! The point of cold light condensed at the spear tip magnified rapidly, seemingly becoming the only color in the world, threatening to pierce through Jiang Xuan's very soul!

Too fast! Too fierce! Too domineering!
This spear thrust embodies the absolute control of power of a master at the Earthly Rank Realm. It is simple and direct, yet unavoidable! Clearly, the intention is to kill with a single, overwhelming blow!
Jiang Xuan felt a chorus of alarm bells ringing in his heart! This was absolutely the strongest attack he had encountered since entering Yanxia City! In the midst of the chaos, dodging was impossible; he had no choice but to meet it head-on!

"drink!"

Jiang Xuan let out a low roar, and his inner energy erupted like a volcano! His arm muscles bulged, veins stood out, and he gripped the Black Spirit Battle Blade tightly with both hands. Instantly, a layer of condensed, almost tangible, sky-blue spiritual energy covered the blade!
He crossed his arms, and the Black Spirit Battle Blade drew a cross-shaped blocking trajectory in front of him, parrying the deadly cold light with all his might!

"clang!!!"

A deafening, teeth-grinding clang of metal suddenly erupted! The sound pierced through metal and shattered stone, even briefly drowning out the torrential rain!
At the center of the collision, a visible white shockwave suddenly exploded, instantly displacing and shattering the surrounding rainwater!
An overwhelming force surged along the blade and pierced Jiang Xuan's arms!
He felt a violent tremor in his arms, and a tingling, numb sensation instantly spread from his tiger's mouth to his shoulders, as if his bones were groaning! His feet felt like they were stepping on cotton, and he uncontrollably stumbled back three large steps, each step leaving deep footprints on the slippery bluestone slabs and splashing up large amounts of mud! His blood and qi surged within him, almost bursting out of his throat!
Such powerful strength! Jiang Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.

This person's strength is probably even greater than the legendary "Iron Arm" Lu Zhong!

However, just as Jiang Xuan was knocked back by this spear, in that delicate moment when the old force had just dissipated and the new force had not yet arisen...
Mutations reborn!

A chilling, deadly, and almost silent killing intent, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, suddenly erupted from a towering rooftop to Jiang Xuan's left rear! A jet-black streak of light, faster than the limits of visual perception, tore through the rain, carrying a bone-chilling cold, and shot straight at Jiang Xuan's back!
The timing was impeccable! It was precisely at the very moment when Jiang Xuan was forced back by a powerful enemy, and his mind and strength were slightly weakened!

The killing intent came too fast and too stealthily! Even the kind-looking middle-aged man who was launching a frontal assault seemed to be slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting this sudden coordinated attack!
A subtle, unusual glint flashed in his eyes.

But Jiang Xuan reacted even faster! Or rather, the combat instincts honed by the Bloodthirsty Camp on countless brushes with death saved him!

The instant he sensed that chilling killing intent, he forcefully suppressed his surging blood and qi, ignoring the soreness and numbness in his arms, and twisted his body to the right with an incredible degree of flexibility! At the same time, using his left foot as a pivot, his right foot pushed off the ground with lightning speed, and he moved to the right sideways like an arrow shot from a powerful bow!

"laugh!"

The jet-black streak of light grazed past Jiang Xuan's left arm, the robe gleaming coldly. The sharp, icy aura stung his skin. The arrow missed its mark, embedding itself silently in a stone wall behind where Jiang Xuan had been standing, leaving only a small, bottomless hole. The surrounding bricks instantly swelled with an eerie emerald green hue.
Azure Phosphorus Poison! Another poisoned arrow from the Azure Light Pavilion! Moreover, the power, speed, and stealth of this arrow far surpass that of the previous black-robed assassin! The one who made the move is definitely a killer at the Earthly Rank!
Jiang Xuan landed steadily a few feet away, the cold rain hitting his face. His eyes flashed like lightning as he quickly scanned the eaves on his left. There was no one there; the attacker had missed and fled.

He looked again at the kind-looking middle-aged man holding the spear, his expression extremely serious.

With a terrifyingly powerful Earthly Realm expert attacking and restraining them from the front, and ruthless, cunning, and perfectly coordinated top-tier assassins lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment! This trap set by the Azure Light Pavilion is indeed extremely dangerous, with each step linked to the next!

At this moment, the "honesty" on the face of the kind-looking middle-aged man had vanished without a trace, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity and astonishment.

He stared intently at Jiang Xuan, his grip on the dark gold spear tightening unconsciously.

Jiang Xuan's ghostly dodge just now not only avoided the remaining force of his fatal spear, but also perfectly dodged the silent, deadly arrow! This reaction speed and anticipation of danger are simply unbelievable!
He had thought that with his formidable strength at the mid-stage of the Earthly Realm, he would be able to crush this so-called "Master Xuan." He had even used more than 70% of his power in that spear strike, expecting to severely injure or even kill him. But the opponent was merely knocked back and even managed to dodge a deadly sneak attack from another Earthly Realm assassin under those circumstances!
This young man is far more complex than the intelligence reports suggest!
His strength is unfathomable!
A chill rose uncontrollably from the heart of the kind-hearted middle-aged man for the first time.

He realized that he would probably have to risk his life to pay the three thousand spirit stones bounty tonight!
Jiang Xuan, too, stared coldly at his opponent, his internal energy surging wildly to repair his trembling meridians and the numbness in his arms.

The brief and perilous exchange just now completely dispelled any sense of contempt he might have had.

As expected, none of the Earthly Rank Realm experts are easy to deal with! Especially this combination of frontal assault and covert assassination, it is extremely dangerous! The two faced each other across the cold rain, their boundless killing intent silently colliding and surging in the narrow alleyway. The rain that fell several feet around them seemed to be repelled by this invisible pressure.

The air was so heavy it seemed to freeze.

Jiang Xuan's heart sank.

He knew that the real battle was only just beginning.

The kind-hearted middle-aged man's heart also sank suddenly.

The cold rain washed over Lu Zhong's resolute face, but it could not dispel the sudden solemnity rising in his heart.

His name is Lu Zhong, nicknamed "Iron Arm". He is a mid-stage Earthly Realm cultivator and a veteran who fought bloody battles on the front lines of the empire.

His experience of crawling out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood endowed him with a composure and resilience far exceeding that of his peers, and also gave him a beast-like intuition for danger. After joining the Azure Light Pavilion, thanks to this strength and ruthlessness on the battlefield, he quickly became one of the Pavilion Master Qi Tianxing's confidants.

Tonight's operation was originally nothing more than a piece of cake in his eyes.

What kind of trouble could a mere peak-stage Human Realm cultivator possibly cause, even with some talent and a fearsome reputation? In his view, the Pavilion Master's dispatch of two Earth Realm cultivators, including him, along with numerous elites, was already making a mountain out of a molehill, using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

He even felt that he didn't need to take action at all; his subordinates could handle it.

However, that brief exchange just now completely overturned his understanding!

That terrifying power to withstand seventy percent of his spear's force head-on without being at a disadvantage! That terrifying reaction to be able to dodge with ghostly precision amidst his own full-force attack and the silent cold arrows of another Earthly Realm assassin in the blink of an eye! This is something that no ordinary Human Realm cultivator could possess!
"This child...is very strange!"

Alarm bells rang in Lu Zhong's mind, and a strong sense of threat, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly coiled around his spine.

Years of battlefield experience had honed his instincts, telling him that this seemingly young opponent was far more dangerous than the intelligence reports suggested! Underestimating him would cost him his life!
Just as Jiang Xuan used the force of the impact to crash into a low-lying house like a fish and disappeared into the distance...
"call out!!!"

A sharp, piercing whistle that cut through the rain suddenly rang out from Lu Zhong's mouth! This whistle was extremely special, containing unique spiritual energy fluctuations. Even amidst the noisy downpour, it could be clearly transmitted to extremely distant places, and the cultivators of the Azure Light Pavilion could recognize it instantly!
Call for help! Iron-Armed Lu Zhong, a mid-stage Earthly Realm expert, actually sent out a distress signal while dealing with a Human Realm youth!

If this news were to spread, it would cause a huge uproar in Yanxia City! It would be tantamount to declaring that the danger level of that "Master Xuan" had reached a point where even Earthly Realm experts would need to join forces to eliminate him! At this moment, Lu Zhong no longer cared about saving face; survival and completing the mission were his top priorities!
He knew that he might not be able to keep this slippery and fierce opponent by himself!

Before the whistle had even finished blowing, Lu Zhong's figure shot out like a cannonball, rushing into the house through the hole Jiang Xuan had smashed open! A dark gold spear loomed ahead, stirring up wind and rain, exuding a murderous aura!
Meanwhile, thousands of feet away, atop the spire of an abandoned high-rise building in Yanxia City.

A figure, like a weightless ghost, lay silently on the cold tiles, letting the torrential rain wash over it.

He wore a tight-fitting, jet-black leather armor that accentuated his lean physique. What was most unsettling was his face, a sickly pale complexion, as if he had never seen the sun; his cheeks were long and narrow, as if carved by a knife, his eyes were deep-set, and his gray-brown pupils were like a desolate desert, devoid of any human emotion, only showing indifference to life and a thirst for predation.

He held in his arms a large bow with an extremely bizarre shape. The bow was actually made of several white skulls that were fused together. The empty eye sockets of the skulls seemed to be silently grinning, and the bowstring connecting the bow arm was as red as blood, emitting a faint bloody smell in the rain.

He is Canfeng. A top assassin in the underworld of Yanxia City, feared by all, known for his elusiveness and unerring accuracy, his methods are so bizarre and cruel that they are appalling.

Canfeng's gray-brown pupils were fixed on the alleyway where Jiang Xuan and Lu Zhong had just fought.

He slowly raised his pale fingers and gently brushed them across the cold surface of the skull bow.

"Twice"

A hoarse, dry voice, like the grinding of gravel, squeezed out of his throat, carrying a hint of surprise and even more chilling killing intent.

"It managed to dodge my 'Shadow' twice... Interesting little thing."

The first arrow shot from behind the ruins of the mansion in the west of the city was sensed and dodged by the opponent.

The second time, at the alley entrance, in coordination with Lu Zhong's powerful attack, that sure-kill arrow was miraculously dodged by the opponent under such extremely unfavorable circumstances! This was extremely rare in his assassination career.

"Things...don't happen more than three times."

Canfeng's lips curled into a chilling smile, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"Next time, your blood will stain my bowstring."

Before he finished speaking, he vanished silently from the top of the building, like a melting shadow, his movements incredibly fluid, like a boneless bat.

With a few leaps, it completely disappeared into the dark streets and alleys below, pouring rain, moving at an astonishing speed as it chased after the direction where Lu Zhong and Jiang Xuan had vanished.

Lu Zhong moved quickly through the dilapidated houses.

The house had a simple interior structure, consisting of only a few connected dilapidated rooms, covered in dust and cobwebs.

He held his breath and focused his mind, his soul perception sweeping across every corner like a searchlight, tracing the remaining aura and traces of Jiang Xuan.

However, as time went by, Lu Zhong's heart sank little by little. (End of this chapter)