This assassin is upright

Chapter 374 The Role of the Pillar of Demonic Energy!
"It seems there's no way to get out from the top."

Yu Zhu sighed and shook his head, unsurprisingly. "If it were really that easy, the pillar of demonic energy wouldn't be able to stop the demons."

"Let's just wait patiently for the void to appear."

"Hmm." Yu Zhun nodded and was about to descend when he suddenly stopped and looked up at the dome with surprise and uncertainty.

"What's wrong?" Yu Zhu noticed that Yu Zhun's expression was strange and subconsciously asked, "Is there a problem?"

“There is indeed a problem.” Yu Zhun was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke, “What do you think is above the sixth level of the Netherworld?”

"Of course it's the fifth floor!" Lu Wen said without hesitation.

The others nodded in unison, clearly sharing the same thought.

“Indeed, above the sixth level of the Netherworld should be the fifth level,” Yu Zhun said slowly. “So what do you say…”

"Could there be another pillar of demonic energy on the fifth floor?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.

They jumped directly from the third to the sixth level of the Netherworld, and had no idea what was on the fourth and fifth levels.

Judging from this trend, the span of this pillar of demonic energy is indeed not limited to the sixth level of the Netherworld; it may even exist on the fifth level.

even…

Pillars of demonic energy may exist on the fourth level.

If that's really the case...

The thought that this pillar of demonic energy connected three worlds gave everyone a vague understanding of something, but it wasn't entirely clear.

Until Lu Wen muttered under his breath, "They're strung together like a string."

Stringed together?!

The others were slightly taken aback, then a strange light appeared in their eyes. A pillar of demonic energy connected the three worlds together.
Considering the differences between the fourth, fifth, and sixth levels of the Netherworld and the previous three levels, a thought simultaneously arose in everyone's minds.

"The connection between the fourth, fifth, and sixth levels of the Netherworld is even closer, perhaps because of this pillar of demonic energy?" Helmod said in a deep voice.

“That’s my guess too.” Yu Zhun nodded. “The pillar of demonic energy was formed under the continuous influence of the power emanating from the corpses of powerful demons, and its existence connects the three layers of the Netherworld.”

"If that's the case, it explains why this corpse was found here."

Everyone nodded in agreement. It seemed their trip hadn't been in vain; they had gained new insights and discoveries.

I couldn't understand why the remains of a powerful demon were here before, but now I've found an explanation.

“If that’s the case, we must stop Void Lord’s actions.” Helmod realized something, and his expression suddenly darkened.

"Although we don't know what Void Lord is planning, there is no doubt that his plans are related to that corpse."

"If there is a problem with the corpses, the pillar of demonic energy will be affected, and if there is a problem with the pillar of demonic energy, it may affect multiple layers of the Netherworld."

"That might affect our strategy!"

The others also realized this, and their expressions became serious.

"After leaving here, we'll go find the leader and the second leader of the Nine Lords as soon as possible," Yu Zhun said in a deep voice. "Isn't Lord Void worried that his scheme will be discovered by those two?"

"Then let's make his fears come true!"

The others nodded in unison.

As they spoke, they had already returned to the ground.

The demonic energy at the entrance is still rampant, and the void has not yet formed. It seems that all we can do now is wait.
-
"boom!!!"

With a deep rumble, a white glow shot into the sky, carrying immense fury, engulfing most of the sixth level of the sky.

In the thirty-two demon cities, more than half of the demon warriors raised their heads at the same time. Even the hidden powerhouses cast their gazes, their eyes filled with contemplation.

Given Bai Huijun's strength as the fifth seat of the Nine Sovereigns, the fact that he displayed such astonishing power could only be described as a life-or-death struggle.

Who drove him to this point?

The next instant, Bai Huijun's furious roar resounded.

"You audacious scoundrel, how dare you come again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a glint of light flashed in the eyes of countless onlookers.

In an instant, they recalled the rumors from some time ago that Bai Huijun had been attacked by the five outsiders who had killed two of the lords.

Judging from this, they've come back after their failed assassination attempt last time?

They're really rampant...

In the sixth level of the Netherworld, many demons considered themselves extraordinary and had some complaints about the rule of the Nine Lords, but those complaints were limited to mere criticisms.

However, someone is currently attempting to kill Jiu Jun, and has already succeeded twice. This alone is enough to keep everyone on their toes.

The white glow quickly dissipated, but the emotions of the group of powerful demons remained unsettled for a long time.

Is Bai Huijun alive or dead?
Who are those five outsiders targeting next?
At that moment, a cold snort suddenly rang out.

The voice seemed to appear out of nowhere in everyone's mind; they tried to find it, but couldn't pinpoint its location.

As the sound rang out, a figure appeared out of thin air in everyone's sight. It was a powerful demon wearing a pink and silver robe. He disappeared in a few steps, as if shrinking the distance between people, and was nowhere near where Bai Huijun had been.

After a brief silence, all the powerful figures who had been watching were in an uproar.

It's him!

The second seat among the Nine Lords, Lord Wuxin!
Has this incredibly mysterious and powerful figure, who has been in seclusion for years, finally decided to make a move?
As people spread the news, a complex mix of emotions welled up within them.

With Wuxinjun taking action, the five outsiders had no choice but to surrender.

Is this grand drama finally coming to an end?

At the same time, on the wasteland full of battle marks, Wuxinjun quietly appeared beside Baihuijun, his eyes, as clear as gemstones and seemingly able to see through all thoughts, indifferently and ruthlessly turned to Baihuijun.

"You are hurt."

"Wu Xin Jun is wise." Bai Hui Jun panted heavily, one hand covering the deep, gruesome wound on his chest, and looked at the newcomer with a respectful expression. "Those few petty thieves are truly hateful, and their strength is exceptionally powerful."

"If it weren't for the protection of the White Radiance Realm, which made them hesitant to act, I would probably have followed in the footsteps of the Lake Maiden and the Bitter Locust Tree."

Wuxin Jun pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke, "Xu Wu Jun."

"I'm here." Void Lord emerged from the void in a twisting motion, nodding slightly to Heartless Lord. "I didn't expect even you to have emerged from seclusion."

"Why don't you make a move?" Wuxinjun ignored Xukongjun's words, his transparent eyes looking at Xukongjun indifferently. "If you make a move, how could a few petty thieves escape?"

“What Wuxin-jun says is true.” Xukong-jun smiled bitterly, “but I have been refining my origin recently and cannot act rashly.”

Wuxinjun frowned as he looked at Xukongjun, as if trying to discern the truth from Xukongjun's emotional fluctuations, while Xukongjun remained calm and composed.

After a long while, Wuxinjun withdrew his gaze and said, "Never mind."

"Now that I have left the pass, I will take care of this matter."

“These few ignorant outsiders, no matter what disguises they have, cannot escape my notice.”

“With Lord Wuxin making a move, it’s naturally a piece of cake.” Lord Xukong smiled slightly. “In that case, I’ll take my leave.”

With that, he took a step back and disappeared into the distorted void.

Wuxinjun calmly watched the direction where Xukongjun had disappeared, lost in thought. After a moment, he looked up at Baihuijun beside him. "Your aura has changed somewhat."

"To be honest," Bai Huijun smiled, "during Wuxinjun's seclusion, I had some fortuitous encounters, and my strength has increased slightly."

"I had hoped to have a match with the Lake Maiden at the next gathering of the Nine Gentlemen and see if I could win the fourth seat."

At this point, Bai Huijun sighed softly.

"It's a pity that the Lake Maiden has passed away."

"I don't feel much sense of accomplishment holding onto this fourth seat."

Wuxin-jun did not interrupt, patiently listened to Bai Hui-jun's rambling, and then slowly said, "Tell me about the situation of those five outsiders."

"The more detailed the better, so I can pinpoint it with my inner eye."

“Alright.” Bai Huijun nodded and slowly described the characteristics of the five people. As he narrated, a captivating radiance and terrifying demonic power gradually emerged in Wuxinjun’s transparent eyes.

Intricate magical runes slowly emerged.

A moment later, he suddenly looked in a certain direction, and for the first time, a look of surprise appeared on his usually calm face.

"Are they... courting death?"

Almost the instant Wuxinjun finished speaking, the entire sixth level of the Netherworld trembled violently. A thin, blood-red line appeared in the dark sky, then slowly spread outwards, like an eyelid opening to reveal a blood-red pupil.

Boundless killing intent poured out from his pupils as if it were a tangible substance, transforming into a crimson river of blood that meandered down from the void.

Wherever that long river passed, countless powerful demons vanished silently amidst wails and despair. A mere trace of killing intent was enough to annihilate ordinary demons, both body and soul—a terror far exceeding the limits of this realm.

As if sensing something, those blood-red pupils turned slightly and looked in the direction of Wuxinjun.

"Humph…"

Wuxinjun let out a muffled groan, his transparent eyes suddenly snapped shut, countless demonic runes vanished in an instant, and two lines of bloody tears flowed down.

Even someone as powerful as him was injured in the eyes by the murderous aura.

The leader of the Nine Lords, Lord Blood River!

Those five foolish outsiders actually dared to provoke this old man who had been silent for who knows how many years!
"boom!!!"

Upon feeling a rumble from the earth, Yu Zhun and the others simultaneously changed color.

"What happened?" Lu Wen suddenly stood up, gripping his longsword tightly, and looked around warily.

"It shouldn't be inside the pillar of demonic energy." Yu Zhun looked at the unharmed corpse of the demonic expert and spoke in a deep voice.

"The noise came from outside."

Upon hearing this, instead of feeling relieved, everyone's expressions became even more serious.

What kind of noise could travel across the pillar of demonic energy to reach here?

"Something big may have happened outside the pillar of demonic energy," Yu Zhun said in a deep voice, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

Void Lord?
Based on the strength he sensed from the other party, he was afraid that they were not strong enough to shake the sixth level of the Netherworld.

So it seems that only the two above Void Lord could possibly have done this.

Even those two made a move?

A strange unease crept into Yu Zhun's heart.

Did they take action because they discovered Void Lord's scheme, or were they already deceived by Void Lord?
If it's the former, that's fine. If Void Lord is killed by those two guys, Yu Zhun and the others should stay put for a while. After things have calmed down, they can try to enter the next level.

If it's the latter...

A shadow of gloom crossed Yu Zhun's mind.

With their current strength, their chances of winning against Void Lord are too small.

Thinking of this, Yu Zhun suddenly looked at the corpses not far away.

After a moment of hesitation, he walked step by step toward the corpse, slowly raising the dagger in his hand.

Helmod noticed Yu Zhun's actions and looked nervous. "Yu Zhun, what are you doing?"

Yu Zhun paused for a moment and turned to look at Helmod.

"The Pillar of Demonic Energy has not yet opened its entrance."

"I have a strong feeling that by the time the entrance reopens, it will be too late."

"so…"

"I plan to remind those two in a different way."

Without hesitation, Yu Zhun plunged the dagger into the corpse.

"Ping—"

With a clang of metal striking metal, the extremely sharp dagger pressed firmly against the surface of the corpse, unable to penetrate even an inch.

That was a demonic powerhouse who was suspected of reaching the ninth level of divine transformation in life. Even his corpse was not something that Yu Zhun, a pseudo-third-level divine transformation expert, could damage.

"You're going to destroy the Pillar of Demonic Energy?" Helmod strode to Yu Zhun's side, watching his actions but not stopping him. "We're on the sixth level of the Netherworld. If the Pillar of Demonic Energy is destroyed, it might affect us and bring new risks."

“I know.” Yu Zhun nodded slightly. “I don’t intend to destroy the pillar of demonic energy, and it’s almost impossible for me to do so.”

"All I can do is make the pillar of demonic energy ripple slightly, so that the top two among the Nine Sovereigns will turn their attention here."

“This is also very risky,” Helmod said in a deep voice. “With the strength of those two, they could easily kill us.”

"One wrong move and we could die here."

"Trust me." Yu Zhun looked at Helmod with a determined look in his eyes. "I have a strong feeling that we won't be able to leave here."

"When the exit of the pillar of demonic energy reappears, what awaits us outside the exit is likely the Void Lord, who has already planned everything."

"This may be the toughest test we have ever faced, but now, all we can do is give it our all."

Helmod looked at Yu Zhun in silence, and after a moment slowly raised the staff in his hand. "I'll help you."

A wisp of golden holy fire quietly appeared at the tip of the staff, and then Helmod lit it on the chest of the corpse.

"Zi-"

With a faint popping sound, the sacred fire ignited on the chest of the corpse. Although it was only a tiny spark, it never went out and burned steadfastly!

That was a sacred fire that had been fused with a trace of divine power beforehand, and it was the natural enemy of all demonic power.

Helmod's expression was solemn. Compared to the sacred flames he had casually unleashed in the past, this newly lit flame was like a drop of water compared to a vast ocean.

However, the cost of maintaining this single spark of sacred fire is hundreds or thousands of times greater than in the past.

He could feel that this wisp of holy fire was like a black hole, greedily and frantically sucking up his source power.

His face turned pale at a visible speed, but his eyes were fixed on the spot where the sacred flame was lit.

"Snap!" Yu Zhu placed one hand on Helmod's shoulder, unleashing his priest-type abilities without reservation, rapidly restoring Helmod's energy reserves. However, this recovery speed was far from sufficient to replenish the energy lost.

The flame began to burn intermittently, and eventually went out completely.

A burn mark the size of a pinhole appeared on the corpse.

(End of this chapter)