The saintess is pregnant, what does that have to do with me, a spoiled brat?

"Peak of the fourth rank?" Xu Nuo raised an eyebrow, his tone revealing no trace of panic.

Shen Qingyi frowned slightly as she looked at his nonchalant attitude.

"Don't you know what a fourth-rank martial artist means?" she said coldly. "A fourth-rank martial artist can project his aura into armor, making him impervious to swords and spears. Your brute strength is a joke in front of him. The head of the Enforcement Hall is even more ruthless and decisive in killing; countless people have died at his hands."

Xu Nuo leaned against the door frame, sizing up Shen Qingyi.

"This is the capital," Xu Nuo smiled. "The capital of the Great Li Dynasty. My grandfather is the Duke of Zhenguo, commanding 300,000 Zhenbei Army troops. No matter how powerful the Taichu Holy Land is, would they dare to openly kill a duke's heir right under the emperor's nose?"

Shen Qingyi was taken aback.

She was accustomed to viewing things from the perspective of the Holy Land, but she overlooked the deterrent power of secular imperial authority. The Great Li Dynasty's ability to stand firm stemmed from its unfathomable depths. The Holy Land indeed dared not openly murder Xu Nuo in the capital.

"It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark." Shen Qingyi shifted her gaze, her voice still cold. "The Holy Lord is truly enraged this time. You'd better watch yourself."

After saying that, she turned and left. The hem of her blue skirt drew a cold arc in the night wind.

Xu Nuo watched her retreating figure, a smile playing on his lips.

This iceberg doesn't seem as cold as it used to be.

Close the door.

Xu Nuo sat cross-legged on the bed, piling all 190,000 taels of cultivation resources he had acquired during the day in front of him.

Centuries-old ginseng, top-grade Qi and Blood Pill, and Gu Yuan Grass.

The Primordial Dragon Soul was a bottomless pit; this little bit of stuff wasn't even enough to fill a tooth gap. But he urgently needed to improve his strength. Although he spoke lightly of the threat from a peak fourth-rank cultivator, he knew in his heart that he needed to be strong himself to succeed.

The jade pendant on her chest felt slightly warm.

Roar.

A deep dragon's roar echoed in my mind.

The medicinal herbs and pills on the table visibly shriveled, turning into pure medicinal power that surged into Xu Nuo's body.

The fourth dragon pattern flickered in the darkness, its light growing brighter and brighter.

It was so close.

Xu Nuo closed his eyes and guided the medicinal power to impact the dragon pattern.

It was late at night.

A very faint whooshing sound suddenly came from outside the window.

Xu Nuo suddenly opened her eyes.

There's a murderous aura about it.

He didn't move, remaining in his meditative posture, his breathing steady.

Through the crack in the door, a thin bamboo tube silently slipped in. A colorless and odorless venomous smoke drifted into the room through the tube.

Xu Nuo sneered inwardly.

Same old tricks.

He held his breath, and the Primordial Dragon Soul trembled slightly, directly absorbing the poison gas he had inhaled and instantly transforming it into pure energy.

crunch.

The window was gently pushed open.

A man dressed in black floated in like a ghost. He landed silently.

The man in black held a dagger coated with a ghostly blue venom, his eyes fixed on Xu Nuo on the bed, aiming straight for her throat.

A sixth-rank military officer.

Xu Nuo instantly assessed the opponent's strength. The Shadow Pavilion had certainly gone to great lengths to kill him.

Just as the dagger was about to pierce Xu Nuo's throat.

Xu Nuo moved.

Instead of retreating, he charged straight at the dagger.

A flicker of surprise crossed the man in black's eyes. Was he courting death?

The next second, he realized he was wrong.

Xu Nuo's hand gripped his wrist like an iron clamp, moving so fast that even a sixth-rank martial artist couldn't react in time.

Click.

His wrist was crushed.

Before the man in black could even scream, Xu Nuo had already grabbed his neck with his other hand, lifting him into the air.

The information was incorrect.

The man in black's eyes were filled with terror. This was no weakling who could even kill a chicken.

He wanted to bite open the poison sac in his mouth and commit suicide.

boom.

Xu Nuo punched him in the chin. His teeth, along with his venom sacs, shattered into pieces, spurting out mixed with blood.

"Want to die? Not so easy."

Xu Nuo lowered his voice, the jade pendant on his chest burning hot.

Roar.

The roar of a dragon exploded in the black-clad man's mind.

The man in black trembled violently, and the sixth-grade internal energy within him surged uncontrollably into Xu Nuo's body like a flood bursting its banks.

"No..." The man in black struggled desperately, his body visibly withering away.

In just a few breaths.

A sixth-rank martial artist was rendered useless by the draining of his energy.

boom.

Having absorbed all the internal energy of a sixth-rank martial artist, Xu Nuo's fourth dragon pattern finally lit up completely.

A terrifying power erupted from his limbs and bones. His bones cracked and his muscles bulged. His pure physical strength broke through to the peak of the sixth rank.

Xu Nuo casually tossed the man in black onto the ground, like he was throwing away a tattered rag.

He crouched down and began to search the man in black.

He pulled out a black iron plate with the character "Shadow" engraved on it.

There was also a thick stack of silver notes.

The Dali Tongbao coin is worth a full 100,000 taels.

"Deposit?" Xu Nuo counted the silver notes and put them in his pocket.

That old bastard Chen Wanjin is really generous.

The man in black lay on the ground, barely breathing, his eyes unfocused.

"Who sent you?" Xu Nuo patted his face.

The man in black gritted his teeth and remained silent.

"Not going to talk? That's fine." Xu Nuo stood up. "In the capital, the only person who hates me to the bone and can come up with a deposit of 100,000 taels of silver to hire the Shadow Pavilion is Chen Wanjin. I can't think of anyone else."

The man in black's pupils suddenly contracted.

Xu Nuo smiled.

You guessed right.

"Lin Hu," Xu Nuo called out.

The door was pushed open, and Lin Hu rushed in, knife in hand. His expression changed drastically when he saw the man in black on the ground.

"Your Highness, I deserve to die for allowing an assassin to infiltrate."

"It's none of your business. You can't defend against a sixth-rank assassin." Xu Nuo waved his hand.

Lin Hu gasped. A sixth-rank assassin? He'd been dealt with so quietly by the young master?

"Dispose of this body," Xu Nuo ordered.

"Yes." Lin Hu dragged the man in black out.

"Wait a minute," Xu Nuo called out to him.

"Is there anything else you require, Your Highness?"

Xu Nuo walked to the table, poured a cup of tea, and slowly took a sip.

"Tell the brothers to get a good rest tonight. Tomorrow morning, come with me to the Chen family's house."

Lin Hu was taken aback: "What are you going to the Chen family for?"

"Collect the debt." Xu Nuo put down his teacup, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Ten thousand taels in compensation, plus ten thousand taels for emotional distress. Not a single coin less, and I'll wipe the Chen family out."

Lin Hu, his blood boiling, loudly replied, "Yes!"

the next day.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

The gates of the Chen residence were tightly shut.

Chen Wanjin didn't sleep all night, sitting in his study waiting for news.

The Shadow Pavilion has never failed in its missions. That little beast Xu Nuo should be a corpse by now.

Just then, a loud bang came from outside.

boom.

The two vermilion gates of the Chen residence, covered in copper, were kicked open from the outside and smashed into the screen wall in the courtyard, shattering into pieces.

Chen Wanjin trembled with fright and suddenly stood up.

"What happened?"

The butler scrambled into the study, his face ashen.

"Master...Master...something terrible has happened."

"Xu Nuo...Xu Nuo has broken in."

Chen Wanjin was struck dumb and collapsed into a chair.

Xu Nuo didn't die? The Shadow Pavilion failed?

yard.

Xu Nuo stepped onto the ruins of the Chen family mansion gate, followed by the murderous Lin Hu and dozens of guards from the Zhenguo Duke's mansion.

He watched as the Chen family guards ran out in a panic, drew the sword from Lin Hu's waist, and casually swung it.

The blade sliced ​​through a nearby stone lion.

"Chen Wanjin, come out and pay back the money."