Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Lin Gui, however, took the initiative to call out to the assassin who was still looking around and talking in the air.

"Stop yelling."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet woods.

"The legendary figure you speak of will not appear."

The assassin abruptly turned his gaze back, staring intently at Lin Gui.

Lin Gui sat at the front of the raft, his gray eyes calmly looking at him, his tone as if he were stating something perfectly natural.

"He will silently hide nearby and, as you take a step to run away, cast a spell to blast you into dust."

"Therefore, I advise you not to take any action."

"Otherwise, you'll die a horrible death."

The assassin's face was extremely grim.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and questioned Lin Gui in a threatening tone.

"This hunt is a joint organization of twenty-four magic families in the City of a Thousand Towers."

"To kill members of the magical family that hunts..."

He stared at Lin Gui, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"You want to ruin this hunt?"

"Will you...bear the wrath of the united magic families?"

Lin Gui couldn't help but laugh after hearing this.

The laughter was soft, but it sounded particularly grating to the assassin's ears.

The assassin's brows furrowed, suppressing his anger.

"Hey kid, what are you laughing at?"

Lin Gui finished laughing before slowly speaking.

"If we kill you, even if it disrupts this hunt, we'll offend the entire magical families of the Thousand Towers City?"

He paused, a hint of mockery in his gray eyes.

"So, your attack on Miss Irene of the Ross family just now, wasn't that also disrupting this hunt?"

"Did it also offend all the magical families?"

The assassin was speechless.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

Lin Gui looked at him, his smile fading, and his tone returning to its usual calm.

"I have no interest in the feuds between your magical families, or in this so-called hunt."

"My instinct was to leave you in that desolate forest, to be strangled like your abandoned companions."

"But I didn't."

The assassin narrowed his eyes, watching him warily.

"So what do you want to do?"

Lin Gui smiled, glanced at Elvia beside him, and then looked back at the assassin.

"We want you to fight her."

"Defeat her without using your inner energy, and we'll let you go."

"how?"

The assassin paused for a moment, then frowned.

He never expected that the reason the other party didn't attack him in the deadwood forest was for this.

His gaze swept over the blond knight.

High-level, about to break through.

His breathing was unstable, and he was at a delicate critical point.

The assassin instantly understood.

The other party is using her as a whetstone, giving this young girl an opportunity to break through.

He quickly made a mental calculation.

Unlike magicians.

If a magician doesn't use magic, he's basically at the mercy of others.

However, the physical class is different.

Even without internal energy, one's physical attributes are sufficient to support a certain level of strength.

Even without using his inner energy, he, being of the superior level, can unleash combat power at least that of the lower level of the extraordinary.

A high-ranking knight about to break through...

He doesn't even consider him a threat.

The assassin sneered, looking at the black-haired mage who was clearly the leader in front of him.

How do I know you'll keep your promise?

Lin Gui said calmly.

"So you're saying you're refusing?"

He turned his head and looked in a direction where there was nothing at all.

His lips moved slightly, as if he intended to say something to the powerful legendary mage.

The assassin's pupils contracted sharply.

"etc!"

He practically yelled it out.

His voice was filled with barely suppressed urgency.

Lin Gui stopped what he was doing, turned his head, and looked at him again.

The assassin gritted his teeth and nodded.

Lin Gui withdrew his gaze, turned his head to look at Elvia, and gestured.

"Go."

Elvia stepped forward.

He walked up to Lin Gui and stopped.

She didn't look at him, her gaze fixed on the assassin in front of her. Her voice was calm, but it carried a hint of confusion and anticipation that she herself couldn't perceive.

"Didn't you ever consider that I might fail and then be killed by him?"

She paused for a moment.

"A cornered dog will jump over the wall."

Shadow Blade Lin's training of herself was ruthless, but it was training, a kind of tempering that only went so far as to be effective.

This time, Lin Gui directly pushed her into a real fight.

Those joking responses couldn't mask the enormous risks involved.

Lin Gui turned his head and looked at her indifferently.

"Elvia".

"You said you would help me."

He paused for a moment.

"And a high-ranking knight is a burden to me."

He handed over the gray dagger.

Elvia's eyes darkened as she took the dagger and held it in her hand.

"I will do as you wish."

She turned and walked forward.

He landed on both feet, holding a thin sword, and confronted the assassin.

There was no more joking, no more scheming in those golden eyes.

There was only one cold, resolute fighting spirit.

On the raft, Lin Gui sat down cross-legged.

He turned his head to look at the petite Shadow Blade Lin sitting on his shoulder.

"I need to think about some things."

"Remember to remind me, Elvia cannot die."

Don't forget the promise you made to me.

Shadow Blade Lin chuckled softly.

The laughter was soft, tinged with a hint of mockery.

"Hmph, if you keep going like this, she'll never reach the top in her lifetime."

Lin Gui replied calmly.

"I don't need her to reach her peak."

Shadow Blade Lin sneered.

"A mage who intends to overthrow the alliance, do you really plan to face those twenty-odd titled experts all by yourself?"

"Or are you planning to rely on the newly ascended Demon Lord, whom you bestowed favor upon at the Wailing Wall, to accompany you to your death?"

Lin Gui ignored her provocation, sat cross-legged on the ground, and closed his eyes.

Shadow Blade Lin floated up from his shoulder and said in a cold voice.

"Hmph, arrogant."

Then, her gaze became fixed on what was ahead.

The veil of night can conceal her from everyone's gaze, but it cannot hide from her, who is composed of a pure soul.

In her view, this ordinary, slightly shady place under the trees had now been lit up.

Ahead, Elvia and the assassin faced off for a moment.

Then, she moved first.

The rapier was drawn, its silvery-white blade arcing through the sunlight, whistling as it aimed straight at the assassin's face.

The assassin dodged to the side, then swung his short blade at her wrist.

Elvia didn't dodge; she pressed down with her rapier, colliding head-on with the attack.

"clang--"

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the forest.

Sparks flew between the blades.

Elvia gave him no chance to catch his breath.

Sword after sword, with wide, sweeping strokes, each strike accompanied by a sharp, piercing whistle.

At this moment, her swordsmanship was not that of an assassin, but that of a true knight.

The rapier in her hand was wielded with the force of a heavy sword.

The assassin was forced to retreat repeatedly, his back slamming into a dead tree.

He dodged to the side, and Elvia's sword slashed at the tree trunk.

Wood chips flew everywhere, leaving a deep cut.

Once the fight began, Elvia dominated the assassin.

Lin Gui, meanwhile, lowered his head and began to ponder.

The thrilling fight between Elvia and the assassin had no effect on him.

Eileen, standing to the side, watched this scene with her brows furrowed tightly.

She expressed her utter incomprehension of Lin Gui's almost indifferent behavior.

The blonde girl's love and pride when introducing her man to her.

Even though she was clueless about social etiquette, she could see it clearly.

And now, the girl who loves him is fighting in front of him, facing an enemy far stronger than himself.

Is this person really so heartless that they don't even glance at him?

Her fingers gripped the staff tightly, her knuckles turning white.

The disgust in those dark eyes grew stronger.

Lin Gui, completely unaware of the impression he would leave on the magical genius behind him, smashed through the floor.

He was deep in thought at that moment.

He had felt a sense of unease ever since he got involved in the hunt.

His initial plan was to first remove the eight nodes that maintained this enormous perceptual veil.

As long as this veil of perception remains, his location will continue to be exposed.

Because with Guy by his side, he wouldn't abandon him, since only Guy knows the location of the shelter.

The level of that perception veil is at least legendary or higher.

The level of perception goes straight to the soul.

Under the observation of the Eye of the Underworld, delicate soul lines extended from Guy's body and merged into the towering curtain.

Lin Gui has the ability to cut it off, but this perception veil will sense Guy's presence again.

Because this is not aimed at Guy himself, but at the half-demon race.

This reminded him of something.

A divine artifact, the all-knowing compass.

As long as this perception veil exists, the half-demon has nowhere to escape.

Initially, the Ross family's lagging participation in hunting gave him a subconscious sense of urgency.

The hunt is drawing to a close; if we don't act now, it will be too late.

It was this sense of urgency that made him constantly aware that something was wrong.

It wasn't until he killed that wandering swordsman that he realized the most abnormal part of the whole incident.

time.

His urgency stemmed from the ongoing hunt.

But the truth was that the hunt was already coming to an end.

The reaction of the Ross family mages told him that they were too late.

They were indeed late.

The hunt is over.

The prey has been caught.

So...

Why does the barrier of perception still exist? Why are these extraordinary high-ranking assassins and rangers from the magic family still lingering in this desolate wasteland instead of leaving with their prey for Deadwood Town?

The most likely scenario is that Edwin and other top-tier fighters who organized the hunt are locked in a stalemate with Morgan and his group.

Even if there is a stalemate, it has nothing to do with these magical families who have already completed their hunt, can leave with their prey, and leave a few people behind to maintain the perception barrier.

unless……

The escaped half-demon they captured became their bargaining chip.

Although the half-demon's top-tier strength is formidable, his opponent is the City of a Thousand Towers.

If that person really is behind it.

The force they dispatched could not possibly be stopped by four legendary figures.

Could it be that the sanctuary has some kind of backup plan?

As Lin Gui was pondering, he caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye.

Low-ranking demons emerged from the woods upon hearing the sounds of battle.

He then said to Guy.

"Tell me, if you all were to die in the wasteland, who would be the person you least want to see?"

Guy paused for a moment, then looked at him blankly.

"what?"

Lin Gui smiled but offered no explanation.

At that moment, Elvia's battle with the assassin came to an end.

The assassin was initially overwhelmed by Elvia's fierce attacks, but that was only because he was adapting to the rhythm of the battle when he had no energy.

His exceptional physical attributes and combat experience far surpass those of a high-ranking knight.

He quickly regained his composure.

The short blade, like a silver viper, weaved through Elvia's net of swords.

Each collision sent numbness through Elvia's arm.

Her offensive was gradually dismantled, and her steps began to falter.

The assassin spotted an opening.

Elvia thrust her sword out, but she used too much force and couldn't retract it in time.

He sidestepped the sword tip, reversed his grip on the short blade, and slammed the hilt hard into Elvia's wrist.

A crisp "snap" sounded.

Elvia grunted, and the rapier flew out of her hand.

She staggered to one side, instinctively covering her injured right wrist with her left hand.

The assassin gave her no chance to catch her breath.

He lunged forward, grabbed Elvia's shoulder with his left hand, and slammed her against a dead tree.

He flipped the short blade in his right hand, aiming the tip at her throat.

The cold metal pressed against my skin.

Elvia's pupils contracted slightly, the cold glint of the short blade reflected in her golden eyes.

She did not close her eyes.

His lips were pressed tightly together as he stared intently at the assassin before him.

The assassin looked down at her, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"Little girl, it's over."

He exerted force with his wrist, thrusting the short blade forward.

In that very instant.

Shadow Blade Lin floated on Lin Gui's shoulder, raising an eyelid.

She opened her mouth, ready to speak up and remind them.

Eileen was on edge the whole time, and at that moment she couldn't care less about anything else.

The staff was raised, and magic power gathered wildly at its tip.

Guy instinctively closed his eyes.

He dared not look.

then.

Lin Gui opened his eyes.

He removed the veil from his dark robe.

There is no spell.

There were no gestures.

There wasn't even any sign of magic gathering.

Just as the assassin's dagger was about to pierce Elvia's throat.

The assassin's surroundings.

Countless magical rings instantly appeared in the crevices of the withered tree and in the folds of the air.

Densely packed.

Layer upon layer.

From the ground to mid-air, from tree trunks to fallen leaves, every angle and every crevice was filled with these magical rings exuding a sharp aura.

They floated silently, without the slightest ripple.

But the center of each ring is fixedly aligned with a single target.

The assassin's throat, heart, limbs, and head.

All the rings were aligned with him.

The assassin's dagger stopped three inches from Elvia's throat.

It could not advance even an inch further.

It wasn't because of exhaustion.

It's because of fear.

An uncontrollable fear welling up from the depths of the soul.

Elvia looked at the magical rings imbued with the breath of wind that stood before her and the blade, as well as the magical rings that enveloped her all around.

Lin Gui couldn't have created so many wind blade rings in an instant, which clearly meant he had prepared them in advance, but they were concealed by the dark gauze robe, so no one noticed the flaw.

Recalling Lin Gui's initial indifferent reply, Elvia couldn't help but chuckle.

"You stinky man."