"And just like that, I’ve achieved my goal."

Just now, Shen Bai had coated his Buddha’s Light with a layer of his Poison Avoidance and Rejuvenation Skill. Using its Poison Attachment Attribute, he had spread the poison over the surface and, with that one punch, infected the assassin before him.

Shen Bai had altered the poison to induce paralysis, preventing the assassin from mustering even a sliver of Qi.

The Dark Hall assassin watched Shen Bai draw near, and upon hearing his voice, a look of pure terror spread across his face.

Every member of the Dark Hall knew why they were so quick to seek death: each one of them had committed atrocities, deeds for which ten lifetimes would not be enough to atone.

If they were ever captured, death was the only outcome, unless they could perform some world-shaking service to earn a pardon.

For this very reason, they would rather die quickly than fall into the hands of the Observatory.

But now, he had failed. He was controlled by the poison, a helpless captive.

The Dark Hall assassin could only feel his body begin to tremble. He knew he wouldn’t live, yet he couldn’t die. He couldn’t even twitch a finger.

Shen Bai walked up to the Dark Hall assassin and lifted him by the neck. "My patience is limited. I can give you a quick death, and I guarantee it will be painless. Do you accept?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Dark Hall assassin, surprisingly, nodded.

’Loyalty to the organization?’

’It doesn’t exist.’

’The people who join the Dark Hall are just a pack of strays, looking for a way to survive.’

’A quick death is infinitely better than a life of suffering.’

’After all, there were countless ways in this world to keep a person alive and conscious through unimaginable torture.’

"Very good. Your name is... never mind, it’s not important."

Shen Bai had barely started before he changed the subject. "Tell me where the Dark Hall headquarters is, what its actual strength is, who hired you to kill me, and where they are."

He had rattled off a series of questions right from the start.

Every question struck at the heart of the matter.

He had never been one for idle chatter, and this was certainly not the time for it.

The more direct he was, the more time he saved.

Upon hearing this, the Dark Hall assassin didn’t hesitate for a second, spilling everything he knew.

"The Dark Hall’s headquarters is in Kao Mountain Village, about a hundred li from Fenglin Continent. We’ve already killed everyone in that village and assumed their identities. Our Disguise Technique ensures we won’t be exposed, even when facing constables."

At this, the Dark Hall assassin felt Shen Bai’s gaze on him turn ice-cold, and he couldn’t help but shrink back.

Shen Bai continued, "Keep talking. Or do I have to force you? From this moment on, if you don’t tell me everything, I will use poison to heighten your senses, and then I will crush your bones, inch by inch."

His tone was flat, but to the Dark Hall assassin’s ears, it carried a terrifying, hidden menace.

Hearing Shen Bai’s threat, the Dark Hall assassin vividly imagined the feeling of his bones being shattered. He quickly continued, "The Dark Hall is a notch weaker than the Upper Evil Sect, but the real problem is finding them. As for who issued the bounty this time, I don’t know. Only the Dark Hall’s Hall Master would know that."

He no longer dared to pause, rapidly spitting out everything he knew.

Shen Bai stroked his chin and asked one last question. "What’s your rank in the Dark Hall? How is it that you know the location of its headquarters?"

The headquarters of an assassin organization would never be so easily exposed.

If every assassin knew its location, the organization wouldn’t survive a day.

The Dark Hall assassin shivered. "I’m a Gold Token assassin in the organization. To delay you, they sent Gold Token assassins every time. Only Gold Token assassins know the exact location of the headquarters."

"And you’ve already killed almost all of us Gold Token assassins."

As he said this, a bitter look appeared in the Dark Hall assassin’s eyes.

’He couldn’t understand it, either. Why did they have to repeatedly try to assassinate Shen Bai?’

’Failure meant death.’

’Success meant enraging the entire Fenglin State Observatory, and then the Dark Hall would find it impossible to operate.’

’But he had no choice. Those were his orders.’

Shen Bai nodded.

’If he was a Gold Token assassin, then that was a different story.’

’It would be normal for him to know the location of the Dark Hall’s headquarters.’

’As for why a Gold Token assassin seemed so weak, it could only be attributed to how absurdly fast Shen Bai was growing stronger.’

’If Shen Bai were to fight the Sect Leader of the Upper Evil Sect now, the Sect Leader probably wouldn’t last three moves against him.’

CRACK!

With that crisp sound, the Dark Hall assassin in front of him became a corpse, tossed aside by Shen Bai like a piece of trash.

"Time to take care of this Dark Hall," Shen Bai said, getting to his feet and scanning his surroundings.

All around was darkness. No one was passing by.

Holding Amber and carrying Cold Moon, Shen Bai quickly vanished from the street.

...

「A village a hundred li from Fenglin State.」

This village looked no different from any other. At night, it was exceptionally quiet.

From time to time, villagers could be seen walking around.

Moreover, various poultry could be heard clucking.

But when the tranquility of the moment was shattered, the villagers, who had been enjoying the cool evening air outside their homes, all turned their gazes toward the source of the disturbance.