Chapter 140 Assassin

She returned to my side and nodded at me.

"If I am not mistaken, this little town is probably a dead town. Not a single person has survived," I sighed.

"If the Japanese did this, why? What is their objective?" Hu Xiaoyu asked.

"There must be some unspeakable secret. Turning an entire town into a ghost town and using Japanese dark sorcery to turn these dead people into living corpses who live as they did in the past—this is not something ordinary forces could achieve," I said with a solemn expression.

"What kind of Japanese dark sorcery can accomplish this? Even if the dead are resurrected into living corpses, they would merely be unconscious zombies; they could never truly be alive," Hu Xiaoyu said.

"That is true. If Japan possessed such powerful dark sorcery, the Yin-Yang masters of our Huaxia wouldn't even need to make a living. Unless... these people had these evil needles driven into them while they were still alive, placing their bodies in a state of suspended animation while their souls retained the memories of that era, causing them to endlessly repeat their lives in a loop," I guessed.

"Then what should we do?" Hu Xiaoyu asked. She didn't even realize that she was subconsciously relying on me, just as she had before in the Hundred-Hole Miao Village.

I lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, pondered for a moment, and said, "I always feel this incident is inextricably linked to Koji Miyamoto. The Sea Woman incident also seems to be entangled in this. Let's investigate backward; the matter of Pearl Town can be set aside for now."

We had just left Pearl Town when suddenly, I sensed something, my expression changing drastically. "The Sea Woman is in danger! The protective artifact I gave her has been activated."

Immediately, I floored the accelerator, and the car roared forward.

Sanshui Village, at the Sea Woman's home.

The Sea Woman was cornered in her house, a glowing spiritual barrier enveloping her body. She huddled in the corner, terror written all over her face.

On the floor, a man in black was missing almost half his body, having long since lost his breath.

At the doorway, a young man dressed in traditional Japanese attire stood with his arms crossed, looking at the Sea Woman with a hint of surprise. He said in a deep voice, "A high-grade artifact!"

On either side, two more men in black flanked the Sea Woman, though their gazes were filled with apprehension.

Koji Miyamoto reached out his hand, and an evil claw glowing with a dark red light materialized in his right hand. With a low shout, he unleashed a wave of dark red energy from the claw, blasting toward the Sea Woman.

The Sea Woman let out a cry, feeling her body vibrate, but she felt no other sensation.

However, the protective spiritual light around her twisted, and instantly, one of the beads on the bracelet around her wrist shattered.

Koji Miyamoto laughed heartily and launched a few more attacks. With each strike, another bead on the Sea Woman's bracelet shattered.

In the blink of an eye, only two of the nine beads remained.

The Sea Woman grew instantly tense. Driven by a surge of courage she couldn't explain, she screamed and lunged directly at one of the men in black beside her.

The man reacted instinctively to counter, but his head was instantly pulverized by a beam of light emitted from the top-grade artifact in the Sea Woman's hand.

Simultaneously, an entire wall of the small cabin collapsed.

Seeing a glimmer of hope for survival, the Sea Woman quickly bolted through the breached wall.

Koji Miyamoto snorted coldly, his figure transforming into a wisp of black smoke as he struck out with his claw once more.

*Bang.*

The Sea Woman was thrown forward, and another bead on her bracelet shattered.

She rolled twice on the sandy beach, her intense desire to survive propelling her back to her feet as she dashed toward the direction of the sea.

A few more steps would bring her to a high cliff; plunging into the ocean was her only remaining hope.

The Sea Woman ran desperately for a few steps, leaped fiercely, and threw herself toward the sea.

Just then, another wave of red light from Koji Miyamoto struck, shattering her very last bead.

By this time, the Sea Woman was already plummeting toward the ocean surface.

Koji Miyamoto raised his evil claw, but he froze momentarily; given his current capacity, he could no longer channel it.

He cursed inwardly. If he failed to capture even an ordinary young girl, his father would undoubtedly be extremely disappointed when word reached the Miyamoto family.

Koji Miyamoto extended his other hand, which morphed into a pitch-black rope, whipping toward the Sea Woman as she was about to hit the water.

*Swish.*

The rope wrapped around the Sea Woman just as half her body plunged into the ocean. She wore an expression of utter despair—she was only a fraction of a second away.

Koji Miyamoto laughed loudly and jerked his hand, preparing to haul her up.

But at that moment, a streak of blood-red light materialized out of nowhere, slashing toward him like lightning.

Koji Miyamoto felt his scalp tingle, and in the next second, the azure light cleanly severed the black rope formed by his left hand.

*Splash.*

The Sea Woman felt her body lighten as she sank completely into the sea. Once in the water, she was in her element; her body darted like an arrow released from a bow, instantly vanishing into the ocean depths.

Koji Miyamoto's heart skipped a beat, and his expression turned ugly.

A strong, instinctive sense of crisis surged within him. Without hesitation, his body suddenly transformed into a wisp of white smoke and vanished from the spot on the instant.

Two figures arrived in a flash—Hu Xiaoyu and I.

"He runs quite fast," I said in a deep voice. Though I hadn't seen the man's face clearly, I recognized his traditional Japanese attire, and combined with the Japanese escape arts, I was virtually certain that person was Koji Miyamoto.

"Will that girl be alright?" Hu Xiaoyu asked.

"The artifact I gave her was destroyed, but she is a Sea Woman; her swimming skills are naturally exceptional. As long as her body isn't severely injured, escaping shouldn't be a problem," I said.

"That person was Koji Miyamoto. How did he manage to track down the Sea Woman?" Hu Xiaoyu asked, puzzled.

I shook my head. Perhaps it was related to the events at Pearl Town.

We searched the coastline for a while but found no trace of the Sea Woman. After handing the area over to local authorities, we returned to the hotel.

...

Deep into the night, in the hotel suite, I sat cross-legged on the bed, my magical power circulating throughout my body.

Originally, I had planned to brave the trial path of the Gate of Rebirth again, but after long deliberation, I felt I lacked sufficient certainty, and current conditions did not permit it anyway.

*Click.*

Just then, I heard a soft sound from the window as it was slid open a crack.

Instantly, I opened my eyes, my gaze sweeping across the room like lightning.

A dark shadow lingered outside the window, and a dense, chilling aura drifted in through the gap.

Oh? A wandering spirit seeking me out voluntarily?

I raised my hand and cast a Spirit-Binding Spell.

To my surprise, however, the spirit broke free, transforming into a streak of black smoke that fled.

I leaped down from the window and gave chase.

After pursuing for a distance, I suddenly noticed the surrounding streets instantly transform into a desolate wasteland.

I came to a halt, grasping the Blood-Slaying Saber, my gaze calm and steady.

"Show yourself," I said coldly.

At that moment, a figure materialized.

It was a man, appearing to be around thirty years old, gripping a pitch-black curved saber, staring at me with a fierce and sinister gaze.

"Who are you? Luring me here—do you intend to kill me?" I asked indifferently.

"You don't need to know who I am. You only need to know that this time tomorrow will be your death anniversary," the man said coldly.

There was no point in talking further!

I instantly activated the Nether Ghost Step, my body transforming into a ghostly shadow. The Blood-Slaying Saber unleashed a sky-full of blood-red blade auras, enveloping the man.

*Clang.*

A speck of pitch-black light flashed. My wrist went numb, and I was sent flying backward.

"A high-grade Yin-Yang master!" I shook my hand, my heart sinking.

At that moment, a white radiance bloomed in my eyes as I stared at the man.

However, a shimmering pool of murky, wave-like light materialized directly in front of him.

"Your spiritual power is indeed formidable, so I won't fall for your trap and be dragged onto a mental battlefield. If this is your trump card, then prepare to die!" the man said coldly.

Abruptly, the man raised his curved saber, and the phantom of a pitch-black magical raven manifested.

Instantly, a terrifying wave of magical power overwhelmed me.

Sensing that my aura was shattering into pieces, the man chuckled softly and lowered his curved saber.

At that point, he pulled out his mobile phone and answered a call.

"Young Master Shang, the task has been accomplished," the man said before hanging up.

Soon afterward, a text message arrived on his phone.

He tapped it open, saw the string of zeros in his account balance, and smiled!

*Thud.*

Suddenly, the man's smile froze on his face, instantly replaced by boundless terror.

He lowered his head and saw a blade gleaming with a dark red blood-glow piercing straight through his chest, fresh blood pouring from the tip like a small river.

"Impossible..." the man muttered.

"Nothing is impossible," I said coldly from behind him, abruptly wrenching the saber free.

Streams of blood sprayed from his chest. The man collapsed to the ground, drawing his final breath.