Gao Tong walked across the empty hallway on the twentieth floor, feeling his heart beat steadily in his chest. He had been warned that he was likely to be attacked. Though he was highly skeptical, considering he was strong and no one would dare offend him or his family, he was still prepared for the worst-case scenario. After all, Elder Wuji Sanren was famous for being ruthless and highly intelligent, so dismissing his information would be foolish.

  In the empty hall where the Bleeding Heart Sect usually held banquets for those who earned an achievement, his footsteps echoed. As he walked, he thought about how the building's shape was messy and disorderly. He preferred buildings with fewer levels that sprawled across vast grounds; however, he understood that within this small island, space was valuable, and constructing buildings with so many levels was a sound decision.

  Gao Tong arrived at the edge of the hall and ascended to the next floor. This building had many accommodations so that servants could move between floors easily. He actually would have preferred to jump from balcony to balcony if he wanted to report to Elder Wuji Sanren, but since he was likely being followed, he wanted to lure his pursuer out of hiding and get it over with as soon as possible. He needed to create a place suitable for an ambush.

  After ascending another staircase, he arrived at the next floor. This level was where the inner disciples of the Bleeding Heart Sect resided. Now, it was occupied by his juniors, though all of them were currently busy outside. Since this floor was a small maze, Gao Tong suspected his attacker would show themselves here.

  Indeed, with his heightened senses and awareness, he heard something faint, a sound so hard to discern it was almost his imagination. A lesser man would have likely dismissed it, but Gao Tong was not a lesser man.

  To lure the attacker out, Gao Tong feigned a yawn, one so wide that he closed his eyes for a moment, and in that moment, he was attacked.

  Something hit him on the side of the head. The blow was strong, so strong it felt like a punch. However, it was not a simple fist. Its size was too small, and the instant it connected, a rope of electricity exploded and surrounded him, making his muscles spasm and paralyzing him. Gao Tong’s heart hammered against his ribs like a galloping horse. The attack was so potent that it even affected him, a Core Splitting cultivator with four cores. At that moment, he realized he had not been as wise as he thought. He had foolishly thought he should lure the attacker out to uproot the problem instantly. He should have prepared for backup, should have prepared more. Instead, he had chosen to move alone to ensure the attacker would come for him.

  The fear of death suddenly emerged, but it quickly morphed into rage. As electricity held him down, Gao Tong cycled his qi and tried to break free. In an instant, he felt the electrical binding lessen. This had to be the effect of a strong treasure. There was no way a cultivator stronger than him could lurk on this island without his notice. It had to be. This meant if he could resist and fight this attack, he would survive and win.

  However, before he could do anything, something slammed into his mind. It was so strong that it felt as if a real hammer were hitting his head, rattling his brain. He was instantly slammed to the floor and held there as if crushed by a giant boulder. Elder Wuji Sanren had warned him. Surely that meant the elder cared about him, and surely it meant that he already knew about this attacker. But then, the realization struck him. He was a bait. The elder knew how he would act after learning he was a target, which meant this was a trap set by the Elder to catch this attacker.

  A pair of golden cuffs suddenly materialized in the air, as if held by something invisible, and with a swift movement, they were clasped onto both of his wrists. Gao Tong knew those golden cuffs; they were a treasure that could restrain someone by constantly sucking their qi. He knew their capabilities, and hope bloomed within his heart. The cuffs had limits, and he was sure he could fight against them. However, the moment they began to draw on his qi, it was pulled from him with overwhelming force, as if his qi were mere weeds against a tornado. It was baffling, and fear enveloped him further. The golden cuffs were too strong, as if the one who used them was no mere Core Splitting cultivator. He wondered whether Elder Wuji Sanren could activate these treasures with the same ferocity when a gourd appeared near him. A thin mist wafted from it, and when he inhaled, he felt as if he were dreaming. His thoughts became elusive, and he could hear a distant voice asking him a question.

  "What's your name?" The sound was distinctly male.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Gao Tong, knowing he was being assaulted by an enemy, decided to defy him by not answering. However, when he felt something being placed on his neck and the question was asked again, Gao Tong felt like a small ant before a god, and he was compelled to answer.

  "My name is Gao Tong."

  At that moment, the object on his neck suddenly gave way, as if it had disintegrated. While the force compelling him to answer was gone, the fear that the being had etched onto his heart made him tremble, and his mind began to crack.

  Another question came to him, but it was so far away that he did not quite understand it. Everything felt distant until, finally, darkness swallowed him.

  ***

  Liu Xing looked at the man lying prone before him and inhaled deeply to rein in his emotions. The man was still alive. However, his eyes were unfocused, drool falling from his open mouth, and he did not respond to any stimulus, whether it was sound or a nudge. Liu Xing knew that this man’s mind was utterly broken.

  "I think I went too far in attacking him," he muttered.

  Just to be safe, Liu Xing had used some of the qi he had gotten from his last target to activate his hairpin, the golden cuffs, the gourd, and the choker. However, either this man was utterly weak in willpower and mind, or the treasures were too effective. Whatever the case, it resulted in Gao Tong’s mind shattering to the point that he had become a vegetable. Guilt whispered in his mind, but he set the feeling aside, pointed his gun toward the man, and killed him with a single, normal bullet.

  Liu Xing inhaled once again, and after steadying his emotions, he nodded. "It seems that the experiment was a success. Though it ended quite unexpectedly."

  He had intended to pry some information from Gao Tong, but since his mind had shattered, there was no way for him to answer more questions. Also, the choker he had obtained, the one with mind-control capabilities, had disintegrated after his first question. He did not know whether it was a one-time-use treasure or if it had been overloaded with his qi, but the end result was its destruction. He felt both regret and relief at its loss.

  Liu Xing began to gather his treasures and carry Gao Tong on one shoulder, Tide Walker on the other. For a moment, he wondered where he would put the corpse. He was high up in the building, and descending the stairs would take too long. However, since Gao Tong was an important person and had told his juniors where he was going, his disappearance would soon be questioned. The floors between the seventh and the very top, where Wuji Sanren resided, would surely be searched. To buy himself a little more time, he decided to put this corpse with the rest.

  He hurried and soon arrived at the first floor, heading toward his secluded room. However, as Liu Xing turned a corner and heard a commotion from the general direction he was heading, he narrowed his eyes and sharpened his ears. A conclusion formed in his mind, but just to be sure, Liu Xing kept walking. Soon, he turned the final corner. Usually, this specific hallway was empty, and the last room to the right was where he intended to put Gao Tong's corpse. Instead, he saw a crowd gathered in front of his door. Their expressions were shocked, their eyes full of disbelief and fear. Some even sweated as they saw the inside of the room.

  "This is, this is big!" one commented. "A killer is hunting us!"

  "That one is Senior Sister Ning Xin! How could she be dead? I just saw her!"

  "Grandpa, grandpa!" a man wept on his knees, tears streaming from his eyes.

  "Holy shit, man. Yun Che and I were just talking. He must have been killed right after we parted. C-could the killer have seen us talking and chosen between us? What if it had been me?"

  Murmurs about the victims began to pick up force, the sounds growing louder and more frantic. This, along with several people running to report the finding to the direct disciples, drew more and more people to see the commotion.

  Liu Xing moved away from the scene, his heart beating steadily, but slightly faster than before. It seemed his murder spree had finally come to light, which meant he was now in a race against time. There was no way Wuji Sanren would just sit still knowing an enemy was on the loose.

  Liu Xing ascended to the next floor, found another secluded room, and dumped Gao Tong’s corpse before hurriedly moving again. This time, he left the building and began moving between canopies and balconies toward the highest floor, intending to ambush Wuji Sanren. However, once he landed on the balcony of the top floor, the door to the room was already open. A man was standing inside, and two direct disciples were kneeling before him, reporting the situation.

  Panic rose in his heart, but he crushed it. He had already anticipated this. Even though his existence was known, it did not mean he was suddenly at a disadvantage. He already had treasures to ambush Wuji Sanren, and he was, at this second, invisible. Though he was slightly regretful for targeting Gao Tong first instead of going directly for Wuji Sanren, in the end, it did not matter.

  Wuji Sanren looked at his two kneeling disciples and then, without acknowledging them, walked out of the room, right toward Liu Xing’s position. His yellow, snake-like eyes looked in his general direction, as if he saw him. However, Liu Xing knew for a fact that the man did not see him, at least not yet.

  3 4(yeay!) patrons? If you enjoy the daily chapters, please consider joining them to .