Jun Mo Xie knew. The enemy’s main target was clearly him. The previous volley of hidden weapons was aimed entirely at him inside the sedan chair; now, the upper half of the chair was gone. They were currently waiting to see their side's reaction. If he had been killed by that volley, these people, upon confirmation, would likely retreat immediately without even showing their faces! “Ten zhang ahead is the corner. Beyond that turn lies the path to the Jun family grounds.”

Jun Hu, the guard leader, immediately replied in a low voice upon seeing the situation. “Good! Now listen to my commands—no objections! Otherwise, you will be expelled from the Jun family, understood!?” Jun Zhen Xie’s voice was suppressed to an almost inaudible whisper, yet it carried extreme severity.

The eight guards paused upon hearing this, but understood this was no time for debate, nodding in unison. From the recent hidden weapons, Jun Mo Xie could discern that the majority carried a golden-yellow luminescence. Five or six others shimmered with the faint blue light of Profound Qi, but what truly astonished him was the presence of fully three projectiles imbued with the Yellowish-Profound Qi!

Who on earth wanted me dead? To deploy such a luxurious lineup? Jun Mo Xie cursed inwardly. He suspected the force behind the previous assassination attempt on the Princess wasn't even half this powerful! Had I suddenly become more sought after than the Princess? “Later, you will immediately abandon the sedan chair and charge forward at full speed. Their target this time is me! Don't worry, I am fine; if you leave first, I can slip away on my own!” Jun Mo Xie commanded calmly.

“That won’t do! Under no circumstances will we abandon Young Master! This is our sole duty! Didn’t the Young Master say we share life and death, living and dying together! How can you suddenly change your mind!” Jun Hu shook his head vehemently, his tiger-eyes wide with disbelief. He never imagined Jun Mo Xie would issue such an order. “Nonsense. I command you to advance together. As long as I am not dead, you must obey me! Now, follow orders!” Jun Mo Xie lowered his voice, patiently explaining, “Moreover, from the previous attacks, it’s clear there are Earthly Profound experts among the enemy, and quite possibly more than one. If you stay, it will be futile, becoming a burden to me instead! Only when you all escape can I escape more easily! Do exactly as this Young Master commands!” “If that is the case, we will wait for the Young Master ahead! Hopefully, we can draw away more forces!” Jun Hu hesitated no longer, making up his mind. If the Young Master were to die this time, then they wouldn't need to wait for family or military justice; they would immediately draw their blades and slit their own throats.

Giving a signal, the eight figures suddenly exploded into motion, charging forward. “I don’t care who you are, nor who sent you, but if you intend to kill me, you must be prepared to be killed by me!” Watching the eight guards charge out, a long-absent light flickered in Jun Mo Xie’s eyes, and he murmured, “It seems today, it’s unavoidable that I need to break my fast again! Then let me indulge in a slaughter! Heh heh.” A wicked smile played on Jun Mo Xie’s face as his body remained perfectly flat inside the sedan chair. But just like a snowflake placed under the scorching summer sun, he vanished abruptly, leaving no trace. On the ground, only an empty sedan chair remained.

This action greatly surprised the assassins lurking in the shadows! They had tracked him for several days, even bribing numerous street vendors since leaving the manor. Furthermore, they had learned from a reliable channel that Jun Mo Xie’s route today was predetermined, and they were certain that the person inside the chair was indeed that dissolute young master of the Jun family! But why did the guards abandon the chair and run? To draw our attention? Yet, that made no sense either. They didn't even stretch their necks to check if the person inside was dead or alive before fleeing! Are there really such irresponsible guards in this world? And these are the famed fearless guards of the Jun family?! This is truly bizarre! Could it be that there was... simply no one... inside the sedan chair? No, that couldn't be right. They saw them carrying the chair earlier; based on the strain felt and the oscillation of the carrying poles, they could clearly observe that someone was inside! But their abandonment of the chair must have a reason!

The assassin leader's mind raced through numerous possibilities in an instant. He immediately commanded: “Team Two, intercept these eight people! Kill them all without exception! Don't let a single one escape! Team One, follow me immediately to the sedan chair and drag that Jun brat out!” Instantly, more than a dozen figures materialized from all directions, chasing after the eight guards. And in the direction they fled, several individuals had already positioned themselves to block the guards' path of breakthrough.

With several swift swishes, a few figures detached themselves and suddenly appeared surrounding the sedan chair, sealing off any direction of escape for the occupant. Everyone was masked in black cloth, their blades and swords flashing. “Young Master San Jun inside the chair, you may emerge now. Such a transparent feint of luring the tiger from the mountain is useless.” The assassin leader stood boldly before the chair, his voice cold and steady as he spoke slowly. “I am one hundred percent certain you are still inside! If Young Master San Jun is unwilling to come out, then please forgive me for setting fire!” A hint of perverse pleasure flashed in the eyes of the black-clad, masked figure, as if he derived cruel ecstasy from burning Jun Mo Xie alive.

The black-clad leader repeated his words twice. Still, there was no response from within the chair. Meanwhile, the small group who had gone after the guards were already locked in a desperate melee with the eight Jun family guards. Sounds of bangs and crashes echoed continuously. The eight guards, striving to ease the pressure on their Young Master, counterattacked with all their might, fighting to the death to draw more attention. Conversely, Team Two, though composed entirely of ruthless killers, felt their side's strength far superior, and since these eight were not the primary targets of this mission, there was no need for them to fight to the death. Coupled with the fact that almost all the high-level experts were concentrated near the sedan chair, the balance shifted, and for a time, the fighting settled into a stalemate!

Amidst the fierce battle, a sudden bang sounded, and a signaling flare shot straight into the sky! “It’s the Jun family’s unique distress signal!” The black-clad assassin leader realized that any further delay would lead to complications. Gritting his teeth, he hesitated no longer, waved his hand, and hissed fiercely: “Set it alight!”

Five or six torches were lit simultaneously and thrown into the sedan chair. To ensure lightness and comfort, the chair was constructed primarily of cloth, bamboo poles, and wood, making it extremely flammable. The wind fanned the flames, and in an instant, a raging fire erupted. The black-clad, masked man roared with laughter, looking immensely satisfied, as if he could already see the miserable sight of Jun Mo Xie struggling and begging in the flames.

But his laughter abruptly ceased. The crackling sound of combustion was incessant, yet there was no other sound mixed in with the fire. If there had been a living person or even a corpse inside, the smell would have been different, wouldn't it? What was going on? Could that dissolute thief truly not be in the chair?

With a wave of his hand, two black-clad men on either side simultaneously shook their hands. Two dark, thick ropes flew out like swift serpents, each latching onto one side of the burning sedan chair. With a hard pull, the chair, already on the verge of collapse, disintegrated into pieces, scattering flames in all directions!

Empty!

“Li Zhiwu, what is going on?” A cold, crisp, and delicate voice drifted over from the distance. A black-clad woman stood quietly far away, her figure graceful, but the light in her eyes was utterly icy, radiating exceptional disappointment. “Damn it! We’ve been tricked!” Li Zhiwu, the black-clad leader, felt a shock in his heart. Just as he was about to turn, a silver, bright lightning bolt suddenly sliced across the firmament, spanning heaven and earth, followed by a sharp, deafening thunderclap. The rain descended like the breaking of the Heavenly River.

At this very moment, the eight Jun family guards, facing an attack from more than double their number of assassins, were barely holding on through sheer desperation. However, the difference in strength was ultimately vast, and the all-out fight was rapidly depleting their Profound Qi, causing them to gradually falter. In a short span, several of them sustained injuries, spurting blood. In truth, if they had chosen to break out at this point, they could have certainly saved a few, but these men were steadfast in their resolve to draw attention, refusing to retreat even unto death! “If you’re not leaving now, what are you waiting for?” As this voice spoke, a figure resembling a ghost suddenly appeared behind one of the black-clad assassins. Two slender, somewhat pale fingers abruptly pinched that man’s Adam’s apple. With a slight exertion, a snap echoed, and the assassin’s eyes held a hazy look of disbelief. The knife in his hand trembled weakly twice, and then he slumped backward.

Due to the sheer strangeness of the figure's arrival, the other assassin hadn't even noticed the ambush. Seeing his companion suddenly fall for no apparent reason, he couldn't help but ask in bewilderment, “What’s wrong with you?” Their relationship was close, so he reached out to help. The moment his palm touched his companion’s body, the other fifteen or sixteen assassins simultaneously roared in terror: “Watch out!”

It was too late. He felt a chilling sensation at his throat. He also heard a crisp snap in his ears, as if something fragile had broken. Then, to his astonishment, he found that his eyes were looking directly at his own backside! What is happening? I was clearly looking forward, how can I see my butt?” His thoughts ended there! His head hung limply, his lifeless, fish-like eyes still unable to process the sight of his own rear. Dead! That man was truly fortunate; he felt no pain until the very end, and without relying on any external aid, he observed his own backside, for the first and last time.

However, this luck was not exclusive to him! Because... A flash of lightning, a peal of thunder, descended along with the torrential rain!

In the illumination of the lightning, almost everyone perceived an incredible and bizarre phenomenon: a drifting figure suddenly appeared like a phantom amidst the encirclement of four assassins. No one noticed where he came from, nor did anyone hear any sound accompanying his arrival. Was this the manifestation of a celestial being, or the illusion of a ghost?! He was like a demon from a nightmare, visible yet utterly untouchable, and this demon was calmly harvesting their lives, which they could only passively accept!