The three figures moved like a sudden gale, arriving at the scene of the incident in the blink of an eye. Inside and outside the room, the experts from the Three Great Sacred Lands were already fully gathered, every face etched with boundless grief and indignation!

Any one of these individuals had reached the realm of a top contemporary powerhouse, so their reactions were naturally swift. Coupled with the fact that they mostly resided in the same area, they had all converged the very instant the scream first pierced the air.

"What happened?" Hai Wuya asked, his face grim.

"It's Xia Dongting... Xia Dongting is finished..." From within the crowd, a middle-aged man in purple robes looked at Hai Wuya with a pale face and whispered.

"Make way!" Hai Wuya's expression shifted again as he strode forward. The crowd quickly parted, clearing a path straight to the doorway.

Hai Wuya swept to the entrance like a whirlwind, then his entire body seized up, freezing as if carved from wood and stone. He stood there stunned, his eyes blazing with disbelief.

On the floor of the room directly facing the door, Xia Dongting lay with the greater half of his face turned towards the ceiling, his features contorted into an impossibly strange expression. His eyes were wide open, and in the fixed pupils, one could see despair and rage mingled with a hint of something bizarre. His hands were positioned in an unnervingly unnatural manner: the left reaching forward with fingers curled into a claw, and the right bent at an arc towards the position of his back shoulder.

His personal longsword remained quietly sheathed on his back; it hadn't been drawn at all! His body was horribly twisted, and his mouth was gaping wide, from which blood was only now slowly beginning to well up... dripping onto the floor... drop by painstaking drop...

Hai Wuya’s body trembled violently. He slowly raised his head and closed his eyes. After a moment, he spoke, his voice heavy: "Who was the first to arrive here? Step forward and answer me!"

A purple-robed figure, his expression profoundly mournful, slowly stepped out from the throng.

"When you arrived, what was the scene like?" Hai Wuya’s voice was deeply suppressed, seeming to contain an uncontrollable fury. "What did you discover?"

"This was a perfect assassination!" The purple-robed man’s face was heavy with sorrow and indignation, yet beneath it lurked an inexpressible sense of alarm and terror. "Lord Hai, Brother Xia and I share only a single wall between our residences, yet concerning this sudden lethal turn of events, I heard absolutely no sound, nor did I detect the slightest abnormality! The only disturbance was Brother Xia's single, piercing scream; when I rushed here, it could not have been more than half a breath after the incident occurred; yet Brother Xia was already in this state."

The purple-robed middle-aged man’s eye muscles involuntarily twitched, clearly shaken by his own words!

It wasn't just him; in fact, everyone who heard those words shuddered involuntarily. Though seemingly ordinary, the deeper implications contained within that statement were enough to make every Saint present feel precarious, their hearts shaken to the core!

Only separated by a single wall, an assassination had succeeded in killing a Saint-level expert, and the other Saint in close proximity had not heard a thing, not even sensed any disturbance... Didn't this mean that if the perpetrator wished, he could assassinate any Saint at will? And with absolutely no possibility of failure? What terrifying level of strength must that assassin possess?!

Shocked? That was not all!

Because the words the purple-robed man spoke next were even more astonishing, even earth-shattering.

"Just a moment ago, to be precise, about fifteen minutes before this, I was still in Brother Xia's room, having a long discussion with him. Brother Xia had observed that the current situation was like a brewing storm—the enemy's strength was unfathomably deep, and while our side might be stronger, we were not yet able to completely suppress the enemy’s ability to retaliate. Therefore, he urged that none of us could ever relax our vigilance, and our personal weapons must always be within arm's reach, ready to react to any threat at any moment. Precisely because we are stronger, the enemy would surely resort to devious tricks to erode our effective strength; we must be exceedingly cautious! And yet now..."

All those present gasped, looking at Xia Dongting's corpse on the ground, and the motionless, sheathed longsword on his back. In everyone’s eyes was sheer incredulity!

Xia Dongting had spoken those words, and they were certain he lived by them; yet, under such intense vigilance, under the assassination assault from the unseen attacker, his extreme caution proved utterly useless!

If even a person this careful could not be spared, how could anyone else survive?!

A single fatal strike, and a generation's Saint was killed without even the chance to draw his sword! This was a genuine Saint-level expert! His longsword was right there on his back, in the most accessible position; with a mere thought, he could have drawn and attacked instantly, without any delay!

But that sword never got the chance to be drawn!

Then, just how fast must that assassin’s draw speed have been!?

"When I heard the cry and rushed over, Brother Xia still had a final breath left, but at that point, he was utterly incapable of speaking a single word!" The purple-robed man took a deep breath. "What is hardest to believe is... the wound is located... on the upper chest! Precisely centered, a single sword thrust straight into the heart's vital spot!"

A murmur rippled through the crowd, followed by excited discussion!

A wound on the chest—this meant the arrogant assassin had engaged in a direct, face-to-face combat strike!?

A Saint, even facing a frontal sniping attack from a Saint Emperor, no matter how terrified, or even knowing they were outmatched, would never be so inept as to fail to draw their sword in time!

Yet, this unbelievable fact was right before their eyes... What on earth had happened?

"This visible wound is actually a feint; the fatal injury could never be this one centered on the heart!" The speaker was Zhan Mubai, who had arrived shortly after. His eyes flashed sharply as he spoke slowly. "If it truly was a sword thrust directly into the heart, then even among us Saint Emperors, there would be no opportunity to emit that piercing shriek we heard earlier! Death would be instantaneous! In that case, it would have been a truly perfect assassination!"

Everyone present was a master of martial arts and deeply familiar with the secrets of human anatomy. Zhan Mubai's statement struck them like a revelation, instantly clarifying matters. In the next moment, every eye refocused on Xia Dongting's body on the floor.

Hai Wuya drew a deep breath, squatted down, and gently laid Xia Dongting's body flat on the ground, whispering, "Brother Xia, please forgive us. In order to capture the culprit as quickly as possible, prevent further victims, and avenge Brother Xia swiftly! We... must take this liberty."

All the observing Saints felt a chill run down their spines. Hai Wuya's words indicated that he was about to perform an autopsy to examine the wound! Only by doing so could they truly uncover the mystery and ascertain the deceased's actual cause of death.

Hai Wuya extended his right hand, and with a sharp clang, the longsword on Xia Dongting's back slid from its sheath, gleaming brilliantly. This sword was finally drawn, but not to slay an enemy—it was to dissect its owner’s corpse!

For the Saints, what bitter irony! But now, they could only watch, endure! Even hoping...

A flash of sword light sliced through Xia Dongting's upper garments, parting them to reveal the muscle tissue of his chest. At the position of the heart, a faint, incredibly fine red mark was barely visible. If one didn't look closely, they might mistake it for an accidental scratch from a tree branch; who would believe such a minute mark was a fatal wound?

Hai Wuya gently pinched the edges of the red mark with his fingers and then pulled slightly. Suddenly, a jet of blood shot out, possessing immense force, splashing straight up onto the ceiling with a shua, blooming a vivid crimson azalea.

Hai Wuya tilted his head, letting the blood arrow graze past his ear. His eyes grew deeper, and as he stared at the wound he had just pried open, his pupils contracted sharply. He murmured, "What a fast sword! What a ruthless sword! What an absolute sword!"

Zhan Mubai’s expression was equally grave; he nodded slowly.

Only the fastest sword, a sword brought to its ultimate speed, could pierce here—in a location where blood flow is most concentrated—and then be swiftly withdrawn, leaving virtually no trace, perhaps even preventing the liquid blood from venting, forcing it to pool entirely within the abdominal cavity!

Everyone present understood this principle, and every one of them believed they could execute such a strike, perhaps even having done so under similar circumstances! But to apply such swordsmanship against a Saint and achieve this result—that was something none of them could replicate!

This application of swordsmanship was traditionally reserved for the strong preying upon the weak; it was only mastered when used against enemies several levels below oneself to achieve a clean kill! Employing such a technique against an opponent of equal or superior strength was fundamentally suicidal!

Saints were practically beings possessing a second life; the toughness of their physical bodies was unquestionable. Even if an ordinary Tianxuan master struck continuously for thousands of blows with divine weaponry, it might not penetrate a Saint’s defensive Profound Energy shield!

Furthermore, a Saint's reaction speed was astonishingly fast. The moment a sword entered the body and danger was perceived, a Saint could instantly contract their muscles, unify their core strength, and simultaneously shift the heart's original position, causing an attack aimed at the heart to strike empty air. They could then use the enemy's momentary lapse to counter-attack swiftly!

But this one sword cleanly destroyed all of a Saint's defensive capabilities! None of the expected reactions occurred! There was only time to utter a scream that was almost purely instinctual!

"I believe everyone has seen clearly; this is the true fatal injury! And it was with such a single strike! One that even a Saint could do nothing about, completely helpless! This confirms Brother Xia's assessment: the enemy's strength is indeed unfathomably profound. Hidden among us is an ultimate killer possessing strength capable of shaking the heavens! From this moment forward, all Saints must share rooms in groups of three and increase vigilance! If any warning sign appears, signal immediately! We must never be careless again," Hai Wuya stated gravely.

All present agreed in unison, everyone understanding that Hai Wuya’s words were no exaggeration; a moment of inattention could easily make one the next Xia Dongting.

"Hold on! This matter might not be quite that simple!" Zhan Mubai snorted. "The true meaning behind this sword thrust likely extends far beyond this. Within it, there is also a clear message of intimidation from the killer towards us."

"Intimidation?" The crowd looked puzzled.