The other assassins had died only monts ago. Their souls still lingered, confused and unable to disperse yet.
One by one, faint wisps rose from their bodies.
The two boatn.
The tall girl in gray.
The third assassin in purple.
All their souls drifted toward Lin Mu and were swallowed without resistance.
Cattaleya felt a strange shiver. Not fear, but awe. Whatever Lin Mu was using, it was sothing even she did not fully understand.
Inside Lin Mu's mind, mories exploded.
Scenes of training.
Scenes of killing.
Scenes of missions, masters, hidden bases, coded ssages.
Thousands of fragnts poured into him.
But to Lin Mu, this was nothing.
Compared to the mories of immortals that spanned tens of thousands of years, these few hundred years of mortal and spirit realm lives were shallow streams.
He sorted them instantly.
Discarded useless fragnts.
Followed the threads that mattered.
He saw the orders.
He saw the handlers.
He saw the marks they were given.
He saw the na of the organization they served.
After a few breaths, Lin Mu opened his eyes.
The violet faded.
The fury did not.
He spoke a single na.
"Dead Needle Abyss."
Cattaleya tilted her head. "That is who sent them?"
Lin Mu nodded. "Yes."
ng Bai swallowed. "Why ?"
Lin Mu turned to him, his expression softening just a little.
"These were not important mbers," Lin Mu said. "They were disposable. They were sent to kill you as part of a mission. Not because of you personally."
"Then why?" ng Bai asked.
"Because of ," Lin Mu replied calmly. "And because of what you represent as my disciple"
Cattaleya frowned. "I have never heard of Dead Needle Abyss."
"They do not want to be known," Lin Mu said. "They work in shadows, selling their services. These were their lowest level operatives. The real reason for this mission is known only to their masters."
Cattaleya clicked her tongue. "So soone up there wants to test you, threaten you, or provoke you."
"Or all three," Lin Mu said.
He took out his jade slip and sent a ssage.
Monts later, Elyon's voice replied.
"We caught four more," Elyon said. "Different disguises, sa thods. They were moving towards an escape point but had not acted yet. I am heading to your location."
"Good," Lin Mu replied. "Bring them alive if possible."
He put away the jade slip.
The lake was silent except for the soft lapping of water against the boat.
ng Bai finally let out a shaky breath.
"I thought I was going to die," he admitted quietly.
Lin Mu walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You did well," Lin Mu said. "You stayed calm. You did not panic. That saved you
ti until help arrived."
ng Bai nodded, though his hands were still trembling.
Xiao Yin nuzzled his cheek gently. "You are safe now."
Xiao Yang looked at the corpses with cold eyes. "They will not try again."
Cattaleya crossed her arms. "They will try. Just not in this city."
Lin Mu looked up at the sky, feeling the massive pressure of the Patriarch's sealing technique still covering the city like a do.
"They will not escape tonight," Lin Mu said. "Not from this city. And not from
."
His voice was calm.
But everyone present could feel the storm behind it.
Far away, hidden in alleys, inns, and secret rooms, other mbers of Dead
Needle Abyss felt sothing change.
They felt their connection to their comrades vanish.
They felt the city lock around them.
And for the first ti, fear crawled into their hearts.
Because they realized they were not hunting prey.
They had walked straight into the den of a monster.
And now, the monster was awake.
a few minutes later, Elyon arrived on the boat in near silence, his figure
erging from the shadows like a phantom stepping out of a dream. The mont his feet touched the deck, his eyes swept across the scene in a single,
sharp scan.
Dead bodies.
Traces of Warped space.
Blood.
A leg that no longer existed.
But most importantly, ng Bai was alive.
Elyon exhaled slowly when he confird that. Only then did his shoulders relax
a fraction.
"Good," he said quietly. "You are intact."
ng Bai nodded, still pale. "Thanks to Xiao Yin and Xiao Yang."
The twin snakes lifted their heads proudly.
Elyon walked closer and knelt, examining the corpses without emotion. His
fingers flicked lightly, releasing thin threads of Immortal sense that probed the
remains.
"Professional work," he muttered. "Crude, but effective. Poison, restraints, illusions, and baiting tactics. Not amateurs."
He straightened and pulled several small tokens from his sleeve. They were
black, shaped like thin needles crossing each other, with faint silver lines
carved into them.
"Found these on the four we captured," Elyon said, handing them to Lin Mu. "But these are branch tokens. Not main insignia."
"They are from the Dead Needle Abyss," Lin Mu replied calmly.
Elyon's brows rose. "Dead Needle Abyss? They actually dared to act with so
many Transcendent experts present?"
Cattaleya looked between them. "You know them?"
Elyon nodded. "Mid sized assassin organization. Mostly active in the Eastern Immortal Court. They are careful, calculated. They do not usually take missions when too many powerful eyes are watching. That is why this is strange." "These were expendable," Lin Mu said. "Lower tier operatives. Sent to die if
needed."
Elyon humd. "That matches. The ones you killed here were spirit realm. The four we captured were immortals, but not strong ones. Probably outer
mbers."
"What about the world?" Cattaleya asked. "Any movent?"
"The Patriarch and the other experts are already acting" Elyon replied. "All teleportation arrays across the Martial Fist King World are being shut down as we speak. Long distance, short distance, ergency formations, even hidden ones. No one leaves this world tonight."
Lin Mu closed his eyes, spatial perception spreading like a vast invisible net.
He searched for fluctuations.
Activation ripples.
Spatial tearing.
But there was nothing.
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