Ye Kaishan lay sprawled across the roof of the tavern, gazing at the dazzling lights of Starfall City. Even at night, the city shimmered with lanterns and the faint glow of spirit stones embedded in shop signs, giving the streets a lively brilliance.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh—
A sudden, sharp cry of pain tore through the stillness of the night.
Ye Kaishan's brows knit together. "What was that?" He slowly rose to his feet, his gaze narrowing toward the direction of the sound.
It had come from the far end of the shopping district, an area nearly swallowed by darkness. With the lantern lights sparse in that direction, the path ahead were cloaked in shadow, with barely a soul in sight.
He paused for a moment, frowning. Should I check it out? he muttered. "Lying here is boring anyway—might as well kill some time."
With a flex of his legs, he leapt across the rooftops, dashing swiftly toward the source of the cry. His figure blurred, gliding from one tiled roof to the next until he came to a halt above the empty streets.
The darkness here was thicker, almost oppressive, as though it wished to conceal whatever was hidden within.
"No good… it's too dark," Ye Kaishan murmured, his sharp eyes scanning the empty street. He closed his eyes briefly. The laws of space stirred faintly around him.
"Space Explore."
In the next instant, a spherical spatial dimension unfurled around him, spreading across the street and probing every corner of the area.
Yet—nothing. Only rows of shuttered shops and silent houses.
His brows furrowed. "Strange… I could've sworn that voice came from here. And it sounded like a child."
He glanced back down at the empty streets. Not a single trace of life. Not even footprints.
"Am I imagining things? Maybe I'm just tired…" he muttered under his breath, preparing to turn back. "Haaah, I should get back."
Then—
Umm?
His sharp gaze caught something glistening faintly in the darkness of a narrow alleyway. Dropping down soundlessly, his boots touched the ground.
"…Blood?"
A thin trail of fresh blood ran across the cobblestones, smeared in uneven streaks. His eyes narrowed further as he followed it, step by silent step. The trail led him away from the shopping district, toward a more desolate corner of the residential area.
The houses here were worn down, walls cracked and roofs sagging. The faint scent of damp rot and unwashed earth lingered in the air, mingling with the metallic tang of blood.
Finally, the trail stopped before a large, crumbling manor. Its once-grand gates were rusted, its walls covered in moss and cracks. Once, it might have belonged to nobility—but years of neglect had reduced it to ruin.
"The blood stops here," Ye Kaishan murmured, his gaze sharpening.
Closing his eyes once more, he spread his spatial domain throughout the manor. In the next breath, he opened them again, his expression darkening.
"…As I thought. There are people inside. But their auras… don't look good."
He vanished, reappearing atop the broken rooftop. The cracked tiles groaned faintly under his weight as he crouched low, peering into the dilapidated hall through the gaps.
Inside, the sight that greeted him made his pupils contract.
A group of children—no older than ten to twelve—huddled in the corner, trembling and cowering. Before them, another child lay motionless on the ground, his small body drenched in blood.
"Hey, wait! You'll kill him!"
A woman dressed in black from head to toe, her mouth covered like an assassin, stepped forward, halting another woman who was about to stomp on the child.
"This is enough. Any more and he'll die—it won't do us any good," she said coldly.
The woman pulled her foot back reluctantly, sneering. "Hmph.
These goods are precious. We can't afford to lose them, "From the shadows, two men emerged, clad in the same assassin's attire.
"Tch," one of them snorted, his tone laced with disdain. "If the brat had behaved properly, I wouldn't have had to resort to this."
"Where's the leader?" the woman asked, turning toward them. "She should have been here by now."
"She had business tonight, so she's running late," the man replied casually. "She'll arrive soon enough. But whatever you say, this batch of goods looks far better than the last."
His eyes swept over the children, who sobbed silently—mouths opening and closing in soundless cries. Their gazes, however, were fixed on the bloodied body lying before them.
"You've terrified them too much," the man laughed. "Look at that—crying without a voice."
"If they make noise, they know the punishment," the woman said coldly.
"Still… sending them to the Eastern Continent is a pain."
"Orders from the sect," the man shrugged. "This barren Southern Continent has little to offer. If not resources, then its people will do."
Ye Kaishan's eyes widened as he listened. They're… kidnapping children? And sending them to the Eastern Continent?
His gut twisted, though his face remained calm. "Doesn't look like anything good is waiting for them…" he thought grimly.
Achhoo!
Dust tickled his nose. He sneezed softly, frowning at the crumbling roof. "Damn this place. Dust everywhere, even in the air…" He rubbed his nose and looked back down.
"…Umm?"
His expression stiffened. The assassins were gone. Only the trembling children remained inside.
"Where—?"
"Are you perhaps looking for us?"
A chilling voice slithered across his back.
Ye Kaishan's eyes widened. He spun around.
All four assassins stood behind him, their gazes cold and sharp as blades.
His eyes widened.
Ye Kaishan turned sharply—four assassins stood behind him, their gazes sharp and cold, like drawn blades in the silence of night.
"Who are you?" The woman among them stepped forward, unsheathing her sword. Moonlight caught on the steel, its edge gleaming with a chilling light as she leveled it at Ye Kaishan.
He rose slowly, calm on the surface though he thought in his mind Should I flee into the void? If they could appear behind me unnoticed, they must be at least Soul Forging Realm. Fighting them head-on holds no advantage…
But then his gaze flicked toward the trembling children below. His jaw tightened.No. If I vanish, they'll be butchered the moment I leave.
The assassins' eyes were devoid of emotion, sharp and watchful, like predators circling prey.
"Well," the woman said coldly, "there's no point asking who we are. You'll die here regardless."
Her soul energy surged, boiling out of her like a storm breaking free. With a single step, she lashed forward, her sword slicing through the night air with lethal force.
Ye Kaishan's eyes narrowed. Tch—
Clang! Sparks burst as he deflected the strike with his blade.
"What?!" The woman staggered back, her eyes widening as her sword was knocked upward.
Ye Kaishan's gaze turned frigid, killing intent flashing in his eyes."Void Slash!"
He swung his sword. Space cracked open as an arc of void energy screamed forward, tearing reality itself.
It happened in a blink. The assassin froze, caught off guard.
"Move!" one of the men barked. The four vanished, reappearing in the courtyard below.
The Void Slash ripped through the manor walls, splitting stone clean in half.
"Tch… too agile," Ye Kaishan muttered, spitting to the side. His gaze locked on the assassins below.
"How did a mere mortal… do that?" one of the men hissed, steadying the woman."You injured?"
"I'm fine," she snapped, though her eyes never left Ye Kaishan. "I underestimated him. Not only did he deflect my strike, but he wields attacks of frightening destruction."
Her tone darkened."We cannot let him escape. If word reaches the Yunhua Empire, they'll lock this city down, and our sect's work here will crumble. Don't hold back—erase him immediately."
In an instant, the four blurred and vanished.
Ye Kaishan's brows furrowed. The rooftops stretched silent and still, the night so hushed that even the rustle of a falling leaf was clear.Don't tell me… they ran?
Suddenly—his instincts screamed. Danger!
A sword tore through the air behind him. Ye Kaishan twisted and leapt aside, his sleeve shredded as steel grazed past. He landed on a branch with a sharp exhale.
As I thought—they're assassins. They won't meet me head-on. Their stealth is deadlier than their blades.
Crack—! The tree beneath him splintered as four consecutive strikes carved it apart.
Ye Kaishan vaulted into the air, cloak whipping in the wind.Not good!
"Die, bastard!" The woman materialized behind him, her blade glowing with a blood-red sheen.
Spurt! Blood sprayed as the sword cut across Ye Kaishan's hand. He hit the ground hard, his eyes cold with fury, fingers clenching tighter around his sword hilt.
The assassins blurred, shadows dancing in circles around him, their movements so fast they seemed like afterimages.
Stay calm. If I lose control, it's over. He steadied his breathing, forcing his gaze to relax.They thrive in shadows. At night, their advantage multiplies… but if I can't see them—then
The figures closed in, flickering blurs darting from every angle.
Ye Kaishan exhaled slowly, his body loosening as he fixed his will.
"…Space Explore!"