Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 180: Evaluation Passed! Senior, Will You Lead The Jiang Continent? (2)

Boom! Wu Yuan engaged in an intense clash with the trio of crimson-clad figures. Swift as a specter, he evaded two menacing blade rays, retaliating with scorching blade rays of the Sunfury Saber.

Secret art: Thousand Mountains, activated! Threefold Power Surge!

Splatter! As the blade rays crossed paths, a severed head went flying and a lifeless body crashed heavily onto the ground.

Redsoil Assassin. Base strength of 200,000 catties, with martial skill at the Rigid Yet Supple stage. Wu Yuan analyzed with a cold gaze.

This information had been relayed to Wu Yuan beforehand. Tree demons, while lacking in agility, compensated with their formidable size and robust vitality, making them comparable to Heavenly Rankers in overall combat power. As for the redsoil assassins, they were among the bottom tier of Grandmasters in terms of strength.

If they chose to focus solely on defense, it would take me three to five strikes to end their life. Yet they dared attack me directly? Wu Yuan was unperturbed by such an opponent. His power and skill level far surpassed theirs. Additionally, the redsoil assassins possessed no armor or defensive measures, relying solely on their razor-sharp battle sabers.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Once again, a lightning-swift exchange took place, accompanied by fiery blade rays. Two more bodies crumpled to the ground.

Wu Yuan came to a halt, sheathing his Sunfury Saber as he watched three headless corpses dissolving rapidly before him.

Only after that did two Bu Yu and Chu Jun arrive. The sight of the partially dissolved bodies of the assassins in the crimson soil left both of them shocked.

"What frightening saber skills!" Chu Jun exclaimed in awe, his gaze shifting to Wu Yuan.

While the redsoil assassins were not particularly formidable, they still possessed the strength of Grandmasters. Yet, three of them had been swiftly dispatched by Wu Yuan in an instant. Chu Jun knew Wu Yuan was strong when he fought Jin Qing, but he was only just beginning to comprehend the true level of Wu Yuan's power.

"As expected, it aligns with the reports. Whether it's the tree demons or the redsoil assassins, no rewards ever come from eliminating them," Bu Yu sighed softly. "Once they perish, they dissolve completely, leaving no trace. I wonder how they were created."

"It's quite mystical. They don't seem truly alive," Wu Yuan murmured, his gaze fixed on the three lifeless bodies, lost in contemplation.

After eliminating these redsoil assassins, a new wave of blood-red mist emanated from Wu Yuan's upper dantian lobe. This further confirmed that the blood-red mist originated from the black pagoda, rather than the act of taking lives.

Soon enough, the redsoil assassins completely dissolved, leaving no trace on this desolate plain, aside from the countless fragments of rock and heaps of sand stirred up during the battle.

"Even that stealth weapon has dissolved," Wu Yuan observed, glancing toward the spot where the flying needle had previously pierced into the sand. There was no longer any sign of it.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Several figures swiftly approached from a short distance away - it was Song Guang, Li Yan, and their group, who had been trailing behind.

"Brother Song Guang, Brother Li Yan, the Redsoil assassins have all been eliminated. Let us press on," Wu Yuan said.

Without wasting any time, Wu Yuan, Bu Yu, and Chu Jun resumed their journey.

And so, the two groups parted ways once more, making sure to evade the tree demons, though finding themselves occasionally ambushed by redsoil assassins. Sometimes they faced a lone assailant, while other times there were two or three of them. Nevertheless, the groups consisted of numerous Grandmasters and even Great Grandmasters, allowing them to easily dispatch the assassins without suffering any casualties.

As they ventured deeper into the region, they finally encountered true danger. This time, over 30 redsoil assassins showed up, launching a ferocious assault on Song Guang's group. Though Song Guang immediately plunged into battle, killing one redsoil assassin in just three moves, the sheer number of assassins overwhelmed him. Chang Dong, who was the weakest of the group, possessed far greater individual strength than the redsoil assassins. Yet against the horde of redsoil assassins that struck in perfect unison, even the Great Grandmaster struggled.

In a matter of moments, the slightly weaker Tie Duo and Chang Dong were stabbed by the sabers, drenching the surroundings in blood. Although their injuries were not life-threatening, the mounting pressure placed their lives in jeopardy.

At this critical juncture, Wu Yuan, Bu Yu, and Chu Jun dashed to their aid, with Wu Yuan leading the charge. His movements were as swift as lightning, casting eerie blade rays. One by one, the redsoil assassins crumbled beneath his onslaught, alleviating the strain on everyone present.

In the end, out of the 30 redsoil assassins, Wu Yuan single handedly annihilated eighteen of them. Though Song Guang was equipped with spirit armor, which allowed him to focus solely on offense, the rate of his kills was much slower compared to Wu Yuan.

The group of exhausted Grandmaster experts panted heavily, watching the dissolving bodies of the fallen assassins. Inevitably, all eyes converged on Wu Yuan.

"Shadow Blade, you saved us this time," Li Yan shook his head in awe. "With so many redsoil assassins, only Song Guang would have survived this if you hadn’t intervened!"

"Indeed!" Tie Tuo shook his head, his expression filled with disbelief. "Though the redsoil assassins are individually not much stronger than those at the top of the Human Rankings, there were simply too many to handle. Only Brother Shadow Blade was able to dominate the battlefield with absolute strength.”

The others present nodded in agreement. Wu Yuan's power left them deeply shocked.

"But, why were there so many redsoil assassins?" Song Guang frowned. "Could it be related to the Eldritch Chamber?"

"We have indeed encountered an abnormally large number of redsoil assassins," Li Yan replied, shaking his head slightly.

According to the Chu-Jiang Empire's intelligence, encountering redsoil assassins four or five times in five days was the norm when venturing into the inner region. However, Wu Yuan and his group, who had only been in the inner region for two hours, had already faced three or four attacks, each one more vicious than the last.

"Perhaps it's because of our numbers," Bu Yu suggested softly. "By moving in groups, we might be attracting a larger number of redsoil assassins. Or, maybe this is a special situation."

"Special situation?" Chang Dong sighed. "After traveling hundreds of li, I have yet to spot any of the two spirit fruits."

His words elicited laughter from the group. The two spirit fruits? They had just barely reached the inner region. Even if a Grandmaster spent all five days searching diligently, they would typically find only three to five spirit fruits.

"Let's keep moving," Wu Yuan suggested. "We've covered around 500 li so far, and according to our map, we're about 300 li away from the center of the Fourth Eldritch Realm."

“Mm, let's continue!"

"Let’s go.”

The group pressed on, ever mindful of Great Jin's team which had set off ahead of them. Up till now, there were still no signs of them.

...

One by one, the redsoil assassins dissolved into the earth. Then, they turned into invisible ripples, surging forward toward the heart of the Fourth Eldritch Realm.

"Final combat evaluation, passed!"

"Activating plan one! All preparations are complete!"

"Waking the realm master," commands echoed through the depths of the Fourth Eldritch Realm, as ripples of energy reverberated throughout the land.

...

Wu Yuan, Bu Yu, and Chu Jun continued their rapid advance. Whether it was a stroke of good fortune or perhaps some other unknown reason, their encounter with the 30 redsoil assassins was the last attack they faced. Without obstructions in their path, they covered hundreds of li smoothly.

"Senior Shadow Blade, I have a matter to discuss with you," Chu Jun suddenly spoke up. He had unconsciously stopped referring to Wu Yuan as Brother Shadow Blade, instead addressing him as Senior Shadow Blade. This was all due to Wu Yuan’s incredible display of force.

"Please speak, Brother," Wu Yuan replied, his tone nonchalant. Though they had only been acquainted for a brief time, he could sense that Chu Jun was someone with a good temperament.

"Senior Shadow Blade, are you a native of the Jiang Continent?" Chu Jun inquired, a curiosity shining in his eyes.

"Naturally," Wu Yuan replied.

Since it was publicly acknowledged that he was a member of the Cloudstride Sect, there was no need for him to conceal this information.

"That's good," Chu Jun muttered. "Senior Shadow Blade, would you consider taking command of the Baijiang Kingdom after departing from the Chu-Jiang Immortal Realm?"

Wu Yuan's eyebrows rose in slight astonishment. "What did you say?"

Chu Jun's determination grew stronger as he spoke, his words carrying a newfound resolve. "With His Highness dead, my heart grieves, but I must consider the wellbeing of the people in the four provinces. Even though Wu Hongxuan and I are both Grandmasters, we are just ordinary Grandmasters. We don’t have the capability to rule over such vast territories."

At that moment, the situation crystallized in Wu Yuan's mind. The Baijiang Kingdom was initially composed of three Grandmasters—Chu Jun, Wu Hongxuan, and Chu Ping, and the former two served as their king, who ruled over four provinces known as Four Provinces of Baijiang.

"My family was originally part of the Chu-Jiang Empire, and we have been deeply indebted to the empire for generations," Chu Jun said, shaking his head with a sigh. "That's why I followed His Highness without hesitation, believing that he would one day restore the empire."

But with Chu Ping dead, his hopes were shattered.

"Although His Highness has descendants, they lack sufficient martial prowess and cannot stabilize the nation in chaotic times. To make things worse, the Great Jin Empire is constantly breathing down our necks," Chu Jun said gravely. "After careful consideration, I believe that only you, Senior Shadow Blade, can bring order to Baijiang and deter the Great Jin Empire and the four coastal continents from making rash moves."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly, "Your words make sense. However, you should know that I am a member of the Cloudstride Sect. Inviting me to take over would be like inviting the Cloudstride Sect to swallow the Baijiang Kingdom, wouldn't it?" He spoke frankly, concealing nothing.

Chu Jun smiled bitterly, "Senior is jesting. Since His Highness’ death, I knew that the Chu-Jiang Empire was thoroughly finished, with no hope left."

He paused for a moment, then continued, his voice filled with conviction. "The Cloudstride Sect shares our roots. It's better to let them unify the Jiang Continent than to let Great Jin slaughter its way in. Besides, even if we don't surrender, aren’t Senior Shadow Blade and Grandmaster Bu Yu interested in unifying the Jiang Continent?"