Transmigration: A person in a martial arts world, cultivating to ascend to immortality

Although Jiang Jihai did not give an answer, Hua Chengtian had already confirmed his guess from the change in his expression.

Since this person is a disciple of a grandmaster, his plans may have to change.

Hua Chengtian suppressed his aura, put his hands behind his back, looked at Jiang Jihai and smiled: "Your strength is formidable, and you are a disciple of a grandmaster. It seems that my mission here is unlikely to be completed. How about we call it quits?"

"Give up? You think I'd believe that?"

Jiang Jihai looked over warily, not readily believing Hua Chengtian's words.

"From our exchange just now, you must have realized that our strengths are similar, and neither of us can gain the upper hand." Hua Chengtian sighed softly and said frankly, "If we really had to fight to the death, whoever survived would pay a heavy price. That's not worth it."

"Do you think your superiors will let you off the hook if you do this?"

Admittedly, Hua Chengtian was right, but Jiang Jihai still dared not let his guard down because of Hua Chengtian's status.

Hua Chengtian sneered, "Since you know I am a member of the demonic path, you should know that we demonic people always act without restraint, following our own will. Therefore, I will not risk myself for such a thankless task."

"Believe it or not, it's up to you." Hua Chengtian shrugged and continued, "Anyway, I will not fight today."

After saying that, he turned and left without caring at all about exposing his back to Jiang Jihai.

Jiang Jihai looked at Hua Chengtian, who was completely unprepared and full of weaknesses, and frowned.

He simply couldn't understand why Hua Chengtian would have such drastically different attitudes after learning who his master was.

A Grandmaster might be a great deterrent to other forces, but it would never be enough to make someone from the Tianyi Sect hesitate to act against him!

Just as Jiang Jihai was pondering the deeper meaning behind Hua Chengtian's actions, Hua Chengtian suddenly stopped, turned his head, and chuckled softly:

"Oh, right! I forgot to tell you, the person who ordered me to kill you wasn't from my Holy Cult, but from the palace. As for that person's specific identity—that's up to you to find out."

"In the palace..."

Although Jiang Jihai had long suspected this, he never expected Hua Chengtian to say it out loud.

Hua Chengtian's series of perplexing actions truly left Jiang Jihai somewhat bewildered.

When he came to his senses and looked ahead again, the bluish-purple figure had already disappeared.

Seeing that the person had completely left, Jiang Jihai stopped thinking about it.

This kind of brain-taxing thing wasn't his forte. Once they got to town, he'd send a message by carrier pigeon and let Li Shu have his own headache.

……

Golden Crow City.

On the banks of the Wuming River.

A magnificent pavilion with carved beams and painted rafters rose from the ground.

The moonlight was bright, and the river breeze was gentle.

The window of a room on the top floor of the pavilion was wide open, and a rose-red gauze curtain danced in the wind, sometimes licking the window frame, sometimes gently caressing the night.

Through layers of gauze curtains, one can vaguely see a graceful figure standing by the window.

A moment later, a figure appeared on the riverbank, rushing toward the pavilion.

In just a few breaths, the ghostly figure arrived at the foot of the building, then leaped lightly, stepping on the eaves, and finally stopped in front of the open window on the top floor.

The visitor was a middle-aged woman dressed simply.

After stopping, Shu Yu immediately bowed in reverence to the graceful figure standing in front of the window.

"Saint!"

"How did things go?"

Upon hearing the Holy Maiden's question, Shu Yu trembled slightly and bent her waist even lower.

"The encirclement and assassination plan has failed!"

"Oh?" A slightly surprised tone. "With your and Vice Hall Master Wang's strength, plus the five top-tier mid-stage assassins from Bixuewu, surely you can't take down Du Ya and Shangguan Yulong's group?"

Shu Yu dared not hide anything and immediately told the whole story of what happened in the forest that night.

After a chilling silence, the punishment Shu Yu had anticipated did not come. Instead, she heard the woman behind the gauze curtain say with a smile:

"Interesting! To break your 'Netherworld Ghost Hand' with a single move by attacking from behind, while also knocking down the weapons of a group of experts. With such strength, that person must undoubtedly be a grandmaster."

"Could it be—that the Kōbōin was behind it?"

Shu Yu guessed.

Besides that, she could hardly think of any other possibilities.

After all, there are only a handful of grandmasters and powerful figures in the martial arts world, and the Holy Sect has basically grasped the whereabouts of these powerful figures. Although it is not very detailed, they at least know their location and movements.

During the night of the ambush, none of these grandmasters showed themselves near that grove of trees.

"The Temple?" The woman chuckled. "It couldn't be the Temple. As for who did it, we don't need to worry about that for now. When the time comes, their identity will naturally come to light."

Shu Yu nodded, relieved, and asked, "Holy Maiden, since the encirclement failed, will the rest of the plan proceed as scheduled?"

“Let’s pause for now. Your identity has been exposed, so there’s no need for you to go back. Just stay by my side and lie low for a while.” The woman suddenly remembered something and asked Shu Yu, “Have you heard anything about Hua Chengtian lately?”

Shu Yu shook her head and said, "Ever since the Holy Son followed Li Xianwu's side as instructed by the Holy Maiden, his whereabouts have been elusive. The Holy Son is very powerful, and his subordinates dare not keep too close an eye on him, lest they be discovered and arouse suspicion."

A cold laugh came from behind the gauze curtain.

"Doubt? Do you really think that with his cunning and scheming, he wouldn't be able to figure out the truth about how he was elevated to the position of Holy Son by now?"

Shu Yu was startled. "If the Holy Son knew the truth, wouldn't it affect your plans, Holy Maiden?"

"Don't worry," the woman said calmly. "Even if he knows the truth, so what? As long as I hold his weakness in my hands, he'll have no choice but to accept his fate; he'll have no other option!"

After Shu Yu left, the woman remained standing by the window.

Through the gauze curtains that fluttered in the wind, one could vaguely see the woman gazing at the river below the pavilion.

The river was like a mirror, reflecting the full moon high in the sky.

"It seems the water isn't muddy enough. Let me add something more! I want to see if you, the number one expert in the world, will actually show yourself then!"