Inside the room, Li Xiaoyao sat quietly on the bed, his dark martial soul enhancing his senses even while training. He could pick up every little sound in the tavern if he wanted to.

The surging energy of heaven and earth flowed continuously into his body, while a faint, pure white aura seemed ready to burst from within. This was the peak of the Qi Martial Stage, the sign of someone on the verge of breaking through to the Spirit Martial Realm. Once that aura could be unleashed, he'd enter a whole new level—able to kill from a hundred paces without leaving a trace.

Outside the inn, shadows moved swiftly, closing in. They slipped into the inn, their movements ghostly. Each of them carried a massive ox horn bow on their back, a weapon capable of harnessing the full power of anyone in the Qi Martial Stage.

"Room Number Two," one figure in the middle whispered, flicking open a folding fan. "Don't make a scene. We don't want trouble."

In an instant, the group moved silently up the stairs toward Room Number Two.

Moments later, over a dozen figures gathered outside the room, their steps light, barely making a sound. It was clear these people were no ordinary fighters.

"Click..." The sound of bowstrings being drawn filled the air. Each person pulled the ox horn bows from their backs, arrows at the ready.

"Fire."

"Whizz, whizz, whizz!"

The bowstrings hummed as the powerful arrows shot straight through the door. The room erupted in a thunderous crash.

"Move in," barked the leader. The door was kicked open, and the group stormed inside.

The room was empty. The once-elegant wooden bed was reduced to splinters by the sheer force of the arrows, but there was no sign of anyone on it.

Two figures cautiously stepped in, their eyes scanning the room.

"Thunderous Sword Strike."

A cold voice rang out, and with a flash of icy sword light, followed by the rumble of thunder, the two men fell, screaming in pain.

Li Xiaoyao had sensed them the moment they entered the inn. At first, he didn't care, but when he heard them mention "Room Number Two," he knew they were here for him.

So, he hid near the entrance, pressed against the wall in a blind spot where they couldn't reach him before entering. It also gave him the perfect spot to ambush them.

As Li Xiaoyao watched the arrows whistle into the room, he couldn't help but think he got lucky. If he hadn't noticed and hidden in the blind spot in time, he would've been dead for sure.

But along with that relief came a cold, fierce killing intent. Without hesitation, Li Xiaoyao struck, cutting down two of his attackers.

"Who's trying to kill me?"

With another powerful swing of his sword, more screams echoed from outside. At the same moment, Li Xiaoyao used Phantom Steps to dart out of the window before the rest of the group could even react.

"Catch him!" The leader's face twisted in anger as he barked the command. The group followed like wild horses in the wind, leaping from the inn and landing in the street below.

It was a dark, rainy night. The skies were overcast, visibility low. If it weren't for their enhanced martial eyesight, they'd struggle to see anything, especially while running at such speed.

But this didn't bother Li Xiaoyao much. His Dark Martial Soul not only boosted his cultivation talent but also sharpened his senses. Even in this pitch-black night, he could still make out the road ahead.

The sound of feet splashing through puddles echoed behind him, the pursuers closing in.

"Whizz..."

Li Xiaoyao tilted his head just in time as an arrow zipped past his ear, the gust of wind so strong it left his ear stinging.

"The person who shot that must be at the peak of the Qi Martial Stage," Li Xiaoyao thought, his heart turning cold. "That shot's nearly as powerful as Zhao Xinyi's."

Zhao Xinyi was at the peak of the Qi Martial Stage too, and with her powerful Bow Martial Soul, her arrows were deadly. To have someone chasing him who could rival her skill was unexpected.

He hadn't imagined he'd be ambushed in the dead of night by such a skilled group out for his life.

"Whizz, whizz..."

Two more arrows came flying. Li Xiaoyao ducked low, narrowly avoiding them. His suspicion only deepened. Not only were these attackers strong, but they were also frighteningly well-coordinated, shooting with deadly precision and perfect timing. Each arrow followed the last seamlessly.

"No fucking way, if this keeps up, i'm gonna run out of shit and get hit by one of those god damn arrows." Li Xiaoyao dodged yet another arrow, thoughts racing. These guys were all at the peak of the Qi Martial Stage, and their archery skills were frighteningly precise. Their teamwork was perfect, and even though he had the edge in movement and agility, he still couldn't shake them off.

Mud and dirty water splashed up, covering his clothes as he sprinted through the rain, already soaked to the bone. He dodged another arrow and then suddenly, without warning, came to a dead stop.

"Phantom Steps."

"KILL!"

In that split second, not only did Li Xiaoyao stop moving, but he also used his light-footwork technique to spring back toward his attackers. His sword flashed cold in the rain, thunder echoing through the downpour, and a spray of blood mixed with the rainwater as it fell from the sky.

The man leading the charge didn't stand a chance. Before he could react, Li Xiaoyao had already cut him down with a single stroke.

The others immediately backed off, retreating several meters, their eyes sharp with caution. This boy, with his youthful, delicate features, had already killed several of their men.

Through the falling rain, Li Xiaoyao's gaze locked onto one man standing in the middle of the group, a man wearing a black rain cloak and holding a folding fan.

"Nalan... Xiong!" Li Xiaoyao's voice was ice-cold as he spat the name out one syllable at a time. The owner of that fan was none other than Nalan Hai.

Glancing over the rest of the group, Li Xiaoyao sneered. "This many experts... Only a handful of families in Cangyun City have this kind of power. But someone like you? No way you could command them on your own."

Standing at the center, Nalan Xiong's lips curled into a mocking smirk as he listened to Li Xiaoyao's words.

"They say Li Kai's son is a useless fool, but the Li Xiaoyao I know is not only gifted but also clever and quick to adapt. Smart too. It's just a shame..."

"A shame, huh? A shame about what?"

"A shame that no matter how talented you are, no one's going to know." Nalan Xiong's voice was cold and sinister. "Because no matter how great you are, a dead man is still just a dead man."

"All this, just for a minor grudge? Nalan Yanran hates me that much? Sending the City Lord's private army to kill me in the middle of the night?" Li Xiaoyao's tone was mocking. These weren't ordinary martial artists; they were too well-trained for that. Now that Nalan Xiong had shown his face, Li Xiaoyao knew for sure—this group was the City Lord's private military force.

But what Li Xiaoyao couldn't wrap his head around was why Nalan Yanran would go this far. Sure, she had disrespected him first, and he didn't exactly give her any face in return, but to hold a grudge so deep that she wanted him dead? It didn't make sense to him. He had clearly underestimated her; not only did she want him dead, but she was willing to send assassins in the middle of the night to finish the job.

"Nalan Yanran is a princess of the highest status, far above the likes of you. How dare you insult her? Li Xiaoyao, you deserve nothing less than death." Nalan Xiong's voice was cold and indifferent, as if what he was saying was the most natural thing in the world.

"Princess? High status?" Li Xiaoyao let out a cold laugh. A city lord's daughter, sure, she's got some rank, but calling her a princess? Nalan Yanran's arrogance knew no bounds. She was every bit as prideful and self-centered as Li Xin.

"If you're going to kill me, then go ahead and do it." As he spoke, the shadow of Li Xiaoyao's Dark Martial Spirit materialized behind him, blending seamlessly into the night. No sound, no trace of energy—no one even realized he had summoned it.

Deserve death? Li Xiaoyao smirked inwardly. Let's see just how they plan to make me deserve it.

The Dark Martial Spirit melded into the shadows around him, sharpening his senses to an almost supernatural level. Everything within a certain radius—every movement, every shift in the air—was laid out in his mind with perfect clarity.

Whizz...

Another arrow whistled past his ear. Li Xiaoyao barely had to tilt his head to avoid it. The archer's face tightened in disbelief. His heart chilled as he locked eyes with Li Xiaoyao, whose calm, piercing gaze cut through the darkness like a predator. There was something terrifying about those cold, emotionless eyes.