An assassination from the Gate of Life and Death was no trivial matter.

It was said that once they accepted a contract, their targets rarely survived. If the first attempt failed, there would be a second. If the second failed, there would be a third.

Their reputation as killers was impeccable—once someone was marked for death, their chances of survival were slim to none.

Knowing that these assassins were from the Gate of Life and Death, Zhang Yiyi immediately abandoned any thoughts of running. After all, she had no desire to spend her life being hunted down or forced into hiding like a rat.

If they were ruthless, she would just have to be even more ruthless!

"Come then, let's see just how strong the Gate of Life and Death truly is."

With a flick of her wrist, she summoned her longsword and charged toward the eight black-clad assassins.

She had no intention of underestimating them. There was no need for testing the waters—her opening strike was already the strongest technique in her arsenal: The First Sword of the Starry Sky.

Her swordsmanship had undergone a qualitative leap since half a year ago. With a single slash, her blade unleashed an overwhelming force, forming a sword aura as thick as a water barrel—one that took the shape of a roaring dragon, hurtling toward her enemies.

"Form the formation!"

The leader of the assassins remained composed, immediately commanding his subordinates to activate their most powerful Life and Death Formation to counter the attack.

They had thoroughly researched their target, gathering intelligence on every aspect of Zhang Yiyi's abilities.

Thus, the team dispatched for this mission had been meticulously chosen. They had not underestimated her in the slightest.

Yet, despite all their preparations, they had overlooked one critical fact—

Even after making the highest assessments of Zhang Yiyi's power... they were still far from prepared.

The Life and Death Formation formed by the eight assassins was no small threat—even an elite Golden Core cultivator at the peak of their realm would struggle to survive.

Yet Zhang Yiyi's very first strike shattered their formation in mere moments.

Her sword-dragon tore through the air, disrupting the flow of their combined energy. Explosive talismans rained down, bursting in a cascade of flames and destruction.

She had struck with such decisive ferocity that none of them had expected it.

Before the leader of the assassins could restore the formation, a bloodcurdling scream echoed in the night.

"One."

Zhang Yiyi's voice was cold and distant—part threat, part mockery.

The assassin leader realized, with a sudden jolt of fear, that he had been momentarily distracted. A chill ran down his spine as he snapped back to focus—only to discover that one of his comrades had already fallen.

The body lay motionless on the ground, head cleanly severed from its shoulders.

The slain assassin had been a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator—someone only slightly weaker than the leader himself. And yet, he had been slain in an instant.

Worse still, they had not been fighting alone.

They had formed the Life and Death Formation—a technique powerful enough to kill even the most formidable Golden Core experts.

Yet a mere Foundation Establishment girl had broken their formation... and killed one of them in the process.

The remaining assassins were horrified.

They had investigated her thoroughly. They knew she had participated in the mid-tier clan tournament over a year ago, effortlessly defeating Tang Xi, one of the Tang family's most prodigious talents. She had already been considered an unbeatable force among cultivators of her level—someone even capable of fighting above her realm.

That was precisely why the Gate of Life and Death had sent such a formidable team.

Four of their members were in the Golden Core realm, while the remaining four were all at the late-stage Foundation Establishment realm or higher.

They had believed their team to be more than enough to overpower her.

But they had been gravely mistaken.

Zhang Yiyi didn't care about their shock or despair.

With the formation broken, she moved freely among them like a shadow. Her blade cut through the air with terrifying precision, wasting no time as she closed in on her next target.

Compared to before, she had gained not only power and cultivation but also a wealth of real battle experience.

If they wanted her life, then they had better be prepared to lose theirs.

"Two."

Another strike. Another clean beheading.

She hadn't even needed to use an explosive talisman this time—her movements were so fast, precise, and lethal that her victim had no chance to react.

The assassins were now unable to reform their battle formation. Desperately, they fought back, trying to surround her with flashing blades and lethal techniques.

But the more they fought, the more they realized—

They couldn't predict her.

They couldn't contain her.

They couldn't match her.

"Three."

Zhang Yiyi seized a brief pause to pop a Qi-replenishing pill into her mouth, swiftly restoring her drained spiritual energy.

With every enemy she cut down, her momentum only grew stronger.

"Four."

Another body fell.

From eight assassins, only four remained.

Zhang Yiyi stood amidst them, her body untouched, not a single wound on her.

Meanwhile, the remaining assassins were visibly shaken.

The leader could no longer suppress the dread creeping up his spine.

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed out a shimmering golden leaf, creating a temporary barrier to separate himself from Zhang Yiyi.

His voice, now laced with fear, demanded—

"Who the hell are you?!"

With the golden leaf forming a temporary barrier, the remaining black-clad assassins finally had a brief moment to catch their breath.

"Who am I?" Zhang Yiyi chuckled, her gaze fixed on the golden leaf shimmering midair. "I'm your target, Han Lin. What's this? Suddenly, you don't recognize me anymore?"

She examined the golden leaf curiously—it was quite useful. She wondered how long it could hold.

It was somewhat similar to the protective talisman her master had given her, though far cruder and with a single, limited function. Still, she was interested in seeing just how many of her attacks it could withstand.

Noticing the disbelief in the assassins' eyes, Zhang Yiyi smirked. "What's wrong? The person who hired you didn't tell you that I'm no ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator? That I once escaped unscathed from a Nascent Soul cultivator?"

"You—"

The leader of the assassins froze in shock, unable to even form a proper response.

If what she said was true, then their failure was entirely understandable.

Who was this woman, exactly? How could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator be this terrifying?

Someone capable of surviving an encounter with a Nascent Soul cultivator... was far beyond their league.

"Tsk, tsk. So, you had no idea? Looks like whoever placed the order on my head didn't pay much, huh?" Zhang Yiyi said with a sly smile. "Tell me, does Gate of Life and Death even have any Nascent Soul cultivators? If not, you'll have to go borrow one from somewhere else—otherwise, this contract of yours is about to be a complete waste."

As soon as she finished speaking, she didn't even bother drawing her sword.

Instead, she simply raised a fist and punched the barrier with full force.