The assassin’s strands of hair were thin and delicate, so nobody noticed them, which meant that nearly 10,000 people had been caught by the hair. They lost all of their life force in an instant and were reduced to corpses. These people had just been commoners, not even as strong as the weakest sort of cultivator. Thus, they had no way to stop the Magistrate from absorbing their life force.

Lu Yin’s eyes went wide. “You dare!”

The Magistrate had sunk into the ice seal and absorbed the life force of nearly 10,000 people with his hair. He watched as Lu Yin’s hand sneaked out, and he also raised a hand to counter Lu Yin’s attack. There was another thump as the Magistrate was once again smashed into the ice by Lu Yin, causing the ice to fracture. But Lu Yin did not come out of the exchange unscathed either, and he was forced back several steps. His Thirty Stacks, Hundredfold Shockwave Palm had actually been reflected back at him, which had rendered his right arm momentarily powerless.

He looked up, astonished. He saw that the Magistrate had been embedded into the ice seal, but the assassin’s body was now shrouded with a purple-red battle force lined with red stripes. This was nine lined battle force.

The Magistrate had absorbed the vitality of 10,000 people, and he had also managed to improve his battle force to nine lines.

Lu Yin’s scalp turned numb as the Magistrate gave him a cold smile before his figure flashed away. When he reappeared, he was already right in front of Lu Yin, his hair stabbing forth. The assassin’s nine lined battle force stunned Lu Yin, but he still activated the Yu Secret Art to quickly divert the hair attack. However, the Magistrate would not fall for the same move twice. Countless strands of hair shot out of the void and stabbed at Lu Yin, each one of them reinforced by nine lined battle force.

Lu Yin was struck by countless strands of hair, and his body was flung back into the ground.

The Magistrate dashed forward again, his hair piercing through the void and stabbing into the ground. Suddenly, the direction of the hair changed as the radiance from a blade slash tore through the area, signalling an approaching attack.

The hair blocked the bladelight, causing a dazzling cascade of sparks to burst forth. The Magistrate was forced back repeatedly by the surging bladelight until the radiance shattered with a bang. However, a second wave of bladelight appeared from Zi Rong right after. A sinister look entered the Magistrate’s eyes, and his body suddenly flashed and disappeared.

Zi Rong’s bladelight sliced cleanly into the ice seal and caused it to quiver as a solid chunk of ice was shaved off. Still, the attack did not break through it.

Zi Rong was stunned to discover that there was a fellow Hunter in the Great Yu Empire who could actually block his bladelight.

Outside the ice layer, Yan Yan was also surprised by the blade attack. The bladelight had nearly gone through his ice seal, which showed that the attacker was an exceptional powerhouse. As he thought about it, Yan Yan continued to build up the ice, as he definitely would not allow anyone to escape from the battle.

Underground, Lu Yin was panting heavily as waves of pain emanated out from a point in his chest. If not for his universal armor, he would have been killed by that earlier attack since nine lined battle force could easily penetrate his body.

He looked at the bladelight that had shot across the ground, and Lu Yin leaped up to look for the Magistrate.

However, he could not find the Magistrate, though he saw a large number of rune lines approaching Zi Xue and Luo Shen from underground. Zi Rong was busy fending off some other threat, his face solemn. It appeared that he had not noticed the sneak attack yet.

Lu Yin did not bother warning the Hunter out of fear that the hidden assassin would unleash their attack immediately. Lu Yin had no choice but to silently rush over himself.

Unfortunately, he had forgotten that he was actually the primary target of the assassins. As soon as Lu Yin moved out, the underground killer knew that he had been exposed, and he struck at Luo Shen without hesitation as a blade flickering with a cold light slashed out. It was Feng Zi.

Zi Rong turned around and barked, “Stop!”

Luo Shen helplessly watched on as the tip of the blade closed in on her, but then, a layer of blue ice suddenly appeared in front of her. It was Zi Xue, and although the knife easily shattered the blue ice when it struck it, the ice had slowed down the attack enough that Lu Yin was able to arrive. He grabbed Luo Shen for the second time and tossed her away from danger before striking the ground with a loud bang. He ruthlessly unleashed an Overlaying Stacks attack without any restraint and shattered the ground, though there was absolutely no trace of Feng Zi to be seen.

These assassins were very skilled at hiding and disguising themselves, and they also had power vessels that could cause their rune lines to vanish. Even Lu Yin found it difficult to deal with these people, and it was clear that Aegis had made ample preparations for this attack. Even the combined forces of all cultivators on Zenyu Star and Zi Rong couldn’t avoid being drawn into a bitter battle.

In outer space, above the planet, Aden was sent flying away once again with another thump. He had blocked Lord Egret’s attacks quite a few times now, and his thunder shield was no longer as robust as before. Blocking this Enlighter’s attacks was not any easier than defending against the attacks of the Enlighter realm astral beasts back in Ironblood Weave.

Lord Egret’s current mood was not great, as he had encountered a Hunter who could actually block him. He felt like he would never be able to beat this person to death, and he couldn’t even break through the defense of this thunder shield. Where had such a freak come from, and why had he joined the Great Yu Empire? This man was actually able to block an Enlighter like Lord Egret.

Within the sealed mall, many assassins seemed to sense that they would not be able to deal with Lu Yin, especially The Magistrate. He had not shown any mercy in his last attack against Lu Yin, which should have been strong enough to kill even a Hunter. However, Lu Yin was still dashing about in the battlefield. The kid’s defensive items were too absurd, and not even the Magistrate could deal with him. They would have to go with their second plan.

The Magistrate’s body flashed, and he suddenly appeared below the ice seal with a growl. He then struck at the ice seal with his nine lined battle force reinforcing his hair at full force. Even if Lu Yin did not die here, Aegis still wanted to destroy Zenyu Star and let the entire Outerverse know the costs of offending Aegis.

The ice seal shattered bit by bit, and outside, Yan Yan’s expression turned solemn as he continuously reinforced the seal. The two quickly entered a deadlock.

The Magistrate’s attacks grew even more intense, but then, a shovel suddenly appeared beside him and swatted at him. He was completely unprepared for the attack and was sent flying away. The blind monk had joined the battle.

When Lu Yin saw that the blind monk had arrived, he let out a sigh of relief. If this person had arrived, then it meant that the chaos on the rest of Zenyu Star had already stabilized.

Fortunately, to defend against Aegis’s impending attack, Lu Yin had kept all the Hunter realm captains of the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons close by. Otherwise, they would not have managed to quell the chaos on Zenyu Star in such a short time, as ordinary cultivators would not have been able to defeat the assassins.

Another beam of bladelight sliced out, and Zi Rong arrived beside Zi Xue and Luo Shen. His eyes were cold, and his expression remained vigilant.

Lu Yin surveyed the area. Screams were coming from all directions, and he could tell that there had already been thousands of casualties. There were still quite a few assassins hiding out there, but the most important ones were Poisonmaster, the Magistrate, and Feng Zi. These assassins definitely would not let Lu Yin go free.

Assassins generally followed the pattern that, if their first attack missed, they would retreat a thousand miles away. But right now, Aegis’s assassins were determined to demonstrate their superiority, and they did not intend to give Lu Yin a single moment of respite.

Feng Zi appeared behind Lu Yin again, and the Royal Regent quickly turned around to swat out with a Skybeast Claw. The claw shattered the approaching blade, but even more cold blades appeared from all directions, surrounding him.

Lu Yin felt like something was off. The Magistrate’s full powered attack had not been able to kill him, and Feng Zi should be aware of Lu Yin’s defensive capabilities. If that was the case, then why would he still take action? That is, unless there were other assassins lying in wait nearby.

As he thought about this, Lu Yin’s awareness grew hazy, and the scene he saw changed before his eyes. He was suddenly sitting in a spacecraft in space, and there were shouts echoing through the area. He saw a familiar scene; this was the edge of the Astral River, and the Astral River Ark was still inside the Astral River, not coming out. It was late.

All around him, numerous powerful enemies appeared while Big Sis and the others did everything they could to fight the attackers off. Only Lu Yin had been left inside the spacecraft.

One familiar face after another fell during the bloodbath, and space itself was destroyed. Some people were even torn to shreds so thoroughly that not even a corpse remained.

Lu Yin’s vision was filled with blood, and he screamed, demanding to go out; he had become powerful, and he could fight with Enlighters now. He could help Big Sis and the others.

But no matter what he did, he could not leave the vessel. All of his previous strength had disappeared, and he had returned to the regular person who had never cultivated. Once again, he experienced the desperation of the powerless.

But then, the sound of the Stonewall Scriptures reverberated through his mind, clearing his thoughts, and Lu Yin’s gaze trembled. Not good—this was an illusion and the work of another top ranked assassin.

The scenery once again shifted before his eyes as he returned to the mall. It had only taken a split second for all that to happen, but there were already multiple strands of nine lined battle force reinforced hair in front of him as well as countless cold blades. Lu Yin also noticed that these two attacks had been joined by an even more terrifying air current. Three attacks connected and landed directly on Lu Yin.

Poisonmaster, the Magistrate, and Feng Zi had joined forces to launch a cooperative attack while Lu Yin was caught in an illusion. This assault was something that even an Enlighter would find difficult to withstand, and it blasted Lu Yin back beneath the ground.

Zi Rong saw this, and his expression changed.

Zi Xue saw it, and her fists clenched tightly.

Luo Shen, the blind monk, and quite a few others also witnessed this attack. Three top ranked assassins had just joined forces to launch a single attack; could Lu Yin possibly survive?

At this moment, Phantom Sting who had remained hidden from the very start, finally discovered Poisonmaster’s location. His dagger transformed into a white lotus that glistened, and it streaked past Poisonmaster, drawing some blood. Then, Poisonmaster disappeared once again.

Phantom Sting’s eyes grew cold, and he also vanished. He did not know what Poisonmaster’s current condition was, and he could not even tell where his knife had struck Poisonmaster. It was no wonder why this person was the second ranked assassin, as the ranks were not solely determined by the number of people they had killed. Poisonmaster’s ability to stay alive was also top-notch.

The Magistrate and Feng Zi did not pause even for a moment, and they also vanished. They followed Lu Yin underground, as they did not know what Lu Yin’s condition was like. If it was possible, they wanted to at least cripple him, as they did not necessarily have to kill him. Death was not the most frightening sentence.

“Hurry up and help him,” Zi Xue screamed as she stared anxiously at Zi Rong.

Zi Rong’s eyes flashed, but before he could move, an intense beam of light shone from underground. This light had appeared too suddenly, and the luminosity even caused the void to ripple. The entire mall was lit up, and the light even shone through the ice seal, lighting up all of Zenyu Star. Even outer space was lit up, and the light drew Lord Egret’s attention.

The next moment, a light beam shot out from Zenyu Star and into space. Along its path, space trembled and layers of the void started to break open.

Lord Egret was stunned; that attack was terrifying beyond belief. If he had taken it headon, then it would have been difficult for him to survive. It was enough to tear through his defenses.

Within the ice seal, beneath the mall, Feng Zi stared at the left half of his body in disbelief. Well, he stared at where that half of his body used to be, as it was now gone. He had been utterly unable to resist that beam of light.

That light beam had come from underground. It had come from Lu Yin.

To the side, the Magistrate’s scalp was completely numb, and his figure flashed as he instantly vanished.

From underground, Lu Yin looked upwards and set down the Money Bomb. His last one had just been used. Such a pity.

The Ultra Flash Tear Bomb had been quite effective. If not for the sudden bright flash, then the Money Bomb would not have been able to hit Feng Zi since the assassins were too adept at evading attacks.

One strike had killed Feng Zi, which resolved one of the largest threats.

Lu Yin leaped out from underground once again, which left many feeling flabbergasted. Even Zi Rong was astonished to discover that Lu Yin had survived. It seemed like no one could compare to this youth in terms of survival. The previous combination strike would have even seriously wounded Zi Rong if he were forced to endure it. Sure enough, this person had power vessels that could defend against Enlighters’ attacks, just like the rumors claimed. Was it that universal armor?

With these power vessels, it meant that Lu Yin was invincible.

“Your Highness, are you alright?” Phantom Sting appeared and asked in a gloomy voice.

“Where’s Poisonmaster?” Lu Yin surveyed his surroundings to search for the assassins.

“I don't know. I injured him, but I don’t know how badly.”

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed, and he was panting heavily.

“The one who attacked you before is ranked eighth on the Killers List, Peerless Beauty . She has a strange appearance with two heads: a human head as well as a snake head. She is very adept at creating illusions, so be careful.”

Phantom Sting then vanished.

Lu Yin smiled coldly, as Aegis was truly putting forth a huge amount of effort. For this one operation, they had sent out four of the top ten ranked assassins. This was certainly ruthless enough.

In outer space, Aden blocked another strike, but his entire body was blasted away like a meteorite.

Lord Egret did not want to engage with this person anymore, and he turned to face Zenyu Star, only to be blocked once again by Aden, who gritted his teeth.

Lord Egret was won over by the man’s determination. “Aren’t you afraid of death?”

Aden had already activated his nine lined battle force long ago, or else he would not have lasted this long. “Just try to kill me.”