Contention for the Foremost Assassin Under Heaven

Du Chen choked on the latter half of his sentence, his words lodged in his throat. He dared not utter another sound!

By logical deduction, the perpetrator had to be the Ice Man Du Chen had encountered that fateful day. This Ice Man was an old acquaintance of Zigurd's. Even if their relationship wasn't profoundly intimate, a mutual understanding surely existed! Therefore, Zigurd, much like Xue Ji, ought to have swiftly deduced that the Ice Man was the architect of the explosion… Next, Zigurd’s most natural course of action should have been to organize rescue efforts while simultaneously dispatching personnel to apprehend the Ice Man!

But Zigurd hadn't mentioned the Ice Man at all. Instead, he declared that neither of the Tyran Beasts could be deployed… The conclusion then became starkly obvious – Zigurd was actively shielding the Ice Man!

Thinking this, Du Chen’s steps faltered. His hands, still supporting Xue Ji, became somewhat stiff. He inwardly chastised himself, 'No, it cannot be. This is merely my own conjecture. Could not a friend engage in clandestine dealings without Zigurd’s knowledge? Can I, on this alone, suspect my venerated teacher of harboring malevolent intent?'

Xue Ji, too, grasped this implication, exclaiming in surprise, “If it was the Ice Man who did it, then wouldn't Teacher Zigurd be…?”

“Impossible!” Du Chen shook his head, responding to Xue Ji, yet his words sounded more like he was attempting to reassure himself!

Just then, Zigurd, supported by a staff member, caught up. “Francis, I almost forgot a major matter just now!”

Du Chen was startled. He turned to inquire, and Zigurd offered a bitter smile, “Do you recall the strange, cold-emitting man you saw when you visited me that day? Alas, I was preoccupied with the rescue just now and nearly let it slip my mind! I suspect that strange man is the culprit. You’ve seen his face; immediately proceed to the Pantheon Institute, gather The Masters, and pursue him!”

At these words, a profound sense of relief washed over Du Chen, the colossal stone burdening his heart finally settling.

So, his teacher had merely been flustered by the crisis, a momentary oversight. It was ludicrous that he had harbored such suspicions; truly, he was undeserving of such mistrust!

The rigorous education in reverence for teachers and the Clandestine Circles' principles he had received in his past life's Rogue Sect now surged to the forefront. Du Chen, who had always held Zigurd in the highest esteem and awe, subconsciously recoiled from contemplating any darker possibilities…

Zigurd continued, “That Ice Man is named Solawan; he's a representative from the Cassian Duchy of Yakun…” The old man casually fabricated a difficult-to-investigate minor country representative identity for Thomas, thus providing The Clues. But in his heart, he thought nervously, 'Damn it all! That wretched Ice Toxin Aura had utterly disoriented my mind, leaving me preoccupied with my simmering hatred for Third Brother. I’d acted with such glaring carelessness, leaving ample opportunity for suspicion! A narrow escape, indeed. Fortuitously, I regained my wits swiftly enough to mend this gaping loophole!'

'Third Brother, I just made Francis exhaust his battle qi. Even if he personally goes to apprehend you, with the Ghoulbat, you can escape to the heavens. Alas, hurry and leave…'

Zigurd’s calculations were very astute, but Du Chen, after the stone in his heart had landed, smiled slightly, “Teacher, rest assured. Your student will certainly apprehend that culprit and bring him to justice!” With that, Du Chen soared into the sky. His surging battle qi and the swift Green Cloud beneath him betrayed no hint of prior exertion from a large-scale Secret Technique, nor any semblance of fatigue!

Zigurd was greatly startled. Francis still had strength left!? This was bad, Third Brother was in trouble!

Of course Du Chen still had strength! He had indeed exhausted his power when rescuing the citizens just now, but where did Du Chen’s power come from? Great Benevolence! Dispersing the toxic gas, controlling the danger to the minimum – what an act of profound Great Benevolence that was!? Although he didn’t have time to check in detail how much the Precious Lotus Scripture had advanced, the Merit from the Great Benevolence had already replenished Du Chen’s expended power!

…

Setting aside Zigurd’s worries and how he planned to patch up even larger loopholes, let’s talk about Du Chen. After flying out of the city, he didn't rush to meet Dus. Instead, within the range of his Battle Soul communication, he asked Beibei. After learning the entire sequence of events, he thought to himself, “The Ice Man has already sustained serious injuries, and the Ghoulbat has been scorched all over. So, they will definitely choose a secluded, hidden route to escape, and at the same time look for a place with abundant spiritual energy to replenish their strength. Otherwise, they won’t get far… And the singular location near Battle God Isle that satisfies both criteria is… Mount Tianshan!”

Du Chen immediately changed direction and urgently called Dus with his Divine Sense, “Fifth Brother, pay attention to the secluded spots along the route from the city to Mount Tianshan. I'm heading there immediately. We'll meet at Mount Tianshan!”

Dus responded, and the two together set their target on the place where Philip's Undead had mutated in the past – Mount Tianshan!

Du Chen’s Green Cloud was incredibly fast. Although he left much later than Fifth Brother, who was already on the outer isle, he arrived near Mount Tianshan a step ahead of him. Then, a potent wave of frigid aura assailed him, chilling him to the bone, its icy embrace having completely enveloped the towering verdant peak!

So cold! Du Chen shivered, but a joy arose in his heart. Could it be that the Ice Man really escaped here!? The speed of the Green Cloud under his feet increased even further. In the blink of an eye, he arrived above Mount Tianshan, looking down at the majestic mountain. A cold smile played on his lips – the Ice Man harmed hundreds of thousands of citizens on Battle God Isle for his selfish desires; his crimes are unforgivable. To slay him was nothing short of righteous and justified, an irrefutable act of supreme Great Benevolence!

His sky-blue eyes scanned the mountain peaks. Just as he was about to dive, Du Chen frowned slightly and looked up at the night sky again… Tonight was precisely Silver Moon’s Retreat, when the stars shone brightly!

A hearty laugh came from the mountain, “Tonight, the bright moon is ashamed to show itself, leaving only the lingering regret of the stars. The advent of my old friend banishes all regret from the starry expanse!”

Du Chen shrugged, “Has Your Excellency yet to cease your flight from matrimonial bonds!?”

…

At the peak of Mount Tianshan, one stood, one sat. The two looked at each other from afar. One of them wore light armor over a white robe, with silver hair and golden eyes, exceptionally handsome. He was reclining behind a red sandalwood wine table on the mountain peak, his slender, jade-like fingers twirling a crystal wine glass, a slight smile on his raised brows!

Galas. This name, perhaps, did not echo widely, yet his other moniker was undeniably etched into legend – the Foremost Assassin under Heaven!

However, Du Chen remembered Galas not for this nickname, but for two other things – first, he had defeated Zigurd with his bare hands; second, back then, to avoid marrying Frinda, Galas had devised the nefarious 'substituting the plum for a peach' stratagem – an insidious plot of scapegoating – joining the legions of those attempting to force marriage upon Du Chen, even claiming grandiosely: “Only if you fall into the clutches of that violent woman Frinda will I have a chance to find true love!” Thus, upon seeing him again today, Du Chen immediately greeted him with “fleeing from marriage” to tease him!

Galas sighed, shaking his head, and gently spilled the fine wine in his hand onto the table, “Old friends meeting, why must our reunion always be tainted by such ill-omened discussions? This way, even fine wine loses its flavor!”

Du Chen rubbed his nose and smiled. Galas was a descendant of the Starry Sky Battle God, and also one of the followers who would pursue the Savior! Looking at him with this thought, it was truly… interesting!

“Let’s reminisce another day, Galas. Did you see someone emitting cold qi pass by?”

Galas pointed at the person standing opposite him, “Behold, right before your eyes!”

This person wore thick, pale green battle armor and a ferocious black iron beast-mask, concealing his face. Indeed, he was emitting a cold qi similar to the Ice Man's, and the temperature change of the entire Mount Tianshan was due to him. However, he was of ordinary, medium stature, definitely not that unusually tall Ice Man Thomas. Moreover, this person’s cold qi differed slightly from Ice Toxin; it didn't carry much maliciousness, but rather appeared righteous and honorable, a pure and upright power of ice and snow!

Du Chen slightly shook his head, “It's not him. I still need to find someone. Let's chat another day!”

But that person raised his head, his voice hoarse, as if filtered through a metal mesh, “If you're looking for someone emitting cold qi, then you needn't bother. He and a Ghoulbat entered the Labyrinth of Life in a deep-sea cave seventy nautical miles away and have already vanished without a trace!”

Du Chen raised an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes as he stared at him!

“My friend here… is trustworthy!” Galas chuckled, “Since your target has disappeared, why not stay and be a witness for us? Coincidentally, I have something I wanted to discuss with you!”

Galas had no reason to deceive the Savior. It seemed the Ice Man had indeed escaped! But this beast-masked person’s perception was truly powerful beyond compare! Du Chen withdrew his thoughts, stepped on the Green Cloud, and from a commanding height, began to observe the two people on Mount Tianshan, smiling, “What kind of witnessing do you want me to do?”

Galas pointed at the person, “He is ‘The Blade’!” Seeing Du Chen's indifference, he gave a self-deprecating smile, “Thirteenth Master, it seems you haven't been paying attention to matters in the Clandestine Circles recently, otherwise, you would certainly have heard that tonight is the day when two kings of assassins will duel on Mount Tianshan's peak to contend for the Foremost Assassin under Heaven!”

Upon mentioning matters of the underworld, Du Chen vaguely recalled something. Harry, who was responsible for internal intelligence in Du City, had once mentioned that a new sharp assassin had emerged in the Clandestine Circles in the past two years, with a strange, single-syllable name – The Blade!

However, when Harry mentioned The Blade, he said he didn't need to pay attention to him. How, then, did The Blade now have the strength to challenge Tenth-rank Battle God Galas!? This speed of advancement was truly a bit too fast, wasn't it!? Du Chen couldn't help but observe the King of Assassins, shrouded in thick armor, a few more times. He praised, “If you were a registered student of the Battle God Academy, the Battle God advancement record on the Hero's Board would probably be broken!”

The Blade’s voice was still hoarse, “Your Excellency jests. When it comes to advancement speed, who in this world can compare to you, Grand Duke of Durkus?”

Du Chen rubbed his nose, silently cursing, 'You are an assassin, yet you mimic the bureaucratic cant of nobility? I detest such affected pomposity, you understand?'

Galas suddenly tapped the wine table nonchalantly, “Francis, why are you looking for someone who emits cold qi?”

Du Chen glanced at him, “With a momentous conflict looming, why does this matter concern you so?”

Galas slowly sipped his wine, “Nothing, it's just that the Battle God Isle was shaken by the heavens and earth just now, and the Ice Toxin Aura technique, derived from the Wind-Snow Thorns, nearly instigated a catastrophe of immense proportions. If your purpose is to investigate this particular Secret Technique of Wind-Snow Thorns… by sheer coincidence, I possess some knowledge.” Saying this, he subtly glanced at The Blade.