Outside the room, Yi Tianyun’s eyes gleamed. It was just as he had imagined. They wanted to recruit them; otherwise, a massive army would have already come knocking. The whole point of inviting them to this banquet was to see the true face of that mysterious expert. Who could have possibly guessed that this expert was none other than Yi Tianyun?

’The Shadow Guards’ cultivation may not be high, but they are all at the Spirit Pill Stage. It must have taken a ton of resources to train them. With so many dead, of course Cheng Fen is furious. Still, I never expected that he was the one who trained these Shadow Guards. That’s a bit of a surprise.’

"My Lord, can’t we just annihilate them?" the Shadow Guard said grimly. "Even if they have some value, it’s meaningless if they can’t be used by us... We should just wipe them out. That way, the Celestial Extreme Mansion will belong to us."

"Bullshit! You think I don’t want to?" Cheng Fen cursed. "We’re desperately short on strength right now! The Celestial Dragon Empire keeps pressing in, the Spirit Race isn’t fully suppressed, and we need to recruit every faction we can! The higher-ups still have some hope for the Celestial Extreme Mansion, believing it was our excessive interference that provoked their ire. With the Mansion in such decline, they’re sure to join us if we just offer enough benefits... But they killed so many of my Shadow Guards! I just can’t stomach this insult! I have to put them in their place, or they’ll think the Netherworld Empire is afraid of them!"

With that, he snatched up a chair and hurled it aside, venting his fury by smashing whatever was at hand.

"And if they resist?" the Shadow Guard asked.

"Then kill them all! Leave no one alive! I’ll just report to my superiors that the Celestial Extreme Mansion, like Yuntian Mansion, resisted stubbornly and fought back like madmen!" Cheng Fen’s gaze turned icy. "Resisting the Netherworld Empire is a death sentence! They’re just a bunch of trash. If they won’t even surrender when offered amnesty, then they can’t blame me for being ruthless!"

"Yes, my Lord!" The Shadow Guard nodded without hesitation. His form grew faint until he vanished from the room, on his way to the Celestial Extreme Mansion to apprehend its members.

They were determined to force out the expert protecting the Celestial Extreme Mansion, giving them one final chance!

The Shadow Guard had just stepped outside when a figure appeared silently behind him. A sharp blade swung out, easily piercing the guard’s heart. At the same instant, a hand clamped over his mouth, stifling any sound.

The guard’s eyes went wide. He struggled feebly, but he was no match for Yi Tianyun’s strength. His body soon went limp, slumping lifelessly against his killer.

"Ding! Successfully killed a Shadow Guard. Gained 250,000 Experience, 3,200 Madness Value, and 50 Sin Value! Obtained Martial Arts Shadow Step."

’Fifty Sin Value points is not a small amount. It just goes to show how many people these Shadow Guards have killed. Then again, it’s safe to say everyone from the Netherworld Empire has blood on their hands. Who knows how much of it is innocent blood?’

After taking down the Shadow Guard, Yi Tianyun dragged the body aside and quickly stripped off the uniform to put it on himself. With the black mask on, he looked almost identical to a Shadow Guard.

"Shadow Step!"

Yi Tianyun executed Shadow Step, a martial art exclusive to the Shadow Guards, and vanished on the spot. He had barely set foot inside the room when Cheng Fen, who was sitting and sipping his tea, shot a cold glare in Yi Tianyun’s direction. "What is it?"

’As expected. With such a massive gap in our cultivation levels, it’s easy to be detected. His Spiritual Power is incredibly sharp; he pinpointed my location effortlessly. Cheng Fen is no ordinary man—you don’t get to be a minister by being average.’

’His status doesn’t really matter; his Core Formation Stage cultivation says it all. He’s just a greedy man, as that birthday banquet of his made perfectly clear.’

Yi Tianyun looked at him, and a detailed information panel appeared in his vision.

Cheng Fen: Cultivation: Fifth Level, Core Formation Stage. Armor: None. Comprehensive Combat Power: 1,900,000. Weakness: His left arm is wounded, restricting movement. Known Martial Arts: Heaven-Shaking Palm, Golden Body Technique, and others. Potential Drops Upon Kill: Heaven-Shaking Palm (High-Grade Earth Level Martial Arts), Golden Body Technique (High-Grade Earth Level Martial Arts, Rare), Twentyfold Experience Card (Rare), Spirit Race Prison Key...

’These stats are insane!’ Yi Tianyun thought, stunned. ’He really is a Core Formation Stage expert. Even without any armor or weapons, his Combat Power is almost two million!’

’Blood Evil Ancestor’s Combat Power was only a little over two million, and that was when he went all out. This guy is nearly at that level already, and he isn’t even trying. I can’t imagine how terrifying he’d be if he unleashed his full strength. And that Golden Body Technique... that must be why he doesn’t wear any armor.’

’As for that weakness... that was my doing. The wound still hasn’t healed, so it’s naturally a weak point. He probably wouldn’t have even been injured if he’d had time to activate his Golden Body Technique, but without it, his body couldn’t withstand a direct hit from a High-Grade Soul Artifact.’

’You’d need an incredible Physique to block a weapon like that without any Martial Arts to back it up. But that Spirit Race Prison Key... that really caught my eye. So he can drop one of those...’

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Cheng Fen asked with a frown, finding it strange that the guard had entered without saying a word.

"My Lord, there is an important matter I have yet to report," Yi Tianyun said, lowering his voice and mimicking the previous Shadow Guard’s tone. He couldn’t claim it was a perfect imitation, but it was a close match.

"What is it? Out with it." Cheng Fen didn’t seem to notice the difference, mainly because Yi Tianyun had just used Shadow Step. It was an Absolute Skill that only a Shadow Guard could master, making it impossible for an outsider to imitate.

"Yes, my Lord!" Yi Tianyun took a piece of paper from his robes. It had been on the real Shadow Guard—a list of secret missions, like assassinating the members of a certain clan.

He started walking over with the paper, but after only a few steps, Cheng Fen held up a hand to stop him. "Don’t come any closer. Did I not just tell you to stay ten feet away from me? Just toss the paper over."

Yi Tianyun halted. ’Attacking from this far would be exponentially more difficult,’ he thought. ’A sneak attack is impossible now. I can’t believe the Bad Luck Divine Pill is actually hindering my assassination plan...’

With no other choice, Yi Tianyun tossed the paper. It fluttered through the air and landed in Cheng Fen’s hand.

In that instant, Yi Tianyun’s eyes were locked on Cheng Fen, waiting for the moment he was most off-guard to launch an attack with all his strength!