In the northeast of Aqua Country, there stood a desolate little town.

Ling Chen crossed majestic mountains and temporarily settled in a teahouse in the town.

He was already a thousand miles from the Aqua Country Royal City. Even if the Second Prince realized the assassination had failed, it would likely take some time for him to discover Ling Chen's location.

Ordering a pot of excellent Longjing tea, Ling Chen prepared to take a short rest.

He took out a map from his Heavenly Mansion Ring and began to study it.

Not far from here, I'll soon enter the East Ze Wilderness, an area spanning five thousand square miles. Exotic Beasts are rampant throughout this territory, and only a single city, East Desolation City, stands on its eastern edge, he thought, tracing the map.

Analyzing the terrain on the map, Ling Chen quickly formulated his next route.

I'll cross the East Ze Wilderness to reach East Desolation City. From there, I'll head northeast into the territory of the Thunder Country.

Having finalized the route and estimated the time, Ling Chen put the map away.

Just then, Ling Chen suddenly sensed a sliver of murderous intent.

This murderous intent originated about five hundred meters away.

Ling Chen quietly extended his Mental Power, looking in the direction of the murderous intent. He perceived four figures with strong auras approaching on horseback.

One of them possessed a particularly potent aura, far surpassing Mo Feng, the Protector of the Shocking Death Sect Ling Chen had previously encountered. This person must be at least a Fourth Stage Grandmaster!

They're coming for me!

Ling Chen was startled. Who exactly are these people? Could they be the Second Prince's men? No, on second thought, that seems unlikely.

"Waiter, the bill!"

With no time for further thought, he tossed a piece of broken silver on the table and rose to leave.

Five hundred meters away, the ones emanating murderous intent towards Ling Chen were indeed Longyang, Mr. Wu, and their two companions.

"It seems the lad has noticed us. Judging by his actions, he's trying to escape," Mr. Wu said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"How is that possible?" another exclaimed in shock. "We're a good five hundred meters from him. How could he have detected us?"

Mr. Wu narrowed his eyes. "It's possible. If this boy possesses strong Mental Power and has developed a Mind's Eye, he could hear things from a kilometer away and see clearly within five hundred meters. In that case, it wouldn't be surprising if he sensed something was amiss."

"We can't let him escape!" Longyang sounded extremely anxious. "We went to great lengths to track him down! If he escapes this time, who knows when we'll find him again?"

"Rest assured," Mr. Wu stated calmly, a stark contrast to Longyang's agitation. "No matter where he flees, I can track him. If I lacked even this basic skill, I'd hardly be worthy of my rank as a Silver-ranked Assassin in the Black Market."

In the Black Market, Assassins were rated based on a combination of factors like strength, track record, and success rate. The ranks, from lowest to highest, were Iron-ranked Assassin, Bronze-ranked Assassin, Silver-ranked Assassin, and Gold-ranked Assassin.

Iron-ranked Assassins were experts only at the Martial Teacher Level. From Bronze-ranked upwards, all were Great Master Level Powerhouses. Those who achieved the rank of Silver-ranked Assassin already held a high standing in the Black Market. Once they took action, the probability of failure was exceedingly low.

"So, Mr. Wu, you had it all figured out. I was worried for nothing." Longyang visibly relaxed and then urged, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's catch up and kill that brat as quickly as possible, before any complications arise!"

"I'll go on ahead," Mr. Wu declared, not wasting any words. "By the time you arrive, I'll have the boy's head ready to hand over and complete the mission!" With that, his figure flickered and, like a bat, he executed his Light Skill, streaking towards Ling Chen's position.

"Yah!" Longyang and the other two fiercely whipped their horses, urging them to full speed to keep up.

So, they're really after me, Ling Chen thought, his expression darkening as he observed Mr. Wu speeding towards him. He hadn't expected to be pursued so suddenly by an expert of this caliber.

What should I do?

In this critical moment, Ling Chen's mind raced, evaluating countermeasures. Against an expert of this level, turning back now means certain death. But if I don't turn back, he'll eventually catch me, and I'll still die.

In this dire situation, Ling Chen's eyes suddenly lit up. An idea struck him—something that might just save his life.

The next moment, he spun around and halted in an open clearing, no longer fleeing.

In less time than it takes to brew a cup of tea, Mr. Wu caught up.

"Why have you stopped running, young man?" Mr. Wu stared at Ling Chen, a chilling smirk on his face. "You could have run a bit farther, perhaps found a more suitable spot for your grave."

"There's no point in running anymore," Ling Chen replied, the corners of his mouth lifting into a slight smile. "Either way, I'm dead. Why waste the energy?"

"However," Ling Chen continued, "before I die, I'd like to know how you found me. I was certain I'd lost you."

"Foolish," Mr. Wu scoffed, shaking his head, his smile growing even colder. "I have my methods, boy. You're far too naive to try and trick the truth out of me."

He could pinpoint Ling Chen's location because he possessed a special technique using unique Alien Insects to track targets. These insects emitted an almost negligible aura but could clearly sense a target's position and relay this information back to Mr. Wu on a unique frequency. They were virtually undetectable and utterly reliable. Of course, he had no intention of revealing such a thing.

"Boy, someone has paid for your life. When you reach Hell, don't blame me," Mr. Wu sneered, a section of his Fish Intestine Dagger glinting as it emerged from his sleeve.

"Shadow Tower," Ling Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Who hired you to kill me? I'll pay you ten times their price to kill them instead. How about it?"

"Shadow Tower deals are bound by Life and Death contracts," Mr. Wu retorted. "Setting aside whether you could even afford ten times the price, I cannot violate the contract. So, just die!"

As his last word fell, Mr. Wu shot forward like a phantom, lunging towards Ling Chen.

The instant Mr. Wu spoke, Ling Chen also shot backward in retreat, but he was a step too slow. A cold glint flashed before his eyes—the Fish Intestine Sword was already slashing at his throat.

CLANG!

Ling Chen parried the deadly Fish Intestine Sword with his Cloud-Hidden Sword. However, the blade carried Mr. Wu's formidable True Qi. The impact sent Ling Chen flying backward, his chest churning as the coppery taste of blood filled his throat.

"Die!" Mr. Wu smirked, a cruel light glinting in his eyes. He thrust his left hand forward, pressing into the Void. Instantly, a blazing palm of True Qi materialized and shot towards Ling Chen's head. Its ferocious momentum threatened to cave his head in.