Whoosh whoosh—


    The cold wind howled, and winter rain poured down!


    The chilling rain, sharp as a finely honed steel blade, cascaded from the sky, slicing through the air, and upon contact, sent a bone-deep cold piercing through the body, as if it sought to tear apart flesh and blood!


    Zhang Ya''s eyes narrowed, and her long, slender legs suddenly tensed, her feet touching the ground to halt her steps toward the vegetable market.


    Then she quickly retreated!


    After being continuously cleansed by Li Che''s Immaculate Heart Divinity, Zhang Ya seemed to have also developed a keen sense of impending danger!


    The subtle sense of danger emanating from the vegetable market caused goosebumps to rise on her skin.


    There was danger!


    Zhang Ya retreated without hesitation!


    An old lady selling vegetables at a stall glanced inadvertently in Zhang Ya''s direction as she approached with her basket.


    Seeing Zhang Ya suddenly back away, the old lady was slightly startled.


    But years of assassination experience told her that this woman had already detected her ambush.


    She had originally planned to wait for Zhang Ya to inquire about the price of vegetables, then swiftly draw her knife and slit her throat, smoothly completing her assassination.


    Unexpectedly, this woman had seen through her plan ahead of time.


    Indeed, not just anyone could be the mother of Golden Light Prefecture''s Jiazi Child Prodigy. She was certainly out of the ordinary.


    The information had stated that Zhang Ya was just a Bone Tempering Martial Artist, likely nothing more than a pretty fac?ade.


    However, this level of danger perception was commendable.


    The old lady no longer concealed herself, swept her hand beneath the table covered with vegetables, and a sinister knife gleam found its way into her hand.


    Her foot stamped down hard, the ground trembled, and it collapsed with a thud!


    Boom—!


    It was like thunder from a clear sky!


    The old lady''s garments fluttered, her blood surged, and using the recoil from stomping the ground hard enough to cause it to collapse, her figure shot out like an arrow loosed from its bow.


    The knife was unsheathed!


    A burst of True Qi sprang forth from the keen black blade, its brilliance dazzling!


    Her figure, spectral like a ghost, skimmed across the ground, kicking up a rolling torrent of pebbles!


    She rushed towards Zhang Ya as swiftly as a gust of wind collects fallen leaves!


    Boom—!


    The huge recoil forced the old lady''s black knife to nearly fly out of her hand.


    Qi surged wildly, and True Qi roared!


    With a turn of her long knife, the old lady slashed out again, her expression cold as she aimed for Zhang Ya!


    In that split second, she caught a glimpse of what that shadow—that had emerged from Zhang Ya—was.


    It was...


    A snake!


    A mechanical snake built from material superior to fine steel!


    In that instant, it was the Mechanical Snake''s lightning-quick surge that had struck down the old lady''s lethal blow.


    "A Mechanical Snake?"


    The old lady''s mind buzzed.


    The black knife she swung out anew was blocked by the Mechanical Snake once again! Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    Clang clang clang clang clang—


    Several strikes in a row, and the Mechanical Snake, so agile it seemed nothing like a mechanism, parried all her attacks!


    This...


    The old lady assassin felt a sinking feeling in her heart.


    Tang Clan Mechanism Beast!


    Suddenly.


    The old lady''s hair stood on end as she sensed an unprecedented and extreme threat to her life!


    It was as if, while climbing a mountain, the entire peak was blasted apart and began to collapse in front of her, plunging her vision into darkness and oppression.


    It was the towering figure of a man, as massive as a wall, overwhelming and unapproachable!


    The old lady''s toes struck the ground, causing small pits to fissure and explode as she tried to launch herself away.


    A black pearl appeared in her hand.


    She crushed the black pearl fiercely, and in an instant, a puff of black smoke exploded, completely enveloping her figure. The black smoke could block the probing of Divine Sense and also possessed qualities similar to the Corpse God Cult''s Space-Time Corpse Technique!


    This was an escape method possessed by the Hunting God Pavilion''s assassins,


    enabling their safety.


    But...


    Only once.


    Wrapped in the black smoke, the old lady sought to escape and flee.