Elder Chen and Zhen Mang had released their auras and scanned the surroundings for only a few breaths when a black robbed and hooded man appeared.
Seeing this, the Elder and Zhen Mang stopped wasting qi and came to meet them.
"In the name of the Three Hills Sect, surrender or die" Zhen Mang spoke in a commanding tone
The black-clothed experts without saying anything quickly moved his hands and several dozens of concealed weapons were launched from his sleeves towards the intruders. This mix of needles, daggers, and darts were all covered in an odorless and deadly poison.
While the poison was very rare and expensive, it would kill any expert below the Sage realm, so using this trump card he expected to avoid a fight with two cultivators with a superior level than his.
The cloud of weapons flew very quickly and indeed hit both targets.
"So much bark and no bite" The black-clothed man laughed mockingly, but the next moment his laughter stopped.
The weapons seemingly hit the experts from the Sect, but on a closer look, they passed through them!
The next moment, the black-clothed man looked towards the place where Elder Chen and Zhen Mang stood before they came, and saw them standing at the same spot.
Both of them had their hands crossed in a strange seal. Then, the two illusory figures on which he had just wasted his trump card disappeared.
Elder Chen had used the simple version of this technique called 'Mirage of the Unmoving Hill' before to trick the death swords, now with an expert of the Soul realm before them, both he and Zhen Mang used the most advanced technique.
Although it expended a severe amount of qi, the advanced version could create an illusion that could trick even a cultivator of the same strength, not to say if there was a difference in strength.
Seeing that he was tricked, the black-clothed man rushed towards the spot where his weapons fell. Reaching it, he activated a technique
"Weapon Cocoon!"
Dozens of qi strands extended from under his clothes and each of them connected to one of the weapons he had launched before. The weapons, under the control of the strands, started floating around him. This technique could be used for both defending, forming a hedgehog-like cocoon around the user, or for attacking, by sending the weapons flying towards their target.
Leaving half of the weapons floating near him, the black-clothed man sent the rest towards Zhen Mang, who was a bit closer. Zhen Mang reacted quickly, infusing qi into his leg, he stomped on the ground and roared
"Stone shield"
A rock plate emerged from the ground, ten feet tall and six feet wide blocking the flying weapons. The black-clothed man stopped most of the weapons from crashing into the shield and then controlled them to circle around.
While this was happening, Elder Chen didn't move, at a difference from their opponent, he clearly saw that Zhen Mang had dived underground, and the weapons that circled around the shield didn't find their target.
When the black-clothed man noticed that something was amiss, he willed his senses and found no one behind the shield. He then exerted control on the attacking weapons again and now decided to send them against Elder Chen, but before the weapons flew half of the distance, the strands disappeared and they simply fell on the ground.
"Demons!" This was the only thing that he could say when a moment before he noticed Zhen Mang emerging from the ground opposite from him, and before he could even use the weapons floating near him, a black chain emerged from the ground below. The chain surged forwards like a snake, fully ignoring the weapons that the black-clothed man tried to block it with. The last, or better said the front link of the chain was adorned with a sharp and long red-colored nail, arriving before the man's head this nail pierced the man's brain entering through the glabella, killing him on the spot.
Zhen Mang spat a blob of saliva and said in a disdainful voice
"An assassin in open combat? What a joke"
He then approached the body, pulled back the hood to reveal an aged face full of dark bulging veins. Seeing this, Zhen Mang quickly jumped backward and again erected several rock shields, blocking him from all directions. Elder Chen, who had just neared Zhen Mang but until this moment didn't act also activated a similar technique
"Rock Crab Shell!"
An enormous rock shaped like a crab statue emerged around encompassing the Elder and shielding him from every direction.
A brief moment later, the body of the assassin exploded and his blood and viscera were sent flying around. Every drop after landing on the millennia-old stone started dissolving it without any difficulty. The dome made of stone shields, and the crab statue were not spared either, but as part of a defensive technique, the stone was infused with qi and resisted most of the effect.
After an incense stick of time, the techniques were dispelled. Although unharmed both the Elder and Zhen Mang were pale, not only from the horrible smell in the air but also from the sudden usage of an enormous amount of qi. Looking around, they saw the same stone platform, stone walls, and ceiling, but everything was full of different-sized holes.
"What the heavens was that? I knew that they use a kind of evil technique that makes their assassins explode to either don't get caught or don't let their bodies be examined, but this?! Did he drink Death Rain?!" Panting Zhen Mang quickly reached into one of his pockets and took out a Restoration Pill.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"I agree, this smell and the ability to partially dissolve even the qi infused stone is almost like the drops that fall from the Demonic Cliff during the Death Rain" Elder Chen did not participate in combat before, so he didn't recur to a pill, but his expression got serious when he mentioned this rain. If someone had managed to create something alike, or worse, control it to a level as to infuse a body with it, the situation was far worse than they imagined.
"Let's just hope that this is just an unknown poison that turns the blood acidic and not what we just thought about" Zhen Mang spoke with a slightly distressed voice.
The death rain that they had mentioned was a strange, natural disaster. When it occurred, strange dark red clouds covered all of the Demonic Plateau as the flatlands starting from the cliff were called. These red clouds let out a foul-smelling greenish rainfall for over a week. Strangely, these clouds never extended past the Cliff as if the rain was limited to the Plateau only.
Some years ago, the substance, called Death Rain, therefore, was discovered by examining several drops that somehow had flowed down the Demonic Cliff. Strangely, the rock of the cliff was the only thing that was could not be dissolved by them.
"Let's hope" Nodded Elder Chen.
"Well, back to the task at hand, we are still missing one of the mid Soul realm assassins and their Master Zao. Should we wait for them? Or go search?" After shaking his head as if dismissing all the previous matter, Zhen Mang returned to his usual tone.
"Let's try searching for Lang Zheng, he should have sensed our auras before or during the fight, and an expert of his caliber would have not forgotten us in a few years" Elder Chen also returned to his previous self and spoke calmly.
"Ahem, I think there is no need for that" Abruptly said Zhen Mang and pointed towards one of the passages left from the mine gate.
When Elder Chen turned around, he saw a tall, lanky man. This man looked no more than forty years old. His head was full of wildly flowing grey hair but not gray as old, but vibrant silver. On a long and angular face, big eyes accompanied by straight eyebrows and a nose resembling a preying bird's beak could be seen. He was dressed in the common Wildlands leather robe and trousers, the only difference being that the boots seemingly were made of metal.
"What a surprise to meet both the butcher and the wise elder of the sect in this desolate place, may you have come to search for me?" The main said raspily as if growling. A low chuckle accompanied these words while he silently moved forwards, which was extremely strange considering his boots.
"Lang Zheng! Have you been stalking us for long? I suddenly remembered why I hated you during the time we hunted that peak worm" Although this was said angrily, Zhen Mang's face was grinning.
"Wolf Warrior Lang Zheng, it's nice to see you well" Elder Chen said with a slight nod, his expression looking relieved as well.
"I could be better if the demon spawn that the assembly called a warrior didn't suddenly turn a traitor" Lang Zheng stopped near the duo from the sect and while saying this spitted unto the ground.
"You can explain us later, are the other two experts here?" Zhen Mang quickly asked
"No, I was waiting for an opportunity to confront their leader one on one so he does not escape, but after he sent one of his lackeys to stop you, he left to the surface with the other one. Without knowing the seals, I could not open the runes, I had to return here. I even thought of using force, but the runes seem to be the work of a Runic Grandmaster so I could not"
"So the other warrior was a traitor, we killed one assassin and the other escaped alongside their leader, right?"
"Yes"
"Zhen Mang, take Lang Zheng to the tower. The clan's youngsters were rescued so he should go check them. Also, we don't know their current situation right now, so make haste. Don't forget to take the death sword with you" Elder Chen said
"And you Wisdom Master?" The one asking with tangible respect in his voice was surprisingly Lang Zheng
"I will go examine the runes. A Runic Grandmaster leaves a signature on all his works, or they can't be considered as such. I hope to discern it, so we can track the master or at least know the approximate year of the enchanting. After all, I don't remember any Runic Grandmaster living on Half's island for the last eighty years.
I will come to the tower as soon as I finish, which should not take more than half a day.
Zhen Mang, when you reach Wu Guang and the others, don't press them much for answers. Let them rest and then we can compile all the accountings at once when I return"
Finishing explaining his reasons for staying, and giving Zhen Mang such instruction, Elder Chen turned around and started slowly walking towards the direction Lang Zheng motioned when talking about the surface exit.
Both Zhen Mang and Lang Zheng waited for a brief moment, then exited the mine.
Grabbing the incapacitated death sword, Zhen Mang explained the direction they will take and they both activated their movement techniques, disappearing into the darkness with only a small cloud of dust left after them.