Chapter 54 54: One Long Night

The Shadow Guard was intimidated by Ye Han, particularly after learning that he was referred to as the Executioner. Ye Han's immense power positioned him in the upper ranks, even within the Eternal Dynasty.

Consequently, he aimed to exploit the circumstances by launching a sudden attack on Ye Han whom he suspected to be behind him.

Unfortunately, it was only when he turned around that he realized that he was naive. There was no one behind him! His attack only hit empty air. It was clear that Xu Shan had lied to him.

His face was filled with anger. However, before he could even turn around, he felt a cold blade rush against his skin.

He immediately moved again, feeling as if he was standing at the death's door.

Xu Shan didn't target his back. Instead, he once again went straight for his neck, as if he didn't even want to give him a second chance. In fact, this time he had moved as soon as the Shadow Guard turned around to attack, taking advantage of the perfect opportunity.

The Shadow Guard moved again, dodging at the last moment. He landed in the distance, glaring at Xu Shan with open hostility. However, his face went from hostile to pale within a single second, as he realized that he wasn't fast enough this time.

The last time, he had escaped with only a minor scratch. However, this time, it was different. In fact, he could already see that Xu Shan didn't have a dagger in his hand anymore!

Instead, the young prince's dagger was now deep within his neck. It took a moment for the pain and the realization to set in.

The Shadow Guard's body quivered uncontrollably as he instinctively brought his hand to his throat, feeling the cold steel of a dagger piercing through his skin. With a sickening awareness, he knew that the lethal weapon had already penetrated all the way to his neck, leaving him gasping for breath.

Repeatedly, he tried to speak yet nothing escaped from his lips. His entire being went feeble, as though all his vigor had drained away at once.

The dagger possessed a unique ability to immobilize an opponent upon delivering a fatal blow. Even the skilled Shadow Guard was unable to resist this debilitating effect, making him unable to even mount a last resistance.

"You wanted to know my secret?" Xu Shan touched his bleeding chest which was still hurting, albeit not as bad as before. "You wanted to know why Qin Ye wants me dead?"

As Xu Shan approached with calm and measured steps, his movements echoed loudly in the silence. The Shadow Guard, rendered immobile, could only watch as the prince drew near. Despite his fury, his gaze alone was powerless to harm the Prince.

"He wants me dead, not because I know some secret of his..." Xu Shan pulled out another dagger, which was quite similar to the previous dagger, having the same grade.

"Instead, he wants me dead because..." He came to a halt in front of the Shadow Guard, pressing the pointed edge of his dagger against the center of the guard's forehead.

"... because he's scared of me!" Xu Shan exerted pressure on the dagger, delivering the fatal strike as it pierced through the shadow guard's forehead, dealing the final blow.

The Shadow Guard's pupils trembled as the dagger passed through his skull before his eyes lost their shine. He never expected that he would die in this mission, and that too, not in the hands of Ye Han but at the hands of a young man who was barely twenty years old!

Despite having more physical strength, he ultimately lost the battle of intelligence. Despite his efforts to not underestimate his opponent, he still made the same mistake in the end.

After the shadow guard died, Xu Shan also dropped to the ground, huffing. He was exhausted. In fact, even moving his hands was a struggle for him. On top of that, he had already lost plenty of blood. Only he knew how he managed to last till the end of the battle.

"Little guy, looks like we survive one more day."

He took out a herb from his storage ring, and placed it in his mouth, letting the healing effects take place.

If he wanted, he could've taken that herb right at the start, but that was dangerous. He wanted the enemy to think that he was wounded, and unable to do anything to him. If he had tried to heal himself, he was sure the Shadow Guard would've acted even more fiercely.

Even though his wounds were heavy, the healing herb that he brought with him was able to mitigate the damage to some extent. His bleeding finally stopped and his wounds also started healing slowly.

"We went through so much effort. However, I'm never underestimating a Shadow Guard again! I need more strength!"

He placed his hand on the chest of the shadow guard, speaking calmly. "Feast!"

His Celestial Spirit, that was already awake because of getting hurt, revealed an excited hymn, as it greedily started absorbing the strength of a Sky Celestial!

Xu Shan initially had reservations about absorbing a Sky Celestial's strength because it posed a significant risk at his current level of strength. However, he ultimately made the decision to do so because he recognized his limitations and did not wish to put himself in danger during future encounters.

With this battle, he realized that he was too weak! If the Shadow Guard hadn't fallen for his trick, then he would've already been dead!

He never wanted to be in a situation like this ever again! And to make sure it never happened again, he needed strength, even if it came with some risks.

A large amount of celestial energy started flooding inside his body. Unfortunately, the energy was so powerful that he soon started frowning!

The energy was too powerful for his current self! His veins were bulged, as his entire body felt extreme pain. It was as if the energy was so violent and turbulent for his weak body, that it could easily kill him!

He clenched his teeth, bearing the pain. However, he didn't take off his hands yet! He couldn't since it could only cause him even more backlash! He only knew one thing! It was going to be one long night, filled with uncertainty.