Chapter 165: The Silent Viper

Xu Lian activated her spiritual qi and, with a swift motion, sent a sharp pulse through the door.

It shattered under the force of her attack, the sound echoing through the underground chamber like the toll of a death knell.

The city lord spun around, eyes wide in shock, as Xu Lian stepped through the doorway. Her expression remained emotionless, her gaze as cold as if she were looking at a dead man.

"Who are you?" the city lord spat, his voice trembling with a mix of fury and fear.

But mostly fury—he had never imagined anyone would find him here, especially right before the formation would activate.

This meant there would be a delay, as all of the evil cultivators would have to evacuate before the formation started, or else they would die along with the unsuspecting citizens.

His hands twitched, already gathering the dark spiritual qi surging through his body. He had not expected to be found, and it was right before he would evacuate.

Xu Lian's voice was cold, sharp as the blade she held. "The one who accepted the mission for your head."

Before he could reply or react, she moved. Her figure flickered, and in an instant, she was upon him, her blade drawn and infused with powerful spiritual qi.

The city lord barely managed to throw up a defensive barrier, desperately trying to protect himself, but it was futile.

Xu Lian's blade sliced through the barrier like thin air, cutting across his chest in one fluid motion.

He stumbled back, shock and pain twisting his features as dark energy leaked from the gaping wound. Clutching at his chest, he tried to stem the flow of energy.

His anger flared, and he snarled through gritted teeth, "Do you even know who I am?"

His hands glowed with an ominous, dark light as he summoned every ounce of dark energy he could to strike back at Xu Lian.

But she was already in motion again. Her body danced through the air, each movement graceful and precise as she unleashed a series of strikes that left the city lord scrambling to defend himself.

He lashed out wildly, sending blasts of dark qi in her direction, but she easily dodged them.

Meanwhile, the city, still in the midst of its grand festival, remained blissfully unaware of the danger that had almost consumed it.

Fireworks lit up the night sky, and laughter filled the air as people continued to celebrate, completely unaware of how close they had come to being sacrificed, their lives nearly used as fuel for a dark and sinister ritual.

Xu Lian wiped the blood from her blade, her movements slow and methodical. Her expression remained calm as if this had been just another mission.

To her, it was. She followed Xu Qianghua's orders: 'Complete all missions accepted without fail.'

She turned and left the chamber, not sparing another glance at the city lord's lifeless body. The mission was complete, and the threat was neutralized.

Outside the city lord's mansion, the remaining Shadow Serpents were wrapping up their own tasks.

In an inn near the main market square, the lead Serpent poured the final drop of their signature dissolving poison onto the bodies of the fallen evil cultivators.

Within seconds, the corpses began to disintegrate, breaking down into tiny particles that evaporated into the air, leaving no trace behind.

Simultaneously, the other nodes scattered throughout the city had been dismantled.

The evil cultivators stationed to maintain the flow of spiritual energy were all slain without mercy, their bodies erased by the same dissolving poison.

The formation, which had been moments away from activation, was now nothing more than a failed plan, forgotten beneath the joyful atmosphere of the festival above.

The Serpents melted back into the shadows, their presence unnoticed by the festival-goers.

As fireworks lit up the sky and the people cheered, the city remained blissfully ignorant of the danger that had lurked so close.

The Shadow Serpents had completed their task, vanishing into the night as quietly as they had arrived, leaving behind no trace of the chaos they had averted.

Xu Lian, known to her enemies as "The Silent Viper," moved through the streets, blending seamlessly into the shadows as she returned to the rendezvous point.

Her mission was over, the city was safe, and the night was peaceful again.