Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

Inside a spacious guest room, a group of powerful experts from the Xu family sat gathered.

At first, they had seemed relaxed and casual, their conversation filled with laughter.

But gradually, the laughter subsided. Everyone seemed to sense that something was wrong, and they began to grow restless.

The atmosphere in the room became increasingly oppressive.

"Something isn't right."

"So much time has passed. Why is there still no news?"

Xu Ao, the Third Elder of the Xu family and the leader of this group of experts, spoke with a frown, a hint of unease in his voice.

"Indeed! Even Lord Mu… Lord Mu's whereabouts are now unknown!" the others added, their expressions grave.

Not long ago, Mu Liuji had left their room, supposedly to check on the progress of the operation.

But he had yet to return!!!

Clearly, something had gone wrong with the assassination attempt on Ye Chen!

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Just then, a series of knocks suddenly sounded from outside the door.

When they opened the door, they were greeted by the sight of Mu Liuji's extremely grim face.

"Lord Mu?"

Seeing Mu Liuji, the group first felt a surge of joy, but they quickly noticed his awful expression. Their hearts sank as a terrible premonition washed over them.

"The operation failed!"

Mu Liuji walked into the room, his hands clasped behind his back, and stated this shocking fact in a heavy tone.

"Failed?"

Although they had anticipated it, they were still shocked.

After all, the ones sent to assassinate Ye Chen were assassins from the Valley of Death! And they were Earth Tier at that!

As the number one assassin organization in the eastern part of the Great Hong Dynasty, the Valley of Death's reputation was well-earned.

Even a Sixth or Seventh Layer Divinity Transformation expert, or even an Eighth or Ninth Layer one, would have to be extremely cautious when facing an assassination attempt from an Earth Tier assassin.

Let alone a mere Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator like Ye Chen!

"How could this be…" Xu Ao's gaze was vacant.

"This time, all we can say is that the kid's luck was too good!" Mu Liuji said in a low voice after taking a deep breath.

"Too good?"

"Lord Mu, what do you mean by that?" Mu Liuji's words piqued the interest of the Xu family experts.

"I've already investigated. Before our people from the Valley of Death launched the assassination, Hongyu Pill Venerable was right by that brat Ye Chen's side!"

"I saw it with my own eyes—Hongyu Pill Venerable and Ye Chen walked out of the room together! As for my men, they had vanished without a trace. They'd clearly met a grim fate!"

Mu Liuji's words made everyone in the room pale.

"Hongyu Pill Venerable?"

"The number one Alchemist in the eastern part of the dynasty?"

"I heard her talent is monstrous. Not only is her skill in Alchemy far beyond ordinary people and completely unmatched, but even her cultivation has long since reached the Peak of the Divinity Transformation Realm. She's only a single step away from reaching a divine level of power!"

"If Hongyu Pill Venerable was protecting Ye Chen, then it's no wonder! With her making a move, it's only natural that the Earth Tier assassins would be completely wiped out!"

"That's right. The Earth Tier assassin probably didn't recognize Hongyu Pill Venerable and thought she was just one of Ye Chen's companions. He must have attacked her as well, leading to the mission's failure…"

Everyone began to discuss at once, talking over each other.

The center of their discussion was, without exception, Hongyu Pill Venerable—a figure who enjoyed immense fame and prestige in the eastern part of the dynasty.

Even a Celestial Tier assassin like Mu Liuji would find such a person incredibly troublesome and difficult to deal with!

It wasn't that he couldn't handle Hongyu Pill Venerable, but her reputation was simply too great!

Offending Hongyu Pill Venerable was equivalent to offending most of the first-rate powers in the eastern part of the dynasty!

Even an assassin organization like the Valley of Death would have to think twice.

Furthermore, as the number one Alchemist in the eastern part of the dynasty, who knew how many trump cards she had up her sleeve? She almost certainly possessed some that could even threaten a Celestial Tier assassin!

"But don't you find it strange?"

"Why would a figure like Hongyu Pill Venerable be in Ye Chen's room?"

Xu Ao spoke slowly, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"It is indeed strange. If Hongyu Pill Venerable hadn't been there, the assassination plot against Ye Chen would have succeeded long ago!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, finding it utterly bizarre as well.

"That Ye Chen's connections are extraordinary. It's not just Hongyu Pill Venerable by his side. I've heard that people from the Great Hong Demon Exorcism Institute are also traveling with him this time!"

Mu Liuji dropped another piece of news that sent a shock through the crowd.

"The Great Hong Demon Exorcism Institute?"

Everyone was stunned.

The Great Hong Demon Exorcism Institute was one of the top-tier powers in the Great Hong Dynasty, a true behemoth.

No matter how powerful they were, no matter how much they threw their weight around in the eastern part of the dynasty, they could never dare to provoke the Great Hong Demon Exorcism Institute.

As an official organization, it had existed since its founding for the sole purpose of exterminating the world's evil cultivators.

And with the support of the Great Hong Royal Family, the Demon Exorcism Institute's development and growth were flourishing. Countless experts, drawn by its reputation, came to join its ranks.

They might not have truly wanted to slay demons and exorcise devils, but they definitely wanted to establish connections with the Great Hong Royal Family.

As a result, this faction became one of the top-tier powers in the Great Hong Dynasty.

The Director of the Great Hong Demon Exorcism Institute, who was also the current National Preceptor of the Great Hong Dynasty, possessed unfathomable strength that was far beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Upon learning that Ye Chen actually knew people from the Great Hong Demon Exorcism Institute, everyone's mood grew heavy. For a moment, the room fell silent, and no one spoke.

It was obvious now: as long as they were on this Cloud Mist Tower Ship, they could forget about assassinating Ye Chen.

After all, they could not afford to bear the wrath of either Hongyu Pill Venerable or the Great Hong Demon Exorcism Institute!

After a long silence, it was Mu Liuji who finally broke it. "Are you all planning to just give up like this?"

"Lord Mu, you mean to say…" Xu Ao looked up, his eyes flickering.

"On this Cloud Mist Tower Ship, it is indeed difficult for us to make a move."

"But what if we just lure him off the ship?"

Mu Liuji said nonchalantly, "At that point, neither the Demon Exorcism Institute nor Hongyu Pill Venerable will be able to help him!"

Xu Ao and the others exchanged glances.

Soon, Xu Ao spoke with a firm gaze. "Speaking of which, we already had a plan to deal with him off the ship."

"It's not just us who have a grudge against Ye Chen. Many other powers also have a feud with that kid, for example, the Sacred Temple!"

"The Sacred Temple?" Mu Liuji raised an eyebrow.

"That's right."

"Before long, we will be passing through Yan Province."

"And that is the Sacred Temple's territory."

A terrifying flash of killing intent glinted in Xu Ao's eyes!