Have You Died Yet

Torres gripped his door-sized greatsword with both hands, standing in front of Irena. The massive sword was as steady as a shield in his grasp.

But the assassins' speed was astonishing. Their black silhouettes flickered erratically within the poisonous mist, and the cold gleam of their daggers struck at Irena's vital spots again and again like the fangs of ghosts.

They were trying to kill the princess!

Clang! Clang! Clang! The crisp sounds of daggers clashing against the greatsword rang out in rapid succession, sending sparks flashing fleetingly through the toxic fog.

Veins bulged on Torres's forehead as sweat mixed with the dampness of the poisonous mist rolled down his face. He could clearly feel that the assassins' strength far surpassed his own. Every parry left his arms numb and the webbing between his thumbs and forefingers throbbing with pain.

No, if this keeps up...

"Your Highness, hold on!" Torres roared through gritted teeth. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Irena's face turning increasingly pale and blue, her body swaying more violently. He was burning with anxiety.

Without the protection of the purification necklace, Irena simply could not withstand this overbearing poisonous mist. At this rate, she would succumb to the poison and collapse before the assassins even had to strike.

"Damn it... I'm still too weak," Torres bellowed unwillingly in his heart.

If only he were a little stronger, he could slaughter them all!

Seizing the moment Torres was distracted, one of the assassins suddenly dropped low. His dagger bypassed the greatsword's block and slashed toward Irena's calf.

Torres let out a cry of alarm. He tried to pull his sword back to block, but it was too late. He could only watch helplessly as the cold gleam of the dagger closed in.

Just in the nick of time, a barrier suddenly lit up in front of Irena, enveloping her like a sturdy eggshell.

Bang! The assassin's dagger viciously struck the barrier and was instantly repelled. The massive rebound force sent the assassin staggering back several steps, directly spurting a mouthful of blood.

Seeing this, the rest of the assassins also stopped their attacks, looking warily toward the source of the barrier.

The poisonous mist seemed to be dispersed by a giant, invisible hand, forming a clear area centered around Ye Chuan.

Ye Chuan was still sitting on a rock on the hillside, a faint halo lingering at his fingertips. His expression was calm, as if that life-saving barrier just now was nothing more than a casual wave of his hand.

"You... there's actually another mage," one of the assassins spoke in a hoarse voice.

"You're courting death."

Their attention had been entirely focused on Irena and Torres just now, completely failing to notice this seemingly ordinary young man.

"Luring away Kaiaolen and using the poisonous mist to obscure vision. The target was Princess Irena from the very beginning."

Ye Chuan slowly stood up.

"Were you aiming for a direct decapitation strike? To leave Kaiaolen without a legitimate reason to march to war after losing the princess?"

"Hmph!" The leading assassin's eyes flashed with ruthlessness as he shot a glance at the others.

"Take him out first!"

The four assassins moved in unison, their figures turning into four black shadows that lunged at Ye Chuan from different directions. Their daggers were coated with pitch-black venom, clearly intending to kill him in a single strike.

But just as they closed within a three-meter radius of Ye Chuan, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from his body!

Ripples of magic power spread outward with him at the center. The poisonous mist vanished instantly under this overwhelming pressure, and even the surrounding ground began to tremble slightly.

Thud! Thud! The four assassins were slammed down as if by invisible giant hands, instantly falling to their knees. Their bodies were completely immobilized, and their daggers clattered to the ground.

Their faces flushed crimson, and blood continuously trickled from the corners of their mouths. Their eyes were filled with terror and disbelief.

"What... what tier is this?!" The leading assassin struggled to raise his head, his voice trembling.

"At least the sixth tier! No... possibly even the seventh tier!"

They were all meticulously trained assassins from the Royal Capital. Even the one with the lowest cultivation realm had reached the fifth tier. Yet, in the face of Ye Chuan's aura, they were as insignificant as ants.

This absolute crushing disparity in realms made them feel fear from the very depths of their hearts.

"To think there's a high-level powerhouse here, whose strength is not inferior to Kaiaolen's at all!" One of the assassins knew that today's mission was a complete failure.

Kaiaolen could return at any moment. If they delayed any further, none of them would be able to leave.

"Quick! Send out the intel!"

"Miral has more than one powerhouse with seventh-tier strength!"

A flash of resolve crossed the leading assassin's eyes as his fingertips stealthily reached for a voice transmission scroll hidden in his collar.

But the moment his fingers moved, they were firmly locked in place by an invisible magic power, rendering him completely unable to move.

"Trying to send out intel?" Ye Chuan slowly walked up to them, looking down from above.

"I'll capture you and interrogate you slowly."

"In your dreams!" The assassins' eyes turned ruthless as they all channeled the remaining power in their bodies, attempting to self-destruct and die.

Their orders were to commit suicide immediately if the mission failed; they absolutely could not be captured alive and leak intel.

"Did I give you permission to kill yourselves?" Ye Chuan sneered. With a light flick of his fingertips, four threads of magic power instantly shot out, accurately wrapping around the arms of the four assassins and forcefully suppressing the restless magic power within their bodies.

The assassins felt as though the power inside them had been sealed in ice, completely unmovable. The thought of self-destruction was snuffed out the moment it arose.

"What... what exactly do you want to do?!"

The assassins stared at Ye Chuan in horror. They had never seen such a bizarre ability before, where even self-destruction could be forcefully stopped.

But just then, one of the assassins suddenly exerted a violent burst of force, actually forcefully shattering the magic array within his own heart. He spat out a mouthful of life essence blood.

"Let's perish together!"

Boom! With a deafening roar, the assassin's body instantly exploded, and a black shockwave of magic power spread outward.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the other three assassins also exerted their strength and chose to self-destruct!

Ye Chuan blocked the explosive force. Once the thick smoke cleared, only four pools of blood and shredded clothing remained on the spot.

Torres and Irena, who were standing to the side, were already dumbfounded. Especially after seeing Ye Chuan crush four assassins with nothing but his aura, what level of strength did Lord Xi Xi actually possess?

Ignoring their shock, Ye Chuan raised his hand and directly cast a spell toward the pools of blood on the ground.

"Wasting my energy."

The pale green light of a resurrection spell lit up, enveloping the four pools of blood. As the light flickered, the figures of the four assassins actually reformed. However, their eyes were filled with extreme terror, and their bodies were still trembling uncontrollably.

"Res... Resurrection magic?!"

One of the assassins said in a trembling voice, his face written all over with despair.

"What kind of monster are you?! We can't even die when we kill ourselves?!"

In all their years of living, they had never heard of anyone being able to resurrect people who had died from self-destruction. This had already exceeded the cognitive scope of magic on the Aether Continent.

Ye Chuan didn't answer. He simply pressed his hand onto one of the assassins to search his soul.

Reading memories was child's play to him, but the moment he touched the core of the other party's memories, he felt a powerful shielding force.

"Hmm?" Ye Chuan raised an eyebrow slightly. This shielding force was not naturally formed but artificially set up. It was clear that someone had deliberately wiped out the most crucial parts of the assassins' memories.

Well, well. Did the enemy anticipate this?

Were they afraid that these assassins would have their memories read?

Ye Chuan stroked his chin.