Lei Tian wiped his bloody sword on a dead guard's tunic and sheathed it.
He turned toward the outer wall, intending to scale it and vanish back into the shadows.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
The sound was loud in the still night.
Lei Tian whipped around.
Fifty feet away, near the entrance of a side pavilion he had already cleared, stood a lone guard.
The man must have been on a delayed patrol or perhaps returning from a clandestine errand.
He was staring at Lei Tian, his eyes wide with absolute terror, taking in the black clothes, the masked face, and the sheer volume of blood soaking the assassin's garments.
In the guard's trembling hand was an emergency alarm bell, its clapper striking the bronze sides with desperate speed.
Lei Tian channeled his Golden Core Qi and crossed the distance in a blur. His sword cleared its scabbard in fluid motion, decapitating the guard before the man could draw his own weapon or utter a scream.
The bell clattered to the stone paving, the ringing abruptly silenced.
But it was too late.
The alarm had sounded. The shrill notes had already echoed across the quiet courtyards of the inner Citadel.
Within seconds, the night erupted.
Shouts filled the air.
Torches flared to life.
The rhythmic thud of armored boots converging on his location sounded like an approaching storm.
"Intruder in the Second Elder's compound!"
"Seal the gates!"
"Activate the suppression arrays!"
Lei Tian stood over the headless guard. His initial instinct screamed at him to run. But his new reality thrummed in his veins, drowning out the fear.
He was a predator, and his prey was running directly toward him.
"System," he commanded. "Plunder on contact."
[Command Acknowledged. Plunder Protocol set to automatic upon target termination.]
The first wave of guards burst into the courtyard. There were twenty of them, all in the dark blue armor of the inner Citadel elite. They were mostly Initial and Middle Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"There he is!" captain roared, pointing his spear. "Take him alive! Patriarch will want to question him!"
Lei Tian launched himself into their ranks like a tiger into a flock of sheep.
He used the overwhelming speed and density of the Golden Core Qi.
He parried a spear thrust, stepping inside the guard's reach and driving his pommel into the man's face, shattering his skull.
He spun, his blade slicing through the armor of two advancing swordsmen, severing them at the waist.
[Target Defeated. Plunder Complete. Progress: +0.2%]
[Target Defeated. Plunder Complete. Progress: +0.2%]
[Target Defeated. Plunder Complete. Progress: +0.4%]
The blue lights flashed continuously.
He moved with brutal efficiency. He ducked under an attack, grabbed the offending guard by the throat, and snapped his neck.
He deflected a heavy axe blow with his bare forearm, the Iron Forge Body easily withstanding the impact, and countered with a lethal thrust to the attacker's heart.
The twenty guards were dead in less than a minute.
But more were coming. The alarm had drawn the entire defensive force of the sector.
A second wave arrived, thirty strong. These were veterans, Late and Peak Stage Foundation Establishment experts.
They formed a tight defensive circle, unleashing a coordinated barrage of elemental attacks.
"Die, assassin!"
Fire, wind, and lightning converged on Lei Tian's position.
Lei Tian roared, channeling his Qi into his blade. He unleashed a horizontal slash.
The condensed sword aura, infused with his faint thunder affinity, tore through the elemental barrage, shattering it.
The shockwave knocked the front line of guards off their feet.
Lei Tian was upon them instantly.
He moved too fast for their eyes to track, his sword finding the gaps in their armor with lethal precision.
[Target Defeated. Plunder Complete. Progress: +0.6%]
[Target Defeated. Plunder Complete. Progress: +0.8%]
[Target Defeated. Plunder Complete. Progress: +0.6%]
The energy he was absorbing was staggering.
The Foundation Establishment Qi was weak individually compared to his Golden Core, but the sheer volume was acting like an avalanche, pushing against the boundaries of his realm.
One hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators lay dead in the ruined courtyard, their blood forming a literal river on the stone pavers.
Lei Tian stood in the center of the carnage, his chest heaving, his dark clothes heavy with gore.
His Dantian was a raging inferno. The plundered energy had saturated his core to its absolute limit.
"System," he panted. "Current progress."
[Current Foundation: Peak Stage Golden Core Realm]
[Progress toward Nascent Soul: 98.4%]
Almost.
He was so close.
The combined power of a hundred elites had nearly bridged the impossible gap to the Nascent Soul realm. He just needed a little more.
He turned toward the shattered gates, preparing to fight his way out into the city.
"You… Stop."
Lei Tian turned back.
Standing on the roof of the main pavilion, looking down at the courtyard of corpses, was an imposing figure.
He wore robes of deep purple silk, embroidered with silver thunderclouds. His face was stern, his eyes burning with a contained fury.
It was Patriarch Lei Bao.
Patriarch descended slowly, landed in the courtyard. His gaze was fixed on Lei Tian.
"Who sent you?" Lei Bao demanded. "How dare an assassin group have the audacity to strike at the heart of the Lei Family?"
Lei Tian tightened his grip on his blood slicked sword.
"Silence won't save you," Lei Bao sneered. "Chen Family? Xiao Family? It matters not. You will tell me everything before I let you die."
Lei Bao launched his attack.
He thrust his palm forward, unleashing a concentrated bolt of violet lightning. It tore across the courtyard, moving faster than sound.
Lei Tian crossed his arms, channeling his Qi into his Iron Forge Body, bracing for impact.
The lightning struck him squarely in the chest.
The force of the blow was staggering.
Lei Tian was thrown backward, skidding across the bloody cobblestones for twenty feet before he managed to dig his heels in and stop his momentum.
His clothes were singed, and a sharp pain flared in his chest, but his Earth Grade physique held.
"You are sturdy for an assassin," Lei Bao noted, mild surprise coloring his tone. "But sturdiness is not enough."
Patriarch appeared directly in front of Lei Tian. He unleashed a flurry of strikes, his fists and feet wreathed in violent lightning.
Lei Tian met him blow for blow. The courtyard became a chaotic arena of clashing power.
Every time their limbs collided, shockwaves of displaced air and crackling energy shattered the surrounding stone walls.
Lei Bao's technique was masterful, refined over decades of combat.
Lei Tian fought with raw power, relying on his superior physical resilience and his sheer speed.
They traded hundreds of blows in a matter of minutes.
Lei Tian ducked a sweeping kick that sheared the top off a stone lantern and countered with a thrust of his sword aimed at Lei Bao's heart.
Lei Bao caught the blade between his palms, halting it instantly.
"You have power, boy," Lei Bao grunted, "but you lack the discipline of a true master."
Lei Bao twisted his wrists, channeling a surge of lightning directly down the blade.
Lei Tian was forced to let go of the sword, leaping back to avoid the crippling shock.
Lei Bao tossed the sword aside. "Now, you die."
PS: There are 10+ Advance chapters available on the Patreon for those who want to read ahead. www.patreon. com/Drrajnovel