Chapter 802: He Got Defensive

As Jian Changsheng poised to strike, the assassin narrowed his eyes and took a step back.

"Perhaps there's been a misunderstanding between us. I had no intention of offending... Please, continue."

Jian Changsheng froze in place.

Before he could react, the assassin's figure slipped into the dim street, vanishing in a flash as if he had already retreated far away.

Jian Changsheng: What?

Jian Changsheng, who had been preparing for a fierce battle with the assassin, suddenly felt a hollow sensation, like punching cotton. He had never expected the assassin to be so averse to fighting. Back at the Comet Hotel, the same guy had dared to confront the Young Sect Master directly, even after failing his assassination attempt.

So why, after failing just once against him, did the assassin simply leave?

Was it because he was too strong now?

Jian Changsheng hesitated for a moment and chose not to pursue. For one, his mental energy was nearly depleted; for another, he had a more important target for revenge.

Jian Changsheng turned around, about to speak, but his expression suddenly stiffened as he saw the completely empty street before him.

Sometime, unbeknownst to him, Sun Bumian had vanished.

Jian Changsheng: ???

It was crucial to note that, with his current level of perception, even an assassin's stealth abilities couldn't fully conceal their presence. Yet, in the mere moment it took him to turn his head, Sun Bumian had simply vanished?

How did he do it?

On the deserted street, Jian Changsheng's chest heaved violently. The anger he had been ready to unleash suddenly built up within him again, nearly causing him a heart attack.

"Damn it... You two aren't working together, are you?!"

The more Jian Changsheng thought about it, the angrier he became, and he stomped heavily on the ground with a powerful kick!

Boom—!!!

Like a meteorite striking the earth, a terrifying shockwave made the ground ripple and splatter like liquid. More than a dozen surrounding buildings collapsed with a roar from this single stomp, sending thick dust billowing into the air.

Having slightly vented his anger, Jian Changsheng took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

He shook his head helplessly.

With both enemies gone, Jian Changsheng stopped expending his mental energy. As the Boundless Purgatory retracted, the divine ring of killing intent behind him gradually dissipated, and the power amplification it had provided vanished without a trace.

After deactivating the domain, Jian Changsheng felt his entire body relax. His mind, once swirling with ferocity, calmed down, replaced by an overwhelming tide of fatigue.

"The energy consumption of this domain is truly immense..."

Jian Changsheng's face was pale, and his limbs felt weak. He was about to find a place to rest, but just as he took a step, a sharp, cold glint emerged from the void behind him like a ghost, aiming straight for his nape!

In the blurry darkness, the assassin's silhouette reappeared!

The assassin, who had seemingly already left, had actually returned at this moment. A chilling glint flickered in his eyes, like a highly patient hunter drawing their weapon when the prey is at its weakest.

As an assassin, he naturally wouldn't easily let go of his prey. Although this "Jian Wubing" wasn't the one he was seeking, the man posed too great a threat to the future competition for the Heavenly Star positions and had to be eliminated when the opportunity arose.

He had deduced earlier that Jian Changsheng's domain wouldn't last long, so he had temporarily retreated, hiding in the distance to find a suitable moment to strike. After all, without the domain's enhancement, his Fifth Tier strength could assassinate a Fourth Tier target with ease.

And now, this was Jian Changsheng's weakest moment!

The assassin's fingertip opened a temporal rift, and the cold, glinting short sword, reflecting Jian Changsheng's astonished expression, rapidly approached his pupil!

Jian Changsheng's pupils abruptly constricted!

Whizz—!!

Almost simultaneously, a figure streaked across the ground with near-teleportation speed!

The short sword, radiating killing intent, froze just as it was about to touch Jian Changsheng's pupil, and a strong gust of wind immediately swept past both their faces.

A black and red Tang suit danced lightly in the darkness. A hand, like an iron pincer, clamped the assassin's wrist in mid-air. Behind a small pair of round sunglasses, eyes nested with rings appeared as deep as an abyss.

Seeing that figure clearly, Jian Changsheng's eyes were filled with disbelief.

"It's you? How did you...?"

"So, why bother making it a life-or-death situation between us?" Sun Bumian tilted his head and smiled faintly at Jian Changsheng, appearing nonchalant behind his small sunglasses. "I almost killed you once, and now I've saved you once... Doesn't that make us even?"

Jian Changsheng stood frozen.

The assassin looked at Sun Bumian before him, his eyes also filled with astonishment. He knew he hadn't leaked a single wisp of his aura, and his sword had even torn through the temporal rift, moving incredibly fast.

Yet this seemingly unreliable young man not only kept up with his movements but had even clamped onto his wrist?!

"Who are you?" the assassin asked in a deep voice.

Sun Bumian pondered for a moment, then answered seriously:

"An idler."

Sun Bumian clutched the assassin's hand, deftly twisting it. Simultaneously, he lowered his stance slightly, and a lightning-fast palm strike shot towards the assassin's ribs. The hem of his Tang suit rippled from the swift movement, making a faint crackling sound in the air.

Thwack—!

The surprise in the assassin's eyes intensified. He retreated backward, turning into an afterimage. Sun Bumian's palm barely grazed his chest, and in a flash, the distance between them rapidly widened!

Sun Bumian showed no annoyance; he calmly placed one hand behind his back and held prayer beads with the other, smiling as he watched the assassin.

The assassin seemed to sense something.

He glanced at Sun Bumian's eyes, then at his own wrist, which he had used to tear open the temporal rift but had been so easily caught. His expression turned extremely grim.

"The Human Realm truly hides formidable talents," the assassin said in a deep voice. "They are all Fourth Tier, yet their methods are one more mysterious than the last... I truly underestimated the heroes of this world."

This assassin, who had honed his skills in seclusion for several years, had repeatedly failed since arriving in the Tianshu Realm.

Moreover, several of those who had caused his failures were also Fourth Tier.

He was a Fifth Tier practitioner, a rare possessor of the assassin's path in this era, and an undeniable young prodigy. But now, he couldn't help but wonder if he truly had the qualifications to stand above the rest of his generation.

After a long silence, the assassin let out a deep sigh.

He seemed to have lost all interest in fighting Sun Bumian. He retrieved the short sword into his sleeve, gave the two a deep look, then turned and walked away into the distance.

"What's wrong with him?" Jian Changsheng asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion as he watched the assassin's retreating back. "Just a moment ago, he looked determined to kill me, and now he's just left without a word?"

"Oh, him..."

Sun Bumian pushed his small round sunglasses up his nose, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his lips.

"He's been rattled."