Fate-Defying Demon Emperor

A flash of cold light appeared without warning. Su Han hadn’t detected a thing, yet it now materialized before him—clearly a long-premeditated and masterfully executed assassination attempt.

He felt a sharp pain in his glabella, as if his forehead were about to be pierced.

Although he didn’t know who the assailant was, much less why they wanted to kill him, he understood one thing: if he couldn’t dodge this strike, he would die here.

”Origin Technique: Shape-Shifting Shadow!”

In that instant, Su Han made his decision. He didn’t use any defensive measures or activate his Nine Heavens Eye. Instead, he chose the quickest option: swapping places with another person.

Su Han instantly appeared in the distance. In his former spot, a stranger was pierced directly through the forehead by the cold light, his life extinguished and his dao obliterated.

”Demon Slayer Sect!”

Su Han’s gaze fell upon the slain man, his pupils constricting as his heart sank. He hadn’t expected to encounter an assassin from the Demon Slayer Sect here, let alone one who could recognize him in a crowd.

Has my Thousand Changes and Transformations failed? No, they must have some special method to detect my whereabouts.

At this thought, a cold glint flashed in Su Han’s eyes, his killing intent surging.

My greatest asset is the Thousand Changes and Transformations. If my location is exposed, I’ll have no choice but to flee. I must force them to reveal the Demon Slayer Sect’s special method, or the consequences will be endless.

”Nine Heavens Eye, open!”

Su Han reacted quickly, activating his Nine Heavens Eye and looking toward the source of the cold light. The Nine Heavens Eye could see through illusions and discern truth from falsehood, but this time, it failed.

He saw only a shadow and couldn’t discern the assailant’s true face. Now, with the figure concealed in the void, he could only glimpse a vague outline. An ordinary Martial Artist probably wouldn’t have been able to see anything at all.

Clearly, the attacker was not only powerful but also a master of concealment and assassination.

This is no mere killer, but an assassin!

A killer will use any means necessary, but an assassin who fails a single strike will flee a thousand miles.

However, this shadow assassin hadn’t fled. Instead, they remained hidden in the void, seemingly waiting for another chance to strike.

Just then, Su Han’s gaze swept across the area and spotted three unfamiliar figures.

”Damn it, Luo Qian is dead!” the hook-nosed leader of the group spat, his expression grim as he stared at the corpse on the ground. A dark gloom filled his eyes.

To lose a man before the mission had truly begun was a terrible omen. They had accepted this mission, vowing to kill Su Han and claim the bounty. They never imagined their sure-kill strike would miss, turning Luo Qian into a scapegoat instead.

The hook-nosed man was incredibly strong, a Ninth-Layer Physique Realm expert whose aura reeked of slaughter. He was clearly a seasoned executioner.

Beside him stood a man and a woman. The man wasn’t human but a gray wolf, standing upright in leather armor, his face savage and ferocious. The woman, however, was human, her curvaceous figure barely contained by her revealing clothes. Her waist was as slender as a water snake’s, and her deathly pale complexion only added to her strange, alluring charm.

Both the gray wolf and the woman were formidable, each at the Sixth Layer of the Physique Realm. The recently deceased Luo Qian had been a powerhouse at the Seventh Layer.

One Ninth-Layer expert, two Sixth-Layer, one Seventh-Layer, and a shadow assassin of unknown strength. Such a lineup would be difficult even for a Divine Power Realm master to handle, let alone Su Han, who was merely at the Third Layer of the Physique Realm.

”Forget Luo Qian! Kill Su Han first! If we let him escape, all our effort will be for nothing!” the fiery woman declared, her beautiful eyes turning to fix on Su Han with an aggressive stare.

The five of them were just a temporary team with no deep bonds. After all, everyone who joined the Demon Slayer Sect was in it for profit.

”Without Luo Qian, our combat power is greatly diminished. We have to go all out! Don’t let him get away.”

The dead cannot be brought back to life. Even if scores had to be settled, it would have to wait until after the battle. The priority now was to hunt down Su Han and earn the mission bounty.

”Su Han, your death is certain! Surrender without a fight!” the hook-nosed man snarled. He reached out, his hand grasping a grotesque Beheading Blade. It was a Superior Grade Dao Artifact, its blade suffused with a bloody light that spoke of countless lives taken.

The gray wolf and the fiery woman moved to his left and right, sealing off Su Han’s escape routes.

Now surrounded, Su Han was cornered, with no hope of escape. But he had no intention of running away.

”You should never have come here to die!”

Su Han reached up and donned the Ghostly Face Mask. Instantly, his aura skyrocketed, breaking through three levels in a row, ascending from the Third Layer of the Physique Realm to the Sixth.

He would not retreat, nor would he evade. He would only press forward and slaughter every enemy in his path.

”Insolent fool!” the hook-nosed man snorted coldly, thinking Su Han was insufferably arrogant. Above his head, his Heaven and Earth Physique rapidly coalesced, forming a blood-drenched executioner that was terrifyingly vicious.

”Physique Fusion!”

The hook-nosed man knew of Su Han’s strength, so he didn’t bother with probing attacks. He went straight to his strongest state.

”Earth Rank High Level Martial Technique: Heavenly Punishment Godly Execution Slash!”

With Physique Fusion, the hook-nosed man’s aura rivaled that of the Divine Power Realm. At this moment, the Beheading Blade in his hand gleamed with a dazzling blood light, resonating with heaven and earth. The sky suddenly shifted as a bloody, acrid wind swept through, turning the area into an execution ground. Su Han was now the condemned man awaiting his sentence.

CRACK!

The hook-nosed man gripped the blade with both hands, his entire being exuding an iron-blooded, murderous air. He swung the Beheading Blade down viciously. An eight-hundred-meter-long blood-red blade arc sliced through the sky like a crimson lightning bolt. It moved with unbelievable speed, carrying the conviction of punishment and certain death as it aimed for Su Han’s neck, intending to decapitate him.

”Fourth Form: Heavenly Lightning Strike!”

Su Han didn’t dare be careless. He also activated his Physique Fusion, and his temperament became dark, cold, and domineering, as if possessed by a Demonic Emperor who held dominion over life and death.

Wielding the Black Blade, he swiftly executed the Thunderbolt Seven Absolute Slashes. A bolt of black lightning descended from the heavens like divine retribution, striking the blood-red blade arc with perfect precision.

The two arcs of energy—one of blade light, one of lightning—collided in mid-air with a deafening roar. Terrifying sparks of lightning scattered in all directions, pockmarking the surrounding ground with countless craters.

Su Han took one step back, while the hook-nosed man was forced two steps back. The difference in their strength was immediately apparent.

This outcome made the hook-nosed man’s pupils shrink, and his heart sank. He never expected that, with his Ninth-Layer Physique Realm strength, he would be at a disadvantage in this exchange.

This Su Han truly deserves his place on the Prodigy Rankings. He is indeed extraordinary. But no matter how monstrous you are, you must die today. Your head is mine.

”Attack now, lest delays breed complications!”

At the hook-nosed man’s command, the gray wolf and the fiery woman also activated their Physique Fusion. Their auras surged, brimming with killing intent.

At this moment, Su Han was completely surrounded.