Xu Nian left Qinglin Academy overnight to avoid his traces being discovered and a pursuit ensued.

    Yet he hadn''t expected that just as he entered the Demon Beast Forest, a group of people stopped him.

    What surprised Xu Nian was that the pursuers were not from the Ouyang Family, but from the Qin Family.

    "Interesting, they say even a fierce tiger won''t eat its cubs, but your father is truly ruthless. Are you really Qin Yuanshan''s own son?" Emperor Ye Tian teased.

    Xu Nian gave a self-deprecating laugh and didn''t respond to Emperor Ye Tian, but as he faced the five assassins before him, his heart turned ice cold.

    He recognized all five men, each an elite chosen from the collateral branches of the Qin Family.

    They had always been covertly nurtured by the family to support and reinforce the next generation of family heads.

    The leader, Qin Shan, was Qin Tiann''s elder brother. At twenty-eight, he had reached the Eighth-star of Star Realm Level, making him a standout among the Qin Family''s collateral members.

    Behind him were Qin Feng, Qin Yu, Qin Lei, and Qin Dian; Qin Feng was the highest in cultivation at the Seventh-star of Star Realm, Qin Yu and Qin Lei both at the Six-star, while Qin Dian was the weakest at the Fifth-star.

    These four had long been trained by the Qin Family as assassins, and Xu Nian never expected that the Qin Family would also send them, clearly valuing his threat.

    "Xu Nian, you have violated the clan rules, and the Family Head has sent us to clean up. Will you kill yourself, or shall we do it?" Qin Shan said coldly, his eyes filled with killing intent.

    Xu Nian had crippled his brother and had even caused his brother to miss Qinglin Academy''s assessment. Qin Shan had long wanted to settle this score with Xu Nian but had never had the chance.

    Now that the Family Head had ordered a cleanup, he eagerly volunteered to lead the team, both to accomplish the mission and to avenge his brother.

    "Violated clan rules, cleanup? I''m no longer a member of the Qin Family, what right do you have to clean up?" Xu Nian scoffed, his eyes icy cold.

    "Hmph, you offended the Ouyang Family, that was your mistake. The Family Head has ordered that your head be taken and delivered to the Ouyang Family as an apology," Qin Shan retorted coldly, his gaze filled with scorn.

    Xu Nian''s eyes instantly turned frostier, his heart surging with a torrent of killing intent.

    He was an assassin trained by the Qin Family, naturally having killed countless people. However, he took pleasure in killing; he enjoyed watching his enemies die with resentment. That''s why he spoke those words before taking action, to provoke Xu Nian and savor the pleasure of killing.

    However, he never anticipated that this foolish act would cost him his life.

    Originally only intending to crush Qin Dian and flee, Xu Nian was now filled with a killing intent.

    "Die!"

    Xu Nian spat out a word, and his long-accumulated sword edge suddenly cleaved out in that instant.

    Qin Dian was greatly shocked but it was already too late. He only saw a flash of sword light before his eyes, followed by a blood-red slash appearing on his neck.

    "How... how is this possible?"

    Qin Dian''s eyes widened, unable to believe that he could actually die under Xu Nian''s sword.

    Actually, his strength was not weaker than Xu Nian''s, but he had underestimated his opponent. Additionally, since Xu Nian had been gathering strength for a long time and struck with murderous intent, a fatal strike was inevitable.

    The other four members of the Qin family were also instantly stunned, unable to believe that what they were seeing was real.

    Meanwhile, Xu Nian, after delivering that sword strike, took advantage of everyone''s shock, swiftly darted into the jungle, and executed the Gale Dragon Step to its limit, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

    "Quick, we can''t let him escape!"

    Qin Shan and the others finally snapped to their senses and chased after Xu Nian frantically.

    Xu Nian had just killed Qin Dian right in front of them; this was a blatant mockery. If the family found out, they would definitely face severe punishment.

    If they let Xu Nian escape again, they might not die when they returned, but they would certainly be skinned.

    However, when they chased in the direction Xu Nian had gone, they realized that his speed was not much slower than theirs, and they nearly lost him several times.