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Chapter 502 - 502: Following the Map

According to what Chen Fei learned from Duan Muxiao’s dreams, the cost of this assassination is exorbitant, far beyond what an average initial Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator could afford.

As for those in the mid Combined Aperture Tempering realm, they might be able to afford it. However, if there were truly a cultivator at the mid Combined Aperture Tempering realm, they could directly find an opportunity to kill Chen Fei, without the need to involve the Death Shadow Sect and waste those spirit stones.

Furthermore, since Chen Fei arrived at the Thousand Feathers Alliance and broke through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, he has never even seen the face of a mid Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert, let alone offended anyone.

Images of Mo Shiyi and his group flash through Chen Fei’s mind. If he were to pinpoint who he has the deepest grudge with, it would be them.

They obstructed his path to wealth, particularly routes to treasures like Third Grade Secret Realms. Mo Shiyi and his group would have every reason to eliminate Chen Fei.

Chen Fei is a straightforward person, and he won’t act without solid evidence. However, if it indeed turns out to be them, then what they can expect next is Chen Fei’s retaliation.

Therefore, Chen Fei needs to obtain conclusive evidence, which may not be shown to others, but as long as he confirms it himself, it will be enough.

Chen Fei entered the shop, and the miscellaneous attendants inside couldn’t discern his cultivation level. They turned to look at the shopkeeper for guidance. The shopkeeper, also unable to determine Chen Fei’s level, approached him personally.

“Customer, what can I assist you with?” The shopkeeper warmly inquired.

“Sea Moonstone!” Chen Fei looked at the shopkeeper and spoke.

In the various branches of the Death Shadow Sect, there were slight differences in the coded language they used. Sometimes, even the specific rank of the assassin would result in variations in the coded language.

“Customer, please come inside!” Upon hearing Chen Fei’s request, the shopkeeper’s expression subtly changed, and he led Chen Fei to a back room.

After a moment, Chen Fei found himself seated in a dimly lit chamber, gazing at a piece of jade on the table. He took out a bronze token from his sleeve and placed it on the jade.

The jade emitted a faint glow, and Chen Fei formed hand seals, channeling his spiritual energy into the jade using a specific technique. After a while, the glow of the jade gradually dimmed, returning to its calm state.

A shadow quietly materialized on the other side of the table, shrouded entirely in a black mist, making it impossible to discern any facial features.

“Black Lurker, may I inquire how I can be of service to you?” The shadow spoke in a deep voice.

Black Lurker was Duan Muxiao’s alias within the Death Shadow Sect, and the bronze token was naturally his. The technique used was something Chen Fei had learned in Duan Muxiao’s dream.

This is the verification method used by various branches of the Death Shadow Sect for each assassin.

Based on the cultivation level, there are significant differences in the bronze tokens, but the most significant difference lies in the set of hand seals that Chen Fei just used.

Those hand seals were set by Duan Muxiao himself and were akin to the formations placed outside the iron chests hidden by Duan Muxiao in various locations.

If the technique to unlock the formation is incorrect, the iron chest will self-destruct. In the branches of the Death Shadow Sect, using the bronze token with the wrong hand seals won’t immediately result in a group of Death Shadow Sect experts appearing to capture you.

The Death Shadow Sect would act as if nothing had happened, appearing passive and elusive. However, privately, they would report the real situation to all important personnel, indicating that the assassin had been replaced.

Subsequently, the Death Shadow Sect’s actions towards you would depend entirely on how valuable the replaced assassin was. If their value was not low, the Death Shadow Sect, in order to maintain their dignity, would take decisive action, such as beheading, to subdue any potential threats.

As a result, almost no one would impersonate an assassin to enter the Death Shadow Sect because it was too easy to be exposed. Even if you subjected the assassin to severe torture for information, as long as there was even a slight mistake in the bronze token technique, it would be revealed.

As for the Death Shadow Sect’s headquarters, the verification process would begin from the moment you entered that alley, and the procedures would be even stricter there. No one would dare to impersonate and attempt to enter that place.

Duan Muxiao, completely unaware, was drawn into Chen Fei’s dream, and therefore, he had nothing to hide. All the secrets were laid bare before Chen Fei.

Apart from the difference in their aura, Chen Fei impersonating Duan Muxiao wouldn’t arouse any suspicion, especially in the Death Shadow Sect’s branch, which didn’t verify a person’s aura and lacked the means to do so.

“The last mission I undertook had a highly formidable target with exceptional agility. I’m requesting an increase in the commission,” Chen Fei said in a deep voice.

Here, increasing the commission doesn’t mean asking the employer to pay more; such negotiations would only happen if there were significant errors in the initial assessment.

What Chen Fei meant was that he wanted the Death Shadow Sect to increase the reward given to the assassin, essentially asking the sect to take a smaller cut and allocate more of the mission reward to the assassin.

To understand the situation within the Death Shadow Sect, Chen Fei had invested considerable effort within Duan Muxiao’s dream. The only thing he didn’t know was who was truly issuing the missions. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed to make this trip to the Death Shadow Sect.

“This requires evaluation. Do you have any other requests, honored one?” The shadow didn’t refuse.

“No, nothing else. Just report it directly. I have some free time today; I’ll wait here for your message,” Chen Fei waved his hand.

“Very well. Please wait, honored one,” the shadow nodded and disappeared into the chair.

Chen Fei closed his eyes as if dozing off, while his consciousness explored the surroundings. However, there was a concealed formation blocking him, and Chen Fei’s consciousness was trapped in the chamber. Unless he forcibly broke through with his consciousness, it would trigger a reaction from the formation.

In less than half an hour, the shadow reappeared before Chen Fei.

“Honored Black Lurker, we have carefully considered your request within the sect and have decided to temporarily maintain the original commission,” the shadow said in a low voice.

“I just told you, the target is exceptionally formidable!” Chen Fei leaned forward, exerting his aura on the shadow.

The shadow shuddered slightly, and an involuntary sense of fear emerged from deep within. Despite his shrouded appearance that seemed extraordinary, his true cultivation level was only in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

Facing Chen Fei’s aura, which belonged to a higher Combined Aperture Tempering realm, he felt like he had encountered a natural enemy and instinctively trembled.

“Honored one, this is the sect’s decision.”

The shadow unconsciously raised his head to meet Chen Fei’s gaze, and a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes.

It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it felt like just an instant. When the shadow finally reacted, he realized that Chen Fei had already stood up, turned, and walked out of the hidden chamber.

The shadow blinked and watched as Chen Fei’s figure disappeared. He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief while silently cursing in his heart.

However, these Combined Aperture Tempering realm assassins held a high status within the Death Shadow Sect, and with the shadow’s authority, he couldn’t do anything against them.

Cursing in his mind was already the limit of what he could achieve.

Chen Fei left the Death Shadow Sect branch, circled the city for a while to ensure that no one was tailing him, and then returned to the inn.

The mechanisms within the Death Shadow Sect were extremely strict, and many pieces of information were kept confidential, especially the identity of the employer, which was a top priority for secrecy.

Assassins were never supposed to know anything about the employer to prevent them from being captured and coerced into revealing information, which would tarnish the reputation of the Death Shadow Sect.

While in the hidden chamber earlier, Chen Fei had taken the opportunity to use his Dream Entry Technique and observed various details of the shadow’s journey to report.

The person he reported to wasn’t the ultimate decision-maker; there were further layers of hierarchy involved. Thankfully, in the dream, Chen Fei had memorized the aura of that individual.

Now, his task was to follow this trail within the city and uncover each of these individuals one by one, regardless of how many intermediaries there were.

As long as the thread of investigation remained unbroken, he would eventually discover the person who could access the details of the missions.

Two days later.

Chen Fei found himself in a house located in the southwest corner of Curve Wood City. This was the poorest area within the city, inhabited by the lowest laborers of Curve Wood City.

Yet, it was precisely in this place that the person within the Death Shadow Sect, who had access to mission details, resided. On the surface, he was just an oil seller within Curve Wood City.

Compared to the Death Shadow Sect, this person was considered worlds apart.

His true cultivation level was actually at the peak of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, but the martial technique he practiced was rather mysterious. It allowed him to lock his own vitality and elemental energy, making him appear elderly and feeble on a daily basis.

To some extent, it was quite similar to the Slaughter Spirit Technique, though this technique could only be applied to oneself and couldn’t be used on others like the Slaughter Spirit Technique.

In two days, Chen Fei had searched continuously and had to investigate three individuals before finally finding the person in front of him.

Despite having the formidable combat strength of the peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm, this individual knew nothing when facing Chen Fei and was immediately plunged into a dream.

The gap in mental strength between a Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator and Chen Fei was simply too vast. Even at the peak of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, they had no resistance when confronted with the Dream Entry Technique.

The Death Shadow Sect branch within Curve Wood City had a Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert overseeing it, but this Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert typically didn’t bother with trivial matters.

They only truly appeared when the Death Shadow Sect branch faced significant threats.

After a while, Chen Fei erased any traces of the peculiar occurrence from this person’s mind and vanished from the house.

One day later, Chen Fei appeared in a tavern in Xuanlin City, the closest city to the Sea Peak City. Just moments ago, following information he had received from the Death Shadow Sect, he had left a secret message in another small city.

This was how the Death Shadow Sect communicated with their employers. If the employer saw this secret message, they could come to a designated location to discuss matters with representatives from the Death Shadow Sect.

Chen Fei sipped his tea, displaying patience as he waited. He had been waiting for three hours when suddenly, his expression subtly changed, and he turned his gaze toward the street.

A figure was rapidly approaching from a distance and came to a stop in front of the tavern.

Jiang Liulin looked up at the tavern’s sign, confirmed that it was the correct establishment, and then walked up. At the window, he saw Chen Fei in an instant.

Upon spotting Chen Fei, Jiang Liulin was momentarily stunned, and his eyes widened slightly.

Although Chen Fei’s aura was concealed, Jiang Liulin recognized this face all too well – the Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert from the Primordial Sword Sect!