“You… you really dare to kill us!?” Cai Zhen blustered, her voice trembling.

Her survival instinct urged her to back down, but her pride refused to let her bow to a mere Servant Disciple.

“Would you like to test that?”

Han Lie’s hand tightened around Cai Zhen’s throat. A wave of suffocation and the overwhelming stench of death instantly surged over her. Cai Zhen’s eyes began to roll back into her head.

“Stop! I’ll talk! I’ll talk, alright!” Seeing her friend on the verge of death, Yunxia screamed.

Han Lie loosened his grip just enough for her to breathe, signaling for her to continue.

“But knowing won’t do you any good!” Even with her life in Han Lie’s hands, Yunxia managed a flicker of defiance. “The person who sent us is someone you can’t afford to provoke. I can’t say her name, or we’ll be dealt with afterward regardless!”

“Even if you don’t say it… I already know who it is. It’s Saintess Bai Ling, isn’t it?” Han Lie’s voice was flat, echoing with absolute certainty.

The moment Bai Ling’s name left his lips, the pupils of both women contracted sharply. They said nothing, but Han Lie had already read the answer in their faces. His prediction was correct.

“You old servant, don’t go slandering people! We never said it was the Saintess!” Cai Zhen hastily denied, but panic and terror were written all over her.

Bai Ling had promised them that if they killed Han Lie, she would negotiate with the Hall Master of the Overlord Hall to have them promoted to Personal Disciples. It was the only reason they had agreed to sacrifice their charms. However, after meeting their target, they had found it wasn’t a total loss—though he looked older, Han Lie possessed a unique magnetism that had genuinely attracted them.

“Since you’re so afraid of being ‘dealt with’ by the Saintess…”

Thud!

Han Lie paused mid-sentence, and the black blade in his hand flashed. Blood erupted like a fountain. Under Cai Zhen’s horrified gaze, Yunxia’s head parted ways with her neck.

“…It would be better if This Senior gave you a clean release.”

After dealing with Yunxia, Han Lie turned his cold gaze toward Cai Zhen. Every hair on her body stood on end as the sheer terror of death turned her face ghostly pale.

“Don’t… don’t kill me! Didn’t you say if we talked, you’d… you’d let us go?” She stammered, her voice cracking.

“This Senior did say that,” Han Lie said, his harmless grin appearing utterly demonic to the terrified woman. “But did you actually tell me anything? Didn’t This Senior have to guess the name myself?”

Her pupils shrank to pinpoints. Fear robbed her of the ability to speak.

“However…” Just as she abandoned all hope, Han Lie’s tone shifted. “Fairy Cai Zhen, This Senior isn’t entirely unwilling to give you another chance.”

“Wh-what? Name it! Speak!” Hope flared in her eyes, and she found her voice instantly.

“Earlier, you disturbed my mood, preventing me from fully enjoying myself.”

Cai Zhen understood immediately. Trembling, she whispered cautiously, “I… I’m willing to help you enjoy yourself. As long as you don’t kill me, I’ll do whatever you want!”

Han Lie promptly pressed her to the ground and took her brutally.

“Is… is that enough?” When it was over, Cai Zhen looked up at him with a pleading, pathetic expression.

“Hmm… mediocre.” Han Lie stood up and summoned the black blade once more. His voice was indifferent. “Because you were in a constant state of fear, the experience was lacking. Moreover, if I let you go today, who knows how much trouble you’d cause me in the future? So…”

Thud!

With a swift, clean strike, Cai Zhen’s head was separated from her body, another soul claimed by his steel.

“…I must ask you to generously meet your end.”

Cai Zhen’s head rolled over a meter away, her mouth still open as if she had one last plea to utter.

Letting the tiger return to the mountain only invites endless trouble. Han Lie knew this well. He had never intended to let them leave alive. In a demonic sect, a single moment of mercy was often the prelude to a fatal disaster.

After dressing, Han Lie felt a lingering unease and delivered several more slashes to the corpses. Only after confirming they were dead beyond any doubt did he stop.

“I don’t know what the Saintess promised you, but in your next life, try not to be someone else’s pawn.”

With that, Han Lie vanished from the scene.

Afterward, Han Lie made a discreet trip to the Jade Clear Pool to wash away the scent of blood. Only then did he return to his small wooden hut at the Violet Heaven Palace.

“It seems it’s time to take the initiative,” Han Lie murmured, his eyes deep and pensive.

Judging by today’s assassination attempt, being passive was no longer an option. Who knew what Bai Ling would try next? Although she had only been in the sect for a few years, her status as Saintess allowed her to pull many strings. Even if she never became the Sect Leader, her influence was immense. As long as she asked, there were plenty of fools willing to help her.

“But how exactly do I move against a Saintess?”

The gap between a Servant Disciple and a Saintess was a chasm. Han Lie was temporarily at a loss.

“The only way is to shadow her and find solid evidence.”

He pondered for a long time. This was his only play. If he caught her contacting outside forces even once, he would have the proof he needed to expose her as a spy.

“Heh, Saintess… you’d better not let me catch you. Once I do, you’re in for a world of trouble!” Han Lie gave a sinister smile. Given her repeated attempts on his life, once he caught her, he planned to violate her so thoroughly she’d never forget it.

Two days later.

Knock, knock, knock—

A sharp series of knocks sounded at his door. Han Lie, who had been deep in meditation, snapped his eyes open. His gaze narrowed dangerously.