THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS
Chapter Forty-Three — The Assassins Arrive

Afterward, Zhuo Fan led the fat man deep into a deserted stretch of forest outside the city. Long Kui followed closely behind them the entire way, afraid something might happen. Along the road, Zhuo Fan secretly used the Blood Infant to keep watch.

Just as the fat man promised, not a single guard followed them.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Zhuo Fan applauded lightly and grinned.

“Fatty, you’ve got guts. You actually came alone.”

“Hmph. I always keep my word.” The fat man lifted his head proudly. “Besides, this concerns my lifelong happiness with Sister Kui. I need to beat you fair and square so you won’t make excuses later and keep bothering her.”

The corner of Zhuo Fan’s mouth curled upward.

Then he suddenly revealed a sinister smile.

“But aren’t you worried I might have an ambush waiting here?”

Hearing this, the fat man’s brows twitched violently. His tiny green-bean eyes swept around the forest before he suddenly lifted his head and shouted:

“Hmph! I came here alone like a man. If you really pull some underhanded crap like that, how could Sister Kui ever think highly of you? Even if I get beaten to death today, I still win in the end!”

“Hahahaha…”

Zhuo Fan burst into loud laughter.

“Brat, you’ve got spirit. I like that. Fine then. One-on-one. Let’s settle this properly.”

But before the laughter had even faded—

Boom!

A violent gust of wind exploded toward his face.

Zhuo Fan’s eyes widened.

He dodged immediately, but he had reacted a fraction too late. The edge of the punch still scraped across his cheek.

By the time he slid back dozens of meters away, the entire right side of his face was already swollen bright red.

“You damn fatty.” Zhuo Fan rubbed his cheek angrily. “I thought you were an honorable man. Didn’t expect you to attack without warning.”

“Huh?”

The fat man looked completely unconcerned.

“You literally just said we were starting. How is that a sneak attack?”

Zhuo Fan froze slightly.

Then he stared at the fat man again and silently nodded to himself.

This guy was not as simple as he looked.

But his methods still fell within the bounds of fairness.

Commander Pang was honest in a straightforward way.

This fat man, on the other hand, was honest with a layer of cunning hidden underneath.

And strangely enough—

Zhuo Fan found himself liking that even more.

After all, people of the Demon Path always pursued results above everything else.

This kind of flexible thinking suited his taste far better.

“Hahahaha… right. You’re absolutely right.”

Zhuo Fan laughed wildly.

Then suddenly his expression changed.

“Fatty, look! Long Kui’s taking her clothes off!”

Even though he knew it was probably a trick, the fat man instinctively turned his massive head.

Bang!

At that exact moment, Zhuo Fan kicked him square in the stomach.

The enormous round body flew more than ten meters through the air.

“Shameless!”

Long Kui’s face flushed bright red as she gritted her teeth and glared at Zhuo Fan murderously.

But Zhuo Fan did not care in the slightest.

He simply smiled at the fat man.

“You bastard!”

The fat man climbed back to his feet, his huge body wobbling violently. Rage filled his eyes.

“You dare insult Sister Kui? I’m definitely teaching you a lesson today!”

Zhuo Fan waved casually.

“I just said something inappropriate. But the moment you heard it, you immediately turned around. So tell me honestly… what exactly were you imagining in your head?”

The fat man froze instantly.

“This is the first time you’ve ever heard someone explain it that way, right?” Zhuo Fan smirked.

“Sure, my words were disrespectful. But the picture inside your head was even more disrespectful.”

The fat man stood there blankly.

He suddenly realized Zhuo Fan was right.

And once the image of Long Kui without clothes appeared in his mind again—

His face turned completely red.

His tiny eyes drifted unconsciously toward Long Kui’s graceful figure.

Long Kui narrowed her eyes immediately.

Cold killing intent shot toward him like knives.

The fat man shivered violently and hurriedly looked away.

When he looked back at Zhuo Fan, the fighting spirit in his eyes had already returned.

“Fine. I won’t argue about what happened just now.”

He cracked his neck loudly.

“But now… I’m getting serious.”

The moment the words fell, the fat man roared.

A thick yellow glow suddenly erupted around his body.

The surrounding earth shattered apart the instant the aura spread outward.

“High-grade Mortal-tier martial art—Mountain Shaker Fist!”

With a thunderous roar, the fat man charged forward like a crazed bull. Every step pulverized the ground beneath him.

“Kid, don’t blame me if you get hurt!”

“But if you dodge, that counts as surrender!”

Zhuo Fan smirked slightly.

He raised one hand calmly.

Scarlet light gathered inside his palm.

The fat man’s expression changed immediately.

“Are you insane?”

“I’m at the seventh layer of Qi Gathering and using a high-grade martial art. You’re only at the fifth layer, and you’re countering with a mid-grade technique?”

“Move if you don’t want to die!”

The fat man continued charging forward while shouting loudly.

But Zhuo Fan never moved.

His gaze remained perfectly calm.

The fat man sighed inwardly.

A trace of hesitation flashed through his eyes.

But it was too late.

His enormous body had already slammed directly into Zhuo Fan.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted through the forest.

Then something unbelievable happened.

Zhuo Fan remained standing exactly where he was.

Not even the wind could move a strand of his hair.

Meanwhile, the fat man was blasted backward violently.

The yellow light surrounding his body shattered apart beneath the crimson glow.

He crashed to the ground and rolled several times before finally stopping.

When he climbed back to his feet, his face was filled with shock.

“How is that possible?”

“I was obviously stronger. How did I get blown away so easily?”

Long Kui sneered coldly from the side.

She was no longer surprised by Zhuo Fan’s strength.

Though she constantly argued with him, deep down she fully acknowledged how terrifying he truly was.

After all—

This was the first person on the continent to kill Heaven Profound experts while still at the Qi Gathering Stage.

Defeating this fat man meant nothing.

Zhuo Fan slowly walked over and extended a hand.

“Fatty, you held back just now. I know you didn’t use your full strength.”

The fat man waved helplessly.

“A loss is a loss.”

“If someone at the seventh layer needs full strength to beat someone at the fifth layer, that’s still losing. I’ve always been fair about things. This time, you won.”

Zhuo Fan slowly shook his head.

“What you call fairness…”

His eyes sharpened.

“I call mercy.”

The fat man trembled slightly.

He stared deeply at Zhuo Fan.

He never imagined the brief hesitation in his heart had been seen through so easily.

“As expected of the man Sister Kui likes.” The fat man sighed. “You’re dangerous.”

He grabbed Zhuo Fan’s hand and borrowed the strength to stand up.

Then he walked toward Long Kui and sighed again.

“Sister Kui, your judgment’s good. This kid will become somebody terrifying someday.”

After saying that, the fat man turned to leave.

For the first time, his broad back looked strangely lonely.

But at that exact moment—

Whoosh!

Zhuo Fan’s pupils shrank violently.

In a single step, he appeared in front of the fat man and slammed him to the ground.

At the same time, a streak of blue light sliced through the air above them.

Every tree in its path split cleanly in half.

The fat man slowly raised his head.

Cold sweat instantly drenched his back.

When he looked at Zhuo Fan again, his eyes were already filled with gratitude.

“Brother… thanks for saving my life.”

“Never thought I’d be rescued by my romantic rival.”

“Save your thanks for later.”

Zhuo Fan’s expression darkened.

“They’re here.”

He pulled the fat man to his feet while Long Kui hurried over beside them, instantly going on guard.

Then—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

More than ten figures landed around them.

Ten masked men had already surrounded the three of them completely.

Judging from the pressure radiating from their bodies—

Every one of them was at the Bone Tempering Stage.

Long Kui’s face immediately turned serious.

“What do we do?”

For the first time, she looked toward Zhuo Fan instinctively.

At this distance, Hidden Dragon Pavilion was too far away to help them.

The fat man’s guards were absent.

Right now, the only person she could rely on was the man she disliked most—

The same man who kept creating impossible miracles.

But before Zhuo Fan could answer, the fat man slowly stepped forward and shielded them behind him.

There was no fear on his face at all.

“You’re after me,” he said calmly. “They have nothing to do with this. Let them go.”

“Kekeke…”

One of the masked men stepped forward slowly.

“As expected of a royal family member. Quite impressive.”

“But unfortunately…”

His voice turned cold.

“We never leave survivors.”

The fat man clenched his teeth tightly.

Then suddenly—

Step.

Zhuo Fan walked forward and stopped directly in front of him.

A sinister smile slowly spread across his face.

“This fatty’s under my protection.”

“If you want to kill him…”

His eyes grew colder and colder.

“You go through me first.”

The masked assassins immediately burst into mocking laughter.

“A Qi Gathering brat dares stand out?”

“Doesn’t matter. They all die anyway.”

“Kill the kid first.”

“No. Kill the fat one first. Completing the mission matters most. We waited forever for this opportunity. We can’t risk mistakes now…”

As they argued among themselves, the fat man leaned close and whispered urgently:

“Brother, they’re after me. In a moment I’ll run east and lure them away. You take Sister Kui and get back to Hidden Dragon Pavilion immediately.”

Zhuo Fan shook his head slowly.

“With your speed?”

“You won’t make it ten meters before they butcher you.”

“Then what do we do?” the fat man asked anxiously.

A terrifying killing intent flashed through Zhuo Fan’s eyes.

“Simple.”

“We butcher them.”

The instant the words fell, Zhuo Fan moved.

In a blur, he appeared directly in front of the lead assassin.

Silver light flashed.

The Evil Moon Ring was already in his hand.

“A demonic artifact?”

The assassin leader’s expression changed drastically.

But before he could retreat—

A crimson streak suddenly entered his body.

Then he froze completely.

Slash!

Silver light swept across the air.

Right in front of everyone—

The assassin leader split cleanly into two halves.

Blood exploded across the forest floor.

Zhuo Fan stood in the middle of the crimson rain, expression colder than death itself.

At that moment—

For the first time in his life, the fat man’s tiny eyes widened completely beneath the layers of flesh.

[End of Chapter Forty-Three]

 

Chapter Forty-Four — Slaughter

Silence.

Dead silence.

Everyone stared blankly at the scene before them, unable to say a single word for a long time.

Who could have imagined it?

A mere Qi Gathering cultivator facing ten Bone Tempering experts—

And yet he was the one who attacked first.

Not only that.

He killed one instantly.

At that moment, the assassins no longer looked at Zhuo Fan with contempt.

Only fear remained.

Even the fat man stood frozen in place, staring at Zhuo Fan like his brain had completely stopped functioning.

Only now did he realize—

The one who had truly held back during their duel was not him.

It was Zhuo Fan.

“Kill the brat first!”

Suddenly, someone shouted loudly.

In an instant, every assassin turned toward Zhuo Fan.

At this point, none of them dared underestimate him anymore.

Zhuo Fan’s brutality and terrifying methods had already made one thing painfully clear:

If they did not eliminate him first, they would absolutely suffer catastrophic losses.

Without realizing it, they had completely forgotten their original mission.

Now all killing intent was focused on the man standing in a pool of blood with the Evil Moon Ring in his hand.

Zhuo Fan smiled faintly.

A cold, twisted smile.

“Perfect.”

The next second, he stomped forward and charged another assassin.

The assassin’s face changed instantly.

This time, he no longer dared underestimate Zhuo Fan and immediately retreated.

After all, Zhuo Fan’s Qi Gathering cultivation might not be enough to seriously injure him—

But that third-grade demonic artifact absolutely could.

The Evil Moon Ring cut through Bone Tempering cultivators like tofu.

Their leader had died because of that exact mistake.

He would not repeat it.

The assassin stared fixedly at the trajectory of the Evil Moon Ring, forcing himself to remain calm.

He had already figured out Zhuo Fan’s weakness.

No matter how terrifying Zhuo Fan was, he was still only at the Qi Gathering Stage.

His speed could never compare to a Bone Tempering cultivator.

As long as he avoided the Evil Moon Ring itself, killing Zhuo Fan would be easy.

But just as he prepared to act—

Flash!

Silver light exploded from the Evil Moon Ring.

In an instant, Zhuo Fan’s entire body became wrapped in silver radiance.

Like a meteor, he streaked past the assassin’s body.

The man did not even understand what had happened.

His upper body suddenly tilted backward.

Only his lower half remained standing.

As he fell, he saw Zhuo Fan behind him for the final time.

Especially those eyes.

Cold.

Empty.

Without the slightest trace of emotion.

Hiss—

Everyone involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath.

The fear in their eyes deepened instantly.

The first kill could still be explained away as an ambush.

But this time?

One-on-one.

Face-to-face.

And Zhuo Fan still killed a Bone Tempering expert in a single strike.

That was no longer luck.

That was pure strength.

Especially that silver flash—

Not one of them had reacted in time before Zhuo Fan already appeared behind his target.

That terrifying speed combined with the Evil Moon Ring’s razor-sharp blade sent chills racing down every assassin’s spine.

Zhuo Fan slowly swept his gaze across them.

“You came into my territory to cause trouble…”

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

Then he slowly dragged a finger across his throat.

“So don’t expect to leave alive.”

At once, every assassin’s expression changed.

Several of them unconsciously stepped backward.

The fear in their eyes grew heavier and heavier.

At this moment—

No one could tell who the assassins truly were anymore.

Hunter and prey had completely reversed.

The fat man stared blankly at Zhuo Fan’s upright figure.

At the domineering gaze that looked down on everyone around him.

For some reason, the feeling seemed strangely familiar.

It reminded him of his father.

No—

Even more terrifying than his father.

It was the kind of overwhelming pressure that seemed capable of exterminating anyone who dared oppose him.

Even the fat man felt deeply shaken.

“Don’t panic!”

Another assassin suddenly shouted.

“He’s only a Qi Gathering brat. He’s relying entirely on that demonic artifact. Surround him and he won’t be able to escape!”

The others quickly nodded.

Their fear eased slightly.

Then, with a loud roar, all of them charged at Zhuo Fan simultaneously.

Like a tightening net, they sealed every direction completely.

Zhuo Fan sneered coldly.

Without hesitation, he rushed directly toward one side of the encirclement.

The assassin in front gritted his teeth and charged head-on while two others attacked from the flanks.

At that moment, Zhuo Fan faced a deadly choice.

If he continued forward, he could kill the assassin ahead—

But he would also suffer the combined strike of two Bone Tempering experts.

He would die instantly.

But if he retreated, the encirclement would continue shrinking until he was trapped and killed anyway.

Early death.

Late death.

Either way, death.

But if Zhuo Fan had feared death, he would have escaped using the Evil Moon Ring long ago.

Flash!

Silver light exploded again.

Zhuo Fan vanished instantly.

The three assassins attacked nothing but empty air.

Then, in the next instant—

Zhuo Fan appeared behind them.

One assassin’s face twisted in shock.

He never expected Zhuo Fan to break through from behind instead.

But seeing Zhuo Fan facing away from him, his eyes lit up with savage delight.

He threw a punch immediately.

This head belonged to him now.

But suddenly—

A crimson flash entered his body.

The assassin froze completely.

At that exact instant, Zhuo Fan swung the Evil Moon Ring.

Slash!

The blade sliced cleanly across the assassin’s waist while Zhuo Fan escaped the encirclement effortlessly.

The assassin collapsed with eyes wide open.

His body split apart at the waist.

Blood and organs poured across the ground.

Another one dead.

This time, the combined assault not only failed to injure Zhuo Fan—

It allowed him to take another head directly from the center of their formation.

The fear in everyone’s eyes deepened further.

Originally, their only advantage had been numbers.

Now even that advantage no longer existed.

“What the hell is this monster?”

One assassin’s legs trembled violently.

“Are there really people like this among the Seven Houses?”

The others were already drenched in cold sweat.

Zhuo Fan sneered internally.

Then—

Killing intent exploded from him like a tidal wave.

Strike while they fear you.

Kill while their courage collapses.

Now these assassins were already terrified out of their minds. Their formation was broken. Their fighting spirit shattered.

If he did not slaughter them now, when would he?

Thinking this, Zhuo Fan suddenly charged forward again.

Bloodthirsty madness flashed across his face.

Silver light danced wildly through the forest.

Wherever the Evil Moon Ring passed, severed limbs followed.

The assassins screamed as they fled desperately.

None of them had any will to fight left.

Zhuo Fan was like a tiger unleashed among sheep.

Massacring.

Tearing through flesh.

Several assassins still attempted to resist, but the Blood Infant entered their bodies instantly and froze them in place.

Then the Evil Moon Ring came crashing down.

Reducing them to mangled piles of flesh.

Originally, Zhuo Fan’s strength alone—even with the Blood Infant’s assistance—was only enough to fight Bone Tempering cultivators one-on-one.

Facing two at once would already be difficult.

Facing ten should have been impossible.

But after killing Elder Yun a month ago, Zhuo Fan had obtained the Evil Moon Ring.

And that changed everything.

Against Bone Tempering cultivators, the Evil Moon Ring’s lethality was no weaker than the Blood Infant.

Perhaps even greater.

More importantly—

Its ability to amplify movement speed gave Zhuo Fan the ability to fight opponents far above his cultivation.

Thinking about it now—

He almost wanted to thank Nether Valley for delivering such an excellent weapon to him.

Otherwise, he really would have died today.

The fat man stood there blankly as the forest echoed with the screams of Bone Tempering experts.

Heads flew.

Blood splashed.

Organs scattered across the ground.

The terrifying image of Zhuo Fan dancing through the massacre with the Evil Moon Ring had completely shattered his understanding of the world.

This was the man he had treated as a romantic rival.

The same man he had arrogantly challenged to a duel.

Now thinking back on it—

The entire thing felt laughably pathetic.

These Bone Tempering experts were being butchered like dogs.

Yet he, a mere seventh-layer Qi Gathering cultivator, had actually challenged this monster to a duel—

And even believed he had shown mercy.

That he had acted fairly.

“Yuwen Tong… Yuwen Tong…”

The fat man shook his head bitterly.

“What right did you have to show mercy?”

“What right did you have to talk about fairness?”

For the first time in his life, he truly understood what it meant to be insignificant.

Among the younger generation of the Seven Houses, he had seen many so-called geniuses.

Even if he could not compare to them, he still believed the gap remained within reason.

But after meeting Zhuo Fan—

He finally understood the meaning of heaven beyond heaven.

Compared to Zhuo Fan, all those so-called geniuses were complete garbage.

They belonged to the same generation.

So how could the difference between them possibly be this enormous?

Long Kui stood nearby with one hand covering her mouth.

Her eyes were filled with nothing but shock.

This was the first time she had truly witnessed Zhuo Fan fight seriously.

Before this, she had heard rumors that he killed two Heaven Profound experts, but she always doubted them.

The story sounded too ridiculous.

But now—

Watching him slaughter Bone Tempering cultivators like livestock—

She finally understood.

That ruthless fighting style.

Those tyrannical eyes.

Like a demon god descending upon the world.

Even enemies stronger than him were terrified into complete collapse.

Slash!

Zhuo Fan finally stopped moving.

Blood dripped slowly from the Evil Moon Ring onto the ground below.

The once dry forest floor had become a lake of blood.

One surviving assassin lay trembling beneath the ring.

Both his legs had already been severed.

But he no longer cared about the pain.

He stared at Zhuo Fan with absolute terror.

In his eyes—

This young man was no longer merely cruel.

He was a monster.

A real demon.

Zhuo Fan did not even look at him directly.

His eyes were empty.

Cold enough to erase all life.

“Who sent you?”

The assassin trembled violently.

He looked around.

Every single companion who came with him was dead.

Completely dead.

His mental defenses finally collapsed entirely.

“I… I… it was…”

But just as he was about to confess—

A flute sound suddenly echoed through the forest.

The next moment, an invisible ripple swept across the assassin’s body.

His eyes froze.

Then he collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.

Zhuo Fan’s pupils contracted sharply.

“Illusory Intent Killing…”

His expression changed for the first time.

“A Radiant Stage expert.”

For the first time since the battle began—

Fear appeared in Zhuo Fan’s eyes.

[End of Chapter Forty-Four]