Chapter 517: Legendary-Grade Shadow Assassin

Chapter 517: Legendary Shadow Assassin

Li Wei gazed calmly at the enemy who strode into the main hall of the Ice Jade Palace.

He had long anticipated who that enemy would be.

A month ago, the Eight-Winged Seraph Russell and the Demon God's Apostle Bassam clashed in a battle so fierce it shattered heavens and earth, collapsing space itself. In the end, both mighty figures were swallowed by the crumbling void. Several underlings from each side also fell into the chaotic spatial currents, vanishing without a trace.

From the side of the Church of Light, only one legendary paladin barely escaped with his life—only to later be slain by Li Wei upon the snowy plains.

Li Wei had paid a heavy price for that victory.

Besides the legendary paladin, another figure had managed to escape the battlefield that day—the man in black robes who served under Bassam.

This man was the one who awakened the Ice Emperor and summoned Bassam into this world. His strength had always been formidable, at least at the peak of the sixth tier. After receiving power directly granted by Bassam, his abilities surged even further, reaching legendary status.

Yet because his legend rank had been forcibly achieved through external power, he could only barely hold his own against the legendary paladin during their great battle, often finding himself thoroughly suppressed.

Nevertheless, he remained a true legend-ranked warrior—the highest among the four present within the hall.

Monis turned toward the man in black robes, her voice tinged with slight irritation as she said, "Aguru, you've gone too far."

The black-robed man Aguru chuckled lightly, spreading his hands wide. "No need to worry—I've sealed off this entire place. The ignorant masses below will never know what transpired here. Once tonight passes, you can continue being your city's lord, while I obtain what I seek."

Hearing this, Monis snorted coldly, clearly displeased but saying nothing more.

Gusevi stared at Monis, her heart sinking like ice.

"Monis, how could you..."

Aguru ignored Gusevi completely, focusing solely on Li Wei.

His gaze was sharp as a blade, as if he wished to dissect Li Wei entirely and examine the very structure of his being.

Smiling, Aguru said, "I admit—you are indeed impressive, possessing abilities beyond the ordinary. But tell me, can such magic work here? Would you dare doom everyone present to die alongside you?"

Aguru had witnessed Li Wei slay the legendary paladin with his spellwork, and thus held deep caution toward him.

Until recently, he hadn't known where Li Wei was hiding.

Only Gusevi knew that Li Wei was secluded within the Ice Jade Palace. Though Guze knew Li Wei was in seclusion, he did not know exactly where. Therefore, Monis remained unaware as well.

Unable to locate Li Wei precisely, Aguru dared not act recklessly, fearing a sudden strike from Li Wei’s Meteor Fireball spell might end his life instantly.

It wasn’t until Li Wei emerged from seclusion and appeared before Monis that Aguru finally gained some confidence.

Two reasons gave him courage enough to confront Li Wei now:

First, they stood within the city of Velred—surely Li Wei wouldn’t unleash such devastating magic here.

Second, having learned Li Wei’s whereabouts, he resolved never to give Li Wei the chance to cast that forbidden incantation.

Confident in his own strength, Aguru believed that once prevented from using that ultimate spell, he could easily crush Li Wei.

Deep within the glacial chasms of the Frozen Abyss, he had seen Li Wei defeat a knight whose defense was absolute—an encounter which proved Li Wei’s might.

Still, Aguru remained supremely confident: so long as Li Wei couldn’t use that forbidden incantation, there was no way Li Wei could possibly stand against him.

Li Wei smiled faintly and asked, “Is that truly the source of your confidence?”

Aguru bristled at Li Wei’s casual tone.

A cruel grin twisted across his face. “Do you still believe you have any hope of winning?”

Narrowing his eyes, Aguru radiated killing intent that chilled the soul.

Then, his form dissolved like mist into thin air.

Li Wei extended his mental senses throughout every corner of the grand hall, yet found no trace of Aguru’s vanished presence.

Suddenly, an icy sensation pierced his back like sharpened steel.

Boom!

Invisible armor materialized around Li Wei just as a dagger stabbed from behind, striking harmlessly against its surface.

Failing in his first strike, Aguru immediately disappeared again.

His profession was assassin—and not merely any assassin, but the rare Shadow Assassin class.

Having ascended to become a Legendary Shadow Assassin, he could now freely traverse between reality and the Shadow Realm.

That explained why Li Wei could not detect his location—he simply wasn’t occupying the same dimensional space.

Aguru’s voice echoed hauntingly through the palace halls. “Monis, what are you waiting for?”

At those words, Monis drew her sword from her waist, unleashing hidden power.

Dark light flashed briefly in her eyes before her aura exploded upward, instantly elevating her from mid-sixth tier to peak sixth tier.

Thanks to the demonic seed bestowed upon her by Aguru, Monis’ strength had dramatically increased.

Now, she could effortlessly overpower her former self from earlier times.

Even facing Gusevi wielding the Frost Staff, she possessed fighting capability.

When Gusevi saw Aguru appear, she had already drawn forth her Frost Staff.

Seeing Monis unsheathe her blade and point it at herself, Gusevi hesitated momentarily—but quickly steeled her resolve, fixing Monis with determined eyes.

“Monis,” Gusevi urged gently, “it’s not too late to lay down your weapon. I won’t pursue past mistakes.”

Monis said coldly, "It seems my revered Holy Maiden still doesn't understand your current situation."

"Do you still think you're above everyone else, that all must obey your commands and seek your forgiveness?"

"You, who know nothing of the true state of Verrid City, are utterly unworthy of being its lord."

Gusewei felt a sharp pain in her heart. "Monis, you..."

"Heh." Monis let out a mocking laugh and launched an attack toward Gusewei.

Sword energy slashed through the air, giving Gusewei no chance to cast a powerful spell.

With a casual wave of her hand, Gusewei conjured an icy shield to block Monis's sword strike.

Boom!

The sword energy was halted by the frost barrier and dissipated into the air.

Just as Gusewei prepared to cast another spell, Monis had already closed the distance, her sharp blade pressing against Gusewei’s throat.

There was no mercy in Monis’s eyes—her first move was a killing blow.

A chill swept through Gusewei’s heart, turning it as cold as stone.

In an instant, she cast aside every lingering thought, her gaze becoming emotionless.

Her eyes flickered with a glacial blue light, radiating frost.

Boom!

The end of her Frost Staff slammed into the ground with a resounding clang.

Zzzzt! Crack crack crack!

Countless ice blooms rapidly sprouted from the staff’s tip, spreading outward in all directions.

They engulfed everything around them.

Even Monis’s sword became coated in frost, her movements slowing visibly.

"Frostbind!"

Monis froze mid-motion, her attack interrupted.

But in the next moment, power erupted from within her, shattering the ice encasing her body as she leaped back.

She raised her sword before her, its blade glowing with condensed battle energy, readying a sword technique.

Boom boom boom!

Shards of invisible armor burst from Li Wei’s body repeatedly.

Aguru sighed. “You’re really like a turtle! Your shell is impossibly hard.”

“So this is how you survived that forbidden spell?”

Li Wei replied calmly, “You talk too much.”

Aguru struck again, but his movement suddenly stalled—he felt the dagger in his hand grow searing hot.

He nearly dropped it.

Only after pulling away from Li Wei did the burning sensation fade.

He thought he might have imagined it.

Yet in Li Wei’s perception, a clear heat source had appeared nearby.

That source was Aguru himself.

Instantly heating up the weapon used to attack him, creating a heat signature detectable within his Flame Domain—

Li Wei pinpointed Aguru’s location hidden within the Shadow Realm.

Knowing where Aguru was wasn’t enough.

How to actually strike him remained the question.

Li Wei needed an opportunity.

After one failed attempt, Aguru grew more cautious.

He delayed launching another assault, also searching for a decisive strike.

As an assassin, missing once meant retreating a thousand miles.

Unfortunately, Li Wei’s shell was just too damn tough.

Having broken through to the sixth tier, Li Wei’s Invisibility Armor spell effortlessly ascended to match.

Already at its critical threshold, the spell now benefited from eight years’ worth of cultivation in the Time Secret Realm.

His sixth-tier Invisibility Armor reached a staggering 360 layers.

Each layer was equivalent to a sixth-tier magical shield.

To break through all 360 layers instantly would require a forbidden-level spell—anything less simply wouldn’t work.

And Aguru certainly didn’t possess such power.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Suddenly, a blizzard erupted inside the palace hall, accompanied by howling winds.

Li Wei glanced back—Gusewei and Monis were locked in fierce combat.

The force Gusewei unleashed threatened to freeze the entire palace.

Seeing Li Wei momentarily distracted by another battlefield, Aguru seized his chance.

“Perfect timing—die!”

“Certain kill! Shadow Execution Formation!”

In an instant, Aguru split into eight dark shadows, attacking Li Wei from all directions.

Li Wei intended to seize the opening for a counterattack.

However, Aguru’s target wasn’t him.

It was his shadow beneath his feet.

Eight dark figures pierced into Li Wei’s shadow like eight blades, tearing and fragmenting it into dozens of pieces.

The damage inflicted on the shadow instantly transferred to Li Wei’s body.

Slice slice slice!

Numerous intersecting wounds opened across Li Wei’s form.

These injuries bypassed his incredibly durable Invisibility Armor entirely, transmitted directly through the shadow link.

Just as Li Wei wielded divine power capable of piercing shields, so too did Aguru possess a technique that could penetrate defenses.

The terrifying damage nearly tore Li Wei apart limb from limb.

Blood spurted endlessly from his wounds.

Aguru materialized behind Levi, his gaze icy and merciless. "It's over."

"Devouring Soul Obliteration Slash!"

A surge of black power erupted from within Aguru, enveloping the short blade.

The knife, now imbued with soul-killing force, sliced toward Levi's neck.

In the instant before the attack could strike home, Aguru's pupils suddenly contracted, his face contorting with disbelief.

He witnessed the blood spattered from Levi's body transform into golden flames that flew back into the wound.

Levi's injury vanished in the blink of an eye.

With inconceivable speed, Levi spun around to face him, his eyes blazing with golden fire.

(End of Chapter)