After Being Reborn a Hundred Times, I Refused to Be the Villain - Chapter 11:

Chapter 11: Assassination

The moment Ling Yun stepped out of the sect gates, his aura dropped sharply once again, falling from the Internal Qi Realm all the way to the Body Tempering Realm.

The disciples stationed at the gate that day were visibly surprised as they watched Ling Yun walking away empty-handed. They had, of course, heard about the departure of the Chief Disciple of Snow Moon Peak. But none of them expected him to leave so quickly, and judging by his appearance, he had brought absolutely nothing with him.

“Not even a storage ring or storage pouch, not even a sword… he really left with nothing?” one disciple said, incredulous.

“Exactly. And did you notice? As the former Chief Disciple, none of his three junior disciples came to see him off. That’s… a bit much, isn’t it?” another added, confused.

“Heh, looks like inner sect disciples aren’t as noble as they seem. I heard this Chief Disciple of Snow Moon Peak treated those junior disciples exceptionally well. But clearly, they didn’t treat him the same way,” the first outer sect disciple sneered.

“And think about it—he’d only just returned for a few days, and now the whole sect already knows he’s leaving due to foundation damage. Do you really believe that kind of news could spread so fast without someone from Snow Moon Peak allowing it? People’s hearts are unpredictable. Unfathomable.” The oldest outer sect disciple stared at Ling Yun’s fading figure, a trace of sorrow in his gaze.

“Tsk, Snow Moon Peak is supposed to be a top-tier Spiritual Peak, and yet they couldn’t even offer one pill to repair his foundation?” a younger outer sect disciple said, astonished.

“It’s not a question of whether they could, but whether they were willing. The Snow Moon Peak everyone envies… it’s not much after all.”

“Still, that Chief Disciple’s injuries must be terrifying. His cultivation has already dropped to the Body Tempering Realm. Is it going to fall even further?”

“Hard to say. Foundation damage has always been a major issue. Who knows how bad his injuries really are.”

“Looks like no one came after all,” Yunxi shook her head.

“No one came to say goodbye, but the enemies have already shown up.” Ling Yun had already sensed that the moment he left the sect, two malicious auras locked onto him.

However, they dared not act yet—this was still the Heavenly Dao Sect’s territory. Making a move here would be the same as declaring war on the sect.

At the Heavenly Dao Sect’s main peak, a young disciple listened to the report before him, a puzzled look in his eyes.

“No… no, this isn’t right. Things shouldn’t be going this way. How could Xu Aozi leave Snow Moon Peak, leave the Heavenly Dao Sect, so easily? No, this whole thing is strange from beginning to end!”

This young man was none other than the Child of Destiny of this world, and Ling Yun’s greatest enemy on his original path—Lin Chuan. On the surface, he was the youngest disciple of the main peak, but his true identity was the secret illegitimate son of the sect master. Currently, only he and the sect master knew this.

But right now, Lin Chuan couldn’t suppress the unease brewing in his heart. He was certain that something was off. Ling Yun shouldn’t have suffered foundation damage so easily. Nor should he have lost his cultivation and left the sect so quietly.

From the moment he first saw Ling Yun, Lin Chuan knew the other man would be his greatest adversary—his true obstacle. He believed he would eventually crush Ling Yun completely and step over his corpse to climb higher than anyone else.

To that end, he had quietly won over the other three disciples of Snow Moon Peak. With just the hint of an invitation, the two junior sisters flocked to him like bees to honey, becoming his perfect pawns to target Ling Yun.

All he needed was the right time, and he could use those pawns to land a fatal blow. But now? His stepping stone had run away. For a moment, he felt empty, as if something vital had been taken from him.

No. Could it be there was something he still didn’t know? Or had Ling Yun sensed something and escaped using this method? The Chief Disciple of Snow Moon Peak was no ordinary person. Sometimes, Lin Chuan even felt that Ling Yun could already see through parts of his schemes.

No matter what, he could not allow this destined stepping stone to escape his grasp.

“Someone!” Lin Chuan called softly into the shadows.

“Master,” a masked man appeared before him.

This was one of the shadow guards Lin Chuan had cultivated secretly with the help of the sect master. He was absolutely loyal.

“Follow the Chief Disciple of Snow Moon Peak in secret. If anything unusual happens, report back to me immediately,” Lin Chuan ordered.

“Yes,” the man responded before vanishing into the darkness once again.

As a proper shadow guard, he would never question why he was ordered to follow a disciple who had already left the sect. His only duty was to complete the mission.

Though someone was tailing him, Ling Yun showed no concern. Instead, he moved quickly, putting as much distance between himself and the Heavenly Dao Sect as he could.

And as he did, it seemed as though an invisible force once again tried to descend upon him, as if wanting to bind him or halt his movements. But before it could even touch Ling Yun, it turned to ash and vanished. What Yunxi had said earlier—that no one in this world could restrain Ling Yun anymore, not even her—was no exaggeration.

In less than half a day, Ling Yun left the Heavenly Dao Sect’s domain and arrived before a bustling city.

This city was called Xiangdao City, the closest city to the Heavenly Dao Sect, and often the first stop for many disciples who left the sect to train.

“Looks like they’re ready to make a move.” As the city came into view, Ling Yun immediately sensed movement from the shadows—his pursuers were about to strike.

Suddenly, the sky darkened. An invisible net unfurled in the void and rushed toward Ling Yun. At the same time, flickering runes flashed briefly in the air—high-grade concealment runes that blocked all spiritual Qi fluctuations in the area, preventing outsiders from detecting what was happening.

“A trapping formation… concealment runes… seems like the one who wants me dead is quite cautious.” Though the killing intent closed in, Ling Yun’s expression remained unchanged.