Astral Pet Store (WN)

"For someone who was among the top ten ȧssassins in the past, is this the plan that you've devised?"

The guy slowly turned around, emitting a cold and dangerous aura, as if he were a viper gazing at the other six people in the cabin. His face was quite plain, while his silver eyes reflected the coldness of sharp blades.

"Senior."

The other six guys in the cabin changed their expressions. The young man who was playing with his pet held it still, and the beautiful woman who was leaning against the chair gradually sat straight too.

"With you supervising the operation, senior, we should be able to deal with any accidents, don't you think?"

An old man who was only half a meter tall said in a low voice, "Although that kid is as strong as the top ten holders of the Divine Lord Rank, it's not like we haven't ȧssassinated the like in the past. Wasn't the second place from two thousand years ago brilliant too? The entire universe knew his name. But we finished him off easily, right?"

"Those kids are extraordinarily gifted, but they're just toddlers who have never seen real cruelty!"

"Indeed; once we join our hands, it won't matter even if he's on the Divine Lord Rank. We won't fight him head-on anyway. Besides, he's just a Star State kid; even if he can fight opponents beyond his level, he won't be able to escape from us," said the young man who wore a smiling mask.

"Haha…"

The middle-aged man chuckled upon hearing that, but his eyes were colder than ever. "I can tell you right now that, should the ȧssassination fail and you're forced to fight him head-on, all six of you might not be able to defeat that little monster."

"Huh?"

"Senior, you must be kidding."

"Senior, you might not know what we've been through in the Home of Havoc. We would also be high rankers if we could show up in public!"

None of the six looked very happy. Although their protector was an Ascendant, being despised still gave them discomfort.

"Your files may be outdated." The middle-aged man snorted, not bothering to argue. "That little monster has been growing fast. According to the latest intelligence, he should be as strong as the top three of the Divine Lord Rank right now. He may be second, or even the best!

"Considering those under the Ascendant State, I don't even think that Star Lords would be able to kill him in solo battles!

"The Prime Sky Mirror is a treasure he obtained from the Heavenly Star Pavilion. We have a solution for that. However, the treasures Lord Supreme gave him could be just as good! In addition, his willpower is likely to be extraordinary too, which means that your mental contamination won't work on him!

"Therefore, should the ȧssassination fail and you have to fight head-on, it'll be four of you against one!

"That little monster hasn't exposed his strongest pet yet. The one he has shown is in the Star State, but it's a mutant skeleton as strong as the top hundred warriors of the Divine Lord Rank! Such a pet, aside from his other pets, is enough to hold one of you back!

"How strong do you think his strongest pet may be?

"Taking that into account, it would be two against one in a head-on clash. Are you confident of slaying a top-ranking genius with only two of you?"

The six of them were surprised by Yin Xing's revelation.

"He's only in the Star State, and yet he's as strong as the top three of the Divine Lord Rank?"

"How is that possible? It's already a miracle that he made it to the top ten of the Divine Lord Rank. That's still not his best?"

"Is his mental power as strong as ours?"

The one-eyed young man slightly changed his expression and said, "Senior, you must be well aware of my clan's pupil art. Are you sure he can compete with me?"

Yin Xing looked at him indifferently. "It comes from the latest intelligence. You'd better drop your arrogance. Has our organization's intelligence ever been wrong? It may be outdated, but never wrong!"

The six ȧssassins looked awful after hearing that. Obviously, they knew how reliable the information gathered by the organization was; it had to be correct.

"A Star State kid is this monstrous? We've only spent two thousand years in the Home of Havoc, yet the world has become this terrifying?" mumbled the half-meter-tall old man.

"You will be responsible for your ȧssassination. Don't expect me to watch your backs."

Yin Xing said indifferently, "Although our organization has investigated and confirmed that Lord Supreme's disciples are busy with their own missions and have no time to guard him, a guest invited and invested on by the Loulan family will surely be secretly protected by their Ascendants as he makes his trip back.

"My mission is to distract any Ascendants keeping company. You must know that his master will definitely investigate this area if the ȧssassination succeeds. Therefore, I cannot give you much help. If you want to survive, you must accomplish your ȧssassination plan!

"If the ȧssassination fails, you will surely fail if forced to a head-on clash!"

The ȧssassins had gloomy looks.

It was just until that moment when they realized that the mission wasn't as easy as they thought. No wonder their organization had promised such copious rewards. They thought that the reason for it was because their target was Lord Supreme's disciple and nobody else would have dared to accept the mission. However, it turned out that the mission was truly challenging in itself; killing a horrifying monster who had a lot of defensive treasures would bȧrėly be possible!

"You might not be able to return to the Home of Havoc if you underestimate him," said Yin Xing coldly.

All six of them remained silent, feeling burdened by the news.

The atmosphere in the cabin became grim.

In the Loulan family territory…

At the top of the holy mountain—a man walked out of the cultivation barriers at the center.

Outside the barrier—Director Yu was relieved to see Su Ping come out. He had a lot of things to do after the gala; however, Loulan Feng had asked him to stay there and look after Su Ping. The family leader had given him the same instruction before Loulan Feng returned.

Come on. The place was the Loulan family's cultivation holy land, which was heavily guarded at all times. Not just flies, even the air was almost filtered out. Do I really have to protect anyone?

Director Yu felt baffled, but he didn't dare to disobey. He merely thought that the family was taking Su Ping's safety all too seriously. Not even their own geniuses had ever received such a preferential treatment.

Director Yu glanced at Su Ping, only to find that he was still in the Star State; he had yet to become a Star Lord. He was rather surprised by it, so he mumbled in a low voice, "Mr. Su, you're coming out for a bit of rest?"

He knew how dense the astral power was in that place. Having cultivated there for more than a month, and counting the time Su Ping had spent thus far, he should have become a Star Lord even by mediocre standards.

However, even though there was no breakthrough, the elder felt something strange from the young man; he could hardly see through Su Ping without using Ascendant State power. However, observing one of Lord Supreme's disciples in such a way would be rude.

"Yes. I'm planning to return home." Su Ping was slightly surprised to see Director Yu, but didn't consider it a big deal.

"Return home? You're not going to spend more time here?" Director Yu hurriedly tried to stop him. "You haven't traveled much here, right, Mr. Su? There are a lot of places in our territory that I'm sure you'll enjoy."

"I appreciate your kindness, Director Yu."

Su Ping smiled, yet insisted on leaving.

Seeing Su Ping's determination, Director Yu didn't press further, merely informing the family leader of the matter.

A few men flew over soon after; Loulan Feng was in the lead. Behind him was a cold-looking young man who had a pair of sophisticated eyes.

Next to the young man was a familiar face who seemed young and vigorous. She was other than Loulan Lin.

"Mr. Su, you're leaving already?" Loulan Feng glanced at Su Ping, and was surprised to see that he hadn't broken through. He didn't overthink the matter, though; a genius such as Su Ping could become a Star Lord anytime he wanted to. He was probably postponing the breakthrough for a good reason.

"Sure."

Loulan Feng took out a badge that had a strange flower pattern, and offered it to Su Ping.

"The family leader asked me to see you off. This badge is from the master of the Loulan family; you may record it in your watch. With this you won't be charged in any of the Loulan family's businesses, and you can issue commands to any of our members under tier 7."

Su Ping recorded it in his pocket watch with Loulan Feng's help. He then activated it and projected the badge to try it out.

"Feel free to visit this place anytime you're free, Mr. Su," said Loulan Feng with a smile.

Su Ping nodded.

"This is Director Xue, Princess Lin's brother. Your way home is a long journey, Mr. Su; we would feel much more at ease if Director Xue protects you on the way," Loulan Feng introduced the cold-looking young man.

The young man had been observing Su Ping. He gave a slight nod in silence.

Su Ping nodded back at him, not refusing the help.

He had a lot of lifesaving methods, but he would be kept absolutely safe from any danger if an Ascendant State cultivator escorted him back to his store.

"I heard that you were leaving. It just so happens that I was planning to visit the Celestial Court. I heard that it's quite splendid. I'd like to take a tour there," said Loulan Lin when Su Ping looked at her in confusion, raising her chin.

Once enlightened, Su Ping shook his head and said, "I'm not going back to the Celestial Court. I'm going somewhere else."

"Huh?" Loulan Lin's face stiffened; her neck and ears quickly turned red. She turned her head and gnashed her teeth, "I'm tired of cultivating, and I want to go out for a tour. Where are you going? Tell me. Maybe I'll be interested!"

"A rather remote ordinary planet," said Su Ping.

"An ordinary planet? Not bad. I've never seen an ordinary planet in my entire life. I wouldn't mind visiting one." Loulan Lin raised her head and looked at Su Ping.

"You've never seen an ordinary planet?" Su Ping was astonished by that remark. He looked at Loulan Feng, who nodded solemnly. He then said with sympathy, "I remember seeing some ordinary planets on my way over. Why don't you go visit them?"

Loulan Lin stared at Su Ping. After seeing the candor in Su Ping's eyes, she struggled to look away and gnash her teeth. "Why are you talking so much? Are you leaving or not? I go wherever I please. Don't mind my business! I'm just coming along the way. Don't consider yourself a big deal!"

Su Ping: "?"

Why did she suddenly snap in the middle of a conversation?

What a weirdo. Su Ping didn't bother her any longer; she was no threat to him anyway. She couldn't beat him even if she wanted to.

"Goodbye then. Send my thanks to your family master," said Su Ping.

Loulan Feng nodded with a weird expression. "I will. Take care of yourself on the way. Director Xue, Mr. Su is yours."

The young man glanced at Su Ping and nodded. He then waved his hand, establishing a channel through the void. "Let's go."

Loulan Lin stomped in fury. "I've heard that all the talented cultivators have some brain problems because they know nothing but cultivation. How very true!"

As he followed, Su Ping couldn't help but remark, "Don't describe Director Feng like that. He's your senior anyway."

The nearby Loulan Feng—who was just about to leave—almost tripped himself over. He looked back at them speechlessly.

Loulan Lin rolled her eyes after hearing what Su Ping's said, then stepped into the channel without looking back.

Su Ping turned his head and waved at Loulan Feng, before he entered the channel.

"…Thank you for your work in advance," said Loulan Feng with a bitter smile.

The young man waved his hand and left quickly.

…

The other side of the channel was the sky above the planet, where a shuttle-shaped spaceship was parked; it was silver, which made it look like a sharp dagger.

A Star Lord servant in the spaceship invited Su Ping and Loulan Lin to a lounging room.

"Where are we going?" asked Director Xue.

Su Ping immediately sent the coordinates of Rhea to him. "Here."

"Okay."

Director Xue gave the coordinates to a sėxy girl who was flying the spaceship. The girl emitted an alluring vibe.

Su Ping looked at her in surprise, "Is this senior a human being?"

"Huh?" Director Xue was surprised that Su Ping had recognized her identity. "She's my pet and partner."

Su Ping nodded. No wonder I felt that her aura was unusual. Are all Ascendant pets this smart? Su Ping remembered the Ascendant State experts he had seen in the Twilight Deity King's relics. Their pets could transform into human beings too, and were as smart as human beings.

My pets should be just as smart when they rise to the Ascendant State.. It's time I teach them how to transform, so that I can keep them around all the time, Su Ping thought.