760 Black and White Impermanence (1/2)
”Do the two of you want to join Concourse of the Underworld and take our great master as your master?” First Court King Qinguang who heard their reply, almost felt his eyes falling right out of their sockets.
It was not only King Qinguang; the other nine Yama kings were in complete disbelief as well.
Even Yun Yang was stunned, looking like a deer caught in headlights.
What sort of diabolical plot was this all about?
One was the master of The Merciless Tower, another was the head of the Hall of Crimson Blade – both were the leading chiefs of the two largest assassination organizations. Their identities were kept secret, that of the leading ten court kings, King Songdi; they were only slightly below the Yama kings' master, Earth Treasury. Even when both organizations had been severely damaged, it was not yet to the extent of being under somebody else's roof!
Yet, these two men had spoken such things under everyone's watchful gaze. How could it not startle them?
”I know that what we have just said is barely believable, we sincerely wish to be part of the Concourse of the Underworld. To show our sincerity, both of us are willing to make the heaven's vow, and perish we shall should we violate it,” Hen Bieli said with sincerity etched across his face.
”Why?”
Despite Earth Treasury's experienced and composed manner, curiosity still got the better of him.
That one word was the honest thought of everyone on the spot.
Making a heaven's vow was no joke. It was a promise that could not be made in jest. This meant that the latter half of Hong Zhan and Hen Bieli's lives were to be tied to Concourse of the Underworld now. The token sum paid was actually little, but why did the pair make such a decision?
If they had done so to acquire the others' trust, it did not seem like they had to go to such an extreme!
Hen Bieli chuckled humorlessly. ”I know that what we say sounds preposterous and hardly believable, no matter the listener, but during the battle in Tiantang City, we brothers were blinded by greed. All that was in our minds was to get hold of the dragon hide treasure map – without a care. This caused the force of Tianxuan Continent's assassins to be completely drained in this battle…”
Although his tone was bitter, Hen Bieli's diction was exceptionally clear, without any hesitation. It was evident that he had considered this repeatedly during this period of time. ”The assassination career of Tianxuan Continent can be said to have gone to its lowest point, almost irrecoverable. The both of us are guilty in the eyes of the ancestors of the assassination world!”
Hong Zhan continued and said, ”Overlooking the whole continent, the Concourse of the Underworld is the only assassination organization whose structure is still intact. I've discussed with big brother, we don't wish to recover the glory and prestige we had in the past; we only ask that we can secure the continuation of the assassination heritage using the remainder of our lives! That's all we ask for!”
”Based on this, while it seems absurd that we're joining Concourse of the Underworld, in actual fact, it's the best option that kills more than two birds for us. As long as we join the Concourse of the Underworld, not only will our safety be ensured, the families of those brothers following us could guarantee an income source. Most importantly… the field of assassination can continue flowing in Tianxuan's martial world.”
Hen Bieli nodded, looking emotional. ”We're not trying to be dramatic in saying that we don't want the assassination career to be doomed. We're hard-pressed, with enemies everywhere, but with our capabilities, it's not exactly a chore if we wish to keep our peace until our last breath! We're all assassins – we are killers who receive commissions and end lives, but it's still a business that has so much legacy! Assassin – the one who controls the power to kill or leave alive! Maybe the continent will disagree, maybe they'll want us gone, once and for all. This power to kill or leave alive must not be thrown away from our hands! We don't want to see this trade vanishing from the people!”
”So we've come today not asking for cooperation, but only to join in. Our sincerity lies in our willingness to make the heaven's vow – it's also the most credible guarantee we can give!”
Hen Bieli wore white from head to toe while Hong Zhan was clad wholly in black. Both men stood tall like spears, awaiting the reply of Earth Treasury and the ten court kings standing in front of them.