Lin Tian took a rough glance and saw at least seventy to eighty people appear within his line of sight.
These individuals were all masked with black cloths and clad in black, moving with impeccable discipline and silence.
Their eyes conveyed a clear intention: to kill Lin Tian today, and they would not rest until he was dead.
This left Lin Tian utterly perplexed.
"We barely know each other, and I haven't offended anyone in Great Qin. Can you tell me why you want to kill me?"
"It couldn't be General Li Xin, could it?"
Lin Tian had only been in Xianyang for a day, and that day had been spent mostly by the side of Ying Zheng and others.
Although he had greeted others, it was merely a nod of acquaintance. He couldn't possibly have offended anyone.
The only potential animosity was likely with Li Xin.
After all, being defeated with a single sword strike was a significant blow to his pride.
However, Lin Tian doubted that Li Xin, with his wisdom and capabilities, could have trained such a large number of disciplined assassins.
Lin Tian understood that behind these assassins must be someone else's machinations.
Yet, the assassins had remained utterly silent from beginning to end, making it difficult for Lin Tian to ascertain their motive.
"Never mind, I'll have to capture you and then interrogate you properly."
Lin Tian spoke and drew his sword.
The moment he drew his sword, a swarm of assassins surged towards him.
Their orders were clear: kill Lin Tian at all costs.
Lin Tian drawing his sword was, to them, the perfect moment to strike.
Not only did the visible assassins charge, but hidden ones also loosed a volley of cold arrows.
The speed was astonishing, leaving no room for preparedness.
In the blink of an eye, arrows appeared around Lin Tian, coming from all directions.
For anyone else, this would have been a death sentence.
But as Lin Tian drew his sword, he etched a circle in the air, performing a graceful flourish that deflected all the arrows.
His movements were so light and fluid, as if he were truly dancing with his sword.
The assassins stared, dumbfounded.
Clearly, they had not expected their killing intent to be neutralized so effortlessly.
This further solidified their belief in Lin Tian's extraordinary swordsmanship.
Thus, they brandished their swords, pressing close to Lin Tian, denying him any space to evade.
With their initial move, they had sealed off all of Lin Tian's escape routes.
More importantly, their swords were coated with potent poison. Even a minor scratch on Lin Tian would be fatal.
Killing Lin Tian directly might be difficult, but they were confident in their ability to wound him.
Consequently, the assassins' sword strikes were exceptionally cunning. While not every strike aimed for a vital spot, they were all designed to inflict injury on Lin Tian.
They believed Lin Tian could not possibly evade such a barrage of attacks with ease.
However, the moment this thought crossed their minds, Lin Tian vanished before their eyes.
He reappeared outside their encirclement, at the very periphery.
All those who had lunged at him found themselves striking empty air.
"How is this possible?"
This was the first time the assassins spoke, their voices filled with astonishment.
They simply could not comprehend how Lin Tian had escaped their trap.
They found his method of resolving the crisis utterly incomprehensible.
They mused that if they had been in such a situation, they would have met their demise countless times over.
Yet, Lin Tian had not only escaped their encirclement but had also begun to strike back.
With a swift sweep of his sword, sharp and lethal, the assassins at the periphery had no time to react before being cut down.
Following this, Lin Tian's sword moved like a dragon and snake. In a mere two to three breaths, he had slain seven to eight of them.
Though these assassins were formidable, they were no match for Lin Tian.
Killing them was no different for Lin Tian than dispatching ordinary individuals.
In fact, if Lin Tian wished, he could have annihilated a large number of them in an instant.
However, to avoid damaging his living quarters, Lin Tian opted for a relatively less destructive method of combat.
Nonetheless, even this method was only considered "mild" by Lin Tian himself.
The assassins who witnessed it were all drenched in cold sweat.
In their vision, Lin Tian was slowly advancing towards them.
With every step he took, he was killing.
While killing, he could even deflect the cold arrows shot from the shadows.
Then, he continued his advance.
Wherever he went, no one could stand against him.
It felt as if they were not elite assassins but rather a pile of vegetables.
Lin Tian's killing of them was akin to a chef preparing a heap of withered greens.
And at this moment, Lin Tian himself appeared remarkably composed and at ease.
"At this moment, a poem is truly fitting!"
"Got it!"
As he uttered these words, Lin Tian's eyes lit up, and he began to recite:
"Ten steps, kill one man; a thousand miles, leave no trace!"
"When the deed is done, I'll shoulder my clothes and leave, hidden deep in fame and name!"
"Not bad, not bad. Pity there's no wine, otherwise, I could be a wine sword immortal!"
This was not the complete "Ballad of the Knight-Errant," but these two lines were undoubtedly the most fitting.
And at this moment, Lin Tian seemed to be talking to himself, or rather, conversing with himself.
However, this state of his was incredibly terrifying.
One step he took was equivalent to ten steps for others.
More importantly, all the assassins within ten steps were killed by him.
With another step, a large number of assassins had fallen.
Subsequently, he swung his sword a few more times, and with several flashes of sword light, all the remaining assassins present were slain.
The speed was so astonishing it felt like a dream.
The assassins who had been shooting arrows from the shadows were utterly stunned.
"I originally thought his 'ten steps, kill one man' was already an exaggeration, I never expected it to be his modesty!"
"This, this is the Sword God?"
Before this, they had struggled to grasp the concept of a Sword God.
But now, they seemed to understand.
The Sword God of Great Qin was a being entirely beyond their reach.
The moment they chose to oppose Lin Tian, their fate was sealed.
Especially when they saw Lin Tian advancing towards them, an overwhelming despair filled their hearts.
They knew they could not escape.
In the next moment, a shout erupted from their lips:
"You'll never get any information from us!"
Having spoken, these assassins hidden in the shadows bit down hard on their molars.
When they had arrived, they had no intention of returning alive.
Therefore, their molars contained concealed poison.
With a forceful bite, the poison stored within their molars was released.
Instantly, they all succumbed to the poison and died.
This was something Lin Tian had not anticipated. Accustomed to battlefield combat, he was not as familiar with the combat methods of these assassins.
Therefore, he felt a touch of regret.
"You died too quickly, I wasn't even ready!"
"Well, if I can't get any information, so be it!"
With that, Lin Tian cast a deep glance in one direction.
The Tie Ying Rui Shi hidden there felt a jolt of shock and quickly departed the area.
...