"Hm? The Storm Wolf's aura vanished. It actually failed? What useless trash—and it even wasted a portion of my wolf saliva incense."
In a concealed cave roughly two li away from where Li Mu and Xiaoyu had fought the Storm Wolf, a man shrouded from head to toe in shadow cursed. He then rose to his feet, and the red badge at his waist swayed with his body, bearing a prominently engraved character: "Baleful Intent."
The clock turned back two days. Just as Li Mu and Xiaoyu had set out from Qinglan City together, a gloomy old man dressed in crimson hurried into a great hall and respectfully bowed to the black-robed man seated in the seat of honor, whose presence commanded awe without anger.
"Household Head, Li Yubai's second son left Qinglan City today. A student from Cangyun Academy, a commoner's child, is traveling with him. Judging by their direction, they are headed for the Black Dragon Mountain Range. Should we..."
The one kneeling on one knee and making the inquiry was none other than the Nangong Family's Grand Elder, Nangong Wuqing. With his hands cupped and head lowered, he did not dare meet the black-robed man's gaze. A mighty Nascent Soul Realm expert was actually so meek and submissive; this showed just how formidable the Household Head, Nangong Bo, was.
"Hmph. That brat had not taken so much as a single step out of Qinglan City for half a year, yet he had finally let down his guard. Take my token and go to the Blood Fiend Camp. Have them send someone. I want Li Yubai's son to remain in the Black Dragon Mountain Range forever. As for that commoner child from Cangyun Academy, deal with him as well. The fewer of such lowly people, the better."
The black-robed man did not even raise his head, yet every word dripped with killing intent. He waved at Nangong Wuqing, then flung out a crimson token engraved with a savage character for Baleful Intent.
"The Blood Fiend Token? Household Head, must we deploy the Blood Fiend Camp's people just to deal with a brat who has not even reached the Core Formation Realm? Those people are..."
Nangong Wuqing looked up at the black-robed man in astonishment. He knew exactly what the Blood Fiend Token represented. For the sake of dealing with Li Mu alone, he found the Household Head's arrangement puzzling.
"Never underestimate any member of the Li family. Tell the Blood Fiend Camp to make it look like an accident if possible. Otherwise, if Li Yubai went mad, he would truly be troublesome to handle. The time for our operation is drawing near, so remember: do not create complications."
Seeing that Nangong Bo had made up his mind to kill, the crimson-robed elder said no more. He put away the Blood Fiend Token and withdrew from the hall.
Qinglan City housed hundreds of thousands of people. Its four districts each performed their own duties, making the city stand in the east of the Cangyun Empire like a dazzling pearl. Yet beneath Qinglan City lay another world entirely.
A web of crisscrossing underground passages sprawled beneath the city. All sorts of forces that could not be exposed to sunlight gathered here—organizations of fugitives wanted by the empire, private armed forces forbidden by law, and more all found their own ways to survive in this underground world.
Nangong Wuqing was walking through a pitch-black underground passage. A black cloak concealed his entire body. His steps were swift, yet they made not the slightest sound. Suddenly, two black shadows flashed out from nowhere and blocked his path.
Neither shadow spoke. They merely stood before Nangong Wuqing, but the faint, indistinct aura of slaughter radiating from them made even the Nangong Grand Elder of the Nascent Soul Realm feel stifled.
That lock of pressure slowly lifted only after Nangong Wuqing produced the Blood Fiend Token. Once the two shadows confirmed that the token was genuine, they turned and swept deeper into the passage. Nangong Wuqing quickly followed them, plunging headfirst into the darkness ahead.
"So Nangong Bo actually used the Blood Fiend Token. Speak—which one do you want us to kill? Li Yubai? Or some imperial general?"
A figure sat before Nangong Wuqing, idly playing with the Blood Fiend Token. The candle at his side flickered with weak light. The man whose upper body was completely hidden in darkness asked in an exceedingly mocking tone, as though even the Lord of Qinglan City was merely someone he could kill whenever he pleased.
"The one to be killed is not Li Yubai, but he is connected to him. The target is his second son, Li Mu. He is currently at the Half-step Core Formation Realm."
Nangong Wuqing did not dare be negligent and laid out all the information regarding the assassination target. The Blood Fiend Camp was exceedingly mysterious. Even he, the Nangong Family's Grand Elder, had no authority to know its true details. He only knew that even if Nangong Bo came in person, he would have to treat the man before him with great respect.
"Your Nangong Family is actually mobilizing our Blood Fiend Camp for a Half-step Core Formation Realm brat? Do you take us for people you can order around at will? Give me a reason, or you will not be leaving today."
The man in the shadows suddenly erupted with an overwhelming aura that pressed directly toward Nangong Wuqing. Greatly alarmed, the Nangong Grand Elder hurriedly circulated World Origin Energy to resist the man's pressure, only to quickly discover that he was like a lone boat amid raging waves, utterly powerless to contend against it.
One had to know that an Entry-level Nascent Soul Realm expert would be considered a powerhouse anywhere. Yet before this man, Nangong Wuqing was like a child too weak to truss a chicken. Before long, he was drenched in sweat and on the verge of collapse.
"Hahahaha! Grand Elder Nangong, there is no need to be nervous. I was merely joking with you. Since your Nangong Family has produced the Blood Fiend Token, we will accept this matter."
Just as Nangong Wuqing felt that the mountain-like pressure was about to crush him, the man burst into laughter. The terrifying pressure then vanished completely, leaving only Nangong Wuqing sprawled weakly on the ground.
"Then sorry for the trouble. The Household Head also instructed me to pass on a message. He said to disguise it as an accident as much as possible, otherwise Li Yubai likely would not let the matter rest."
The elder, soaked through with sweat, struggled to his feet and still forced himself to relay his Household Head's earlier instructions to the man before him.
"Hmph. Are you teaching me how to do things? A mere Half-step Core Formation Realm brat does not require the true strength of our Blood Fiend Camp at all. Rest assured, I have my own arrangements."
The man snorted coldly, seemingly deeply displeased by the additional demand. His aura surged sharply, startling Nangong Wuqing into another cold sweat.
"Go back and tell Nangong Bo not to let his personal desires affect the execution of the grand plan. The Helm Master will personally come to Qinglan City soon. By then, I hope his task will already have been completed."
Clearly, the powerful man had no intention of wasting any more words on Nangong Wuqing. With a wave of his hand, he sought to dismiss him.
Naturally, the Nangong Grand Elder could not have wished for anything more in the face of the man's order to leave. He cupped his hands in a salute and withdrew along the original route from the underground passage.
“Have Beast Armor handle this matter. Make it look like a Monster Beast attack. That should be his specialty. Hmph, that Nangong Bo actually used the Blood Fiend Token on some mundane nobody. If the Nangong Family were not still of some use in the Helm Master's plan, I would have wiped them out long ago.”
The shadow that had been standing silently behind the man nodded slightly, then flashed away. The man who had been seated also rose, and with a turn, his entire body disappeared into the darkness.
Xiaoyu struggled onward with the unconscious Li Mu on her back. The brutal battle had filled the entire forest with a thick, bloody stench. Though this was the outskirts of the Black Dragon Mountain Range, there was no telling what other powerful Monster Beasts the smell might draw. The appearance of that Storm Wolf had already far exceeded her expectations. Both of them were now in poor condition; if they encountered another Monster Beast, they truly would be leaving their lives here.
"Brother Mu, hold on. Xiaoyu will treat your injuries right away."
After walking for about the time it took an incense stick to burn, the girl finally brought Li Mu beneath an overhanging cliff. She laid him down on a flat rock, hurriedly pulled several kinds of medicinal pills from her bag, and fed them into his mouth. Then she pressed her palm against Li Mu's, sending a warm, gentle stream of origin energy slowly into his body to nourish his injured internal organs.
Had anyone else been present, they would certainly have recognized that the girl was circulating a rare healing technique. Such techniques were difficult to cultivate, yet possessed no offensive power whatsoever, so few cultivators had practiced them throughout the ages. Yet Xiaoyu had clearly already reached the hall and entered the chamber in this healing technique.
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