Dark Currents and a Night Raid, a Message from the Empress

Night once again shrouded Nuoding City, deeper than ever before, as if an invisible storm were brewing.

In the secluded cabin belonging to Master Yu Xiaogang in the academy's rear mountain, lamplight flickered, illuminating two twisted, venomous faces.

Tang San's right arm was still wrapped in thick bandages and hung across his chest. His face was pale, but his eyes shone with a frightening brightness, filled with bone-deep hatred and an almost mad obsession. The five fingers of his left Mysterious Jade Hand moved swiftly as he carefully heated and refined several pitch-black poison needles as thin as ox hairs over an alcohol lamp. A pungent, sickly-sweet smell permeated the air.

"The remaining materials from the Mother-Child Soul Chasing Gall, combined with the Mandala Snake King's mixed venom sacs and Ghost Vine's paralyzing sap..." Tang San's voice was hoarse and icy, like a venomous snake hissing, "As long as it breaks even a little skin, it can instantly freeze a Soul King's Soul Power and shrivel their meridians! Yang Yu... let's see how you survive!"

On the other side of the table lay several rough sheets covered in complicated structural diagrams, marked with names such as "Stormy Pear Blossom Needles" and "Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus." Most were merely incomplete concepts, and countless discarded metal parts littered the space beside them. Without the detailed blueprints and core principles from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, reconstructing the Tang Sect's top-grade Hidden Weapons from memory and speculation alone was harder than ascending to heaven! Every failure added another measure to Tang San's hatred for Yang Yu!

Dai Mubai sat on a battered sofa nearby, his face so dark it seemed ready to drip water. Several empty liquor bottles had rolled to his feet, and a thick smell of alcohol clung to him. The humiliation and fear from the day had, under alcohol's influence, all transformed into violent killing intent. Bloodshot veins filled his sinister twin pupils.

"Damn Yang Yu! Damn Spirit Hall Holy Son!" Dai Mubai suddenly slammed his fist onto the table with a muffled Bang!, making the bottles jump wildly. "And that bitch Zhu Zhuqing! She actually dared to kneel and lick that little bastard's boots! Once I catch her, I'll make her wish she were dead!"

His chest heaved violently as scenes from the day flashed through his mind over and over like a nightmare. His disgraceful appearance as he knelt and wailed, Zhu Zhuqing's cold and disappointed gaze, and the fearful yet faintly contemptuous looks from the surrounding students... all of it burned his organs like poisonous fire!

"Boss Dai, calm down." Tang San raised his head, a serpent-like chill flashing in his eyes. "You can't kill anyone just by shouting. That little bastard's spatial abilities and that strange Dragon Might are impossible to guard against. We need to kill him in a single strike and give him no chance to react!"

"Then what do you suggest?!" Dai Mubai growled. "Even a sneak attack was useless! His senses are too sharp!"

Tang San set down the refined poison needles, his gaze sinister. "A frontal assault and Hidden Weapon ambushes are both countered by him. But his abilities aren't invincible! That spatial Instant Movement and confinement must consume enormous amounts of Soul Power! And that Dragon Might intimidation definitely can't be used repeatedly!"

He picked up a crude sketch from the table. It depicted a structure resembling an umbrella frame. "Based on several incomplete diagrams my father left behind, I conceived an upgraded version of 'Hidden Sand Shooting Shadow.' I call it 'Heavenly Net'! Although I can't fully reconstruct it, as long as it can explosively fire a massive number of poisoned ox-hair needles in a short time and cover every bit of space around him, it'll work! Even if he can teleport, how many times can he teleport? As long as one needle grazes him, he's finished!"

Tang San's voice carried a mad confidence. "And I suspect his Dragon Might intimidation requires eye contact or spiritual guidance! Boss Dai, your White Tiger Fierce Light Wave and White Tiger Meteor Shower are both area bombardments. You can force him to move and disrupt his senses! Create an opening for me!"

Dai Mubai's eyes lit up, but he immediately frowned again. "Area attacks? My Soul Power probably..."

"Use this!" Yu Xiaogang's deep, hoarse voice came from the inner room. Leaning on a cane, he slowly walked out holding an ancient wooden box. When he opened it, three blood-red Pills the size of longan fruits lay inside, radiating wild energy fluctuations.

"These are Blood Burst Pills I obtained during an expedition to ruins in my youth." Yu Xiaogang's eyes were dark. "After swallowing one, your Soul Power Level will temporarily rise by five levels for half an hour, while your strength and speed will double! But once the effect wears off, your meridians will be damaged and you'll remain weak for three months. Dai Mubai, if you take one, you can temporarily reach the forty-second-level Soul Ancestor realm! That will be enough to support a large-scale burst of soul skills!"

Dai Mubai looked at the three blood-red Pills, greed and apprehension flashing through his eyes, only to be drowned by even more intense hatred! Weak for three months? As long as he could cripple Yang Yu and wash away his humiliation, it would be worth it!

"Fine!" Dai Mubai grabbed the Pills and clenched them tightly in his hand. "We'll do it! We strike tonight!"

"No, wait a little longer." Tang San was unusually calm. "In two days, it'll be the end of the month. According to academy rules, the teachers on duty go to the City Lord's Manor for a meeting that night, and the academy's defenses are at their weakest. Besides, I can feel that my Soul Power is about to break through level thirty! Once I obtain my Third Spirit Ring, both my control and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track will improve greatly. Our odds will be even better!"

Dai Mubai took a deep breath, suppressing his urge for immediate revenge, then nodded heavily. "Fine! We wait until the end of the month! Tang San, focus on breaking through these next few days! Yang Yu... Zhu Zhuqing... I'll make you regret ever being born!"

Yu Xiaogang watched the two youths consumed by hatred. A trace of complexity flashed through his eyes, but there was more favoritism toward Tang San, as well as fear and disgust toward Yang Yu's "sorcery." He said in a low voice, "I'll do my best to gather information on Yang Yu's movements. Remember, you'll only have one chance. Strike like thunder and do not fail!"

The conspiracy inside the cabin fermented beneath the night, while another undercurrent stirred in the girls' dormitory.

Ning Rongrong dragged her exhausted body back to her room and threw herself directly into the soft bedding. She did not even want to move a finger. Qian Jun's training during the day had been a complete nightmare. Her spiritual power had been drained so badly that her head was still buzzing.

"Ugh... stupid Brother Yu... pervert... demon..." She buried her face in her pillow and mumbled her complaints, but there was less of her usual spoiled arrogance in her voice and more weary resignation. Although she refused to admit it, she could clearly feel her control over Soul Power rapidly improving. That gradual feeling of mastering power... perhaps... wasn't entirely bad?

Just then, there came a soft knock at the door.

"Rongrong? Are you asleep?" Xiao Wu's concerned voice came from outside.

Ning Rongrong answered weakly, "The door isn't locked..."

Xiao Wu pushed the door open, carrying a bowl of steaming milk. The moment she saw Ning Rongrong sprawled across the bed, her face filled with concern. "Rongrong, how did you get so exhausted? Here, drink some hot milk. It'll help restore your spiritual power."

She attentively placed the milk beside the bed, sat down at its edge, and naturally reached out to massage Ning Rongrong's temples. Her movements were gentle and carried a trace of warm Soul Power fluctuations.

Ning Rongrong gave a comfortable little hum and closed her eyes as she enjoyed Xiao Wu's care. Over the past few days, Xiao Wu had been especially attentive to her. She often brought little snacks, kept her company to relieve boredom, and massaged her whenever she collapsed from exhaustion. It gave Ning Rongrong, far from her family and suffering all this "torture," a sense of warmth and reliance.

"You're still the best, Xiao Wu..." Ning Rongrong mumbled. "That Brother Yu... he's practically a cultivation machine... And Sister Zhuqing... she's so cold too..."

Xiao Wu's massaging fingers paused slightly, and an imperceptible oddness flashed through her eyes before her smile became even gentler. "Brother Yang Yu is doing it for your own good... strict teachers produce outstanding students. Look how quickly you've improved lately! As for Sister Zhuqing... maybe she just has a naturally cold personality."

While massaging her, Xiao Wu asked as though casually, "Oh, right, Rongrong, I heard... your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has an incredibly powerful immortal herb called... called Aromatic Silk Beauty? They say it can solve all kinds of cultivation problems. Is that true?"

Half-dazed, Ning Rongrong answered instinctively, "Mm... I think so... I heard Father mention it... It's stored in the treasure vault... He said it's one of our sect's treasures... But I've never seen it..."

Xiao Wu's heart jolted! An incomparably eager light instantly burst from her eyes! It was real! It really existed! In the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's treasure vault!

She forcibly suppressed her excitement, and her voice grew even softer, filled with envy. "Wow! A sect treasure! It must be amazing! It would be wonderful if I could see it... Maybe it could solve my..." She stopped at just the right moment, her tone becoming somewhat dejected.

Ning Rongrong opened her eyes. Seeing Xiao Wu's crestfallen appearance, she could not help comforting her. "Don't be sad, Xiao Wu... Once... once I go back someday, I'll ask Father to let me see it. If... if there's more than one, I'll give you one!"

Delight immediately flashed in Xiao Wu's eyes as she grabbed Ning Rongrong's hand. "Really? Rongrong, you're so kind!" But she quickly lowered her head again and said sadly, "But... it's a sect treasure... It must be incredibly precious... Your father won't agree..."

Infected by Xiao Wu's emotions, Ning Rongrong's righteous young-lady spirit flared up. Patting her chest—though there was not much there—she promised, "Don't worry! I'm Father's most beloved daughter! If I say I want it, he'll definitely give it to me! Once we graduate from Nuoding Academy, I'll take you back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

"Rongrong!" Xiao Wu's eyes reddened with emotion as she tightly embraced Ning Rongrong. "You really are my best friend!"

The two girls whispered in the room, and the atmosphere was warm. Yet beneath Xiao Wu's seemingly moved eyes hid a trace of cold calculation and urgency. Graduation? That was too far away! She had to move faster! Get closer to Ning Rongrong! Become the best friend Ning Rongrong trusted without question! Perhaps even... persuade her to return to the sect early?

In the room next door, Zhu Zhuqing had not gone to sleep. She sat cross-legged on her bed, attempting to circulate her Soul Power. The trace of life energy from the Chaos Creation Lotus within her body had long since been exhausted, and the faint stabbing pain from her internal injuries had surfaced once more, especially clearly at night.

She frowned slightly and took out a small bottle of pale-green medicine Yang Yu had given her earlier—the diluted Creation Lotus energy supplement. Tilting back her head, she drank it. Gentle life energy spread through her body once again, nourishing her meridians and easing the pain.

She looked at the now-empty medicine bottle in her hand, and a complicated look flashed through her cold eyes. Dependence... she was becoming increasingly dependent on this power from Yang Yu. The feeling unsettled her, yet she could not resist it. Because it was her only hope of escaping her fate and surviving.

Just then! An extremely faint purple-black streak of light, almost blending into the night, silently passed through the wall as though alive and hovered before Zhu Zhuqing!

The light dispersed, revealing a purple-black Jade Talisman no larger than a fingernail, engraved with exquisite chrysanthemum and ghost-shadow patterns. A cold, imposing aura spread from its surface!

Zhu Zhuqing's pupils shrank sharply! A highest-level encrypted communication talisman from Spirit Hall! How had it found her directly?!

She instinctively reached out and touched the Jade Talisman.

Buzz! The Jade Talisman instantly transformed into a streak of purple-black light and entered her forehead! A cold, majestic female voice without the slightest emotion seemed to resound directly in the depths of Zhu Zhuqing's soul!

"Zhu Zhuqing." "I am aware of your choice." "You handled the matter of Star Luo Empire well. Dai Weisi has become a cripple, and the imperial family is in turmoil, with no time to spare for anything else in the short term." "Since you have pledged loyalty to the Holy Son, cast aside all other thoughts and fulfill your duties faithfully. Your value depends on your loyalty and usefulness to the Holy Son." "The fracture in the origin of your Netherworld Spirit Cat Martial Soul was caused by forcibly fusing with a mutated Martial Soul. Ordinary medicine cannot heal it. In all the world, only the origin power of the Holy Son's Chaos Creation Lotus can slowly restore your foundation." "Cherish this opportunity. If I discover even the slightest disloyalty from you..." The voice abruptly stopped there, but the unfinished threat was like the coldest poisonous barb, viciously piercing Zhu Zhuqing's soul! Her blood nearly froze throughout her body!

It was the Empress, Bibi Dong! She actually knew everything that had happened here! She even knew perfectly well about the deepest hidden danger in the origin of her Martial Soul! And... Dai Weisi being crippled really had been the work of His Highness the Holy Son and the Empress!

The overwhelming shock and fear were like icy water poured over her head, instantly clearing Zhu Zhuqing's mind! The tiny trace of unease and hesitation in her heart was completely crushed before this naked warning and display of power!

The origin power of the Chaos Creation Lotus... only the Holy Son could heal her... the Empress's warning... the miserable fate of the Star Luo Imperial Family...

A path, incomparably clear and beyond all doubt, stretched before her like icy railroad tracks. She had no other choice. She never had.

Zhu Zhuqing slowly clenched her fists, her cold nails digging deeply into her palms. She raised her head and looked toward the heavy night beyond the window. The last trace of confusion completely vanished from her deep eyes, replaced by an almost frozen resolve and... the coldness of resignation.

She got out of bed, straightened her clothes, opened the door, and headed directly toward the room at the end of the corridor that belonged to Yang Yu.

Standing before the door, she took a deep breath, raised her hand, and knocked softly.

"Come in." Yang Yu's calm voice came from inside.

Zhu Zhuqing pushed the door open and entered. Yang Yu stood by the window, as though he had long expected her arrival.

She walked to the center of the room without hesitation, then slowly and solemnly dropped to one knee, lowered her head, and spoke in an unprecedentedly cold voice carrying a trace of reverence:

"Netherworld Zhu Zhuqing swears loyalty unto death to His Highness the Holy Son, never to waver until death!"