Blackwood Cliff

The next day, as dawn broke.

About twenty riders galloped out from Pingding City, heading northwest.

Without stopping, they covered about forty li, a journey of just an hour, and arrived at Gorilla Beach.

The mountains on both banks were as red as blood, with a long stretch of beach in the middle, strewn with rocks and swift currents. At its narrowest, it was only thirty to forty paces wide, but downstream where the water converged, it spread out for several li, like a lake.

The group reined in their horses.

Qi Zhaogu released a signal arrow, and five small boats emerged from the reeds on the opposite bank.

These were disciples of the Wind Thunder Hall. Blackwood Cliff had been managed by Yang Lianting for several years, so Tong Baixiong had to be on guard.

"The water at Gorilla Beach is bone-chillingly cold; even horses refuse to drink it. Ordinary people who step into it would have their bones frozen solid within seconds."

"Those with deeper internal energy can stay in the water longer. But beneath the surface lives a type of Blue Scale Carp, whose flesh is incredibly tender and delicious, and extremely difficult to find."

"One day, when you have free time, Brother Zhang, you and I can compete here. Let's see who has the luck to catch one of these special fish."

Qi Zhaogu shivered, his voice hoarse. He truly resembled a partridge, seemingly oblivious to the dangers of their mission, instead chattering on about trivial matters. This demeanor had a certain heroic flair.

He was usually overly cautious, but when faced with a major event, he became remarkably composed. Tong Baixiong liked this trait about him, which was why he had taken him as his last disciple.

"Brother Qi's internal energy is profound, and his fortune is great. I naturally cannot compare,"

Zhang Yu said with a smile. Dressed in a black brocade robe, he sat astride his horse, the black sword left by last night's assassin hanging at his waist.

Its quality was slightly inferior to Yue Lingshan's Azure Water Sword, but what was peculiar was that the sword was coated in black lacquer. This did not affect its sharpness but concealed its cold glint, making it effective for surprise attacks at night. It was extremely suitable for assassination and sneak attacks.

"You are too humble. Last night, the assassin used rosemary, and I still had to cover my nose. Yet you remained in your room and spoke as usual, completely unaffected. This is only possible with exquisite internal energy."

Tong Baixiong heard this and glanced at Zhang Yu. He could naturally discern the young man's cultivation level – only at the Dan Energy realm. At his age, within the Divine Cult or major martial sects, he could only be considered mediocre. Qi Zhaogu was already a Qi Hai realm expert. For him to say Zhang Yu's internal energy had unique aspects, it must have been something he witnessed personally.

"Young man, you have great potential. After we eliminate the villains, I will personally recommend you to the Eastern Cult Master for a bright future. In time, even the position of Hall Master of Cloud Water Hall, I believe, is within your reach."

"Thank you for your kindness, Hall Master Tong. I am young and inexperienced, and I only wish to dedicate my passion to serving the Divine Cult."

Tong Baixiong chuckled, "Hall Master Wu's son died young. As his personal disciple, it is only right that you inherit Cloud Water Hall."

Zhang Yu's heart was filled with thoughts of Wu Lianjiang's dying wish: that his granddaughter, named 'Hanyu', lived in Qingniu Village, fifty li outside Pingding City. With many eyes on him now, it was not convenient to investigate. He would have to wait a while longer.

The five small boats docked, picked up over twenty people, and headed for the opposite bank.

Tong Baixiong stood at the bow of the boat, recalling Qi Zhaogu's words, and a surge of heroic emotion rose within him.

"If this mission is successful, I will host a victory feast right here at Gorilla Beach! We'll cook fish and slaughter sheep, feasting all the meritorious officials! We'll drink for three days and three nights without stopping."

The crowd cheered. They were all experts from the Wind Thunder Hall and trusted confidantes of Tong Baixiong. Naturally, they hoped the 'slaughtering of sheep' would be successful, and their own status would rise accordingly.

Qi Zhaogu smiled and said, "Master, I have another request."

"What is it?"

"Just drinking and eating meat would be too dull. It would be best if we could invite the ladies from the Thousand Red Pavilion to liven things up."

Tong Baixiong roared with laughter, "What's so difficult about that? I'll speak with Shangguan Yun and have him send the top courtesans from the Thousand Red Pavilion here to dance for three days and three nights."

"These master and disciple don't know that popping champagne mid-operation is a major taboo."

Zhang Yu stood on the rear boat, feeling a sense of unease, wondering how he could extricate himself unscathed.

Tong Baixiong would definitely not be able to bring down Yang Lianting this time. If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to go to Blackwood Cliff. Directly confronting Yang Lianting was not a wise move. Tong Baixiong thought his acquaintance with 'Brother Dongfang' was not enough.

"In three years, Ren Woxing will attack Blackwood Cliff. By then... Tong Baixiong will be killed by Dongfang Bubai. So this time, there shouldn't be any major issues, right?"

Tong Baixiong turned to look at Zhang Yu and laughed heartily, "Zhang Yu, what do you think? Will we succeed in this mission?"

Zhang Yu smiled, "Given this scene, I have a few lines of poetry that might fit?"

"Which lines?"

Zhang Yu recited: "The wind blows the alligator drums, shaking mountains and rivers; lightning flashes on banners, the sun and moon hang high. The Qilin in heaven is born of noble stock; how can the ant in the hole escape?"

"Good poem! Good poem! Full of power, exactly to my liking. I didn't expect your literary talent to be so outstanding; you are capable of great responsibility."

Tong Baixiong laughed heartily, growing even happier.

Zhang Yu smiled on the outside, but inwardly he thought, This Great Ming dynasty doesn't belong to the Zhu family anyway. It's fine to use the poem of the old Daoist Jiajing.

On the other side of Gorilla Beach lay a reed marsh covered in white like snow. Behind it stood a towering, dark mountain reaching into the clouds – that was the headquarters of the Sun Moon Divine Cult, which had dominated the martial world for a hundred years – Blackwood Cliff.

Once on the mountain, the path was steep and the terrain treacherous, with ten-thousand-zhang ravines on either side. The Sun Moon Divine Cult had patrol teams, hidden sentries, and fortresses everywhere, with well-equipped soldiers and strict guards.

With such terrain, as long as supplies were ample, they could rest easy unless the imperial court dispatched an army ten times the size and besieged it at all costs. However, the strongest fortresses are often breached from within.

They ascended the cliff along stone steps, walking seventeen or eighteen li up the mountain, passing through three layers of iron gate checkpoints. At each gate, cult members would question them for passwords and check their waist tokens. Archers were stationed on the battlements; if anything seemed amiss, a hail of arrows would rain down.

Tong Baixiong, as the Hall Master of Wind Thunder Hall, held a high position in the cult, but he was not exempt.

He grumbled in a low voice, "When I met Brother Dongfang before, there was no need for such trouble. These are all tricks played by those petty men surnamed Yang."

The Cloud Platform was built against the mountainside, and the disciples of the White Tiger Hall were on rotation guard duty around it.

This platform was named Ascending Cloud Platform. On either side stood huge steles: the right read "Virtuous and Martial," and the left read "Benevolent, Righteous, Heroic, and Wise."

The group ascended the stone platform. Before them, the black mountain face loomed, and looking up, it was visibly three to four hundred meters high, sheer and steep, disappearing into the clouds. It seemed poised to topple down at any moment, exerting immense pressure.

"This is Blackwood Cliff."

Previously, he was just a guard at the second iron gate, rarely even getting the chance to come to the Ascending Cloud Platform, let alone truly ascend to the Chengde Hall at the summit of Blackwood Cliff.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, it would be incredibly difficult for outsiders to breach Blackwood Cliff. This place was truly the foundation for achieving dominance in the martial world. No wonder the Sun Moon Divine Cult had attacked everywhere for over a hundred years, and yet the Righteous Path factions had such slim chances of breaking into their main headquarters.

Qi Zhaogu fired another signal arrow into the sky. Before long, four iron cables descended, accompanied by the sound of silver bells. A large bamboo basket was lowered from the cliff, needing two trips to transport the twenty-odd people up.

As the bamboo basket slowly ascended, Zhang Yu looked up. Clouds and mist shrouded the summit, making it impossible to see clearly.

After a long while, the bamboo basket swayed, signaling they had reached the cliff top.

Zhang Yu stepped out of the basket. The sun was high in the sky, its golden rays shooting from the east and illuminating a massive white marble archway in front of a raised platform on the plaza.

The archway was carved with nine dragon reliefs. Above them, the words "Blessings to All Living Beings" were inscribed, each character the size of an adult man, exuding a powerful aura that commanded admiration.

Once every three years, the Cult Master of the Sun Moon Divine Cult would sit on the throne on the raised platform, receiving the homage of the Sun Moon Divine Cult members and the leaders of subservient factions from across the Central Plains, the northern deserts, the Western Regions, Eastern Japan, and Yunnan.

"December 12th of this year marks the triennial grand event."

Walking around the raised platform and then several hundred steps further across the plaza, he finally saw a palace that resembled a celestial palace.

"That is Chengde Hall."