Blackwood Cliff

The next day, at dawn.

More than twenty riders galloped out of Pingding City, heading northwest.

Without stopping, the horses and riders covered the forty-odd li in less than an hour and arrived at Gorilla Beach.

The rocks on both banks were crimson as blood. Between them stretched a long shoal, with jagged rocks jutting at angles and turbulent water rushing past. At its narrowest, it was only thirty or forty paces across, but where the downstream current converged, the water spread for several li in every direction, resembling a lake.

The group reined in their horses.

Qi Zhaogu fired a whistling arrow. Five small boats emerged from the reeds on the opposite bank.

They were all disciples of Wind Thunder Hall. Yang Lianting had run Blackwood Cliff for several years, so Tong Baixiong had to take precautions as well.

"The water at Gorilla Beach is bone-chilling. Even horses refuse to drink it. If ordinary people waded into it, their bones would be frozen within a few breaths."

"The deeper one's Internal Energy, the longer one can stay in the water. But a kind of Blue Scale Carp lives beneath the surface. Its flesh is exceptionally tender and crisp, yet it's extremely difficult to find."

"When you have some free time, Brother Zhang, you can come here with me for a contest. We'll see which of us is lucky enough to catch one of these strange fish."

Qi Zhaogu blew warm breath into the cold air. He really did resemble a partridge. He seemed completely unaware of the dangers of what they were about to do, instead chattering endlessly about irrelevant trifles. There was a certain boldness to his manner.

He was overly cautious in his daily life, yet when faced with major matters, he became remarkably calm. Tong Baixiong liked precisely this quality in him and had taken him as his last disciple.

"Brother Qi's cultivation is profound, and fortune favors you. Naturally, I can't compare."

Zhang Yu smiled. He wore a black brocade robe and sat astride his horse, with the black sword left behind by last night's assassin hanging at his waist.

Its quality was slightly inferior to Yue Lingshan's Azure Water Sword. What was unusual was that the blade had been coated with black lacquer. This did not affect its sharpness, yet concealed its cold glint, giving it an element of surprise when fighting at night. It was particularly suited for assassinations and ambushes.

"You're being too modest. The assassin used rosemary last night, and even I had to cover my nose. You stayed in the room the whole time, speaking and behaving as usual without being affected in the slightest. That would have been impossible without exquisite Internal Energy."

Hearing this, Tong Baixiong glanced at Zhang Yu. He could naturally tell the depth of the young man's cultivation. He was only at the Dan Energy realm. At his age, within the Divine Cult or the major martial arts sects, he could only be considered mediocre. Qi Zhaogu was already an expert of the Qi Sea Realm. Since he said Zhang Yu's Internal Energy was extraordinary, he must have witnessed it himself.

"Young brother, you have achieved much at a young age. After you eliminate the traitors, I will certainly recommend you before Eastern Cult Master and secure you a splendid future. Given time, I think you could even take the position of Hall Master of Cloud Water Hall."

"Thank you for your kindness, Hall Master Tong. This junior is neither talented nor learned. I only hope to devote this passion in my heart to the Divine Cult."

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

Zhang Yu kept in mind the request Wu Lianjiang had made before his death: a granddaughter named Hanyu lived in Qingniu Village, fifty li from Pingding City. With so many eyes watching him now, it was naturally inconvenient to investigate. He would have to wait a while.

The five small boats reached the shore, took on the more than twenty people, and headed toward the opposite bank.

Tong Baixiong stood at the bow, recalling Qi Zhaogu's words and feeling a surge of heroic spirit.

"Once our wish is fulfilled, I'll set up a victory feast on the banks of Gorilla Beach! We'll cook fish, slaughter sheep, and host a banquet for every meritorious brother! We'll drink wildly for three days and three nights, and no one will stop until they're drunk!"

Everyone cheered. They were all experts of Wind Thunder Hall and Tong Baixiong's trusted men. Naturally, they hoped the "slaughtering of sheep" would succeed, allowing their own positions to rise with the tide.

Qi Zhaogu smiled. "Master, I have one more request."

"What request?"

"Drinking and eating meat alone would be rather dull. It would be best to invite the ladies from Thousand Red Pavilion to add some entertainment."

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

"These master and disciple have no idea that celebrating before victory is a grave taboo."

Standing on the boat behind them, Zhang Yu was somewhat worried as he considered how he could escape unscathed.

Tong Baixiong definitely wouldn't be able to bring down Yang Lianting this time. If he had a choice, Zhang Yu would never have gone to Blackwood Cliff. Directly confronting Yang Lianting was not a wise move. The little bit of friendship Tong Baixiong believed he had with "Brother Dongfang" did not seem worth much.

"Three years later, Ren Woxing will storm Blackwood Cliff. At that time... Tong Baixiong will only be killed by Dongfang Bubai. So this time, there shouldn't be any trouble, right?"

Tong Baixiong turned to look at Zhang Yu and laughed loudly. "Zhang Yu, what do you think? Will we succeed on this trip?"

Zhang Yu smiled. "In this situation, may I offer a few lines of poetry?"

"Which lines?"

Zhang Yu recited, "The wind drums thunder, shaking mountains and rivers; lightning flashes, banners rise high beneath the sun and moon. The qilin in Heaven is born of noble stock; how can ants in their holes possibly escape?"

"Wonderful poetry! Wonderful poetry! It's brimming with regal authority and perfectly suits my mood. I never expected your literary talent to be so outstanding. You are worthy of shouldering a great responsibility."

Tong Baixiong laughed heartily, growing even more delighted.

Zhang Yu smiled on the surface but thought to himself, Since this Ming Dynasty isn't ruled by the Zhu clan, then using that old Daoist Jiajing's poem is no great sin.

Across from Gorilla Beach stretched a reed marsh as white as snow. Behind it towered a dark, steep mountain that seemed to meet the clouds. That was the headquarters of the Sun Moon Divine Cult, which had dominated the martial world for a century—Blackwood Cliff.

After they climbed the mountain, the road grew steep and the terrain treacherous. Bottomless ravines opened on both sides. Patrols, hidden sentries, and fortresses set up by the Sun Moon Divine Cult could be seen everywhere. Their weapons were in perfect order, and their defenses were extremely tight.

With terrain like this, as long as they had sufficient provisions, they could sleep soundly unless the imperial court sent ten times their number of troops to surround and suppress them at any cost. Yet even the strongest fortress was often breached from within.

They followed the stone steps up the cliff and traveled seventeen or eighteen li uphill, passing through three layers of iron gates and checkpoints. At each gate, cult members questioned them for the password and inspected their identity plaques. Crossbowmen had been stationed atop the walls. At the slightest sign of trouble, a storm of arrows would descend.

Tong Baixiong was the Hall Master of Wind Thunder Hall, a man of high status and authority within the cult, but even he was not exempt.

He cursed under his breath. "When I met Brother Dongfang before, there was no need for all this trouble. It's all that villain Yang's doing."

The platform had been built against the mountainside, with disciples of White Tiger Hall taking turns guarding its surroundings.

This platform was called Ascending Cloud Platform. Two enormous steles stood on either side. The one on the right bore the words "Virtuous and Martial," while the one on the left read "Benevolent, Righteous, Heroic, and Wise."

The group climbed onto the stone platform. Before them stood a black mountain wall. Looking up, they could see that the sheer cliff rose at least three to four hundred meters, straight and precipitous, half-submerged in the clouds. It seemed as if it might topple over at any moment, creating an immense sense of oppression.

"So this is Blackwood Cliff."

Previously, he had only been a guard at the second iron checkpoint farther below. He had rarely even had the chance to come to Ascending Cloud Platform, much less truly climb to Chengde Hall atop Blackwood Cliff.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, It would be unimaginably difficult for outsiders to breach Blackwood Cliff. This place truly is the foundation for establishing supremacy in the martial world. No wonder the Sun Moon Divine Cult has launched attacks in every direction for over a century, while the Righteous Path has had only the faintest hope of breaching its headquarters.

Qi Zhaogu once again fired a whistling arrow into the sky. Before long, four refined iron chains descended from above with the sound of silver bells. A huge bamboo basket was lowered from the cliff. It would take two trips to carry the more than twenty people up.

The bamboo basket slowly ascended. Zhang Yu looked upward, but clouds and mist obscured the view, making it impossible to see the top of the cliff.

After a long while, the bamboo basket swayed slightly. They had reached the summit.

Zhang Yu stepped out of the bamboo basket. The sun had now risen high, and golden light poured from the east, illuminating a huge white marble archway before the elevated platform in the square.

The archway was carved with nine floating dragons. Above them were the words "Blessings Upon All Living Beings." Each character was as large as an adult man, and the magnificent sight stirred the heart.

Every three years, the Sun Moon Divine Cult's leader would sit upon the throne atop the platform and receive the homage of the cult members and the leaders of subordinate sects from the Central Plains, beyond the passes, the Western Regions, the eastern seas, Yunnan, and other regions.

"On the twelfth day of the twelfth month this year, the grand assembly held once every three years will take place again."

They went around the elevated platform and walked several hundred more steps across the square before finally seeing a palace resembling a heavenly gate.

"That is Chengde Hall."