Shadow Kill Tower Master

Chen Qing and his companions arrived, and Iron Wall City, like a giant magnet, drew in various undercurrents.

And dozens of miles outside the city, beneath a dilapidated mountain god temple, there was another world.

The place was damp and cold, lit by only a few dim oil lamps. The air was filled with the scent of decaying wood, but more than that, it carried an intangible chill.

This place was the temporary stronghold of the "Shadow Kill Tower" in the northern territory.

At the head of the hall, instead of a lavish chair, there was only a smooth, mirror-like black boulder. A figure seemed to peel itself from the stone's own shadow, sitting there silently.

He was entirely shrouded in a loose black robe, his face covered by a blank, pure white mask, revealing only his eyes.

Those eyes had no pupils, or rather, the entire whites were a deep, somber gray, with only two darker, almost invisible dots in the center, like two points of solidified death.

Without any emotional fluctuation, just looking at them sent a chill from the marrow of one's bones.

He was the master of the "Shadow Kill Tower," "Faceless."

Below, the Shadow Fox, who had just escaped back and was still injured, knelt.

His shoulder was wrapped in bandages, his face as pale as paper, his body trembling slightly from fear. He stammered his report of the disastrous defeat at Dry Bone Town and the canyon ambush, detailing Chen Qing's "inhuman" methods and the terrifying giant wolf.

"...Master, your subordinate is incompetent! But that young man's power is definitely not ordinary internal energy! My internal energy disintegrated upon contact, as if... as if a firefly against the bright moon! And his finger force, condensed like a physical substance, could break anything! Your subordinate... your subordinate even suspects..." The Shadow Fox's voice trembled with fear.

"Suspects what?" The master's voice rang out. The voice was neither male nor female, neither old nor young, dry and flat, without any inflection, yet it pierced directly into the depths of one's eardrums.

The Shadow Fox shuddered violently, lowering his body: "Your subordinate... your subordinate dares not speak rashly! It's just that the finger he used to break my 'Thousand Illusions Body' had an aura... ancient and vast, unlike any human martial art... it was more like... like something recorded in ancient texts..." He ultimately didn't dare to utter those two words.

"Hmph." The master let out a short, cold snort, and the temperature of the entire underground space seemed to drop a few more degrees. "Useless. Failing repeatedly, losing men and resources, and still making excuses about mythical monsters."

The Shadow Fox buried his head even lower, not daring to offer any defense.

"The Third Prince is already extremely displeased." The master's gray eyeballs seemed to shift, falling on the Shadow Fox. "That batch of ore is crucial to the Prince's grand plan. If it cannot be recovered, it must be utterly destroyed, never to fall into Li Chongshan's hands. Now that we've alerted them, Iron Wall City has become a dragon's den."

He paused slightly, and the dry voice spoke again, with an absolute coldness: "That young man named Chen Qing... he's an interesting variable. To cause the annihilation of you and the 'Blood Blade' squad, he indeed has some skill. Have you investigated his background?"

A scout nearby replied in a low voice: "Reporting to the Master, all channels have been used to investigate. This person seems to have appeared out of nowhere. The earliest trace was in a small town on the outskirts of the Falling Star Mountain Range, where he encountered people from the Zhenyuan Escort Agency. Before that, there was nothing, suspected to be an alias or someone in seclusion."

"In seclusion?" The master's lips twitched beneath his mask, his voice cold and cruel. "In this world, there is no such thing as true seclusion. Since he has jumped out and disrupted the situation, he must be prepared to pay the price."

He slowly stood up, his black robe moving without wind, and the surrounding shadows seemed to come alive, writhing and flowing behind him. "Issue an order: 'Shadowy Veil' and 'Absolute Thorn', the two hall masters, are to depart immediately and infiltrate Iron Wall City. Tell them the objective: destroy the mine, or kill Li Chongshan, and create maximum chaos. If they encounter that Chen Qing... prioritize his elimination. I want to see personally if his 'inhuman' methods can withstand the true 'Shadow Kill' path."

"As for within the city..." The master's voice held a hint of calculation. "Our Deputy General friend has been nurtured for so long, it's time for him to contribute. Have him find a way to cause some trouble within the army, at least to allow our people to approach the armory and the General's mansion smoothly."

The orders were issued one by one, cold and efficient. The assassins in the shadows silently accepted them and dispersed like ghosts.

The Shadow Fox remained kneeling on the spot, not daring to move.

The master walked up to him, his gray eyeballs looking down at him: "You go too. Redeem yourself. If you fail again... you know the consequences."

The Shadow Fox trembled all over, cold sweat instantly soaking his back: "Your subordinate... obeys!"

When everyone had left, the underground returned to deathly silence. The master stood alone in the darkness, his pale mask reflecting a faint light under the oil lamp.

"Power beyond the human realm?" he murmured to himself, his dry voice for the first time tinged with an indescribable emotion, as if puzzled, or perhaps... a long-dormant desire. "Could it be... the ancient legends are not mere fiction? If that's the case... then I must see it for myself."

He slowly raised his hand, a wisp of black energy swirling around his fingertips.

The next morning, as dawn broke, the unique dust and cold wind of Iron Wall City crept in through the window gaps.

Chen Qing had just finished a night of meditation. The wisp of star power within him had grown infinitesimally stronger when he heard light, yet somewhat hesitant footsteps outside the courtyard gate.

"Brother Chen! A Ning! Are you guys up?" It was Yan Yunxi's voice, clear and with an undisguised hint of excitement.

Chen Qing pushed open the door and saw Yan Yunxi standing in the courtyard.

She had changed back into a light blue dress. Although still a simple style, the dress outlined her developing graceful figure. Her long hair was simply tied up with a jade hairpin, revealing her fair neck and earlobes. Her face was lightly powdered, attempting to conceal the fatigue of days of travel, and her eyes radiated the unique bright vitality of a young girl.

She was also carrying a multi-layered food box and a clay pot wrapped in thick cloth.

"Miss Yan, good morning." Chen Qing nodded slightly.

A faint blush appeared on Yan Yunxi's face. She raised the items in her hands: "The cook at General Li's mansion made some Northern specialty breakfast and butter tea. I thought you might not have tried them, so I... I brought some. Where's A Ning?"

At that moment, A Ning also emerged from the house, still in her simple gray cloth shirt, standing quietly by Chen Qing's leg. Her clear black and white eyes fell on the food box in Yan Yunxi's hand.

"A Ning, come here!" Yan Yunxi called out enthusiastically, placing the food box on the stone table in the courtyard and opening the lid. Inside were golden-brown, fragrant naan bread, dried meat jerky, and several delicate pastries.

She carefully poured a bowl of steaming butter tea, emitting a rich aroma of milk and tea, and handed it to A Ning. "Try this, be careful, it's hot."

A Ning didn't take it immediately. She first looked at Chen Qing. Chen Qing smiled, "Miss Yan's kind gesture, try it."

A Ning then extended her small hand, cradled the warm clay bowl, and took a small sip, her head bowed. The rich, slightly salty, peculiar taste made her blink slightly, seemingly surprised, but she lowered her head and took another small sip.

"How is it? Can you drink it?" Yan Yunxi asked expectantly.

A Ning nodded gently.

Yan Yunxi's smile bloomed like a flower, as if she had received the greatest affirmation. She then busied herself pouring a bowl for Chen Qing and took out the naan and jerky to share with them.

The Wolf King, lying nearby, lazily lifted an eyelid to glance at the butter tea. It snorted, clearly disdainful of this "mushy" beverage, and continued to lick the wound on its front paw, which had almost healed.

After breakfast, Yan Yunxi looked at Chen Qing expectantly: "Brother Chen, although Iron Wall City is a military town, it also has some unique markets and scenery, different from the Central Plains. If you have nothing to do today, I... I could take you around? It would also let A Ning see different sights." She tried to make her invitation sound natural, but her eyes betrayed her nervousness and anticipation.

Chen Qing glanced at A Ning. A Ning was also looking up at him, her usually placid eyes showing a faint hint of curiosity about the unfamiliar world outside. He pondered for a moment and then nodded: "That would be good, thank you, Miss Yan."

"That's great!" Yan Yunxi almost jumped for joy, but quickly restrained herself, maintaining her ladylike demeanor, though the smile on her lips couldn't be suppressed.