A Hidden Hand?

The organization's strongholds, its members' codenames, the way it passed messages, and... the reason they had come to Qingyang City this time.

As it turned out, this so-called "Shadow Hall" was an assassin and intelligence organization hidden in the shadows, with a tangled web of influence. They hadn't come to Qingyang City for Xuanyuan, but for an item inside the City Lord's Mansion. The unlucky Shadow Thirteen had merely been watching the mansion when he happened to witness Xuanyuan display his strength. Greedy for power, he'd tried to use the "Soul Control Technique" to make Xuanyuan serve him, but his skills had been too poor. His sea of consciousness had burst instead.

As for that steward, he'd come to clean up the mess left by Shadow Thirteen's botched mission, only to run headlong into Xuanyuan's iron wall as well.

"So that's what happened... A bunch of arrogant fools."

Xuanyuan understood now. His Divine Soul continued probing deeper into the man's memories. He wanted to know where Shadow Hall's General Headquarters was, and whether there were even more powerful beings behind it.

But just as his Divine Soul touched the innermost part of the Black Robe Man's memories, something changed!

An intensely cold energy, brimming with the aura of destruction, burst from the darkness of those memories like a venomous snake springing from its lair!

It was a black rune formed from countless vengeful spirits and Curse Power!

The rune flashed through the Black Robe Man's sea of consciousness, instantly setting off all of his Divine Soul power!

"Not good!"

Alarm bells rang in Xuanyuan's mind. He immediately tried to withdraw his own Divine Soul.

But he was a step too late.

"Bang!"

A muffled explosion, deafening in its force.

The Black Robe Man, whom Xuanyuan held suspended in midair, had