Far West.
Li Dalong atop the Death-Stilling Heavenly Coffin and the many members of the Li clan upon Old Tree all received news from the Thunder-Fire Demon Cave.
On the panels visible only to members of the Li clan, messages flashed continuously.
[Special Event—Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Before the Bronze Gate]
[Suspected by the Imperial Capital, Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Master Guan Tong personally traveled to Azure Cloud Prefecture. Evading the watchers above and below Azure Cloud Prefecture, as well as the family's layers of restrictions, he found the Bronze Gate left behind by the ancestor.]
[Special Event: Clan Members Fallen]
[The clan members within the Bronze Gate were coveted by the fate masters of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. Your clan members chose to self-detonate in exchange for the others being able to close the Bronze Gate, buying precious time for their rescue.]
[Family Member: Li Qiufeng (Killed in Action)]
[Family Member: Li Gongfu (Killed in Action)]
[Family Member...]
[Number Killed in Action: 13]
Old Tree's branches and leaves swayed. At this moment, the innate warning of danger from the Delusion-Breaking Divine Tree surged toward him like a tide.
He was silent, just like the members of the Li clan.
The name Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was not unfamiliar to them. Other than their clash with the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion in Qingyun Prefecture over a thousand years ago, their family had cooperated with the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion for a long time. For instance, they would spend a hefty sum to hire its people to help them find someone. Tianli Hall, in particular, had the deepest ties with the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
For many years, they had placed the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion among their "friends," treating it as something they could make work for them simply by spending Spirit Stones.
Until today...