Lin Qingzhu opened her hand. A pitch-black pebble lay quietly in her palm.
The pebble was only thumb-sized, its surface pitted and uneven, no different from the loose stones scattered along any roadside.
Yet drawing even slightly closer revealed subtle distortions in the surrounding air, and a strange feeling of weightlessness spread along one's fingertips.
Emperor Jiang Wu, the Alliance Leader, Old Ancestor Cangwu, and Old Ancestor Xuanming immediately gathered around.
The news of the Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Pool and the Twin-born Pair had already shaken them to their cores. Now, seeing what the Heavenly Strategy Pavilion had left behind, their nerves instantly stretched taut.
The four Longevity Realm powerhouses surrounded Zhou Xuan, their gazes locked firmly on the pebble. None dared reach out and touch it.
Old Ancestor Xuanming swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. He kept his voice very low. "What kind of concealed weapon is this? Or is it some sort of triggered Formation Disk?"
Zhou Xuan ignored him. He simply plucked the black pebble from Lin Qingzhu's hand and casually tossed it twice in his palm.
The pebble tumbled through the air, stirring rings of spatial ripples visible to the naked eye.
"At least Ji Chen has some sense about how to be a lackey."
Zhou Xuan scoffed and leaned back against the Grandmaster Chair, his tone dripping with mockery.
"He left this as a pledge of allegiance. He didn't dare hand it over in person, afraid I'd follow the vine to the melon and wipe out the Heavenly Strategy Pavilion's nest."
The Alliance Leader frowned deeply, staring at the pebble in Zhou Xuan's hand with palpable wariness. "Could there be some killing move hidden inside it? The Heavenly Strategy Pavilion operates in secret. They love playing at gods and ghosts."
"He clearly had no good