"It could also lie in wait within the shadows."
"It could hardly be touched by any material thing."
"What a miraculous power!"
At the Jade City Government Office, Prefect Fang Yuqing looked sternly at the Chief Constable, Fei Yangming, standing before him.
"Have you found out what happened?"
Constable Fei Yangming's expression was grave.
"My lord, according to the coroner's investigation..."
"The man was likely a cultivator from the Blood Demon Sect."
"He died after someone drove a blade straight through his brain, from between his brows to the tip of his nose."
"The place where the body was found wasn't the original crime scene. We've sent out capable constables and patrolmen to search, but so far we haven't found a likely original crime scene."
"I've carefully examined the envelope on his person. It seems to be a secret letter, and only the Blood Demon Sect's specific method of deciphering it can reveal its contents."
"As for his identity, he was likely a sleeper agent the Blood Demon Sect had planted in Jade City."
"Our investigation found that he owned a rice shop."
"Our men are keeping the shop under surveillance for now. We haven't taken any official action yet."
Fang Qingyu's expression turned slightly more serious as he listened. "You've done well."
"Take the token and the letter to the Demon Extermination Hall. This is the sort of matter they should handle."
"We shouldn't interfere in disputes between ordinary Dao Lineages."
"Yes, my lord!"
Fei Yangming nodded quickly.
"You may go."
Fei Yangming withdrew respectfully.
Fang Qingyu, Prefect of Jade City, was a middle-aged man of about thirty.
With a dignified face and a small goatee, he radiated an air of official authority as he sat in a grand armchair, quietly tapping its armrest.
A thoughtful look crossed his face. "The Blood Demon Sect is one of the four great Dao Lineages of the Demonic Path. It has long been entrenched in the Northern Desert and is the main Dao Lineage of the Northern Barbarians."
"Could the barbarians in the north be making a move?"
"That secret letter can't be simple."
"Perhaps I should inform my sect. The Academy sent word last time, telling me to keep an eye on the Northern Barbarians. It seems the Demonic Path may be about to make a move."
A troubled look filled Fang Qingyu's eyes. Some inexplicable sense of crisis seemed to loom over the future.
Li Qing wandered the streets of Jade City. He had already mastered the Shadow Art, which let him enter shadows and become intangible.
But he had also noticed a problem: the vital essence in the shadows was completely different from the vital essence produced by his own cultivation of the Essence Blood Art and Martial Art.
The appearance of a second, different kind of vital essence in his body gave him an idea.
Could different spells and cultivation arts produce different kinds of vital essence?
What would happen if the vital essence became too mixed?
Vaguely, he recalled stories where conflicting attributes had led to cultivation deviation.
Until I figure this out, I'd better not cultivate spells or arts with different attributes.
The Spirit Blood Art and Martial Art both produce vital essence based on bloodlines, so their attributes are the same and they're compatible.
Next time I look for a new art or spell, I should stick to ones based on bloodline vital essence.
At that moment, he was browsing one bookstore after another.
He had found his first cultivation art at Huayue Study, and wanted to see if he might chance upon another bargain.
He had already visited three bookstores in a row and touched well over a thousand books, but not one had anything to do with cultivation.
They were all classics, biographies, popular fiction, and the like.
After wandering around, he suddenly stopped and looked toward an alley.
It was where he had dumped the body two days ago. The corpse was gone.
He silently shook his head. "The body must have been found. No one's come looking for me these past two days, so they probably haven't found any clues."
"I saw someone pass through here that night. I can come back tonight and take a look."
"I'll keep watch. Maybe I'll run into someone from a mysterious Dao Lineage."
"Then I can get a glimpse of the true cultivation world."
"Though this world is dangerous, being weak is even more dangerous."
"In a Cthulhu Cultivation World like this, you can't stay safe just by avoiding certain things."
A look of determination flashed through Li Qing's eyes.
Night fell in the blink of an eye. Li Qing used the Shadow Art and silently made his way to the spot where he had dumped the body.
He emerged from the shadows, dressed in a black robe, and began to wait in silence.
At night, apart from the timekeeper patrolling the main streets and the constables on patrol, there was hardly anyone in Jade City.
Standing in the shadows of the alley, Li Qing was like a ghostly shape, unnoticed by anyone.
He had already been waiting here for two or three hours. It was nearly the third watch.
"I'll wait a little longer. If no one shows up, I'll go home and sleep."
"Dao Lineages are hidden among the crowds. I'll run into one sooner or later."
As he pondered, a shadow flashed across the rooftops opposite him.
Li Qing's attention sharpened. He silently activated the Shadow Art and followed, concealed in the darkness.
A figure like a wisp of black smoke drifted across the rooftops.
Li Qing followed close behind, wanting to see where the person was going.
They crossed four or five streets, one after the other, before the smoky figure suddenly floated down from the rooftops.
The moment it landed, it darted into a nearby alley.
Standing at the end of the street, Li Qing saw the figure enter the dark alley and hurried after it.
Just then, another figure appeared across the street.
Dressed in a black robe that left only the eyes exposed, the figure flashed into the same alley where the black smoke had disappeared.
Li Qing stopped and thought it over. He went to the opposite side of the alley, where there was another lane.
He slipped inside, crouched in the shadows, and quietly watched the other side.
When he got a good look at the alley, surprise showed in his eyes.
It was pitch-black, as if shrouded in ink. Not a glimmer of light reached it—not even moonlight.
"Strange. There's something wrong with that alley."
He kept watch there for hours.
Li Qing noticed plenty of people going in and out. They all used various methods to conceal their true appearances.
As he watched, an idea began to form in his mind.
That alley must be a gathering place for cultivators, but they only seem to come at night.
Is it for concealment?
Their actions were steeped in mystery, and Li Qing wore a thoughtful look.
In the end, Li Qing chose not to go in. He quietly slipped away.
By the following afternoon, the morning had passed with him sorting through his belongings and getting a good rest.
He quietly made his way through the bustling crowds to the street where he had kept watch the night before.
His gaze searched for the alley where the mysterious people had been coming and going, but what he saw was astonishing.
"How could this be? Was what I saw yesterday just an illusion?"