Mo Feng

Deep within a dark alley.

A scrawny figure staggered into a dead end.

It was the skinny man who had been selling Strengthening Pills at the market.

He leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.

He looked back.

There were no pursuers.

The heart lodged in his throat finally sank back into his chest.

He reached for a crack between the wall bricks and pressed hard.

A blue brick sank inward.

The ground split open, revealing a hidden door just wide enough for one person to pass through.

He hurried down the stairs.

The underground chamber was dimly lit.

An elderly man in black robes sat cross-legged on a stone platform.

His eyes were closed, faint scarlet mist curling around him.

The skinny man's knees gave out, and he fell straight to the ground.

His forehead pressed against the icy stone floor as his entire body trembled.

"Your subordinate has failed in his task! Please forgive me, sir!"

The old man in black did not open his eyes.

"Weren't you casting the net at the market? Why have you returned empty-handed? Where is the blood food?"

"It's ruined... all ruined!"

The skinny man's voice was choked with tears.

"Several dozen commoners had already bought the Strengthening Pills. The formation marks had already been planted. I was about to draw out their blood essence and send it back..."

"But some meddlesome girl appeared out of nowhere!"

The old man in black slightly raised an eyelid.

"A girl?"

"In Heaven Dou City, someone still dares meddle in the Holy Church's affairs?"

"She's from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! That girl directly summoned the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda and smashed the entire stall!"

The old man in black sneered.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? A support-type Soul Master scared you into this state?"

"That girl had helpers?"

The skinny man swallowed.

"She brought a short-haired boy dressed in green."

"He wasn't very old, only a little over six at most."

"Your subordinate left three Soul Master thugs behind to deal with the girl, but that boy crippled them with a single finger!"

"He didn't summon his martial soul or use any soul skills! He simply pointed through the air, and their bodies and bones were shattered!"

"Your subordinate saw that something was wrong and feared exposing the formation's secret, so I could only retreat first!"

The old man in black rose to his feet.

He looked down at the skinny man on the floor.

"A six-year-old boy? Green robes?"

"Only one finger?"

"Yes!"

The skinny man lay prostrate on the ground, cold sweat pouring from his body.

"Sir, that girl was far too arrogant! She smashed every single medicine bottle the moment she arrived. She even shouted in public that the Strengthening Pills were poison that burned away one's lifespan."

"Your subordinate could tell at once that her martial soul was extraordinary. Seven-colored flowing light, the phantom image of a pagoda. She is definitely a direct descendant of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"I originally intended to have the thugs capture her and bring her back as premium blood food."

"The blood essence of a support-type Soul Master is a hundred times better than that of ordinary commoners!"

"Capture her? Would a direct descendant of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect go out without guards in the shadows?"

"There were no guards! There truly were no guards!"

"There was only that short-haired boy in green!"

"At first, the boy didn't interfere at all. He just stood outside the crowd and watched the show."

"He watched as the thugs forced that girl into a desperate situation."

"Just when they were about to succeed, the boy stepped forward."

"He was so fast that no one could see him clearly!"

"He held out two fingers and casually jabbed. The strongest assault-type thug was crippled on the spot!"

"The other agility-type one couldn't even escape. An invisible sword aura directly severed both his legs!"

"It was too bizarre! If your subordinate had fled half a step later, I would already be dead!"

The old man in black's brows furrowed tightly.

News of Withered Bone's defeat at the Crown Prince's Residence had long since spread within their ranks.

And now, a six-year-old child had appeared at the market.

It was no coincidence.

"The blood pool in this altar still needs the blood essence of three hundred people before it can be filled."

"What do you expect this old man to use to account for it?"

The skinny man kowtowed repeatedly in terror.

"Spare me, sir! Your subordinate will think of another way!"

"I'll move to another market and set up the stall for a few more days. I'll definitely gather enough blood food!"

The old man in black sighed.

"There isn't enough time."

"The grand plan laid out by the master cannot tolerate the slightest mistake. The Blood Fiend Formation requires the blood essence of nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine people as its catalyst."

"Only these last few hundred remain."

"You ruined the job, and you still dare ask this old man how to make up the difference?"

"If the master's task is delayed, both you and I will die."

The skinny man's face turned deathly pale as he desperately crawled backward.

"Spare me, sir! Your subordinate knows his mistake! I'll go to the outer city tonight and capture a few beggars!"

"The blood essence of beggars is filthy beyond compare. How could it be used as an offering to the master?"

The old man in black slowly raised a hand.

A dense ball of bloody light gathered in his palm.

"Since you failed in your task, you will naturally fill this shortage of blood food yourself."

The skinny man's eyes widened in horror.

He was just about to get up and flee.

A powerful suction force erupted from the old man's palm.

The skinny man screamed as he was pulled into the air.

"No! Sir! Your subordinate has been utterly loyal to the Holy Church!"

Scarlet mist instantly enveloped him.

His flesh shriveled at a visible rate.

Blood flowed endlessly through the mist and into the blood pool at the center of the stone platform.

The screams stopped abruptly.

A dried corpse fell to the ground and shattered into dust.

The blood in the pool churned and boiled.

The old man in black wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Then he turned and walked to the end of the chamber.

A bronze mirror as tall as a man was embedded in the wall.

He bit his fingertip and flicked a drop of blood essence onto the mirror's surface.

His lips moved in a quiet chant.

Ripples spread across the surface of the bronze mirror.

The mirror, which had reflected the chamber, turned black as ink.

An aura both holy and utterly sinister seeped out from the depths of the cracks.

The old man in black dropped to his knees, looking even more humble than the skinny man had been.

"Your subordinate Mo Feng greets the master!"

Within the darkness of the mirror, a pale hand slowly emerged.

"Is the blood pool full?"

The voice seemed to come from all directions, cold as ice.

The old man in black lowered his head even further.

"In reply to the master, something unexpected happened at the market."

"Someone recognized the formation marks within the Strengthening Pills."

The pale fingers paused slightly.

"There are still people with eyes in Heaven Dou City?"

"It was a six-year-old boy with short hair."

"According to the report from my men, the boy did not use his martial soul, yet crippled a level-twenty battle Soul Master with a single finger."

"His methods were extremely strange."

"Your subordinate suspects that he is the monster who killed Withered Bone at the Crown Prince's Residence."

A low laugh echoed from the depths of the mirror.

"Su Chen."

"That brat again."

Killing intent flashed through Mo Feng's eyes.

"Master, this person has repeatedly ruined the Holy Church's great plans. Withered Bone fell to him, and now he is obstructing the blood sacrifice."

"Should your subordinate personally act and bring several red-robed bishops to eliminate him?"

"We absolutely cannot leave this threat alive!"

The pale fingers lightly tapped against the mirror.

"Foolish."

"With your meager abilities, are you going to your death?"

Mo Feng shuddered and did not dare argue.

"Then... are we simply going to watch this brat run rampant in Heaven Dou City?"

"If the formation within the Strengthening Pills is traced back here, the Holy Church's stronghold in Heaven Dou City may be exposed."

"They won't trace it here."

The voice in the mirror carried a cold air of total control.

"This game in Heaven Dou City has only just begun."

"Since Su Chen enjoys meddling in other people's affairs, then give him some affairs to meddle in."

"We cannot let the people of the Crown Prince's Residence remain idle."

Mo Feng looked puzzled.

"What does the master mean?"

"Go to the Prince's Residence and deliver a message."

"Tell them that the child recruited by the Crown Prince's Residence has revealed his whereabouts at the market."

"Let Xue Xing deal with him."

Mo Feng froze.

"Xue Xing?"

"Master, after the battle at the Crown Prince's Residence, Prince Xue Xing has been frightened out of his wits."

"He entered the palace overnight to see the Emperor. Though the Emperor preserved the Prince's Residence, he docked six months of salary and ordered him to reflect behind closed doors for three days."

"Would Xue Xing dare make a move at a time like this?"

The pale hand in the mirror turned slightly.

"When a dog is driven into a corner, it will naturally jump over a wall."

"Last night, we saved Xue Xing from the spatial rift and used the Emperor's desire for balance to preserve the Prince's Residence. This chess piece cannot be saved for nothing."

"Xue Xing is now confined to reflect, with a bellyful of pent-up rage and nowhere to vent it."

"Tell Xue Xing that if he does not eliminate Su Chen, Xue Qinghe's position will become as stable as Mount Tai."

"Once Xue Qinghe secures the position of Crown Prince, the Prince's Residence will sooner or later be uprooted completely."

"At the brink of life and death, Xue Xing will know how to choose."

"Master, Xue Xing no longer has military authority. His control over the Royal Academy has also been stripped away."

"The deathsworn under his command were all wiped out last night."

"What does he have left to deal with that brat?"

"Are you suggesting Xue Xing personally pick up a sword and hack someone to death?"

A cold laugh came from within the mirror.

"Must one kill with one's own blade?"

"Although Xue Xing had lost military command, he had operated in Heaven Dou Imperial City for many years. His connections and hidden agents were still in place."

"In the royal family's internal struggles, Xue Ye liked to play blind."

"As long as things did not cause an uproar across the city, the Emperor would not intervene."

"Have Xue Xing use those noble families dependent on him to stir up trouble in the markets and the academies."

"Blow the matter up and make all the powerful figures in Heaven Dou City turn against Su Chen."

"Use the power of the Heaven Dou Empire to put this ignorant brat in his place."