Ghost Hand Void Form

Ghost Hand Void Form, ranked seventh on Great Gan's Black List.

Great Gan had three lists, all established by the Heavenly Policy Mansion.

The Heavenly List ranked the masters beneath Grandmasters throughout the realm.

The Earthly List, also known as the Hidden Dragon List, was open to cultivators under thirty.

The Black List, also called the Wanted List, included only criminals wanted by the Imperial Court. To enter the Black List's top ten meant one had escaped from at least one of the Heavenly Policy Mansion's Twelve Heavenly Catchers.

Rumor had it that he had once stolen treasure from the Imperial Palace and escaped alive from a Grandmaster's hands. True or not, his seventh-place ranking on the Black List was enough to show his skill.

Yet today, he was exceptionally cautious. North Spring Legend had once seen a Grandmaster take action, but the North Spring Sword Sect's Secret Sword was simply too tempting. If he could obtain it, forget surpassing Grandmasters—even if he could glean the secret to breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm from it, that would be an enormous harvest!

Passing through the forest, though thorns carpeted the undergrowth, Void Form made not a sound. A thin layer of dark, shadowy illusion enveloped his body. Beneath the shadows, even if an ordinary person stared with eyes wide open, they would never discover him. This was the Concealment Art he had cultivated by combining it with his own Profound Martial Phenomenon.

He was confident that even a Grandmaster could not detect his trail from thirty zhang away unless they were deliberately on guard and sensing for him.

Before long, Void Form silently climbed to North Spring Peak. He seemed intimately familiar with the terrain; after merely glancing around twice, he headed toward Gu Yuanqing's small courtyard.

His Movement Technique was swift as lightning and utterly soundless. With the shadows of the trees as cover, he moved like a ghost.

As he passed, even the chirping of the Insects on the ground did not pause in the slightest. His aura was sealed within his body by his Profound Martial Phenomenon. If he stood still, he appeared no different from a dead object.

Relying on such bizarre Concealment and lightness arts, he had been a great thief for over fifty years and had almost never failed.

Soon, he arrived before Gu Yuanqing's small courtyard. Perched atop a tree, he watched the movements around him.

At the first sign of any Grandmaster's presence, he would immediately turn and flee.

Treasure was all well and good, but one had to be alive to take it!

After waiting for roughly the time it took to burn an incense stick, he drifted down like a wisp of green smoke. He easily found the room where Gu Yuanqing lived and slipped a slender bamboo tube inside.

The specially made Mist Smoke slowly billowed into the room. He had great confidence in it. Even someone at the Profound Martial Ninth Layer would sleep like a dead pig after inhaling the slightest bit. As for its effect on Grandmasters, he had yet to find the chance to test it.

He hid to one side and listened for changes in the breathing within. If the person inside noticed anything, they would certainly hold their breath.

Another half-incense stick's time passed. Void Form detected no movement inside; instead, the breathing grew deeper and deeper. At last, a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

Still, his movements remained light, and he did not lower his guard in the slightest. True Essence flowed out, effortlessly lifting the window latch. Then he flipped inside.

The first thing he saw was a young man sleeping soundly in bed. He swept his gaze around the room. If Gu Yuanqing truly possessed the Secret Sword, he would certainly keep it here.

He skillfully began rifling through the room. Suddenly, his eyes lit up when he spotted a cultivation manual for the Heart Zen Unity Art.

He had heard of this cultivation art before. It pointed directly to the Grandmaster Realm. Though he could not switch to cultivating it now, such a manual would surely contain things he could learn from.

With that thought, he prepared to tuck it into his robes.

"Ah, I originally wanted to watch a little longer and see what exactly you intended to do, but you shouldn't have taken that."

Void Form froze, turning his head to see that Gu Yuanqing had already sat up.

True Qi burst forth. With a flick of his hand, more than a dozen Fine Needles, thin as ox hair and glinting with blue light, shot out.

At the same time, he used his Movement Technique to dart toward the window, not forgetting to stuff the manual into his robes.

But then, with a clang like a sword leaving its sheath, he suddenly felt heaven and earth become a Cage. Boundless pressure imprisoned the True Qi throughout his body. The manual in his hand was seized by an invisible force, while before him, a longsword hovered in midair, its point aimed at his face.

Void Form used every ounce of strength in his body to halt himself. Beads of cold sweat the size of soybeans slid down from his forehead. The sword tip had already pierced his brow, and blood seeped out.

Had he moved another half-step forward, no one would have needed to kill him—he would have rammed his own head onto the sword.

The Fine Needles flying toward Gu Yuanqing seemed to sink into a mire, slowing more and more before falling to the ground with crisp clinks.

"Tell me, what is your name? Your Movement Technique and Concealment Art are rather interesting."

Gu Yuanqing calmly put on his shoes and returned the manual in his hand to its original place. He wore a smile, and his voice was gentle, as though speaking with a friend.

Yet it was precisely this composure that made Void Form's heart sink without end. People like this were often more difficult to deal with, more terrifying.

It also meant the other party did not take him seriously at all. But that was only natural—someone capable of imprisoning him, a Profound Martial Ninth Layer expert, possessed at least the cultivation of a Grandmaster.

This was an Imperial Court trap! Void Form had already reached his conclusion.

"Why aren't you speaking? Don't worry. If I wanted to kill you now, I would have done so just then. It's rare for someone to come to North Spring Mountain. Let's have a chat first." Gu Yuanqing's tone remained even as he even picked up the clothes nearby and put them on.

Void Form slowly stepped back half a pace. His movements were extremely slow, for fear of causing Gu Yuanqing any misunderstanding.

Gu Yuanqing found it amusing. With a slight lift of his hand, the Kunwu Sword flew back into his grasp.

At the sight, horror flashed through Void Form's eyes. Even though his mind's perception had been cut off from the outside, he could tell by sight alone that this was not sword control through qi. This was clearly a legendary technique!

The rumors of the martial world might not have been wrong. The North Spring Secret Sword might indeed be in Gu Yuanqing's hands. What was wrong was that the man before him possessed cultivation at least at the Grandmaster Realm!

He abandoned the idea of forcing his escape. Steadying himself, he turned around, cupped his fists, and forced out a smile. "I am Void Form. Tonight, I failed to recognize a superior, rashly intruded, and ask Young Master Gu to forgive my offense."

Gu Yuanqing walked to a chair and sat down. He poured himself a cup of cold tea, took a light sip, and only then said with a smile, "So you're Void Form, ranked seventh on the Black List. Forgive you? The martial world only has rumors for now, but you have personally witnessed me make a move. If I let you go, wouldn't that expose my circumstances?"

"Please rest assured, Young Master Gu. I, Void Form, am by no means a man who breaks his word. If you spare me, I swear I will keep my mouth sealed."

"Someone once said that only the dead can truly keep secrets."

Void Form felt as though he had fallen into an ice pit, and the smile he forced out grew even uglier. "What must I do for Young Master Gu to spare me? Wealth, treasures, martial arts manuals—anything I can provide."

"You've asked the wrong question. You should be thinking for yourself about what you need to do to make me spare you."

Gu Yuanqing was rather curious to see how Void Form would answer.

Void Form's expression stiffened. Leaving aside whether this was an Imperial Court trap, if their positions were reversed, he himself would likely never spare someone who had sneaked into his room, released drugged smoke with the intent to steal, and learned his secrets.