In the heart of the Heavenly Star Dynasty, a towering mountain stood unshaken.
Mist swirled around it, carrying an eerie chill.
The outlines of a sect appeared and vanished within it.
It was the Ghost King Sect, one of the four great powers within the Heavenly Star Dynasty.
The sect was situated atop a mountain several dozen kilometers outside the capital.
"The sect had roughly a thousand inner and outer disciples, along with a number of elders!"
There was also an ancestor in secluded cultivation at the Peak Tribulation Transcendence Realm!
"This was the foundation of the Ghost King Sect's confidence."
At that moment, the atmosphere in the sect's main hall was solemn and cold.
Sect Master Qi Tianlong wore black robes, his face stern. His cultivation had reached the Mid Tribulation Transcendence Stage.
He sat in the seat of honor, his gaze sweeping over the elders and stewards below.
"Reporting to the Sect Master, we have received intelligence."
"Our subordinate force, the Heavenly Wolf Gang, has been wiped out by an assassin organization called the Shadow Pavilion."
A steward of the Ghost King Sect hurried in, his voice tinged with fatigue.
The Heavenly Wolf Gang had been one of the more substantial powers in Fengluo City.
"The spirit stones they offered to the Ghost King Sect each year were no small sum!"
Now that an assassin organization that had appeared out of nowhere had actually wiped them out, it naturally drew the Ghost King Sect's attention.
"The Shadow Pavilion? What is this force of unknown origins?"
"I have never heard of it!"
"Have you found out why they were wiped out?" Qi Tianlong's brows knitted tightly, a trace of confusion and coldness in his voice.
"According to the intelligence we received, the Shadow Pavilion is a force that suddenly appeared in Fengluo City recently."
The assassins who had taken action were at the late Purple Mansion Realm or around the Sea Transformation Realm.
Strength like that was considered decent in Fengluo City.
Those who had acted were hall masters, belonging to the ranks of profound-grade assassins.
"At present, it is unclear what other powerful cultivators the [Shadow Pavilion] has."
"Moreover, the Pavilion Master of the Shadow Pavilion is very mysterious. No one has seen them, and no one knows who they are."
The speaker was Yin Tiankui, the Ghost King Sect's fifth elder.
Cultivation-peak Yin-Yang Realm.
He was responsible for intelligence work, but his understanding of the Shadow Pavilion barely scratched the surface.
"Hall masters at the late Purple Mansion Realm or the Sea Transformation Realm?"
"Hmph, with that kind of strength, they dare attack a subordinate force of my Ghost King Sect!"
"They truly have no idea whether they're courting life or death!"
Qi Tianlong snorted coldly, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes.
"Sect Master, I suggest we send people to Fengluo City to investigate."
"If we find no powerful cultivators, we can wipe out this Shadow Pavilion."
"If we do not respond, it will inevitably damage the Ghost King Sect's prestige in the future," the fifth elder proposed.
"Very well, you will go, Fifth Elder!"
"Take a few more stewards and elders with you and sound them out."
"Test the strength of this [Shadow Pavilion]." Qi Tianlong nodded.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Star Imperial Family had also received a report from the underground black market.
News of the Shadow Pavilion had reached the imperial family's ears as well.
The imperial family was also deeply surprised by the Shadow Pavilion's appearance. An assassin organization they had never heard of?
"Where did they come from?"
The imperial palace's grand hall in the Heavenly Star Dynasty gleamed with gold and splendor.
Glazed tiles glittered in the sunlight.
The ruler of the Heavenly Star Dynasty-Murong Fu.
He sat upon the dragon throne in the grand hall, his eyes deep.
The atmosphere within the grand hall was somewhat unusual.
His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne, producing a rhythmic sound.
The officials below held their breath and focused, waiting for Murong Fu's instructions.
"The Shadow Pavilion?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"The Shadow Pavilion has recently risen in Fengluo City within the Heavenly Star Dynasty, and its actions are mysterious and unfathomable."
"We cannot trace its origins. It is as though it appeared out of thin air!"
"They wiped out the Heavenly Wolf Gang, a subordinate force of the Ghost King Sect, and have now drawn the attention of several major powers," an official replied with a bow.
Murong Fu nodded slightly, little expression on his face.
In his eyes, whether it was the Shadow Pavilion or any other force, they were nothing more than his pawns within the dynasty.
He alone was the master of the Heavenly Star Dynasty, his cultivation having reached the late Tribulation Crossing Realm.
"Besides, there is also an ancestor in secluded cultivation at the early Reincarnation Realm."
"Send more secret guards to investigate the origins of this Shadow Pavilion."
"Also, have the underground black market continue monitoring the movements of the Ghost King Sect and the Shadow Pavilion!"
"That bunch from the Ghost King Sect will not simply let this go!"
"Let the Ghost King Sect sound out the Shadow Pavilion's strength!"
Murong Fu's voice echoed through the grand hall.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Among the three great powers-the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect, the Vajra Sect, and the Ghost King Sect-
Each possessed someone whose strength was at the Peak Tribulation Transcendence Realm.
The Vajra Sect, a Buddhist cultivation sect, was even more mysterious. No one knew how powerful its abbot was.
Was he perhaps at the Peak Tribulation Transcendence Realm or in the Reincarnation Realm?
Together, they formed a three-legged balance of power within the Heavenly Star Dynasty.
They and the imperial family held one another in check!
Atop a mountain peak in the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect stood a middle-aged man.
His eyes gazed into the distance, his hands clasped behind his back, as though he could pierce the barriers of time and space.
He was Liu Ran, Sect Master of the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect.
His strength was at the Mid Tribulation Crossing Realm.
"The Shadow Pavilion?"
"Just who is this newly risen force?" Liu Ran murmured to himself.