Within the Ghost King Sect, the night was black as ink, the stars hidden away. Only in the Netherworld Hall deep within the sect did candlelight flicker, illuminating a face shrouded in gloom-that of the Ghost King Sect's sect master, Qi Tianlong.
At that moment, the atmosphere inside the great hall was so heavy that even the air seemed to have frozen.
A deacon dressed in black robes and wearing a ghost mask hurried inside, an eerie light flickering in his eyes. Clutched tightly in his hands were crystalline jade slips, each shattered into several pieces. They were Sun Qi's soul jade.
"Sect Master, something terrible has happened!" The deacon's voice was low and urgent, every word striking Qi Tianlong's heart like a heavy hammer.
"What is it? Why are you rushing about so late at night?" Qi Tianlong asked.
"Sun Qi's soul jade has shattered, Sect Master!"
Soul jade was one of the Ghost King Sect's secret treasures. Every true disciple and elite disciple possessed a piece containing their soul's presence. Should its owner meet with disaster, the jade slip would shatter as a warning.
At these words, Qi Tianlong's face instantly turned livid. A powerful presence surged from his body-the pressure unique to a Tribulation Crossing Realm expert-making the entire Ghost King Sect tremble.
"What did you say?" Qi Tianlong's voice was low and full of authority, as though it held endless fury and unwillingness to accept this. "Sun Qi... how is that possible?"
The elders within the Ghost King Sect immediately headed toward Qi Tianlong.
Sun Qi was an outstanding member of the Ghost King Sect's younger generation, at the late Sea Transformation Realm, and a promising young man even within the Heavenly Star Dynasty. Moreover, he carried a life-protecting talisman Qi Tianlong had bestowed upon him, containing a Tribulation Crossing Realm strike.
He had been a future star in whom the sect placed great hopes. Yet now, he had fallen so suddenly that Qi Tianlong found it hard to accept.
"He had a lifesaving trump card. How could he die?" A trace of disbelief seeped into Qi Tianlong's voice. He reached out and took the shattered soul jade, examining it closely with a blazing gaze, as though trying to discern something from it.
"Could it have been... a Tribulation Crossing Realm expert?" Under normal circumstances, such experts would not strike against the weak. The strong had the bearing of the strong!
Even Qi Tianlong himself did not believe the thought when it arose. He knew practically all the Tribulation Crossing Realm experts within the Heavenly Star Dynasty!
Could someone have ambushed him? Killed him instantly before he could react? One question after another flashed through Qi Tianlong's mind!
At that moment, Grand Elder Gui Ming came in after hearing the commotion outside.
"Sect Master, what happened? You weren't even this furious last time!"
Seeing Grand Elder Gui Ming arrive, Qi Tianlong said, "Sun Qi's soul jade shattered. Someone killed him, but we don't know who the murderer is."
"What? Who dared kill a personal disciple of our Ghost King Sect?" the grand elder exclaimed, equally shocked.
"Send people out immediately and find out what happened!"
Qi Tianlong's voice turned icy and resolute. "I want to know where Sun Qi met with disaster, and who dared lay a hand on someone from our Ghost King Sect!"
Hearing this, the deacon added, "Sect Master! Sun Qi and a group of disciples went to the Gloomy Shadow Mountain Range to train!"
Qi Tianlong said, "Then send people to investigate the Gloomy Shadow Mountain Range. Find the true culprit, whatever the cost!"
"Grand Elder, sorry for the trouble, but you must go to the Gloomy Shadow Mountain Range and uncover the truth!"
The grand elder answered, "Yes, Sect Master. I'll take people there immediately and make certain we find out what happened!"
With Qi Tianlong's orders issued, the Ghost King Sect swiftly sprang into action. An investigative party consisting of the grand elder and elite disciples quietly set out through the night toward the Gloomy Shadow Mountain Range.
The next day, clouds and mist swirled in the secluded depths of the Gloomy Shadow Mountain Range. Even the light seemed afraid of this place, casting down only a stingy scattering of dappled light and shadow.
The Ghost King Sect's grand elder stood atop a mountain in black robes, his expression cold and stern. His blazing gaze pierced the layers of mist, reaching straight into the unknown abyss.
Beside him, the elite disciples stood in three teams, each bearing the heavy mission of finding the bodies of the missing disciples, Sun Qi and the others.
For days, their hurried footsteps and low calls echoed through the mountain forests, only to be answered by endless silence and echoes.
Then, at dusk one day, a team of disciples unexpectedly discovered an unusual clue in a dark spot concealed by dense woodland-
"Look! Aren't these our Ghost King Sect's clothes?"
Tattered scraps of Ghost King Sect clothing lay scattered across the ground alongside mottled bloodstains. Among them were several pieces of bone gnawed by demonic beasts. An indescribable chill and the smell of blood pervaded the air.
"Quick, send a signal to the grand elder! We've found the location!" a disciple called urgently, his voice carrying a measure of excitement and unease.
The grand elder soon hurried over upon receiving the news. His steps were steady and powerful, each one seeming capable of crushing the surrounding gloom.
He crouched and carefully examined the scene, his fingertips brushing the scraps of clothing as a trace of gravity flashed through his eyes. "These are Sun Qi's clothes, without a doubt."
He spoke in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings. Although the traces of fighting had already faded, the intensity and brutality of the battle could still be felt.
But the destruction here looks more like the work of a demonic beast, the grand elder pondered inwardly, then made a decision.
I'll investigate with the secret art! Otherwise, I won't know what happened, and it'll be hard to give an account when I return!
Gui Ming then closed his eyes and focused, forming seals with both hands. Spiritual power surged within him as he prepared to perform the Ghost King Sect's supreme secret art-the Image Retention Technique.
This technique could glimpse fragments of the deceased's life before death, but its price was the caster's blood essence and an immense strain on the body.
With a low chant from the grand elder, ripples spread through the air, and blurred scenes slowly unfolded before everyone's eyes.
In the images, Sun Qi and the others appeared not far from the corpse of a Twin-Horned Poison Crocodile Beast. There was also a young man! The two sides seemed to exchange a few words.
The young man suddenly struck, easily killing the Ghost King Sect disciples in just two moves. His figure moved as swiftly as a phantom; he clearly possessed an advanced movement martial technique.
"Who is this? At a glance, he's at the middle Sea Transformation Realm?" The grand elder's brows knitted tightly, but he soon shook his head. "No, someone at the middle Sea Transformation Realm couldn't possibly possess such strength."
"Killing a Twin-Horned Poison Crocodile Beast requires at least peak Yin-Yang Realm strength! This man is playing the pig to eat the tiger!"
"And this is the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect's Falling Rosy Clouds Sword Art! ...Late Yin-Yang Realm cultivation!"
"Even the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect's true disciples shouldn't have peak Yin-Yang Realm strength, should they? Just who is this man? His strength is already at an elder's level!"
"Damn it! He's actually from the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect!" His words were filled with shock and disbelief.
In the images, the young man's speed, uncanny movements, and swordsmanship sent a chill through everyone present.
"When did the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect gain someone like this?"
Especially when he displayed that dazzling movement footwork, the grand elder became even more certain that this man was no ordinary person.
"All of you, remember this man's face," the grand elder commanded in a deep voice. At the same time, he took out a specially made communication jade slip and recorded the young man's image and the information within it, preparing to send it back to the sect.
"Issue a full-scale wanted notice for this man. Wherever he flees, he must pay the price! The Falling Rosy Clouds Sect must also give us an explanation!"
"Let's go! Gather everything up and bring the remains." Gui Ming's voice sounded somewhat weary as he said, "We'll return to the sect first and see how the sect master handles this. That scoundrel has probably long since fled. Several days is enough time to leave the Gloomy Shadow Mountain Range!"
With the grand elder's orders issued, a pursuit spanning a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers quietly began.
Meanwhile, word of that mysterious young man's deeds in the Gloomy Shadow Mountain Range also began spreading quietly through the Heavenly Star Dynasty, stirring an unprecedented storm.
And that mysterious young man, capable of challenging the Ghost King Sect single-handedly, would undoubtedly become the focus of everyone's attention.