The grand applause and excited murmurs following the final auction item slowly subsided as the heavy velvet curtains closed across the white-jade stage of the Sky-Gazing Pavilion. Thousands of attendees began streaming out toward the grand exit halls, their conversations echoing through the marble corridors with animated discussions about the astronomical bids and the tense confrontation between VIP Box Room 3 and Room 7. The intense pressure that had hung over the main auditorium during the final bidding war was now shifting into an ominous, expectant hush throughout the surrounding streets of Imperial Sun City.
Inside VIP Box Room 7, the air remained extraordinarily quiet and cool. The fragrant scent of warm jasmine tea mixed subtly with the faint, lingering frost-mist that Li-Wen had brought into the room upon receiving the resonance from the northern stone.
A gentle, polite knock sounded against the dark rosewood door of the private chamber, perfectly breaking the silence.
"Enter," Li-Wen said calmly. He stood near the seamless crystal window, his towering frame framed against the night sky outside, his broad hands folded loosely behind his back.
The heavy door slid open smoothly on concealed copper runners. Vice-President Lin Xuan of the Central Merchant League walked into the room, accompanied by Master Appraiser Su-Yan and two senior stewards clad in gold-trimmed white robes. The stewards carefully carried the reinforced shadow-iron trunk containing the Ancestral Northern Rune Slab, its dark surface still pulsing with a faint, icy aura.
Vice-President Lin Xuan was a tall, distinguished man in his late fifties, dressed in a sweeping dark-gold silk robe adorned with subtle spatial array threads that shimmered under the crystal lanterns. His eyes were sharp, wise, and deeply perceptive, honed by decades of managing high-stakes transactions among the continent's most dangerous cultivators.
The moment Lin Xuan stepped into the room and his gaze fell upon Li-Wen, a subtle glint of profound amazement passed through his eyes. Even with Li-Wen's aura completely suppressed into a state of quiet tranquility, Lin Xuan's cultivated divine perception allowed him to sense the terrifying, unyielding foundation hidden beneath Li-Wen's simple dark coat. It was like standing before a dormant divine blade resting inside an ancient, unadorned scabbard—unpretentious on the surface, yet capable of splitting the sky if drawn.
Lin Xuan immediately bowed low, cupping his hands in a formal, respectful martial greeting. "Greetings, Esteemed Senior. I am Lin Xuan, Vice-President of the Central Merchant League. It is an absolute honor to meet the noble master of Room 7."
Li-Wen turned his head slightly, bowing his head half an inch in courteous acknowledgment. "Vice-President Lin."
Lin Xuan signaled to the stewards, who carefully set the heavy shadow-iron trunk down upon the sandalwood table with a soft, solid thud. Master Appraiser Su-Yan stepped forward gracefully, holding out a pristine, pale-blue jade card and a delicate silver key with both hands.
"Senior," Lin Xuan spoke warmly, his tone exceptionally respectful. "This is the Ancestral Northern Rune Slab, perfectly intact and unsealed, exactly as showcased on the stage. The final winning bid was two thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Per our league's highest VIP policy, we have waived the five-percent transaction fee for our Crimson Pass holders."
Li-Wen did not speak. With a light, casual sweep of his broad right sleeve, a sudden ripple of spatial distortion fluctuated in the air above the table. Two high-grade spatial pouches materialized smoothly, landing beside the silk tablecloth without making a sound. The faint seams of the pouches emitted a dense, crystal-clear aura of rich spiritual energy.
Lin Xuan did not even open the pouches to manually count the contents; his cultivated divine sense swept over them in a fraction of a second, verifying the exact count of two thousand high-purity mid-grade spirit stones. He nodded approvingly to Su-Yan, who handed the small pale-blue jade key of the shadow-iron trunk to Li-Wen.
Li-Wen took the key, touched the surface of the trunk with his fingertip, and with a faint shimmer of grey spatial energy, the heavy shadow-iron trunk vanished smoothly into his personal spatial storage.
Watching this seamless, effortless display of spatial manipulation, Lin Xuan's respect grew even deeper. A cultivator who could handle spatial storage so casually while maintaining a completely unreadable aura was certainly not someone to be provoked. He stepped closer, lowering his voice by a noticeable fraction:
"Senior... if I may offer a word of sincere caution." Lin Xuan looked toward the direction of VIP Box Room 3 across the open hall. "Elder Meng of the Overlord Sect left his private chamber ten minutes ago in a state of extreme fury. He felt openly humiliated by the bidding outcome. My intelligence scouts have confirmed that he has already dispatched his Iron-Blood Enforcers to seal the major thoroughfares surrounding the Sky-Gazing Pavilion."
Lin Xuan gestured toward a hidden stone panel on the western wall of the room. "The Central Merchant League values the absolute safety and privacy of our esteemed patrons. Behind this panel is a private, subterranean spatial transport array. It can convey Senior and the young lady directly three miles outside the city's southern gates, completely bypassing the Overlord Sect's scouts and perimeter watchers."
It was a remarkably gracious and valuable offer—one that ninety-nine out of a hundred cultivators would accept instantly to avoid a deadly, bloody clash with a Stage-3 Peak powerhouse and an influential regional sect like the Overlord Sect.
However, Li-Wen's sharp, carved face remained completely impassive. His dark eyes were as still as an ancient, frozen well under the moonlight.
"There is no need," Li-Wen said smoothly, his voice low and completely devoid of any hesitation or fear. "The mountain pass is open. If they wish to stand in the way, they may try."
Lin Xuan froze for a moment, genuinely stunned by the sheer, absolute confidence in Li-Wen's voice. It was not the hollow, noisy bravado of an arrogant young master, but the calm, undeniable truth spoken by a supreme expert who viewed the formidable Overlord Sect as nothing more than minor dust on the side of a road.
Lin Xuan let out a soft, admiring sigh and bowed deeply once more, sweeping his long sleeves respectfully. "I understand. Senior's courage and strength are truly boundless. The Central Merchant League shall honor Senior's choice and remain neutral as promised."
"Thank you for the tea," Li-Wen said simply.
He walked over to the plush armchair where Xiao-Yue was sitting. The little girl had neatly finished her sweet lotus cakes and wiped her small fingers with a damp silk cloth provided by the attendants. Seeing Li-Wen approach, her dark, round eyes brightened with absolute trust.
Li-Wen lifted her smoothly into his left arm, her small legs resting comfortably against his waist. Xiao-Yue wrapped her small arms around his neck, holding her glowing lotus lantern in her right hand. The soft pink light from the lantern cast a gentle glow against Li-Wen's dark coat.
With his broad, heavy blade resting securely across his back, wrapped in its thick dark cloth, Li-Wen turned and walked out of VIP Box Room 7. His tall shadow lengthened across the carpeted corridor as he headed toward the central staircase, completely ignoring the private escape array.
The grand ground floor of the Sky-Gazing Pavilion was gradually emptying as the last of the general audience filtered out. However, outside in the expansive plaza, the atmospheric temperature had dropped significantly, turning extraordinarily tense, cold, and heavy.
A thick, damp night fog had rolled down from the northern ridges surrounding Imperial Sun City, blanketing the white-cobblestone avenues of the central commercial district in a ghost-like haze. The usual vibrant street vendors, food stalls, and traveling performers had hurriedly packed away their goods, sensing the sharp, metallic scent of blood in the air. Windows along the street were shut tight, and doors were bolted from the inside as the local citizens hid in silence.
As Li-Wen stepped out of the grand main entrance of the pavilion, carrying Xiao-Yue, his rhythmic, measured footsteps echoed with striking clarity against the damp stone steps.
TAP. TAP. TAP.
Fifty paces away, standing under the shadow of a massive stone archway, were several dark-robed figures. Their faces were obscured by deep hoods, but their eyes glinted with hostile, crimson energy as they tracked every inch of Li-Wen's movement. The moment Li-Wen stepped onto the main thoroughfare leading toward the western hill district, two shadow-scouts detached themselves from the rooflines above, vanishing into the swirling night mist like phantom birds to report back to Elder Meng.
The silence of the night was eerie. Only the gentle whistling of the autumn wind through the empty market stalls accompanied Li-Wen's unhurried advance.
Xiao-Yue rested her small chin on Li-Wen's broad shoulder, her dark eyes looking back at the misty street behind them. She could feel the subtle, prickly sensation of malicious intent lingering in the dark corners, but her face showed no fear.
"Brother Li-Wen," she whispered softly, her voice small, pure, and crystal-clear in the quiet night air. "There are bad people following us in the dark."
"I know," Li-Wen replied smoothly, his tone as warm, steady, and gentle as a hearth fire in the dead of winter.
He did not speed up his pace by a single inch, nor did he alter his direction. He continued walking with unhurried, iron-like steps toward the winding mountain road that led out of the bustling city center and toward their quiet residence.
"Are you afraid?" Li-Wen asked her softly, turning his head slightly so his cheek touched her soft hair.
Xiao-Yue shook her head firmly, her two silver hair ribbons swaying gently in the night breeze. She hugged his neck a little tighter, her small face lighting up with a bright, innocent smile as she raised her glowing lotus lantern slightly higher.
"No," Xiao-Yue said softly, her voice filled with absolute conviction. "With Brother Li-Wen here, nobody in the whole world can hurt Xiao-Yue."
A quiet, faint trace of warmth touched Li-Wen's dark eyes—a rare softening of the cold, immovable armor that usually enveloped his heart. He adjusted her posture comfortably in his arm and patted her small back with his broad palm.
"Good," Li-Wen said softly, his voice low and steady as he looked toward the quiet, moonlit mountain pass ahead. "Hold your lantern tight. We will be home soon."
Side by side, the towering man with the heavy wrapped blade and the small child holding her glowing lantern walked unhurriedly into the foggy night, stepping directly and fearlessly into the path where the Overlord Sect's deadly ambush awaited them.
The winding road leading up toward the western hill district grew steeper and narrower as it left the paved streets of Imperial Sun City behind. Tall, ancient pine trees lined both sides of the dirt path, their dense branches blocking out the faint moonlight and casting long, skeletal shadows across the ground. The fog here was even thicker, clinging to the damp grass like a heavy shroud.
Li-Wen maintained his steady rhythm. Step after step, his footfalls remained completely silent despite his massive frame and the heavy weight on his back.
Suddenly, forty yards ahead, the misty air vibrated violently!
HUMMMMMM!
A sharp, crimson light burst forth from four hidden points in the surrounding forest! Four heavy blood-red energy pillars shot straight up into the sky, intersecting overhead to form a massive, dome-shaped spiritual barrier that sealed off both the front and rear of the mountain road!
The Blood-Iron Isolation Array had been activated!
Inside the barrier, the surrounding ambient sounds of the night—the rustling leaves, the chirping insects, and the distant city noises—were instantly cut off, replaced by a suffocating, bloodthirsty silence.
From the dense shadows beneath the pine trees ahead, five figures walked out slowly into the center of the road.
Leading the group was Elder Meng of the Overlord Sect. His dark purple robes billowed wildly around his withered frame, and his right hand gripped his heavy bronze serpent-headed staff so tightly that his knuckles were white. His narrow, yellowed eyes burned with intense, murderous greed as he stared at Li-Wen.
Flanking Elder Meng were four broad-shouldered men clad in heavy crimson leather armor, each holding a broad, double-edged executioner sword that dripped with dark crimson Qi. These were the four elite Iron-Blood Enforcers of the Overlord Sect, all powerful Stage-3 martial artists trained specifically for group assassination and heavy slaughter.
Elder Meng took three steps forward, his bronze staff striking the stone road with a loud, ringing sound that shattered the quiet fog.
CLANG!
"Heh... heh heh..." Elder Meng let out a dry, raspy laugh that sounded like dry leaves scraping across a tombstone. "You truly have guts, brat! To think you actually dared to walk out through the front door of the pavilion instead of crawling through the League's underground tunnels!"
Li-Wen stopped ten paces away from the barrier line. He did not look at the four Iron-Blood Enforcers, nor did he look at the glowing red array surrounding them. His dark eyes rested calmly on Elder Meng, his expression as unmoving as an ancient glacier.
"You are blocking the road," Li-Wen said simply. His voice was low, flat, and completely devoid of any emotion, as if he were merely commenting on an inconvenient rock lying on the path.
Elder Meng's face twisted in rage at Li-Wen's utter lack of fear! He sneered viciously, raising his bronze serpent staff and pointing it directly at Li-Wen's chest.
"Arrogant fool!" Elder Meng snarled, his voice echoing inside the isolated array barrier. "You think having a few spirit stones makes you a supreme master?! In this world, wealth without matching strength is nothing more than an invitation to be slaughtered! Hand over the Ancestral Northern Rune Slab, hand over your spatial ring, and perhaps this old man will grant you a quick, painless death! Otherwise..."
Elder Meng's eyes shifted maliciously toward Xiao-Yue, who was sitting quietly in Li-Wen's left arm.
"...otherwise, I will skin this little girl alive in front of your eyes before crushing every bone in your body!"
The moment the words "skin this little girl alive" left Elder Meng's mouth, the temperature within a hundred-foot radius dropped instantly!
It was not a gradual cooling, but a sudden, violent plunge into absolute arctic cold!
The thick white fog surrounding the mountain road froze mid-air, transforming instantly into millions of microscopic frost crystals that rained down onto the dirt road with a soft, rustling sound. The green pine needles on the surrounding trees turned bone-white in a single breath, covered in a thick layer of jagged ice!
Li-Wen did not yell. He did not shout in anger.
He gently shifted Xiao-Yue's small head against his neck, placing his broad right palm over her little ear to block out the noise.
Then, he looked up at Elder Meng.
In his dark, abyssal eyes, two small, icy blue sparks ignited slowly. An ancient, suffocating blade-intent—dormant for years—began to leak from his body like an overflowing ocean of frost.
"You," Li-Wen spoke, his voice vibrating with a deep, resonant rumble that shook the very earth beneath their feet, "have chosen the wrong words.
See you in next chapter.....