"We swear to follow the Patriarch unto death!"
"Destroy Black Blood Stronghold! Seize the inheritance for ourselves!"
The assembled elders knelt prostrate, their eyes burning with the flames of ambition, as though that ethereal immortal destiny were already within arm's reach.
Yet watching this mob of underlings—minds clouded by desire, knowing only to howl for blood and battle—a flicker of mockery passed through Li Mang's gaze.
He knew these people all too well. Wolves when the wind favored them, dogs when it turned.
Without sufficient profit to drive them and an iron fist to keep them in line, this rabble would have scattered long ago.
He waved his hand, signaling them to rise, then reached with solemn ceremony into the innermost pocket against his chest.
From it he withdrew an ancient map, yellowed and curling at the edges.
The material was peculiar—neither paper nor silk. To the touch, it carried the oily chill unique to human skin. When spread flat upon the pallid bone-table before him, it produced a sound like a sigh as it scraped across the surface.
"Did you truly believe that for these past months I've been expending manpower, sending scouts to harass Black Blood Stronghold's borders, even provoking pointless skirmishes—all for a few barren patches of deadwood? For the pittance that Copper Stone Gully produces?"
Li Mang's withered finger traced slowly across the map, his voice low and seductive, as though recounting some forbidden tale buried by time:
"Several centuries ago, these southern frontier mountains were ruled by a true overlord. That Rank 5 powerhouse bore the title 'Black Bone King,' his cultivation piercing heaven and earth."
"But before his fall, to prevent his enemies from sweeping up his legacy in one stroke—and to screen for a worthy successor—he used supreme methods to dismember his life's learning and treasures, sealing them separately, scattering them across these mountains for a hundred miles in every direction."
His finger pressed down hard on the spot marked "White Bone Mountain," Primeval Essence pulsing from his fingertip. That single point began to glow with spectral green light.
"This place is merely the spine of his inheritance—the core we currently control."
The elders held their breath, eyes locked on the map, afraid to miss a single detail.
As Li Mang's finger moved, faint red marks emerged across the map's surface, connecting like blood vessels and veins.
"The skull, the limbs, the torso... each corresponds to different inherited treasures."
"All this time, I've been attempting to use the 'spine' token in my possession to sense the other parts, but the readings remained unclear. Until recently..."
His finger finally crossed the boundary line, coming to rest on a region marked in red.
That area was unmistakably the heartland of Black Blood Stronghold's territory.
"I've confirmed it at last. The Black Bone King's most crucial defensive inheritance—or perhaps some supremely powerful Killer Move—lies buried beneath Black Blood Stronghold's domain!"
"This is why I've continuously sent infiltrators and probes. I had to pinpoint the location. And now, I've locked down the approximate range."
So all those skirmishes and provocations had been nothing more than a smokescreen.
White Bone Stronghold's true objective was never those petty gains, but the heaven-shaking treasure slumbering beneath their enemy's feet.
"In that case, we absolutely cannot retreat!"
One of the more aggressive elders couldn't help stepping forward, eyes gleaming with ferocity, breath coming fast.
"Patriarch, this is providence!"
"While Lin Cang's breakthrough is still fresh and his foundation unstable, we launch a full assault! Once we take Black Blood Stronghold and excavate the inheritance, we'll soar to the heavens—we could even dominate the entire Southern Frontier!"
"Fool!"
Li Mang's head snapped up, his gaze venomous as a provoked serpent.
A wave of bone-chilling killing intent instantly locked onto the elder, who shuddered from head to toe, legs buckling as he dropped to his knees with a panicked thump.
"Attack now? Are you so eager for us all to die?"
He gave a cold snort, his voice cutting to the bone.
"You think Lin Cang is made of clay? Even if we threw every last man at him and took him down, there's still that fortress array Black Blood Stronghold has cultivated for a century!"
"That's a bone hard enough to crack your teeth—and you still might not chew through it!"
He paused, his tone growing darker still: "More critically, the moment war breaks out, the earth veins will tremble."
"When that fortress array runs at full power, drawing on the land's essence, Lin Cang will inevitably discover what lies beneath his own foundations."
"When that happens, do you think he'll let us touch that inheritance? He'd sooner destroy it than hand it over! We'd spend everything we have and end up with nothing but rubble!"
"Then... what does the Patriarch intend?"
"Endurance."
Li Mang settled back into his throne, fingers interlaced beneath his chin, knuckles whitening with pressure. Calculation glittered in his eyes.
"When Lin Cang comes to pay his respects, we must reveal no flaws, give no hint that we covet that land. Any unusual show of defiance could rouse his suspicion."
"Yet we cannot truly grovel either. Too much weakness, and he'll push for more—or the hungry wolves circling us will tear us apart."
He caressed the Bone Spine Staff in his hand, feeling the terrible power contained within, his voice thick with confidence:
"With this staff and the mountain's protective array, within White Bone Mountain's bounds, I can briefly unleash power rivaling mid-stage Rank 4—enough to suppress even Lin Cang. But I can only defend, not attack. The moment I leave these gates, I lose that advantage."
"Therefore, we must stage a performance. A bitter sacrifice of self-inflicted wounds, all in the name of forbearance."
Li Mang's gaze fell upon Li Huang in the lower seat. A glint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes—the cold calculus of one willing to sacrifice anything for the greater picture.
"We must make him believe we're bowing our heads because we fear his Rank 4 majesty—not because we're concealing some unspeakable secret."
"We must satisfy his vanity, let him think he's won face."
"As for that accusation of colluding with the demonic path..."
He let out a contemptuous laugh, eyes full of mockery.
"When they want to condemn you, they'll never lack for charges. Without catching our people red-handed, it's nothing but hot air!"
"These so-called righteous sects, preaching demon-slaying and defending the Way—which of them hasn't done dirty work in the shadows?"
"When the time comes, we throw out a scapegoat and give him enough face. If Lin Cang truly dares to tear off all pretense over something this flimsy—to fight to mutual destruction—isn't he afraid those circling vultures will swoop in to pick over the remains?"
"He's only just entered Rank 4. His foundation is unsteady. No one values his life more, no one craves stability more."
"He's come this time to establish his authority and extract concessions. Give him enough of both, and he won't push to the death."
With that, Li Mang rose. Behind him, his shadow stretched infinitely long beneath the phosphorescent flames, like a demon god holding all things in his grasp.
"Send the order: open the gates, assume defensive positions, but make no offensive moves."
"Li Huang, prepare generous gifts. Bring out those Century-old Blood Ginseng from the treasury."
"If Lin Cang proves too aggressive, hand over those subordinates who bungled their tasks. Execute them publicly—give him a ladder to climb down."
"As long as we preserve our foundation, as long as we buy time to excavate that inheritance... today's bowed head will be repaid a hundredfold by Lin Cang tomorrow!"
"Yes! The Patriarch's wisdom is boundless!"
The elders answered in unison, their earlier panic finally settling. With the Patriarch's strategy in place, the coming storm no longer seemed quite so terrifying.
Before their wily, calculating leader, Lin Cang was nothing more than an upstart with brute strength.
As the others withdrew, the great hall returned to deathly silence.
Li Mang sat alone upon his throne, his gaze fixed on that human-skin map, fingers gently stroking the spot marked in red.
The fire in his eyes burned bright as the blazing sun.