The confrontation at Red Flame Valley between Qingxu Temple and Liyang Sect ended with Liyang Sect's retreat and compensation, the news spreading like wings across the surrounding regions. The entire Qingxu Temple was greatly encouraged, Tang Xiaoqi's reputation as "World-Purifying True Lord" growing ever more renowned, the sect's prestige also soaring. The border returned to its former tranquility, the patrol guards' rounds seemingly becoming much easier. However, beneath this surface that appeared to have returned to peace, a cold and lethal undercurrent had, taking advantage of the chaos of the previous border confrontation, frequent personnel movement, and diverted attention, silently infiltrated into Qingxu Temple's sphere of influence like a venomous snake.
Approximately three hundred li from Qingxu Temple's mountain gate, there lay a primeval forest called "Black Wind Grove." Ancient trees towered there, their branches and leaves blocking out the sun, perpetually shrouded in a faint miasma, light barely penetrating, appearing deep, dark and sinister. The forest teemed with demon beasts and poisonous insects, rarely entered by ordinary cultivators, a natural hiding place. At this moment, deep within Black Wind Grove, in a naturally formed underground cavern completely concealed by vines, several ghostly green phosphorescent flames floated, providing the sole source of light, illuminating seven or eight figure silhouettes like apparitions. These figures all wore tight-fitting black night attire, the material seemingly capable of absorbing light and blocking spiritual sense detection, making them nearly merge with the surrounding darkness.
Their breath was restrained to the extreme, barely perceptible even without seeing them. Each face was covered with a faceless, mirror-smooth black mask, revealing only cold, numb eyes devoid of any human emotion. The leader, slightly leaner in build, stood there as if non-existent, his breathing and heartbeat barely audible. His mask differed from the others' pure black, its edges faintly shimmering with a silver flow, like moonlight glinting off a venomous snake's scales.
He was the Shadow Snake Pavilion's Assassination Hall Master, who made countless names tremble—"Shadow." A black-clad subordinate knelt before Shadow on one knee, his voice low and hoarse, like sandpaper scraping: "Hall Master, target 'Green Robe' has returned to Qingxu Temple's mountain gate. Our assessment of his strength displayed at Red Flame Valley. far exceeds expectations. Suspected of mastering some high-level purification power and spatial movement technique. Conventional assassination difficulty, extremely high." Another black-clad individual spoke, his tone carrying an electronic-like coldness: "According to 'Hidden Stake Number Seven's' final transmission, the 'Seed' has been safely delivered to the 'Void Land.' Preparations for the 'Sacrifice' ceremony are thirty percent complete.
Pavilion Master's order: at all costs, eliminate target 'Green Robe,' seize the 'Purification Origin' within his body. This is a crucial component of the ceremony, must not fail." Shadow listened silently. His eyes hidden behind the mask were like two ancient wells, fathomless, without the slightest ripple. He slowly raised one hand—pale, slender, nails meticulously trimmed, yet through continuing a kind ofmaking peopleheart tremblingicy (yet radiating a chilling cold that made one's heart tremble).
His fingertip traced through the air. A wisp of shadow energy, barely distinguishable from the darkness, coiled around his fingertip, swiftly sketching out the terrain around Qingxu Temple—the mountain gate, main halls, patrol routes, spiritual monitoring nodes—everything clearly visible, even more detailed than the maps Qingxu Temple itself had drawn! His finger finally stopped at the general area where Tang Xiaoqi's cave dwelling was located. "Target's strength, known." Shadow finally spoke, his voice exceptionally steady without the slightest waver, yet carrying a bone-deep chill: "Direct confrontation, not the wise choice." His fingertip slowly moved around that area, the shadow energy shifting accordingly, simulating various possible infiltration paths, spiritual fluctuation blind spots, and the minute timing differences during patrol guard shift changes.
"His reputation is at its peak; sect defenses are tight externally, loose internally. Attention focused on border and external threats." Shadow's voice was like cold venom, dripping into the darkness drop by drop: "The interior must have loopholes." "Use his reputation to create internal chaos, divide attention." "Find those close to him, create weaknesses, lure the snake from its hole." "Or, wait for the opportunity when he's alone outside." "The art of shadow killing lies in concealment, in one-strike certain kill, in. patience." With each sentence, the kneeling subordinates' eyes grew colder, their bodies subtly adjusting, as if they had already merged completely with the darkness, becoming shadows awaiting their prey. "This operation's code name: 'Eclipse Light.'" Shadow withdrew his finger, the shadow map dissolving. His gaze swept across his seven most elite assassins—these were the most elite forces preserved by the "Shadow Palace," each with Golden Core early stage cultivation or above, masters of combined attacks and concealed assassination techniques.
"Three per group. Team Jia handles reconnaissance, creating chaos, finding weaknesses. Team Yi handles concealment, lying in wait. Team Bing," he looked at the final two subordinates with the most obscure auras, nearly death-like, "accompany me, executing the final killing strike." "Remember, our target is only 'Green Robe.' The 'Purification Origin' within him must be completely seized.
Everything else can be sacrificed." "If the matter proves impossible." Shadow's voice paused momentarily, the cavern's temperature seemingly dropping several degrees: ". then initiate 'Shadow Explosion,' sending him. and thismountains and rivers into block silence destroy (this land and river into eternal silence together)." The words "Shadow Explosion" made even those numb subordinates' eyes flicker slightly—that was the final directive for mutually assured destruction with the target. "Understood!" Seven voices responded in unison, like ghostly whispers echoing in the cavern, then dissipating. The next moment, the phosphorescent flames in the cavern extinguished, returning to complete darkness and deathly silence. Those seven or eight black shadows had already merged into the sea like water droplets, silently departing the cavern, transforming into several faint shadows difficult to perceive, using Black Wind Grove's cover, heading toward Qingxu Temple's direction, infiltrating.
The sun still shone on Qingxu Temple's mountain gate, disciples still celebrated the border victory, Tang Xiaoqi was regulating his breath in his cave dwelling, consolidating his recently advanced cultivation. No one knew that an assassination plot targeting him personally, from Shadow Snake Pavilion's most lethal fang, had already been laid. The killing intent in the shadows, like a spider's web spread wide, waited for the prey to step into it. Beneath the and balance false Four Symbols (false appearance of peace), lethal danger had already drawn near.