177: Withering Shadow

Cloud City, lower district, abandoned mine shaft.

It was dark and damp here, and the air was filled with a mixed scent of rock and fungi.

In the darkness.

A figure, one with the shadows, moved silently.

It was Shadow One.

His breathing, heartbeat, footsteps, and even his very presence were suppressed to the extreme.

He was like a true shadow, tightly trailing behind the four figures moving swiftly ahead.

These were the three escaping Withering Shadows and the Lin family guard.

They were clearly very familiar with the terrain here.

After several twists and turns, they quickly entered an abandoned underground cave.

In the center of the cave, more than thirty figures had already gathered.

Each of them had a dark and powerful aura, clearly all professionals of the Dark Star Empire lurking here.

The leader wore similar attire to the other Withering Shadows.

But his aura was much deeper, clearly indicating he was their leader.

"How did the mission go?"

The leader's voice was a little hoarse.

"There was a slight accident," one of the Withering Shadows who had escaped earlier said in a low voice.

"The Crimson Scale Guard was more troublesome than expected, and that idiot Lin Feng also died."

"No matter."

The leader didn't care.

"The Lin family line was always a pawn; their mission is complete."

"Using a family under mental control to divert the entire City Lord's Mansion's attention is a good deal."

Shadow One lurked in a shadowy crevice on the cave ceiling, taking in everything.

Mental control?

So that's it, no wonder the Lin family acted so irrationally.

The fake guard stepped forward.

He took out a metal box from his Pregnant and respectfully handed it over.

"Sir, the 'Disintegration Array' is ready."

The leader opened the box; inside lay a complex array disk, embedded with several disintegration stones, emitting a faint blue glow.

"Very good. The plan continues. Have the 'Worker Ants' lurking in the core area of the cloud heart prepare to act."

"Once we activate the array disk here and resonate with the cloud heart, they will immediately destroy the core energy circuit!"

"Yes!"

The leader scanned the group and said coldly,

"Once Cloud City is destroyed, the Alliance's major supply artery in the Southern Territory will be cut off."

"The Youfeng Valley front line will also become an isolated island. This is a direct order from Lord Sky Peak; success is the only option, failure is not!"

Upon hearing Sky Peak's name, all the Dark Star Empire professionals present looked solemn.

Shadow One's heart stirred slightly, and he quietly took out a specially made communication rune, preparing to transmit the intelligence.

However, just as his fingertip was about to touch the rune, the leader of the Withering Shadows seemed to sense something.

He suddenly looked up, his gaze directed straight at the shadowy crevice where Shadow One was hiding.

"Who's there?"

In the shadowy crevice on the cave ceiling, Shadow One's heart rate didn't falter in the slightest.

He had been discovered.

The next moment, the leader moved.

His body transformed into black smoke and suddenly dissipated.

When he reappeared, a dark, heavy dagger was in his hand, stabbing directly at Shadow One's heart.

Facing this lightning-fast strike, Shadow One's body twisted incredibly in the shadows, like a piece of paper blown by the wind.

By a hair's breadth, the deadly dagger grazed his chest.

In the exchange, Shadow One's fingertip had lightly tapped the rune.

A faint ripple instantly merged into the void.

The intelligence had been sent.

Mission accomplished.

"Seeking death!"

His attack missed, and the leader's eyes turned cold.

He had not expected that this stealth practitioner, even after being locked onto by him,

Not only dodged his fatal blow but also had the leisure to make other small moves.

"Kill him!"

At his command, the more than thirty other Withering Shadows in the cave moved simultaneously.

They instantly spread out, pouncing on Shadow One from all directions and angles.

Some glided along the ground like poisonous snakes.

Some sprang out from behind stalactites like ghosts.

Others directly merged into the darkness, leaving only the cold gleam of their weapons flashing in the dark.

The entire cave transformed into a silent killing field, with only the sharp whistles of weapons cutting through the air and the crisp clangs of blades colliding.

Shadow One descended from the cave ceiling, his figure as light as a feather.

A pair of pitch-black short blades also appeared in his hands, their blades long and narrow, like solidified shadows.

Ding! Ding! Dang!

Dense sounds of clashing echoed continuously.

Shadow One's figure weaved at high speed through the encirclement; every dodge was perfect, every block precise.

His fighting style was identical to his enemies', yet purer, more deadly.

He was a being born for shadows and slaughter.

A Withered Shadow silently approached from Shadow One's rear-side, a cunning dagger thrusting towards his lower back.

Shadow One didn't even turn his head, flicking his left short blade backward, blocking the opponent's attack with a precise parry.

Using the force of the collision, he spun his body, and his right short blade gracefully carved an arc.

"Chh!"

A faint red line appeared on the attacker's throat; a look of horror flashed in his eyes, and he silently collapsed.

The battle was cunning and eerie.

However, the attacks of these Withering Shadows were not just physical.

Their weapons were imbued with a decaying aura; with every collision, a trace of withered energy attempted to corrode Shadow One's body.

Some even scattered colorless and odorless powder while moving, capable of paralyzing nerves and slowing reactions.

Shadow One danced on the edge of a blade.

Twisting and turning, enemies constantly fell, but more attacks came from even more concealed corners.

Just then, the darkness of the cave seemed to grow deeper and more viscous.

Several Withering Shadows who were attacking Shadow One suddenly froze.

From their necks and chests, several pitch-black blade tips emerged.

With muffled grunts, these figures softly collapsed, their life force instantly dissipating.

"What?"

The Withered Shadow leader's offensive paused involuntarily.

Unbeknownst to them, dozens of figures, dressed identically to Shadow One, had emerged from various shadowy corners of the cave.

They seemed to have been there from the beginning, merged with the darkness, revealing their existence only at the moment of attack.

Shadow Guards.

Their appearance instantly reversed the battle.

The Withering Shadows who had been encircling Shadow One immediately found themselves caught between two fires.

Their proud stealth and coordinated attack techniques seemed laughable in front of these more powerful shadow masters.

This was a silent slaughter.

The Shadow Guards' coordination was flawless, in groups of two or three, crisscrossing and providing cover.

Every attack aimed directly at a vital point, wasting not an ounce of energy.

The Withering Shadows fell in droves.

Their faces were filled with terror and confusion, completely unable to understand where these killing gods had come from.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings!"

Seeing his subordinates die one after another, the leader's face was so dark it could drip water.

He knew that if they dragged this out any longer, his elite forces would be completely wiped out here.

The plan absolutely could not fail.

"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."

He no longer hesitated, and a terrifying aura, far exceeding before and carrying a heroic pressure, erupted with a roar.

"Domain Unfold — Eternal Night Wither!"