78: Night raid on the city lord's mansion

Night, deep as ink.

Black Wind City, this massive city, filled with a wild and murderous aura during the day, appeared even more eerie and… dangerous under the shroud of night.

City Lord’s Mansion, East Wing.

This was the temporary residence Qian Wanshan arranged for the Qingyun Sect Disciples. At this moment, most of the rooms still had lights on.

Excitement, agitation, and the greedy craving for those one thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, like the fiercest liquor, numbed the nerves of almost all the Disciples, making them sleepless through the night.

From Han Meng’s room, an uncontrollable discussion, filled with fanaticism and smugness, could be heard.

“Hahaha! Big Brother! This is simply a pie falling from the sky! A thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones! As long as we kill that bandit leader, won’t this huge sum of money all fall into our pockets?!”

“That’s right! By then, we can go to the market to exchange for more Advanced Medicinal Pills and Magical Artifacts! Our Inner Sect ranking a month later will definitely improve further!”

Han Meng sat in the main seat, the gloom left on his face from the “infighting” long since swept away by this immense temptation. He held a wine cup, his eyes flashing with greedy flames, a cruel arc forming at the corner of his mouth.

“The Spirit Stones, of course, must be taken,” he said slowly, his voice cold, “but some people must… die!”

He glanced out the window at the deep, all-consuming darkness, as if he had already seen the bloody scene of that thin figure dying tragically under the bandits’ blades… Meanwhile, in another simple guest room, the atmosphere was completely different from the frenzy outside.

Lin Ye sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes slightly closed, his handsome face calm as an ancient well.

“Lin… Brother Lin…” Fatty Wang paced restlessly back and forth in the room, his corpulent body like a bear trapped in a cage. “I… why do I always feel uneasy? This City Lord Qian, he smiles… he smiles like a fox. And that reward, it’s… it’s a bit too high, isn’t it? Where in this world is there such a good thing?”

It must be said that although Fatty Wang was naturally simple-minded, his intuition was sometimes sharper than anyone else’s.

Lin Ye slowly opened his eyes.

He looked at his only friend, and a trace of solemnity flashed in his dark eyes.

“Fatty,” he said slowly, his voice not loud, but filled with undeniable power, “from now on, there is only one thing you need to do.”

“What is it?”

“Stay by Senior Sister Su’s side, not leaving an inch.”

“Ah?” Fatty Wang was startled. “Why?”

“Don’t ask why.” Lin Ye’s gaze became unprecedentedly serious. “Remember my words, no matter what happens, do not leave her within three feet. Otherwise… you and I will both die without a burial place!”

These words, like the cold wind of the twelfth lunar month, instantly extinguished the last shred of luck in Fatty Wang’s heart that had been ignited by the huge reward! He looked at Lin Ye’s calm eyes, which showed no ripples, and a bone-chilling coldness instantly rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!

He no longer had any doubts, and nodded heavily.

After settling Fatty Wang, Lin Ye took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

He knew he couldn’t sit back and wait for death anymore.

He had to take the initiative! To uncover the truth hidden beneath this City Lord’s Mansion!

“System!”

With a thought, he completely immersed his consciousness into the world only he could see.

He unhesitatingly opened the already unlocked System store, his gaze precisely fixed on the [Auxiliary Secret Arts] column!

He needed more powerful stealth and concealment abilities!

“[Advanced Stealth Technique] (Profound Rank Low Grade): Exchange price, one hundred fifty contribution points.” “[Mechanism Disruption] (Profound Rank Low Grade): Exchange price, one hundred twenty contribution points.”

Looking at the high prices, Lin Ye’s heart bled. This was almost half of the reward he had received for his previous great achievements!

But he didn’t hesitate at all!

“Exchange… all of them!”

“[Exchange successful! contribution points deducted. Advanced Stealth Technique, Mechanism Disruption have been automatically recorded!]”

“System! Set Advanced Stealth Technique and Breath Concealment Art as… top priority, emergency AFK!”

“[Command confirmed! Advanced Stealth Technique, Breath Concealment Art have entered high-speed AFK mode…]”

After doing all this, Lin Ye slowly exhaled a turbid breath.

He waited quietly, waiting for the night to grow deeper, more profound… At the third watch, all was silent.

The entire Black Wind City had fallen into slumber. Only within the City Lord’s Mansion were there sporadic lights, and teams of armored soldiers holding long halberds patrolled back and forth with heavy steps, the defenses strict.

Just then, an extremely faint shadow, almost merging with the darkness, silently flashed out from a guest room window in the East Wing.

It was Lin Ye.

At this moment, he seemed to have transformed into an elusive wisp of smoke. His footsteps were as light as falling willow catkins, making not a sound. His Qi, under the perfect operation of the Breath Concealment Art, was restrained to the extreme, like a cold, lifeless stone.

The seemingly strict patrolling armored soldiers passed by him, yet not a single one detected his presence!

He was like a ghost in the dark night, silently avoiding all open and hidden sentries, easily infiltrating the deepest part of the City Lord’s Mansion.

A faint, eerie aura, filled with coldness and a hint of blood, drifted like invisible threads from a seemingly unremarkable but most heavily guarded study.

This is it!

Lin Ye’s heart suddenly leaped!

His figure flickered, silently clinging to the study wall like a gecko, and then, like a civet cat, he silently climbed onto the black-tiled eaves.

He carefully removed a tile, perfectly hiding his figure in the shadow of the eaves, and looked down.

Inside the spacious study, the lights were bright.

Qian Wanshan stood before the desk with a fawning expression.

And seated behind the huge desk, made of thousand-year-old dark wood, was not some cultured scholar.

But a… bizarre figure completely shrouded in a large black robe, whose face could not be seen!

That figure merely sat there quietly, yet a terrifying pressure, cold, sinister, and filled with endless brutality and death, naturally emanated, making the air in the entire study thick and heavy!

On the eaves, Lin Ye merely met its gaze for an instant, and he felt his Divine Soul as if it was about to be completely swallowed by the endless darkness beneath that black robe!

Treasure Body Realm!!!

Lin Ye’s heart suddenly constricted!

This was definitely the terrifying pressure possessed only by a strong Cultivator of the Treasure Body Realm!

“Hehehehe…”

A hoarse, chilling laugh, like that of a night owl, echoed from beneath the black robe.

“City Lord Qian, how are things progressing?”

“Reporting… reporting to Demon Emissary, sir!” Qian Wanshan’s voice was filled with uncontrollable fear and flattery. “Everything… everything has been arranged according to your instructions! Those fools from Qingyun Sect have been blinded by the one thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones! Tomorrow morning, they will willingly enter the… ‘bandit lair’ we have prepared for them!”

Demon Emissary?!

Hearing this title, Lin Ye’s pupils suddenly constricted to pinpricks!

Demonic Cultivator!

This mysterious person, who wielded such power in the City Lord’s Mansion, was actually a Demonic Path Cultivator, rumored to have been jointly annihilated by the Righteous Path Sects long ago?!

“Very good.” The Black-Robed Demon Envoy nodded in satisfaction. “This ‘Blood Soul Grand Sacrifice’ concerns whether this Emissary can Breakthrough the Bottleneck and condense a ‘Dharma Body’; there must be no mishaps! These dozens of Inner Sect Disciples from Qingyun Sect, with their abundant Qi and pure spiritual power, are the best ‘sacrifices’! Plus the Mortals already captured in the city…”

“Once the Grand Sacrifice is complete, this Emissary will ascend to heaven in one step!”

“At that time, you, Qian Wanshan, will have rendered the greatest service! The ‘Blood Longevity Pill’ I promised you, and that Demonic Technique leading directly to the Spirit Body Realm, will naturally… not be withheld from you!”

Blood Soul Grand Sacrifice!

Sacrifices!

Hearing these words, Lin Ye, on the eaves, felt a bone-chilling coldness instantly rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!

He finally understood!

All of this was a trap!

A trap of certain death, laid out from the moment they stepped into Black Wind City!

The so-called “bandits” were just a facade!

This Qian Wanshan had long conspired with the Demonic Cultivators! Their true purpose was to offer these dozens of Qingyun Sect Disciples, along with the innocent civilians who had been captured, as sacrifices for Cultivating an evil technique, to perform… a blood sacrifice!

An uncontrollable, icy and piercing Killing Intent suddenly erupted from the deepest part of his heart!

However, at the instant this trace of Killing Intent leaked—

Inside the study, the Black-Robed Demon Envoy’s movement suddenly paused!

His head, hidden beneath his hood, slowly lifted, as if piercing through the thick roof, and met Lin Ye’s gaze in the air for an instant!

“Who?!”

A cold shout, filled with endless Killing Intent, like the biting wind from the Nine Netherworlds, instantly resounded throughout the entire study!