1266: Chapter 1266 Hei Ming Arrives, New Mission

Inside the manor, A-Mu sat cross-legged alone in the center of the main hall.

The surroundings were abnormally quiet.

There were no insect sounds, no sound of wind, and even the air seemed to have solidified.

This dead silence was not naturally formed, but rather the product of some immense power shrouding the area—space was sealed, the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi was suppressed, and even his Divine Soul could not extend too far outward.

A-Mu kept his eyes closed, yet he could clearly perceive that: sweeps of Divine Soul like invisible nets were crisscrossing and moving above this area.

There was more than one aura of a powerful expert hidden in the Void Realm, some overt and some covert, surrounding this hundred-mile radius area airtight.

"I did not expect it to be this fast."

He muttered to himself, his voice echoing in the empty hall.

The reaction speed of the Black Cloud Empire exceeded his expectations.

He had originally thought he could at least drag it out for a few more days, letting the chaos ferment further and forcing the royal family to disperse more of their power to various places.

But now it seemed, the Empire's foundation was far deeper than he had imagined—those old fellows hidden in the dark had clearly employed some incredible means to directly lock onto his general location.

The clansmen in the manor had long been dismissed by him in advance, infiltrating various parts of Black Emperor Star in small groups, waiting for the next order.

At this moment, only he remained in the large manor.

A-Mu opened his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping across the sealed space around him.

The seal was strong.

He could feel that at least three Tier 5 auras were patrolling in the Void Realm alternately, one of which even faintly made him feel oppressed—at least Tier 5 Late Stage, or even stronger.

Coupled with that invisible barrier sealing the space, wanting to forcibly break through...

It was not impossible, but the cost would be great.

A-Mu clenched his fist slightly, feeling the power of the dao marks of the Tier 5 Middle Stage within his body.

If it were just him, he might be able to tear open a gap by risking injury.

But he could not expose his full strength, at least not now.

Shadow was nowhere to be found.

Since the last conversation, those blood-red eyes had not appeared again.

A-Mu did not know where the other party had gone, nor did he know if the other party was still watching all of this.

He only remembered that sentence—

"At the critical moment, I will naturally assist you. If you die, then consider my investment fed to the dogs."

A-Mu's lips curled up slightly, not knowing if it was self-mockery or something else.

Relying on others was ultimately not as good as relying on oneself.

He took a deep breath and was just about to get up to find an opportunity to break through—

Suddenly, his brows furrowed sharply.

A figure was rapidly approaching.

The speed was not slow, and the aura was not concealed at all, the target was extremely clear—it was precisely this manor.

The cultivation of the person coming was only Tier 4 Late Stage; in normal times, A-Mu wouldn't even spare them a second glance.

But at this critical juncture, any abnormality was worth being vigilant about.

"Tier 4?"

A-Mu whispered, his gaze slightly narrowed.

"Discovered?"

He did not immediately make a move.

A Tier 4 Late Stage, charging around in such a heavily sealed area, was either a fool or bait.

And the other party's aura was steady, and their actions were decisive; obviously, it was not the former.

Then, was it a pawn sent by the Shadow Guard to test him? Or a spy from some force?

Regardless of which possibility it was, making a move now was unwise.

A-Mu restrained his aura, his whole person like an inconspicuous stone, waiting quietly.

The manor's gate was slowly pushed open.

The person did not hesitate, flashing through the courtyard and landing steadily on the stone steps outside the hall.

Under the moonlight, the outline of that figure gradually became clear—black skin with silver patterns, a tall and slender build, a young face yet possessing a calmness inconsistent with his age.

Just at the moment when A-Mu was secretly gathering strength, preparing to strike and suppress—

He stopped.

It was not that he stopped voluntarily.

But it was an irresistible pressure, pouring out from that "Black clansman" without warning, pressing down on A-Mu's Divine Soul like the sky collapsing.

That feeling was not a crushing of strength, but something deeper and more essential—

It was submission carved into his bones.

It was awe branded into the depths of his Soul.

It was as if he was not facing a Tier 4 Late Stage Black clansman, but some supreme existence closely connected to his very existence.

A-Mu's pupils suddenly dilated.

His body froze in place, the gathered dao marks receded like a tide, and even his raised right hand slowly lowered.

It was not that he couldn't move, but that he didn't want to—that submission coming from the depths of his Soul made him unable to produce even a shred of the thought of resistance.

"My Lord..."

His voice trembled slightly, carrying a reverence and piety he had never heard from himself before.

"Is it you?"

Under the moonlight, that figure slowly raised his head.

A pair of ordinary eyes lit up faintly in the darkness.

Teacher Hei Ming.

Or more accurately—Li Wuji.

"This turmoil on Black Emperor Star... was it your doing?"

Li Wuji's voice was calm without a single ripple, as if he were just asking about an insignificant trifle.

Yet just this one sentence made A-Mu's whole body tremble violently, as if his throat had been gripped by an invisible force.

He lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and still answered truthfully.

"Yes."

Once the words were out, there was no retreat.

A-Mu simply poured out everything he had buried in his heart for many years.

He told everything, one by one, about the blood feud he carried and the deal with Shadow.

He did not know why he was so honest with the person before him; perhaps it was because there was no scrutiny or disdain in those eyes, only a bottomless calmness.

That kind of calmness made people dare not lie, nor did they want to lie.

Li Wuji listened, then fell silent for a moment.

"Does Black Dream know?"

"She knows."

A-Mu answered quickly, "One of the six contenders for the throne of the Black Cloud Empire, she is the one with the shallowest influence among all the princes.

But after the First Prince, Black Abyss, died, this woman began to stand out, though she was still suppressed by the other princes."

Li Wuji nodded slightly, standing with his hands behind his back, his robes moving without wind, the aura around him as heavy and deep as an abyss.

Then, he suddenly spoke.

"Are you willing to do something for me?"

A-Mu was stunned for a moment, then immediately knelt on one knee without the slightest hesitation, cupping his hands, his voice firm and decisive:

"I am willing to go through fire and water for you, My Lord, and would not refuse even ten thousand deaths!"

At this moment, he did not think about the dangerous situation he was in, nor did he ask Li Wuji what he wanted him to do.

He even faintly felt that even if this person before him asked him to die immediately, he would draw his blade and commit suicide without hesitation.

It was not fear, it was submission.

It was a submission carved deep into his marrow, a willing submission.