50: Chapter 50: The "Warmth" Operation of Electrifying the Shadow Sect and Sending Light and Heat

Southern Desolation, Netherworld Valley.

This place was the Shadow Sect's largest nest in the Southern Desolation.

Enshrouded in thick, ominous yin energy year-round, the valley remained pitch black.

Among those jagged, strange rocks, every shadow could be a poisoned dagger poised to strike.

At this moment, inside the branch hall, there was a deathly silence; even the sound of breathing seemed exceptionally piercing.

“Have we still not contacted Lady Phantom?”

The Vice Branch Master left in charge, “Residual Shadow,” paced back and forth anxiously like a beast trapped in a cage.

Several hours ago, Lady Phantom had torn through the Void Realm to head to the Heavenly River Sword Sect.

Then, something happened to the life tablet enshrined in the hall.

It didn't shatter.

But it... changed.

The jade tablet, which was originally pitch black as ink, now displayed a bizarre milky white color.

It was even flashing with light.

Alternating between bright and dim with a rhythmic pulse, it looked remarkably like some sort of breathing light from the mortal world.

“Re... Report, Vice Branch Master.”

A scout knelt on the ground, his body shaking like a leaf in the wind.

“We can't contact her, but... but the brothers we sent out for reconnaissance have sent back news.”

“Speak!” Residual Shadow's voice was hoarse.

“The Heavenly River Sword Sect... is charging over.”

Upon hearing this, Residual Shadow's movements froze, and then a twisted, cruel smile appeared on his face.

“Good!”

“Lady Phantom truly plans for everything! She must be leading them out to wipe them all out at once!”

“This Netherworld Valley is our home field, which we have operated for a thousand years!”

He opened his arms as if embracing the darkness.

“There are Shadow-Killing Formations everywhere here; even if an old Soul Transformation monster came in person, they'd have to shed a layer of skin!”

“Order! All members conceal yourselves!”

“Activate the ‘Ten Thousand Shadows Soul-Devouring Formation’!”

“As long as they dare to take half a step into the valley entrance, let them see what true... darkness is!”

...

Fifteen minutes later.

Outside Netherworld Valley, dust flew everywhere.

However, the expected crisscrossing Sword Qi and earth-shattering battle cries did not appear.

Instead, there were bursts of uniform, energetic work chants and the clanging of metal striking metal.

“One, two, three! Pull the wire!”

“Two, two, three! Erect the pole!”

“Be fucking careful! This is high-voltage electricity personally contributed by Lady Phantom. If anyone wants to experience the taste of Ascension early, just try touching it!”

Residual Shadow, hidden in the shadows, looked out through a scrying Formation.

The cruel smile on his face froze inch by inch.

Then, it shattered.

What did he see?

In the Heavenly River Sword Sect's ranks, not a single person had drawn a sword.

Leading them was none other than that traitor of the Jixia Academy, Kong Mengchang!

On that old geezer's head was a bright yellow safety helmet, manifested from the pages of a book titled "Civil Engineering."

He held a huge set of blueprints in his hands and was shouting orders at a group of Sword Cultivators wearing insulating suits (hastily modified from Sect robes).

“You over there! Stand that utility pole straight! What does it say in ‘Geometry’? Only by being perpendicular to the ground can you obtain the maximum supporting torque!”

“Sect Master Gu! Is the transformer—the Formation core you mentioned—buried? Let me emphasize again: live wire to the left, neutral wire to the right, and the ground wire goes separately! If anyone wires it backward, we’re all going to heaven together over Netherworld Valley today!”

Gu Canghai, his face covered in coal dust, was as excited as a child playing with mud for the first time, shouting back:

“Don't worry, Engineer Kong! This is ‘Basics of Electrical Engineering’ personally annotated by Mr. Li; it’s absolutely foolproof!”

Residual Shadow rubbed his eyes hard.

He even suspected he was having hallucinations from Cultivating his technique for too long.

What were these people... doing?

They were here to attack the nest of a top-tier assassin organization.

Yet they were enthusiastically doing infrastructure construction right at the front door?!

“Playing tricks!”

Residual Shadow's face was ferocious as he squeezed an order through his teeth.

“Activate the Formation! Release the ‘Shadow Demons’! Tear them all to pieces!”

Buzz—!

Inside Netherworld Valley, countless shadows instantly came to life, twisting and elongating into hideous Shadow Demons that roared silently, surging toward the “renovation team” at the valley entrance like a tide.

“They're coming!”

Kong Mengchang, who was supervising the work, was delighted rather than alarmed. His eyes glowing, he grabbed that iconic large tin megaphone.

“Attention all units!”

“The customer has placed an order! Prepare to deliver the warmth!”

He took a deep breath and roared with all his might.

“3, 2, 1—Close the switch!!!”

Click!

In the distance, Gu Canghai, with a posture as devout as if he were on a pilgrimage, slammed down a giant electrical switch in his hand.

The next second.

The “human power bank” hanging in the Heavenly River Sword Sect square—Phantom, who had long since lost consciousness and was just a shell—had the Lightning Tribulation energy in her body instantly drained by the long-distance transmission Formation.

Zzzzzzt—!!!

At the entrance of Netherworld Valley, the tops of those hundreds of newly erected, strangely shaped metal poles suddenly erupted with a blinding white light that eclipsed heaven and earth!

That wasn't a Spell.

That was science; it was the aesthetics of violence.

It was the divine punishment of world-extinguishing light that Li Mo had custom-made for the Shadow Sect by combining “Principles of Optics” with the energy of the Heavenly Dao's tribulation lightning.

Its name was—【Omni-directional Dead-angle-free · Dao-Grade · Ultra-high Lumen · Operating Room Shadowless Lamp】!

Flash!

The eternal, unchanging gloom and gloominess of the entire Netherworld Valley was completely dispelled, evaporated, and erased by this domineering light within 0.01 seconds!

This was no longer a netherworld.

It was a hundred times brighter than the blazing sun above the Nine Heavens!

In this moment, all shadows in the world lost their right to exist.

“Ahhh—!!!”

Those Shadow Demons that had just rushed out of the valley entrance were like snow exposed to the sun; before they could even let out a complete wail, they were instantly gasified and turned to ash in the intense light.

And those Shadow Sect assassins hiding in various shadows suffered a devastating blow that could be called a heavenly scourge.

The core of the Shadow Sect's Cultivation Technique was “using shadows to hide.”

Without shadows, they were like tigers with their teeth pulled or wolves with broken legs, exposed stark naked to the gaze of the entire world.

“My eyes! My eyes! I can't see anything!”

“Shadow! Where is my shadow? Where is my life-bound Shadow Gu hidden inside?! Why can't I feel it anymore?!”

“It's too bright! What the hell is this thing! Who dragged the sun down?!”

Residual Shadow clutched his eyes, which were streaming blood and tears, and rolled on the ground in agony.

He could clearly feel that his Shadow Spiritual Qi, which he had painstakingly Cultivated for hundreds of years, was rapidly melting under this terrifying light like ice and snow under a scorching sun!

“Stop! Quickly stop!”

An Elder screamed shrilly.

“We surrender! We won't fight anymore! Turn off this damn light!”

However, outside, Kong Mengchang acted as if he hadn't heard.

He unhurriedly opened a brand-new copy of “ideology and morality” and, with the reinforcement of an amplification Formation, began a solemn “physical transcendence” and “spiritual baptism.”

“Hello, friends of the Shadow Sect!”

“Living in a dark and damp environment for a long time can easily lead to calcium deficiency, depression, and severe psychological distortion!”

“According to the diagnosis of our Heavenly River Sword Sect’s Chief Psychological Therapist, Mr. Li, you have a classic case of ‘Sunlight Deficiency Syndrome’!”

“Don't be afraid, don't hide!”

“Our ‘Light Medical Team’ has come specifically to bring you warmth!”

“Come, embrace this warm radiance from the Heavenly Dao! Let it dry those moldy little mushrooms in your hearts!”

At the same time, within the intense light, countless broadcasts with their own echoes were mixed in, playing on a loop.

“Prosperity, Democracy, Civility, Harmony...”

“Patriotism, Dedication, Integrity, Friendship...”

“Being an assassin is a career with no future. Why not switch to being a courier? It’s the same traveling a thousand miles a day...”

The physical burning of the 【Absolute Intense Light】 and the mental pollution of the 【Demonic Sound Piercing the Ears】 formed a perfect duet.

The Shadow Sect assassins in Netherworld Valley completely broke down.

One assassin, unable to endure this Soul-piercing “warmth,” ran out from behind a rock in tears, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed to the light source.

“I was wrong! I don't want to hide in the gutters anymore! I beg you, I want to be a good person! I want to bask in the sun!”

Another assassin tried to resist, raising a dagger to destroy those metal poles. Before he could even get close, he was knocked unconscious by several Sword Cultivators wearing sunglasses using a thick copy of the “Criminal Law.”

“According to Article 237 of the ‘Public Security Administration Punishment Law,’ intentional destruction of public lighting facilities shall be punished by detention of up to fifteen days and a fine of five hundred Spirit Stones!”

In just half an hour.

This Holy Land of assassins, which once made the entire Southern Desolation tremble with fear, was declared fallen.

There was no river of blood.

Only “blind people” rolling all over the ground and evil corners filled with skeletons that had been exposed by the intense light.

...

At this time, on the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

Li Mo was enjoying the live broadcast of Netherworld Valley through a light screen condensed from water vapor.

“Not bad, the ‘Optical Anti-Stealth’ theory has been successfully verified.”

He recorded data in a notebook while speaking to Chu Linger beside him without turning his head.

“Linger, take a note.”

“Shadow Sect branch post-modification plan: Rebuild Netherworld Valley into the ‘Southern Desolation’s First Solar Photovoltaic Power Station’ to achieve energy self-sufficiency. As for those assassins, sentence them all to reform through labor. They will bask in intense light for eight hours every day and be responsible for wiping the solar panels.”

“This is called photosynthesis; it’s good for the body and mind.”

“Yes, Cousin!” Chu Linger wrote furiously, her small face filled with admiration for her cousin's eccentric way of thinking.

Just then.

The dragon vein heavenly book in Li Mo's hand vibrated slightly.

That spring and autumn brush, which had been lying quietly in the pages, actually moved without any wind and hovered in the air.

The tip of the brush pointed straight to the north.

Toward the Central Continent.

【Warning: High-dimensional rule scanning detected!】

【Source: Central Continent Immortal Alliance · Heavenly Secret Pavilion.】

【The other party is attempting to locate the ‘BUG source.’】

【Anti-tracking shield deactivation countdown: 30 seconds.】

Li Mo's eyes narrowed slightly.

“Beat the small one, and the old one comes. Beat the old one, and the one in charge comes. A classic process.”

He stood up, walked slowly to the window, and his gaze seemed to penetrate thousands of miles of clouds, looking toward the distant Central Continent.

“It seems those old fogies can't sit still anymore.”

“Since you want to see so badly...”

The corners of Li Mo's mouth slowly curled into a playful arc.

“Then I’ll let you see your fill.”

He raised his hand, casually grabbed the hovering spring and autumn brush, and wrote a line of large characters on the water vapor light screen with a flourish.

Then, he flicked his sleeve abruptly.

“Cast this image with maximum power onto the faces of those people in the Central Continent!”

...

Central Continent, Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

Several white-haired powerhouses with profound auras were staring fixedly at the Heaven-Scanning Ancient Mirror that had just regained its light, their expressions solemn to the extreme.

“Localization successful! It’s in the Southern Desolation!”

“Quick! Reveal the image immediately! This old man wants to see exactly what kind of Prodigy dares to toy with the Heavenly Dao like this!”

As a massive amount of Spiritual Qi was injected, the mirror's surface shimmered with light, finally steadily presenting the scene of the Southern Desolation's Netherworld Valley.

However.

The moment the image became clear.

Time seemed to stand still in the entire Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

All the powerhouses were collectively petrified.

In the image, there was no peerless Devil Head as they had expected, nor were there any world-destroying forbidden Spells.

There was only an incredibly huge, eye-blinding banner hanging arrogantly at the entrance of Netherworld Valley.

【Warmly celebrating the Heavenly River Sword Sect and the Shadow Sect reaching a strategic partnership】

【Now recruiting general agents for the Central Continent region, join hotline: 10086-TIANHE】

Below the banner.

A line of large characters, formed by mist and written with domineering and wild strokes, was slowly emerging toward the Heaven-Scanning Mirror (that is, toward their faces).

【Stop looking. Further viewing will be charged. — Announcement from the Scripture Pavilion Administrator】

“Pfft—!!!”

The Master of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, an old man who was a half-step True Immortal, could no longer suppress his surging blood and suddenly sprayed a mouthful of hot blood onto the Heaven-Scanning Mirror.

“This is too much!!”

He pointed at the mirror, his fingers trembling so much they almost broke.

“This is too much!!!”

“This is a provocation! This is a blatant trampling of the eternal order of the entire Cultivation World!!”

“Pass my decree!”

The Pavilion Master wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and an unprecedented fire of rage and madness burned in his eyes.

“Immediately activate the ‘Descent Channel’!”

“Respectfully invite the Upper Realm ‘Inspector’ to descend to the mortal world!”

“Since the rules can't control him, then let a ‘person’ control him!”

“This old man refuses to believe that a mere wild path cultivator from the Southern Desolation can actually flip the heavens!”

...

Southern Desolation, Scripture Pavilion.

Li Mo looked at the 【Legend Points】 and 【Trouble-making Index】 skyrocketing on the System panel and smiled with satisfaction.

“It seems this wave of free advertising has had a remarkable effect.”

“Then next, it’s time to welcome the real ‘big customer’.”

He turned around and looked at the deepest corner of the bookshelf behind him.

The 【Restricted Book Area】 that had always been sealed by layers of Restrictions.

“Little Black.”

His voice was calm and indifferent.

“Go and take out that book, ‘On How to Communicate Effectively with a Psychotic Boss’.”

“I reckon this ‘Imperial Commissioner’ from the Central Continent might have a bit of a bad temper.”

“As the hosts, we have to... entertain them properly.”