175: The Cold Water Sect was destroyed, and the Net of Heaven's fame spread far and wide.

On the cold jade bed in the Heavenly Outer Palace, Jun Xiaoyao twirled a piece of ice crystal between his fingertips; it was the core extracted from the Spiritual Vein of the Cold Water Sect in the Northern Territory. The cold air spread along his fingertips, condensing into fine ice flowers along the edge of the bed.

A water mirror floated before him, reflecting the scene of the Marshal of the Unruly establishing his authority in front of the main altar of the Cold Water Sect—

A black iron chain was wrapped around the neck of the Cold Water Sect Sect Master. The Marshal of the Unruly stepped onto the altar table in the main hall, and the frost patterns on the edge of the table shattered inch by inch beneath his feet.

The surrounding Cold Water Sect Disciples were pressed to the ground by The Unruly, with profound iron blades held to their necks; they didn't even have the courage to look up.

"The three-day deadline has passed," the Marshal of the Unruly’s voice was wrapped in the biting chill of wind and snow, "Where is the toll fee?"

The Cold Water Sect Sect Master’s face turned purple, and the chain choked him so he couldn't breathe: "Im... impossible! The Spiritual Vein has already been cut off by you, and the Sect’s treasury has long been empty!"

"Empty?" The Marshal of the Unruly sneered, and the chain tightened abruptly, "Then use your Spiritual Vein as payment." He waved his hand, and The Unruly behind him immediately stepped forward, taking out a specially made profound iron container, and began to extract the remaining cold-attribute Qi from the Spiritual Vein.

In the water mirror, the ice-blue light at the core of the Spiritual Vein grew dimmer and dimmer. The Cold Water Sect Disciples let out desperate roars, but were held down tightly by The Unruly. Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene, bringing the ice crystal at his fingertips to his eyes; his calm gaze was reflected within the crystal.

"Young Lord," Zhao Gao’s voice came from the message talisman, carrying a hint of respect, "Bat Young Master has brought back news from the Southern Territory. The remnants of the Crimson Chain Squad have all been purged. The recovered Qi Gathering Pills have been inspected by Mr. Li Shizhen, and their purity is intact. Additionally, he found a 'poison scripture supplement' in the Crimson Chain Squad's secret chamber, which records an improved formula for refining 'Power Dissipating Powder,' which is highly effective against Martial Artists below the Grandmaster Realm."

Jun Xiaoyao casually tossed the ice crystal onto the table; it struck the jade, emitting a crisp sound: "Hand the 'poison scripture supplement' to Blue Phoenix and let her research how to counter it. Tell Bat Young Master that this mission is recorded as a first-class merit, and reward him with a pair of 'Shadow Boots'."

"Understood."

The image in the water mirror changed, showing the scene of The Net's Seventh Squad taking inventory of the mineral vein at the Black Wind Stockade in the Western Territory. The captain was using a specially made mining ruler to measure the depth of the mine, and the red light shining on the ruler represented the purity of the mineral vein: "Reporting to the Young Lord, the purity of the iron ore in the Black Wind Stockade far exceeds expectations. After refining, it can forge a hundred armor-piercing blades, enough to equip half a division of The Net."

Jun Xiaoyao’s gaze swept over the flickering red light in the image, and he suddenly said: "Have Gongshu Ban take people to supervise the work, and ensure the iron ore is refined into profound iron within one month. Additionally, incorporate the three small hills around the Black Wind Stockade into the Beyond Heaven mining zone, and send The Net's secret squad to guard it; don't let other forces covet it."

"I will issue the order immediately."

At this moment, the summoning array suddenly shone with a pale blue light. Runes spread across the ground like flowing water, and a faint mist permeated the air. Jun Xiaoyao stood up and walked to the front of the array, watching the figure gradually condensing within the light—

It was a man dressed in green, with a wine gourd hanging at his waist and a bamboo flute held in his hand. His face was handsome, but his eyes carried a touch of uninhibited wildness. As soon as he stood steady, he tilted his head and took a gulp of wine. The wine flowed down the corner of his mouth and dripped onto the runes of the summoning array, actually causing the runes to ripple.

[Character Panel Expanded: Name: Fragrant Bat, From World: "The Legend of Fragrant Bat", Realm: Mid-stage Grandmaster, Martial Skills and Techniques: 1. Finger Flicking Divine Skill: Precise finger strength, can retrieve objects from a distance, and can also flick hidden weapons with 100% accuracy. 2. Fragrance in the Sea of Blood: Agile movement, stepping on water without a sound, his tracking and concealment arts are unparalleled in the world, known as the "Stealing Marshal". 3. Qi Breaking Style: Uses palm wind to break the opponent's Protective Aura; it seems effortless, but actually contains hidden, clever force. Special Abilities: - Smelling Fragrance to Recognize Women: Extremely sensitive to scents, can identify poisons, mechanisms, and even predict opponent movements through smell. - Empty Hand: Divine stealing skills, can take personal items without the target noticing. Additional Items: - Jade Thumb Ring: Contains a thin blade, can block hidden weapons, and can also serve as a token to mobilize the Jiangnan Salt Gang. - Wine Gourd: Made of constant-temperature jade marrow, can purify poisoned wine, and the stored wine has a refreshing effect. Loyalty: 90% (Appreciates the Young Lord's vision, willing to assist with stealing arts, but dislikes being bound)]

Fragrant Bat cupped his hands toward Jun Xiaoyao, and the wine gourd spun around his fingertips: "Young Master of Tianwaitian? You are more interesting than the rumors suggest." His gaze swept across the underground palace and finally landed on the water mirror, "Are characters like the Cold Water Sect worth your anger?"

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the slyness in his eyes and suddenly smiled: "The Stealing Marshal is unaware, the Cold Water Sect did not just cut off the trade route, but also the 'Concentration Grass' that my Beyond Heaven was transporting to the Northern Territory—that is the main ingredient for refining pills to stabilize the Grandmaster Realm."

Fragrant Bat raised an eyebrow and tapped his bamboo flute against his palm: "Oh? In that case, they really didn't have eyes." He changed the subject, "I heard the Northern Territory royal family hides a 'soul settling pearl', which can stabilize the mind and resist illusions, which is useful for the Void Fissure in the Forbidden Land three months from now. Do you want me to go and 'borrow' it?"

Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertip on the runes of the summoning array: "The soul settling pearl can be taken, but there is no need to steal it." He looked at the scene in the water mirror where the Cold Water Sect had been razed to the ground, "If the Northern Territory royal family is sensible, they will send it themselves. If they are not sensible..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the chill permeating the air said it all. Seeing this, Fragrant Bat shrugged: "It seems my skills as a Stealing Marshal don't have much use in Beyond Heaven."

"Not necessarily." Jun Xiaoyao handed him a mysterious iron token, "A batch of fake 'Beyond Heaven Pass' documents has recently appeared in the Southern Territory black market, and someone is using The Net's name to plunder merchant caravans. The Stealing Marshal's skill in identifying fakes will come in handy."

Fragrant Bat took the token and rubbed the character "Net" on it with his fingertips; a hint of interest flashed in his eyes: "Impersonating The Net? They have guts. Rest assured, within three days, I will definitely drag the person behind this out." His figure flickered, his green clothes flashed past the light of the water mirror, and he actually disappeared directly from the fluctuations of the message talisman, leaving behind only the sentence, "Remember to save a few jars of good wine for me."

Watching the direction where he disappeared, Zhao Gao clicked his tongue: "This Stealing Marshal's movement technique is even more mysterious than Bat Young Master's..."

Jun Xiaoyao didn't respond and let his gaze return to the water mirror. At this time, the Cold Water Sect's Spiritual Vein had been completely drained, and the ice pillars in the main hall began to melt, revealing the list of past Sect Masters carved behind them. The Marshal of the Unruly was directing The Unruly to chisel the list to pieces, and the cold-attribute Qi in the profound iron container had condensed into ice bricks, emitting a faint blue light.

"Marshal of the Unruly," Jun Xiaoyao ordered through the message talisman, "Send the Cold Water Sect's Spiritual Vein ice bricks to the underground palace and give them to Gongshu Ban; have him integrate them into the cold-attribute formation base of the Eight Trigrams Formation. Additionally, allocate the territory of the Cold Water Sect to The Net's Northern Territory branch and send three hundred men to guard it."

"I obey."

The image in the water mirror switched, showing the palace of the Northern Territory royal family. The Emperor was sitting on the dragon throne, looking at the secret report in his hand with a pale face. The eunuch beside him said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, the Cold Water Sect has been destroyed; should we... send the soul settling pearl over?"

The Emperor gripped the secret report tightly, and the words "Beyond Heaven" on the report were distorted by his knuckles: "Send it! Why wouldn't we!" He took a deep breath, "Not only must we send the soul settling pearl, but we must also prepare ten carts of tribute and personally deliver them to the entrance of Beyond Heaven! Tell that Young Lord that the Northern Territory royal family is willing to submit forever, only asking him not to take action!"

In front of the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene and crushed the ice crystal on the table. The ice crystal turned into cold air in his palm, rising in wisps. He knew that the destruction of the Cold Water Sect was just the beginning. Only when the blades of The Net and the iron chains of The Unruly made enough forces taste pain would the name "Beyond Heaven" truly become a title that no one on the continent would dare to defy.

Outside the underground palace, the poisonous miasma in the Southern Territory had been purified by Li Shizhen's medicinal herbs, the mineral veins in the Western Territory began to produce iron, and the trade routes in the Northern Territory were re-opened. On The Net's bounty list, the name "Young Master of Tianwaitian" was bolded and highlighted in red, and the "?" after the bounty amount was replaced with the four words "No one dares to accept."

The light of the summoning array gradually subsided, but Jun Xiaoyao knew that this was only a brief silence. With the approach of the Void Fissure in the Forbidden Land, more forces would surface, and stronger opponents would stand in his way. But he was fearless—

Fragrant Bat's stealing arts could probe the enemy's strength and weaknesses, Blue Phoenix's poison arts could prevent sneak attacks, the Marshal of the Unruly's iron chains could stabilize the situation, plus the opportunities that might appear in the upcoming Void Fissure... The Net of Beyond Heaven would only be woven tighter and tighter, until the resources of the entire continent were brought under his control.

He walked to the entrance of the underground palace and looked at the surging sea of clouds outside. Deep in the sea of clouds, one could vaguely see The Net's carrier pigeons flying past, carrying new orders to all directions. Jun Xiaoyao raised his hand and caught a snowflake blown by the wind. The snowflake melted instantly in his palm, turning into a drop of water, reflecting the faint light of the summoning array deep in the underground palace.

The three-month deadline was getting closer and closer.