179: Blood Shadow Sect destroyed, Heavenly Evolution Technique returned

The cold wind of the Northern Territory, carrying snowflakes, lashed against the black iron gate of the Blood Shadow Cult's main altar.

Marshal of the Unruly wrapped his black cloak tightly around himself, watching the caravan disguised as a merchant team behind him—twenty members of The Unruly were pushing ten prisoner wagons. Inside the wagons, 'bound,' were the 'sacrifices' disguised as Luowang Assassins, while Luo Qianji was mixed in among the drivers, his face smeared with dust, his eyes fixed intently on the Blood Wolf totem above the lintel.

'At the third quarter of the Hour of the Boar, the southeast corner.'

Marshal of the Unruly whispered into his message talisman, his voice wrapped in cold air, 'Shadow, take men to clear the outer sentries. Remember, leave some alive to reveal the location of the altar.'

The response from Shadow came through the message talisman, light as a passing breeze: 'Received.'

A moment later, two muffled thuds came from the southeast corner, followed by the soft sound of metal hitting the ground—that was the signal from The Net, indicating the sentries had been dealt with.

Marshal of the Unruly shouted toward the inside of the gate: 'Brothers of the Blood Shadow Cult, the Luo Family has brought the sacrifices!'

The black iron gate creaked open a crack, and a one-eyed Cultist poked his head out, his gaze sweeping over the prisoner wagons: 'The Luo Family? Where is Luo Qianji? The Cult Leader said he wants to see him in person.'

Luo Qianji stepped out from among the drivers, deliberately hunching his back: 'I am he. My sister...'

'Enough nonsense!'

The one-eyed Cultist waved his hand impatiently, 'The Cult Leader is waiting at the altar, get in!'

Just as the team stepped into the main altar, Marshal of the Unruly caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of a Cultist in a grey robe standing in the shadows of the southeast corner, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the jade pendant at his waist—that was the secret signal Luo Qianji mentioned, indicating he was the traitor.

The interior of the Blood Shadow Cult's main altar was more eerie than imagined; human-skin lanterns were embedded in the stone walls on both sides of the corridor, the firelight casting distorted shadows.

Luo Qianji walked faster and faster, stumbling several times, until he smelled the stench of blood wafting from the direction of the altar, and he stopped abruptly: 'Where is my sister? Let me see her!'

'What's the rush?'

An insidious voice came from the direction of the altar. The Blood Shadow Cult Leader, draped in a blood-red ritual robe, walked out slowly, with strange totems painted on his face: 'Once your Heavenly Derivation Technique is used to sacrifice to the Blood Pool, you and your sister will naturally be reunited.'

On the stone platform behind him, a girl in white was indeed tied up; it was Luo Qingxue, her eyes closed, clearly drugged.

Luo Qianji was just about to rush forward when he was held down by the Cultists.

Marshal of the Unruly seized the Opportunity to signal Shadow, who quietly retreated to the corner of the corridor. Shadow wiped his fingers across his waist, and ten bone-piercing nails were held in his palm—these were special hidden weapons used to seal the Blood Evasion Technique routes, the nails quenched with Blood-Dissolving Powder, which dissolved upon contact with blood.

'Hand over the Heavenly Derivation Technique!'

The Blood Shadow Cult Leader raised his bone staff, and the blood beads on the head of the staff dripped down, causing the blood patterns on the ground to light up immediately, 'Otherwise, this altar will be your sister's burial ground!'

Luo Qianji gritted his teeth, pulled a sheepskin scroll from his bosom, and threw it hard on the ground: 'Take it! Release my sister!'

The Blood Shadow Cult Leader bent down to pick it up, and just as his fingertips touched the sheepskin scroll, Marshal of the Unruly suddenly roared: 'Act!'

The twenty members of The Unruly instantly tore off their disguises, their black iron blades hacking at the nearby Cultists, and the Luowang Assassins in the prisoner wagons also broke out of their cages, their short blades gleaming with a ghostly blue toxic light.

Shadow's bone-piercing nails were precisely embedded into the blood pattern nodes at the four corners of the corridor; the Blood-Dissolving Powder vaporized upon contact with the blood mist, and the light of the Blood Evasion Technique Formation instantly dimmed.

'Not good! It's a trap!'

The Blood Shadow Cult Leader roared, his bone staff sweeping horizontally to force back Marshal of the Unruly's iron chains, and he turned to run toward the Blood Pool—that was the core of the Blood Evasion Technique.

'Want to leave?'

A green shadow suddenly leaped down from the rafters, a bamboo flute in his hand pointing toward the Cult Leader's back; it was Star Plucker, who had been following in secret, 'Your Blood Shadow Order, care to lend it to me to play with?'

The Blood Shadow Cult Leader struck back with his palm to knock away the bamboo flute, the blood light in his palm scorching the air: 'It's you! People from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion?'

He clearly mistook Star Plucker for an assassin from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

Star Plucker laughed, his figure swaying as he circled to the side of the Cult Leader, his fingertips wiping across his waist, and the token engraved with the Blood Wolf was in his hand: 'The Heavenly Secret Pavilion doesn't have such good craftsmanship as I do.'

Just then, a sound of piercing through the air suddenly came from behind the altar, and three black shadows attacked, stepping on the blood mist. The leader held a folding fan with the two characters 'Heavenly Secret' engraved on the fan ribs.

'Blood Shadow Cult Leader, your Blood Evasion Technique should be handed over.'

Marshal of the Unruly's eyes narrowed: 'As expected, people from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion!'

Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene through the water mirror, his fingertips tapping lightly on the black iron armrest.

In the water mirror, the three from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion were already fighting with the Blood Shadow Cult Leader, the airflow stirred up by the fan carrying the Aura of the Land Immortal Realm—clearly, these were no ordinary Disciples.

'Zhao Gao,' he said calmly, 'Have the Divine Calculator cast another divination to see how many people the Heavenly Secret Pavilion has sent this time.'

On the other side of the underground palace, the Divine Calculator was muttering to himself while facing a tortoise shell, three copper coins jumping violently inside the shell, finally splitting into two halves.

'Young Lord, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion is playing for real! Although the Pavilion Master, Elder Mirror, has not appeared, three Elders have come, all at the Late Heaven-Man Realm. Their target is not only the Blood Evasion Technique but also... the Luo Family's Heavenly Derivation Technique!'

A cold light flashed in Jun Xiaoyao's eyes: 'Greed knows no bounds.'

He raised his hand and traced in the air over the summoning array; golden-red light immediately lit up within the array, runes rising like flames, and the faint sound of a Phoenix crying could be heard.

'Summoning conditions: Break Formations, subdue enemies, capable of contending with the Heavenly Human Realm.'

In the light, a red shadow landed, carrying a heatwave, and knelt on one knee. The tassel on the long spear in his hand flickered like a flame; it was Yue Fei from the complete story of yue fei.

[Character Panel Expanded: Name: Yue Fei; From World: the complete story of yue fei; Realm: Middle Celestial Realm; Martial Skill/Cultivation Technique: 1. Li Quan Spear Technique: The spear strikes like a Dragon, containing righteous Qi, capable of breaking evil-type Cultivation Techniques, once knocked down Jin Wuzhu with one spear strike; 2. Yue Family Spear Technique: Exquisite changes, can attack and defend, subordinates who learn this spear technique increase their combat power by fifty percent; Special Abilities: - Soul of Loyalty: When facing unrighteous enemies, combat power surges by thirty percent, mind is firm and unaffected by illusions; - Formation Breaking Map: Proficient in various Formations, can see through the Formation eye at a glance, once broke the Jin army's ten-thousand-strong Formation with eight hundred Yue family troops; Additional Items: - Li Quan Divine Spear: The spear body is forged from extraterrestrial meteorite iron mixed with Dragon scales, can clash with divine weapons, has a restraining effect on evil things; - Commander's Flag: Once unfurled, it can stabilize the morale of the army, suppress the enemy's Aura, and cover a range of ten miles]

Yue Fei looked up, his voice like a great bell: 'Young Lord, where are the rebels causing trouble?'

Jun Xiaoyao pointed to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Elders in the water mirror: 'In the Northern Territory, the Blood Shadow Cult, there are petty people coveting items belonging to my Beyond Heaven. Yue Fei, go and bring me their heads.'

'This general obeys!'

Yue Fei picked up the Li Quan Spear, the spear tip pointing directly at the water mirror, his figure turning into a beam of red light, rushing into the light and shadow of the message talisman.

At the Blood Shadow Cult altar, the battle had entered a white-hot stage.

Marshal of the Unruly's iron chains were entangled with the Blood Shadow Cult Leader's bone staff, Shadow was leading the Luowang Assassins to clear out the remaining Cultists, and Luo Qianji was untying the ropes on Luo Qingxue.

The three Elders of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had already gained the upper hand, and as their folding fans opened and closed, they forced the Blood Shadow Cult Leader to retreat repeatedly, on the verge of seizing the Blood Evasion Technique manual in his hand.

'You rats of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, dare to be presumptuous here!'

A shout rang out like a thunderclap, and Yue Fei's Li Quan Spear, carrying golden-red spear light, arrived through the air, piercing directly at the leading Heavenly Secret Pavilion Elder.

The Elder hurriedly waved his fan to block; with a crisp 'clang,' the folding fan was actually chipped by the spear tip, and he stumbled back, his palm numb.

'Heavenly Human Realm?'

The Elder was both shocked and angry, 'Who are you?'

'Beyond Heaven, Yue Fei!'

Yue Fei's spear momentum did not stop; the Li Quan Spear was like a snake emerging from its hole, the spear shadows enveloping the three Elders, 'You covet items of my Beyond Heaven, so today you shall stay here!'

Jun Xiaoyao watched in the water mirror as Yue Fei fought three opponents with ease, the righteous Qi at the spear tip suppressing the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's soft fan techniques so that they could hardly be deployed, and the corners of his mouth curled slightly.

He said to Zhao Gao: 'Tell Shadow to go and retrieve the original Heavenly Derivation Technique. The scroll in Luo Qianji's hand is fake; the original should be in the Blood Shadow Cult Leader's secret chamber.'

Just as Zhao Gao was about to relay the order, a sudden change occurred in the water mirror—the Blood Shadow Cult Leader, taking advantage of the time Yue Fei was entangling the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood essence; the Blood Pool instantly boiled, turning into a pillar of blood that shot into the sky!

'Blood Evasion!'

Marshal of the Unruly roared, throwing out his iron chains, but only caught an afterimage of the Cult Leader.

'Want to run?'

Star Plucker's figure was like lightning, having already circled behind the blood pillar; he didn't know when he had acquired a porcelain bottle in his hand, and he smashed it fiercely at the blood pillar, 'Taste this!'

The porcelain bottle contained the 'Blood-Breaking Pill' specially made by Great Doctor Ping, which exploded upon contact with blood; the blood pillar instantly collapsed, revealing the Blood Shadow Cult Leader's terrified face.

Yue Fei seized the Opportunity, the Li Quan Spear sweeping horizontally, the spear light severing the Cult Leader's right arm, and the Blood Evasion Technique manual dropped to the ground with a 'plop'.

'Got it!'

Shadow lunged forward, picked up the manual and stuffed it into his bosom, while shouting to Luo Qianji, 'Take your sister and go!'

Luo Qianji didn't even have time to thank him; he carried Luo Qingxue on his back and ran out of the main altar.

The three Elders of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion saw that the situation was bad and made a feint to retreat, but were blocked by Yue Fei's Commander's Flag—the flag unfurled, golden light radiating everywhere, and the Elders felt their breath stagnate, unable to break through the range of the flag Formation.

'Stay!'

Yue Fei tapped the spear tip on the ground, the spear tassel trembling, 'You stole items of my Beyond Heaven, and you still want to leave?'

Jun Xiaoyao watched the Elders trapped by the Commander's Flag in the water mirror and said to Zhao Gao: 'Take them alive. The intelligence network of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion might be of use to me.'

'Yes.'

Half an hour later, the Blood Shadow Cult's main altar was already a sea of fire.

The Unruly were counting the spoils of war; Yue Fei walked out of the firelight, escorting the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Elders with their Meridians sealed. Shadow handed the Blood Evasion Technique manual and the original Heavenly Derivation Technique to Marshal of the Unruly, while Star Plucker played with the intelligence Jade Slip found on the Elder, smiling like a fox that had stolen a chicken.

'Young Lord,' Marshal of the Unruly's voice came through the message talisman, 'The Blood Shadow Cult has been cleared out. We have obtained one scroll of the Blood Evasion Technique, half of the original Heavenly Derivation Technique, three Elders of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, and one hundred and twenty-seven Cultist prisoners. Luo Qianji and his sister have been sent out safely, and he said he is willing to fulfill the agreement and present all the Luo Family's collection of books.'

Jun Xiaoyao watched the rising sun in the water mirror and projected the original Heavenly Derivation Technique onto the black iron long table.

The runes on the scroll flowed, faintly resonating with the runes of the summoning array. He brushed his fingertips over the four characters 'Deduce Heavenly Secrets', a deep meaning flashing in his eyes.

'Have Yue Fei bring the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Elders back to the underground palace, and have Star Plucker check the intelligence in the Jade Slip, focusing on finding the treasure storage points of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.'

He paused and added: 'Tell Luo Qianji to bring the core Disciples of the Luo Family to Beyond Heaven in three days; I want to personally test their techniques.'

'Yes.'

Outside the underground palace, the wind and snow in the Northern Territory gradually subsided.

The destruction of the Blood Shadow Cult was like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring up layers of ripples on the continent—no one expected that Beyond Heaven, which even dared to provoke the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, could so easily take down the Blood Shadow Cult and capture three Elders alive.

Jun Xiaoyao walked to the summoning array, looking at the golden-red light in the array that had not yet dissipated, knowing that this was just the beginning.

The appearance of the Heavenly Derivation Technique meant that Beyond Heaven could not only control current forces but also deduce future Opportunities, and the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's intelligence Jade Slip might allow him to find more secrets about the Void Fissure of the Forbidden Land in advance.

He raised his hand and put the original Heavenly Derivation Technique into a secret compartment; the black iron long table automatically closed, emitting a muffled sound.

In the distance, the cooing of a Luowang carrier pigeon came, carrying new information flying toward the underground palace—it was a secret report from Fragrant Bat in the Southern Territory, saying that among the remaining snakes in the Ten Thousand Snake Cave, there was actually a 'Black Water Snake' that could speak human language, which might know something about the ancient Secret Realm.

The corners of Jun Xiaoyao's mouth curled slightly, and he tapped his fingertip lightly on the summoning array.

New runes began to flow; this time, the light was emerald green, and there was the faint sound of murmuring water.

The territory belonging to Beyond Heaven was still continuing to expand.

And those forces hidden in the dark would eventually, under the shadow of The Net, all reveal their true colors.