230: Dingming in the Western Regions

A bronze cauldron hung in the center of the Beyond Heaven palace; the golden light from the secret patterns on the cauldron's body had been flowing for three days without pause.

Jun Xiaoyao sat quietly on the jade steps outside the palace, his fingertips lightly tapping the stone table—on the System panel, the "Western Region Spiritual Vein Resonance" was climbing at a rate of 1% per hour, and had now reached 78%.

Zhao Gao had just sent news back from the black market: "The remnants of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect have united with the royal families of the seven kingdoms in the Western Region. They are building an altar at the ruins of Loulan, seemingly intending to use human blood as a sacrifice to reforge the Kunlun Mirror fragment."

The summoning array on the stone table suddenly rippled, its light even brighter than when Li Bai was summoned last time.

As Jun Xiaoyao looked up, a swordsman in a simple black robe already stood within the array. A primitive longsword hung at his waist, and the sword tassel was crafted from rare black iron. The System panel lit up in response:

[Summoning Successful]

[Character: Ye Gucheng]

[Origin: gu long wuxia world]

[Realm: Initial Heaven Human Realm]

[Martial Skill:

1. Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens (Perfection) — The sword strikes like a flowing light breaking the sun, containing the power of heaven and earth, capable of slicing through spatial barriers

2. Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeve (Major Achievement) — Uses sleeve wind to dissipate force, capable of blocking a full-strength strike from a Grandmaster Realm expert

3. Isolated City Sword Technique (Perfection) — The sword's Aura is solitary and lofty, like a ten-thousand-fathom sheer cliff, causing opponents to feel fear]

[Loyalty: 100%]

"The Loulan altar requires someone to break the array." Before Ye Gucheng finished speaking, he had already grasped the hilt of his sword, the blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight. "My sword is specialized in breaking false altars."

Jun Xiaoyao drew an arc on the stone table with his fingertip: "The seven-nation coalition of the Western Region has three Heavenly Human Realm experts holding the line, among whom the 'Blood Butcher' is skilled in blood sacrifice techniques.

The altar is surrounded by a 'Seven Killings Spirit Locking Array'; you must first destroy its array eyes." He pushed a sheepskin map over, on which the locations of the seven array eyes were marked with silver thread.

"The Net has already deployed a 'Heavenly Net' around the perimeter of Loulan. The Marshal of the Unruly will lead the Shadow Kill Battalion to clear the fodder; Brother Ye only needs to strike directly at the heart of the altar."

Three days later, the sandstorms at the ruins of Loulan were fiercer than usual. The altar was built high upon broken walls, and soldiers from the seven kingdoms, dressed in animal-hide armor and holding bone blades, were pushing captives toward the Blood Pool in the center of the altar.

The Blood Butcher stood at the top of the altar, his black robe embroidered with skull patterns. He held half a repaired Kunlun Mirror fragment in his hand, chanting, "With the essence and blood of the seven kingdoms as a guide, the mirror returns to its place, and the Western Region Spiritual Vein shall belong to me..."

"Delusional."

Ye Gucheng's voice fell along with the sword light, and his black-robed figure swept to the front of the altar like a startled swan.

The first light curtain of the Seven Killings Spirit Locking Array shattered in response. The seven Grandmaster Realm guards defending the array had just begun to draw their blades when they were already swept by the sword light across their throats—the speed of the Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens was naturally faster than a normal person's reaction.

"It's the people from The Net again!" The Blood Butcher roared as he threw the Kunlun Mirror fragment toward the Blood Pool. "Activate the blood sacrifice!"

The Blood Pool instantly boiled, and the viscous blood plasma transformed into blood arrows, shooting toward Ye Gucheng.

He did not retreat but advanced instead. His Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeve rolled out layers of air waves, dissipating all the blood arrows. At the same time, his longsword slanted upward, and the solitary, lofty Sword Intent of the Isolated City Sword Technique filled the air. The soldiers on the altar were actually pressed to their knees by this Aura.

Sounds of slaughter came from below the altar. The iron claws of the Marshal of the Unruly tore through the coalition's defenses, and the crossbow arrows of the Shadow Kill Battalion fell like a torrential rain. The black-robed killers advanced, stepping over corpses, repeating only three words: "Clear the perimeter."

Ye Gucheng had already swept to the top of the altar, his sword tip pointing directly at the Blood Butcher's brow.

The Blood Butcher unleashed his life-bound Blood Banner, from which skulls spat out black mist, instantly shrouding the altar. "Taste the resentment of the seven kingdoms!"

Countless wails came from within the black mist, enough to cause those with weak wills to collapse.

But Ye Gucheng's sword remained steady. He had only his target in his eyes; the Isolated City Sword Technique was born from loneliness, so why fear grievances?

"Break."

As the word fell, the sword light pierced through the black mist like a shooting star crashing into the Blood Banner.

The moment the Blood Banner exploded, the Blood Butcher saw the sword hole in his own chest, his eyes filled with disbelief—why could someone maintain their sword stance unchanged within such evil, eerie black mist?

Ye Gucheng withdrew his sword, and beads of blood dripped along the edge of the blade, blooming into tiny red marks on the altar's stone slabs.

He bent down to pick up the half of the Kunlun Mirror fragment. The surface of the mirror was still stained with blood plasma, yet it glowed faintly when it touched his fingertips—resonating with the secret patterns of the bronze cauldron.

"Withdraw." The voice of the Marshal of the Unruly came from below the altar. The Shadow Kill Battalion had cleared the last of the coalition soldiers and was escorting the captives to a safe zone.

Ye Gucheng held the mirror fragment and leaped off the altar, the wind and sand rolling up the hem of his black robe.

In the distant horizon, the golden light of the bronze cauldron had pierced through the clouds, casting a pillar of light onto the ruins of Loulan. The "Western Region Spiritual Vein Resonance" on the System panel jumped to 100%.

At this moment, inside the Beyond Heaven palace, the bronze cauldron suddenly emitted a humming sound.

The secret patterns on the cauldron resonated with the Kunlun Mirror fragment brought back by Ye Gucheng, and a phantom image of the entire Western Region appeared on the mirror surface—from the Kunlun Ruins to Loulan, from deserts to oases, all the Spiritual Vein nodes were flickering.

Jun Xiaoyao reached out to touch the phantom image. As his fingertip slid across the location of Loulan, a new prompt popped up on the panel:

[Unlock Permission: Western Region Spiritual Vein Control]

[Reward: Summoning Points +5000, Unlocked Heavenly Human Realm summoning probability to 30%]

Zhao Gao's report came from outside the palace: "Young Lord, Mr. Ye has brought back the mirror fragment, and the Marshal of the Unruly is on his way back."

Jun Xiaoyao gazed at the slowly rotating Spiritual Vein phantom in the bronze cauldron, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint smile.

The threads of The Net had already firmly grasped the lifeline of the Western Region, and those forces hiding in the dark probably still did not understand—what they were facing was never just an assassination organization, but Beyond Heaven hiding behind the scenes.

The summoning array on the stone table was still glowing faintly. Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertip on the array eye.

Who should be summoned next? Perhaps, it was time to let those noble families in Jiangnan also taste the methods of Beyond Heaven.

After all, resources never run over by themselves; they have to be snatched—of course, in the name of "The Net."