262: The mark of the outer heaven

On the bronze long table in the Hanyue Valley Underground Palace, Jun Xiaoyao lightly tapped the Dark Iron panel with his fingertips. The words “The Net” on it glowed coldly.

A black-clad killer knelt before the table, his shoulder blades pierced by iron hooks. Beads of blood dripped from the hook tips onto the blue bricks, spreading out like dark plum blossoms.

“Speak. Who told you to use the mark of Beyond Heaven during a black market mission?” Jun Xiaoyao’s voice was devoid of emotion, his gaze fixed on the new red alert that popped up on the panel.

The mission to assassinate the Prefect of Qingzhou last night was originally undertaken by The Net, but someone branded the character “Heaven” on the victim’s glabella—a secret mark Beyond Heaven never exposes.

The killer clenched his teeth, refusing to speak. The intense pain from the iron hooks made him tremble, yet he stared fixedly at the shadow behind Jun Xiaoyao. Marshal of the Unruly stood there, his dark cloak trailing to the ground, concealing the bloodstains on his boot soles. He held a copper coin in his hand; he was the one who had personally captured this killer.

“The Young Lord is speaking to you.” Marshal of the Unruly’s voice sounded like sandpaper being rubbed. The copper coin suddenly stopped spinning, and a cold gleam shone between his fingers. “You should know The Net’s rules: if you expose Beyond Heaven’s secrets, don’t expect to keep a whole corpse.”

The killer’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he finally squeezed out a sentence: “It... it was someone from the Shadow Sect. They said they’d pay ten times the price for me to leave the mark after finishing the mission, to attract the Holy Land’s attention...”

Jun Xiaoyao’s fingertip traced the words “Shadow Sect” on the panel, pulling up the opponent’s profile: [Shadow Sect, a newly emerging force in the Jianghu. Sect Master Shadow Without Trace, Innate Realm, skilled in disguise and assassination, recently intercepted The Net’s business multiple times]. He suddenly chuckled and looked at Marshal of the Unruly: “Is this the same result The Unruly investigated?”

Marshal of the Unruly nodded and threw a bloodstained token in front of the killer—the token was engraved with the character “Shadow,” and its edge still bore the scratch marks of The Net’s specialized crossbow bolts. “This token fell from his chest during the interception last night. The Shadow Sect wants to use the Holy Land’s hand to eliminate us. They certainly calculated well.”

Jun Xiaoyao stopped looking at the killer and addressed the panel: “Zhao Gao.”

A tall, thin figure responded from the shadows; it was Zhao Gao, who manages The Net’s internal affairs, holding a black ledger. “Young Lord.”

“How many black market missions has the Shadow Sect taken recently?”

Zhao Gao opened the ledger, his fingertip tracing the dense script: “Reporting to the Young Lord, they intercepted seven of our orders this month. Three involved Imperial Dynasty officials, two concerned aristocratic family disciples, and two were Sect secret treasures. They all used The Net’s routes but changed the mark at the conclusion.”

“Heh,” Jun Xiaoyao’s fingertip paused on the four characters “Land Immortal.” “Is their Sect Master Shadow Without Trace’s Realm accurate?”

“Accurate,” Marshal of the Unruly interjected. “Three months ago in a rainy lane in Jiangnan, he used his Innate Realm Peak combat strength to kill a Grandmaster Realm Elder. He used the Shadow Sect’s secret technique, ‘Thousand Faces Kill,’ which allows him to change seven kinds of movement techniques within ten breaths, making him extremely hard to lock down.”

Jun Xiaoyao finally raised his eyes and looked at the trembling killer: “Did Shadow Without Trace ask you to leave the ‘Heaven’ character mark because he was certain the Holy Land would investigate Beyond Heaven?”

The killer nodded frantically: “Yes! He said... he said the Holy Land has long wanted to purge the underground forces, and The Net has been too conspicuous these years. As long as the framing succeeds, the Holy Land will definitely send Land Immortal Realm Envoys to act!”

“Interesting.” Jun Xiaoyao stood up, his dark robe sweeping the ground, raising a gust of cold wind. “They want the Holy Land to act, so we’ll give the Holy Land a ‘ladder’.”

He walked to the panel, tapped lightly with his fingertip, and brought up the summoning interface. The stars on the interface were slowly circulating, and one of them was shining particularly brightly—that was the System prompt for a summonable node.

“System, summon.”

[Randomly summoning Wuxia World character...]

[Match successful!]

The summoning array in the center of the underground palace suddenly lit up with blue-violet light. Faint sword cries echoed within the light, resembling a Dragon’s roar and a Crane’s cry. As the light intensified, a white-robed figure stepped out of the light. A simple longsword hung at his waist, and his face was handsome and refined. It was Feng Qingyang from "the smiling, proud wanderer."

[Summoned Character: Feng Qingyang]

[Origin: Jin Yong Wuxia World]

[Realm: Grandmaster Realm]

[Martial Skill Cultivation Technique:]

1. Nine Swords of Dugu (Perfection) — Breaking all martial arts under heaven; growing stronger when facing strength.

2. Zixia Divine Skill (Major Achievement) — Profound internal breath, capable of utilizing Qi to injure others.

3. Clear Wind Steps (Perfection) — Movement technique swift as the wind, covering a thousand miles in an instant.]

[Loyalty: 92%]

“This Feng greets the Young Lord.” Feng Qingyang cupped his hands in salute, his voice clear and melodious like the striking of jade. “I heard there were petty villains causing trouble, so I specifically came to assist.”

Jun Xiaoyao looked at Feng Qingyang’s profile on the panel, a cold arc hooking his lips: “Elder Feng, are you familiar with the Shadow Sect’s ‘Thousand Faces Kill’?”

Feng Qingyang stroked his beard and chuckled lightly: “Merely a trivial trick. A thousand faces and ten thousand changes, the root lies in the movement technique. The Nine Swords of Dugu specializes in breaking changing forms. Within ten breaths, I will surely find his flaw.”

Marshal of the Unruly stepped forward: “Young Lord, this subordinate requests permission to lead Elder Feng in a surprise attack on the Shadow Sect’s main headquarters tonight!”

“No rush.” Jun Xiaoyao shook his head, his fingertip tracing the topographical map of the Shadow Sect Main Headquarters on the panel. “The Shadow Sect set up seven layers of illusions in the Misty Forest outside Qingzhou City. Forcing our way in would only alert the enemy. Zhao Gao, bring the Mechanism Guide.”

Zhao Gao quickly returned, holding a bronze box. When opened, seven silver threads lay inside, each tail adorned with a minuscule bell. “Young Lord, these are made from a mixture of Hundred Poison Spider Silk and Heavenly Silkworm Silk. They dissolve upon contact with blood and can trigger the poisonous insects within the illusion to counter-attack.”

Jun Xiaoyao picked up a thread and handed it to Feng Qingyang: “Elder Feng, please infiltrate the Misty Forest and wrap this Mechanism Guide around the banner flags at the seven array eyes of the Shadow Sect. When they activate the illusion, the threads will automatically trigger upon encountering the miasma within the array. At that time...”

“At that time, the illusion will backfire, and the Thousand Faces Kill will also lose its rhythm.” Feng Qingyang took the thread, lightly twisted it between his fingers, and the thread instantly disappeared into his sleeve. “Young Lord, rest assured. The Clear Wind Steps tread through the mist silently. I will surely return before dawn.”

Watching Feng Qingyang’s figure disappear at the exit of the underground palace, Marshal of the Unruly asked: “Young Lord, what about the Holy Land side...”

“Don’t the Holy Land’s Envoys like to poke their noses into other people’s business?” Jun Xiaoyao brought up the Prefect of Qingzhou’s dossier, which recorded the evidence of the Shadow Sect assassinating court officials last month. “Zhao Gao, make three copies of this evidence. Send one to the Governor of Qingzhou, anonymously deliver one to the Holy Land’s mountain gate, and the remaining one...”

He paused, looked at the killer still kneeling, his gaze as cold as ice: “Have him ‘deliver’ it to Shadow Without Trace.”

Marshal of the Unruly immediately understood, crushing the killer’s knee with one foot and stuffing the evidence into his arms: “Tell Shadow Without Trace that Beyond Heaven will settle accounts with him sooner or later. As for you, if you can crawl out of Hanyue Valley alive, that will count as the Shadow Sect’s capability.”

The killer was dragged out, screaming, a trail of blood winding from the underground palace all the way to the valley entrance. Zhao Gao looked at the trail of blood and murmured: “Young Lord, if the Shadow Sect sees the evidence, they will surely jump the wall like a cornered dog, perhaps even directly attacking the Holy Land.”

“Then let them fight.” Jun Xiaoyao returned to the long table and sat down, tapping the panel again. “If the Holy Land’s Land Immortal Realm Envoys act, Shadow Without Trace wouldn’t have enough lives to pay even if he had nine. The Net only needs to ‘pick up’ the spoils at the end.”

On the panel, a red mark was added next to the Shadow Sect’s profile—[Target: Shadow Without Trace, Realm: Innate Peak, Must Kill]. Meanwhile, Feng Qingyang’s coordinates were moving rapidly within the Misty Forest. Every few moments, an Array Eye marker turned green.

The night deepened. The wind in Hanyue Valley carried mist, causing the bronze lamps in the underground palace to flicker. Jun Xiaoyao looked at the seven green dots gradually lighting up on the panel, and lightly tapped the three characters “Great Grandmaster” with his fingertip.

“Marshal of the Unruly, notify all killers of The Net. Be on standby tonight during the Yin hour.”

“Yes, Young Lord!”

“Remember,” Jun Xiaoyao added, “Unless the Shadow Sect is destroyed, you are not allowed to expose Beyond Heaven. The Net’s affairs must be resolved internally by The Net.”

Marshal of the Unruly accepted the order and left. Only Jun Xiaoyao and Zhao Gao remained in the underground palace. Zhao Gao looked at the steadily rising “Beyond Heaven Reputation Value” on the panel and couldn’t help but ask: “Young Lord, after the Shadow Sect is destroyed, what about the black market business in Qingzhou...”

“Naturally, it will all belong to The Net.” Jun Xiaoyao’s voice echoed in the empty underground palace. “After all, we never do business that results in a loss.”

The stars on the panel were still circulating. The next summonable node was already flashing, and the outline of the three characters “Heavenly Human Realm” could be faintly seen.

Jun Xiaoyao knew that The Net of Beyond Heaven was only just beginning to tighten, and those who dared to touch his interests would eventually be completely swallowed by this net.