311: Undercurrents in the Imperial City

The bronze lamps in the Hanyue Valley Underground Palace flickered, illuminating the transcript of the secret letter held between Jun Xiaoyao's fingertips.

The cinnabar seal glowed with an eerie red in the firelight, resembling a drop of blood on the paper.

He looked up at the water mirror. In the image, Murong Fu stood outside the Imperial City Bureau, his brocade robe striking in the morning light, followed by two Luowang Assassins dressed in black—the "witnesses" Jun Xiaoyao had specifically sent.

"Young Lord, Murong Fu has delivered the secret letter to Wang Jin, Commander of the Imperial City Bureau, as you instructed," Zhao Gao said, bowing with his voice lowered. "After reading the letter, Wang Jin shattered his teacup on the spot; he looked both shocked and furious."

Jun Xiaoyao's fingertip traced the three characters "Blood Shadow Cult" on the transcript: "He is shocked that their collusion was exposed, and furious that the Blood Shadow Cult failed to cover their tracks."

He looked at the light screen. Murong Fu's loyalty had risen from 76% to 78%; clearly, he was very satisfied with this "using power to establish prestige."

In the water mirror, Murong Fu was confronting Wang Jin. Wang Jin was a middle-aged man with a sinister complexion, his fingers constantly rubbing the jade pendant at his waist: "Young Master Murong, I'm afraid this secret letter is a forgery, isn't it? How could the Imperial City Bureau collude with the demonic heretics of the Blood Shadow Cult?"

Murong Fu lightly waved his folding fan, a hint of mockery in his smile: "If Lord Wang does not believe me, you are welcome to investigate the 'Black Iron Arrows' transported from the Imperial City Bureau's warehouse last month and see whose hands they eventually fell into."

He took a step closer, lowering his voice: "Or, shall I go to the Censorate right now and tell them that you accepted 'lihun grass' from the Blood Shadow Cult last month?"

Wang Jin's face turned deathly pale in an instant. He stared fixedly at Murong Fu, and only after a long while did he grit his teeth and say: "Give me three days, and I will hand over the mole. But you must guarantee that this matter will not implicate the Imperial City Bureau."

"That depends on your sincerity." Murong Fu turned and walked away, his folding fan tapping lightly against his palm, "Three days from now, I will wait for news at the Assembly of Sages Tower."

Inside the underground palace, Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene and said to Zhao Gao: "Have the 'Shadow' group keep a close watch on the Imperial City Bureau, especially their warehouse and secret passages. I want to know what else they have sent to the Blood Shadow Cult besides the Black Iron Arrows."

"Yes." Just as Zhao Gao was about to withdraw, the water mirror suddenly switched scenes, displaying the Blood-Colored Purgatory in the Western Regions—Shangguan Jinhong was standing in front of a scorched herb garden, his Dragon Phoenix Rings still stained with sparks, followed by a Blood Shadow Cult herb slave tied up like a dumpling.

"Young Lord, the forbidden drug made from lihun grass is called 'heart-corroding powder'; it can boost a person's cultivation by threefold, but the side effect is becoming a lunatic," Shangguan Jinhong said into the message talisman. "The Blood Shadow Cult has already refined three batches, all hidden in the 'Blood Pool' at the core of the Purgatory."

Jun Xiaoyao's eyes darkened slightly: "The Blood Pool?"

"It is a pool filled with the fresh blood of living people; it is said to enhance the power of the Blood Shadow Great Technique." Shangguan Jinhong kicked the herb slave at his feet. "This guy says that the Blood Butcher Cultivates in the Blood Pool for three hours every day."

"Very good," Jun Xiaoyao said. "Bring the herb slave back to Beyond Heaven and have the Yellow Pharmacist interrogate him; you must find out the formula for the heart-corroding powder. Additionally, mark the location of the Blood Pool on the map and send it to Li Xunhuan."

At this moment, the summoning array suddenly lit up. The spiritual energy at the array's eye rose to 80% due to intercepting the clue about the forbidden drug, and a new list of summonable characters appeared:

[Summonable Character: Invincible East]

[Origin: "the smiling, proud wanderer" world]

[Realm: Early Earthly Immortal Realm]

[Martial Skill: Sunflower Manual (Perfection), Embroidery Needle (Perfection)]

[Loyalty: 75%]

[Summoning Cost: 70% Spiritual Energy]

Jun Xiaoyao stared at the name, his fingertips pausing slightly. The speed of Invincible East's Sunflower Manual was extremely fast, perfectly countering the bizarre movement techniques of the Blood Shadow Cult. More importantly, the combat power of a Land Immortal was enough to deal with the Blood Butcher who might appear.

"Summon Invincible East."

The array eye erupted with a blinding red light, and runes coiled like blood-colored ribbons as a figure dressed in red slowly coalesced within the light. They held an Embroidery Needle, with a face so handsome it didn't look like a man's, yet their eyes carried an arrogance that looked down upon the world. They bowed slightly to Jun Xiaoyao, their voice androgynous: "Invincible East, greets the Young Lord."

[Character Panel: Invincible East]

[Status: Stable]

[Loyalty: 76%]

Jun Xiaoyao pointed to the Blood Pool in the water mirror: "Do you know your mission?"

Invincible East glanced at the image, the Embroidery Needle spinning between their fingertips: "The Blood Shadow Cult? Just a bunch of trash who rely on drinking blood to Cultivate." Their tone was dismissive, yet carried an overbearing aura of supremacy. "Does the Young Lord want me to go and meet that Blood Butcher?"

"Not only that." Jun Xiaoyao pulled up the defense map sent by Li Xunhuan. "The Blood Pool is guarded by the 'Blood Soul Array'; you need to use the speed of the Sunflower Manual to break the array, and Li Xunhuan will assist you."

Invincible East chuckled, their red robes fluttering like a raging fire: "Breaking an array? Interesting." They stepped into the teleportation array, "Wait for my good news."

Watching Invincible East's figure disappear, Jun Xiaoyao said to Zhao Gao: "Have Zhang Sanfeng and Qiao Feng prepare. Once Invincible East succeeds, activate the Grand Void Teleportation Array and strike directly at the core of the Blood-Colored Purgatory."

"Yes!"

Three days later, at the Assembly of Sages Tower.

Murong Fu sat by the window, fiddling with the secret letter sent by Wang Jin. The letter detailed the transaction records between the Imperial City Bureau and the Blood Shadow Cult, even including the three chests of gold and silver that Wang Jin had personally delivered.

He was just about to rise when he saw Wang Jin rush in with a dozen Embroidered Uniform Guards; leading them was a pale-faced, beardless eunuch with a "Directorate of Ceremonial" badge hanging from his waist.

"Young Master Murong, stay your step," the eunuch said in a shrill voice. "His Majesty has an imperial decree inviting you into the palace for questioning."

Murong Fu's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on his folding fan: "Is the eunuch trying to place me under house arrest?"

"I wouldn't dare." The eunuch offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "It's just that His Majesty is quite interested in the 'Murong of Gusu'."

Just at this moment, a black shadow broke through the window and knelt on one knee before Murong Fu: "The Young Lord has ordered us to escort you back to Beyond Heaven." It was a "Heaven" grade assassin from The Net!

Wang Jin's expression changed abruptly: "Stop them!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were just about to draw their swords when they saw the assassin's figure flicker. The short blade in his hand flashed like lightning, and the wrists of a dozen men bled simultaneously. The assassin hoisted Murong Fu up and sneered at the eunuch: "Our Young Lord will come to settle the Imperial City Bureau's account personally."

Before the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao watched the assassin take Murong Fu into the teleportation array and said to Zhao Gao: "It seems Wang Jin wants to use the Emperor to pressure us."

His fingertip tapped on the three characters "Imperial City Bureau" on the light screen. "Have the Marshal of the Unruly lead The Unruly to infiltrate the Imperial City, steal the original copies of those transaction records, and deliver them to the Censorate."

"The Young Lord is wise!" Zhao Gao suddenly realized. "This will not only bring down Wang Jin but also force the imperial court and the Blood Shadow Cult to completely tear each other apart!"

Jun Xiaoyao did not speak, his gaze turning to the water mirror of the Western Regions. In the image, Invincible East and Li Xunhuan had arrived at the perimeter of the Blood Pool.

Invincible East's red robes fluttered, and the Embroidery Needles shot out like a torrential rain, precisely piercing the eye of the Blood Soul Array; Li Xunhuan stood guard on the side, his Flying Dagger occasionally taking care of any escaping Blood Crow Guards.

"The array is broken!" Li Xunhuan shouted in a low voice, watching the blood-colored light screen shatter inch by inch.

Invincible East darted in like a ghost, the Embroidery Needle aiming straight for the Blood Butcher who was cultivating in the Blood Pool. Caught off guard, the Blood Butcher had his shoulder slashed by the needle, and he roared as he leaped out of the Blood Pool: "You are courting death!"

The Blood Shadow Great Technique was driven to its limit, and the fresh blood in the Blood Pool transformed into countless blood arrows that shot toward Invincible East. Invincible East did not dodge or avoid, but operated the Sunflower Manual to its limit, their red robes weaving through the blood arrows, and every time the Embroidery Needle fell, it brought up a string of blood droplets.

"A bit interesting." Invincible East chuckled, the needle shadows suddenly becoming dense, actually piercing dozens of small holes into the Blood Butcher's body. "Your blood is quite red, indeed."

The Blood Butcher was both shocked and furious, but he could do nothing against Invincible East's speed, and could only watch helplessly as the other party destroyed the heart-corroding powder furnace beside the Blood Pool.

Before the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene and said to Zhao Gao: "Let Zhang Sanfeng and the others depart."

The Grand Void Teleportation Array lit up, and the figures of Zhang Sanfeng, Qiao Feng, and West Gate Blows Snow simultaneously appeared beside the Blood Pool. Qiao Feng unleashed the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, the golden dragon phantom striking directly at the Blood Butcher's face; Zhang Sanfeng drew a circle with his Tai Chi Sword, blocking all the blood shadows; West Gate Blows Snow's True Yang Fire ignited the remaining Blood Pool, and the flames soared into the sky.

Beset by enemies from front and back, and having been struck in a vital spot by Invincible East's Embroidery Needle, the Blood Butcher finally let out a miserable scream and was struck by Qiao Feng's palm into the burning Blood Pool, turning into a ball of fire.

"Solved." Invincible East shook the blood droplets off the needle, their tone as flat as if speaking of a trivial matter.

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the "Blood Shadow Cult Destroyed" notification on the light screen, his fingertip tapping heavily on the "Imperial City Bureau" location on the map. The Blood Shadow Cult had been eliminated; next, it was time for those rats hiding in the shadows.

The bronze lamps of the underground palace still swayed, reflecting in Jun Xiaoyao's deep eyes. The Net of Beyond Heaven was no longer just a net of the Jianghu, but also a net of the imperial court. And this net would only tighten further.