331: Collecting the Three Grounds

The water mirror in the Hanyue Valley Underground Palace was divided into three grids, each reflecting a different night scene.

Jun Xiaoyao sat upright on the black iron chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, his gaze shifting between the three screens, as if controlling the changing situation in the three locations.

In the left water mirror, the poisonous miasma behind the Liusha Sect was black as ink. Fu Hongxue’s black figure merged with the night. The saber in his hand was still sheathed, and he relied solely on his footsteps to traverse the miasma, each step precisely landing in the thinnest gaps of the poisonous fog—this was the safe path marked in advance by The Net’s secret stakes.

On the stone platform in the distance, Killing Evil was sitting cross-legged, Cultivating. The greenish-black Qi energy of the Bone Dissolving Palm was expanding and contracting in his palms, and all the vegetation within ten feet of him had withered completely.

"One incense stick of time remains," Jun Xiaoyao whispered into the message talisman, his voice transmitted to Fu Hongxue's ear via spiritual power.

Fu Hongxue’s footsteps paused slightly. His fingertips rubbed the saber hilt, making the patterns on the scabbard warm. He could feel Killing Evil's aura fluctuating within the poisonous miasma, like a coiled venomous snake, every breath carrying the maliciousness of corroding spiritual power.

In the middle water mirror, the Black Ice Wall of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion emitted a faint blue light. Zhan Zhao’s blue robes flickered in the icy mist. The juque sword in his hand pointed diagonally at the ground, its tip condensing a wisp of Sword Intent, slowly neutralizing the cold air emanating from the wall. Behind the wall, the Iron Guard Battalion's Seven Star Formation operated flawlessly. Seven Grandmaster Realm guards stood according to the Northern Dipper positions, their spiritual power interwoven into a net, protecting the secret chamber containing the cold iron token impenetrably.

"The Formation core is at the Tianji Position," Zhan Zhao whispered into the message talisman. His Treading Snow Without a Trace movement technique was utilized to its extreme, leaving a trail of faint footprints in front of the ice wall, which were immediately frozen by the cold air. The Net's Shadow Group had already planted explosives on the other side of the ice wall, waiting for his signal to detonate.

In the right water mirror, the desert wind of Mo Bei carried the moonlight, and the camel bells of the caravan sounded particularly lonely beneath Black Wind Ridge. Stone Guanyin, disguised as a Dancing Girl, sat in the most luxurious carriage, turning a poisoned needle with her fingertips beneath the veil—scouts from the Black Wind Stockade were already watching from three miles away, their eyes frequently falling on the carriage, clearly attracted by the title of "Dancing Girl."

"The Stockade Master’s trusted aide is a One-Eyed Dragon, wearing a Wolf Tooth Talisman at his waist, which is the Black Wind Stockade's troop deployment order," Stone Guanyin's voice, carrying a hint of lazy charm, came through the message talisman. "The Pledge of Loyalty should be in the leather pouch close to his body."

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the three screens and said to Zhao Gao beside him, "The time is almost up."

Zhao Gao bowed in assent, placing the three message talismans side by side on the stone table. The edges of the talismans were already glowing faintly red, a sign that the signal was about to be sent. The summoning array in the center of the underground palace also began to glow slightly. Due to the preliminary preparations for the three tasks, the spiritual power in the Formation core had quietly risen to 88%. The runes flowed, seemingly awaiting something.

"Act."

As Jun Xiaoyao’s words fell, the three message talismans lit up simultaneously.

In the left water mirror, Fu Hongxue’s figure shot out like an arrow released from a bowstring, his Saber Qi cleaving a rift in the poisonous miasma. Killing Evil sensed the anomaly and slammed his Bone Dissolving Palm behind him. The moment the greenish-black Qi energy collided with the saber light, he suddenly realized that his spiritual power was rapidly draining away—Fu Hongxue's saber sheath was coated with the Spirit Devouring Powder unique to the Western Regions, specifically designed to counter malicious Cultivation Techniques.

"Clang!"

The crisp sound of the saber leaving its sheath echoed through the miasma, colder than the miasma itself and sharper than the moonlight. Killing Evil only saw a flash of cold light sweep across his neck, then felt his consciousness rapidly fading. He died without seeing Fu Hongxue's face, only remembering that the saber was as fast as lightning. Fu Hongxue sheathed his saber and turned to step back into the miasma. Killing Evil’s corpse fell behind him, quickly corroded into a puddle of pus by the poisonous fog.

In the middle water mirror, Zhan Zhao’s juque sword suddenly thrust upward, and his Sword Intent shot toward the Tianji Position of the Black Ice Wall like a meteor. "Now!" he shouted. The Net's Shadow Group immediately detonated the explosives, and the Black Ice Wall cracked open with a roar. The Iron Guard Battalion's Seven Star Formation instantly fell into disarray. Zhan Zhao took advantage of the smoke and dust to leap in, using the Treading Snow Without a Trace movement technique to step onto the shoulder of the guard at the Formation core. With a flick of the juque sword, he had already retrieved the cold iron token from the secret chamber. By the time the seven guards recovered and surrounded him, his figure had vanished into the icy mist, leaving only the phrase "I concede" echoing in the chamber.

In the right water mirror, Stone Guanyin’s camel carriage suddenly stopped. She lifted her veil and bowed gracefully toward Black Wind Ridge. The One-Eyed Dragon, unable to restrain himself, rode over with two trusted aides, lecherously staring at Stone Guanyin: "Little lady, come back to the stockade with Grandpa, I guarantee you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Stone Guanyin’s poisoned needle shot into his throat. Her Phantom Demon Movement Technique unfolded within the caravan, her figure transforming into a series of afterimages. She instantly snatched the leather pouch from the One-Eyed Dragon's waist, simultaneously shooting another poisoned needle into the brow of the second aide. The remaining scouts scattered upon seeing this, but Stone Guanyin did not pursue them. She simply opened the pouch and retrieved the sheepskin scroll—it clearly contained the accounts of the Black Wind Stockade's illicit dealings with Mo Bei salt merchants, involving the smuggling of three thousand warhorses. This was precisely the "Pledge of Loyalty" Jun Xiaoyao required.

The scenes in the three water mirrors simultaneously froze at the moment the tasks were completed. Fu Hongxue’s saber was still stained with residual miasma fluid, the cold iron token in Zhan Zhao's hand gleamed with metallic light, and the sheepskin scroll Stone Guanyin unfurled rustled in the desert wind.

"Retreat," Jun Xiaoyao ordered into the message talisman, his voice betraying no emotion.

Zhao Gao stepped forward, presenting three newly received victory reports: "Lord Fu Hongxue has withdrawn from the Liusha Sect, his movements were not exposed in the miasma; the cold iron token brought back by Lord Zhan Zhao has been verified by Lord Ouyezi to be genuine, and the counterfeit has been sent to the Southern Chu Imperial Family as planned; the Pledge of Loyalty from Lord Stone Guanyin involves five years of transaction records between Mo Bei and the Black Wind Stockade. The 'Black Wind Mine' mentioned therein contains the rare 'stellar iron,' which is the primary material for refining divine weapons."

"stellar iron?" Jun Xiaoyao took the sheepskin scroll, his fingertip tracing the characters for "Black Wind Mine." This Ore is rarer than black iron. If we can control it, the quality of Beyond Heaven's weapons will advance another level. "Have Stone Guanyin investigate the location of the Black Wind Mine while she’s at it. The Net's Earth Group will follow up and seize the Ore vein."

"Yes."

At this moment, the runes of the summoning array suddenly flowed intensely, and the spiritual power in the Formation core instantly surged to 90%. A new figure slowly materialized in the golden light. It was an elderly man dressed in a Daoist robe, with crane hair and a childlike face, holding a whisk—it was Zhang Sanfeng.

[Character Panel: Zhang Sanfeng]

[Origin: The world of the heaven sword and dragon saber]

[Realm: Mid-stage Terrestrial Immortal Realm]

[Martial Skill: Tai Chi Fist (Perfection), Tai Chi Sword (Major Achievement), Nine Yang Divine Art (Perfection)]

[Specialty: Subduing the Strong with the Soft, Formation Grandmaster. Capable of neutralizing the world's most rigid power.]

[Loyalty: 85%]

[Current Thoughts: This child has extraordinary Luck. Beyond Heaven might be able to end this chaotic era.]

Zhang Sanfeng bowed to Jun Xiaoyao, his voice resonant like a great bell: "The old Daoist, Zhang Sanfeng, greets the Young Lord."

Jun Xiaoyao rose and returned the greeting. He knew that Zhang Sanfeng's appearance meant that Beyond Heaven finally had the confidence to directly contend against top-tier powers. "True Man Zhang, the Heavenly Dao Alliance in the Central Plains has been probing The Net recently. I ask Immortal Master to step forward and make them understand the rules of Beyond Heaven."

Zhang Sanfeng flicked his whisk: "The old Daoist was just looking for a chance to meet these so-called 'Righteous Path leaders'." He turned and stepped into the teleportation array, leaving a final remark before departing, "In three days, the old Daoist will deliver the Heavenly Dao Alliance's challenge letter to Hanyue Valley."

The golden light dispersed. Jun Xiaoyao looked at the 90% spiritual power reading on the summoning array, a slight smile curving his lips. The three tasks were completed perfectly, not only yielding the cold iron token, the Pledge of Loyalty, and the clue to the stellar iron Ore, but also summoning a top-tier combatant like Zhang Sanfeng. Beyond Heaven's Foundation had stabilized further.

Zhao Gao presented another secret report: "Marshal of the Unruly sent word that after the Southern Chu Imperial Family obtained the counterfeit cold iron token, they have begun opening up a smuggling route to the Western Regions. Our secret stake has infiltrated their caravan, and we can cut off this route at any time."

"No hurry," Jun Xiaoyao shook his head. "Let them lay the groundwork first. Once our Ore is mined, we'll take everything in one sweep. It saves time and effort."

Zhao Gao suddenly understood and quickly noted the instruction. The water mirror in the underground palace had now switched back to standard surveillance footage. Fu Hongxue was passing through the Liusha Sect's miasma, Zhan Zhao was rushing back to Hanyue Valley with the cold iron token, and Stone Guanyin was interrogating the captured scouts beneath Black Wind Ridge, attempting to force the exact location of the Black Wind Mine out of them.

Jun Xiaoyao leaned back in the black iron chair, watching the busy figures in the water mirror, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest. The night in Hanyue Valley remained silent, but he knew that with Zhang Sanfeng entering the game, the situation in the Central Plains was about to change again. And Beyond Heaven was ready to meet all challenges.

The runes of the summoning array gradually calmed down, the 90% spiritual power quietly dormant, awaiting the next opportunity for summoning. Jun Xiaoyao knew that the path of expansion belonging to Beyond Heaven...

...had only just passed the one-third mark. Although there might be storms ahead, The Net was woven, the sharp blades were honed, and it only awaited his command to sweep across the entire continent.