334: Cold-patterned iron

The stone walls of the Hanyue Valley Underground Palace were inlaid with entire pieces of millennium-old cold jade, keeping the surrounding temperature extremely low. Only the summoning array in the center, about ten feet in circumference, continuously glowed with a faint golden light.

Jun Xiaoyao leaned on the cold jade couch, his fingertips toying with a blood shadow token he had just acquired from the black market. This token was the insignia of the Blood Shadow Tower, the top assassin organization in the Northern Region. Its holder could exchange it for one 'Traceless Assassination' service from the tower.

His gaze lowered, falling on the dark patterns on the back of the token. The patterns subtly matched the decorative edges of the barbarian secret letter sent by the Black Wind Stockade three days ago. Clearly, there was a connection between the Black Wind Stockade and the Blood Shadow Tower.

“Zhao Gao.”

A lean figure emerged from the shadows in response. It was Zhao Gao, who was responsible for managing the daily affairs of The Net.

He wore dark-colored close-fitting attire with two strings of copper bells hanging from his waist, yet he moved silently. These were The Net's specially made 'silent bells'; ordinary people couldn't hear their sound, only the 'Bell Listener Guards' within The Net could discern the commands they transmitted.

“Young Lord.” Zhao Gao bowed, presenting a thread-bound booklet with both hands. “This is the Black Wind Stockade’s grain and fodder import/export record for the past six months. Verified by the ‘Shadow’ group, a batch of goods marked ‘miscellaneous’ is transported to the Northern Region barbarian royal tent on the first day of every month. The quantity matches the amount of missing grain and fodder reported by the Northern Region army.”

Jun Xiaoyao took the booklet, his fingertips tracing one of the pages. A small wolf head mark was drawn on it in vermilion, identical to the mark on the Azure Dragon Gate secret letter confiscated from Hanyue Valley. A cold, sharp curve appeared at the corner of his lips: “It seems this Black Wind Stockade is not only colluding with barbarians but also supplying the remnants of the Azure Dragon Gate.”

Zhao Gao lowered his head and said, “The ‘Kill’ group has been on standby for three days, waiting for the Young Lord’s command to level the Black Wind Stockade. However…” He paused, then added, “According to news from Shadow Seven, the Nine-Bend Bewitching Soul Array deep within the Black Wind Stockade has had abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations recently. It seems a high-ranking shaman has reinforced it with the Blood Sacrifice Art, and a hundred living souls have already accumulated at the array’s core. Breaking the array may require a considerable price.”

Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest of the cold jade couch, producing a crisp “thump-thump” sound. This sound echoed in the silent underground palace, causing a thin layer of sweat to seep from Zhao Gao’s back. He had followed Jun Xiaoyao for three years and knew best what unchallengeable resolve lay beneath the Young Lord’s seemingly casual exterior.

“Price?” Jun Xiaoyao chuckled softly. When he looked up, his eyes had turned cold. “The Net maintains three hundred death warriors in the ‘Kill’ group. Are they meant to sunbathe in the valley?”

Zhao Gao’s heart tightened. Just as he was about to respond, Jun Xiaoyao suddenly raised his hand, pointing to the central summoning array: “How much spiritual energy has accumulated in the array?”

The spiritual energy for the summoning array came from two sources: one was the conversion of “merit points” submitted by Beyond Heaven members after completing missions, and the other was Jun Xiaoyao’s own essence blood. The latter was extremely costly and would not be used unless absolutely necessary. At this moment, the golden light in the array circulated, clearly indicating that the merit points had reached a critical value.

“Reporting to Young Lord, seven days have passed since the last summoning of Zhan Zhao. The Net has completed seventeen black market missions, earning a total of thirty-six thousand merit points. Converted into array spiritual energy, it has reached ninety percent of the summoning threshold,” Zhao Gao replied. “However, the trigger for a random summon has not yet been activated.”

Upon hearing this, Jun Xiaoyao rose from the couch and slowly walked towards the summoning array. The golden light at the array’s core suddenly intensified as he approached, as if it had found its destination. He extended his palm and pressed it into the central groove of the array core, where an ancient runic inscription, meaning “guided by covenant, mediated by soul,” was carved.

“Trigger?” Jun Xiaoyao murmured to himself, as a faint golden spiritual energy flowed from his fingertips into the array’s core. “Sometimes, a trigger cannot be waited for.”

Before his words finished, the summoning array suddenly erupted with dazzling golden light. The temperature of the entire underground palace instantly soared, and the frost condensed on the stone walls melted in an instant, turning into rising steam. The runes in the array seemed to come alive, rapidly circulating on the ground, finally converging into a light curtain about ten feet high.

[System Prompt: Detected host actively injecting essence blood, triggering forced summoning mechanism.]

[Randomly matching summoning character...]

[Match successful!]

From within the light curtain, a figure dressed in red slowly emerged. The man had a face like polished jade and eyes like bright stars. A long sword hung at his waist, its scabbard inlaid with seven pigeon egg-sized luminous pearls. As he walked, the pearls clinked together, producing a crisp “ding-dong” sound, forming a strange contrast with his steady steps.

When he landed, his toe touched the golden light, and his figure was as steady as a rock. He then cupped his hands in a bow, his voice like a grand bell: “Zhan Zhao of Kaifeng Prefecture greets the Young Lord.”

[Character Panel: Zhan Zhao]

[From: The three heroes and five gallants World]

[Realm: Grandmaster Realm Middle Stage]

[Martial Skill: Zhanlu Sword Technique (Perfection), Sleeve Arrow (Major Achievement), Roaming Baguazhang (Proficient)]

[Specialty: Tracking, apprehending criminals, breaking arrays, especially skilled at locating enemies in bewildering arrays]

[Loyalty: 90%]

[Current Status: Alert (perceiving the Killing Intent hidden in the underground palace)]

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the legendary “Southern Hero” before him, his eyes subtly moving. Zhan Zhao’s arrival was timely—in terms of array-breaking techniques, few in the Jianghu could compare to him. Moreover, the zhanlu sword in his hand was inherently a supreme Yang and unyielding object, perfectly suited to counter the sinister sorcery of barbarian shamans.

“Guard Zhan.” Jun Xiaoyao’s tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. “Do you know about the Nine-Bend Bewitching Soul Array of the Black Wind Stockade?”

Zhan Zhao looked up, his gaze sweeping over Jun Xiaoyao, then quickly darting over the positions of the hidden sentries around the underground palace—those 'Bell Listener Guards' concealed in the shadows of the stone walls were seen through by him at a glance. He pondered for a moment, then replied, “I heard of this array years ago during my travels in the Northern Region. It is a seven-layered illusion array set up using the barbarian shaman’s ‘bone flute’ as a guide and living souls as sacrifices. The array’s core is hidden beneath the ‘Blood Wolf Hall’ and must be broken with an object of extreme Yang.”

Jun Xiaoyao nodded: “The Black Wind Stockade secretly hoards profound iron and colludes with barbarians. The Net intends to eliminate them. Is Guard Zhan willing to lead a team to break the array?”

Zhan Zhao said loudly, “Young Lord commands, Zhan Zhao dares not refuse. However…” He changed his tone. “This array has been reinforced with a hundred living souls. When the array is broken, these souls will leave their bodies and may backlash against the array-breaker. ‘Soul Calming Incense’ and soul locking chains will be needed.”

Zhao Gao immediately said, “The ‘Tool’ group has prepared Soul Calming Incense. There are three sets of soul locking chains currently, all forged from Northern Sea profound iron mixed with cinnabar, capable of suppressing Yin souls below the third tier.”

Jun Xiaoyao was quite satisfied with Zhao Gao’s efficiency and looked at Zhan Zhao again: “Marshal of the Unruly, the commander of the ‘Kill’ group, is waiting outside the valley. Guard Zhan can go with him. After breaking the array, the profound iron will go to the ‘Tool’ group for smelting, and I want the head of One-Eyed Wolf, the Stockade Master of the Black Wind Stockade, hung on the Northern Region city gate.”

Zhan Zhao cupped his fists: “I obey the Young Lord’s command.”

At this moment, the golden light of the summoning array had not completely dissipated, when it suddenly rippled again. A figure dressed in coarse short clothes stumbled out of the light, swaying a few steps upon landing, still clutching half a wheat cake in his hand.

[System Prompt: Detected host summoning energy overflow, triggering additional summoning.]

[Summonable Character: Yan Qing]

[From: water margin World]

[Realm: Innate Realm Peak]

[Martial Skill: Sumo (Major Achievement), Crossbow (Perfection), Swift Hawk Somersault (Perfection)]

[Specialty: Infiltration, reconnaissance, disguise, capable of taking the head of an enemy general amidst a multitude of soldiers]

[Loyalty: 85%]

[Current Status: Bewildered (not yet adapted to temporal shift)]

Yan Qing blinked, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, then at Zhan Zhao in red. He suddenly showed a cunning smile and cupped his hands towards Jun Xiaoyao, saying, “This humble one, Yan Qing, greets this Young Master. May I ask where this place is? Is it far from Daming Prefecture?”

Jun Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow. Yan Qing’s appearance, though unexpected, perfectly compensated for The Net’s shortcomings in infiltration and reconnaissance. The “Wolf Fang Camp” on the outskirts of the Black Wind Stockade was heavily guarded, and an expert in stealth like Yan Qing was precisely what was needed to scout the path.

[Character Panel: Yan Qing]

[Additional Information: Proficient in various miscellaneous arts, especially skilled at imitating others' voices and handwriting, capable of blending into any situation without being noticed.]

“This is Hanyue Valley,” Jun Xiaoyao said indifferently. “Daming Prefecture is thousands of miles away. If you wish to establish yourself here, then go with Guard Zhan to the Black Wind Stockade. Bring back One-Eyed Wolf’s left ear as proof, and I will give you a place in The Net.”

A glint flashed in Yan Qing’s eyes. Although he didn’t know what The Net was, seeing Zhan Zhao’s demeanor and Zhao Gao’s composure, he knew this place was far from ordinary. He immediately responded, “This humble one obeys!”

Zhan Zhao looked at Yan Qing with a scrutinizing gaze. He could feel that this seemingly frivolous young man possessed a very pure inner energy, and especially his eyes, which darted around with intelligence, clearly indicating a resourceful and capable individual.

“Depart,” Jun Xiaoyao waved his hand, lying back on the cold jade couch. “Within three days, I want to hear good news.”

Zhan Zhao and Yan Qing exchanged glances, then turned and left with Zhao Gao. Silence quickly returned to the underground palace, leaving only the lingering faint golden light of the summoning array and the blood shadow token Jun Xiaoyao twirled between his fingers.

He stroked the wolf head mark on the token, his gaze deepening. The Black Wind Stockade was just an appetizer; the real big fish was the Blood Shadow Tower, hidden behind the barbarian royal tent in the Northern Region. And the blood shadow token in his hand was the best bait to lure out this big fish.

Three days later, news came from the direction of the Black Wind Stockade—the Nine-Bend Bewitching Soul Array was broken by Zhan Zhao with the zhanlu sword, and the barbarian shaman at the array’s core was shot dead by Yan Qing with a crossbow;

The ‘Kill’ group, led by Marshal of the Unruly, leveled the Wolf Fang Camp, slaying over one thousand three hundred enemies; One-Eyed Wolf’s head was already hanging on the Northern Region city gate, and the three thousand catties of cold patterned profound iron hidden in the stockade were being transported back to Hanyue Valley in batches by The Net’s ‘Transport’ group.

Jun Xiaoyao listened to Zhao Gao’s report, and the blood shadow token in his fingertips suddenly glowed with a hint of blood red.

He knew that the people of the Blood Shadow Tower should be arriving. And this time, he would let the entire Northern Region know that what belongs to Beyond Heaven cannot be touched.