348: Xuan Yangzi

Jun Xiaoyao twisted an ebony token between his fingertips, the two characters "The Net" on it glowing coldly.

He sat on the cold jade seat of the Tianwaitian Headquarters, with a Heaven Rank Assassin from The Net, "Shadow," kneeling before him. The black robes of the other were still stained with undried blood; clearly, he had just returned from outside.

"Speak." Jun Xiaoyao's voice was devoid of ripples, as if the congealed cold air in the hall held more warmth than his tone.

Shadow lowered his head, presenting a blood-stained secret letter with both hands: "Young Lord, the Imperial Dynasty has made a move. Prince of Zhenbei, Marquis Zhenbeis formal name, has secretly mobilized thirty thousand Black Armor Soldiers, stationing them at Black Wind Pass. They claim it is for drills, but in reality, they have blockaded our trade route to the Western Regions."

Jun Xiaoyao took the secret letter, his fingertips tracing the wax seal on the edge of the letter paper—it was the Nine Dragon pattern exclusive to the Imperial Dynasty's royal family, and it was certainly authentic. He unfolded the letter; the handwriting was vigorous and powerful.

It was indeed the handwriting of Prince of Zhenbei, Marquis Zhenbeis formal name, with hostility toward "Beyond Heaven" between the lines, claiming to "eradicate evil spirits and restore clarity to the world."

"Evil spirits?" Jun Xiaoyao chuckled lightly and tossed the secret letter onto the jade table. "When he, Marquis Zhenbeis formal name, embezzled the tribute from the Western Regions, why didn't he call himself an evil spirit?"

Shadow prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to reply. The trade route of Beyond Heaven was its lifeline; the jade and medicinal herbs from the Western Regions all relied on this route to be transported in. Once blockaded, within three months, the stock of the healing medicine "Rejuvenation Grass" would run out. At that time, if the assassins under his command were injured and hard to treat, the combat power of The Net would be greatly compromised.

At this moment, steady footsteps came from outside the hall. Marshal of the Unruly, dressed in black python robes and holding a whisk, walked in. His face under the brim of his hat was hidden in shadows, revealing only a cold and firm jawline: "Young Lord, this old subject has investigated; Marquis Zhenbeis formal name has a Sect backing him."

"Which Sect?" Jun Xiaoyao raised his eyes, a sharp light flashing in his pupils.

"Xuantian Sect." Marshal of the Unruly lightly swept his whisk. "The Sect Master of Xuantian Sect, Holy Land Elder, recently advanced to the Land Immortal Realm and wants to use the power of the Imperial Dynasty to suppress us, so that he can monopolize the Spirit Stone mine in the Western Regions."

Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest of the cold jade seat, and the candle flame on the jade table flickered accordingly. He knew Xuantian Sect; it was a major Sect with a thousand-year Legacy, with no fewer than ten experts in the Heavenly Human Realm. Compared to Beyond Heaven, which relied only on assassins and trade routes, its Foundation was much more stable.

"Can the people of The Net infiltrate it?"

Shadow looked up: "Reporting to Young Lord, Xuantian Sect has strict gate regulations; Disciples must have their three generations checked upon entry. The people of The Net have tried, but could not mix in."

Jun Xiaoyao did not speak, his gaze falling on the summoning array in the center of the hall. That Formation was something he brought with him during his Transmigration, carved into the cold jade floor and pieced together from seventy-two pieces of meteorite iron; every summoning consumed a large amount of Spirit Stone. At this moment, the runes at the edge of the Formation were glowing faintly, indicating the energy reserve—enough to summon a top expert.

"Activate the summoning array." Jun Xiaoyao stood up, his black robes dragging slightly on the floor. "This time, I want Xuantian Sect to know that Beyond Heaven is not something they can touch."

A flash of surprise crossed Marshal of the Unruly's eyes, and he immediately bowed: "Yes, Young Lord." He waved his hand to signal Shadow to withdraw and personally stepped forward to activate the Formation. The seventy-two pieces of meteorite iron slowly rose, forming a rotating star map in the air. The Void Realm in the center of the star map began to twist, emitting a faint golden light.

"Please, Young Lord, inject your Qi." Marshal of the Unruly handed over a fist-sized High-Grade Spirit Stone.

Jun Xiaoyao gripped the Spirit Stone and slowly injected his own Qi from the Late Stage Innate Realm. The Spirit Stone instantly turned into powder, and the light of the star map suddenly became intense, illuminating the entire Headquarters. The Void Realm at the eye of the Formation seemed to be torn open, and a figure gradually condensed within the golden light—

That person was wearing washed-out, coarse linen clothes, with a wine gourd hanging from his waist and an iron flute in his hand. His face could not be considered top-tier handsome, but he carried an air of free-spirited unrestrainedness. As soon as he stood steady, he picked up the wine gourd and took a large gulp; the wine flowed down the corner of his mouth, but he did not care, merely surveying his surroundings before his gaze finally landed on Jun Xiaoyao.

"Are you the person who summoned me?" His voice carried a bit of hoarseness, as if he had not spoken for a long time, or perhaps as if he had just drunk strong liquor.

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the person before him, and the summoning panel automatically appeared in the air: [Name: Li Xunhuan] [From: "sentimental swordsman, ruthless sword" world] [Realm: Late Grandmaster Realm] [Martial Skill: Little Lis Flying Dagger (Perfection), Lingxi Finger (Major Achievement)] [Specialty: Flying Dagger never misses, insight into human heart] [Loyalty: 80%]

"Li Tanhua, long admired." Jun Xiaoyao nodded slightly. "I need you to take a trip to Xuantian Sect."

Li Xunhuan took another gulp of wine and laughed: "What for? Is it to avenge someone, or to retrieve something?"

"Neither." Jun Xiaoyao pointed to the secret letter on the jade table. "Xuantian Sect is colluding with the Prince of Zhenbei and has blockaded my trade route. I want you to go and deliver a message to Holy Land Elder—withdraw your troops within three days, otherwise, the next person I send will not be there to deliver a message."

Li Xunhuan raised an eyebrow and tapped the iron flute against his palm: "Just delivering a message? This job is quite easy. However..." He changed the subject, "Holy Land Elder is in the Land Immortal Realm; my Flying Dagger might not be able to get close to him."

"You don't need to do anything." Jun Xiaoyao took a brocade box from under the jade table, inside of which was a jade pendant engraved with the three characters "Beyond Heaven." "Show this to him, and he will naturally understand."

Marshal of the Unruly added from the side: "Don't worry, Tanhua-lang. Although Xuantian Sect is strong, they dare not openly touch the Young Lord's people. You only need to reveal your identity, and they will not dare to harm you."

Li Xunhuan tucked the jade pendant into his bosom and took another gulp of wine: "Fine, I'll take this job. But having said that," he looked at Jun Xiaoyao, "This place of yours is quite impressive, but it's too desolate. Why not come with me to Jianghu and have a few drinks?"

Jun Xiaoyao shook his head: "Once the matter is finished, there will be enough wine."

"Straightforward!" Li Xunhuan laughed loudly and turned to leave, but then stopped and looked back, saying, "Right, what if Holy Land Elder doesn't know what's good for him?"

"Then use your Flying Dagger to pin a note to his door—'Beyond Heaven, Jun Xiaoyao'." Jun Xiaoyao's voice remained calm but carried an unquestionable deterrence. "He will understand."

Li Xunhuan blinked and waved his iron flute: "Understood." After saying this, his figure disappeared outside the hall in a few leaps, leaving only a faint scent of wine.

Marshal of the Unruly watched the direction where Li Xunhuan disappeared and said: "Young Lord, although Li Xunhuan is only in the Grandmaster Realm, even Land Immortals have to fear his Flying Dagger by three points. This move is brilliant."

Jun Xiaoyao did not reply, only looking out the window. The Black Armor Soldiers at Black Wind Pass, the Land Immortal of Xuantian Sect, the ambition of the Prince of Zhenbei... these were intertwined like a net, and he wanted to be the one to break The Net.

"Zhao Gao told me that The Net still has a hidden line inside the Imperial Dynasty?"

Marshal of the Unruly nodded: "Yes, that person is a personal guard of the Prince of Zhenbei, code-named 'Worm'. His Rank is not high, but he can access the core orders of Marquis Zhenbeis formal name. Do you need him to pass some news out?"

"No need." Jun Xiaoyao picked up the secret letter, and a cluster of deep blue flames ignited from his fingertips, burning the letter paper to ashes. "Wait for Li Xunhuan's news. If Xuantian Sect withdraws its troops, this matter is finished; if they do not withdraw..."

He did not continue, but the temperature in the hall seemed to drop by a few degrees. Marshal of the Unruly knew what the Young Lord meant—if they did not withdraw, Beyond Heaven would get serious.

Three days later, Li Xunhuan returned. He was travel-worn, his wine gourd half empty, but his face carried a smile: "That old Taoist priest, Holy Land Elder, is quite sensible and said he would withdraw his troops today. Right, he asked me to deliver a message to you, saying, 'Beyond Heaven and us will not interfere with each other; I hope Young Master Jun will think twice.'"

Jun Xiaoyao's lips curled into a cold smile: "He sure knows how to put on a front."

Li Xunhuan handed the jade pendant back and took another gulp of wine (although the gourd was already empty, he was just pretending): "Holy Land Elder was indeed fearful; when I revealed the jade pendant, his face turned green. Right, he also asked you if you wanted to cooperate in mining the Spirit Stone mine in the Western Regions, saying he would give you thirty percent."

"No need." Jun Xiaoyao took the jade pendant and casually tossed it to Marshal of the Unruly. "Put it away." He then said to Li Xunhuan, "Thank you for your hard work; you can take whatever you want from the aged fine wines in the storehouse."

"Now that's more like it!" Li Xunhuan's eyes lit up, and he turned and ran toward the backyard, his footsteps so light that he didn't seem like a Great Grandmaster.

Marshal of the Unruly watched his back and laughed: "This Li Tanhua is quite an interesting person."

Jun Xiaoyao looked outside the hall; the sunlight was just right, shining through the window lattice onto the ground, reflecting faint light spots. He knew this was only a temporary calm; Xuantian Sect and the Prince of Zhenbei would definitely not give up, but so what? Beyond Heaven had never been a soft persimmon that anyone could pinch.

The light of the summoning array had not yet completely dissipated. Jun Xiaoyao knew that the next summoning might require facing even more powerful opponents. But he was not afraid, because behind him, there was The Net, there were The Unruly, and there were these heroes from different worlds. And he, Jun Xiaoyao, Young Master of Tianwaitian, would eventually make this continent hear their names.