390: Netherworld Iron

On the ice table in the Hanyue Valley Underground Palace, Ouyezi was casting netherworld cold iron into a bronze tripod.

The Kunwu Divine Fire surged up in three-foot-high purple flames, slowly burning away the black Qi on the cold iron.

Jun Xiaoyao sat on the ice couch, tapping his fingertips against the armrest, his gaze falling upon the fiery glow of the Sword Forging Manor within the water mirror—there, Yue Fei’s spearmen had already taken control of the entire manor and were tallying the captured weapon diagrams.

"Young Lord," Zhao Gao said as he walked in holding an account book, his voice lowered to a whisper, "The secret treasury of the Sword Forging Manor yielded three thousand jin of cold iron, along with seven thousand poisoned weapons. As you ordered, they have been sealed by The Net's 'Poison' unit."

He paused, then added, "The secret envoy sent by the Third Prince has been executed by Yue Fei. Engraved on the jade pendant he carried were the two characters 'Tian Shu,' the same as the assassin's token used to assassinate Marquis Zhenbei half a year ago."

Jun Xiaoyao’s eyelids lifted slightly, his gaze shifting away from the bronze tripod: "'Tian Shu'? It seems the Third Prince’s claws have reached further than I imagined."

He looked at the water mirror, which showed Yue Fei handing the jade pendant engraved with 'Tian Shu' to a secret agent of The Net: "Have the 'Shadow' unit follow the trail of the jade pendant; I want to know how many factions the Third Prince is secretly colluding with."

Zhao Gao bowed in acknowledgment. As he turned, he caught a glimpse of the cold iron in Ouyezi’s tripod, which had shed its pitch-black color and was now emitting a warm, silvery luster. He couldn't help but praise: "Great Master Ouyezi’s Kunwu Divine Fire is truly formidable; to think this netherworld cold iron could be refined to such purity."

Ouyezi didn't even look up, swinging his hammer down onto the iron billet. Sparks splashed onto the ice table, instantly freezing into fine ice crystals: "Although this iron has heavy baleful Qi, it is rare and excellent material. If you trust me, Young Lord, in seven days, I will be able to forge a hundred 'Soul Suppressing Daggers' that will ensure the Luowang Assassins strike true and kill upon contact."

Jun Xiaoyao nodded slightly, his gaze turning to another water mirror.

That water mirror displayed a scene with the Marshal of the Unruly leading his men—The Unruly were dressed in the clothes of commoners, blending into a caravan heading toward the Holy Land 'Xuantian Sect,' with special short blades from The Net hidden at their waists.

The Xuantian Sect had been making frequent moves recently, not only accepting the remnants of the Pill King Valley but also adding three layers of barriers to their mountain gate, clearly in preparation against Beyond Heaven.

"Is there news from the Marshal of the Unruly?" Jun Xiaoyao asked.

Zhao Gao hurriedly pulled out another secret report: "Replying to the Young Lord, the Marshal of the Unruly has already infiltrated the outer Sect of the Xuantian Sect. According to the message he sent back, among the 'Seven Treasures of the Sect' of the Xuantian Sect, there is a 'soul settling pearl' that can suppress all Yin and evil things. The Third Prince’s people infiltrated the Sect half a month ago; their target is likely this."

In the water mirror, the Marshal of the Unruly was squatting in the kitchen of the Xuantian Sect's outer Sect, chopping wood. His movements were rough, yet his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.

The cook opposite him complained: "Have you heard? The inner Sect has been strictly checking entry and exit recently; even those delivering vegetables are being searched three times. It seems like some treasure has been lost."

The Marshal of the Unruly paused in his wood-chopping, memorizing this conversation, then stacked the chopped wood in the corner, pressing his fingertips under the woodpile—a message talisman was hidden there.

Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene, his fingertips leaving faint marks on the ice couch's armrest: "A soul settling pearl... it complements the netherworld cold iron perfectly."

He nodded at Zhao Gao: "Tell Ouyezi to keep a piece of cold iron; I have a use for it."

Hearing this, Ouyezi took a fist-sized piece of cold iron from the tripod, used the Kunwu Divine Fire to burn away the surface Impurities, and when he handed it over, it had already condensed into a silvery-bright iron plate: "Does the Young Lord wish to melt it into a weapon? This iron resonates with souls; if forged into a token, it can command Yin entities. It is indeed a strange object."

Jun Xiaoyao took the iron plate. It was ice-cold to the touch, yet he could faintly feel a weak suction, as if it wanted to draw in a person's spirit.

He tapped his fingertips on the iron plate, and it emitted a clear, resonant chime. The Marshal of the Unruly, who was chopping wood in the water mirror, suddenly looked up toward the direction of Hanyue Valley—the chime had actually penetrated the barrier of the water mirror and reached his ears.

"Let's call this iron plate 'Tian Shu'." Jun Xiaoyao tossed the iron plate to Zhao Gao: "Have the 'Heaven' unit of The Net take it and go meet the Third Prince’s people."

Zhao Gao caught the iron plate. The moment his fingertips touched the surface, he felt a chill crawl up his fingers and hurriedly wrapped it in spiritual power: "The Young Lord is wise; with this iron plate, we will surely catch the Third Prince’s people off guard."

At this moment, the water mirror suddenly shook, and hurried footsteps could be heard from the Marshal of the Unruly's side. The outer Sect steward, accompanied by several Disciples, rushed into the kitchen, his gaze sweeping over everyone: "Who was tapping something just now? There is a disturbance in the Sect's barrier; everyone stand up!"

The Marshal of the Unruly slowly straightened up, still holding the axe, his face smeared with soot, looking no different from the other servants: "Steward, I was just chopping wood; the axe hit a stone."

He pointed to the rubble in the corner, a ruse he had prepared long ago.

The steward kicked the woodpile suspiciously but found nothing unusual. He snorted coldly: "The Sect is not peaceful recently; all of you be honest! If anyone is found to have snuck in, they will be killed without mercy!" With that, he left with the Disciples.

The Marshal of the Unruly watched their retreating backs, quietly fished out the message talisman from under the woodpile, and wrote with his fingertips dipped in soot: "Disturbance in the Xuantian Sect inner Sect; the soul settling pearl may have been stolen."

After writing, he crumbled the talisman paper into ash and mixed it into the embers of the stove.

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the blue smoke rising in the stove, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes: "The Third Prince is quick."

He said to Ouyezi: "Speed up the Soul Suppressing Daggers; I want the 'Heaven' unit of The Net to be able to set out within three days."

Ouyezi’s hand wielding the hammer paused, and the purple flames surged higher: "Rest assured, Young Lord, I will put in more effort; it will be done within five days."

The hammer fell, sparks splashing onto the bronze tripod, emitting a crisp clanging sound, as if ringing in the prelude to the coming storm.

Zhao Gao bowed out holding the 'Tian Shu' iron plate to pass the order to the 'Heaven' unit of The Net.

Passing by the ice table, he caught a glimpse of another water mirror—there, the Third Prince’s private army camp was training in the outskirts of the city, and among the ranks were several Disciples wearing Xuantian Sect attire, instructing soldiers on how to use poisoned crossbows.

Outside the water mirror, in Hanyue Valley, the light of the Kunwu Divine Fire reflected on the ice walls, flickering on and off.

Jun Xiaoyao leaned on the ice couch, listening to the quenching sound of the cold iron in the tripod, his fingertips unconsciously tapping on the armrest.

The Xuantian Sect's soul settling pearl, the Third Prince’s 'Tian Shu' faction, and the shadows of the Holy Land hidden in the dark... this game of chess was finally becoming more and more interesting.

Ouyezi suddenly gave a low shout and immersed a piece of refined cold iron billet into the water, causing white mist to rise with a "hiss."

He picked up the iron billet to examine it and nodded with satisfaction: "The first Soul Suppressing Dagger is complete!"

The dagger was about seven inches long, its blade glowing with a faint silver light that was not dazzling, but rather seemed to absorb the surrounding light.

When Jun Xiaoyao looked at it, he felt as if the dagger was "blinking" at him, as if it had a spirit.

"This dagger has drunk the essence of the netherworld cold iron; it can see Yin and Yang and distinguish truth from falsehood." Ouyezi placed the dagger on a velvet tray and handed it to the ice couch: "The Young Lord might want to try it."

Jun Xiaoyao did not reach out, only signaling Zhao Gao with his eyes.

Zhao Gao stepped forward and picked up the dagger. As soon as he grasped the hilt, he saw the dagger suddenly tremble, pointing toward the direction of the Third Prince’s private army camp in the water mirror, a layer of black Qi rising on the blade—the sign of a poisoned weapon.

"Truly a good item." Jun Xiaoyao finally revealed a trace of a smile: "Have the leader of the 'Heaven' unit come to collect it, and tell them that it is time to close The Net on the Third Prince’s 'Tian Shu'."

Zhao Gao retreated with the dagger, and the underground palace fell silent again, leaving only the quenching sound of the cold iron in the tripod and the evening bell of the Xuantian Sect coming from the water mirror.

Jun Xiaoyao watched the figure of the Marshal of the Unruly squatting down to chop wood again in the water mirror, his fingertips pausing on the armrest—

These Soul Suppressing Daggers cast from netherworld cold iron would certainly let those rats hiding in the dark have a good taste of Beyond Heaven's power.

And he, the Young Lord behind the scenes, only needed to sit in this Hanyue Valley, watching The Net tighten bit by bit, capturing all the factions coveting Beyond Heaven in one fell swoop.

As the night deepened, the purple flames of the Kunwu Divine Fire flickered in the bronze tripod, reflecting the 'Tian Shu' iron plate on the ice table.

The cold air on the surface of the iron plate grew heavier, as if it had already sensed the blood in the distance and was impatiently waiting to drink blood and return to its place.

Jun Xiaoyao closed his eyes. The chill of the ice couch seeped through his robes, yet it made his thoughts even clearer.

The Xuantian Sect's soul settling pearl, the Third Prince’s claws, and those restless Holy Lands... soon, they would understand what the three words 'Beyond Heaven' meant.

And the Luowang Assassins were moving through the night, carrying the quenched Soul Suppressing Daggers.

Their boot soles trod on frost, their blade tips reflecting the moonlight, like a group of silent hunters waiting for the Young Lord’s order, ready to pounce on those prey at any moment.

The wind of Hanyue Valley crept in through the crevices of the underground palace, carrying a faint scent of blood.

Jun Xiaoyao knew this was the calm before the storm. When the Soul Suppressing Dagger drank its first drop of blood, the entire continent's chess game would change for Beyond Heaven.