Chapter 122: The Secret

Sitting cross-legged amidst the ruins of the Nine-Turn Exquisite Tower, Lei Xiang silently calculated and deduced the second-tier techniques of the Sky-Shrouding Art. He had been in seclusion for ten days, nearing a breakthrough. Unexpectedly, the concealment technique that Fa Mang had copied for him was indeed the Sky-Shrouding Art taught by Dugu Yixiao, albeit with a slightly altered name—this technique was called the Proud Sky-Shrouding Art.

Suddenly, a “ding dong, ding dong” sound rang from his storage pouch. Hastily, Lei Xiang pulled out the peanut shell-shaped communication device. It emitted a gentle yellow glow, indicating it was tuned to his preset frequency, meaning the caller was an ally. This device could be manually set to specific frequencies; an unknown frequency would cause it to flash a harsh yellow light, unlike the soft glow now.

Just as Lei Xiang cracked open the peanut shell, an excited voice said, “Brother Lei Xiang, I’ve dismantled the Fang Organization. Hurry and interrogate these three key members.” A smile spread across Lei Xiang’s face. Closing the communication device, he immediately took flight.

Behind the Jade Buddha Temple, in a cold underground chamber, Fa Mang and Lei Xiang faced three monks kneeling stiffly before them. Lei Xiang recognized them as the core members of the Fang Organization. “I will ask you questions. Think carefully before answering, because I will only ask once. You have only one chance. Don’t count on luck. If I find any lies...” Lei Xiang sneered coldly at the three, who trembled like shaken sieves.

Simultaneously, Lei Xiang transmitted his voice to them, “What is the name of your organization? Who is your leader?”

Their answers were astonishingly uniform: “We don’t know the name. Fa Yin is the head of the organization.” Lei Xiang frowned; that answer was effectively no answer. He pressed on, “How many leaders does your organization have? Who taught you the concealment technique?”

Again, they answered in unison, “There are three leaders now. The concealment technique was taught by Monk Fa Yin.”

Lei Xiang grinned, baring his small tiger-like teeth. This matter was growing increasingly interesting. He then privately transmitted to the skinny one in the middle, “Is Fa Yin really your chief? Is the Proud Sky-Shrouding Art truly passed down by him?” Upon receiving an affirmative reply, Lei Xiang shook his head helplessly. “I gave you a chance, and you don’t know how to use it.” This time, he spoke clearly instead of using telepathy. Then, with a flick of his right hand, he firmly gripped the Immortal Shooting Spear in his palm, his index finger resting on the trigger. “Since you don’t want to live, I’ll grant your wish.”

The skinny man in the middle had never witnessed the power of the Immortal Shooting Spear. But from the tales he had heard these past days, the common folk had spread exaggerated stories of how the young man with the small tiger teeth had, with a mere wave of his hand, unleashed a white flash that shattered Fa Yin’s soul and Golden Core. Seeing Lei Xiang draw the spear again, he became flustered and stumbled over his words, “S-Senior, I told you, actually our organization…”

With a soft “pop,” a white light shot into his head, instantly exploding. The shockwave from the underground room shattered the ground above. This was still the pre-upgrade Tianjing Bullet. The other two activated their protective shields, but both shattered, and they were blasted backward, spitting blood. Only then did Lei Xiang coldly speak, “Too late. You chose not to tell the truth when given the chance.”

As the smoke cleared, Lei Xiang calmly loaded another Tianjing Bullet. His cold gaze swept over the two survivors, who preemptively spoke up before he could question them. “Senior, I’ll talk. I’ll say everything.” Lei Xiang pointed the spear at the tall one on the left. Swallowing nervously, the tall man looked up at the Immortal Shooting Spear in his hand and said, “Senior, if I tell you, can you guarantee my safety?”

This tone reminded Lei Xiang of the old smoker he had sent back to the Eastern Yue Kingdom. Was this organization truly so terrifying? “If you want to speak, then speak quickly. You have no right to bargain.”

A flicker of terror passed through the tall man’s eyes, quickly replaced by resignation. In a low voice, he said, “Very well, I’ll talk. But senior, please put away that gun first. I’m scared and can’t speak with it pointed at me.”

Lei Xiang laughed in amusement and sheathed the Immortal Shooting Spear. The tall man began his confession, which lasted the length of a meal. Both Lei Xiang and Monk Fa Mang were astonished by the scale and mystery of the Fang Organization. This so-called Fang Organization was only a part of a larger whole, divided into eleven subgroups named Fang One through Fang Eleven. Each had its own leader. The Fang Organization headquarters at Jade Buddha Temple was indeed overseen by Monk Fa Yin. The Proud Sky-Shrouding Art was passed down from headquarters.

The tall man was only a senior member and knew little of the upper echelons. He only knew the organization had two other branches responsible for assassination and robbery. The sole goal of the organization was money. Altogether, it numbered some seven thousand members scattered across the various nations of the Infinite Continent. The organization was extremely strict, and punishments for mistakes were brutal, driving many members to prefer death over betraying secrets. Upon joining, all were warned never to leave without permission, or they would be hunted for life.

The name of this organization was: Laughing Fang.

Now knowing the name of this mysterious group, Lei Xiang frowned, then grinned with his small tiger teeth. He trusted the tall man’s words and was certain he had found the key to Dugu Yixiao’s disappearance. Two things came to mind: first, was the laughing face found in Dugu Yixiao’s room related to Laughing Fang? Second, Dugu Yixiao’s granite-like countenance never once smiled—was this connected to the organization’s name?

After hearing another’s testimony, Lei Xiang was further convinced. He then discussed releasing the two surviving members with Fa Mang and inquired about the Proud Sky-Shrouding Art. Fa Mang, of course, spoke openly. The Proud Sky-Shrouding Art had indeed been brought by Fa Yin and discovered accidentally by Fa Mang, who began to cultivate it. However, Fa Yin only possessed the first and second tiers; the complete teachings were believed to reside solely at headquarters.

Having completed this matter, Lei Xiang entered seclusion again to refine the Sky-Shrouding Art, while the complete destruction of Laughing Fang’s branch in the Crystal Jade Kingdom was entrusted to Master Fa Mang.

Half a month later, Lei Xiang finally emerged from seclusion. Although he had mostly mastered the second tier of the Proud Sky-Shrouding Art, he was stuck at a bottleneck, unable to break through for several days. Deciding to seek the Laughing Fang headquarters while searching for a breakthrough, he bid farewell to Fa Mang and continued northward.

Sitting on a white jade bed, Lei Xiang had no time to admire the scenery beneath. He hurriedly withdrew a gray jade slip and pressed it to his forehead, studying it closely. It was a gift from Fa Mang before departure, detailing the methods to forge Crystal Jade puppets in the Nine-Turn Exquisite Tower. Lei Xiang planned to use travel time and the exquisite crystal jades he had collected to forge a puppet at the Nascent Soul stage, at least upgrading Blue Xi’s crystal stone puppet to Nascent Soul prowess. “Ah, this time I’ll be busy.”

After several days of contemplation, Lei Xiang finally grasped some techniques. He then tossed out a storage pouch from which various crystal jades of differing sizes and colors floated in midair. With a swipe, he summoned a small, rounded bowl—Blue Xi had obtained this in the isolated space during the Broken Blood incident. It was used to hold water. Lei Xiang intended to incorporate it into the puppet’s forging. Lastly, he added a pouch of Swift Wind Sand, an innate-level refining material that enhanced wind attributes, increasing the puppet’s speed severalfold.

After an indeterminate number of days, the flying speed of the white jade bed slowed—not by Lei Xiang’s choice, but because the city ahead had imposed a no-fly zone. Hastily, Lei Xiang retracted the shimmering crystal jade puppet above his head. He took out the Northern Dipper Pearl and the Infinite Continent map for reference. They were no longer in the Crystal Jade Kingdom but still within the borders of the Profound Crystal Kingdom. The map showed the location as Phoenix Gathering.

Fortunately, Lei Xiang had not swapped his cultivator ID upon entering the city gate. But a city capable of enforcing no-fly restrictions surely had a powerful cultivator present. Now at mid-Nascent Soul stage and having crafted the Immortal Shooting Spear, plus successfully forging a Nascent Soul-level crystal jade puppet during this journey, Lei Xiang regarded normal dangers with little concern. With confident strides, he entered Phoenix Gathering.