Chapter Forty-Eight: Silent Lightning

Three months later, the secret chamber at the Foundation Establishment Academy of the Hongji Sect stood empty, devoid of any furnishings. In a quiet corner sat Dugu Yixiao, his hands moving rapidly through intricate gestures. His face, as unyielding as granite, remained utterly impassive.

Suddenly, his narrowed eyes snapped open. He pointed swiftly at one of the chamber’s walls, and dozens of crimson beams of light flared into existence where his fingers hovered. He turned to another wall, and more beams appeared in response to his silent command.

By the time Dugu Yixiao had activated the lights on all four walls, the beams seemed almost alive, weaving and swirling through the room until the space was thick with a thousand intertwining red threads.

Yet, as the scarlet web filled the air, Dugu Yixiao merely shook his head in disappointment. In a low, commanding voice, he uttered, "Begin!" There was no one else present—so whom was he addressing?

Once he had spoken, he fell silent, even closing his eyes, his hands still forming seals as if attuned to something unseen.

Time ticked by. After about half an hour, a red beam in the southwestern corner suddenly snapped with a sharp crackle, followed in quick succession by a dozen others near it. In that spot, a figure gradually materialized—a young man, grinning and baring his small tiger-like teeth.

"Still not enough," he said cheerfully. "I can't make it through three thousand beams. Your Heaven-Shrouding Technique is just too hard to master."

Dugu Yixiao’s face remained unmoved. "Are you trying to boast about your speed of cultivation? It took me ten years to reach the first level of the Heaven-Shrouding Technique, and you’ve advanced this far in less than a month. What more do you want?"

"We have no choice," the young man replied, "If I don’t master it soon, how will we destroy the Blood Fiend Alliance? Are you certain that once you can move freely among the three thousand beams, you’ll break through the first stage? That you’ll be able to hide your presence, move unseen, even from those stronger than you?"

Dugu Yixiao nodded firmly.

Lei Xiang lifted his head, his eyes full of yearning. "If the first level is this powerful, what kind of miracles await in the later stages?"

Dugu Yixiao shook his head with cold severity. "I only have the first two layers of this technique. I have no idea what lies beyond."

Lei Xiang shrugged and smiled. "By the way, I’ve made quick progress with Sea of Divine Consciousness as well. This array of light beams is truly impressive."

Dugu Yixiao gazed quietly at the beams. "It’s only because you helped me set up the array that I was able to trigger nine hundred beams. I’m still far behind you. But ever since my cultivation improved, my spiritual perception has grown so much stronger."

Lei Xiang thought to himself, My rapid progress is because my state of mind is so powerful—I absorb techniques several times faster than others. Out loud, he said, "Don’t be so modest. Your cultivation speed is monstrous. I’ve calculated the time—we should go soon. Give me two more days to consolidate, then we’ll set out."

In the imperial palace of the Eastern Yue Kingdom,

The Prince Regent of Eastern Yue paced restlessly. Linghu Zhong stood at his side, hands clasped respectfully. Suddenly, the Prince Regent halted and asked, "There’s still no word from Lei Xiang? Not even a single message to you?"

Linghu Zhong answered honestly, "It’s as if he vanished into thin air. Over the past three months, I’ve sent out no fewer than twenty teams to search for him. We’ve turned the entire kingdom upside down three times, but there’s no trace of him, and he hasn’t contacted me at all."

The Prince Regent let out a heavy sigh. "Everything has gone according to his plan. We’ve allowed the Blood Fiend Alliance to gain the upper hand completely. Now we’re even preparing to move the capital. Yet this boy still hasn’t appeared. Could he have tricked us? Maybe he’s already fled to another land."

Linghu Zhong nodded gravely, for he had been entertaining the same suspicion.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the empty hall, "Calling me a trickster—what did I cheat you of, your silver or your heart?" At the same time, Linghu Zhong felt a gust of wind sweep past his face, and two figures appeared out of thin air. The one behind, whose face was as expressionless as ever, kept his eyes narrowed, while the one in front grinned mischievously, his small tiger teeth showing.

"Lei Xiang?" The Prince Regent and Linghu Zhong were both shocked. Upon closer inspection, Lei Xiang’s cultivation was still at the early Foundation Establishment stage, but Dugu Yixiao had already reached the fourteenth level of Qi Refining. How could his movement technique be so extraordinary, his concealment so flawless that even Nascent Soul cultivators like themselves had been fooled? Both men shared this thought.

Lei Xiang only smiled. "I told you before, I’d come out at the appointed time. Here I am. Tell me how preparations stand."

Linghu Zhong looked to the Prince Regent, who had already regained his composure. "Everything is proceeding as planned. We’ve suffered several heavy defeats. Just among our Nascent Soul cultivators, we’ve lost three. Now, they’ve made the Lihuo Kingdom their base, with the Eastern Yue Sect as their main force, and the main army is already on its way to the capital. In three days, according to your plan, we’ll move the capital and abandon the Eastern Yue Kingdom."

Lei Xiang nodded repeatedly. "Uncle, those Nascent Soul cultivators—are they really dead? Our people are all in position, yes?"

The Prince Regent laughed, "Little trickster, nothing escapes your calculations. Ha! So, what’s the next step?"

Lei Xiang tossed over a jade slip. "Elder Linghu, use three colors to mark these cultivators—our people, enemies, and neutrals—so we don’t harm the innocent."

Linghu Zhong caught the jade slip, pressed it to his forehead, and with a flick of his right hand, began to make distinctions. The Prince Regent was momentarily stunned. "If we're striking, how many people do we need?"

Lei Xiang’s expression turned grave. "Just the two of us."

"Just you two?" The Prince Regent’s eyes nearly popped out. "You two against the entire Blood Fiend Alliance?"

"As far as I know, apart from their leader, the Blood Fiend Alliance has only eighteen Blood Slayers who pose any real threat. Elder Sun and Ma Tao have already been eliminated by me. Of the remaining sixteen, six are Nascent Soul cultivators, the rest are on par with Ma Tao. As for Foundation Establishment cultivators, they number over a hundred. I’ll handle the Foundation Establishment ranks—the Qi Refining cultivators are of no consequence."

Linghu Zhong soon finished the markings. Lei Xiang took back the jade slip and scanned it with his spiritual sense. After a long moment, he withdrew. "Uncle, await my signal. Once I eliminate the Foundation Establishment cultivators, you Nascent Soul cultivators will lead the remaining forces for a direct assault. Simultaneously, activate our sleeper agents. Inside and out, we’ll annihilate the Blood Fiend Alliance in a single stroke. There’s only one chance—if they realize the trap, we’ll have lost it forever."

The Prince Regent nodded repeatedly. "I understand. You mean the two of you, moving as small targets, can strike at the Alliance’s mid-tier strength. Once they’re weakened, we’ll launch our main force for a decisive blow. It’s an excellent plan."

"Uncle, you can begin the relocation. I’ll be off." Even before his words faded, Lei Xiang and Dugu Yixiao began spinning rapidly, forming a whirlwind that swept through the hall—leaving it empty once more.

The Prince Regent nodded thoughtfully. "Linghu, proceed as Lei Xiang advised."

Pink Willow Street was the most prosperous district in the Eastern Yue capital, entirely because it housed the kingdom’s largest Courtesan Pavilion—the Pink Willow Pavilion.

A ten-mile stretch of rose-colored street, lined on both sides with drooping pink willows, led to a grand entrance at its center—a pink gatehouse, pink stone steps, even a pair of man-high stone lions out front were pink.

Inside the Pink Willow Pavilion’s gates sprawled a courtyard covering several thousand feet, with a dozen pink-hued towers. It was noon; few guests had arrived, for only at night would the pavilion truly show its grandeur.

A young servant, sixteen or seventeen, balanced a tray of fresh vegetables and exotic fruit as he hurried up the stairs to Tower Six. Suddenly, a breeze stirred behind him, making his heart flutter. "Where did a cool wind come from on such a hot day?" He had no time to ponder, rushing upstairs to deliver his tray. The guests in Room 606 were not to be trifled with—he’d heard they were prominent figures in the Blood Fiend Alliance.

Room 606 was spacious, crowded with fifteen or sixteen people. Five men in blood-red battle garb lounged among a dozen alluring women, drinking and making merry. The leader, a burly man with a blood-red scarf wrapped around his head, was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Downing his wine, he grabbed a shapely courtesan and gave her a firm squeeze. "Brothers, it’s time to patrol the city. Let’s withdraw and return next shift to enjoy ourselves again."

The group’s faces showed reluctance at the thought of leaving. The beautiful woman’s eyes sparkled with a flash of delight, though she pleaded, "Master Fan, why are you leaving so soon? Did we sisters not serve you well enough?"

Master Fan pulled her into a wild embrace. "Little beauty, I have to work, or how will I earn spirit stones to keep you all? Besides, after almost twenty hours, you little minx have nearly drained me dry. If I don’t go now, I’ll never leave! Hahaha—"

His laughter was abruptly cut off. A breeze swept through, and a faint blue arc of light flashed at his neck. The blood-red-scarfed head tumbled to the floor. The room erupted in panic; several of the women fainted on the spot.

The four remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators quickly revealed their magical weapons, about to raise a protective barrier. Suddenly, a point of golden light split open the chest of a middle-aged cultivator, running from his chest to his abdomen in a clean slice. Another crescent of pale blue light spun around two others, and their torsos toppled forward, severed at the waist.

The last cultivator hastily summoned a small white shield, setting it before him as his eyes darted nervously—terrified that something might appear at any moment.

At that instant, the servant’s footsteps sounded outside. The knocking startled the cultivator, and in that moment, a shaft of golden light shot from behind. He quickly spun his shield to block it.

With a thunderous crash, the servant pushed open the door just as gold light struck the shield. The servant stood stunned, a flash of blue lightning flickering in his eyes, yet no thunder followed. The cultivator’s head was split neatly in two.

The next day, people discovered the young servant had vanished. Meanwhile, in the capital, a new young madman was seen wandering the streets, accosting passersby. "It was lightning, really! Silent, blue lightning—only striking the wicked!"

A hundred miles away, atop Little Stone Mountain, a gentle breeze drifted by. Two young men appeared, one of them grinning with small tiger teeth. He took out a jade slip, traced his finger across it, and five names were marked off. "That’s the eleventh. We’ve just finished a tenth of the list—we need to hurry." With that, the two vanished as if they had never been there.