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Join the ServerTime seemed to stand still, frozen by the night’s silence and the humid air.
Lu Yang leaned against the creaking wooden window, his gaze sharp and unwavering. Through his night-vision binoculars, he meticulously swept across the dense forest shrouded in darkness at the foot of Luoxia Mountain.
Regular reports from various monitoring points echoed in his earpiece every five minutes.
–Sector A: No anomalies.
–Sector B: Temperature normal.
–Sector C: Spiritual energy baseline stable.
An unsettling calm permeated the air.
Lu Yang licked his parched lips. Within him, the perception derived from Chen Wan, acutely sensitive to Yin energy, spread out silently, like an undercurrent surging beneath calm waters.
He could ‘feel’ a heavy, defiled sense of oppression permeating the mountain, like a stagnant ailment. However, it wasn’t a new or violent fluctuation.
Chen Wan’s spirit emitted a gentle coolness from his chest, acting as his most loyal adjutant. It filtered out the complex environmental information, allowing him to focus on capturing truly abnormal ‘noise’.
Suddenly, approximately three hundred meters to his front-left, a previously silent thicket of bushes stirred ever so slightly.
It wasn’t the wind. It was as if something within had carefully pushed aside the branches and leaves.
“D-Sector edge, coordinate marker 7, anomaly detected.”
Lu Yang immediately lowered his voice to report, simultaneously adjusting the binoculars to maximum focus.
Through the night-vision scope, only a blurry green thermal outline was visible. Yet, the outline’s edge seemed infinitesimally cooler than the surrounding vegetation, and its movement was exceptionally erratic—not a straight line, but discontinuous, almost like a series of jumps.
[Received. Initiating high-sensitivity scan in D7 area. Drone deploying for silent close observation.]
Hong Luan’s calm instruction came through the channel.
Lu Yang held his breath, pushing his perception to its limit.
He ‘felt’ that faint, chilling energy source moving cautiously and tentatively towards the mountain. Its speed was not fast, but its path was elusive, clearly attempting to evade something.
“Target appears to be a single individual, medium build. Movement is unconventional, and the energy signature is… very faint, but carries a malevolent aura. It’s somewhat like… a ‘living corpse’ being driven or controlled by something?”
Lu Yang added, uncertain. This perception was vague, benefiting from the symbiotic pact and Chen Wan’s spiritual essence, but it lacked systematic knowledge to fully interpret.
“A living corpse? Or perhaps a lower-grade blood servant puppet.”
Xiao Moyuan’s voice suddenly cut into the channel, tinged with gravity.
“Maintain surveillance. Do not alarm it. This could be an outer probe or reconnaissance. Hong Luan, analyze its movement trajectory and predict possible destinations or rendezvous points.”
“Understood.”
Lu Yang watched as the ‘thing’ skirted the forest edge for about ten minutes. Finally, seemingly confirming something, it accelerated and vanished into an inconspicuous crevice.
“Target has entered the pre-marked secret entrance number 3.”
Lu Yang reported.
“The internal situation of the entrance is unknown. Our detection talismans were not triggered; it may have been cleared or shielded beforehand.”
[Noted. Lu Yang, mission completion: Alert.]
After Xiao Moyuan’s brief assessment, the channel resumed its regular reporting rhythm.
Lu Yang exhaled, realizing his palms were slightly damp.
Even though it was a reconnaissance mission, the persistent, hidden threat he ‘sensed’ in the darkness had left him on edge.
He patted his chest, whispering, “Thank you, Senior Sister. I couldn’t have done it without you just now.”
A faint, soothing warmth emanated from his chest, easing his taut nerves slightly.
***
In the apartment’s underground training room, Su Mian was enduring a new round of ‘torture’.
The simulated environment’s harshness had intensified once more.
The air began to fill with a toxic miasma that caused mental hallucinations. The ground beneath her feet would unpredictably collapse or erupt with sharp spikes.
Attacks were no longer confined to visual and physical realms; they now included bizarre sound waves and distorted light and shadow that directly interfered with her five senses.
Even more challenging, Xiao Moyuan had introduced time pressure.
Certain areas were marked as contaminated zones; lingering for more than ten seconds would lead to an accumulation of simulated mental erosion or life force depletion effects.
Su Mian danced on a razor’s edge, pushing her recently honed movement techniques, defensive skills, precise control over her bloodline power, and resilient mental fortitude to their absolute limits.
She no longer pursued complete evasion or defense against every attack. Instead, she had learned to weigh her options and make trade-offs, sacrificing the minimum to secure survival and advancement.
Once, to avoid a suddenly spreading cloud of potent corrosive mist, she narrowly plunged into a simulated Blood Clan magic trap.
She endured two energy impacts but successfully exploited the energy turbulence during the trap’s explosion to briefly disrupt the pursuing phantoms, earning a moment to catch her breath.
[Decisive judgment in trading injury for opportunity. Instantaneous utilization of the energy environment has improved.
However, the defensive structure during impact still has vulnerabilities; localized reinforcement training is required.]
Xiao Moyuan’s critique remained sharp.
When the hour-long extreme training concluded, Su Mian practically collapsed to the ground. The weakness from simulated damage and mental exhaustion washed over her like a tide.
Yet, the fire burning in her eyes blazed even brighter.
She could feel her understanding and control over the power within her rapidly growing under this high-pressure environment.
Each recovery after reaching her limit made her stronger: her meridians grew tougher, her demonic power more refined, and the clear, cold moonlight energy in her bloodline became increasingly distinct and palpable.
During a break, Xiao Moyuan brought new intelligence.
Unidentified individuals were detected infiltrating the outer perimeter of Luoxia Mountain. The preliminary assessment suggested they were low-level, likely for reconnaissance or testing defenses.
He informed Su Mian of the situation.
“Additionally, Hong Luan, through cross-referencing historical data and social surveillance, discovered that dozens of individuals matching the characteristics of potential Blood Moon Feast sacrifices have recently gone missing.
Their last known locations vaguely point to the areas surrounding Luoxia Mountain. Xia’s guest list and food reserves are both increasing.”
Su Mian’s heart sank.
‘Time is truly running out.’
“Regarding the ‘Withered Heart’ that old sorcerer wants,” Xiao Moyuan continued,
“the highest secret archives of the Demon Extermination Bureau show that it was an extremely peculiar demonic artifact, sealed about two hundred years ago by a branch of European demon hunters. Or rather, it wasn’t naturally formed.”
“Instead, it was forged by a fallen Templar Knight using his own corrupted divine power, the grievances of tens of thousands of unjustly deceased souls, and some forbidden knowledge from beyond this world.
Its core characteristic is to absorb and convert life force and faith into the purest power of withering and termination. Theoretically, it can corrode and even dismantle most forms of life energy and normal energy fields.”
Su Mian gasped, a cold shiver running down her spine. “Something so dangerous… what does that old man want it for? To deal with Xia? Or…”
“The archives record its last appearance a century ago in a chaotic war involving several ancient families, after which its whereabouts became unknown. Its specific method of use, and whether it possesses other derivative characteristics, are top secret.”
Xiao Moyuan’s gaze was profound.
“The old man specifically asking for it is extremely unusual in itself. He either has very deep connections with the higher echelons of the Demon Extermination Bureau, or he possesses secret channels we are unaware of.”
He looked at Su Mian. “Whatever his purpose, dealing with him is like playing with fire, the risks are extremely high. However, with the Blood Moon Feast imminent, we might be able to leverage his desire against him.”
“How can we leverage it?”
“Give him ‘hope,’ but control the pace and method of delivery.”
Xiao Moyuan calmly stated,
“For example, I can ‘agree to cooperate,’ but use the excuse that extracting the ‘Withered Heart’ requires special conditions and time. We would set the actual delivery time to coincide with or follow our planned move against Xia.”
“By exploiting his urgent need for the ‘Withered Heart,’ we can restrain him, and perhaps even induce him to cooperate with us to the maximum extent in certain internal aspects.
Of course, this requires extremely high negotiation skills and risk management, and we must be prepared for him to betray us at any moment.”
Su Mian listened, her heart pounding. This was tantamount to walking a tightrope over a bottomless abyss.
“It’s too dangerous.”
“Against an enemy like Xia, there are no non-dangerous options.”
Xiao Moyuan said gravely, “The key lies in who can better control the risks, who holds more chips, and whose will is stronger.” He patted Su Mian’s shoulder.
“Your current mission is to continue getting stronger. When you are powerful enough, you yourself become the most important chip and variable.”
Just then, the training room’s communicator rang with Hong Luan’s specific emergency frequency.
“Young Master, we have an urgent situation!”
Hong Luan’s voice was filled with poorly concealed urgency. “We detected a brief but abnormally intense energy burst in the core area of Luoxia Mountain, approximately a hundred meters directly above the abandoned command post.”
“The nature of the burst… it mixed intense pain, struggling soul fluctuations, and a very pure but forcibly contaminated ‘key’ aura.”
‘Characteristic resonance!’
Su Mian shot to her feet, her face pale. “Is it Zhixia?! What happened to her?!”
“The burst lasted for about three seconds before being forcibly suppressed by a stronger dark power.
However, the energy characteristics leaked at the moment of the burst match over 70% with the descriptions previously obtained regarding Miss Su’s bloodline ‘key’ and characteristics!”
Hong Luan quickly reported.
“We infer that Xia might be forcibly extracting or testing the residual bloodline connection power within Shen Zhixia, which is of the same origin as Miss Su’s. The process was extremely painful and triggered Shen Zhixia’s fierce resistance!”
Xiao Moyuan’s eyes turned icy. Xia had already begun to directly touch the ‘key’! This indicated that his ritual preparations might have reached a critical stage, or he had encountered some bottleneck and was forced to resort to drastic measures.
“Is Su Mian’s bloodline resonance showing any abnormal reactions?” Xiao Moyuan immediately asked.
“No signs of passive pulling or resonance have been detected from Miss Su’s side yet. However, the burst point is very close to the underground seal node in a straight line.”
“We suspect Xia might be attempting to use this burst or Shen Zhixia’s power to further impact or contaminate that geomantic node.”
“The situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse.”
“Hong Luan, order all monitoring units to enter first-level combat readiness.
Dispatch two more reconnaissance teams, equipped with the highest level of stealth and protective gear, to attempt to approach the outer perimeter of the core area and establish direct observation points.
I need to know the exact situation inside!”
Xiao Moyuan gave a decisive order. “Additionally, activate the ‘Hive’ contingency plan. Anonymously process all intelligence we currently possess regarding Xia’s plan, the geomantic node, and potential participants.
Then, ‘leak’ it through pre-set channels to several factions within the Demon Extermination Bureau who share our ideals and have the ability to exert influence. It’s time to muddy the waters even further!”
“Understood!”
Ending the communication, Xiao Moyuan looked at the pale Su Mian. He knew how much impact the news had on her.
“Xia is hurting her, using her…”
Su Mian’s voice trembled, her fists clenched, her fingernails digging deep into her palms.
“Calm down.”
Xiao Moyuan grasped her shoulders, his grip steady.
“Anger and sorrow won’t save her. The more desperate Xia becomes, the more it indicates his plan isn’t flawless, or he’s run into trouble. Shen Zhixia’s resistance is proof of that! She hasn’t given up!”
He gazed into Su Mian’s eyes.
“Now, every energy burst, every act of resistance, could become an opportunity for us to pinpoint the internal situation and find weak spots!
What you need to do is not be overwhelmed by emotion, but transform this heartbreak, pain, and anger into strength! Focus more intently on your cultivation, master your bloodline abilities faster!
When an opportunity arises, you’ll have the power to seize it, to end all of this!”
Su Mian gasped for breath, tears glistening in her eyes, but more so, a fierce determination born from being pushed to the brink. She nodded heavily, wiping away the moisture from the corners of her eyes.
“I’ll continue training! Today, I’ll add another hour!”
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