The interior of the Blood-Eclipse Pavilion was draped in heavy velvet and lit by floating sconces of crimson flame. Massive pillars carved with winding dragons of bone supported the high ceiling, sending deep shadows dancing across the floor.
At the center of the hall sat a grand table made of dark soul-wood. Two men were already seated, their heavy spiritual pressure causing the surrounding air to warp and hum.
To the left sat a towering brute clad in spiked steel plate, his bare arms covered in glowing crimson tattoos—Sovereign Iron-Hide of the Corpse-Refining Faction. To the right sat a gaunt, pale man with sunken eyes, casually spinning a dagger made from a human femur between his long fingers—Ghost-Blade, the head of the Shadow-Veil Assassins.
Both men turned their gazes toward the entrance as Li Chen stepped into the room.
— So this is the brat who wiped out Blood-Fang? — Iron-Hide growled, his voice like grinding boulders. He slammed his fist onto the table, sending a shockwave of blood-tinted Qi toward Li Chen. — He looks like he’d snap if a stiff wind blew through the valley. Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
Li Chen didn't even lift a hand. The moment the shockwave reached him, his newly formed Shadow Core pulsed deep within his Dantian. A wall of violet-black mist erupted around his feet, devouring the incoming force instantly and turning it into harmless wisps of cold vapor.
Ghost-Blade’s eyes narrowed sharply as he stopped spinning his dagger.
— Impressive control, — Ghost-Blade whispered, his voice dry and raspy. — A newly formed Core, yet your Qi is as dense as a late-stage practitioner.
— Keep your tests to yourselves, — Li Chen said, taking a seat at the head of the table with complete composure. — Elder Scarlet claims we have a common objective. Speak, before I lose my patience.
Scarlet-Weaver glided to the side of the table, her crimson silk trailing silently behind her. She waved her hand, causing a glowing map made of spiritual energy to project above the soul-wood table, depicting a jagged mountain range submerged beneath a swirling black vortex.
— Three miles south of Black-River City lies the entrance to the Abyssal Sovereign’s Tomb, — Scarlet-Weaver explained, her tone turning grave. — It is the resting place of an ancient Emperor who mastered both the light and the dark paths. Inside lies the Abyssal Source Water, a heavenly resource capable of cleansing impurities from a Golden Core and granting a three-fold boost to one's spiritual sea.
— And the Sun-Veil Sect? — Li Chen asked calmly.
— They have sent Grand Elder Sun-Piercer—a peak Core Formation cultivator who is half a step into the Nascent Soul Realm, — Scarlet-Weaver replied, her golden eyes fixing on Li Chen. — He brings two dozen core disciples and three ancient solar formations. None of our factions can break through their vanguard alone. The source of this chapter is novelping . com.
Iron-Hide let out a harsh laugh.
— But together? We crush their purification squad, claim the Abyssal Source Water, and split the Sovereign's treasures three ways.
— Four ways, — Li Chen corrected, his scarlet-violet eyes locking onto each of the faction leaders in turn. — And I claim the Sovereign's remnant soul. If any of you attempt to betray me inside the tomb, your souls will fuel my furnace.
Iron-Hide’s face darkened, but looking into Li Chen's cold, unblinking eyes, neither he nor Ghost-Blade dared to voice an objection. The alliance was struck, sealed in the darkness of the Blood-Eclipse Pavilion.