The news of the Sun-Veil Sect’s defeat inside the Abyssal Sovereign’s Tomb spread across the continent like a toxic wave. The death of Grand Elder Sun-Piercer—a half-step Nascent Soul titan—sent shockwaves through every major orthodox sect. Yet, no one dared to launch an immediate assault on the Ghost Mist Forest. Reports from the surviving fringe onlookers spoke of a shadow cultivator who absorbed an ancient sovereign’s soul and elevated his strength to the peak of the mid-Core Formation stage in a single night.
Deep within the central hall of Black-River City, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.
The flag of the newly unified faction—a black banner bearing a violet-embroidered eclipsed sun—hung behind the grand obsidian throne. Standing in disciplined rows below were the remaining leaders of the city's underworld: Iron-Hide, Ghost-Blade, and dozens of rogue rogue alchemists and mercenary captains who had previously answered to Scarlet-Weaver.
Li Chen sat upon the throne, resting his chin on his knuckles. Beside him, Xiao Feng stood erect, wearing refined dark iron armor and exuding a steady, disciplined aura at the late stage of Qi Condensation.
— Master Li, — Iron-Hide stepped forward, bowing deeply as he presented a jade slip. — All assets of the Blood-Skull Syndicate, the Soul-Refining Sect's local branch, and the Pavilion of Shade have been consolidated. We have secured over three thousand high-grade spirit stones, fifty ancient medicine cauldrons, and complete control over the black-market trade routes.
— Excellent, — Li Chen said, his scarlet-violet eyes sweeping over the assembled crowd. His voice, though quiet, resonated with a metallic weight that made every cultivator's Dantian tremble slightly. — But Black-River City is merely a stepping stone. A temporary fortress. This chapter is updated first at NovelPing.
Ghost-Blade stepped forward, his raspy voice cautious.
— Master... the Grand Ancestor of the Sun-Veil Sect, Ancestor Sun-Sunder, has officially broken his hundred-year seclusion upon learning of Sun-Piercer's death. He is a genuine early-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivator. He has issued a Sovereign Order: anyone associated with the Dark Dan will be burned alive upon the Great Sun Altar. Read the latest chapters at novelping.com.
A murmur of apprehension rippled through the hall. Nascent Soul was a realm where a cultivator could abandon their physical form, manipulate the natural laws of heaven and earth, and destroy entire cities with a single gesture. To these Core Formation rogue cultivators, a Nascent Soul ancestor was nothing short of a god.
Li Chen’s lips curled into a cold, contemptuous smile.
— Ancestor Sun-Sunder... — Li Chen repeated the name slowly, feeling the newly refined memories of the Abyssal Sovereign flickering in his mind. — A hundred years of seclusion only means his vitality is decaying and his meridians are brittle. He relies on solar essence pills to keep his flesh from rotting.
Li Chen stood up, his dark robes flowing around him as his shadow domain briefly flared, casting the entire hall into absolute darkness before receding.
— Let him issue his order, — Li Chen commanded, his voice ringing like a funeral bell. — We will not hide in this forest waiting for his arrival. Assemble the vanguard. We march on the Sun-Glow Valley—the primary mineral artery of the Sun-Veil Sect. We shall cut off his blood supply before we sever his head.