Lucian did not have much time before that old monster appeared on the mountain.
Without pausing, he ran straight toward the Sect Leader’s residence.
He kicked down the doors and smashed open the back wall where he had seen the elder strike during his first run. Just as he remembered, a hidden metal vault door sat embedded in the stone.
’Did he say it was Black Cold Iron?’
Lucian used the Five Elements Harmonizing Art – Metal Control.
The cold, immovable metal softened like wax beneath his fingers. He easily bypassed the Black Cold Iron lock and pulled the heavy door open, stepping inside the secret vault.
Rows of small jade boxes filled with various elixirs rested on the shelves, alongside personal diaries and a silk-bound manual. Lucian took everything. He pulled the Grotto-Heaven Treasure Pearl from his pocket, opened the spatial space, and swept the entire contents of the vault inside.
Slipping the pearl back into his pocket, Lucian left the residence and ran to the terrace overlooking the valley.
Down below, the same destruction was unfolding. Red-robed figures were butchering the white-robed disciples, but the massive blood formation had not been deployed over the sky yet.
Lucian could only shake his head. There was no way he could fight the Blood God as he was now, but he had left the old monster a special message in the empty vault.
Using Nine Heavens Cloudstep, Lucian drifted across the mountain ridges like a ghost. He needed to clear the peaks before that blood-red dome trapped everything inside.
***
Some time after Lucian left Mount Wudang, an elderly figure in red robes appeared in the sky, walking silently in the empty air.
His eyes shone with a menacing crimson light as he gazed at the tall peaks of Wudang. He smiled coldly to himself, stepping down onto the stone paths of the sect.
Arriving at the Sect Leader’s residence, the old man’s expression suddenly hardened.
The doors were kicked in, and the wall at the back of the chamber had been smashed to pieces.
"How is this wall broken? Did they also try to take the secret manual with them? But nobody should have a key with them?"
Thick, bloody qi erupted from the old man’s body. He drew his blade and slashed at the exposed vault door, tearing the Black Cold Iron from its hinges with a single strike before storming inside.
The shelves were completely empty. Not a single elixir bottle or jade box remained. Not even the thing he was looking for.
"HOW DARE?!"
He screamed in fury. The wooden shelves shattered from the sheer pressure radiating from his body. Then his gaze locked onto the back wall of the vault.
Carved deeply into the metal was a message written in fresh strokes, addressed specifically to him.
[Enjoy your time while it lasts. I am coming for you, and when I arrive, I will end your life. Until then, stay alive. Oh, and I certainly couldn’t allow my enemy to use the Dual Internal Energy Art, could I, Blood God?]
"AHHH–!"
An agonizing howl of pure fury erupted from the old man, reverberating across the surrounding peaks.
That day, the Blood God completely leveled nearly every building remaining on Mount Wudang.
***
Two Days Later...
Martial Alliance Headquarters, Luoyang.
A heavy atmosphere lingered in the central meeting room of the Martial Alliance. All the leaders of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang were present.
Yes, every single one of them.
Everyone looked toward the head seat of the alliance. The position had changed hands just two days ago. Though many had protested having such a figure return to worldly affairs, their arguments had failed because they lacked justification.
"Namo Amitabha, Alliance Leader Heo, I understand your pain but your decision is way too emotional, please forgive this poor monk if I step my boundaries but you must achieve ascension and not intervene in the worldly matters," said Bang Jeong, the current Abbot of Shaolin.
In response to Bang Jeong’s words, the current Alliance Leader Cheong Heo spoke calmly.
He was a retired Grandmaster at the Heavenly Realm, a secluded elder of Wudang known throughout the Central Plains as the Sword God.
"I understand you, but I simply cannot look away from the world now that the Wudang had been destroyed, not when most of the first and second generation disciples died and the future of Wudang is in an inevitable decline. Chief Strategist, put forward the suggestion we discussed."
At his words, a man trembled slightly before stepping forward. Even though he was an expert at the Supreme Peak Realm, he could not help but feel intimidated by the Alliance Leader’s sheer presence.
Zhuge Yuhan, the current patriarch of the Zhuge Clan and Chief Strategist of the Martial Alliance, bowed his head.
"The Alliance Leader has only one objective, the total eradication of the blood cult, from the central plains and even beyond the central plains which also includes the co-operation from the five outer palaces..."
Hearing this, Abbot Bang Jeong sighed softly.
’Why has the world shown a calamity only when he is about to ascend?’
The man who was supposed to step into Immortality and leave for the Immortal realm was now dragged back into mortal bloodshed.
’Is this the trials of Heaven?’ Bang Jeong could not help but wonder.
***
"There is no need for such a reward, just give me some money," Lucian said with a troubled look, glancing at the merchant in front of him.
As cliché as it sounded, while he was heading away from Mount Wudang, he had stumbled across a merchant troupe under attack by bandits. After saving them, he had traveled with them straight to the bustling city of Luoyang.
"Great Hero, how can that be? I will forever be in your debt . If I cannot repay this grace, how can I call myself the Head of Yellow Wind Merchants? Please accept this gift!"
The fat man rubbed his hands together with an eager smile, while a servant behind him held out a tray of expensive silk and jade.
’He definitely wants to tie me with his group.’
"Though I will not accept such gifts, I will definitely visit the Yellow Wind Merchants in future."
"Is that so? Still, thank you, Great Hero Lu!"
Though disappointed, the head of the Yellow Wind Merchants nodded hurriedly, handing over a heavy cloth bag that clinked with gold and silver ingots.
"Then I will be on my way."
Lucian slipped the heavy pouch into his robes and made his way into the city streets.
Because he knew his refined appearance would attract too much attention, he pulled a wide bamboo hat low over his brow.
Because an incident had happened when he first saved the caravan; the merchant guards had genuinely mistaken him for an imperial prince traveling in disguise.
’So Wudang truly fell, huh?’
As he walked through the crowded city, people were talking about the tragedy everywhere. Though most of the fine details were still unknown to the public, Lucian connected the dots from what he heard.
’When some Elders, Sect Leader, and the Sword God were not at the sect, the Blood God attacked and flattened Wudang.’
Survivors had confirmed that the Blood Cult began indiscriminately massacring nearby civilians. Most of the young disciples had died defending them, alongside the few older experts left behind to guard the mountain.
Rumors also spread about an eerie red light painting the sky—the massive blood formation that had sealed the valley from the outside world.
Looking for a place to rest, Lucian walked into a busy two-story inn. He ordered a bowl of the house signature noodles, listening quietly to the tavern gossip around him.
"The fall of Wudang really rallied all the great powers of Jianghu!"
"Man, I also heard that the blood painting the sky is still there and even masters who attack it say their attack cannot penetrate!"
"That’s old news folks, I just saw the Murim Alliance post a notice regarding the Dragon Phoenix Competition, and this time it’s not those rich brats doing the event but the alliance itself!"
"War is inevitable!"
"But wanderers from all over the Jianghu are coming to attend this and this will be hosted on a grand scale, not to mention the first prize is learning any martial arts from the alliance archive and even getting personal instructions by sword god!"
"Ohhhh!"
’That blood dome is still present?’ Lucian wondered, finishing his meal.
He paid the waiter and headed upstairs to his rented room.
Closing the door, he used Qi Sense Breath to sweep the wooden walls, confirming no one was listening in on him. Then he sat down on the simple, rough bed.
’This Dragon Phoenix Competition is my chance to witness the Martial Arts of this world and note how this and cultivation differ.’
He wanted to understand the principles behind their internal arts. Though the ordinary bandits he met on the road weren’t threatening, he was genuinely looking forward to seeing what the top prodigies of the Central Plains could do.
’I should also participate and take a look at the Martial Alliance’s Archive.’
He was confident he could win against peers of his own generation. The real danger lay with figures on the level of the Blood God and the grandmasters leading the major sects.
’Tomorrow I should also go to the information broker the merchant mentioned.’
He needed a clear map of the major powers before making his next move.
To the merchant head, he had simply claimed he was a disciple who had trained in the mountains with his master and had just come down to experience the martial world.
’Forging an identity is really simple in Murim.’
Say you came down from the mountains, say you have an eccentric master, say you are here to see the world, and people automatically fill in the blanks for you.
’For now, let’s take a look at the Dual Internal Energy Art.’
He was genuinely curious about what kind of manual this was, especially since the Blood God had specifically sought it out from the secret vault.
Lucian reached into the spatial space of his Grotto-Heaven Pearl, retrieved the silk-bound book, and opened the first page.
With each passing moment, his expression changed.