Zoro let out a weak, blood-stained chuckle, shaking his head faintly. "You... you think you can take on the twelve families...? They'll... they'll turn you into pill ingredients..."Alistair’s golden eyes narrowed slightly, a terrifying pressure settling over Zoro's chest that made it impossible for him to draw another breath. "I did not ask for your opinion, Zoro. I asked for a location.”Zoro wheezed heavily, blood bubbling at the corner of his lips as the suffocating pressure crushed his lungs."I... I don't know!" Zoro gasped out in sheer terror, his pale eyes bulging. "I swear I don't know where they're made! The pills... they're delivered directly by an envoy sent by the twelve families! He gave them to me... told me to use them if any righteous cultivators ever tried to interfere in our territory! That's all I know... I swear on my life, it comes from the shadow council!"Alistair stared down at the broken crime lord, his golden eyes cold and analytical.Through the subtle vibr

“I see,” Cecilia muttered. “Alright then, I'll speak to him. They should be with you before tomorrow evening.”“That would be great,” Alistair said.“Also, Alistair, you should be careful. I've been looking into things from my end and… you are right. The trafficking ring isn't just in the south. I have reason to believe they have helpers even here in the capital. So it's safe to say they might have access to some things that could put you in danger.”“Don't worry, I'll handle whatever comes up. Also, maybe you should stop investigating for now. As I'm not in the capital yet, it could be risky.” Cecilia snorted. “Are you looking down on your older sister?”Alistair let out a quiet, knowing sigh, a faint trace of a smile touching his lips."I am not looking down on you, sister," Alistair replied, his voice laced with a gentle, brotherly warmth. "I am simply aware of how deep the roots of this syndicate go. If they have infiltrated the capital as well, every move you make is being watch

The transport truck surged forward, rolling past the outer checkpoint and entering the obsidian courtyards of the estate.The trap was fully closed.As the truck came to a halt in the dimly lit loading bay, Alistair raised his head, his golden eyes glowing with a cold, absolute light in the shadows."We are in," Alistair said quietly, his voice carrying effortlessly to his operatives. "Remember, don't engage anyone. Wait until there is no guard with you. Break out of your bindings and create an opening for me to slip in.”Talia, Sonia, and Dahlia cracked their knuckles beneath their dresses, identical, lethal smiles touching their lips. "Understood, boss."The rear doors of the truck unlocked with a heavy click.The Annual Eclipse Ball had begun, and the executioners had arrived.The heavy transport truck glided silently into the cavernous shadows of Sector C's loading bay.Overhead, industrial pipes hissed, venting faint plumes of steam into the damp, chilling air of the estate's low

Down below, Patriarch Valen raised his hands, signaling for silence as the sinister applause faded back into a tense, expectant hush."To commemorate this milestone," Valen continued, a cruel, fanatic smile stretching across his gaunt face, "we shall inaugurate the ritual of the Eclipse. Bring forth the catalyst!"At his command, heavy iron grates set into the floor behind the elevated thrones slowly parted.A massive, obsidian altar—etched with pulsing runes of dark, coagulated blood—rose from the subterranean depths.Bound tightly to the center of the altar was a shimmering, celestial energy matrix, vibrating with pure life-force.Alistair’s golden eyes flashed with sudden, blinding fury.The "catalyst" wasn't an ordinary artifact; it was a captured fragment of divine ley-line energy, stolen to serve as the anchor for whatever abomination the shadow council was trying to birth.Across the grand hall, the heavy, reinforced bronze exit doors began to slowly grind shut, sealed from the

A dense, impenetrable spatial boundary enveloped the entire Obsidian Palace, spanning from deep beneath the subterranean bedrock all the way into the heavens.No matter how furiously the guards struck or how many defensive talismans Valen burned, the barrier remained utterly immovable.Alistair had erected an absolute spatial domain the very second he plunged into the ballroom.Not a single soul bearing the stain of the shadow council would leave this hall alive.He had sworn an oath to the heavens, and today, justice would be served in full.Meanwhile, Talia, Sonia, and Dahlia moved like lethal shadows amidst the chaos.With fluid, practiced precision, their micro-blades flashed in silver arcs, granting swift, painless mercy to the tragic, mutated victims.They did not strike out of malice, but out of profound pity, severing the corrupted meridian bonds to free the agonizing souls trapped within those ruined shells."Rest now," Talia whispered softly, her blade cleanly piercing the h