The black smoke continued to spread from the space around An Ying, forcing the weaker spectators to retreat while several senior cultivators activated protective talismans. Some pressed the talismans against their chests, others crushed them directly in their palms, and elders from middle-ranking sects pulled their younger disciples back before curiosity brought them too close to the poisonous haze. A cynical observer watched the movement of the crowd and gave a quiet snort. “The treasure has not even been opened, yet people are already paying a price for standing too close.” His companion glanced toward the black box suspended between the two sect leaders. “That only makes this gathering look dirtier. Everyone came to see Huo Xin Jian, but the first thing filling the arena is poison.” Tian Zhang rotated his sword and changed the direction of his attack. A cold current of qi followed the blade and

Several days before the stage on Qingyun Mountain became filled with blood, suspicion, and words sharp enough to damage the dignity of a sect, another gathering had already begun preparing the same kind of fracture on Whispering Mountain. That night, the mountain received people who had no interest in daylight, official law, or the attention of ordinary Jianghu. Whispering Mountain was not grand in the way famous peaks were grand. It rose with a gloomy face, its narrow path covered in black moss that never seemed to dry, and even hunters who knew the surrounding forests rarely climbed all the way toward the summit. After nightfall, the mountain became even less inviting. Mercenaries and killers who normally crossed cliffs without hesitation preferred to take longer routes rather than remain on its slopes unless the reward was worth the risk. By the time the third night watch had passed, mist had thickened between old pin

An Ying did not speak immediately after entering the central circle of the summit. Once his feet came to rest on the stone, he lifted his chin slightly and drew in a shallow breath, not to enjoy the mountain air but to examine what remained within it after so many different factions had gathered there. The smoke from the torches, traces of qi left by various sects, and the scent of earth disturbed by countless footsteps all entered his notice. Even the faint metallic smell lingering around the stones did not escape him, and after a brief pause his attention shifted toward the altar before moving from the altar to the bone chair and then to the arrangement of torches surrounding them. Only after examining the prepared stage did An Ying look at the people present. His gaze passed across one face after another without haste and without offering particular courtesy to any sect leader, while a faint smile gradually appeared at the corner of his m

As the waiting continued, an elder from a southern sect unfolded the invitation he had received and studied it again beneath the unstable torchlight. His brows rose slightly before he said, “The wording of this message is unusually polished.” The leader of the Black Blood Sect looked over with visible impatience. “Polished?” “Too polished,” the elder replied. “It does not resemble the usual correspondence between demonic sects. There is no mockery, no personal mark, and not even a half-hidden threat.” A thin-bearded elder nearby produced his own invitation, which had already been folded many times. “I noticed the same thing. This does not feel as though it was written by someone accustomed to speaking in the manner of Jianghu.” The man in the blood-red robe grinned. “More polite than half the sect leaders standing here, at least.&rdquo

An Ying stopped before completing his next step. His posture did not stiffen excessively and he did not retreat, but the change in his eyes showed that the pressure above the summit had finally given him something more substantial to measure than an empty stage. Yan Mo reacted at almost the same moment. For the first time that night, the leader of the Hellfire Sect lifted his head fully, and the faint coldness around his mouth disappeared as his attention became fixed on the darkness above the altar. Then a voice descended from above. “Leaving already?” It was neither loud nor theatrical. The speaker did not shout or deliberately make his tone frightening, yet every word carried across the summit with such clarity that the people preparing to leave stopped where they stood. “You have not even begun to answer the question,” the voice continued. “Why w