“My lord, we’ve just received news that the target has recently left the city...”

A man wearing an all-black outfit, his features hidden beneath a mask, was kneeling before another man. His back was soaked in sweat, and his body trembled slightly as he could feel the heavy tension and slight murderous intent that permeated the atmosphere. Fortunately for the man in black, his lord could control his anger and merely sighed.

“I’m aware,” Liao Cheng said as he returned to his cold indifference.

“Should we send some men to pursue?” the man in black asked tentatively, knowing his question might provoke the man before him further. Still, his loyalty urged him to do so.

"Only for them to die?" Liao Cheng sneered, then sighed again. "No... Have them pull back their surveillance. Now that one of the four sects is involved, we cannot be careless lest it affects our further operations. What of Sun Yang? Do we know what his motives were for letting her go?"

The man in black’s gaze lowered slightly as he spoke once again, trying to keep his voice as even as possible.

"All we know is that it should be related to Qin Yun. After the Immortal Phoenix Sect Elder departed, he participated in the auction, followed by a daughter of the Sun clan. The only object he bought was a monster core of unknown origins. This should be the paradise bird's monster core he had mentioned. From this, we can infer that he made a deal with the city lord in exchange for something that may lead him to Paradise."

Liao Cheng stared out of a window, the bright sun shining overhead, yet his gaze was dark as night, and a cold frost lay deep within.

"Qin Yun... That man will pay for this," he murmured loud enough for the kneeling man to hear.

The man felt a shiver spread through his back and could only remain silent, letting it pass before sheepishly

adding, "Should we send some men after him?”

Liao Cheng pondered for a moment, feeling a flame of fury rise within his heart, yet could only shake his head in the end. Ever since his confrontation with Qin Yun, he hadn’t felt he could win against the man who was nothing but a mortal. That man seemed to defy all logic.

"Let him be for the time being," Liao Cheng said, yet he couldn't hide his anger and reluctance. "He is inconsequential... for now. As long as he doesn't disturb our plan, I don't intend to go against him. Doing so would only be foolish." He remained silent for a while longer before adding, "How far along are we?”

“Doing so while trying not to alert them is a slow process," the man said. "Currently, we only have nearly 20% of the necessary personnel in place. However, most operatives are only relegated to the rogue cultivator and the minor clan. Trying to infiltrate the four major clans proved to be much harder than anticipated, especially the Qin Clan. They seem to have a way to discover our men but have yet to retaliate against us. It may be they have no idea who is behind this."

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Liao Cheng chuckled slightly. “I know your family is at odds with the Qin Clan, but you should never underestimate your opponent. The only reason they haven’t done anything is simply that they cannot afford to. After all, didn’t they just offend the Yun Clan recently? This won’t blow over anytime soon and will give us the leeway to bring our plans to fruition. You know what to do.”

Liao Cheng then waved his hand, not bothering to look back at the man in black as he quickly retreated from the room. Only after he was alone did he turn around, only to see a beautiful woman with hair of gold emerge from the darkness before standing next to him, her eyes shining with inquisitiveness.

"Why did you ask me to witness this?" Sun Yu asked, somewhat perplexed by her fiancee's actions. Ever since his loss to Qin Yun, he had behaved strangely. Usually, he would have never allowed her to witness such a thing, much less have her hidden from his own subordinate. She couldn't understand what went through his head.

Liao Cheng ignored her question and simply replied back with one of his own.

“What do you think of him?”

Sun Yu's eyes widened slightly. She knew this man much more deeply than even he realized, yet this sudden interest in her opinion took her slightly aback. He wasn’t one to seek other’s opinions while plotting something.

"Are we talking about the man who just left or Qin Yun?" she replied.

Her words made him frown for a moment, yet Sun Yu didn't feel intimidated in the slightest. She couldn't help but find his slight burst of anger somehow cute. Ever since his loss to Qin Yun, his air of invincibility had crumbled, and she could finally see his hidden vulnerability. Somehow, he felt much more human and had only reaffirmed her love for him.

“Let’s not talk about him,” Liao Cheng said, burying his anger in his heart, only showing a disinterested expression, which couldn't help but make Sun Yu smile and wrap her arms around his neck. Liao Cheng sighed before holding her by the waist, looking deep into her golden eyes.

“What made you doubt yourself? That’s not like you,” she asked, showing him a gentle smile, yet some worry could be seen in her eyes. “Are you worried your own men will betray you?”

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“Betrayal is never far from those with ambition,” Liao Cheng replied, his voice cold and laced with a hint of pain. “Not even you would be exempt from it.”

His words cut Sun Yu deeply, yet she barely showed it on her face. If anything, her gaze only grew gentler.

“You still do not believe my feelings for you?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

“I do, but I also know human nature,” he said.

His words couldn’t help but make her show a pained expression, yet Liao Cheng only brushed it off.

"Sooner or later, you will have to choose between me and your father," he added, his voice colder than she would have liked. "When the time comes, I won't show any mercy. Until then, you remain useful."

Sun Yu smiled before kissing his lips. Liao Cheng was taken aback yet didn't retreat. However, unlike Sun Yu, who enjoyed the moment, he kept his sight on her the entire time, ensuring there would be no foul-play. To his surprise, this woman seemed genuine. After a moment, they grew apart, and Sun Yu showed a satisfied smile.

"At last, you are honest with me," she said. "However, much honesty remains to be drawn out."

“What are you hiding?” Liao Cheng asked, unable to understand her. “I don’t believe you resigned yourself to be used for something as intangible as love.”

Sun Yu sighed as she looked back at him.

“And I don't believe you are that cold," she said with a sad smile. "We'll have to see which of us is right in the future."

Liao Cheng remained silent, pondering as he watched her leave, her buttocks swaying with her every step. A slight smile crept up his lips as he shook his head, knowing full well this was all intentional, but then a cold indifference masked it all. His thoughts returned to the matter at hand, his game of power against the various factions of this city.

"What do you hope to accomplish?" Liao Cheng whispered to himself as he gazed outside his window, which offered a spectacular view of most of the Sun Clan, especially the main hall. He sighed after a moment, then disappeared into the darkness.

******

Night had fallen as Qin Yun stared at a massive wall near the city's centre. It was grand and sturdy, laced with countless runes and formations. Pressing his hand against it, Qin Yun could feel the flow of power within, akin to the strength of the earth itself.

His mind grew calm as he probed its flow, deciphering the intricacies of the formation protecting this structure. The process took a few minutes, yet no one seemed to discover his presence, even as several armed guards made their rounds near the wall.

Suddenly, Qin Yun opened his eyes, and a slight smile graced his lips. A dark bracelet on his wrist produced a small light, and he felt a small barrier cover his body, masking all traces of his existence. Then, his hand flowed through the stone wall, bypassing the material as if its existence was under question.

Qin Yun walked through the solid object as if through liquid matter; none of it was disturbed by his passage; not even the countless formations laced within discovered his intrusion as he bypassed them all.

He emerged from the other side; his clothes remained immaculate as if none of the dirt he had waded through had left a mark on him. Only the bracelet on his wrist had dimmed considerably, almost extinguishing.

From his storage, he withdrew a small, transparent, round marble. Inside were countless lines that crossed endlessly, somehow resembling a cultivator's own qi channels. However, unlike marbles made of glass, this one seemed made of crystal and strong enough to contain the power within.

Qin Yun pressed the crystal marble onto the bracelet, dimming the orb considerably until no light remained. It was now black as night, looking no different than a common black stone except for its spherical nature. In exchange, the bracelet now glowed with renewed vigour, casting a slight light in its surroundings.

“Are you sure you didn’t imagine it?”

“I know I felt qi fluctuations around here. Why don’t you believe me?”

Hearing the voices, Qin Yun faded into the background, hiding within the darkness of night around one of the countless small buildings surrounding him, only moments before two guards clad in golden armour emerged from just around the corner.

“See? I told you there’s nothing there!”

“I could have sworn I felt something...”

"You are just on edge, considering what has happened lately."

“You are referring to the young lady? A waste of talent...”

“Hey! Watch your mouth! There is no knowing who might be listening.”

"Still, it's a shame what happened to her. How could she have been reduced to that state? I heard the rumours... some say the trauma was so intense that she lost her mind!"

"Quiet, or I'll tell the higher-ups and see what they'll do to you! We're just guards here; it's not our place to spread these things."

A moment later, Qin Yun could finally hear the two voices grow fainter as they moved away. He emerged from the darkness and couldn't help but feel slightly conflicted after what he had heard. He wondered if it would have been more merciful to go through with it instead of leaving things halfway.

He shook his head and put it out of his mind. He had more pressing matters. From his sleeve, he took out a map Lian Huiling had provided. Under the dim light of the stars, Qin Yun could barely see it, yet it was enough to know where he was. Once he found his destination, Qin Yun folded it again before burning it, ensuring no evidence would be left behind.

He crept from shadow to shadow, avoiding the several patrols he encountered on his quest toward his destination. He also discovered several divine senses, yet they all flowed through him like he wasn't even there. Although he was confident that the bracelet on his wrist could keep him hidden from them, he couldn’t help but be slightly nervous. After all, if he was found here, his death would be gruesome.

It took him over half an hour to reach his destination; he even had to use two more marbles on his bracelet. Fortunately, he had prepared enough.

He stopped before a magnificent mansion just a step away from the compound's main hall. As he expected, the wall encircling the mansion was comparable to the exterior wall he had to traverse earlier. Still, this didn't prove much of a challenge. After all, most of the patrols were located near the edge of the clan and not near its centre. In fact, Qin Yun didn't encounter a single one in the 15 minutes it took him to overcome the formation laced within.

Once inside, the way was clear. There wasn't even a single obstacle in sight. Qin Yun could only deplore their overconfidence in their security. He scoured the property for his target, and sometime later, he found it in a room near the depths of the mansion, surrounded by countless formations whose functions were to boost the body's natural healing.

A slight smile crept on Qin Yun as he entered, only to find a man lying on a luxurious bed, fast asleep. He was a large man, wearing elegant clothes even as he slept, yet Qin Yun could see bandages rise from under the man's clothes, covering up to his neck. Furthermore, they seemed to be so drenched in blood that it even seeped into his clothes.

Despite it all, he still seemed to breathe, yet Qin Yun could find no trace of qi flowing within his body. His qi centre seemed to be as dry as a desert.

Qin Yun smiled as he had found his target.

Qin Yun found himself deep within the Ma clan's compound, in a room specially devised to heal the gravest of wounds, a room made for a man of great importance to the clan. Within this room was Ma Yongzheng, a man Qin Yun had a vested interest in.