Although Cao Cuo holds only the honorary title of leader within the Stone Cult, Lu Qian and the other disciples have labored faithfully on his behalf for years. Their tireless collection of Origin Stones has been nothing short of wholehearted devotion.
Moreover, this network of connections would prove invaluable in the future — it could not be taken lightly.
"Stay calm and don't act rashly. First, let me see who has been so ruthless."
...
High above Shiling City, two streaks of green light shot through the sky and plunged into the Golden Garden at blinding speed.
In an instant, they fell into the hands of the master of the White Jade Palace.
Cao Cuo began receiving the transmission carried within the two green locusts.
Three days ago, at sunrise.
In Jintang Valley, over five hundred Stone Sect disciples were practicing their boxing and martial arts on the training grounds. Most of them were orphaned children of eleven or twelve, still bearing the innocent faces of youth.
This valley served as one of the Stone Sect's most important bases for training disciples. In addition to the five hundred or so disciples, there were also a number of family members in residence — thirty-two people in total. The base was overseen by two core disciples who had taken the Gu Dan, and its location was carefully hidden; very few people knew of its existence.
Yet today, an unexpected visitor had arrived.
A streak of light soared overhead and came to a hover above the valley.
The green locust Gu sounded its warning, and the two core disciples immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"What is that in the sky?"
"That light — it's from a cultivator's imperial weapon!"
The five hundred disciples were at a complete loss. A cultivator who could fly an imperial weapon was not someone any ordinary mortal could hope to contend with. The gap in power was immeasurable.
From within the streamer, four figures descended and touched down at the four cardinal points of the valley. Two men, two women — all appearing to be in their mid-twenties, dressed in blue robes, each cradling a white jade vase carved from the finest suet jade. Their auras were extraordinary.
"Honored immortal masters, what brings you here?"
"Is there anything we can help you with, masters?"
...
One of the men — his eyebrow crossed by a jagged scar — sneered coldly:
"The members of the Stone Cult dared to steal Origin Stones. They have chosen their own deaths."
With those words, he saw no further need to waste breath on the mortals below, and gave his order:
"Junior Brother, Junior Sisters — form the Four-Phase Crystal Killing Array."
"Yes!" The other three responded in unison.
Mana surged from the four cultivators and poured into their vases. Blue light erupted from the mouths of the bottles, and a vast, square curtain of azure light sealed off Jintang Valley entirely.
The Stone Sect disciples sensed the danger at once and scattered in every direction, desperate to flee.
One disciple ran headlong into the light curtain and was hurled back to the ground.
"What is this thing? It's incredible!"
Several others hacked at the barrier with their swords, but could not so much as scratch its surface.
"We can't get out — we're surrounded!"
A handful of the bolder youths, too reckless to fear death, rallied one another with weapons in hand:
"These people mean us harm — we'll fight to the end!"
Others, knowing they were hopelessly outmatched, fell to their knees and begged:
"Masters, we are innocent! Please spare us!"
...
The scarred man was clearly the leader of the four. He watched the scene below with cold, detached eyes, then called out:
"Four-Phase Crystal Kill — activate."
The blue light within the curtain blazed with sudden, blinding intensity.
The kneeling disciples were the first to change. A strange blue light crept into their pupils...
"Ahhh—!"
Screams tore through the valley. Those afflicted twisted like demons, howling like rabid dogs, turning on the companions standing right beside them.
"What's happening? We're on the same side!"
A disciple barely dodged a surprise attack from a friend who had lost their mind.
"Are you insane?!"
Another disciple was cut down and collapsed to the ground.
More and more fell into madness.
...
"Let them slaughter each other. Fighting and dying within the illusion formation — they'll all become fuel for the crystal vases. Waste put to good use."
The scarred man smiled with quiet satisfaction, watching the human tragedy unfolding below. A strange, dark pleasure swelled in his chest.
Then — something unexpected.
One of the four pillars of light flickered and began to waver.
"Junior Sister Qiu, what's wrong with you? Hold your Sky Crystal Vase steady — don't let the Killing Array collapse!"
A young woman with a round, soft face spoke in a trembling voice:
"Senior Brother Lian... I'm just a little frightened. Is it really alright for us to be killing people like this?"
Another woman cut in with a sharp sneer:
"Junior Sister Qiu — Qiu Ling'er — have you forgotten where you come from? We are all disciples of the Phantom Building. We will all be killers one day. Stop playing the role of a merciful bodhisattva."
Qiu Ling'er said quietly: "But Senior Sister Chen... they are all helpless mortals."
Senior Sister Chen's voice turned harsh: "And what of it? The He family can slaughter people without a second thought, and we cannot? If you want to act so compassionate, then stop relying on Sky Crystal Pills to build your foundation — since every one of those pills is refined from human lives."
Senior Brother Lian cut in sharply: "Junior Sister Chen, enough. Reform the array — shift to Three-Phase Crystal Kill."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Lian." Qiu Ling'er exhaled with visible relief.
"You—!" Senior Sister Chen's face flushed with fury.
The fourth member, a taciturn young man, said nothing and calmly adjusted his position.
With Lian Jin leading, the square formation shifted into a triangle. Qiu Ling'er stepped away, and the remaining three held the array steady. By then, half of the Stone Sect disciples trapped inside had already perished.
"Lian Jin, why do you always take her side? Last time as well—" Senior Sister Chen started.
"Stop talking and focus. Maintain the Crystal Killing Array." Lian Jin cut her off.
Within a quarter of an hour, over a thousand people had died within the triangular formation. Corpses were strewn across the valley floor.
From the bodies, tendrils of blue smoke seeped from the seven orifices of the dead and merged into the glowing curtain of light.
Lian Jin sensed the vast number of souls now captured within the array and nodded with satisfaction. "That's enough. Withdraw the formation."
The light curtain collapsed inward and streamed back into the three crystal vases.
Lian Jin reached out and felt the weight of his Aquarius vase — noticeably heavier than before.
"Excellent. Ten Stone Sect disciples are worth roughly one ordinary cultivator, and these spirits are of fine quality. The Sky Crystal Pills refined from them should turn out quite well."
At that moment, a beam of light descended from above — a tall, lean cultivator in blue robes landed before them, his appearance that of a middle-aged man despite the centuries he surely carried.
The four saluted respectfully: "Elder Qian!"
Qiu Ling'er quietly slipped to the back of the group, keeping her head low.
Elder Qian held a flying sword at his side and swept a brief glance over Qiu Ling'er, but chose not to press the matter. After all, her master was an elder of the inner sect — some measure of courtesy was warranted.
He turned to the other three, his expression one of genuine approval:
"As expected of the finest outer sect disciples. Your command of the Crystal Killing Array is remarkably polished. Most of those inside perished in the madness of the illusion — the souls collected are of superior quality. I expect the resulting top-grade Sky Crystal Pills will be extraordinary. Your chances of successfully establishing a foundation should be close to seventy percent."
He paused abruptly.
Elder Qian's gaze swept across the field of corpses. He turned and reprimanded sharply:
"Lian Jin — how could you be so careless? Did you not notice there were two survivors?"
Before his words had even faded, two figures erupted from the mound of bodies — seven parts grief, three parts terror — and bolted for the entrance of Jintang Valley.
They were the two core disciples. In desperation, they had activated the Lamp-Burning Technique housed within the green locust Gu, drawing on a surge of strength that rivaled the peak of Qi Training, and sprinted with everything they had in the slim hope of escape.
But with a Foundation Establishment cultivator present, it was all for nothing.
The silver flying sword in Elder Qian's hand rang out with a soft, clear tone — and in the next instant transformed into a silver serpent, hurtling forward with impossible speed.
Crack—
The blade split into eight pieces and swept cleanly through their limbs.
"Ahhhh—!"
The two screamed as their torsos and severed limbs scattered across the bloody ground. Their wailing did not stop.
"Ah—!" Qiu Ling'er covered her eyes and turned away.
Lian Jin's expression darkened. "How did the Stone Sect have secular people at the peak of Qi Training? They should have been trapped in the illusion of the Killing Array."
Elder Qian replied calmly: "The stone arts they cultivate are derived from ancient body-strengthening methods and carry genuine merit. At their highest level, a mortal practitioner can rival even a Foundation Establishment cultivator."
He retrieved his returning sword, stroked his beard, and continued:
"These two were likely senior figures within the Stone Sect. Lian Jin — use the Sky Crystal Illusion on them. Find out what they know about the location of the Stone Sect's main altar, and the identities of their leader and the two envoys."
"Understood."
Lian Jin stepped toward the two wailing figures — little more than living stumps lying on the ground — pressed a hand to one of them, and channeled his mental power into their minds.
"Sky Crystal Illusion!"
"Ahhhh—!"
"Ahhhh—!"
Qiu Ling'er squeezed her eyes shut and looked away.
The other three watched with obvious interest. This was clearly not their first time witnessing such a scene.
Senior Sister Chen said brightly: "Elder Qian, Junior Brother Zhang — shall we guess how long these two hold out? I say no more than half an hour."
Junior Brother Zhang was not a man of many words, but he had no desire to spoil her fun. "Less than half an hour," he said flatly.
Elder Qian shook his head with a mild smile. "You are all still too young, too inexperienced."
These three were the cream of the Phantom Building's outer sect disciples. Once they succeeded in building their foundations with the aid of the Sky Crystal Pills, they would become inner sect disciples — essentially peers of Elder Qian himself. It would do him no harm to nurture a good relationship with them now.
Elder Qian saw an opportunity to impart some wisdom to the younger generation, and spoke at length:
"These two have cultivated their stone arts to a deep level. Their vitality is exceptionally tenacious — no less than a cultivator at peak Qi Training. I estimate they can endure for at least two hours—"
Elder Qian's voice stopped dead.
The slap of reality came so swiftly it left no time to brace.
The wailing of the two "human stumps" had ceased — in less than sixty breaths.
"Cough, cough..."
Elder Qian cleared his throat in awkward embarrassment. He had been on the verge of offering sage advice, only to be proven wrong on the spot. He said stiffly:
"Lian Jin — why did you not apply yourself more carefully?"
Having failed twice in a row, Lian Jin's pride was stinging. He explained quickly:
"Elder Qian, I had the Sky Crystal Illusion working at full capacity. They were on the verge of revealing the Stone Sect's secrets — but for some reason, they suddenly died of shock."
"Oh?"
Elder Qian moved to Lian Jin's side and carefully examined the two corpses.
Within the bodies, the two green locusts were in a state of acute alarm. Their dormancy technique was operating at full power — suppressing all signs of life, sealing off all traces of vitality, suspending all outward activity in a perfect simulation of death.
Fortunately, the elder focused his examination on their skulls and did not think to open their abdomens.
"Peculiar. What killed these two was not the magic of the Sky Crystal — there is a hidden mana at work." Elder Qian cleaved open their skulls and examined the contents, his brow furrowing as he found what he was looking for.
"Hidden mana? But these two are ordinary mortals — how could they carry magical power?" Lian Jin wondered if he had heard correctly.
Elder Qian considered it. "It seems the Stone Cult is not as simple as it appears. This is not merely a gang of secular ruffians playing at being a sect. It may well be a piece placed on the board by some cultivator working in the shadows."
Senior Sister Chen asked: "Elder, could it be that one of the factions in Nanyi has laid roots here?"
Elder Qian replied: "Unlikely. The Stone Cult merely stole a handful of Origin Stones. If a major faction were truly behind this, the operation would not be so modest in scale. My guess is that at most there are a few rogue sword cultivators pulling strings from the shadows."
Lian Jin sneered: "A couple of sword cultivators dared to touch our mines? They're courting death."
Senior Sister Chen smiled: "Senior Brother Lian, the Phantom Building has eyes and ears all across Nanyi, yet we have always moved in secrecy. It's possible the other party simply doesn't know that the quarry fields and mines belong to us."
Lian Jin laughed despite himself. "Ha — then I'm curious just how capable these people actually are. Why don't we root them out once we've established our foundations and use it as practice? What do you think?"
Senior Sister Chen and Junior Brother Zhang agreed readily.
Qiu Ling'er said nothing.
Lian Jin sighed with something like regret: "If only we could raze the whole city the way the He family does. The Stone Cult is a minor nuisance at best — but what we truly need is a large and steady supply of soul essence."
Elder Qian shook his head: "The He family's young lord is backed by the Supreme Master of Xiantai Palace. He can act without restraint. But if the Phantom Building were to massacre a city, we would only invite the wrath of the lesser cultivators across the region and make ourselves a target for all. Many ants can bring down an elephant — that is not a risk worth taking."
He paused, then said:
"Let us go. There are other places where spirits can still be harvested. One can never have too much of a good thing."
"Yes!" The four replied in unison.
The silver flying sword swelled to a great size, lifting all five of them into the air, and they vanished into a streak of light across the sky.
...
Inside the White Jade Palace.
Cao Cuo's face was cold as frost. His voice was quiet, but carried the weight of iron:
"So it is the Phantom Building. I was not looking for you — yet you have had the audacity to come knocking at my door."
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