502 - A Sect Leader’s Ascension

### Chapter 502: Shadowy Figures in Action "Who's there!?" Tu Ziru roared in panic. Tu Dan's upper body erupted in a gruesome spray of blood, resembling a sinister red blossom in full bloom. The storage pouch containing a long black spike was suddenly flung into the void. This instantaneous killing of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator sent chills down Chu Shen's spine. He immediately deployed his life-bound treasure to shield himself. "Form the array!" he shouted, and more than ten veteran cultivators swiftly gathered without a hint of disorder, forming a well-practiced metal-based array to assess the situation around them. 'Tap.' A hand extended from the void, effortlessly catching the storage pouch. The attacker revealed himself—it was the male cultivator from the Qinglian Sword Sect, the first to rush in when the secret hidden realm opened. His face was square and mature, beardless, with large eyes and thick brows—a picture of righteousness. His white Daoist robe was embroidered with a blue lotus at the chest. As the pouch disappeared into his bosom, he pointed at Tu Ziru and declared loudly, "Murderous fiend! The outsider who killed Zhu, the Dao friend of the Heaven's Principle Sect! Did you not know that your misdeeds were bound to be revealed?" In the eyes of sects like Black Wind Valley, sword cultivators of the Qinglian Sword Sect were labeled as madmen of the Daoist path. They prided themselves on cleansing the world of demons and dealt mercilessly with those they caught defiling their principles. This individual, confident enough to act in front of two Nascent Soul-stage cultivators, must have formidable skills. Seeing him, Tu Ziru lost all his courage and didn't even utter a threat before attempting to flee the chamber. A fierce black wind enveloped him, creating an impressive display, but it was futile—two Confucian cultivators from the Heaven's Principle Sect had already laid in ambush, surrounding him with a brush and a seal, forcing the black wind back. "Remembering that you are of our Daoist lineage, we shall not pursue this further. Begone! And never again consort with such outsiders!" With Tu Dan dead, Tu Ziru, merely an early-stage Golden Core cultivator, posed no threat. The sword cultivator from Qinglian unsheathed his sword against the black wind, even finding time to sternly reprimand Chu Shen. Grateful for the opportunity to retreat, Chu Shen and his companions quickly abandoned their formation, not even sparing a thought to rescue Tu Ziru, and began a hasty retreat. As they passed the Confucian cultivators, Gan Long and Qi Bingyan, who practiced heretical arts and weren't wearing Daoist robes, felt their hearts leap. Fortunately, they weren't stopped and made their way to the corridor. "Let’s head back!" Chu Shen decided, seeing Tu Ziru, now a headless fly under the siege of three, was bound to be defeated. "Stay close together..." Turning back to issue further instructions, Chu Shen’s body was suddenly slammed from the front by several powerful forces, sending him hurtling into the corridor wall, the sharp sound of his bones shattering echoing in his ears. "Master!" He barely heard Zhu Yao and the others’ cries of despair. 'Ah, ah,' he wanted to speak, but blood surged up and choked his words. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—at either end of the corridor, more figures in black appeared. They were Golden Core stage, their faces hidden except for their eyes, and wore tight black garb with skeletal hand designs in dark gold. As they swept through with their unified claw artifacts, the formation of more than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators crumbled instantly, resulting in heavy casualties. Gan Long had no time to react before her head was smashed open by a claw from above. Her body slumped to the ground, unrecognizable, only red blood and white hair remaining. "Black Hands!?" Qi Bingyan, long engaged in the underworld dealings, instantly recognized the ominous reapers and their implications. Terrified but defiant, she summoned a life-saving artifact, struggling to survive amidst the chaotic spiritual energy surging around her. "Black Hands!?" The two Confucians, now surrounded and attacked from all sides, turned back in their frustration, cursing the ambushers. "You vile worms lurking in the cracks dare attack us from the Heaven's Principle Sect!?" The Black Hands stayed silent, methodically launching claw after claw, providing no chance for survival. 'Boom!' One Confucian retrieved his large seal artifact directed at Tu Ziru and launched it again toward three black claws, clashing with an earth-shattering destruction. The once-bright seal dimmed, and its master spat blood. The struggle was unresolved when inside the chamber, the Qinglian Sword Sect cultivator shattered Tu Ziru’s black wind with his sword. Without pause, his sword flew toward the corridor exit, calling, "Retreat!" as he vanished in a fusion with his sword. "We must fight!" The two Confucians attempted to break through, but the Black Hands' Golden Core cultivators blocked their way. "Do you think you can escape?!" A loud voice boomed from the corridor's depths—another Black Hand stood guard. "We were waiting for you!" At his cue, the Qinglian Sword cultivator reappeared, his Sword Flight technique breached, ensnared in nearly transparent webs hanging in the corridor air. "You dare, you dare!" The Heaven's Principle Sect's cultivator stammered the words in fury, aware that the ambushers intended to capture them all—there was no room for hesitation, only a pretense of bravery. The duo cowered behind a wooden slip artifact, barely hanging on. "Finish them quickly, leave none behind!" The Black Hand in charge ordered, directing others to attack the Heaven's Principle Sect, while he swooped towards the trapped Qinglian Sword Sect cultivator, flanking with two others. Another Black Hand scoured the chamber for remaining people. One Black Hand Golden Core was tasked with mopping up the remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators, leaving Qi Bingyan, Zhu Yao, and a few others scattered and injured. "Life is but a transient dream, fading without a trace." Zhu Yao's injuries were lighter, yet she understood the futility of escape. Resigned, she sat cross-legged, calmly reflecting on her life, awaiting the inevitable. Seeing Zhu Yao’s resolve, Qi Bingyan and others found clarity in facing their end with dignity rather than disgrace. "To lay one’s head for the axe, is this what they meant?" Amid the clashing of artifacts, the blood-soaked ground, and twisted faces of desperation, these were the realms of slaughter for survival. They sat, exchanging glances, reaching a shared acceptance, but still couldn't suppress a final sigh. The Qinglian Sword Sect cultivator, still ensnared, was deploying secret treasures one after another, causing debris and elemental fragments to fly wildly in the corridor. The two besieged Confucians did likewise, though clearly at death's door, they fought on with all they had. Seeing no one resisting, the Black Hand assigned to 'deal with' them slowed his actions, gently placing a finger on the forehead of an elder from the Southern Chu Sect, sending him peacefully on his way—a sign of some respect, perhaps. ‘Thud,’ the sound of his falling corpse went barely noticed in the frenzied corridor. It pressed heavily on the minds of the four awaiting death. Qi Bingyan shook involuntarily, realizing she hadn't been as brave as she'd thought. "Heh, you're awfully old to be wandering around, aren't you?" The Black Hand's voice, surprisingly young, deliberately heavy with each step, approached Zhu Yao. "I hail from the Qi Yun Daoist Sect," Zhu Yao calmly declared, opening her eyes. "No matter whose sect," the Black Hand snorted, extending a finger. "I ask you to dispose of our bodies afterward to prevent indignity from petty rogue cultivators," Zhu Yao requested, looking him straight in the eyes. "Uh… Sure, okay." Avoiding her gaze, the Black Hand nonetheless complied, ending her life with a single decisive move. Zhu Yao crumpled to the ground, lifeless. The Black Hand moved towards the next. "There's someone else inside!" From within the chamber, the sounds of a violent magical explosion erupted. "Eight, hurry and finish up and assist here!" the leader battling the Qinglian cultivator called out. "Understood!" The Black Hand loudly responded, dismissing further games, swiping a deadly triad of energy toward the remaining three. "So be it." As death neared, Qi Bingyan's senses heightened. She felt the traces of murderous intent in the air, even the faint passage of breaking-space energy like the hiss of a snake, poised to pierce through her brow—a prelude to endless darkness. Suddenly, it stopped. "Run!" Like thunder from a clear sky, a shout echoed from a familiar voice—Chu Shen. Opening their eyes, the trio saw a bloodied figure. Limbs hung limply at his sides, yet sheer willpower kept him aloft. His abdomen was a gruesome mess, spiritual energy boiling and roaring, radiating an unyielding resolve. "Why isn't he dead yet!? No! He's going to self-destruct!" Distant Black Hands shouted, but it was too late. The one called ‘Eight’ barely set two layers of defense when Chu Shen reached him. "Go! Split up!" Chu Shen shouted his final words before the explosive detonation rang earth-shatteringly loud, erasing the intricate murals, the star maps, the celestial murals, and the bodies of Zhu Yao and the others—all reduced to nothingness. Qi Bingyan sprang up, driven by a sheer will to survive, making the right choice even in the chaos. As the shockwave subsided, she darted back toward the center of the explosion, fleeing with all her might toward the other side of the corridor. As she left, she could no longer see Chu Shen, only 'Number Eight', lying lifeless on the ground, his black hood gone—along with half of his body. Strangely enough, his youthful face remained strikingly intact, confirming his unnaturally young appearance. "Number Five, pursue her!" Witnessing the events, the Qinglian Sword Sect cultivator struggled more vehemently against his binds. His sword, trapped, and his flight technique effectively nullified, he resorted to his final ace, a protective blue lotus artifact imbued with Nascent Soul powers. The moment the lotus engaged with the web, both substances began to disintegrate dangerously. Although not as dramatic as Chu Shen’s self-destruction, the peril it posed was immense. Unable to intervene, the lead Black Hand ordered one of the cultivators besieging the Heaven's Principle Sect duo to break off and chase. "You won’t escape!" The two Confucian cultivators, pushed to their limits, found insight in Chu Shen’s sacrificial act. Sharing a knowing look, they activated their own Golden Cores, jointly launching a ritual tablet artifact to intercept 'Number Five' in pursuit of Qi Bingyan. "Those who kill us, know they face the Black Hands!" they cried in unison. "Let the ancestors avenge us!" 'Boom!' 'Boom!' Two subsequent and even more powerful explosions rocked the entire secret realm, causing it to tremble slightly. In another branch, within another chamber. A similar cylindrical mechanical puppet lay toppled on the ground. Nearby lay the body of a female cultivator, none other than Ji Qingzhi’s wife. "Damn Wan Xuan! He never said this thing would be so strong!" Ji Qingzhi kicked the scattered pieces of the mechanism in despair. "Women are like clothes; the Tao is eternal!" His father, though displeased, wore an expression of joy, oblivious to the unusual tremors in the secret realm. He was absorbed in examining a white spike in his hands, "This thing is at least tier five, maybe even higher! Wan Xuan, known as the knower of all in this region, truly has his ways—quite trustworthy indeed," he remarked. "Let’s go!" Ji Qingzhi hoisted his wife's body, irritated, "Don’t forget her maternal grandfather is a Nascent Soul cultivator. There’ll be hell to pay when we return." As the two prepared to leave, a large group of black-clad Golden Core cultivators flooded the chamber entrance. Their dark gold chest insignias of skeletal hands seemed to glow with an ominous blood-red hue. (To be continued...)