*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*

Chapter 1861: Stop Now

The expressions of their faces changed drastically as they retreated. One of the Celestial Strong Exponents shouted at the Ghost Elder: “What are you doing!” However, as soon as he had spoken, he met with an oncoming attack. The swift moves had murderous intent without an ounce of mercy.

By right, there were four Celestial Strong Exponents and two Nascent Soul devilry cultivators, so it stood to reason that they shouldn’t be afraid of the group of five cultivators who were attacking them. However, they were shocked when they made their move against them. Especially when the black robed youth within them had attacked one of the Celestial Strong Exponents in their group. His boldness and courage shocked them even more.

Was he not afraid of death? Oh, that’s right, they were trained to be killers who obeyed commands, they had all taken the Heart-Scattering Pill, why would they be afraid of dying?

These people listened to the commands of the Ghost Elder. Now that he had ordered the killers to kill them, unfortunately, they would not stop until they were dead…

“Sss!”

A palm struck out and the sharp sound of a wind blade could be heard. The Ghost Elder stood with a hand behind his back and his eyes narrowed as he watched on. His gaze fell on the black robed youth, number nine. That boy was only a Nascent Soul middle-stage cultivator and he was up against a Celestial Strong Exponent early stage cultivator. There was a difference of a whole level between the two of them, but his speed was extremely fast and his skills were unpredictable. The Celestial Strong Exponent was forced to retreat in panic.

“Ugghh!”

He was unable to dodge in time and his sleeve was torn by the black robed youth, his shoulder was scratched by the nails of the youth and blood seeped through his clothes.

He groaned and his eyes narrowed with killing intent. In the next moment, a longsword appeared in his palm with a quick movement of his hand. Spiritual energy aura passed from his palm into the longsword and a strong air current reverberated along the blade. The longsword struck out towards the black robed young boy.

Feng Jiu’s face was cold and expressionless when she saw the burst of energy directed at her from the longsword. She turned sideways but wasn’t able to dodge completely out of the way and blood oozed out as her arm was scratched by the energy from the sword. At the same time, she flew up and her dagger fell from her sleeve into her palm. At the moment the Celestial Strong Exponent turned his head, the dagger in her palm plunged fiercely into his throat.

“Sss!”

“Ugh!”

Her movement was fluid and smooth and her method so quick and efficient that one couldn’t help but praise secretly: good skill!

Upon seeing this, the Ghost Elder’s eyes narrowed and nodded discreetly. Though he was satisfied, at the same time, he was also a little surprised. He hadn’t expected this young boy to surpass the killer, his potential was indeed limitless.

Unlike the Ghost Elder, though the crowd who stood behind him stared blankly, when their Captain was injured, their hearts raced slightly. Fortunately, in the next moment, that person had been killed.

When they thought about it, if their Captain had killed the Celestial Strong Exponent without even getting hurt, it would have looked suspicious. He had avoided the blow expertly, he was not seriously injured and yet it didn’t raise the suspicions of others. At the very least, the Ghost Elder would never have guessed that their Captain had gotten hurt deliberately.

The others were the same. Their attack was fatal, this was the result of their training. If they attacked their enemy, they had to be lethal in every move, and when they made a move it was with the intention to kill!

“Ghost Elder, what do you stand to gain from ordering them to kill us! Are you not afraid you will be blamed by those higher up? Tell them to stop now!” One of the Celestial Strong Exponents yelled angrily and glared at the Ghost Elder who was watching from the sidelines.

Chapter 1862: Final Task

The Ghost Elder couldn’t help but smiled as he watched the men retreating: “Of course not! I am training them! I believe that those up above will agree with my decision once they find out.”

Those people looked at him and at the hundred or so men who stood still and didn’t move, then they looked at the few men who were attacking them, and it all became clear to them.

“I know! Because this group of Shadow Disciples are outstanding, you want them for yourself!”

As soon as those words were spoken, those few people were shocked and they knew that they might not be able to leave here alive today. They took out their magical weapons at once, however, they were too slow and number one and the others were swift and fierce in their moves with no intention of allowing them to leave here alive.

“Sss! Bang!”

The pressure from the sword passed and a Nascent Soul devilry cultivator spat out a mouthful of blood as he was thrown back. He fell to the ground and took his last breath.

“Boom!”

Number One struck a Celestial Strong Exponent with his palm, and at the same time, the sharp sword in his other hand followed the Celestial Strong Exponent as he was thrown back from the blow.

“Swoosh!”

The sword plunged into the Celestial Strong Exponent’s heart, and when the sword was pulled out, blood splashed all over the ground. The smell of blood filled the air. After a while, those people all died by their hands one by one. When the last man fell to the ground, Feng Jiu and the others put away their swords and stood in a row in front of the Ghost Elder.

“Reporting to Ghost Elder, the people have all been killed! The mission is complete!” Feng Jiu said in a cold voice respectfully.

The Ghost Elder was unable to contain his excitement at this sight: “Good! Very good! I have never led such an outstanding group of Shadow Disciples such as yourselves before! Your survival rate is high and each one of you is able to fight ten men on your own. Very good! Hahahaha!”

He raised his head and laughed as he looked at the one hundred and twenty three men in front of him, his heart bursting with excitement. With these men under his command, he would have enough power if he were to go against the Shadow Night Palace and start up his own sect!

“Go back and rest! I will assign tasks to you tomorrow!” He waved his hand, his face filled with satisfaction as he watched them leave after they responded to his command.

Once they had returned to their communal bunks, some of them were a few steps behind and stayed outside while the others gathered around Feng Jiu: “Captain, are you alright? You have to dress the wound on your arm quickly.”

Feng Jiu waved her hand and smiled: “It’s fine, it’s only a superficial wound.” While she spoke, she sprinkled some medicine on the wound on her arm and bandaged it up simply.

“Captain, I assume the Ghost Elder wants to take our team and use it as his own? He is quite bold.”

“He is not only bold, he is also ambitious. I think he wants to start up his own sect.”

“I can see why he would want to do that. The hundred or so of us are mostly Celestial Strong Exponent stage cultivators, with this kind of strength, we would be deemed as very powerful on the outside. It’s not surprising that he has this idea.”

As she listened to their discussion, Feng Jiu raised her hand and signaled: “We have to be careful in everything we do here. Let’s not discuss it now, everyone should go back and rest first and we will wait until tomorrow when he gives us our next mission before we decide on our next move.”

“Yes.” Having heard her say that, everyone responded and dispersed.

In the early hours of the following morning, everyone had lined up in rows in the square. Although only one night had passed, everyone who stood in the square today noticed that other than the hundred odd people here, there were a lot less devilry cultivators guarding the square than before.

They guessed that the Ghost Elder must have had something to do with it, and thought to themselves: What kind of mission would the Ghost Elder give them today?

Then, they saw the Ghost Elder walking towards them with two seductive women by his side with a wide smile on his face…

Chapter 1863: Master arrives

The two seductive women followed closely behind the Ghost Elder. They couldn’t help but raise their heads and sized up the one hundred and twenty three b Shadow Disciples.

These were the people who trained for three months and advanced to become Celestial Exponent stage Shadow Disciples?

“Greetings Ghost Elder!” Everyone bowed respectfully, their voices rang loudly through the square.

“Mmm.”

The Ghost Elder responded, his sharp gaze swept across the crowd before he spoke: “You have all undergone training to become Shadow Disciples. It usually requires one year one training, yet you have managed to achieve this level of strength in only three months. This is something that I didn’t foresee. Right now, I will assign you your first mission.”

Just as he was about to assign their missions, his eyebrows moved suddenly and his gaze swept across the crowd. His gaze fell onto the forest just outside of the square, as if he had sensed something amiss, and the expression on his face changed slightly.

Out of the corner of Feng Jiu’s eyes, she saw a flash of light coming from that place. There was also a flow of spiritual energy coming from the teleportation array. It seemed that someone had arrived through the teleportation array.

Sure enough, the Ghost Elder left for the forest after he hurriedly left some instructions and sent the two seductive women away. After he had arrived at the array, the Ghost Elder walked forward respectfully once he saw the people who walked out.

“Greetings to Master!”

His heart trembled slightly at this moment and a trace of panic flashed across his eyes. He thought to himself secretly: Why has Master come at this time? Why didn’t he send word that he was coming over? Did he somehow get wind of what was happening?

His body stiffened and his heartbeat accelerated while his palms started sweating profusely.

Although there hadn’t been over a hundred Celestial Strong Exponents within the Shadow Night Palace in the past, however, there were quite a few Celestial Strong Exponents within their sect, especially the ones who followed by their Master’s side. Any one of those men would have the power to destroy a whole town. If his Master knew about his intent to betray the sect at this moment, he was afraid…

“What’s the matter? Are you afraid of my arrival?” The man in a black robe who was wearing a mask narrowed his eyes and stared at the Ghost Elder who was kneeling before him. His sharp gaze was as if it could penetrate one’s heart.

When he heard this, the Ghost Elder’s heart sank and he said hurriedly: “Forgive me, Master. It’s just that so much has happened here and subordinate wasn’t expecting Master to come over so suddenly, that’s why, that’s why…”

“What’s happened?” The man in a black robe wearing a mask glanced at him. His gaze moved towards the square where the men were standing upright in rows.

“The Celestial Strong Exponents and Nascent Soul cultivators here were killed when they fought against the Shadow Disciples. Subordinate was afraid that Master would punish me for not reporting this matter to you.”

“Oh?”

The black robed man raised his eyebrows and walked forward: “The ones you have been training? Hasn’t it only been three months? How could they have the ability to kill the Celestial Strong Exponents under my command?”

The black robed man walked forward with his hands behind his back leisurely, with four men who followed behind him. When the Ghost Elder saw this, he got up from the ground quickly and followed: “Master doesn’t know this yet, but the Shadow Disciples have only just come back from training last night. After they had taken the advancement pill, their strength has improved very quickly. Out of the one hundred and twenty three of them, only a few are Nascent Soul cultivators and the rest are all Celestial Strong Exponents.”

Chapter 1864: Kill Him

Upon hearing this, the black robed man’s eyes flickered and a dim light flashed across his eyes. He strode forward to the front of the one hundred and twenty three men, his gaze swept across every one of them. When he sensed the strength of these men, he nodded discreetly.

“Well done.” He glanced at the Ghost Elder who had followed behind him: “I have to say, the talents of this batch of Shadow Disciples is excellent to attain such cultivation and strength in three months.”

“Subordinate doesn’t dare to take any credit for this, it is all because of the pills allocated from above and the excellent resources provided to train them. Otherwise, it would be impossible to achieve this result in such a short time.” The Ghost Elder said quickly.

“Have they all taken the Heart-Scattering Pill?” The black robed man asked again.

“Yes.” The Ghost Elder replied respectfully. He then said hurriedly to the one hundred and twenty three men: “From now on, your Master is this man who stands before you! You have to obey his every command with no hesitation! Swear your utmost allegiance until your death!”

“Greetings to Master. Subordinates swear their allegiance till death and will sacrifice willingly without hesitation.”

One hundred and twenty three men knelt down respectfully on one knee, their voices were loud and it reverberated throughout the square as they swore their allegiance. The Ghost Elder’s heart ached at this sight.

No matter what he had planned, heaven’s plan had come to pass in the end. He had wanted to make these one hundred and twenty three men his own men, but now, he had trained these men in vain as he had to give them away for nothing in return…

The black robed man seemed very pleased when he saw this. He glanced at the Ghost Elder, and then at the people in the front row. His low and cold voice was playful when he spoke: “Then let me test you and see if you have really passed the training.”

Although one hundred and twenty three men wore masks, so their faces remained expressionless. However, when they heard this, they couldn’t help but worry slightly. He wanted to test their strength? What did he want to do?

As for Feng Jiu who was standing in the front row. Though her face remained expressionless behind the mask like the others, she couldn’t help but felt surprised when she looked at the man in front of her wearing the mask and the few people beside him.

If she remembered correctly, the person wearing the mask was the man she had saved in the hospital. He was the man who had smelt of rotten flesh and his whole body was filled with red marks, he also wore a mask back then.

If she had known that he was the Master of the Shadow Night Palace, she would have used the opportunity to kill him back then. Unfortunately, she didn’t know his identity back then and had saved his life instead.

“You, come out.” The black robed man’s finger pointed directly at Feng Jiu as his gaze fell on her.

Upon seeing this, Feng Jiu stepped forward respectfully and stood upright.

“Do everything you can to kill him.” The black robed man turned his outstretched finger and pointed to the Ghost Elder beside him.

When the Ghost Elder heard this, his heart beat in panic and his eyes widened: “Master, Master…”

“Yes.” Feng Jiu responded respectfully, and in the next moment, she turned and attacked the Ghost Elder with her dagger. The cold, sharp light of the dagger swept across the air as it approached the Ghost Elder vitals.

The Ghost Elder backed away quickly and looked at the black robed man in shock and disbelief. He couldn’t understand why he was being treated this way: “Master, what has subordinate done wrong?”

“You don’t know what you’ve done wrong?” The black robed man’s mouth twitched slightly and revealed a bloodthirsty smile. His icy eyes fell on the Ghost Elder: “Do you think that if you kill everyone here that no one will know what your plan is?”

Chapter 1865: The Moment of Fear Right Before Death

The Ghost Elder’s heart trembled and his eyes narrowed: “Master, Master…” Before he had finished speaking, he retreated quickly and took out the Interspace Teleportation Device and attempted to escape.

Upon seeing this, the black robed man was just about to order his men to intercept him when a figure flashed in front of him, and at the same time, a blade shot out fiercely.

“Swish!”

“Sss! Ah!”

Feng Jiu’s dagger could be seen as the fierce air current swept past and struck the Interspace Teleportation Device in his hand. The Ghost Elder muffled a groan from the pain in his hand as the Interspace Teleportation Device fell to the ground.

Just as he was about to retrieve the Interspace Teleportation Device, a fierce force from a palm struck him and shocked him. He stood still, afraid to move. When he looked up and saw that it was number nine, he gritted his teeth in frustration.

Damn it! He’s in trouble now!

A look of surprise crossed the eyes of the black robed man and the four men behind him. They hadn’t expected that this Nascent Soul stage Shadow Disciple would be able to force the Celestial Strong Exponent peak-stage Ghost Elder to retreat constantly.

It seemed that this batch of Shadow Disciples was indeed outstanding.

Their gazes fell onto the Ghost Elder and the Shadow Disciple. They could see that the cultivation strength that came from the Shadow Disciple was only of Nascent Soul stage. Normally, the Nascent Soul cultivation strength was not a match against a Celestial Strong Exponent peak-stage cultivator. However, this Shadow Disciple had somehow gained the upper hand with his strange technique and extremely fast speed.

The Shadow Disciple’s moves were extremely fast and swift, coupled with his unpredictable technique. His speed and technique complemented each other and each strike had aimed at a fatal point of the body. Many times, the Ghost Elder had nearly succumbed to the blows of the Shadow Disciple.

“Young Master, this Shadow Disciple’s technique is very strange. His moves are extremely fast, and each one is aimed at a fatal point. My guess is that, before this person was recruited by us, he already possessed some skills. Otherwise, he would not have been able to achieve this level of skill in three short months.”

One of the elders who stood behind the black robed man said while he watched the Ghost Elder and the highly skilled black robed Shadow Disciple exchanging blows.

“It is very rare indeed that this person possesses such great strength with only a Nascent Soul cultivation base.” The black robed man nodded and said, appearing to show some admiration.

Upon seeing the black robed Shadow Disciple had the upper hand with his strange technique and fast speed, none of them stepped in. They just stood and watched until they saw the Ghost Elder’s throat was slit by the dagger and he was finally unable to dodge anymore.

“Ugghh!”

The Ghost Elder’s mouth overflowed with blood and his eyes trembled as he stared at the black robed number nine who stood before him. There was shock and horror in his eyes. His mouth moved as he tried to say something, however, he took his last breath before he was able to say anything.

Other than the Ghost Elder, no one else knew how scared he was at that last moment of his life…

Feng Jiu lowered her eyes when the Ghost Elder died and concealed the feelings behind her eyes as she walked forward holding her dagger and came to stand in front of the black robed man: “Master, mission completed, please inspect!”

A middle-aged man had stepped forward and checked the Ghost Elder pulse. Upon confirming that he was dead, the middle-aged man returned to the black robed man’s side and muttered something in a low voice before he stood back.

A playful smile appeared on the black robed man’s mouth and he looked at the black robed Shadow Disciple in interest. His voice sounded young.

“Take off your mask.”

Chapter 1866: They’re all competent

Feng Jiu replied, “Yes!” Then, she took off the mask, revealing the handsome face behind.

Since her appearance had been disguised, she wouldn’t be recognized by others except by those very familiar with her. He was unconscious the previous time she had saved him and those few people at his side had probably forgotten her already. After all, who would still remember the people they met while on the road?

When the black robed man saw the face in front of him, he was surprised by the youth and good looks behind the mask. The young man should have been under twenty years old and fair-skinned. His facial features were not particularly striking, but he was handsome and attractive.

As a result of the heart-scattering pill, these people obeyed orders almost instinctively and without any resistance. It was the best way to keep them close by since there’s no worry that those who took the pill would commit betrayal.

The black robed man glanced at the waist card of the young man and took a look. “The Ninth?”

“Yes.” Feng Jiu answered.

“Among the one hundred and three of you, who’s the captain?” The black robed man was playing with the waist card inscribed with the number nine in his hand while sweeping his gaze at the men in front of him. Finally, his gaze fell on a man.

This man, in his view, was the strongest of all. This man should have been the captain. However, just when he thought that his conjecture was correct, the Ninth opened his mouth.

“Answering Master, Subordinate is the captain!”

Feng Jiu answered while cursing inwardly. She had always been called Master or Mistress by others, but when she came here, she had to call others Master. She was especially distressed because these people were her enemies.

“You?”

The black robed man was surprised. He asked with a playful smile, “With your Nascent Soul strength, you can become their captain? Did they obey you?”

“Subordinates obey orders!” This implied that they all had acted in compliance with orders and had never refused to obey.

The black robed man curved his lips slightly and nodded. “Well said.”

His eyes narrowed and stared at the more than one hundred people in front of him. Then, he told the Ninth. “Since you are their captain, I will send sixteen men to infiltrate into the four great sects. In your opinion, which sixteen men do you think should be sent?”

Without flinching, Feng Jiu answered in a clear voice. “Answering Master! We are all excellent. Whoever you choose to send is competent. We will never let Master down!”

“Hahahahaha! What a good phrase – everyone’s excellent and everyone’s competent! Very good!” The black robed man was very pleased that he looked up and laughed heartily. His cheerful expression surprised the four people behind him. They did not expect the Young Master to be so happy. For a moment, the four men’s gazes stayed at the young man called the Ninth.

This young man’s answer was very clever. His effortless answer made Young Master delighted. He was really a talent. Besides being highly intelligent, he also had extraordinary strength. He was a really good seed.

The black robed man smiled and turned slightly over to look at a middle-aged man at his side. “Pick the sixteen men. After briefing them, let them infiltrate the four great sects as the shadow disciples. They will seek information for us.”

“Yes.” The middle-aged man responded, stepped forward, and told the crowd to take off their masks. After selecting sixteen of the younger men from among them, he ordered them to step forward.

“The Ninth.” The black robed man looked at Feng Jiu with a flicker of interest in his gleaming eyes.

Chapter 1867: Whereabouts unknown

“Subordinate is present!” Feng Jiu replied with rapt attention.

“From today on, you will stay by my side!” The black robed man said somewhat carelessly. His tone contained a trace of laughter. It seemed he was very satisfied with Feng Jiu.

“Yes!”

Feng Jiu replied, slightly surprised. She didn’t expect to get along with the Shadow Night Palace’s Master. If she stayed at his side, it would be easier to destroy the Shadow Night Palace! And, perhaps, she could get some information that was difficult for them to obtain.

“Young Master, please go inside and have a rest first!” The old man came forward and spoke.

“Mm.” The black robed man replied, then turned around to leave followed by several others.

As she turned around, she winked at the one hundred or so people behind her and left with the black robed man’s entourage.

When they arrived at the place where Ghost Elder used to rest, two seductive women greeted them with a smile as soon as they stepped inside. Suddenly, before the women got close, the black robed man slapped them until they flew out.

“Aaah!”

The two women flew out and spurted a mouthful of blood. When they fell to the ground, they looked deathly pale with only a faint breath of life left.

“Clean up!”

The black robed man gave the order with a frown. He walked in without sparing them a glance. Naturally, Feng Jiu who came in last had to deal with the aftermath.

After taking those two women’s lives, she dragged them out and threw their bodies inside the ferocious beast’s cage.

At the same time, the black robed man leaned back and asked the people around him with his eyes squinted. “What do you think of the Ninth?”

Several of them looked at each other with surprise. They didn’t know what their master meant. However, judging from the previous situation, he should have appreciated the Ninth very much. So, one of them remarked, “Although he took the Heart-Scattering Pill, he has a flexible mental acuity and is not rigid. He can overcome those stronger than him. It’s clear that he has unlimited potential.”

“Of course. The person Master fancies must be superior to others”

Another middle-aged man also said, “The Ninth is still young, but he has such high cultivation. If he gets extra training, he will certainly be a great help to the master in the future.”

“Young Master, please have a drink!” The old man did not get involved in the conversation, but he came out from nowhere with a cup of tea in his hands and put it in front of the black robed man.

At this time, Feng Jiu came in, saluted respectfully, and said, “Master, it has been cleaned up.”

“Hmm.” The black robed man waved away at her. Then, the Ninth came up and stood quietly behind him.

Seeing this, the black robed man curved his lips slightly. After that brief glance, he no longer looked at her. Instead, he took a sip of his tea and asked, “I heard that Ghost Doctor came here and saved a True Monarch at the Opulent Celestial Sect. Now, have you found her whereabouts?”

After hearing this, several of them froze. After a deep breath, one of the middle-aged men answered cautiously. “Answering Master, there’s no news after Ghost Doctor left the Opulent Celestial Sect. Our people have searched everywhere, yet she left no trails. We still don’t know where she stayed.”

Another person said, “Master, although Subordinate has no news of that Ghost Doctor, there is another news.” He paused. “Old Man Tianji’s disciple, Nalan Mo Chen, returned to his family more than two months ago. Also, recently one or two forces are progressing in secret.”

Feng Jiu’s eyes flickered when she heard this conversation.

Chapter 1868: Playing Chess

Feng Jiu listened quietly. She didn’t expect that the Shadow Night Palace’s people had been staring at them. Two forces? Could they be Xuanyuan Mo Ze and the Feng Guards?

As she was deep in thought, the black robed man’s voice rang out again.

“The Ghost Doctor named Feng Jiu is really capable of avoiding our informers here. Since she wants to play, then accompany her to play well.” He slowly turned the blood jade ring on his thumb as his gaze darkened. Nobody knew what’s brewing in his mind.

Several people behind him looked at each other. One of them stepped forward. “Master, I have a portrait of Ghost Doctor. Do you want to see it?” Since they had a transaction with that man to deal with the Phoenix Empire, his master only arranged the matters without even seeing those people’s portraits. Even if he met Ghost Doctor Feng Jiu, he wouldn’t recognize the person.

“She’s just a woman. What’s there to see?” He answered with indifference. He waved to the man behind him, “Go out and make the arrangement.”

“Yes.” After all the three men withdrew, only the old man and Feng Jiu left standing there.

After seeing the other subordinates withdraw, the old man came forward and set up a chessboard on the table. He sat in front of the black robed man and played chess pieces. From time to time, the two men exchanged a few words. In addition, the old man called the black robed man Young Master rather than Master, which showed that they had an exceptional master and servant relationship.

After the two played a game of chess, the black robed man called out. “Ninth, come and play the next game with me.”

Hearing this, the old man stood up and sat quietly aside.

Stunned, Feng Jiu then answered, “Master, Subordinate can’t play chess.”

Even if she could play, it’s impossible to play with him. Chess style was like a man. If one wants to find out about a person in the shortest time, it’s best to see a man’s personality by seeing how he advances and retreat as well as attack and defend in the game.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t expect you to win either.” He glanced at Feng Jiu. “Sit down.” His tone was unyielding and difficult to refuse.

“Yes.” Feng Jiu replied. She sat with her legs crossed, staring at the black and white chess pieces before her.

“Tch.”

When the black robed man saw Feng Jiu staring at the chess pieces in a daze, he sneered. Without saying anything, he picked up the black chess piece directly and put it on the board.

When Feng Jiu saw this, she took a white chess piece and also put it on the board.

Seeing the two chess pieces placed close to each other, the black robed man raised his eyebrows. After taking a glance at the young man, he took a black piece and put it on the board. He saw that the young man also picked up a white piece and placed it. When he saw where the young man positioned his chess piece, he frowned slightly with his lip corners pulled back.

It was as if he wanted to say something but still did not open his mouth. He picked up another chess piece and put it on the board, then retracted his hand. When he saw that the young man placed the chess piece without thinking, he dropped another piece. Yet, the young man still followed the movement of his black chess piece.

When he saw this move, his face finally turned gloomy. “What do you mean by imitating my chess moves?”

Feng Jiu looked up bewilderedly at the black robed men whose eyes filled with faint anger. She asked foolishly, “I can’t move the pieces like this? Master didn’t say!”

“Don’t imitate me. Take your own moves.” He suppressed his anger, then picked another piece and put it on the board.

“Yes.” Feng Jiu replied. With earnestness, she took a white chess piece and placed it on the corner of the board.

The old man who saw the scene was stunned for a moment and then smiled.

Chapter 1869: Shadow Disciple

The black robed man glanced at the chess piece with a twitch at the corners of his mouth and continued to play. But after a while, when he saw the white pieces got themselves trapped inside, he couldn’t help breathing out a sigh.

“You made your own pieces trapped over a vast area. Did you see it? Here.” He pointed to the dense pile of chess pieces that the young man had placed on the corner of the chessboard, blocking the way out.

“Shouldn’t I place the chess pieces this way? Then, how should I do it?” Feng Jiu asked with doubt. But, inwardly, she snorted. It’s great that you’re exasperated!

“Figure out a way to trap my black chess pieces.” He answered after taking a deep breath.

“But, what if Subordinate wins?” She asked cautiously as if she were going to win.

“Tch!”

The black robed man sneered. “With your skill? Put this matter off until after you win the game!”

So, they played another game. Feng Jiu played chess randomly. She put one on the left, another one on the right, sometimes she placed them far apart and sometimes got her white chess piece trapped. The black robed man did not speak again and just endured until the game ended.

“Subordinate lost.” Feng Jiu said and stood up.

“You don’t lose, you lost miserably.” The black robed man said, waving her to step aside.

The old man laughed at this. “Young Master, why don’t I play the next game with you?” At first sight, the young man did not know how to play chess. He had no idea how to place the chess pieces. Once he noticed a position, he would drop the piece there. What a total neophyte.

“No more games.” He squinted his eyes while leaning back on the chair. “Go, see if they have made the arrangement. If it’s done, they should leave. There is no need to wait for tomorrow.”

“Yes.” The old man stood up and walked out.

Feng Jiu stood there quietly without making a sound until, after about an hour or so, the four people outside came in together. After they gave the report, the black robed man stood up and left.

She followed. When she got outside, she realized that, except for some of the shadow disciples who were sent to infiltrate the four great celestial sects, the others would be sent out together in groups.

Feng Jiu followed the black robed man and the old man to leave first by using the transportation array. There was a flash of light. When she felt the fluctuation of the array again, she was already standing on the ground.

When she reached, she found that it was the back of a palace. The palace was built on the hillside. She found it strange, so she glanced around surreptitiously and walked courteously behind the black robed man.

This place was vast. Even if she did not see anyone guarding, her divine sense could still feel that there were many people watching in the dark. Judging from their hidden pressure and aura, they should have been Celestial Cultivators at the peak stage. Among them, there were few subtle breaths that she might not have been able to detect if she hadn’t paid close attention to them.

The man in front entered the palace, and the old man, a few paces behind, turned around. “The Ninth.”

“Yes.” Feng Jiu looked at him.

“Since Young Master told you to follow him, from now onwards, you will guard him closely. As a shadow guard, you don’t have to show up unless it’s necessary. When you follow Young Master, unless he commands you, you shouldn’t appear either.”

“Yes.’ She answered.

“Go in!” He motioned and took Feng Jiu to go inside. As soon as she entered, Feng Jiu stood covertly while restraining her breath.

Chapter 1870: Drowsiness

She watched from a covert place as the black robed man entered the palace and began to deal with some information and news on the table. When she arrived in the palace, his mask was not taken off, which made her wonder whether the face under the mask was disfigured. Otherwise, why didn’t he take off his mask when he got to his own territory?

In this palace, except for the old man who served at the black robed man’s side, there were only her and two other breaths in that covert place. Because standing alone was a little boring, after a while, her head nodded slightly and she fell asleep while leaning at the hidden place.

At first, no one noticed, until, when she let out a soft snore, the black robed man in the palace who was currently dealing with the documents, as well as the old man waiting by his side, were stunned for a moment. They both looked simultaneously towards the sound with amazement in their eyes.

The old man was about to call Feng Jiu, but unexpectedly, the black robed man stopped him with a raise of his hand.

A glimmer of interest surfaced in the black man’s eyes. He stood up and walked softly to the big column behind him. Before he got close, he saw the youth standing with his forehead leaning against the big column. Although the youth stood upright, there was no doubt that he was asleep. He was sleeping soundly and a soft snore was coming out from under his mask.

He found it a novelty when he saw this sight. No one had ever dared to doze off in his close proximity. It was also inconceivable that this youth could sleep standing up like this.

Due to the novelty, he walked closer and closer. But at this moment, the youth napping against the big column suddenly raised his head and those dreamy and somewhat drowsy eyes met his eyes.

“Master, please forgive me, Master!” Feng Jiu took a half-kneeling position immediately with one knee on the ground. At the same time, she closed his eyes and covered up the fleeting annoyance in her eyes.

In the middle of the palace hall, a calming sandalwood incense was lit. Its fragrance was delicate and pleasant. Besides, there was no sound in the hall. She was standing in the dark, leaning against the big column. Once she felt relaxed, she dozed off.

The black robed man narrowed his eyes A dim glimmer flashed in his eyes. He glanced at the youth and said, “Get up! Since you’re my close follower, you have no place to rest. It saves me trouble that you have this skill to sleep standing up.”

As soon as he said this, the black robed man went outside. The old man glanced at the youth in black and asked, “Why don’t you quickly follow?”

Feng Jiu went after him. When she walked out of the palace, she could even feel two sharp gazes looking at her from behind.

In the evening, eight dishes with bright colours, mouth-watering aroma, and excellent taste were laid out on the stone table in a pavilion. The black robed man was sitting there eating, while someone was serving him food on small plates. Feng Jiu, who was standing at the back, could not help muttering inwardly.

What a poseur!

By simply smelling the aroma of the food, she could not help inhaling the fragrance. It’s deadly! It’s a total seduction! What’s on the menu? There was spirit rice, spirit vegetables, as well as spirit meat. There’s a full feast right before her, but she couldn’t take a bite. This was real torture.

She hadn’t had a good meal since she entered into the Shadow Night Palace’s training ground that took several months. If they saw her, she bet they would say that she had been emaciated.

At this thought, she could not help sighing secretly. She was really capable of getting herself into trouble.

But it did not matter. As soon as she figured out the lay of the land here, she would put an end to the Shadow Night Palace’s den!

Chapter 1871: Difficult to attack

“Rumble!”

The sudden sound of rumbling stomach made the black robed man pause his hands slightly and looked at the young man in black standing erect behind him.

“The Ninth.”

“Subordinate is here.” Feng Jiu took two steps forward and came to his side.

The black robed man looked up and saw a mask covering the young man’s face. Since he couldn’t see the young man’s facial expression, he said, “Take the mask off. From now on, don’t wear a mask when you’re around me.”

“Yes.”

She removed her mask. Her outstanding look was expressionless, without any trace of embarrassment, as though the stomach rumble hadn’t come from her.

The black robed man stopped moving his chopsticks. Without taking another bite, he stared at Feng Jiu as if looking for a sign of awkwardness on her face.

“Rumble.”

Feng Jiu lowered her eyes in a deadpan manner, without meeting his gaze at all. It’s because she smelled the aroma with an empty stomach so that she made that rumbling sound.

This time, even the person serving food beside the black robed man was stunned.

“Withdraw.” The black robed man gestured for the servant girl to step out. He glanced at the young man. “Come, serve me the food.”

Feng Jiu drew the corners of her mouth back and went up to him. “Master, which one do you want to eat?” She asked, staring at the things on the table, thinking that everything was delicious.

“Anything will do.”

As the black robed man spoke, he picked up his cup and took a sip of the wine. Before swallowing the wine in his mouth, he saw the young man putting each kind of food using silver chopsticks into the bowl. Soon after, the bowl was filled to the brim.

“Are you feeding pigs? Remove them.”

Feng Jiu moved the bowl aside and filled a new one. This time, she only gave him a piece of brittle bone. Alright, feeding dogs now.

The black robed man ate slowly and didn’t seem to be picky about food. He ate what Feng Jiu picked, but he ate like a bird and only took two mouthfuls of each.

After finished eating, he took a walk again. An hour later, he returned to the palace and had the water bath prepared. At the same time, he threw Feng Jiu a bottle.

Feng Jiu took it and saw the words ‘Fasting Pill’ inscribed on it. She sighed softly, knowing that she shouldn’t think of eating meat and could only pad her stomach with the fasting pills.

When the black robed man went into the inner chamber after taking a bath, she was ordered to keep watch in the outer chamber. She couldn’t step into the inner chamber nor explore around at night. There should have been many people watching this bedchamber from the dark with someone more powerful than her among them.

In the next two days, everything was calm and nothing unexpected happened. She knew that the First and others had been brought back. Even though she had always followed the masked man closely, she had never seen his appearance. She was aware that there were many strong exponents here. If she stayed here for a long time, even if she didn’t have an accident, there would be no guarantee that nobody would find that the others were not poisoned by the Heart-Scattering Pill.

She sat on the palace’s column, staring below. On the other column opposite her, a middle-aged man was sitting cross-legged. The middle-aged man didn’t even open his eyes, but his breath was restrained. It could be seen that he was not an ordinary strong exponent.

In addition to this middle-aged man, there were two imperceptible breaths in a place out of her reach. Even if she wanted to attack the black robed man, she was unable to find a good opportunity.

Chapter 1872: Han Rong reappears

The man was heavily protected. Even if she attacked, the probability of taking his life was slim. Moreover, even with both Lei Shao and Bi Shan here, without having a surefire plan, she couldn’t tell them to act. Otherwise, the damage would be great.

Although she was brought to the black robed man’s side as his personal shadow guard, those people in the dark seemed to be guarding against her. The gaze that occasionally came her way contains a trace of scrutiny and probe. She didn’t dare to relax.

Perhaps by dozing off that day, she had given them the illusion that she was not a threat. After all, she didn’t display herself as an absolute elite but more like a person of flesh and blood. She felt that the black robed man had moved her to his side for this exact reason.

A man in black walked in from outside and respectfully saluted, “Master, Han Rong is here.”

The black robed man, who was dealing with the task at the table, narrowed his eyes and gathered the things in his hands. “Bring him in.”

When Feng Jiu heard the following report, her heart stirred. A dark glint flashed in her eyes. If it were not for her unusual nature, she would have revealed a flaw at that moment.

Han Rong?

Was it the same surname and given name? That man was not supposed to appear here.

She suppressed the rush in her heart and restrained her breath while sitting calmly on the column. Still, her sight was trained on the palace gate until she spotted a man in black walking in with a middle-aged man. Her expression changed.

It’s not him! It’s not the Han Rong she used to know.

Also, at the time Han Rong was driven out of the crown prince’s mansion by Xuanyuan Mo Ze, his cultivation was abolished and he was seriously injured. It was impossible for him to survive.

She thought too much. They just had the same surname and given name.

However, what she saw next overturned her previous conviction.

“I pay my respects to Your Majesty.”

Han Rong stepped forward and saluted him. Then, he straightened up and looked at the man wearing a mask on the throne. Even his master did not have a portrait of him and no one knew what he looked like. It seemed only those he trusted most knew the face under the mask.

“Why are you here again? What’s the matter this time?” The black robed man narrowed his eyes and asked lazily.

“I take the liberty of coming here, hoping that the Lord will not take offence. My Master received a message and thus sent me to the palace.”

Han Rong answered. Seeing that the man’s eyes seemed to have a trace of impatience, without waiting for him to ask, he said, “My Master received the news that although the Phoenix Empire was destroyed, half of the Feng Guards were killed and injured, but half of them were trained to become strong soldiers under Feng Jiu’s hands. Even Feng Jiu’s Grandfather and Father did not die.”

Hearing this, Feng Jiu’s eyes shrank and stared at the people below.

But, Han Rong seemed to sense it and looked up. He naturally noticed the few people sitting on the top of the columns. His eyes flitted over those people, frightened inwardly.

There were so many strong exponents around the Shadow Night Palace’s Master that if it were not for the glance from above, he would not be aware of their existence.

The black robed man looked up slightly and glanced at the young man in black…

Chapter 1873: Possessed

Seeing the young man in black sitting above looking down expressionlessly, he looked away and leaned against the back of his chair. He looked at Han Rong languidly. “When you traded the spirit stones mine with me to destroy the Phoenix Empire, you didn’t say that we had to help you round the matter off. You also didn’t mention helping you kill the remaining people.”

When he heard the low and chilly voice of the man on the throne, Han Rong immediately lowered his eyes. “I don’t dare. I’m here just to convey the news. I don’t dare to ask the Shadow Night Palace’s Master to take action.”

“Hmph!”

The black robed man snorted coldly. He glared with his sharp eyes squinted. “Han Rong, don’t think that I don’t know what idea you have in mind! In the beginning, you were just Xuanyuan Mo Ze’s servant. However, as a servant who deceived his master, your cultivation was abolished and you were driven out. If it wasn’t for your current master to help you possess someone’s body, you wouldn’t be able to stand in front of me! Who gave a person like you the right not to kneel in front of me? And who gave you the courage to take advantage of me? ”

The vicious voice came at once with a powerful pressure. Han Rong’s heart palpitated with fear. The breath of death shrouded him in an instant so that his legs turned to jelly and knelt down.

“No, I don’t dare.”

This man actually knew! He knew that he had possessed someone’s body and was even aware of the fact that he was originally Xuanyuan Mo Ze’s servant. How did he manage to investigate him?

Feng Jiu was also shocked to hear this piece of information. She glared at Han Rong. She couldn’t believe that this person was actually the Han Rong whose cultivation had been abolished by Xuanyuan Mo Ze.

It was him? It turned out to be him!

It was Han Rong who was motivated by revenge to destroy her Phoenix Empire. He killed so many Feng Guards in battle, caused her grandfather and grandmother to suffer so much, and brought calamity and even death to her uncle…

Her killing intent was raging as she looked at the person below. She had an urge to kill him!

The black robed man looked condescendingly at the kneeling Han Rong and said coldly. “Next time, even if you have some news, you don’t have to come here to tell me. The Shadow Night Palace is not a place where anyone can come at will!”

“Yes, I will take my leave first.”

Han Rong lowered his head, perhaps because he was intimidated by the black-robed man’s pressure. He didn’t even dare to raise his head. He just got up with his head drooped and retreated until he left the palace. After a certain distance, he breathed a sigh of relief, steadied his violently palpitating heart and left quickly.

Only he, who had experienced the despair of death, knew how good it was to be alive. Just because of this reason he was even more appreciative of what he currently had. But he wouldn’t let Feng Jiu and others go!

“The Ninth.” After Han Rong left, the black robed man called her out indifferently.

“Subordinate is here.” Feng Jiu jumped down from the column and saluted respectfully.

“Do you recognize him?” The black robed man’s eyes were half-narrowed. His penetrating gaze was fixed at the young man in front of him, never letting the young man’s facial expression slip by.

“Answering Master, Subordinate has seen him before.” Feng Jiu answered calmly.

“Oh? Really? Where did you see him?” He raised his eyebrows and motioned for her to continue.

She looked at the man on the throne and answered indifferently. “I only met him briefly on my journey. So when I heard Master say that he possessed someone’s body, Subordinate was surprised.”

Chapter 1874: Covert Operation

The black robed man didn’t question her anymore. After a quiet glance at the young man, the black robed man waved her to retreat.

Feng Jiu didn’t return to her previous position on the top of the column but instead stood at the back. In complete silence, she gathered her breath. Today, nothing else happened aside from this meeting.

When the evening came, the black robed man took the old man with him to leave the palace. Feng Jiu remained at the palace. Only then did Feng Jiu had the time to move around. Although she didn’t follow the black robed man, she didn’t leave immediately.

After all, there were still many pairs of eyes staring at her secretly and she couldn’t afford to be careless. Although she didn’t walk around alone in the past two days, she went to a lot of places with the black robed man and she was familiar with the situation inside.

Taking advantage of the bathroom time, she walked around for a while and met several shadow disciples who left in groups. Since she didn’t wear a mask, they recognized her. When she passed by, Lei Xiao moved his hand slightly and handed the item hidden in his sleeve to Feng Jiu, then continued walking without even turning towards her.

With a move of her hand, Feng Jiu put the thing inside her space and stepped away. When she reached a place with no one else around, she took it out and saw a map of this place.

Have they left this place already? In two days, they have even managed to draw the map?

She had an idea. She took a pen and paper from the space, jotted the note down, and put it away. She’s waiting for the right opportunity to hand it over to them. After that, she walked outside and took a look around the place.

In another place, the black robed man looked at the old man and asked, “What do you think of the Ninth?”

The old man was surprised at his question. It’s not the first time the black robed man asked. He couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master, is something wrong?”

“I think something’s strange. Since he’s already taken the Heart-Scattering Pill, I shouldn’t doubt him. However, I have a feeling that the Ninth is different from others.” The black robed man was deep in thought, unable to tell what’s different about her.

“Haha, the Ninth was originally said to be the weakest, but he is also extraordinary. I heard Ghost Elder disliked him, so he released his contract beast with the intent to tear up the Ninth. Unexpectedly, the Ninth ran at full speed with a pair of flying boots and survived from the Ghost Elder’s contract beast.”

The old man smiled. “It was for this exact reason that the Ninth was kept. According to our people, he personally saw every shadow disciple take the Heart-Scattering Pill. If Young Master has doubts, even those from the four great immortal sects may not be able to solve the Heart-Scattering Pill’s poison. So…”

He didn’t go on, implying that, even if he was suspicious, those suspected to be disloyal would be unable to do anything due to the effect of the Heart-Scattering Pill’s poison.

“That’s right.”

The black robed man remarked. He apparently didn’t take this matter to heart. He did things as his heart wished. Since he thought the young man was interesting, he brought him around to tease him. Even if he was disloyal, what would he do? Since he’s under his control, it’s impossible for him to overturn the sky.

However, he had no idea that his overconfidence would result in disastrous losses soon…

Feng Jiu wandered about aimlessly and came to the place where the shadow disciples gathered. When she saw them training, he stepped towards them with a glimmer in her eyes.

Chapter 1875: A raging flame mind warfare

After reaching the place where those shadow disciples were, she took a glance at them and handed the note to the First. Then, she walked a few steps forward and stopped to watch a middle-aged man instructing them.

She released her divine sense and realized that no strong exponents were staring at her from their hidden place other than some dark guards. Her gaze swept over all the shadow disciples. She signalled them with a glance so that they moved closer to the middle.

“You all…ugh!”

As soon as he started speaking, the middle-aged man’s eyes widened and his body fell quietly to the ground.

“Bi San.” She called out.

“Present.” Bi San responded in a low voice and came to Feng Jiu.

“After dealing with this man, swap your identity with his, so it’s convenient for us.” Feng Jiu ordered. She handed him a medicine bottle to Bi San. “Go to the water source.”

“Yes.” Bi San took the item and helped the person to leave.

Feng Jiu looked at the crowd and spoke with a low voice. “Keep your spirits up. We’ll take action tomorrow night at the latest.”

The crowd didn’t answer, but they only nodded and went their separate ways quickly. She turned around and left. With a sweep of her eyes, she observed that the dark guards some distance away hadn’t taken notice of the movements here.

Not long after returning to the palace, the black robed man came back. After entering, he looked into the Ninth’s hidden place and called out, “The Ninth.”

“Subordinate is here.” She lowered her head and came out.

“After I left, have you been here all the time?” He stared at the young man.

“Answering Master, no. Subordinate took a walk while going out to relieve himself.” She said truthfully, believing that even if she didn’t say it, he would know where she went.

Perhaps it was because Feng Jiu made no attempts to conceal anything that the black robed man had no suspicions. He nodded and stopped asking questions.

The next evening, a middle-aged man came to the palace with sweat on his forehead. “Master, it’s bad. Something happened.”

“Speak.” The man sitting on the main seat glanced at the man below.

“Many people have had problems since noon. They lost consciousness and foamed at the mouths. Upon investigation, they were poisoned. I’m afraid someone may have sneaked in, because Subordinate checked the water source and found out that someone has poisoned our water.” The middle-aged man spoke anxiously. He was so scared and wiped his sweat from time to time.

Hearing this, the black robed man frowned and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. “This is the main palace of the Shadow Night Palace. How can anyone sneak in? Moreover, it was done in total silence?”

“Young Master, it’s bad! The West Palace is on fire! Other palaces are also in flames! The fire was so big that it got out of hand!” The old man came in and shouted in panic.

Hearing this, the black robed man stood up with a whoosh and walked outside. As soon as he stepped out of the palace, he saw smoke and flames everywhere in the palace below. The sound of chaos also spread in the air.

“Investigate for me! Who on earth got in here!” He said in a gloomy voice. Suddenly, as if he thought of something, his gaze shrank. He abruptly turned his head towards the back.

The old man had no idea what he was looking for and opened his mouth to ask. “Young Master, what’s the matter? What are you trying to find?”

The black robed man stared at the empty hidden place with bloodthirsty eyes. The young man who stood there earlier had vanished without anyone noticing…

Chapter 1876: Seething in anger

“Where’s that youth?”

His voice came out as if he was talking to himself. But, when several people in the palace’s hidden places heard it, they were stunned. It was only at this time that they found that the youth in black had disappeared without knowing when and where he went.

When he didn’t hear any answers, the black robed man narrowed his eyes. “Search! Search for him as well as the other shadow disciples!”

“Yes!” This time, all the people in the hidden places answered.

The black robed man had already strode out. With his feet above the ground, he headed towards the shadow disciples at fast speed. If he still had no idea where the problem lay at this point, he would have lived in vain!

However, he didn’t expect this. How dare that youth! How dare he!

He clenched his fist tightly and snapped his fingers. The anger in his heart reached extreme heights. If he saw the youth at this moment, he would surely wring his head off!

At this time, Feng Jiu was in the woods behind the palace. It was one of the exits. All the others arrived except the sixteen shadow disciples who were prepared to infiltrate the four great sects.

“Is everyone present?” Feng Jiu looked at the crowd. Her gaze swept across their faces as they removed their masks.

Answering captain, except for the sixteen members who were sent away in advance, everyone else is present!” Lei Xiao reported.

“Very good! Now that you’re all here, leave immediately along the mountain path. After leaving the boundary here, split into four groups. Remember what I told you, gather at your designated positions within three days!”

“Yes!”

The crowd answered quietly. However, they still had some doubts and couldn’t help asking, “Captain, are we leaving like this without killing him? It’s a shame to let them off the hook like this.”

They thought they could have a good fight here, but the captain’s order was to bury those things in the palaces after setting fires. They didn’t know what those things were for.

Feng Jiu’s lips curved up. She looked up at the place where the blaze was more intense. “Without us taking action, they will die without a place for burial.”

“Boom!”

“Boom! Bang! Boom! Bang! Boom…”

As if confirming her words, as soon as she stopped speaking, a loud bang was heard. The sound was no less powerful than lightning. It rang out all of a sudden from within the flame. Then, the rumbling sounds echoed one after another. It was so powerful that currents vibrated in the air. Even the ground began to tremble and crack.

The people standing here felt a sudden shaking of the mountain, and even they could not help shaking. After steadying their steps quickly, they looked towards the rumbling sounds with an incredulous look on their faces.

“Alright! Hurry up! I’ve broken down the barriers and arrays for you so that you can just leave! Let’s go!” With a gesture, she told them to leave quickly.

After all, although she chose not to meet the enemy head-on, the place was ruined after the explosives were placed in the palaces. The number of those dead and injured would definitely be substantial due to the power of the explosives. It’s impossible to really hurt those strong exponents who were not poisoned.

So, she had no other choice but to let them leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, if they encountered the enemies head-on, it would cause unnecessary damage.

“Yes!” The crowd answered. They walked quickly towards the mountain path in the forest until they went beyond the boundary and then left in different teams.

Chapter 1877: Seeing is believing

Feng Jiu did not leave immediately. She stood here waiting for Lei Xiao and others to leave. Instead of leaving, she turned around. Her face gradually turned colder. Her bright eyes fell on the few figures coming her way without showing what she was currently thinking.

The black robed man who was . Even though he wore a mask, the killing intent on his body almost soared to the sky. In addition to seeing the Shadow Night Palace being blown up to pieces, he looked like a mess thanks to the sudden airflow blast when confirming the situation at the shadow disciples’ camp.

Although he didn’t get hurt, his black robe was stained with a cloud of dust. Flying debris from the blast also cut several holes on his robe. When he arrived at the camp and saw no one there, he knew that all the resources provided during the three months had been lost.

Not only did the resources get squandered, but it also trained those people to become strong enough to deal with him. When he thought of this, his anger on his body was apparent to all. Especially, when he saw the figure clad in black standing on the mountain path, his killing intent soared even higher.

How did they solve the Heart-Scattering Pill? It made sense if only one or two didn’t take the pill. But, over a hundred people, it was impossible! Someone must have solved the poison!

How did they solve the poison that even those from the Four Great Sects couldn’t?

An image emerged faintly in his heart. Ghost Doctor Feng Jiu! Who else in the world could solve their Heart-Scattering Pill besides her? What’s more, according to the legend, Ghost Doctor Feng Jiu, went to the upper continent and helped detoxify the Opulent Celestial Sect’s True Monarch, but later disappeared without any trace.

Now that he had seen all this, how could he not think of it? But, unexpectedly, this damn Ghost Doctor Feng Jiu was so bold. She had the cheek to come here right under his nose!

After a few moments, he came to a place a dozen meters away in front of the youth in black. The people who accompanied him landed around him, and naturally, surrounded the young man in black.

The black robed man narrowed his sharp eyes and stared at the person who no longer restrained his breath. The young man didn’t keep his eyebrows drooped nor look downwards. He looked laid back yet he was full of self-confidence. His eyes were cold and calm. That change of vigor made the black robed man’s eyes flicker.

“Ghost Doctor Feng Jiu!”

His voice was gloomy and vicious. It’s not a question anymore but a certainty. His eyes were fixed on the young man whose lips curved up slightly, revealing a devilish smile.

“As expected of the Shadow Night Palace’s Master. You’ve identified me so quickly.” Feng Jiu sneered. At the same time, with a move of her hand, the ancient Blue Edge appeared in her hand suffused in azure light.

The few people surrounding them were startled to hear their Master’s words. This young man before them was actually the renowned Ghost Doctor Feng Jiu?

They were shocked. They couldn’t see any signs of a beautiful woman’s coquettish attitude from this young man’s body. They couldn’t believe that such a bold young man was a woman!

“What a great Ghost Doctor Feng Jiu! What a great Phoenix Empire Princess! It’s true indeed that seeing is believing!” He squinted, glaring at her handsome looks. He knew well that it’s not her true face.

According to rumours, Ghost Doctor Feng Jiu was a peerless talent. Her figure dressed in a red robe was even more enchanting and gorgeous. When he saw her today, he knew nothing else but that her courage and strategy had opened up his eyes!

Chapter 1878: Overestimating myself?

“The Phoenix Empire? Hah!”

Feng Jiu sneered and stared at the black-robed man. “I had no animosity with your Shadow Night Palace in the past, but you sent your men to destroy my home and kill my loved ones. How dare you mention the Phoenix Empire today?”

She swept her gaze over those few men who surrounded her with her lips curved up and spoke in a chilly voice. “I’ll leave those people to all of you. Come out!” As soon as she said this, bright lights flashed out. Immediately after, all her three contract beasts Fire Phoenix, Old White, and Cloud Devouring Beast came out of her space.

“Roar!”

“Growl!”

“Roar!”

The three beasts roared. The roars contained mighty pressures that formed three air currents . The currents swept outwards from the centre and attacked the surrounding people.

Cloud Devouring Beast leapt over and stood majestically behind Feng Jiu to come up against a middle-aged man. Fire Phoenix flapped its wings and hovered mid-air, looking down at the ground. And Old White, though a dragon, was also a mutant beast. At this time, it was climbing up a tree staring at another man.

Three beasts went out together. The Ancient Sacred Beast and Super Sacred Beast’s powerful pressure spread out. The formless air currents pressed on those men’s chests like a large mountain. They felt the repression on the crown of their head and the stifling pressure in their chests. Their inner blood and vital energy turned into disarray.

“Ancient Sacred Beast Fire Phoenix!”

“Evolved Sacred Beast One-horned White Dragon!”

“Super Sacred Cloud Devouring Beast!”

They gasped as they looked at the three contract beasts and exclaimed in unison. They stared in horror at the three contract beasts’ powerful combat strengths and let out low curses.

“Damn it!”

How was it possible that Feng Jiu has so many contract beasts? What’s more, those beasts were so powerful. Not to mention there were three in front of them, even one was terrible enough.

“Kill them for me!” Feng Jiu stared at those men.

“Roar!”

The three contract beasts responded with a roar. The next moment, the beasts directly pounced at those men. The powerful pressures mingled with their own air currents, giving a boost to their speed in an instant. The moment those beasts made their advance, the fierce ripples of air currents also rushed forward.

When the men saw the three contract beasts attacking them, their facial expressions changed. They retreated quickly, trying not to fight the beasts head-on, so as not to be injured by the blast.

The black-robed man looked at that scene with shock in his eyes. He didn’t expect that Feng Jiu could get so many contract beasts possessing such powerful strength.

While he was deep in thought, he sensed a fierce killing intent in front of him and immediately returned to his senses. A chilly voice came into his ears.

“Your opponent is me!”

The sword potent burst out when she came to attack with Blue Edge in hand. It was very frightening. At an extreme speed, she travelled dozens of metres in the blink of an eye. When Blue Edge was about to pierce between the man’s brows, the masked black robed man turned around.

“You’re overestimating yourself!”

The sinister voice came from his mouth. His arrogance was so obvious that he obviously looked down on Feng Jiu. Also, no matter what, he would have never thought of losing to a woman. Even if Feng Jiu’s reputation was well-known, but to him, the other party was just a woman.

Feng Jiu heard his remark and curved her lips up. “Overestimating myself?”

Chapter 1879: Unable to withstand

As soon as she said this, she turned Blue Edge and
an azure light burst out, attacking the black robed man fiercely. The black robed man was also remarkable as a long sword materialized with a move of his hand. The sword, infused with the spirit energy breath, transformed. At the same time, the blade turned and shot towards Feng Jiu.

“Clang!”

“Whoosh!”

The two swords blocked each other and the sound of two swords colliding resounded. The two wind blades rose from the blade edge, countering each other. Due to the surge of spirit energy breath and the dispersion of mighty pressures, sands were blown off the ground and the fallen leaves fluttered in the air.

Feng Jiu did not hide her real strength at this moment, however, the black robed man’s strength was not inferior to her. Seeing that the two air streams of air were equally matched, she immediately used her other hand to shoot three silver needles out.

When the man in the black robe narrowed his eyes and made a dodge, he heard the swish of silver needles passing by his ear. He caught a stream of air in his left palm secretly and suddenly attacked Feng Jiu. When he released the airflow to attack, it suddenly turned into an ice blade and hit her face.

Seeing this, Feng Jiu raised her foot and made a kick. When the other side stepped back and dodged, she waved Blue Edge in her hand. Flames leapt out from Blue Edge and melted the ice blade into steam and it soon disappeared into the air.

When he saw Feng Jiu brandishing her flaming sword, the black robed man narrowed his eyes and frowned. He had the ice attribute, while Feng Jiu, to his surprise, possessed the fire attribute! Fire restrained ice, so no matter how fierce his attack was, she would be able to defuse it easily.

He looked at Blue Edge in Feng Jiu’s hand. If the sword was used well, one’s strength could greatly increase. The Ancient Sacred Sword. If it weren’t for his own sword, perhaps he wouldn’t be able to withstand the blow just now.

It seemed that to win this battle, he had to employ a lightning fast strategy! After defeating her, he didn’t believe that those contract beasts would still dare to fight!

“Whoosh!”

Sword intent burst out. Two air currents, one white and one azure, collided with each other and formed a huge vortex. Two black figures flew up and battled at the centre of the vortex. Since they moved too fast, nobody could see what was going on inside. They only knew that flashes of spirit intents struck from within the vortex, hit the ground with a loud noise and cut a deep trench in the terrain.

“Aaah!”

A scream rang out. Originally, they thought it came from where Feng Jiu was. When those few men looked towards the sound, it turned out to be a middle-aged man whose neck was bitten by Cloud Devouring Beast. His blood gushed out and the man was screaming continuously.

“Snap!”

The man did not have time to call for help nor to wait for the others to recover to save him. His neck was bitten off. The snapping sound of a broken bone was heard loud and clear. The man’s head dropped to the side weakly. To his death, his eyes were still wide open in horror.

“Bang!”

Cloud Devouring Beast threw the man aside and then pounced on the two men who besieged Old White.

“Aaah!”

Their screams were piercing the sky. Flame spewed out of Fire Phoenix’s mouth and transformed into a fire dragon and wrapped around the middle-aged man. He desperately tried to put out the fire on his body by rolling around on the ground. But the flame burned extremely fast and the raging fire instantly swallowed him…

Two people died in a row, making the two remaining people horrified. Seeing that they were unable to withstand, the two men called out their contracted beasts to fight. However, when their two contracted beasts leapt out from the space, their legs turned weak due to fear. The two beasts immediately prostrated on the ground in surrender, whimpering.

Chapter 1880: Destroyed

Translator: Misty Cloud Translations Editor: Misty Cloud Translations

Contract beasts had varying degrees of strengths. Even though their two contract beasts were sacred beasts, under the suppression of the super sacred beast and ancient sacred beast, the two beasts’ legs turned weak. They had no courage to fight and could only lie trembling on the ground.

When the two cultivators saw it, they almost spurt out a mouthful of blood. They had intended to get help from the two contract beasts, but who would have thought that the two ferocious contract beasts acted like grandkids in front of the ancient sacred beast and super sacred beast? They didn’t even dare to roar.

“Bang!”

One of the men was suddenly thrown off by a swish of Old White’s dragon tail.

“Poof!”

Blood spurted out of his mouth. That man was beaten a few rounds on the ground. When he was about to stand up, a puff of flame came his way. Startled, he rolled on the ground to escape the fire, only to be trampled by the super sacred beast that jumped to this side.

“Ugh!”

With a muffled groan, his body curled up and convulsed, as though his internal organs had been crushed under the foot of the super sacred beast.

Meanwhile, a strong stench of blood was emitted in the vortex. The two people inside did not stop but moved along with the vortex. It was unknown who got hurt, until after a groan was heard, one of them was kicked out of the vortex.

“Bang!”

“Poof!”

The person fell heavily to the ground and spurted out a mouthful of blood. It was not Feng Jiu who had fallen down but the black robed man.

The mask on his face made a crackling noise as if it was about to split open. He also suffered a serious injury. The last blow, particularly, had hurt his lungs and made it difficult for him to breathe.

As the vortex gradually receded, Feng Jiu’s figure came into view. Just as she was about to attack again, the black robed man dusted off his robe after getting up and left his words.

“Feng Jiu, we’ll meet again!”

As soon as he spoke, a light flashed and the man disappeared into the air.

Feng Jiu frowned slightly. She actually let the man escape. Earlier, she thought that she could take him down, who knew…

“Aaah!”

The last scream came. The man who held out the last was finally turned to ashes and scattered in the air. After defeating their enemies, the three contract beasts glanced at each other and went to Feng Jiu’s side.

“Mistress, they’ve all been killed.” Old White took credit with its dragon tail swishing. Its eyes narrowed as if waiting for Feng Jiu’s praise.

In the distance, rumbling sounds were here all over the palace. It was like the rumble caused by the blast of the air against the rocks or the explosion due to the collapse of the palace. But, Feng Jiu only took a glance with her eyes narrowed. She told the three beasts, “Let’s go!”

“Yes!” The three beasts replied and jumped into the space at the next moment.

After leaving the woods, she set out for the place she had agreed with them. A day or so later…

In a town.

“Have you heard the news? The Shadow Night Palace’s main palace was levelled to the ground!” A male cultivator spoke in a low voice to several people at the same table.

“I’ve heard about it, too. The Shadow Night Palace is not far away from us. Due to the many boundaries and arrays set up there, it’s not easy for ordinary people to get in. But yesterday, because of the rumblings, many people went to see it. Then, they knew that the boundaries and arrays had been broken. The place turned into ruins. There were many corpses and no survivors were found.”

                           *.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*