Chapter 21: The Mastermind
"He's using corpses to 'draw' a map for us." Chu Yun's voice echoed through the silent corridor, sending an indescribable chill through everyone's heart. The enemy lurking in the shadows was not only powerful, but also... insane. He seemed unafraid of their arrival, even anticipating a deadly game of cat and mouse. "Tianshu Tower..." Mo Li muttered to herself, gazing at the end of the corridor. "He's there, indeed." Her face lost the previous panic and helplessness, replaced by a thoroughly enraged, cold fighting spirit. This was her home, and now it was being used as a playground by a lunatic of unknown origin. She absolutely could not tolerate this. "Let's go," Mo Li uttered a single word, and she took the lead, her steps firm and powerful. Chu Yun and Li Ge exchanged a glance and immediately followed. The surviving jianghu, though filled with fear, knew there was no escape now, so they gritted their teeth and followed the three men. Passing through the War Doll Corridor, a circular staircase ascended. The deadly traps on either side of the staircase were no longer in place, but the oppressive feeling of the "Law Field" in the air grew stronger. Chu Yun could feel his inner strength suppressed to the breaking point, unable to be easily mobilized. His talismans had completely become a pile of waste paper. Now, he had only his fists and the basic physical techniques passed down by the Evil Suppression Bureau to rely on. The group climbed in silence, and after about an incense stick of time, they finally reached the end of the staircase. Before them appeared a massive circular archway crafted from pure white jade. Through the archway lay the inner city, and in its center stood the legendary Tianshu Tower. It was a massive tower, a hundred feet tall, constructed of black metal and an unknown crystal. Its shape was strange, resembling a giant, spinning spindle. The tower's surface was covered in a flowing, pure energy curtain. Countless tiny, star-like energy particles whirled along it, following a mysterious trajectory. Even Chu Yun, who knew nothing about mechanical engineering, could sense that this tower was the heart of the entire Mechanical City, from which all energy flowed to every corner of the city. "He's inside," Mo Li assured, gazing at the massive tower. "How do you know?" Chu Yun asked. "Because the Tianshu Tower's 'Law Field' is the strongest," Mo Li pointed to the tower's summit. "The laws there can even distort light and sound...
"He's using corpses to 'draw' a map for us."
Chu Yun's voice echoed through the silent corridor, sending an indescribable chill through everyone's heart. The enemy lurking in the shadows was not only powerful, but also... insane. He seemed completely unafraid of them coming for him, and even looked forward to playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with them.
"Tianshu Tower..." Mo Li muttered to herself, looking at the end of the corridor. "He's there, indeed." Her face was no longer filled with the panic and helplessness she'd felt before, replaced by a completely enraged, cold, fighting spirit. This was her home, and now it was being used as a playground by a lunatic of unknown origin. This was something she absolutely could not tolerate.
"Let's go." Mo Li said only one word and took the lead to walk towards the end of the corridor. Her steps were firm and powerful.
Chu Yun and Li Ge exchanged a glance and immediately followed. Although the surviving Jianghu travelers were filled with fear, they also knew that there was no way out now, so they could only bite the bullet and follow the three people.
Passing through the corridor of war puppets, a circular staircase ascended. The staircase no longer bore the deadly traps, but the oppressive feeling of the "field of law" in the air grew stronger. Chu Yun could feel his own strength suppressed to the breaking point, unable to be easily mobilized. His talismans had become nothing more than a pile of waste paper. All he could rely on now were his fists and the basic physical techniques passed down by the Evil Suppression Division.
The group climbed in silence. After about an incense stick of time, they finally reached the end of the stairs. Before them appeared a massive circular archway crafted from pure white jade. Through the archway lay the inner city, and the legendary Tianshu Tower stood in its very center.
It was a massive tower, a hundred feet tall, constructed of black metal and unknown crystals. Its shape was bizarre, resembling a gigantic, spinning spindle. Its surface was covered in a flowing, pure energy curtain. Countless tiny, star-like energy particles moved continuously along this curtain, following a mysterious trajectory. Even Chu Yun, who knew nothing about mechanical engineering, could sense that this tower was the heart of the entire Mechanical City, from which all energy flowed to every corner of the city.
"He's inside." Mo Li looked at the giant tower and said affirmatively.
"How do you know?" Chu Yun asked.
"Because the 'Law Field' of Tianshu Tower is the strongest." Mo Li pointed to the top of the tower. "The rules there can even distort light and sound. If that guy wants to seize control of the core without me noticing, he must stay in the tower. Only there can he isolate himself from my perception."
"Then how do we get in?" Li Ge asked, "This tower doesn't look like it has a door."
"Of course it has a door." Mo Li's face showed a complicated expression, "But that door can only be opened by those who possess the core bloodline of the Mo family."
As she spoke, she stretched out her right hand, bit her index finger, and quickly drew an extremely complex blood-red mark composed of countless tiny runes on the palm of her hand.
"In my name, Mo Li of the Mo family, I request... to open Tianshu." She slowly pressed her blood-stained hand towards the empty air in front of her.
Just as her palm was about to touch the air, something strange happened again. A black shadow with strange fluctuations suddenly shot out from the shadows nearby and headed straight for Mo Li's palm. The shadow's speed was so incredible that no one could react.
"Be careful!" It was Chu Yun again, his fighting instincts saving Mo Li at the most crucial moment. Without a second thought, he stepped sideways in front of Mo Li and simultaneously punched the shadow fiercely.
"Bang!" With a dull thud, Chu Yun's fist seemed to hit a piece of tough leather. A cold, corrosive force emanated from the shadow and instantly penetrated his arm.
Chu Yun groaned, feeling his entire right arm instantly lose sensation. The shadow was also knocked back by his punch, rolling on the ground several times before revealing its true form.
He was a man dressed in a pitch-black nightgown, with a silver mask on his face. On his chest was a blood-red, scribbled "Shadow" character, and in his hand was a black token engraved with the same "Shadow."
"Shadow Pavilion?" Li Ge looked at the token and cried out. For the first time, her voice was filled with a hint of unconcealable shock and... fear.
"Do you know them?" Chu Yun asked in a deep voice, enduring the severe pain in his arm.
"More than just acquaintance." Li Ge's face was as pale as a piece of paper. "This is the oldest and most mysterious assassin organization that exists in the dark. Legend has it that as long as you can pay the price, they can kill anyone for you, no matter if they are princes, nobles, or sect leaders."
She paused, her voice trembling slightly. "The ancient texts of the Evil Suppression Bureau should also record this. Three hundred years ago, the Heavenly Sword Sect, the world's foremost sword sect of the righteous path, was completely wiped out overnight, with over seven hundred members killed. The perpetrators were the Shadow Pavilion."
Chu Yun's heart sank. Of course he knew about this; it was one of the greatest stains in the history of the Evil Suppression Division. When the Tianjian Sect was annihilated, the Evil Suppression Division was stationed less than a hundred miles away, yet they were belatedly aware of the situation, remaining oblivious to the hellish scene until the next day.
"Impossible..." Chu Yun muttered to himself, "Wasn't Shadow Pavilion wiped out by the combined forces of good and evil three hundred years ago?"
"That's just what they want us to think." Li Ge smiled bitterly, "They just moved from the light to the deeper darkness. No one knows where their base is, and no one knows who their leader is. They are like a group of venomous snakes living in the shadows, and they can give you a fatal blow at any time."
The Shadow Pavilion assassin wearing a silver mask climbed up from the ground. He shook his head, as if a little surprised that Chu Yun could repel him. He didn't say anything, just tilted his head and looked at them. Behind the silver mask were a pair of eyes full of playfulness and cruelty.
"It's you." Mo Li looked at the killer and said with gritted teeth, "It's you who usurped my Mechanical City!"
The Shadow Pavilion assassin neither admitted nor denied the claim. He simply slowly raised his left hand. On his left hand, he wore a black, metal glove, covered in dense, slowly flowing energy circuits—the very art of Mohism!
Mo Li's pupils suddenly contracted: "You...how do you know...my family's mechanical skills?!"
"Yours?" The Shadow Pavilion assassin finally spoke. His voice was hoarse and harsh, like two pieces of metal rubbing against each other. "Little girl, have you mistaken me? This thing has never... belonged to your Mo family."
As he spoke, he clenched his left hand violently.
"Buzz—"
The entire Tianshu Tower then emitted a violent humming sound, and the flowing energy light curtain above the tower began to become violent at an astonishing speed.
"Not good!" Mo Li's face turned pale in an instant. "He wants to detonate the energy core of the Tianshu Tower! He wants to bury us and the entire city here!"
"Stop him!" Chu Yun growled, ignoring the sharp pain in his right arm as he charged towards the Shadow Pavilion assassin once again. The bearded man and the other surviving jianghu warriors knew this was a life-or-death situation, so they roared, drew their weapons, and rushed after Chu Yun.
The Shadow Pavilion assassin looked at the crowd charging towards him, a cruel smile curling up at the corner of his mouth beneath his mask. He didn't retreat, nor did he use any weapons. He simply slowly pressed his left hand, covered in a metal glove, to the ground.
"The first move of the Mohist secret technique. Earth Dragon Flip."
“Boom boom boom—”
The entire inner city trembled violently, and the solid rock beneath their feet began to heave and roll violently like waves. The few martial artists at the forefront had no time to react before they were instantly swallowed up by the rolling ground, unable to even utter a scream.
Chu Yun was also shaken by this huge force, his blood boiling, and he stumbled and almost fell. However, the moment Li Ge began to roll on the ground, he dodged a few times and retreated to the safest edge.
"It's useless." She shouted at the still struggling Chu Yun and the bearded man, "Within the confines of this tower, he's a god! We can't hurt him at all!"
"What should we do? Wait to die?!" the bearded man roared in despair.
At this moment, the Shadow Pavilion assassin spoke again. His gaze passed through the chaotic battlefield and fell on Li Ge: "The descendant of the Ghost Doctor lineage is indeed worthy of his reputation. His perception is indeed sharp."
He slowly withdrew his hand from the ground, and the rolling ground returned to calm. He looked at the few survivors who were in a state of disarray, and seemed very satisfied with his masterpiece.
"I wanted to play with you guys a little longer, but it looks like time is almost up."
As he spoke, he pulled a black, spherical object from his pocket and tossed it high into the air. The sphere exploded in mid-air, and a thick, pitch-black fog instantly enveloped the entire venue.
"Oh no! It's poisonous fog!" Li Ge exclaimed.
"No." Chu Yun's voice came from the black fog, with a hint of solemnity, "This is not poison, this is 'Shadow Mist' specially used to block perception. It is the unique secret technique of Shadow Pavilion."
When the black fog completely dissipated, the silver-masked Shadow Pavilion assassin had vanished without a trace, as if he had never appeared. On the ground where he had stood, only one thing remained—a fragmented blueprint drawn in blood.
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