Chapter 245: Shadows of Intrigue

Chapter 245: Shadows of Intrigue

Tonight is windless, with stars scattered across the sky, dazzling and brilliant.

The heavy rain from last night has cleansed the earth.

Under the night sky, Liuyin City lies in tranquility.

Inside the city lord's mansion, bright lanterns hang high, and patrolling disciples occasionally pass by, vanishing in an instant.

Everything in this world has two sides.

Where there is light, there must inevitably be darkness.

And in the shadows untouched by light, figures suddenly emerge from the darkness.

Light as a feather, silent as a specter.

They glide through the dark corners of the city lord's mansion, their movements eerie and unpredictable.

They move swiftly, clearly executing a premeditated plan.

In an instant, a group of black-clad figures has assembled.

The leader gestures, and several shadowy figures rush into the courtyard.

Some press silently against the walls, while others conceal themselves in the corners.

The leader casually extends a hand, and the door swings open.

Inside the room, a figure lies resting on the bed.

Sensing something amiss, they suddenly flip over and sit up.

Their gaze shifts towards the door.

Under the starry sky, a breeze drifts in through the doorway, but no one is in sight.

Lu Yuan exhales a slight sigh of relief:

"Where did this ominous wind come from?"

As he moves to close the door, he notices a shadow on the ground.

No one is present, so how can there be a shadow?

His expression shifts instantly, but before he can react, the shadow darts across the ground like a flash, reaching Lu Yuan's window in a heartbeat.

Lu Yuan slaps the bed and springs into the air.

The shadow follows, lifting from the ground.

But what manner of shadow is this?

As it rises, it suddenly swells like a balloon.

Features emerge, its body pitch black, with hollow eyes and a gaping mouth.

This was nothing but a pitch-black piece of human skin!

"Shadow trickery!?"

Lu Yuan recognized it instantly and struck out with his palm.

Lu Yuan thrust his palm forward to strike, and the human skin mimicked the motion, thrusting its own palm forward.

Their palms met abruptly, and Lu Yuan felt his palm strike land on empty air.

The swollen human skin had coiled around his wrist.

After all, Lu Yuan was a top disciple of the Purple Sun Sect, and his martial arts skills were extraordinary.

Seeing this, he didn’t hesitate. With a casual flick, his internal force vibrated, immediately shaking the human skin off to the ground.

Upon landing, it stiffened briefly, then in a flash, regained its agility, flipping over and lunging at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan didn’t want to engage in a prolonged battle with this human skin shadow.

The shadow techniques of Evernight Valley were extraordinary.

Using human skin as a shadow, this skin had to be tempered through numerous trials and prepared with special techniques.

Though made from human skin, once crafted, it became impervious to swords and blades.

However, the user of this shadow, depending on their martial arts level, techniques, and methods, could control varying numbers and strengths of shadows.

A master could control a multitude of ghostly shadows, with ten or twenty attacking simultaneously, creating an inescapable horde of phantoms.

The most common scenario was one person controlling one shadow.

The crucial point was that the shadow was controlled by a person!

Thus, the shadow was not the main entity; the person controlling it was the key.

This shadow was indestructible, but the person controlling it could be killed.

Engaging in a prolonged battle with this shadow here was truly the worst of the worst strategies.

The best strategy was to locate the person controlling the shadow.

Moreover, the distance between the shadow and its controller was never too great.

In a flash, Lu Yuan made his decision and leaped towards the window.

Just as he was about to leap out, he saw another black shadow, like flowing water, seeping into the room through the window crack.

Immediately after, it expanded suddenly and lunged forward.

Lu Yuan’s face darkened as he pressed down with immense force, his toes barely touching the ground before his expression changed drastically.

For in that brief instant, four or five shadows materialized around him.

Encircling him completely, suddenly all the shadows rose from the ground, attacking together.

Lu Yuan aimed to break free from the encirclement, but the moment he moved, a shadow coiled around his ankle.

He quickly used his internal energy to repel it, but felt a tightness on his hand as another shadow wrapped around his wrist.

With one hand and one foot bound, half of his strength was already compromised. Before he could even circulate his internal energy to break free from the shadows on his limbs,

another shadow had already coiled around his waist, like a sinuous water snake, swiftly wrapping around his neck.

Several eyeless, hollow-faced figures made of human skin quietly stared at Lu Yuan from various directions.

The ghostly aura was bone-chilling and horrifying.

The bindings around his body grew tighter and tighter!

Lu Yuan bellowed in fury, channeling the pure yang energy of the Purple Sun Sect, but for the moment, he was unable to break free.

At the same time, the doors and windows burst open, and figures flooded into the room.

The leader spread his fingers, and with each movement of his fingers, the human skin shadows grew more animated.

It was evident that all these shadows were under his control.

Lu Yuan looked up, his face paling:

"You... the fiends of Evernight Valley, how could you infiltrate my... Liuyin City?"

"Within Liuyin City, the seven sects are stationed, with the Purple Sun Sect currently in command.

"Brother Lu... it's been ages since we last crossed paths."

The leader of Evernight Valley spoke softly:

"My lord has urgent matters to attend to tonight. We need to borrow a letter of authorization from Brother Lu..."

"You!?"

Lu Yuan's expression changed drastically: "You're the third sect master of the Seven Ghost Shadows of Evernight Valley!?"

The Seven Ghost Shadows are like the Five Ghosts Heavenly Net.

They refer not to one person, but to seven individuals.

They are the foremost practitioners of shadow magic in Evernight Valley.

Each of the seven can command over ten shadows.

Their techniques are incredibly intricate.

As a disciple of the Purple Sun Sect, Lu Yuan had naturally encountered people from Evernight Valley before.

The first time he met the Seven Ghost Shadows, he saw only the shadows, not the people.

Before he could locate them, he was nearly killed by the shadows.

He never expected to meet them again under such circumstances.

"I didn't expect that after so many years, Brother Lu still remembers me. I am truly honored."

The leader spoke softly.

Suddenly, a black-clad figure materialized behind Lu Yuan, standing back-to-back with him.

"The Bone's Shadow..."

Lu Yuan's face paled as he saw the shadows entwined around him suddenly loosen and disperse from his body.

They returned to the leader of the third sect of the Ghost Shadows, spreading out on the ground like a real shadow.

Lu Yuan lost control of his own body.

Under the Bone's Shadow cast by the Evernight Valley man behind him, he was compelled step by step to the desk.

His body moved against his will, and he was unable to speak.

In silence, he picked up the brush, ground the ink, and wrote a decree.

Then he stamped it with the seal of the Purple Sun Sect.

After lifting it to let the ink dry, he handed it to the leader of the third sect of the Ghost Shadows.

The man took it, gave a slight nod, and then handed it to a black-clad man beside him:

"Go, do not keep my lord waiting."

The man took the decree and immediately stood up, leaving the city lord's residence in an instant.

...

...

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a group of several hundred people arrived at the East City's gate.

The leader called out:

"By the order of the Purple Sun Sect, we are departing East City on urgent business. Please open the gates!!!"

The guards at East City's gate were disciples of the Distant Mountain Sword Sect.

Their eyes swept over the group, and they couldn't help but frown in suspicion.

These people were dressed like common folk.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about them...

But allowing a group of common folk to leave East City was even more unusual.

At once, they asked, "Do you have a decree?"

The leader quickly produced the decree. After the Distant Mountain Sword Sect disciple examined it, he paused to consider:

"May I ask, where are you all heading after leaving East City?"

"This is Senior Lu's secret order. If you wish to know, you may ask Senior Lu yourself.

"I dare not reveal it here."

The Distant Mountain Sword Sect disciple nodded lightly. Since the decree was genuine, he didn't dare to cause trouble.

Moreover, in recent days, Lu Yuan had been issuing some strange orders.

Previously, he had already transferred many people from the Purple Sun Sect and the Cold Moon Palace, and their whereabouts were unknown...

These people who suddenly appeared out of nowhere—could they be members of the Purple Sun Sect and the Cold Moon Palace in disguise?

Could it be that the higher-ups have some new plans for the Demon Forest?

Are they thinking of changing their strategy?

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, he waved his hand and said:

"Open the city gates!"

With a creaking sound, the gates of East City swung open.

The leader of the group immediately clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, senior brother!"

"No worries, take care on your journey."

The disciple of the Distant Mountain Sword Sect, thinking they were on a genuine secret mission, spoke with utmost seriousness.

After watching them leave, he ordered the gates closed.

Not long after leaving the East City gates, when they were out of sight, they suddenly removed their disguises.

"Tidy up the disguises and stash them here.

"They might come in handy later."

Someone gave the order, and everyone followed suit.

After hiding the clothes, they adjusted their attire.

Each wore black clothes and hoods, with only half their faces visible, adorned with gold-threaded black masks.

This attire matched the shadow envoy Su Mo had seen at the Dragon Society's Water Stronghold.

Tonight, the Evernight Valley is making its move against the Demon Forest.

The least of the experts they brought are shadow envoys.

Gathering hundreds of such people is no small feat!

Once ready, they immediately headed for the Demon Forest.

Unbeknownst to them, someone on the city walls of East City was quietly observing their direction with an object in hand.

Dressed in purple, with long hair fluttering in the night wind, this person held a metallic, heavy-looking object, narrow at one end and wide at the other.

It was the very telescope Mr. Zhan had given Su Mo during their river journey.

"The Demon Forest is teeming with ghostly energy and riddled with traps.

"Even missing one of the three banners, it's still a force to be reckoned with.

"Having the Evernight Valley experts scout ahead is perfect for us."

Wei Ziyi let out a soft sigh, but her brows were tightly knit. She couldn't help but look around with the telescope, but after a while, she put it down, somewhat disappointed.

Not far from her, a simple-looking man smiled slightly:

"Miss Wei, are you searching for the Chief Escort again?"

"..."

Wei Ziyi was taken aback, snorted, and said, "He set the trap, and now that the fish is hooked, he’s still nowhere to be seen. Can’t I at least go find him?"

"Sure, sure."

Fu Hanyuan didn't dare to say more.

But he couldn’t help muttering to himself, "When the fish wasn’t biting before, you were still looking for him nonstop."

But when he glanced eastward, his eyes lit up with anticipation.

He had joined the Ziyang Escort Agency, willingly becoming a lowly courier.

His main goal was to carve out a reputation in the martial world.

Su Mo was a martial arts prodigy with sharp wits—no ordinary man.

Fu Hanyuan was a novice in the martial world. Without guidance, even his martial skills wouldn’t save him from being swindled.

Only by sticking close to Su Mo could he hope to make it big.

So, no matter what Su Mo said, he obediently followed.

Now, his chance had finally arrived!

For a moment, his heart raced with excitement.

Wei Ziyi suddenly turned around:

"Alright, we’ve done what we needed to do. Now, let’s get to work.

"Your boss said the Evernight Valley folks wouldn’t just ignore Liuyin City.

"There’s gotta be a backup plan in Liuyin City. Track them down and deal with them...

"By then, Evernight Valley’s scouts should’ve made some progress."

Fu Hanyuan nodded, jumped to his feet, and gave Hu Sandao—who was snoring beside him—a quick kick.

Hu Sandao bolted upright, startled awake:

"Huh? Where’s the big score?"

Fu Hanyuan looked helpless: "In your dreams. Let’s go, time to work... always chasing the big score. You’ve gone straight, remember?"

"Gone straight?"

Hu Sandao paused, then snapped, "I’m not some fallen woman!"

"Right, you’re a one-of-a-kind fallen man, got it?"

Fu Hanyuan was usually reserved, but with the scar-faced guy gone, Hu Sandao—always looking for trouble—had latched onto him.

Their constant bickering was nothing new.

Wei Ziyi led the way but glanced back to ask:

"Did the head of the escort agency mention that he seems to have something to deliver on this trip?"

"What?"

Fu Hanyuan and Hu Sandao exchanged glances, both momentarily puzzled.

They both shook their heads and said, "We don’t know."

"Oh..."

Wei Ziyi nodded.

When they left Shouyang Mountain, she asked Su Mo what he and Li Zhengyuan talked about.

Su Mo told her that the great master had asked him to deliver something.

But so far, it seems nothing has come of it...

It’s quite mysterious.

...

...

From a distance, the Chimei Forest appears eerie, with faint red glows flickering.

Up close, you can see numerous bodies hanging among the dense trees.

Some of these bodies have been hanging for who knows how many years, their flesh dried by the wind.

Others are still dripping with fresh blood, as if they died recently.

Typically, dangerous places often appear calm and quiet on the surface.

Their silence hints at the unpredictability of the place.

However, this place is teeming with hidden dangers and eerie strangeness from the outside in.

Anyone who comes to such a place should be extremely cautious and cannot afford to be careless.

Yet tonight, the man entering the Chimei Forest is exceptionally calm.

He walks into the forest as if taking a leisurely stroll, with a relaxed demeanor.

It doesn't seem like he's stepping into a dangerous place, but rather as if he's taking a leisurely walk in his own backyard.

He gazes at the 'scenery' within the forest, gently shakes his head, and the voice beneath his mask is identical to the Night Lord’s on the Cloud Cleansing Platform.

There is no malice, only a gentle warmth with a hint of gentleness:

"The 'Youquan Zhenjing' indeed has its own system.

"In the study of flesh and blood, it is unparalleled in the world.

"But apart from that, the rest is all dross, not worth considering."

Beside him, over a dozen black-clad figures follow closely.

Each of them is shadowy and elusive, as if they flicker in and out of reality, and some even have shadows that tremble at their feet, as if they have a life of their own.

Any one of these individuals, if they were to walk out casually, would be enough to put the masters of the eastern factions of East City on guard.

Yet at this moment, hearing the words of the Night Lord, they all nodded like clockwork.

Each of them appeared to be humbly taking in his words.

Just then, the sudden echo of footsteps broke the silence around them.

The Night Lord did not turn his head, but the dozen or so people around him sprang into action, surrounding him.

Their eyes darted vigilantly across their surroundings.

Facing the Ghostly Forest, the Youquan Cult's gateway here, even they couldn’t afford to be careless.

Looking around now, they couldn’t help but furrow their brows in unease.

They saw the tree shadows swaying, heard the overlapping footsteps, yet no figures were in sight.

Instead, the corpses hanging from the surrounding trees swayed ominously, as if ready to leap down.

"My lord, there’s something off about this place!"

Someone stated the obvious.

The Night Lord was not angered but simply let out a soft chuckle:

"If this place weren’t strange, that would be the strangest thing of all.

"The terrain and trees within the Ghostly Forest have been altered countless times over the years.

"The Youquan Cult’s formations here are most formidable because they blend seamlessly with the terrain.

"This formation uses the Ghostly Forest as its base, enhanced by manpower, poison, sound techniques, and even illusions.

"The footsteps sound distant... but they’re already right on top of us!"

As he spoke, the dozen or so experts from Evernight Valley suddenly went pale.

To their horror, they saw the trees begin to ooze blood, and some of the hanging corpses abruptly opened their eyes.

Bathed in a crimson glow, the corpses leaped into the air, shrouded in blood-red light, and lunged forward!

At that moment, black figures, like forest phantoms, materialized.

As the reanimated corpses reached the halfway point mid-flight, they were intercepted by these shadowy figures.

One of the black-clad individuals struck too hard, thrusting a palm forward and shattering through the corpse’s chest.

Yet the corpse, like a mindless zombie, remained unfazed.

Instead, it struck back with a palm aimed with deadly precision at the black-clad person’s heart.

At that instant, the Night Lord’s finger twitched, and the black-clad person, caught off guard, moved involuntarily.

They struck the corpse’s palm head-on with a resounding crack, sending it flying.

"Not all of those hanging from the trees are corpses; many are blood slaves. Don’t let them fool you."

As the Night Lord spoke, he instinctively glanced around, his tone tinged with uncertainty.