In the heart of Black Rock City stood a mansion, built entirely of polished black stone blocks. Its silhouette was imposing, menacing, as if it had been carved directly from a cliff. The faceless statues on the eaves, the narrow windows framed with dark iron, and the double doors with engravings completed a scene that inspired respect... or fear.
That was the residence of the lord of the city. One of the most important buildings in the entire central district.
Inside, behind the black wooden doors, was the lord's study. It was a spacious room, lit by oil lamps mounted on wrought iron arms. Shelves filled with scrolls, maps, and jade boxes lined the walls. The smell of incense floated in the air, mixed with the scent of old paper.
Behind a blackened wooden desk sat a middle-aged man. His face, though common in features, radiated an almost tangible authority. He wore a dark-toned robe with silver thread embroidery. His eyes were cold. His mere presence projected a silent pressure.
Shen Yifeng.
The Lord of Black Rock City.
At this moment, he was frowning as he reviewed a stack of official documents piled on the desk. Each bore the seal of various subordinates, merchants, and alchemists associated with the city government. His gaze quickly scanned the reports: inventories of spirit stones, talismans, pill reserves, lists of weapons, and grain batches.
Although the recent imperial edict had exempted him from directly participating in the war due to his position as city lord, he still had to contribute resources, materials, and supplies to the front lines.
Black Rock City could not afford to be emptied.
He took a jade tablet and held it up to verify its authenticity, when a thunderous roar shook the air.
BOOOOM.
Shen Yifeng's eyes snapped open and he looked toward the commercial street of Black Rock City. Under the faint bluish light of the moon, a column of smoke and embers rose into the sky. In the distance, flaming fragments could be seen rising.
"Wh...at?" Shen Yifeng's voice cracked with disbelief.
He jumped to his feet, frowning, and strode toward the nearby window, which offered a direct view of the area.
Before he could even order his men to mobilize, a sharp knock sounded at the door.
"City Lord? Are you alright? May I enter?" asked a tense voice on the other side.
"Come in," he replied, without taking his eyes off the rising column of smoke.
The guard entered immediately, armor partially buckled and hand still on the hilt of his short spear.
"What happened?" Shen Yifeng asked as he saw him cross the doorway.
"We still don't know, sir," the man replied, a slight tremble in his voice. "It seems it came from the spiritual tools area. Captain Tang is already assembling a team to investigate."
Shen Yifeng nodded slowly. But before he could say another word, a dry, repetitive crash tore through the night air like a volley of lightning bolts.
TATATATATATATATATAA!
A new kind of terror vibrated in the air.
It was a metallic, rhythmic, unnatural sound, as if a thousand hammers struck iron sheets in unison.
Shen Yifeng's expression hardened instantly.
He turned his gaze toward the source of the sound, eyes narrowed as if trying to pierce the distance. The sound… came from the same place. The commercial street. More precisely, from the spiritual workshop area that had just exploded.
Shen Yifeng frowned. A possibility flashed through his mind like lightning—an ambush by the Hailong Dynasty? Or some infiltrated enemy force?
As City Lord, he could not appear before the emperor with excuses if something serious happened in Black Rock City under his rule.
Wasting no more time, he raised his hand and drew his spiritual sword from the storage pouch. The blade vibrated as it emerged, leaving a trail of spiritual energy in the air. In the same motion, Shen Yifeng stepped forward and launched himself through the open window, leaving the study behind.
His figure rose with elegance as the moonlight reflected off his robe. Within seconds, he was already soaring through the night sky, flying directly toward the explosion site.
The guard, still at the door, watched him with eyes bright with respect—and a hint of envy.
Few people in the Yun Dynasty could afford to fly on a spiritual sword. That privilege belonged to cultivators who had reached at least the Foundation Establishment stage.
And Shen Yifeng… was one of them.
In the heart of the Xuan family, the great meeting hall was shrouded in dimness. Jade lamps hung from the ceiling, casting green lights and shadows on the dragon-embroidered tapestries. In the center, a red charcoal brazier crackled softly, exhaling a dry heat that countered the night's chill.
Seated in the seat of honor, with his hands clasped on the table, was Xuan Fei, the patriarch of the family. His expression was solemn. To his right sat his son and heir, Xuan Rong, dressed in a purple robe embroidered with golden thread. To the patriarch's left, holding a jade tablet between his fingers, waited silently Xuan Lian, the personal secretary.
But all eyes were on the visitor seated at the opposite end of the table: a man wrapped in a black robe, whose presence seemed to darken the room even further. His skin was pale, and a centipede tattoo curled from his neck across his face. The pressure emanating from his body was suffocating.
Black Centipede.
He had come to collect.
Xuan Fei raised his cup of spiritual wine and tilted it respectfully.
"Senior Black Centipede... we deeply regret the loss of your men. It was not our intention to expose them without warning."
Black Centipede did not respond immediately. He merely drank from his black stone cup, with slow movements. Then he spoke, in a rough voice, like dry branches snapping underfoot.
"I'm not here for your condolences."
Xuan Rong, impatiently, spoke.
"We're grateful you survived, senior. But we also didn't expect the resistance of that mortal city to be so… abnormal. I wonder what kind of weapons those were. No low-level cultivator should wield such power..."
"They weren't cultivators," interrupted Black Centipede, his voice like a knife sliding across stone. "They were mere mortals. But their weapons… were like compressed thunder."
He leaned slightly back in his chair. Beneath his robe, a massive centipede, abnormally thick, crawled slowly.
Xuan Rong swallowed hard and continued cautiously.
"According to the original agreement, the final payment would be delivered after the city's destruction. But since…"
He didn't finish. A chilling gaze enveloped him. The spiritual pressure in the room became unbearable for an instant, as if a swarm of invisible insects walked across everyone's skin.
Tac. Tac. Tac.
Black Centipede's fingers tapped the table gently, yet the sound echoed like a threat. The centipede beneath his robe stirred, agitated.
"Are you suggesting I not be paid… for losing my entire mercenary force?"
Though his tone remained calm, each word was a dagger piercing the air.
Xuan Fei raised his palm calmly, trying to ease the tension.
"Nothing could be further from our intent, senior. We acknowledge your strength and the price of the blood spilled. We will complete the payment, as agreed. But… if you'll allow it, we'd like to propose a new arrangement."
Black Centipede's eyes narrowed, just slightly.
"A new arrangement?"
"Yes. This time, we're not looking to destroy the city. We want you to investigate a person. The leader of that city. We suspect that..."
BOOOOOM.
A roar shook the air of the mansion. The jade lamps trembled slightly. In the distance, a column of smoke lit by embers began to rise into the night sky.
For a second, no one spoke.
The night in Black Rock City was just beginning.