I am the Thunder Emperor in the fight

Having only been in the Shadow Palace cave for a few days, Night Falcon received a communication token sealed with special shadow runes.

The command token possessed a deep and obscure aura, carrying an unyielding authority; it was a summons signal from a core member under Elder Black Nether.

Night Falcon dared not delay. After a brief adjustment, it followed the instructions in the command token and left the Shadow Palace area, heading towards the core region and the territory belonging to the Black Nether Elders.

Strictly speaking, his ability to infiltrate the Black Sky Ancient Clan as a Night Falcon was largely due to his connection with Elder Black Nether.

Although Night Falcon has never met Elder Black Nether before, based on the intelligence from the East Town King's Mansion and his casual inquiries during his stay with the Black Sky Ancient Clan, he has a general understanding of the Black Sky Ancient Clan's power structure and factional distribution.

In general, the strongest members of the Black Heaven Ancient Clan are naturally the two clan leaders, Black Heaven and Black Earth, both of whom are genuine Saint-grade Heavenly Sovereigns.

However, although Hei Tian and Hei Di are powerful, as Saint-level experts, they are also aloof and spend most of their time in seclusion, neglecting clan affairs. Therefore, most of the secular power of the Hei Tian Ancient Clan is in the hands of the Elder Council.

Those who can enter the Black Heaven Ancient Clan Elder Council are almost all Heavenly Sovereign level experts, and Elder Hei Ming has a place in the Elder Council, and he is ranked very high.

Elder Heiming's residence was not a magnificent palace, but a group of ancient and grand halls located deep in a black bamboo forest, constructed entirely of rare "Nether Ink Stone".

The palace buildings have strong lines and sharp angles, which blend perfectly with the shadows of the bamboo forest, making them appear both solemn and mysterious.

The air was filled with a calm and pure aura of shadow, which was even more profound than the Shadow Palace area.

Led by a taciturn old servant in gray, the Night Falcon passed through numerous restrictions and corridors, finally arriving at the main hall gate of a building called "Youxuan Hall".

The palace doors opened silently, and an even more vast and profound pressure, seemingly in harmony with the darkness of the entire world, emanated from within, causing the Night Falcon to hold its breath.

"Come in." A calm yet undeniably powerful voice came from inside the hall.

Night Falcon composed himself and stepped into the hall. The interior of the hall was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside, with a high dome and dim lighting, illuminated only by a few floating, eerie blue spirit lamps.

The interior of the hall was simply furnished, with only a huge black jade table in the center and a figure sitting cross-legged on a futon behind it.

He was an old man dressed in a simple black robe, with white hair and beard, a gaunt face, and eyes like two black stars that had been silent for thousands of years, deep and still, yet seemingly able to reflect all the secrets deep in people's hearts.

He didn't exude any imposing aura, but simply sitting there, he seemed to be the center of the entire hall, and even the surrounding darkness, inspiring awe in everyone.

He was none other than Hei Ming, one of the elders of the Black Heaven Ancient Clan and a Heavenly Supreme expert.

"Disciple Night Falcon greets Elder." Night Falcon stepped forward a few steps, bowed respectfully, and remained neither humble nor arrogant.

Elder Black Nether's gaze fell on Night Falcon. His gaze seemed to carry a tangible weight, yet it was also like an invisible stream of water, slowly sweeping over Night Falcon's body before finally settling on his pure black eyes, as if trying to see beyond the surface to something deeper.

Night Falcon could feel a gentle yet incredibly subtle and powerful divine thought flowing quietly through his body for a moment, especially lingering slightly at the location of the Dark Ancestral Symbol in his dantian.

The hall was completely silent, with only the faint blue spirit lamp burning silently.

After a moment, Elder Hei Ming slowly spoke, his voice still calm: "Night Falcon... a descendant of the Shadow Shadow Clan, who submitted to my command with the Shadow Shadow Token."

In the Dark Night Trial, he made a stunning debut, ranking third despite being only a half-step Earthly Sovereign. Furthermore, on the Nine Nether Platform, he displayed extraordinary mastery of dark arts, seemingly touching upon… the power of the very source of darkness?

The last few words, spoken in a calm tone, resonated like thunder in the hall.

What's meant to come will come.

Night Falcon was already prepared, and his face showed a timely expression of "nervousness" and "awe." He bowed again and said respectfully, "Elder, you are wise. This disciple... this disciple has indeed had some good fortune."

He did not deny it, because in the final battle at Nine Nether Platform, the aura that resembled the Dark Ancestral Symbol could not be completely concealed, and denying it would only seem suspicious.

"Oh? Tell me about it." Elder Heiming picked up a dark-colored teacup from the table, took a sip, and looked at the Night Falcon with his gaze remaining calm.

Night Falcon took a deep breath and began to deliver his prepared speech, his voice tinged with a hint of "recollection".

"When I was young, I was wandering and once accidentally fell into the ruins of an ancient site. The ruins were buried deep underground and shrouded in endless darkness."

At the time, my cultivation was low, and I was nearly annihilated by the darkness within. In that desperate situation, at the core of the ruins, I found… a broken, almost vanished dark rune mark.”

He paused, as if still shaken: "The runes were so mysterious and unfathomable that I didn't understand them at all, but I just felt a sense of closeness to them instinctively."

Perhaps it was the affinity for darkness in their blood that took effect; the rune did not harm the disciple. Instead, before it dissipated, a wisp of extremely faint, almost primordial dark energy merged into the disciple's body.

Since then, the disciple's cultivation of dark attribute techniques has become twice as effective with half the effort. His perception and control of dark power far surpasses that of his peers, and he can even... occasionally trigger a trace of the remaining aura of that rune.

He looked up, his eyes filled with utmost sincerity, and said to Elder Heiming, "This disciple is foolish and has never known what those runes are."

It wasn't until this trial, when he was forced into a desperate situation, that he inadvertently triggered the residual energy within his body. Combined with a broken sacred artifact, he was able to barely repel the powerful enemy.

Later, upon hearing others discuss the Dark Ancestral Symbol, the disciple fearfully speculated that the broken rune might... might be somewhat similar to or related to the legendary Martial Ancestor's 'Dark Ancestral Symbol'?

But what the disciple obtained was merely a fragment of the dark rune's aura before it dissipated; it was insignificant and extremely difficult to control, working only intermittently.

This statement is half true and half false.

The existence of the Dark Ancestral Symbol is attributed to a fragment of aura obtained through a fortuitous encounter in an ancient ruin.

It explains the source and uniqueness of its power, while also emphasizing its broken, weak, and uncontrollable nature, thus reducing the potential for excessive covetousness and risks.

After all, it was just a fragment of the broken Dark Ancestral Symbol aura. Although it was precious, it was not enough to make someone like Elder Heiming disregard his status and forcibly seize it.

Elder Heiming listened quietly, his black, star-like eyes revealing neither joy nor anger.

After Night Falcon finished speaking, he put down his teacup and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the black jade table, producing a crisp sound.

"Ruins... a broken dark treasure similar to the Dark Ancestral Symbol..." Elder Hei Ming repeated in a low voice, seemingly trying to verify its authenticity.

With his knowledge, he naturally knew that the world was full of wonders, and it was not impossible for treasures bearing traces of the dark origin to occasionally appear in ancient ruins.

The night falcon's explanation was logically plausible and somewhat consistent with the aura he observed.

More importantly, what the Night Falcon displayed was first and foremost its extraordinary talent and control over the power of darkness, and only secondly the aura that resembled a dark ancestral symbol.

Talent is fundamental; Dark Treasures are more like icing on the cake, an "adventure."

For the Black Heaven Ancient Clan, a promising talent possessing pure dark abilities and a sense of belonging to the clan is far more valuable than a dark treasure. "Since this is your opportunity, seize it well," Elder Black Nether ultimately decided not to delve further, his tone softening.

"The power of darkness is vast and unfathomable. Even your treasure, which resembles a dark ancestral symbol, is no ordinary object."

"To gain its approval and integrate it into your being is your good fortune. However, external forces are ultimately just external forces. The Shadow Path of our race is vast and profound. Only by solidifying your own foundation and comprehending the true essence of darkness can you find the right path. You must not rely too much on external things and lose sight of your true self."

"This disciple will remember the elder's teachings!" Night Falcon replied hastily, feigning relief and deep gratitude.

Elder Heiming nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with Night Falcon's attitude.

"Now that you have joined my ranks and have brought honor to me in this trial, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

"Cultivate diligently within the Shadow Palace. Any resources you require, as long as they are reasonable, are welcome to apply. Your talent is exceptional; your future achievements will surely extend far beyond this."

He changed the subject, seemingly casually mentioning, "Our Black Heaven Ancient Clan stands tall in the vast world not only because of our bloodline and heritage, but also because of our supreme Dharma Body that suppresses our destiny."

Our race possesses a supreme Dharma body called the 'Ancient Body of the Night God,' which is the ultimate darkness, the master of the night, and possesses boundless power. It is one of the five primordial Dharma bodies in the Great Thousand Worlds, and is in no way inferior to the eternal immortal body of the former immortal emperor.

Within my Black Sky Ancient Clan, only those whose bloodline, talent, temperament, and opportunities have all reached their peak have a slim chance of touching it.

Although you are currently only a lower-level Earthly Sovereign, your potential is already evident. If you can persevere, you may well have a chance to compete for that heavenly opportunity in the future.”

Night God Ancient Body!

Night Falcon was shocked, not expecting to be able to access information about the Night God Ancient Body so quickly.

Although it was excited inside, the Night Falcon controlled its expression very well, only revealing a moderate amount of "longing" and "shock", as well as a hint of "self-awareness" and humility.

"The Ancient Body of the Night God... I have heard of its name before, it is as famous as thunder in my ears."

However, such a supreme inheritance is beyond the reach of a disciple. This disciple only wishes to diligently cultivate under the elder's tutelage and live up to the elder's expectations.

Elder Heiming looked at him, a subtle, undetectable meaning flashing in his eyes: "Where there's a will, there's a way. I was once like you, from a minor branch, but through my talent and perseverance, I rose step by step to a high position within the clan."

Therefore, on the path of spiritual practice, one should never be discouraged. Flowing water does not strive to be first, but rather to flow endlessly. Sometimes, starting from something small is not necessarily a bad thing.

Although our clan has strict rules, we never hesitate to give opportunities to true geniuses.

Three years later, there will be a 'Night Sacrifice Ceremony' in the ancestral land, at which time the 'Night Mystic Realm' will be opened. It is one of the important ways for the clan to select those who are qualified to try to contact the inheritors of the Night God Ancient Body.

If you can distinguish yourself within the Shadow Palace within three years and accumulate enough merit and reputation, perhaps... you can secure a spot to enter the secret realm.

He paused, his tone becoming meaningful: "Of course, there are limited spots and many competitors."

Not only my lineage, but also the other lineages, and even the core direct lineages, will send their most outstanding disciples.

There are many truly exceptional talents in that area. I've pointed out the path for you; how far you go is up to you.

This seemingly casual revelation actually contains a wealth of information.

One of the ways to obtain the inheritance of the Night God Ancient Body is through that mysterious night realm. As for the timing, it is the Night Sacrifice Ceremony three years later, the intensity of the competition, and Elder Black Nether's certain "investment" and "expectations" for him.

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder! I will do my utmost to live up to your expectations!" Night Falcon bowed deeply again, his voice filled with excitement and determination.

"Alright, go ahead and cultivate diligently." Elder Heiming waved his hand, closed his eyes, and seemed to enter a meditative state.

To him, the Night Falcon was nothing more than a promising young talent worth investing in; he had seen at least eighty or a hundred such talents in his lifetime.

Some of these geniuses successfully stood out under his command and became the backbone of his faction, but most of them gradually faded into obscurity, or perhaps their fates remain unknown.

Therefore, the Night Falcon, which is currently only a lower-level Earthly Sovereign, is not worth Black Nether's excessive attention.

After all, the Black Sky Ancient Clan is one of the five great ancient clans. As a mere Earthly Sovereign, they can only barely be considered respectable. Only by touching upon the Heavenly Sovereign can they truly enter the inner sanctum.

Night Falcon was well aware of this, and he respectfully withdrew from the Netherworld Hall, leaving Elder Black Nether's residence under the guidance of the gray-robed old servant.

On the way back to the Shadow Palace cave, Night Falcon's face was calm, but his mind was in turmoil.

The summons by Elder Heiming was a preliminary recognition of his "value" and "loyalty," and he was brought into his faction.

The inquiry about the counterfeit Dark Symbol was temporarily dealt with in a relatively safe manner.

The most crucial information is about the "Night God Ancient Body"!

Mysterious Night Realm... The Night Festival Three Years Later... The Competition for Spots...

These factors undoubtedly provided him with a more specific direction for his next actions.

In three years, he must rise rapidly within the Shadow Palace and accumulate enough resources to compete for the spot to enter the secret realm.

While Elder Black Nether's "encouragement" and "guidance" certainly reflected his appreciation for Black Nether's potential, weren't they also a form of motivation and exploitation?

He used this "good knife" to fight for the interests of his own faction, and even to increase his bargaining power in the possible future struggle for the inheritance of the Night God Ancient Body.

However, this is exactly what Night Falcon, or rather, Mo Yu himself, desired.

Only by getting involved can one truly access the core secrets.

"Night Mystic Realm... Night God Ancient Body..." Night Falcon returned to its cave, activated the restriction, and its pure black eyes gleamed with an eerie light in the dim light.

A crucial step in the infiltration plan has become clear.

Next, the real "performance" and "climb" will begin in this Shadow Palace, in the core vortex of the Black Sky Ancient Clan.

Three years is enough time to do a lot of things.

But he was prepared. (End of Chapter)