Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

next day

The dawn in Luoxia City was awakened by an overwhelming, pungent smell of blood.

As dawn broke, several early-rising cultivators passed by on the street outside the city lord's mansion, and were the first to catch a whiff of that nauseating stench.

At first, they thought it was blood spilled from some butcher shop.

The closer one gets to the city lord's mansion, the stronger the stench of blood becomes, so strong it seems to solidify.

It seeped out in thin strands through the cracks in the door and the window frames.

"Something's not right..." An elderly cultivator at the Innate Realm stopped in his tracks, frowning as he looked at the tightly closed vermilion gate of the City Lord's Mansion.

"At this time of day, the city lord's mansion would usually be open. Why is it so quiet today?"

The middle-aged cultivators beside him nodded in agreement, their voices tinged with unease.

"Yeah, we didn't even see the guards at the gate... This smell is really weird."

Several daring cultivators gathered together and, mustering their courage, pushed open the gate of the city lord's mansion.

That heavy wooden door, which normally required two guards to push open,

At that moment, with a "creak," it was easily pushed open, creating a gap.

Behind the crevice lies hell.

Morning light slanted through the crack in the door, shining obliquely into the mansion and illuminating the corpses scattered on the ground.

The bodies of more than three hundred guards lay scattered haphazardly in the courtyard and on the steps.

A thin bloodstain remained on his neck, his eyes were wide open, and his face was frozen in extreme fear.

Blood stained the bluestone pavement, forming winding rivers of blood that gleamed eerily red in the morning light.

"ah--!"

A piercing scream shattered the morning's tranquility.

A female cultivator, her face deathly pale, collapsed to the ground, her sword slipping limply from her hand, her white dress stained with splattered blood.

"People are dead! People are dead in the City Lord's mansion! Everyone is dead!"

Fear spread as quickly as a plague.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of Sunset City in an instant.

The news even spread to other cities in Qingzhou.

The low-level cultivators no longer dared to approach the city lord's mansion. They could only gather in the streets and alleys, whispering among themselves, their faces as pale as paper.

"Heavens! The City Lord's Mansion has over three hundred guards, including three Grandmaster-level personal guards. How could they all perish overnight?"

"That was a Grandmaster! A Grandmaster who could shatter a small mountain with a single punch! How could he die so easily?"

"And what about the City Lord? The City Lord is a Void Realm expert! How is he now?"

Just as the cultivators of Luoxia City were gripped by panic,

Several figures descended from the sky like birds, landing steadily in front of the city lord's mansion gate.

The group slowly walked into the City Lord's Mansion of Luoxia City.

"Hiss, such a strong killing intent. It seems that the city lord of Luoxia City is doomed," a scout said.

The city lord's mansion was in complete disarray. Everyone in the mansion had been killed by a single sword stroke, and some of them still had deep fear on their faces even in death.

Seeing this, the spies felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their bodies chilled to the bone.

If they weren't seasoned veterans with extensive experience, they would probably have been terrified by this horrifying scene and wet themselves in fear.

The lead scout's Adam's apple bobbed violently, his voice trembling: "Three...three Grandmasters...three hundred elite troops...and they didn't even have the slightest chance to fight back?"

A scout beside him stared intently at the thin, hair-like sword mark on the ground, his face ashen.

"This...this sword is so sharp, its moves so swift! A single strike to the throat, leaving no chance to retaliate!"

The last scout's gaze swept across the center of the courtyard, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he cried out in alarm, "Look! That's...!"

His face was as pale as paper, and his eyes were wide open.

The group noticed that the blood on the ground had formed the three characters "Xiyulou" (细雨楼), resembling a blooming blood-red flower.

"This Drizzle Pavilion is truly ruthless and merciless. How come I've never heard of this force before?"

"They wiped out the entire Luoxia City Lord's mansion overnight."

"Indeed, judging from the devastation here, the Drizzle Pavilion is no ordinary force; its power is unfathomable."

"I have heard of this organization. A few days ago, news spread in Qingzhou City that it was an assassin organization."

"That's what one of the spies said."

"Oh? An assassin organization? In that case, someone must have bought the life of the Lord of Luoxia City."

At this moment, a scout saw the headless corpse. The cut on its neck was clean and smooth, indicating that it had been decapitated by a single sword stroke.

His pupils constricted sharply, and he cried out in alarm:

"It seems the City Lord of Luoxia City has indeed met with misfortune."

"This body must be the remains of the City Lord of Luoxia City. However, the whereabouts of his head are unknown."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked toward the headless body.

"He was actually killed with a single sword strike. The person who attacked him must be far stronger than the city lord of Luoxia City. Otherwise, there would have been no way he could have succeeded with a single sword strike."

"I suspect that his head was taken by Xiyulou to complete their mission."

"This Xiyu Tower is truly audacious. Knowing that the City Lord of Luoxia City has powerful backers, they dare to completely disregard the forces behind him and directly destroy his mansion."

"It seems there's going to be some turmoil in the Eastern Region."

The crowd said.

"I'll take my leave now."

One of the scouts said this and left the city lord's mansion. He had gathered all the information and needed to rush back to report the matter to the forces behind him.

Moreover, the appearance of the Drizzle Tower, whose strength is still unknown, has only added fuel to the fire of the current chaotic situation.

Spies from other factions also left the area, as they needed to report such an event immediately.

None of them revealed their identities as spies.

At the same time, all the major forces in Qingzhou City also received the news.

The president of the Linglong Chamber of Commerce was sitting on the top floor of the chamber, idly playing with a silk scarf, listening to his subordinates' reports.

A playful smile curved his lips: "Fine Rain Pavilion? Interesting."

"A little-known assassin organization actually dared to mess with the Qingyun Sect."

An old man beside him said in a deep voice, "Guild Master, the strength of the Drizzle Pavilion should not be underestimated."

"To kill Mo Chen, a late-stage Void Realm cultivator, in one night, along with three Grandmasters and three hundred guards ranging from Acquired to Innate Realm, it would require at least several Void Realm experts to take action."

The president of the Linglong Chamber of Commerce nodded: "Send people to investigate and find out the details of this Xiyu Tower."

"Also, keep a close eye on the movements of the Qingyun Sect. Mo Chen is an outer sect elder of the Qingyun Sect, and the Qingyun Sect will never let this go."

A glint of light flashed in Lin Wan'er's eyes. "Perhaps, our Linglong Chamber of Commerce will be able to make another big deal."

"Yes, Chairman," the old man replied with a bow.

……

Meanwhile, in another part of Qingzhou City, inside a secluded mansion.

The head of the Qingzhou branch of the Blood Slaughter Pavilion stood by the window, gazing at the drizzle outside, his face icy cold.

He held a piece of intelligence in his hand, which clearly stated—

First message: Fine Rain Pavilion, accepting assassination orders; even those with the Void Realm are welcome to kill.

The second message: Xiyu Tower destroyed the entire Luoxia City Lord's Mansion.

"The Fine Rain Pavilion..." the pavilion master muttered to himself, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

"Even my Blood Slaughter Pavilion wouldn't dare kill Mo Chen of the Azure Cloud Sect. Yet this unknown force dares to kill Mo Chen. They're truly courting death."

He turned to a man in black behind him and said, "Go, send someone to investigate Xiyu Tower."

"I want to see what this assassin organization, which appeared out of nowhere, is capable of."

"Yes!" the man in black bowed and replied, then disappeared into the darkness.

....

Beijing.

Shadow Guard

"My lord, news has come from Luoxia City that the city lord of Luoxia City has been killed by a force called Xiyulou."

"But this Drizzle Pavilion, I've never heard of this force before, I wonder what kind of force it is," a spy reported.

The Shadow Guard commander then said indifferently, "Mo Chen has controlled Luoxia City for many years, showing no regard for the law. His death is just as fitting."

Originally, after the imperial court fiercely contested Luoxia City with the Qingyun Sect, they intended to send someone to assassinate Mo Chen.

Initially, they found two major assassin organizations, but their asking prices were quite high, far exceeding the value of Mo Chen.

However, when they sought help from other assassin organizations, none dared to respond, fearing they might offend the Qingyun Sect behind Mo Chen.

Unable to personally intervene, the Shadow Guards had no choice but to temporarily abandon their plan.

Unexpectedly, the Drizzle Pavilion accepted a bounty from someone else and ended up killing Mo Chen.

"Enough, step back. Keep a close eye on news from Xiyu Tower and Qingyun Sect. I need to know as soon as possible."

The Shadow Guard Commander gave the order.

"Yes, sir."

After saying this, the shadow guard withdrew.

...

Deep within the imperial palace, Emperor Qian, seated on his dragon throne, listened to the report from the commander of the Shadow Guard, his slender fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

A meaningful smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Fine Rain Pavilion... Interesting."

"There's no need to delve into this matter. Just observe how things unfold. The Qingyun Sect won't let this go easily."

"If the Fine Rain Pavilion can withstand the Qingyun Sect's retaliation, perhaps a cooperation can be considered."

"They want money, we want lives. We can deal with some people that the court cannot openly deal with."

The Shadow Guard commander beside him bowed in agreement, but inwardly he clicked his tongue in amazement: His Majesty is sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight, waiting to see the Azure Cloud Sect and the Fine Rain Pavilion clash.