Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

In the eternal night, there is a secluded courtyard.

Ye Junlin stood tall and straight, his hands behind his back, his body brimming with spiritual energy, his clothes fluttering even without wind.

He had just received the high-level Earth-rank martial skill "Emperor's Seal Technique" from the system, and at this moment he was filled with excitement and couldn't wait to learn how to master this powerful martial skill.

"The First Seal of the Imperial Seal Technique: The Mountain-Opening Seal!"

Ye Junlin gave a low shout, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp as a blade.

Following the cultivation method instilled in his mind by the system, he gathered all the powerful spiritual energy in his body into his right palm.

In an instant, a vast and powerful force condensed in his palm, with the imminent threat of a collapsing mountain, and even the air in the courtyard was compressed, emitting bursts of explosions.

He suddenly turned around, swept his right arm horizontally, and slammed his palm down heavily on the millstone-sized blue stone boulder in the center of the courtyard!

"boom--!"

A deafening roar erupted, sending shockwaves surging and debris flying everywhere.

That seemingly indestructible boulder of blue stone was rendered as fragile as tofu by Ye Junlin's palm strike.

It instantly shattered into countless fist-sized pieces of rubble, and amidst the flying dust, a palm print pit half a foot deep appeared on the ground.

Ye Junlin slowly withdrew his palm, feeling the lingering powerful force in his hand, his eyes filled with joy.

"What a domineering Mountain-Opening Seal! It possesses such power even at the very beginning of its cultivation!"

If all five seals are mastered and combined, their power will rival that of the Heavenly Rank, truly living up to its reputation!

He muttered to himself, his satisfaction with the martial art evident in his words.

Previously, he possessed formidable cultivation, but lacked any truly impressive martial arts skills to rely on.

Now that he has the Emperor Seal Technique, it's like adding wings to a tiger. He feels that even if he faces a Grandmaster-level expert, he can easily defeat them!

Just as Ye Junlin was immersed in the joy of cultivation and carefully comprehending the mysteries of the Mountain-Opening Seal, a light footstep sound came from outside the courtyard.

He looked up and saw Yuan Tiangang, Di Yun, Linghu Chong, and five assassins including Jing Ke, a group of eight people walking slowly towards him.

All eight people were breathing steadily and looking calm, clearly indicating that they had not suffered any damage during their trip to Qingzhou City.

Seeing that they were all safe and sound, the weight that had been hanging over my heart was lifted.

Upon entering the courtyard, everyone bowed to Ye Junlin and said, "Your subordinates greet Your Majesty!"

Ye Junlin raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to stand up. His gaze swept over them, and he asked in a deep voice, "Did anything unexpected happen during your trip to Qingzhou City?"

Yuan Tiangang stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and replied:

"Reporting to the Lord, we have successfully fulfilled our mission! In the battle of Qingzhou City, we have thwarted the Qingyun Sect's open schemes and plots."

"Having slain all the elders and disciples of the Qingyun Sect who came to invade, the name of Xiyu Tower now resounds throughout Qingzhou City and even the entire Eastern Region!"

"Only the Grand Elder of the Qingyun Sect, Zhuge Xiu, was already severely injured by us, and we were just one strike away from killing him."

"Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, a spatial rift suddenly appeared, from which came a terrifying pressure from a terrestrial immortal."

"He even used the supernatural power of stopping time to forcibly rescue Zhuge Xiu."

"Oh? A terrestrial immortal? Time frozen?" Upon hearing this, Ye Junlin's pupils suddenly contracted, and a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes.

The Land Immortal Realm is an existence that surpasses the Celestial Realm. Looking at the entire Eastern Region, there are only a handful of top-tier experts like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

The fact that the Qingyun Sect actually possessed such profound resources was beyond his expectations.

Yuan Tiangang nodded and said in a deep voice, "That's right. That powerful figure at the Land Immortal Realm is clearly an ancestor-level figure of the Qingyun Sect."

"However, Your Majesty need not worry. Although Zhuge Xiu was rescued, he suffered severe injuries, and his soul was even attacked by the backlash of spatial power."

"Without a soul-nourishing elixir that is over a thousand years old, it will be difficult to recover to the peak in this lifetime, and even the cultivation of the Celestial Realm will regress by more than half. In the short term, there is nothing to fear."

Yuan Tiangang nodded and continued, "Furthermore, I also noticed that although the pressure was strong, it was somewhat sluggish, as if it were bound by the rules of heaven and earth."

"My guess is that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has not yet fully recovered, so powerful beings at the terrestrial immortal realm are simply unable to exert their full strength."

"Otherwise, you will definitely suffer a backlash from heaven and earth. At best, your cultivation will regress; at worst, you will die and your cultivation will be destroyed."

"If that's the case, then it makes sense. Why did they only rescue Zhuge Xiu and not attack you?" Ye Junlin pondered.

Hearing this, Ye Junlin's heavy heart eased slightly.

As long as the terrestrial immortals cannot intervene in the short term, the Drizzle Pavilion will have enough time to grow and expand.

"Your Majesty is wise," Yuan Tiangang said respectfully.

"If it weren't for this, with the strength of a terrestrial immortal, we would have had no chance of escaping unscathed today."

"But we cannot be complacent about this matter," Ye Junlin said sharply in a deep voice.

"Yuan Tiangang, investigate further and confirm whether the current spiritual energy of heaven and earth is truly restricting the actions of terrestrial immortals."

"If it is true, it would be a tremendous opportunity for Eternal Night Heaven."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Yuan Tiangang accepted the order.

Ye Junlin changed the subject, a smile appearing on his face:

"This effort to establish authority has been very effective; everyone has worked hard!"

"Your Majesty is too kind. It is our duty to share Your Majesty's burdens," the crowd said solemnly.

Jing Ke stepped forward, placed a pile of storage rings and Qiankun bags shimmering with spiritual light on the stone table in the courtyard, and cupped his hands in greeting:

"My lord, these are the spoils of war we have captured this time, including spirit stones, elixirs, and cultivation techniques."

Ye Junlin waved his hand casually:

"Take a look at these things first, and keep any that suit your needs."

"Anything that isn't needed will be given to Yuan Tiangang to develop the Xiyu Tower, and later used to improve the strength of assassins and spies."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Upon hearing this, everyone showed gratitude and thanked him in unison.

They are all top-tier experts, and naturally they need resources to improve their strength. Ye Junlin's move is undoubtedly popular.

Ye Junlin changed the subject, a smile appearing on his face: "By the way, there's one more thing I need to tell you all."

Everyone listened intently.

Ye Junlin slowly opened his mouth

"Next, as we discussed before, we will establish the Xiyu Tower stronghold within Qingzhou territory;

"I believe that after this incident with the Qingyun Sect, various forces or independent cultivators will take the initiative to come to us."

"Once the base is established, we will no longer need to accept bounty missions from the black market."

Upon hearing this, Jing Ke and the others all showed joy on their faces.

They were top-tier assassins, so naturally they wouldn't stoop to taking on those low-level, scattered missions on the black market.

Ye Junlin took out a miniature version of the Drizzle Tower from his system space and continued, "There's no need to waste effort building a stronghold."

"This is the pavilion of the Drizzle Pavilion that I showed you last time. It can be used as the foundation of our base."

"You just need to find a place that is both secluded and easily accessible, and then you can take it out and put it there."

Jing Ke took the shrunken pavilion in the misty rain, a look of excitement on his face:

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, we will surely find an excellent location to establish the Fine Rain Pavilion's stronghold!"

A burning light shone in everyone's eyes.

Establishing a stronghold means that the Misty Rain Pavilion, a subordinate force of the Eternal Night, will officially take root in Qingzhou.

This will also mean that they have officially come into the sights of other forces and will have more opportunities to take action.

"Furthermore," Ye Junlin said solemnly, looking at Yuan Tiangang.

"Yuan Tiangang, you also need to quickly establish an intelligence network to gather information on various forces in the Eastern Region."

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

"Only by having sufficient intelligence can we remain invincible in this chaotic situation in the Eastern Region."

Yuan Tiangang bowed and accepted the order, his voice firm and resolute: "Your subordinate will certainly not fail in your mission!"

……