Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

At dusk, Yuan Tiangang stood in the Rain-Viewing Pavilion of the Xiyu Tower stronghold, overlooking Qingzhou City.

Di Yun and Linghu Chong walked in, the spirit candles burning brightly, casting their shadows on the wall, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

The two men, referred to as "Lord Yuan," immediately bowed and saluted Yuan Tiangang.

"Um"

Yuan Tiangang then spread the list out on the table.

Di Yun and Linghu Chong leaned closer to examine it closely and saw that it was categorized by cultivation level, with neat and clear handwriting.

"A total of 107 people have been recruited this time." Yuan Tiangang pointed to the top of the list, his voice steady.

With a light tap of his fingertip, seven more points of light appeared on the sand table, each corresponding to one of the seven people's positions.

"These seven people are all grandmasters, each with their own strengths and obsessions."

Yuan Tiangang said calmly, "I have resolved their obsession; they have become our sharpest eyes and ears."

After glancing at the list, Linghu Chong said: This lineup is enough to support the basic intelligence network of Qingzhou City.

"Not only that," Di Yun said, pointing to the list.

"Although they belong to different realms, they each have their own expertise, and they all have old grudges with the major forces in Qingzhou. They will only be more dedicated to serving us."

Yuan Tiangang looked at the two men and said, "Starting tomorrow, we will officially launch the intelligence network according to our previous division of labor."

Di Yun and Linghu Chong responded in unison, "As you command."

The two then left the Xiyulou stronghold.

As night deepened, the outline of Xiyu Tower appeared and disappeared in the mist.

.....

Deep within the black market of Qingzhou City, in a small hut with a wooden sign that reads "General Store," a groundhog was idly wiping the counter.

The shelves were stocked with needles, thread, and cheap oilcloth, seemingly no different from an ordinary general store.

Only the dark black secondary stele in the inner room gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the dim light.

The secondary monument was properly installed a day ago, and this is the first day the gates have been opened.

The mole, clutching the "Blood Slaughter Manual" given to him by Jing Ke, was both nervous and expectant, glancing towards the door every now and then, afraid of missing the first "guest".

Just after 9 a.m., the shop curtain was suddenly lifted with a "whoosh," and a man dressed in a black robe walked in.

He pulled his hat brim down so low that it covered most of his face, revealing only a slit in his chin, and he exuded a faint but palpable aura of menace.

The burrowing rat's heart skipped a beat, but its face remained impassive, and it put on its usual obsequious smile:

"What would you like, sir? Needles, thread, oilcloth, and hemp rope—we have it all."

The man in the black robe ignored the shelves and walked straight to the curtain in the inner room, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping:

"I heard... you can find the Drizzle Pavilion here to accept 'bounties'?"

The mole's eyes lit up; it knew the main character had arrived. It pretended to look around, then lowered its voice:

"What are you saying, sir? Our shop only sells groceries."

Although he said that, he secretly lifted a corner of the curtain, revealing the secondary stele inside.

A knowing glint flashed in the black-robed man's eyes as he strode into the inner room.

The burrowing rat followed closely behind, lowered the curtain, and stood guard outside it.

The inner room was dimly lit, with the secondary monument standing in the middle, its immortal crystal membrane rippling faintly in the dim light.

The man in black robes walked to the monument, took a deep breath, and gathered spiritual power at his fingertips, slowly carving on the smooth surface of the monument.

"Target: Zhao Kui, leader of the Black Wind Gang in Qingzhou, with a cultivation level of mid-stage Void Realm."

"Characteristics: He has a scar on his left cheek, always wears black tight-fitting clothes, and has a skull jade pendant hanging from his waist."

"Reward: One million low-grade spirit stones"

With each character that was written, a faint green light appeared on the surface of the stele, making the characters clear.

After finishing the last stroke, the man in the black robe stood aside, waiting for a reply.

Inside the Fine Rain Pavilion, Nie Zheng and the others in front of the main monument were staring at the newly appeared bounty information.

"Zhao Kui of the Black Wind Gang?" Yao Li frowned, clearly having never heard of him.

"This man ran rampant in Qingzhou, bullying men and women, and had many lives on his hands. He deserved to die."

Then Yuan Tiangang happened to come downstairs and saw the bounty notice. He looked at the group and said...

"Lord Yuan," the six men greeted Yuan Tiangang with clasped hands.

Yuan Tiangang then waved his hand and said:

"After these few days of intelligence gathering, we have a basic understanding of the information on many powerful figures."

"The Black Wind Gang is located in Black Wind Mountain, a hundred miles outside Qingzhou City. The gang has two members at the Void Realm, the gang leader Zhao Kui at the mid-stage, and the deputy gang leader Cheng Zhi at the early stage. They are not to be feared!"

Yuan Tiangang then looked at the bounty amount: "One million low-grade spirit stones is not much, but as the first order for the newly established stronghold, it's a good opportunity for you to test the waters."

Cao Mo immediately stepped forward, his hand on the dagger at his waist:

"Fellow colleagues, I'm new to this realm and haven't done anything yet, so I'll take this job."

The other five nodded: "Okay."

"Brother Cao, remember, act swiftly and decisively. Do not put yourself in danger. If anything happens, contact us immediately using your token."

Jing Ke stepped forward and reminded Cao Mo.

"Very well! Colleagues, please rest assured, this is my first battle, and I will certainly fight it cleanly and efficiently, living up to the trust placed in me by the monarch and all of you."

Cao Mo gathered spiritual power at his fingertips and carved the words "Accept" next to the bounty information for "Zhao Kui" on the main monument, adding his own code name "Wei Liu" at the end.

Almost simultaneously, the secondary monument at the black market general store suddenly lit up red, and the words "Received, codename Guard Six" appeared on its surface.

Upon seeing this, the man in the black robe visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

He then paid half the deposit as required, took out 500,000 low-grade spirit stones from his storage bag, and pressed them into the groove at the bottom of the stele.

As soon as the spirit stone touched the groove, it transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the stele.

He bowed to the side of the monument, turned around, lifted the curtain, and said to the burrowing rat, "Come back in three days to see the results," before hurriedly leaving the general store.

After agreeing with the mole, he resumed wiping the counter, but couldn't help but smile.

Meanwhile, far away at the Xiyulou stronghold, a line of text appeared out of thin air on the right side of the main monument, indicating "500,000 low-grade spirit stones available for collection".

Inside the Xiyulou stronghold, everyone's expressions tightened as they looked at the information that appeared simultaneously in the central area of ​​the main monument.

"It's done." Yuan Tiangang said in a deep voice, "The coordination between the main and secondary steles is indeed precise."

Cao Mo clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Now that the spirit stones have been collected, I will set off immediately."

Having said that, he vanished from outside the Guanyu Pavilion in a flash.

Meanwhile, at Black Wind Mountain outside Qingzhou City, inside the Black Wind Gang's headquarters, Zhao Kui was drinking and making merry with his concubines.

Unbeknownst to him, a murderous intent emanating from the Drizzle Pavilion had already quietly locked onto him.

Two hours later.

The red lanterns of the Black Wind Gang's headquarters lit up one after another, turning the two stone lions in front of the vermilion gate crimson.

The sounds of rock-paper-scissors and a woman's giggles could be faintly heard coming from inside the courtyard.

A dark shadow slid past along the wall; it was Cao Mo.

He completely withdrew his spiritual power at the late stage of the Void Realm, even suppressing his breathing to be light and slow, blending into the chirping of insects around him.

The side gate to the backyard of the main hall was ajar, and two drunken guards were dozing against the door, their steel knives hanging askew at their waists.

Cao Mo's eyes narrowed slightly. He held two silver needles as thin as cow hair between his fingertips, flicked his fingers, and the silver needles silently pierced the sleeping acupoints on the back of the two men's necks.

The guard collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound.