Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

He slipped inside and, using the shadows of the pillars, darted like a raccoon to the window of the main hall.

Several swaying figures were projected onto the window paper, one of whom was a man with a burly face and a scar on his left cheek.

He was embracing two concubines, boasting about something with spittle flying everywhere—it was Zhao Kui.

"...Once I swallow up the 'Green Snake Gang' in the south, no one in this western district will dare to challenge me!"

Zhao Kui gulped down a mouthful of strong liquor, then slammed the empty glass onto the table with a sharp, jarring sound.

Cao Mo frowned slightly as he noticed seven other people in the hall. One of them was at the early stage of the Void Realm, presumably the deputy leader, while the rest were all around the Grandmaster level.

Rushing in directly is not impossible, but if it alerts the other people in the front yard, it could easily cause unforeseen complications.

He was an assassin, so he was used to assassinations.

His gaze swept over the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard. Its trunk stretched diagonally to the roof of the main hall, and its dense foliage provided perfect cover.

With a swift movement, Cao Mo landed silently on the roof, leaving not a single tile unmoved.

He lay on the rafters, peering through the gaps in the tiles to get a clear view of the hall.

Zhao Kui got up to relieve himself and staggered toward a side room on the side of the hall, accompanied only by a guard.

It's now!

With a slight movement of spiritual energy at his fingertips, Cao Mo drew his dagger from its sheath with a "whoosh." The blade was pitch black, and it was none other than his usual "Shadow Eater Dagger."

He slid off the roof like a falling leaf, landing outside the side room window, just out of the guards' sight.

Inside the side room, Zhao Kui was urinating into a chamber pot, muttering curses under his breath.

Cao Mo suddenly pushed open the window and darted in like a ghost. The Shadow Devouring Dagger flashed with a cold light as it aimed straight for Zhao Kui's back.

"Who?!" Zhao Kui, being a mid-stage Void Realm cultivator, instinctively sensed the danger, turned around abruptly, and crossed his arms to block.

"Pfft—"

The dagger pierced through the sleeve, but was blocked by a protective shield formed by Zhao Kui's spiritual energy.

In that brief moment of hesitation, the guard burst through the door, his blade flashing as he slashed toward Cao Mo's back.

Cao Mo neither dodged nor avoided the attack. He struck the guard in the chest with a backhand, and the guard screamed and flew backward, crashing into the wall and losing consciousness.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhao Kui retreated, and the skull jade pendant at his waist lit up with a red light, forming a blood-red barrier that protected him.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into the Black Wind Gang's headquarters?"

"The one who will take your life." Cao Mo's voice was icy cold as the Shadow-Eating Dagger left three afterimages in the air.

It was the three variations of the "Shadow Dagger Killing Technique" that targeted Zhao Kui's throat, dantian, and brow respectively.

"Ding ding ding—"

The dagger clashed with the blood-red barrier, producing a metallic clang.

Zhao Kui's expression changed drastically. The protective shield that could withstand attacks from the peak Void Realm cultivators was showing signs of cracking.

He hadn't expected that his opponent, who was only at the late stage of the Void Realm, would possess strength far exceeding his realm.

"Guards! There's an assassin!" Zhao Kui roared, trying to summon the men in the main hall.

How could Cao Mo give him a chance? He suddenly ducked, the dagger sliding along the ground, and precisely stabbed into the broken part of the shield again, causing the blood-red barrier to collapse instantly.

"Ah—!" Zhao Kui screamed and fell to his knees.

The Shadow Devouring Dagger slashed upwards, and with a flash of cold light, severed his neck.

Zhao Kui stared wide-eyed in disbelief, then collapsed to the ground, his blood staining the blue bricks.

Cao Mo quickly cut off Zhao Kui's head, wrapped it in cloth, and then took out the skull jade pendant from his pocket—this was the mission token.

After doing all this, he glanced at the unconscious guard, but did not kill him. He turned and rushed out of the side room, disappearing into the night in a few leaps.

It wasn't until half an hour later that the guards in the front yard noticed something was wrong and discovered the horrific scene inside the side room.

The Black Wind Gang headquarters was thrown into chaos. Cries and shouts pierced the night sky, but the killer had already vanished without a trace.

Inside the general store, Cao Mo placed Zhao Kui's head and jade pendant on the counter, instructing him to hand them over to the person who had issued the bounty, before leaving.

"My colleagues, we have lived up to your expectations! The mission is complete." Cao Mo said to Jing Ke and the others after returning to the stronghold.

Jing Ke smiled and stepped forward, saying, "You've worked hard, Brother Cao! You should take a rest."

Then the character "毕" was carved on the main stele.

The next morning, as soon as the morning market in Qingzhou City opened, several independent cultivators gathered together, whispering among themselves.

"Have you heard? Zhao Kui of the Black Wind Gang is gone last night!" A bearded monk took a sip of hot porridge, his voice tinged with excitement.

Upon hearing this, the cultivator selling low-quality pills nearby raised an eyebrow: "Zhao Kui? That ruthless guy with the scar on his left cheek? He's a mid-stage Void Realm cultivator, who dares to mess with him?"

"Who knows? This morning, the Black Wind Gang members went crazy, asking around for the killer. They said Zhao Kui was beheaded and died in a side room of the main hall."

The bearded man clicked his tongue in amazement. "I heard he died silently—that's the kind of method you'd expect from an assassin organization."

The monk in the blue robe put down his chopsticks: "I think it must have been dried by Xiyulou."

"Hasn't the black market been buzzing about it these past few days? They've put up a bounty sign, specifically for this kind of 'troublesome business'."

"The Drizzle Pavilion?" The cultivator selling inferior pills gasped in surprise.

"Is that the Xiyu Tower, capable of directly challenging the Qingyun Sect?"

"Good heavens! They're aiming to become the third largest assassin organization in the Eastern Region."

"Perhaps." The bearded man chuckled. "I think that with the emergence of the Fine Rain Pavilion, the future of Qingzhou is likely to change."

Meanwhile, in a dilapidated house in the south of Qingzhou City.

The man in the black robe suddenly pushed open the door, his hat brim already off, revealing a weathered face.

"Father...Mother...Sister, Zhao Kui is dead!"

The man's voice trembled as he abruptly knelt before the three small earthen graves in the courtyard, tears streaming down his face.

"The murderer who killed you has finally gotten his comeuppance!"

Five years ago, Zhao Kui forcibly took his sister's place and accidentally killed his parents when they came to confront him. Unable to bear the shock, his sister committed suicide.

Over the years, he lived in anonymity, and every spirit stone he accumulated was stained with blood and tears, all for the sake of one day taking revenge.

Yesterday, clinging to the last glimmer of hope, I found the bounty on the Xiyu Tower, and unexpectedly, my long-cherished wish came true in just one night.

He turned and went back into the house, taking out a heavy storage bag—containing the remaining 500,000 low-grade spirit stones.

Half an hour later, the curtain of the black market general store was lifted again.

Upon seeing him, the mole quickly lifted the curtain: "Please come in, sir."

The man in black robes walked to the side of the monument and placed the storage bag in the groove at the bottom of the monument.

The spirit stone transformed into a stream of light that flowed into the stele, and the secondary stele instantly lit up with golden light, confirming that the final payment had been received.

He bowed deeply to the monument, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

He turned and strode out of the shop, sunlight shining on his face, revealing a relieved smile.

On the right side of the main stele of the Drizzle Pavilion, the amount of "spirit stones that can be claimed" has quietly jumped to one million.

Inside the Guanyu Pavilion, Nie Zheng looked at the line of writing and said to Jing Ke beside him, "The first order is done. The road ahead should be easier."

Jing Ke nodded and looked out the window.

The hustle and bustle of Qingzhou City was intensifying as the sun rose higher.

And the name of Xiyulou has quietly taken root in the streets and undercurrents through this first business deal.