Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

As night fell, Qingzhou City was shrouded in silence.

In the south of the city, outside the abandoned City God Temple, the moonlight was dim, the shadows of the trees were mottled, and an eerie atmosphere permeated the space.

Dozens of dark figures lurked around like ghosts, their presence completely concealed.

Yuan Tiangang, hidden above the clouds, with eyes like a hawk, surveyed the City God Temple, taking in all the commotion below.

He had already used secret methods to investigate; within the underground stronghold, the area with the strongest spiritual energy fluctuations reached the late Nirvana stage.

There were also three Void Realm auras, five Grandmaster Realm auras, and eight Grandmaster Realm auras.

And twenty Innate Realm cultivators, which was almost exactly as Ye Junlin had predicted.

Inside the underground stronghold, the air reeked of alcohol, and the Blood Slaughter Pavilion cultivators were shouting and yelling.

Completely unaware that the shadow of death was looming overhead.

"Let's do it."

As soon as Di Yun's voice rang out, the lurking shadows moved instantly.

Jing Ke, Nie Zheng, and the others, like arrows released from a bow, were the first to rush towards the hidden sentries around the City God Temple.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

After a few barely audible thuds, the Blood Slaughter Pavilion cultivators on guard duty fell silently, without even having time to scream.

Xuan Er Iron Wall Ape swayed, his arm muscles bulged, and he slammed into the ground of the City God Temple like a battering ram.

With a soft "boom," the ground cracked open, revealing a dark passage below.

Wearing the Holy Mark Mask, Jing Ke was the first to rush in, the Purifying Crystal on the mask gleaming faintly in the dimly lit stronghold.

Nie Zheng, Yao Li, and Zhuan Zhu followed closely behind, while Xuan Yi to Xuan Wu also used their movement techniques to follow them inside.

The passageway reeked of blood, clearly indicating that this was not the first time it had been stained with blood.

In the underground stronghold, the Blood Slaughter Pavilion cultivators were drinking and making merry, completely unaware that death had already descended.

With a clear objective, Jing Ke charged straight at the three Void Realm assassins. The dagger in his hand flashed coldly as he slashed at the neck of the man on the far left.

"Who goes there!" The assassin at the peak of the Void Realm was shocked and hastily parried with his palm, but Jing Ke pierced his wrist with a dagger.

"what!"

Nie Zheng followed closely behind, his sword strikes fierce and sharp. With a flick of his wrist, his longsword was already aimed at his opponent's heart.

Yao Li and Zhuan Zhu then flanked from both sides, entangling the other two Void Realm cultivators.

The four figures moved swiftly and accurately amidst the flashing blades, each strike aimed at vital points.

Although the Blood Slaughter Pavilion's Void Realm assassins fought back fiercely, they were gradually defeated by the tacit cooperation of the four, and their screams were soon drowned out by the sound of clashing weapons.

"Enemy attack!"

Only then did the others from the Blood Slaughter Pavilion react, and their mournful shouts rang out.

On the other side, Xuan Yi (Shi Yong), wearing a blood-patterned ghost mask, led Xuan Er to Xuan Wu to meet five Grandmasters of the Blood Slaughter Pavilion.

Shi Yong swung his longsword, the wind whistling as he aimed straight for the leader's face. Under the activation of the "Blood Slaughter Technique," the blade glowed with a faint bloody light.

"A bunch of nameless scoundrels dare to run wild in my Blood Slaughter Pavilion!"

The Grandmaster at his peak roared and threw a punch to meet the attack. Their fists collided with the blade, producing a dull thud, and both men retreated three steps.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xuan Er Iron Wall Ape lunged forward, its arms locking the arms of a late-stage Grandmaster like iron clamps, remaining completely unmoved despite the opponent's burst of spiritual power.

Xuan Sanfeng moved swiftly, circling behind another Grandmaster, his short blade targeting his weaknesses.

Xuan Si Wei Xiaochao and Xuan Wu Gong Changyang then joined forces to suppress the remaining two Grandmasters.

The five-on-five battle erupted instantly, and the shockwaves from the clash of blood and qi shattered the surrounding tables.

Huang Yi through Huang Shi, wearing blood-patterned ghost masks, followed closely behind.

Like a black torrent, it surged into the crowd of Grandmasters and Innate Realm cultivators.

Huang Yi drew his longsword, its light flashing like a bolt of lightning, instantly drawing two Grandmaster-level experts into the fray.

Huang Er to Huang Shi formed a sword formation, with the ten swords responding to each other.

The remaining Grandmaster and Innate Realm cultivators were encircled in the center, and amidst the flashing sword light, Blood Slaughter Pavilion cultivators fell one after another.

At this moment, Blood Slaughter Pavilion's branch leader, Blood Butcher, broke free from the numbness of alcohol, leaped into the air, and his late-stage Nirvana spiritual power erupted like a raging torrent.

"Who dares to trespass on my Blood Slaughter Pavilion?!"

A furious roar echoed throughout the stronghold.

He glanced across the chaotic battle, his gaze finally settling on Di Yun and Linghu Chong, who were staring at him from the entrance of the passage.

"Who are you people?"

Di Yun and Linghu Chong, both wearing masks adorned with holy marks, exchanged a glance but ignored Xue Tu.

"Shall we do it, or shall we?" Di Yun asked Linghu Chong.

"Let me do it. It's been a long time since I've stretched my muscles," Linghu Chong immediately said.

"court death!"

Blood Butcher was enraged to see the two of them openly discussing who should make the move.

His spiritual power, honed in the late stages of Nirvana, erupted without reservation, causing the air around him to surge and sending fragments of tables and chairs flying everywhere.

He thrust out both palms simultaneously, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, aiming straight for Linghu Chong's face. Before the palm wind even arrived, two shallow marks had already been pressed into the ground.

Linghu Chong, wearing the mask adorned with the Holy Mark, maintained a calm and unwavering gaze until the palm strike was almost upon him.

With a light touch of her toes, her body floated backward like a willow catkin, just avoiding this earth-shattering attack.

At the same time, the longsword was drawn, and the sword light slashed horizontally like a bolt of lightning. It seemed like a light touch, but it accurately landed on the opening between Blood Butcher's two palms.

"clang!"

As the edge of his palm collided with the blade of the sword, Blood Butcher felt a subtle force strike him, causing his palms to be slightly separated.

He was startled—this person's cultivation aura was clearly only at the mid-stage of Nirvana, yet his sword moves were so strange!

Before he could react, Linghu Chong had already closed in, his long sword flashing with several sword flowers, thrusting and slashing, each move aimed at the major acupoints on his body.

Xue Tu tried his best to defend, his palms flashing, but he was always suppressed by Linghu Chong's sword momentum.

It's like being caught in an invisible net; every effort you make feels like hitting cotton, and you have nowhere to use your strength.

"Impossible! You're only at the mid-stage of the Nirvana Realm, how could you possibly withstand an attack from someone at the late-stage Nirvana Realm!"

Blood Butcher was both shocked and furious. He pushed his spiritual power to the limit, attempting to crush Blood Butcher with his cultivation level.

Linghu Chong, however, became increasingly composed, his swordplay agile and graceful, sometimes like a fleeting shadow, sometimes like a raging storm.

Despite their seemingly chaotic appearance, they always managed to evade Blood Butcher's fierce attacks at the last possible moment.

At the same time, he could continuously counterattack. He even had the leisure to say to Di Yun:

"Brother Di, do you think my 'Sword-Breaking Style' is more refined than last time?"

Di Yun nodded and smiled, "It is indeed much more efficient."

"You're courting death!" Blood Butcher was completely enraged by their conversation, his eyes turning bloodshot.

Ignoring all defense and risking a sword wound, he punched Linghu Chong in the chest.

This was his trump card, a desperate move, imbued with a strong aura of bloodshed, clearly indicating that he had practiced some kind of evil art.

A cold glint flashed in Linghu Chong's eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his longsword suddenly changing direction.

It bypassed the fist's force at an incredible angle and pierced through Blood Butcher's dantian with a "whoosh".

"Well……"

Blood Butcher's fist froze in mid-air, his spiritual power instantly dissipated, and all the color drained from his face.