Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

He stared incredulously at the sword blade in his chest, then at the calm eyes beneath Linghu Chong's mask, eyes filled with resentment and bitterness.

"I'm not reconciled... The Blood Slaughter Pavilion will not let you get away with this! The Celestial Realm expert at headquarters will avenge me; you will all die!"

Linghu Chong remained expressionless, flicked his wrist, and drew his longsword, spraying a spray of blood.

Blood Butcher swayed and collapsed to the ground, his eyes still filled with endless resentment as he died.

Almost simultaneously, the battles at various locations within the strongholds were also nearing their end.

Jing Ke and his three companions surrounded and attacked three Void Realm cultivators, their teamwork seamless.

Jing Ke's dagger aimed straight for vital points, Nie Zheng launched a frontal assault with his longsword, while Yao Li and Zhuan Zhu harassed from both sides. In just over ten rounds...

The last Void Realm cultivator was struck in the throat by Jing Ke's spinning attack, severing all his life force.

On Xuan Yi's side, his longsword had already cleaved through the protective aura of a Grandmaster at the peak. With a flash of sword light, the opponent fell to the ground.

Xuan Er Iron Wall Ape forcefully twisted off its opponent's arm.

Xuan Sanfeng's short blade pierced precisely into the enemy's heart from behind.

Xuan Si and Xuan Wu have also achieved their respective goals, and all five Blood Slaughter Pavilion Grandmasters have been killed.

The Yellow-Letter Assassin's sword formation was utterly devastating, with ten longswords intertwined into a net.

The remaining Grandmasters and Innate Realm cultivators were unable to break through and were soon covered in corpses.

The entire underground stronghold fell into complete silence, with only the heavy stench of blood lingering in the air.

Jing Ke wiped the blood off his dagger, glanced around at the assassins with the Xuan and Huang characters on their names, and said in a deep voice, "Clean up the traces, let's retreat."

"yes!"

The group acted swiftly, dragging all the corpses deeper into the passage and setting fire to the flammable materials they had prepared beforehand.

After doing all this, the dozens of dark figures silently withdrew from the City God Temple, just as they had come.

A moment later, a muffled explosion came from underground, and the ground of the City God Temple collapsed, burying all the evil and traces.

Above the clouds, Yuan Tiangang watched the shadowy figures disappear as if blending into the night, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

This night raid was swift and efficient, testing the new members' abilities and showcasing the power of the Blood Slaughter Technique, Shadow Technique, and the mask.

He turned and looked at the collapsed Blood Slaughter Pavilion branch, thinking to himself: From now on, the Blood Slaughter Pavilion will no longer exist in Qingzhou City!

The night remained deep, and the cultivators of Qingzhou City slept soundly as usual. Unbeknownst to them, the Blood Slaughter Pavilion branch, which had occupied the south of the city for many years, had been reduced to ashes tonight.

Only the pale moonlight shone silently on the collapsed ruins, as if witnessing this silent end.

.....

The Fine Rain Pavilion stronghold, the training ground.

In the darkness of night, dozens of dark figures silently descended; they were Jing Ke and his companions, who had just returned from the City God Temple.

The group removed their masks, revealing slightly tired but excited faces.

Yuan Tiangang descended from the clouds, slowly walked into the training ground, his gaze swept over the crowd, and he nodded slowly:

"Well done, clean and efficient, without leaving a single flaw."

Di Yun and the others stepped forward, clasped their hands in greeting, and said, "We have not failed in our mission."

"The performance of the Xuan and Huang assassins in their first real combat operation is commendable."

Yuan Tiangang looked at Shi Yong and the other fifteen men, his tone filled with approval.

"Especially Xuan Yi, who held his own against a Grandmaster at the peak, and Huang Yi's sword formation was also quite well-organized."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yong, Huang Yi, and the others all bowed and said:

"I dare not take credit; it is all thanks to the cultivation of the monarch and the esteemed officials, as well as the profound mystery of the cultivation method."

Yuan Tiangang smiled and then asked, "Were there any spoils from the Blood Slaughter Pavilion branch this time?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Ke waved to those behind him.

Several assassins with yellow-lettered names stepped forward and placed storage bags on the ground. With the activation of their spiritual power, the bags opened, revealing the items inside.

— Piles of spirit stones, various weapons, elixirs, as well as some cultivation manuals and map scrolls.

"These were found on the bodies of Blood Slaughter Pavilion cultivators and in the stronghold's treasury. A preliminary inventory has been taken."

Several spirit stones, seven mid-grade spirit artifacts, over twenty low-grade spirit artifacts, one hundred bottles of healing and cultivation-enhancing pills, and some miscellaneous items.

Jing Ke reported to the authorities.

Yuan Tiangang stepped forward, casually picked up a jade slip to examine it, and found that it contained some of the Blood Slaughter Pavilion's communication codes in Qingzhou City.

He nodded in satisfaction: "These are all practical items."

He then said to Jing Ke, "Take some men to register these resources and categorize them for storage in the Xiyu Tower's treasure vault."

"From now on, assassins of the Earth, Mystic, and Yellow ranks can use their mission points to exchange for the resources they need in the treasure vault."

"Cultivation techniques, elixirs, and weapons are all acceptable; the higher your points, the more valuable the items you can exchange for."

"Understood, sir," Jing Ke replied, and immediately arranged for people to inventory the supplies.

Upon hearing this, the assassins with the characters "Xuan" and "Huang" immediately lit up with a gleam in their eyes.

Having a clear exchange mechanism means that as long as you work hard to complete tasks, you can get enough resources to improve your cultivation level, which is more inspiring than any other incentive.

"Alright, let's rest for tonight. Tomorrow, everyone should perform their duties and not slack off." After giving his instructions, Yuan Tiangang turned and left.

Everyone dispersed, leaving only the disciple responsible for inventorying the supplies in the training ground.

Under the lamplight, the luster of the spirit stones and the cold glint of the weapons complemented each other, adding to the profound atmosphere of the Fine Rain Pavilion.

The next morning,

South of Qingzhou City.

News of the collapse of the City God Temple spread like wildfire, attracting many curious cultivators to visit.

On the ruins, several early-rising cultivators were examining the collapsed area, looking through the cracks in the ground.

Occasionally, one can see a few blurry fragments of limbs, stained with long-dried black blood.

"What happened? It was fine yesterday, how did it collapse overnight?" A cultivator in a blue robe frowned.

His companion crouched down, picked up a piece of blood-stained cloth, and sniffed it:

"There's a bloody smell; a great battle must have taken place here. Judging from the residual spiritual energy in these severed limbs, the cultivator was at least a Grandmaster..."

"Grandmaster realm? I haven't heard of any factions fighting each other in Qingzhou City recently."

"Who knows? Maybe some powerful force hiding here has been targeted by enemies."

The crowd discussed the matter animatedly, but no one could recognize that the severed limbs belonged to the Blood Slaughter Pavilion.

—The Blood Slaughter Pavilion cultivators are secretive and rarely show their true faces. Moreover, the aura on the severed limbs had long been covered by the explosion and the mud.

In the end, everyone could only guess that it was some unknown fight. After discussing it for a while, they dispersed, leaving only a few busybodies lingering around the ruins.

The news spread rapidly throughout Qingzhou City, like a pebble thrown into a lake.

Half an hour later, a cultivator wearing a gray cloak mingled in the crowd.

Upon seeing the ruins and severed limbs, his pupils contracted sharply, and he quietly retreated, hurrying towards a secluded valley outside the city.

Deep in the valley, a black stone building stands, which is the Blood Killing Pavilion's temporary contact point outside Qingzhou City.

The gray-robed cultivator rushed into the hall, knelt on one knee before a middle-aged man with a gloomy face at the head of the table, his voice trembling:

"M-My lord! Something terrible has happened! The Qingzhou branch... is gone!"