Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

Fine Rain Pavilion.

Inside the Listening to Rain Hall.

Nie Zheng turned around and said in a deep voice to Xuan Yi and Xuan Er beside him, "Xuan Yi, Xuan Er, come with me on this mission."

Xuan Yi and Xuan Er's eyes sharpened, and they replied in unison, "Your subordinate obeys!"

The three changed into night clothes for better concealment, put on the Holy Mark Mask and the Blood-Patterned Demon Mask, and quietly left the Drizzle Tower stronghold.

They transformed into three black shadows and sped towards the Ghost Cry Sect outside Qingzhou City.

The Ghost Cry Sect is located in the Chaotic Burial Mountain, a hundred miles west of Qingzhou City.

The mountain gate was gloomy and perpetually filled with a resentful aura, deterring ordinary cultivators from approaching.

It was already late at night, and the sect was sparsely lit, with only the sect leader's cave on the main peak still glowing faintly.

The three lay in ambush in the dense forest outside the mountain gate. Nie Zheng peered through the branches and leaves into the sect and said in a deep voice:

"Xuanyi, go and clear out the hidden sentries at the edge of the dense forest; then come with me inside and keep watch for me!"

"Xuan Er, deal with the lookout cultivators at the front gate."

"Remember, you must remain completely silent. Make sure to alert everyone!"

"yes!"

Shi Yong and the Iron Wall Ape accepted the order and, with a swift movement, disappeared into the darkness like two wisps of green smoke.

A moment later, Xuan Er stealthily approached the side of the mountain gate like an iron tower, and spotted two early-stage Innate Realm disciples standing guard in the shadows.

He suddenly leaned forward, his arms like steel hoops locking the throats of the two men.

With a soft "crack," the two collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound.

Two barely audible muffled sounds came from the edge of the dense forest that Xuan Yi was in charge of, and then there was no more movement.

"All done." Xuan Er made a gesture.

Nie Zheng nodded, his figure unfurled, and like a ghost, he silently swept past the mountain gate, avoiding the patrolling disciples, and headed straight for the main peak.

He activated the Shadow Technique, his aura merging with the surrounding malevolent energy, making it impossible for even those at the Void Realm to detect him.

Outside the sect leader's cave, two guards at the early stage of the Grandmaster realm were sitting cross-legged, their breathing steady.

Nie Zheng suddenly accelerated, appearing out of thin air as he swept past the two of them.

The longsword was drawn from its sheath, bringing a cold glint to its blade. With a flick of the wrist, the sword swept across the throats of the two men.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

The two guards didn't even open their eyes before they died, their bodies slumping down.

Nie Zheng caught it and gently placed it on the ground without making a sound.

After dealing with the guards, Nie Zheng pushed open the stone door of the cave, and a strong smell of medicine and spiritual energy rushed out.

Inside the cave, an old man dressed in black robes with a withered face sat cross-legged on a stone bed, surrounded by wisps of black mist.

It was Wu Talang, the sect leader of the Ghost Cry Sect, who was at a crucial moment in his attempt to break through to the Nirvana Realm.

His mind was completely absorbed in cultivation, and he was oblivious to the outside world.

Nie Zheng's eyes narrowed, and he moved lightly, stealthily approaching the stone bed like a cat.

Without the slightest hesitation, he directly unleashed "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun" and stabbed straight at Wu Dalang's brow.

Although Wu Dalang was in seclusion, he sensed a deadly crisis and suddenly opened his eyes.

A flicker of horror crossed his eyes, but his reaction was incredibly quick.

He retreated rapidly, his palm strikes like claws, swirling with black poisonous mist.

He immediately shouted angrily, "Who are you? How dare you trespass on my Ghost Cry Sect!"

Nie Zheng did not answer, but immediately raised his sword and aimed straight at his face.

"You're asking for death!" Seeing that Nie Zheng didn't respond, Wu Dalang immediately engaged Nie Zheng in combat.

The two exchanged over ten blows in an instant, their longswords clashing with the poisoned palms, creating ripples of spiritual energy. Wu Danlang exclaimed in surprise:

"Who are you? I have no grudge against you, why are you trying to kill me!"

While Wu Danlang was speaking, Nie Zheng spun around, dodging the poisonous fog, and swung his longsword back, piercing through the opponent's protective aura like lightning.

"Pfft!"

The sword pierced his flesh, and Wu Dalang screamed in agony as his spiritual energy instantly became chaotic.

Nie Zheng leaned in, pressing his left hand against his shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Who I am is none of your concern. All you need to know is that tonight is your death night!"

Before he finished speaking, his right hand thrust the longsword forward, piercing through his heart.

Wu Dalang's pupils dilated suddenly, his eyes filled with disbelief and resentment.

Just as he was about to cry out, Nie Zheng struck him on the top of the head with a backhand, extinguishing his life force completely.

Nie Zheng drew his sword back into its sheath, the bloodstains on it instantly washed away by his spiritual energy. He then searched the cave.

They took the token representing the sect leader's identity—proof that the mission was complete.

He then said to Xuan Yi, who had come to keep watch outside, "Retreat."

The two met up with Xuan Er and quietly retreated. On the way back, Xuan Yi couldn't help but say:

"Lord Nie's 'reverse slash' just now was so sudden and difficult to defend against."

Nie Zheng said calmly, "When facing an enemy, a weakness can only last for a moment; once you seize it, that's enough."

The night was as dark as ink, and the gates of the Ghost Cry Sect creaked in the wind.

Unbeknownst to anyone, their leader, Wu Dalang, had perished tonight under the sword of Xiyulou.

.......

As dawn broke, three dark figures silently landed on the training ground of the Xiyulou stronghold.

Nie Zheng, Xuan Yi, and Xuan Er removed their masks, their faces showing some fatigue, but their eyes remained sharp.

"Lord Nie." A passing assassin, seeing that there were three of them, greeted them in a low voice.

Nie Zheng nodded and walked straight towards the main monument bearing the reward.

At this moment, the mission information for "Wu Talang" on the main monument is still shining brightly.

He raised his hand and placed it on the light screen, his fingertips swirling with spiritual energy, carving a simple character "毕" (bi) below the information.

As the character "毕" was carved, the light of the mission information on the main stele gradually faded, turning into a stream of light that disappeared into the stele, leaving only a faint mark.

"Xuan Er".

Nie Zheng turned around and tossed the Ghost Cry Sect Master's token, stained with a little blood, to Xuan Er Iron Wall Ape.

"Take this to the black market general store and give it to the burrowing rat so he can pass it on to the person who commissioned it."

"Yes." Xuan Er took the token, put it in his pocket, and turned to disappear outside the stronghold.

Xuan Yi looked at the mark on the main monument and whispered:

"Lord Nie, this task will be completed in less than a day. I'm sure the person who commissioned it will be extremely satisfied."

Nie Zheng said calmly, "Remember! The efficiency of Xiyu Tower has always been like this. Once a task is accepted, they act swiftly and decisively, never procrastinating."

"Go back and rest. Someone will handle your mission points and the remaining reward."

Xuan Yi responded and left. The training ground quickly returned to calm, with only the morning light shining through the clouds, casting a warm hue on the white jade main stele.

The next morning,

Ghost Cry Sect.

The mist over the mass grave had not yet dissipated when several disciples responsible for serving the sect leader arrived at the main peak cave with pills in their hands.

Seeing the stone gate slightly ajar, the disciples were puzzled—at this time on ordinary days, the sect leader would have already finished his morning practice, but today it was unusually quiet.

"Sect Master?" a disciple called out tentatively, but there was no response.

He mustered his courage and pushed open the stone door, and a strong smell of blood mixed with the smell of medicine hit him.

On the stone bed, Wu Dalang's eyes were wide open, a small bloody hole was stuck in his chest, and he had already lost his breath. The black mist around him had also dissipated without a trace.

"Zong, Zong Master!"

The disciple was so frightened that the medicine bowl in his hand crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces.

The piercing shouts, like thunderclaps, exploded above the sect leader's cave.