Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

He hesitated for a moment, then turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"Go find Iron Knife King again."

"Senior brother?"

"Tell him—" Ling Yunzi's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail driven into the ground, "The Azure Dragon Society will definitely get involved in the ancient ruins of the Endless Mountains. If we don't join forces to suppress them now, no one will get a share once the ruins open."

Ling Xiaozhi nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly remembered something: "Senior brother, why don't we transfer more people from the sect?"

Ling Yunzi shook his head.

"The west is Qinglong Temple's territory. After Wanfo Temple closed its gates, Qinglong Temple became the leader of the Buddhist sects in the west. If our Antarctic Sword Sect were to enter in large numbers, it would cause unnecessary conflict."

He looked up into the distance, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

"Two Grandmasters are already the limit. Any more than that—Qinglong Temple will not stand idly by."

Ling Xiaozhi suddenly realized, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "That's why we need to unite with the Iron Blood Hall and the Chaotian Palace."

"Not bad." A cold glint flashed in Ling Yunzi's eyes, like the coldest star in a winter night. "Use the power of local forces to suppress the Azure Dragon Society. Once the ruins open, we'll each rely on our own abilities."

Each relies on their own abilities.

These four words were spoken very softly, but Ling Xiaozi could sense the murderous intent behind them.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "I'll take care of it right away."

Having said that, he flew away, his figure quickly disappearing into the mountain mist.

Ling Yunzi turned and looked at the endless mountain range.

The mountain wind picked up, and dark clouds pressed in from afar, plunging the world into gloom.

Ancient ruins...

That was his chance to break through to the fifth level of the Grandmaster realm, and he absolutely could not let it slip away.

He gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist tightly, his knuckles turning white.

The Green Dragon Society, let me see just how much you're capable of.

Skynet headquarters, deep within an unknown place.

At the far end of the main hall, a chair carved from blood jade sits high above.

A person dressed in a black robe was sitting in the chair.

His face was hidden in the shadow of his hood, making it impossible to see his features. Only a pair of cold, unsettling eyes could be seen—eyes like two knives, icy and sharp, capable of piercing the heart.

"Dark Spider" Yin Wuxie.

Commander of the Heavenly Net, Grandmaster of the Sixth Heaven.

Before him, on the cold floor tiles of the hall, knelt a man dressed in black.

The man in black was trembling.

It wasn't cold. It was the oppressive aura of a Grandmaster at the sixth level, like an invisible mountain pressing down on him, bending his back and almost touching his forehead to the ground.

"Bloody Hand... is dead." The man in black's voice trembled, as if squeezed out from between his teeth. "He was killed on the spot, leaving no trace of his body."

After he finished speaking, the hall became eerily quiet.

Yin Wuxie's fingers paused.

The gentle tapping sound on the armrest abruptly stopped.

"Explain yourself." His voice was low, even calm. But it was precisely this calmness that made the man in black tremble even more.

"Lord Bloodhand has infiltrated Pingyang County, his target is Dongfang Weiwo."

The man in black lay on the ground, speaking faster as if he could suffer less by speaking quickly, "But the target was protected by a powerful figure. Lord Bloodhand didn't even see the opponent's sword before he was killed with a single strike."

He paused for a moment, cold sweat dripping from his forehead onto the cold iron floor tiles, making a soft "plop" sound.

"The person who made the move... his cultivation was at least at the fifth level of a Grandmaster. Our men witnessed it from afar, and none dared to approach. Lord Bloodhand..." the man in black's voice almost murmured, "...did not return alive."

Yin Wuxie remained silent for a moment.

Blood Hand, a Grandmaster at the fourth level, ranks seventh on the Skynet Assassin List. He is experienced in assassinations, ruthless in his methods, and has never failed.

Never failed.

Now, no remains remain.

Dongfang Weiwo – the second son of the Weeping Blood Marquis Dongfang Wudi, whose mother is Princess Qin Lanyin.

Yin Wuxie already knew this information, so he sent Blood Hand to investigate.

What threat could a sixteen-year-old boy pose?

But ironically, this young man was protected by a powerful expert at the fifth level of the Grandmaster realm.

"Have you found out who did it?" Yin Wuxie asked.

"No." The man in black knelt on the ground, his voice tinged with fear. "The enemy only struck once, and Lord Bloodhand died on the spot. When our men arrived, they only saw Bloodhand's corpse—a clean, neat sword wound from his brow to his chest. They found no trace of anyone else."

One sword.

From the center of the forehead to the chest.

Clean and neat.

Yin Wuxie's fingers began tapping on the armrest again, the "tap-tap" sound particularly clear in the silent hall, like some kind of countdown.

Skynet's rule is: once an order is accepted, it must be completed. If it cannot be completed, then it must be completed at a much higher cost. Otherwise, Skynet's reputation will be ruined.

However, the enemy has guards at the fifth level of Grandmaster—or even higher. To kill Dongfang Weiwo, the person sent must be even stronger.

Grandmaster Level Six?

He himself was a Grandmaster at the sixth level. But if he personally intervened and something went wrong…

Yin Wuxie stood up.

His black robes billowed without wind, casting a long shadow in the hall. He began to pace, his steps light, yet each one echoed clearly in the empty hall.

He was weighing his options.

The green light from the blood-jade chair reflected on his hood, making his cold, eerie eyes flicker between light and shadow.

"Suspend the assassination attempt on Dongfang Weiwo."

The man in black suddenly looked up, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The commander never backs down.

"Commander, that order..."

"The order will not be cancelled, but its execution will be temporarily suspended."

Yin Wuxie stopped and turned around, looking down at the kneeling man in black. His eyes held no emotion, only cold calculation. "First, find out who the guards beside Dongfang Weiwo are, what their backgrounds are, and what their cultivation levels are. Until you find out, do not make any rash moves."

"yes!"

The man in black kowtowed heavily, accepted the order, and left. His steps were much faster than when he arrived, as if he were fleeing this gloomy palace.

Yin Wuxie sat back down on the blood jade chair.

The main hall returned to a deathly silence.

His fingers stopped tapping, but the cold light in his eyes grew colder, like two poisoned daggers.

The son of the Marquis of Weeping Blood...

This matter is becoming increasingly complicated.

Skynet began to shrink its influence.

Some of the visible strongholds quietly withdrew, like the receding tide, without a sound.

Some astute assassins sensed the shift in the political climate and began seeking new backers.

At this time, the June Hall of the Azure Dragon Society quietly made its move.

Zhuo Donglai personally took charge of the operation.

"Join the Azure Dragon Society, or get out of the West."

Zhuo Donglai's words were direct and effective.

Every assassin who received the invitation made the same choice—to join.

In just half a month, over a hundred assassins joined the Azure Dragon Society, including many Grandmaster-level experts. They were incorporated into the June Hall and placed under the unified management of Zhuo Donglai.

Zhuo Donglai dispersed and regrouped these people, using his unique methods to mold this group of unruly assassins into an impenetrable net.

Skynet made no response to this—at least not on the surface.

But everyone knows that this is just the calm before the storm.

The wind is brewing.

Thunder was building up in the clouds.