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

He held his breath and approached silently. He landed on the roof of the dilapidated temple and listened intently.

A sound came from inside the temple.

"It failed."

The sound wasn't loud, but the hairs on the back of Ghost Hand's head stood on end.

"It was my fault."

Ghost Hand kept his head down, not daring to raise it.

"Your subordinate underestimated Dongfang Weiwo. Black Serpent is at the mid-stage of the Acquired Blood Exchange Realm, while the opponent is only at the peak of the Body Refinement Realm. Logically speaking, it should be a sure thing—"

"It's a sure thing."

The middle-aged man repeated the four words. His tone was flat, as if he were reciting a completely unrelated word.

"Then Black Snake died. His throat was shattered by a single punch."

Cold sweat dripped from Ghost Hand's forehead onto the ground.

"The Black Serpent's corpse is currently in the Zhenfu Division." The middle-aged man put down his teacup, the bottom of which tapped on the table with a soft sound. "That old dog Zheng Yuanlang is investigating."

Although the black snake didn't possess anything that could point to us, the fact that a corpse of a late-stage Blood Transformation Realm cultivator had appeared out of nowhere in Qinghe City was troublesome in itself.

"I'll take care of it right away—"

"What are you dealing with?"

The middle-aged man coldly interrupted him.

"The body is in the hands of the Garrison Commander. What do you plan to do with it? Storm into the Garrison Commander's headquarters and snatch the body?"

Ghost Hand dared not speak again.

The middle-aged man remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Is this Dongfang Weiwo really only at the peak of the Body Refinement Realm?"

"I have personally confirmed it. The aura emanating from him is indeed that of a peak Body Refinement Realm cultivator; there is no trace of him concealing his cultivation level."

"Peak Body Refinement Realm, one punch to kill mid-stage Blood Exchange Realm cultivator."

The middle-aged man tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

"I've experienced the Black Serpent's corpse. Its throat was shattered, its left arm was broken, and its internal organs were injured. This isn't the kind of power a Body Refinement Realm cultivator could unleash."

He paused. His gaze deepened.

"Go investigate further. Find out all the details about him."

Ghost Hand raised his head: "Shall I go investigate?"

"No rush."

The middle-aged man shook his head.

"The Black Serpent is already dead, so we can't send anyone else rashly. First, we need to find out about this Dongfang Weiwo—is he a member of a collateral branch of the Dongfang family? Does he have anyone secretly protecting him? What is his true purpose in coming to Qinghe City? Don't touch him until we figure these things out."

"Yes."

"besides."

The middle-aged man lowered his voice.

Zhao Banshan strained his ears but could only vaguely hear a few words.

"The Blood Demon Cult... cannot be exposed..."

Blood Dark Cult!

My heart skipped a beat.

He had heard of this name before.

The top demonic force in the northwest of the Xuan Tian Dynasty. Secretive in its actions and ruthless in its methods, it has fought against the righteous sects for thousands of years without being at a disadvantage. Unexpectedly, such a behemoth has extended its tentacles to a small place like Qinghe City.

Just then—

"Friends on the rooftop, you've been listening for so long, isn't it time to come down?"

A child's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with mockery.

A chill ran through me.

It's been exposed.

Without hesitation, he flashed and leaped directly off the roof.

It landed in front of the dilapidated temple.

The temple gates were wide open.

There were three people standing inside.

An old beggar. Leaning on a bamboo cane, his body hunched over. The owner of the aged voice.

A thin, small "child," dressed in tattered clothes. But his eyes revealed the shrewdness and ruthlessness of an adult.

There was also a middle-aged man with an ordinary face. He was the "Ghost Hand" who had met with the old beggar in the city earlier.

"Impressive skills."

The child-like leader sized Zhao Banshan up and down.

"Peak of the Golden Body Realm? No... your aura is restrained; you must be deliberately suppressing it. Just who are you?"

Zhao Banshan did not answer.

He countered with, "The Blood Demon Cult?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the three people opposite them all changed.

"You know too much."

A murderous glint flashed in the eyes of the child leader.

"Kill him!"

The old beggar was the first to act.

With a flick of his bamboo staff, it transformed into a myriad of staff shadows. Each strike carried a sharp, fierce aura, enveloping Zhao Banshan's vital points.

The Acquired Divine Power Realm!

Zhao Banshan felt a chill run down his spine, but showed no fear.

With a swift movement, he slipped out of the staff's shadow like a fish. At the same time, he raised both hands, and more than ten hidden weapons were silently launched, taking down three people.

"A master of concealed weapons!"

The old beggar cried out in surprise, sweeping his bamboo cane to knock away the hidden weapon aimed at him.

But the hidden weapons aimed at Ghost Hand were faster and at more difficult angles. Ghost Hand, with only the cultivation of the Acquired Golden Body Realm, had no chance of dodging them.

He let out a muffled groan. A bullet had struck his shoulder, and blood splattered.

The child leader remained completely still.

Let the hidden weapons come at us.

ding ding ding-

The hidden weapons seemed to hit an invisible wall three feet away from him, and they all fell down.

"A protective aura?"

Zhao Banshan's pupils contracted.

Those who can cultivate internal energy must be at least at the Innate Profound Qi Realm.

But upon closer inspection, he noticed something amiss—the child leader's "罡气" (罡气, a kind of internal energy or protective aura) wasn't solid; it seemed more like a pseudo-罡气 activated by some secret technique. A true Xuan Gang Realm cultivator couldn't be approached by hidden weapons at all. Yet his hidden weapon had at least reached within three feet.

"interesting."

The child leader sneered.

"Now that you know the name of the Blood Demon Cult, we can no longer let you live."

Before he could finish speaking...

With a flash, he appeared before Zhao Banshan like a ghost.

He struck out with his palm.

The palm strike was chillingly cold, carrying an aura of decay.

Zhao Banshan dared not take the attack head-on. He retreated rapidly, simultaneously unleashing a barrage of hidden weapons with both hands.

The old beggar and Ghost Hand also made their moves at the same time.

Three people attacked.

Despite facing three opponents alone, Zhao Banshan remained completely composed. His martial arts were known for their agility and versatility, and his skill with hidden weapons was unparalleled in the original world. He moved nimbly and skillfully within the dilapidated temple, holding his own for a time.

But he knew in his heart that continuing to fight like this was not a solution.

Although the child leader was only at the pseudo-罡气 (Phantom Qi) level, his cultivation was at least at the Acquired Divine Power Realm. The old beggar was also at the Acquired Divine Power Realm. With two Divine Power Realm experts working together, the fact that he, a peak Golden Body Realm cultivator, had been able to hold out until now was entirely due to his exquisite use of hidden weapons.

We must finish this quickly!

A glint of light flashed in his eyes.

His body suddenly stopped. As if he had exhausted all his strength.

"Go to hell!"

Ghost Hand was overjoyed at the sight and thrust his knife straight at the enemy.

It's now!

His body suddenly rose higher. He flipped in mid-air. Both hands rose in unison—

This time, he used all his strength.

The hidden weapons were no longer scattered, but converged into a single line, like a shooting star chasing the moon, aimed directly at the ghostly hand.

This move is called "Meteor Chasing the Moon," one of Zhao Banshan's signature hidden weapon techniques. It concentrates all his internal energy into a single hidden weapon, making it so fast that it cannot be detected by the naked eye.

Where can you hide from a ghostly hand?

The hidden weapon struck him squarely in the throat.

Eyes wide. Clutching her neck in disbelief. Blood gushed from between her fingers.

He collapsed to the ground with a thud.

It twitched a few times.

He was lifeless.

"Ghost hands!"

The old beggar roared and brandished his bamboo staff wildly, his attack becoming even more ferocious.

The child leader's face also darkened.

He hadn't expected that a hidden weapon expert at the peak of the Acquired Golden Body Realm could actually kill one of the two Divine Power Realm experts who were attacking him.

"Walk!"

Zhao Banshan struck successfully and did not hesitate.

His figure transformed into a black shadow and burst out of the window.

It disappeared into the night after a few leaps and bounds.

The old beggar wanted to chase after him.

They were stopped by the child leader.

"Stop chasing."

He said coldly.

"This man is skilled in using hidden weapons and has unpredictable movements. Chasing after him may not be enough to catch him."

Moreover—

He glanced at the corpse of Ghost Hand. A sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

"He already knows we are members of the Blood Cult. This must be reported to the cult."

After escaping, Zhao Banshan did not return directly to the Zhenfu branch office.