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

A duel between peak Divine Vein Realm experts.

The two moved so fast they were almost invisible. Only the piercing sound of clashing metal and the explosive force of their movements echoed through the night sky.

The stone slabs in the courtyard were shattered underfoot. Several cracks appeared in the courtyard wall from the force of the impact. The elite troops of the Zhenfu Division and the disciples of the White Lotus Sect all retreated far away, not daring to approach.

Lu Zhennan took the opportunity to adjust his breathing and resumed fighting with Abbess Jingxu and Black Monster.

A short sword slashes horizontally. The blade flashes like the moon.

Jingxu waved his whisk, and a thousand threads entangled the blade.

The grotesque black-clad figure approached from the side, his claw aimed at Lu Zhennan's chest. Lu Zhennan dodged, his blade flashing as he slashed at the black-clad figure's wrist. The black-clad figure recoiled, his fingertips sliced ​​by the blade. Blood splattered.

"Impressive swordsmanship," the old black-haired monster sneered. "But how long can you hold out alone?"

Lu Zhennan's heart sank.

It certainly can't last much longer. Master Jingxu and the Black Monster work together seamlessly, one leading from the front, the other stealing from the side. He must remain constantly on edge.

Mo Wuhen has temporarily stalled Granny Zhou. However, the outcome is uncertain in the short term.

Lu Zhennan's original plan was that with him and Mo Wuhen in charge of the underground vault, they would be enough to deal with the White Lotus Sect. However, he hadn't expected the White Lotus Sect to send three elders at the Divine Vein Realm. This exceeded his expectations.

Shen Lian rushed in through the side door. He was covered in blood and looked anxious.

"My lord! Reinforcements have arrived from the east! At least fifty members of the White Lotus Cult have stormed in through the east gate! And—there are two more groups of people whose origins are unknown!"

Lu Zhennan was startled.

Two groups of people whose origins were unknown.

He miscalculated.

Unexpectedly, the White Lotus Sect mobilized its entire force this time, with a number far exceeding expectations. Even more unexpectedly, besides the White Lotus Sect, other forces were also taking advantage of the situation.

"Shen Lian! Take men to the East Gate and block them!" Lu Zhennan shouted, forcing Master Jingxu back with a single strike.

"yes!"

Shen Lian led twenty elite soldiers and turned to leave.

Lu Zhennan gritted his teeth. He brandished his short sword wildly, engaging the two in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

East of the city. Outside the Thousand Household Garrison.

The White Lotus Reinforcements stormed in through the east gate, engaging in street fighting with the elite troops of the Zhenfu Division. Swords clashed, screams filled the air, and blood flowed like rivers in the streets, corpses strewn about.

The elite troops of the Zhenfu Division were not to be trifled with. Roadblocks were set up at the alley entrance. Archers occupied the rooftops, shooting down from above.

The two sides are deadlocked.

Amidst the chaotic crowd, a group of people quietly made their way to the side gate of the garrison.

All dressed in black. Masked. Moving in perfect unison. Working in perfect coordination. Clearly well-trained.

The leader was tall and thin, with eyes like a hawk.

Xuanqi.

Few in the martial arts world have heard of this man. But the faction he belongs to is known to everyone in the thirteen western prefectures—

Skynet.

The top ten assassin intelligence organization in the Xuan Tian Dynasty. The most feared dark force in the thirteen western prefectures. It is said that as long as you can afford the price, there is no one they cannot kill, and no secret they cannot uncover.

The man in black who blocked the three top experts of the Six Doors on the official road—the one who snapped the longsword of a mid-stage Divine Meridian Realm expert with a flick of his finger—was from the Heavenly Net. Xuan Qi was merely a minor leader on the outer perimeter of the Heavenly Net. The true core members were far more powerful than him.

The rules of Skynet are simple: receive orders, kill, take the money. No questions asked, no right or wrong. This time, the order is to seize the Heavenly Origin Medicine, at any cost.

"Boss, the Zhenfu Division's men are all in the front yard. The back yard is empty."

Xuan Qi nodded. He waved his hand.

Ten dark figures leaped over the side wall and landed silently in the backyard.

The backyard was a complete mess.

Lu Zhennan, Mo Wuhen, Granny Zhou, Old Monster Hei, and Abbess Jingxu were engaged in a fierce battle. Their energy radiated outwards, making it difficult to even get close.

Xuan Qi did not approach.

The mission isn't to fight to the death against a Divine Vein Realm expert. It's to seize a precious elixir.

He led his men and moved quickly along the basement wall, heading straight for the entrance.

There was only one old soldier guarding the entrance to the basement—all the guards had been moved to the front yard. Before the old soldier could even shout, Xuan Qi knocked him unconscious with a single palm strike.

"Go in."

Ten dark figures filed in.

In the basement, a sandalwood box sits on a stone platform.

Xuanqi opened it.

empty.

"Damn it," he cursed, throwing the wooden box to the ground.

Footsteps could be heard outside the basement.

Lu Zhennan's voice: "Looks like a mouse has sneaked in."

Xuan Qi's expression changed.

He didn't expect Lu Zhennan to find out so quickly.

"withdraw!"

Ten dark figures rushed out of the underground parking garage, only to be met head-on by Lu Zhennan's gleaming blade.

A single slash descends. The wind from the blade is like thunder. Aiming straight for the face.

Xuan Qi dodged to the side. He then struck back with his palm. The force of his palm collided with the blade. A muffled thud.

Lu Zhennan's pupils contracted.

This person's cultivation level is at least at the late stage of the Divine Meridian Realm.

His movements were unpredictable. His palm techniques were insidious. It didn't seem like the style of the White Lotus Sect. Nor did it resemble the Mad Saber Sect or the Iron Sword Sect. It seemed more like…

His heart skipped a beat.

He recognized that movement technique. Ten years ago, when investigating a family annihilation case, he had seen a similar description in the case files.

Skynet.

"Are you from Skynet?"

Xuan Qi did not answer. He pounced again.

The palm strikes were swift and ruthless. Each strike aimed at a vital point.

Lu Zhennan parried with his short sword. The impact made his hand go numb.

Mo Wuhen's sword has arrived.

A sword flash came from the side. It was too fast to react.

Xuan Qi dodged to the side with all his might. The sword light sliced ​​through his left arm. Blood splattered. He groaned and used the momentum to retreat.

"Walk!"

Ten dark figures quickly disappeared into the night.

Mo Wuhen didn't give chase. The mission was to protect the medicine, not to hunt them down.

"My lord, is the precious medicine still available?"

Lu Zhennan entered the underground parking garage. He checked everything. He did not answer Mo Wuhen's question.

He simply stared at the empty sandalwood box, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Precious medicine?

The official road escort was a ruse. The ambush in the underground vault was a ruse. He never even intended for anyone to leave the garrison with the medicine.

The Heavenly Origin Medicine is not here at all.

The front yard of the Thousand Household Office.

The White Lotus Reinforcements are still launching a fierce attack.

Shen Lian led the elite troops of the Zhenfu Division to guard the key passes. Arrows rained down. The White Lotus Sect disciples suffered heavy casualties. But the White Lotus Sect had too many people—more than fifty, including many experts at the Innate Realm. The Zhenfu Division, holding the advantage of terrain, continued to shrink its defensive line.

Another group of people stormed in from the south gate.

Mad Blade Sect.

Lei Potian personally led the team, followed by thirty elite soldiers. He had originally come to the underground parking lot to loaf around, but seeing the lively fight in the front yard, he changed his mind at the last minute.

"Fire!" came the order. "Take advantage of the chaos and loot!"

The Mad Saber Sect disciples, like wolves and tigers, pounced on the Zhenfu Division's defensive line. They weren't helping the White Lotus Sect, nor were they helping the Zhenfu Division—they were simply taking advantage of the chaos.

Shen Lian's face turned ashen.

"Damn it!"

While directing operations, he also sent people to request reinforcements from Lu Zhennan. But Lu Zhennan was barely managing to save himself. Where would he find the manpower?

Inside and outside the garrison, a three-way battle raged.

The Pacification Division. The White Lotus Sect. The Mad Saber Sect.

The three families are in complete chaos.

Swords clashed and flames soared into the sky.

Screams. Shouts of battle. Clash of weapons. Echoed through the night sky.

South City Wharf.

It was late at night. A small boat was moored on the shore.

There were two people on the boat: Liu Ruyan and her second-in-command, Liu An.

Liu Ruyan's injuries hadn't fully healed. Her face was still pale, and her eyes remained sharp as knives. She carried a small jade box in her bosom—a gift from Lu Zhennan. According to the plan, she would depart by water to attract any potential third-party forces.

"Chief Constable, are we really leaving?" Liu An asked nervously.

"Let's go." Liu Ruyan stood up. "According to plan."

The small boat slowly sailed away from the dock.

They hadn't gone a mile when several dark figures suddenly appeared on the river.

"There's an ambush!" Liu An drew his sword.

Liu Ruyan didn't move. She coldly watched the dark figure, a sneer playing on her lips.

A dark figure pounced on the boat and engaged Liu An in battle. Liu Ruyan drew her sword to help, and with a flash of light, she slew one of them.

But the shadowy figures multiplied. More than ten people.

Liu Ruyan possesses high cultivation, but she is still recovering from serious injuries, significantly reducing her combat strength. Liu An is only at the mid-stage of the Profound Realm. They cannot handle so many people.

Just as things were getting dangerous, another small boat came from downstream.

A man dressed in black stood on the boat.

Xuanqi.

He led his men onto Liu Ruyan's boat and snatched the jade box from her arms.

turn on.

empty.

Xuan Qi's face turned ashen. He slammed the jade box onto the deck.

"Lu Zhennan... what a cunning old fox."

He turned to leave.

An arrow shot from the shore, aimed straight at his back.

Xuan Qi dodged to the side. The arrow grazed his ear and embedded itself deeply in the mast.

On the bank, twenty archers from the Zhenfu Division rose from the grass, their arrows aimed at everyone on the river.

"Put down your weapons and surrender!" the leading centurion shouted.

Xuan Qi didn't bother with words. He struck out with his palm. The powerful palm wind sent several archers flying.

"withdraw."

He led people into the river. They disappeared.

Liu Ruyan steadied herself against the boat's side, panting heavily, her face deathly pale.

"Chief Constable..."

"It's nothing," she waved her hand. "Go back." She glanced at the empty jade box and suddenly smiled.

Lu Zhennan, oh Lu Zhennan.

The official road escort was a ruse. The underground ambush was a ruse. Even letting her travel by water was a trap.

The real medicine has never left the dock.

Amidst the weeds on the riverbank, lay an old, long-abandoned boat. Its hull was cracked, and half of it was stuck in the mud; even beggars wouldn't spend the night in it.

No one will notice this wrecked ship.

No one would have imagined that the priceless Tianyuan Medicine was hidden in a hidden compartment at the bottom of the ship.

Lu Zhennan is a man who never believes in any plan.

He only trusts himself.