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

In the dilapidated hall, Sun Tiegu's face was ashen.

Three corpses lay before them—Zhao Tieyi's body had been returned, a sword wound piercing his heart, his death a gruesome sight.

"Elder Zhao died at the hands of the Azure Dragon Society..." Sun Tiegu gritted his teeth. "Have you found out who did it?"

According to reports from the disciples who escaped, Zhao Tieyi was patrolling the streets when he encountered Meng Xinghun, the leader of the Qinglong Society, and another assassin in black.

The black-clad assassin's swordsmanship was extremely fast; he pierced Elder Zhao's heart with a single strike, killing him instantly.

"Meng Xinghun..." Zhou Tieshan frowned. "That leader of the Azure Dragon Society? He's only at the early stage of the Profound Realm, how could he possibly kill Elder Zhao?"

"There's one more person," Sun Tiegu said. "A man in black, with unpredictable swordsmanship, who never shows his face. He's said to be the shadow bodyguard of Shangguan Jin Hong, the leader of the Azure Dragon Society, and his cultivation is unfathomable."

"Shadow Guards?" Zhou Tieshan gasped.

"The Azure Dragon Society's strength is unfathomable." Sun Tiegu stood up. "Uncle-Master Iron Hand has escaped with serious injuries, and reinforcements from the Green Wood Sword Sect should be arriving soon. Once they arrive, we'll join forces with them to wipe out the Azure Dragon Society in one fell swoop and avenge Elder Zhao!"

A disciple rushed in: "Elder Sun, the Green Wood Sword Sect has sent word that True Person Green Wood has arrived in the county town and will officially declare war on the Azure Dragon Society in three days! We are to prepare for a joint attack!"

Sun Tiegu breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile finally appeared on his face.

"Great! That's wonderful!"

He walked up to Zhao Tieyi's corpse and whispered, "Junior Brother Zhao, your revenge will be taken soon."

Zhou Tieshan, however, was somewhat worried: "Senior Brother Sun, Master Qingmu said he wanted to join forces, but I'm afraid he wants to swallow up our Iron Sword Sect..."

"Swallow us?" Sun Tiegu sneered. "He just wants us to be cannon fodder. We'll figure out a way to escape after we finish fighting the Azure Dragon Society. Although Uncle Iron Hand is seriously injured, as long as he's alive, the Iron Sword Sect won't fall."

"But……"

"No buts," Sun Tiegu interrupted him. "The most urgent matter is revenge. As for the future of the Iron Sword Sect... we'll talk about that later."

Zhou Tieshan sighed and said nothing more.

Zhenfu Division Thousand Household Office

Lu Zhennan sat in his study with a confidential report in front of him.

"The reinforcements from the Qingmu Sword Sect have arrived, including Master Qingmu, a mid-stage Grandmaster."

He read aloud the contents of the secret report, "Declare war on the Azure Dragon Society in three days... Interesting."

Mo Wuhen stood in the shadows, his voice calm: "Lord Commander, what should we do?"

"We won't get involved." Lu Zhennan put down the secret report. "Let them fight like dogs, we'll sit back and watch them fight."

"But what if the Azure Dragon Society wins..."

"So what if we win?" Lu Zhennan sneered. "No matter how strong the Azure Dragon Society is, they wouldn't dare to touch anyone from the imperial court."

Mo Wuhen was silent for a moment: "What I'm worried about is not that the Azure Dragon Society will take action against the imperial court, but that after the Azure Dragon Society unifies the county, it will become too powerful to control."

"That depends on whether they have the ability." Lu Zhennan stood up and walked to the window. "Qingmu Zhenren is at the mid-stage of the Grandmaster realm, while Shangguan Jin Hong is at most at the early stage of the Grandmaster realm. The outcome is uncertain. Even if Shangguan Jin Hong wins, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. It won't be too late for us to clean up the mess then."

"What does Your Excellency mean?"

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." A glint flashed in Lu Zhennan's eyes. "Let them fight, we'll watch. But secretly, keep a close eye on them, especially the Azure Dragon Society. I suspect they're the ones who stole the Heavenly Origin Medicine. Also, continue investigating Shangguan Jin Hong's identity. This person appeared out of nowhere; he must have a background."

"Yes."

Mo Wuhen's figure flashed and disappeared into the darkness.

Lu Zhennan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the moonlight outside the window, muttering to himself, "Dongfang Weiwo... that kid is quite well-behaved, cultivating every day. I hope he has nothing to do with the Azure Dragon Society."

A hidden basement in Pingyang County

Xuan Qi sat cross-legged, his injuries having mostly healed.

A man in black stood before him, his aura unfathomable, his body shrouded in shadow, obscuring his face.

"How is the Spider Branch Master's injury?" Xuan Qi asked.

"It's very serious," the man in black said. "Shangguan Jin Hong's attack almost shattered his heart meridian. He will need at least three months to recover."

"So who's in charge of Skynet in the county town now?"

"Me." The man in black removed his cloak, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. His features were ordinary, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's. "Shadow, the deputy branch leader of Tianwang Guangling Prefecture."

Xuan Qi's expression changed: "Lord Shadow has come in person?"

"Spider is seriously injured, and the higher-ups are furious," Shadow said coldly. "Since the founding of Skynet, we have never suffered such a major setback in a county town. The branch leader is seriously injured, and more than half of our hundred assassins have been killed or wounded. This is an utter disgrace."

"How does the adult plan to deal with this?"

"Investigate first," Shadow said. "Find out the Azure Dragon Society's background, and find out the true identity of that Dragon and Phoenix Ring Grandmaster. Then..."

He paused, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

"Although the Azure Dragon Society hasn't shown much strength yet, they are very mysterious, and the identities of those people are unknown. I just received news that an inner elder of the Azure Wood Sword Sect has arrived; they are also here to deal with the Azure Dragon Society."

"Does Your Excellency intend to..."

"Let's take a look first." Shadow walked to the wall, where a map of Pingyang County was hanging. "If the Azure Dragon Society is no match for the Azure Wood Sword Sect, we'll all attack and wipe them out."

"What if the Azure Dragon Society defeats the Azure Wood Sword Sect?"

"Then..." Shadow pondered for a moment, "remain still. There's no need to offend an unfathomable force for a single Heavenly Essence Medicine."

"But will the higher-ups agree?"

"Those above only care about the results."

Shadow said calmly, "As long as we can get the Heavenly Origin Medicine, the process doesn't matter. If the Azure Dragon Society can really defeat the Azure Wood Sword Sect, it means their strength far exceeds our expectations. At that time, instead of fighting head-on, we should find a way to cooperate."

Xuan Qi was surprised: "Cooperation?"

"Skynet is an assassin organization, not an army," Shadow sneered. "Anyone who can afford the price can be our employer. If the Azure Dragon Society is really that powerful, it's not unreasonable for us to work for them."

Xuan Qi remained silent.

As expected, Lord Shadow is cunning and calculating, always prioritizing his own interests.

"So what do we do now?"

"wait."

Shadow put his cloak back on. "We'll make a decision after the outcome of the duel between the Green Wood Sword Sect and the Azure Dragon Society is out."

Li Family Mansion

Li Jincheng, the head of the Li family, sat in the main hall with a solemn expression.

Below them sat Wang Heng, the head of the Wang family, and Zhao Yuanlang, the head of the Zhao family. All three were at the early stage of the Divine Vein Realm and had been operating in Pingyang County for hundreds of years, with deep roots.

"The Green Wood Sword Sect's reinforcements have arrived, and they will declare war on the Azure Dragon Society in three days," Li Jincheng said. "What do you two think?"

Wang Heng pondered, "The Azure Dragon Society is powerful, but the Azure Wood Sword Sect is not weak either. It's a mid-stage Grandmaster versus an early-stage Grandmaster, but that Shangguan Jin Hong is unfathomable, and the outcome is uncertain."

Zhao Yuanlang sneered, "In my opinion, let them fight. No matter who wins, our three great families will not get involved. Anyway, the imperial court is still in power, they won't dare to do anything to us."

"I'm afraid the winner will dominate and then settle scores later," Li Jincheng said worriedly.

"Then let's prepare for both scenarios," Wang Heng suggested. "Let's secretly contact the winner and take the initiative to show goodwill. No matter who wins, we won't suffer any losses."

"But what if the Azure Dragon Society wins..." Zhao Yuanlang hesitated. "The Azure Dragon Society is too mysterious and its background is unknown. Cooperating with them would be like dealing with a tiger."

"That's still better than being wiped out." Li Jincheng sighed. "You all saw what happened to the Iron Sword Sect's branch. Zhao Tieyi, a peak Xuan Gang Realm cultivator, was killed without hesitation. Iron Hand Sword Elder, a late-stage Divine Meridian Realm cultivator, was severely injured and forced to flee. The Azure Dragon Society... is not to be trifled with."

The three remained silent.

After a long silence, Wang Heng spoke up: "Then it's settled. We'll observe secretly and side with whoever wins."

"That's all we can do," Zhao Yuanlang nodded.

Li Jincheng stood up: "Then everyone should go back and prepare. In the next few days, keep your clansmen in check and do not provoke the Azure Dragon Society or the Green Wood Sword Sect."

"clear."

The three of them dispersed.