Chapter 13
The Golden Dew Nectar coursed through Ye-Liyun's meridians, a warm, stabilizing flood that banished the agonizing threat of collapse. He was no longer dying, but he was a slave. He stood in Lady Lin's secluded courtyard, the Core Formation master watching him with a predatory gleam.
Lady Lin had given him a single, simple instruction: Wait.
"The City Lord's Vault is impenetrable now," she stated, her voice cold and final. "The Array Master has tripled the security since your last attempt. We will not move until the political pressure forces the City Lord to relax his guard. You will use this time to become worthy of the risk I am taking."
And so began the Month of Shadows.
Lady Lin housed Ye-Liyun in a hidden, array-protected basement beneath her estate. It was a sterile, cold environment, but it was safe. She provided him with a steady, if meager, supply of spiritual stones and low-grade herbs—just enough to keep the Supreme Immortal Body Refinement Art stable. The rest of the time was dedicated to brutal, relentless training under the Emperor's guidance.
"You have a week's stability, Liyun! You must break through to the Qi Condensation Realm now! Use the Art to refine the spiritual stones! Every second counts!"
Ye-Liyun trained like a man possessed. He pushed his body to the breaking point, using the Art to aggressively refine the spiritual energy. The process was agonizing, forcing his newly forged meridians to expand and accept the influx of Qi at a terrifying rate. He endured the pain, fueled by the memory of his brother's sneer and his father's cold betrayal. He knew that every drop of sweat was a step toward revenge. Within two weeks, Ye-Liyun felt the familiar, powerful surge of energy. He had broken through the barrier. He was no longer a Physical Refining cultivator; he was a true Qi Condensation master, his body a weapon, his Qi pure and potent.
The remaining two weeks were spent mastering the art of infiltration and combat. The Emperor taught him ancient techniques of stealth, focusing on how to move without disturbing the ambient Qi. He learned pressure point strikes that could instantly incapacitate cultivators far above his own realm. He studied the subtle flaws in defensive formations, learning to see the world not as stone and wood, but as flowing spiritual energy. Lady Lin, meanwhile, was busy. She used her Black Market network to spread rumors, create minor political crises, and slowly draw the City Lord's attention away from the Vault. The city was a chessboard, and Ye-Liyun was her most dangerous piece.
Finally, after thirty days of grueling preparation, Lady Lin summoned him.
"The time is now," she said, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "The City Lord is distracted by a major border incident I orchestrated. The Array Master is at the front lines. The Vault is guarded by only two Foundation Establishment masters. You have one hour. Bring me the Scroll."
Ye-Liyun moved like a phantom through the silent Manor. The servant's uniform was gone, replaced by a set of sleek, dark clothes provided by Lady Lin. He reached the City Lord's private study—a massive, ornate door guarded by two Foundation Establishment cultivators who stood like statues.
"Liyun! The guards are using a Dual-Sense Array! They can detect any spiritual fluctuation within ten feet! You cannot use your Qi!"
"Then I'll use my body," Ye-Liyun muttered mentally.
He crept along the wall, using the Emperor's knowledge of pressure points and anatomy. He reached the first guard, moving with the silent, lethal grace of a true assassin. He slammed the heel of his hand into a pressure point at the base of the guard's neck. The guard's eyes widened in shock, and he collapsed without a sound.
The second guard turned, his eyes wide with alarm. Ye-Liyun didn't give him time to react. He launched himself forward, delivering a powerful kick to the guard's temple. The guard crumpled, unconscious.
Ye-Liyun quickly dragged both bodies into a dark alcove. He pulled out the lock-picking tool.
"The lock is a simple Spirit-Seal Lock! The tumblers are keyed to a low-grade Qi signature! Use your Qi Condensation energy to mimic the signature! Be precise!"
Ye-Liyun worked quickly, his hands moving with impossible speed and precision. He channeled a thin thread of Qi Condensation energy into the tool, feeling the subtle resistance of the tumblers. The lock clicked open. He slipped inside the study, closing the door silently behind him.
The study was vast and opulent. In the center of the room, a massive, stone slab covered in ancient runes marked the entrance to the Vault.
"The Vault! The Founding Guardian's Array! It's magnificent! It's keyed to my spiritual signature! You must place the ring on the central rune!"
Ye-Liyun approached the stone slab. He placed the wooden ring on the central rune. The ring pulsed with the Emperor's ancient, powerful signature. The runes on the slab flared with a blinding, golden light, and the massive stone slab silently slid open, revealing a dark staircase leading down.
"It worked! The Vault is open! Go! But be warned! The Array Master will have sensed the activation! You have minutes!"
Ye-Liyun descended the stairs, the air growing colder and heavier with spiritual energy. He reached the bottom—a massive, circular chamber lined with shelves holding priceless artifacts. In the center, on a pedestal of pure jade, lay the Scroll of Oath.
It was a simple, rolled parchment, but it radiated an aura of immense, foundational authority.
"The Scroll! Liyun! Take it! It is the proof of my divine mandate! It is the key to the entire region!" the Emperor screamed, his voice filled with a desperate, raw fury.
Ye-Liyun snatched the Scroll. The moment his fingers closed around the parchment, the entire chamber began to shake violently.
"Liyun! The Array Master! He's here! He's sealed the Vault! You're trapped!"
A voice boomed from the top of the stairs—a voice filled with cold, murderous rage.
"THIEF! YOU HAVE VIOLATED THE SANCTUARY OF THE CITY LORD! YOU WILL DIE HERE!"
It was the Array Master, his face pale with fury, standing at the top of the stairs. He was not alone. Beside him stood the City Lord himself—a man whose robes radiated the terrifying power of the Core Formation Realm.
The Array Master pointed a trembling finger at Ye-Liyun. "The Scroll! He has the Scroll! And look at the ring! That signature! It's the signature of the Usurper's Enemy! He is working for the old faction!"
The City Lord's eyes narrowed, locking onto the Scroll in Ye-Liyun's hand. "The Scroll of Oath! It cannot leave this Vault! Kill him! Kill him and retrieve the Scroll!"
The Array Master unleashed a powerful Foundation Establishment attack, sending a wave of spiritual energy hurtling down the stairs.
"Liyun! You can't fight them! The Vault is a death trap! You must use the Scroll! The Scroll is a defensive artifact! Use it!"
Ye-Liyun, pinned by the spiritual pressure, unrolled the Scroll of Oath. The ancient parchment flared with a blinding, golden light—the light of the Divine Mandate. The light slammed into the Array Master's attack, instantly neutralizing it.
The Array Master staggered back, his face contorted with shock. "Impossible! The Scroll is defending him!"
The City Lord, seeing the Scroll's power, let out a primal scream of rage. He raised his hand, and a massive, focused wave of Core Formation Qi slammed down the stairs.
"Liyun! The Scroll can't stop a Core Formation strike! You must escape! Look at the wall! There is a flaw in the stone! Use the Supreme Immortal Body Refinement Art! Break the wall!"
Ye-Liyun, his body screaming in protest, channeled the last of his Qi Condensation energy into his fist. He slammed his fist into the stone wall, right where the Emperor guided him.
The wall exploded outward, revealing a dark, narrow tunnel.
Ye-Liyun didn't hesitate. He threw himself into the tunnel, the Scroll clutched in his hand, just as the City Lord's Core Formation strike slammed into the Vault floor, shattering the stone and sending massive debris flying.
He was in a dark, narrow tunnel, the sound of the City Lord's enraged roar echoing behind him. He was alive, but he was trapped underground, with the most powerful man in the city hunting him.