Heaven’s Shadow

The Kunlun Mountains, majestic and towering, have drawn the gaze of countless heroes and remarkable individuals over the millennia. At this moment, on a quiet street in Kunwu City, two men stood side by side, gazing at the rolling mountain range in the distance.

One of them had an unremarkable appearance, dressed in a worn white robe that made him look like a scholar who had failed in his endeavors. As he looked at the distant mountains, he suddenly smiled and said to his companion, “Brother Chen, are you really certain that this is not your doing?”

The man beside him, Chen He, was a familiar face from the Devil Cult’s stronghold in the Immortal City. Chen He shook his head and said, “Brother Fan, it is indeed not our doing. When we learned of the Reincarnation Array appearing on Kunlun Mountain, we initially thought it was an act by the Devil Cult’s operatives from your Western Six. Elder Gui was concerned that you might be too hasty, which is why he sent me to investigate.”

The man called Fan Tui smiled and said, “Thank you for Elder Gui’s consideration, and I appreciate your efforts in coming all this way.”

The two turned their backs to Kunlun Mountain and walked slowly down the street. Chen He smiled slightly and said to Fan Tui, “It’s quite puzzling. If it’s neither your Western Six sect nor the disciples from the Immortal City, and considering that the other sects are far from the Western Six, it seems unlikely they would travel such a long distance to interfere with Kunlun Sect. So, who could be behind this?”

Fan Tui shrugged, appearing somewhat helpless, and said, “Perhaps it’s an old informant who was planted in Kunlun Sect years ago and has since lost contact. After the Battle of the Wasteland ten years ago, our elite forces suffered significant losses, and many people have become unreachable.”

Chen He nodded and then looked at Fan Tui, “Brother Fan, despite the difficult circumstances over the years, you have steadfastly maintained and gradually restored the situation in the Western Six. I greatly admire your efforts. Even Elder Gui holds you in high regard.”

Fan Tui smiled, glanced at Chen He, and did not respond.

Chen He continued, “However, Brother Fan, from what we’ve seen this time, our Devil Cult has reached a critical point where things cannot continue as they are. With someone on Kunlun Mountain capable of using such a high-level divine technique as the Reincarnation Array, it must be an important figure within our sect. Yet, we know nothing about this person, and even today we cannot make contact with them. Moreover, our initial reaction was to ascertain the sect the person belonged to… If we remain in this state of confusion, our sect’s revival is surely doomed.”

Chen He clapped his hands and said, “Good, Brother Fan. Elder Gui values your talents highly and wishes to meet with you. He intends to appoint you as the Vice Leader of the Devil Cult. Would you be interested?”

Fan Tui’s expression changed slightly, and he looked at Chen He in surprise, “Vice Leader?”

Chen He nodded, “Yes, that’s correct.”

Fan Tui said, “If I’m not mistaken, during the Battle of the Wasteland ten years ago, our sect only had the position of Elder, and in fact, the position of Leader has been vacant for hundreds of years, hasn’t it?”

“Indeed, that is correct,” Chen He replied with a smile.

Fan Tui’s eyes flashed with understanding, “Then, Brother Chen, I’m unclear about your statement.”

Chen He said, “Now is a critical time for our sect. Out of the original five Elders, three have died in the Wasteland, and recently, Elder Feng was assassinated by the Floating Cloud Division of the True Immortal Alliance. Only Elder Gui remains. Thus, after careful consideration, Elder Gui believes that we need to establish a new leader to unify the sect and end the current state of chaos. Only then can we unite the efforts of the sect’s followers and achieve our grand goal of dominating the Three Realms.”

Fan Tui took a deep breath and said after a moment, “And the position of Leader…”

Chen He directly stated, “Of course, Elder Gui himself will take up the position. In our sect, only he can command respect.”

Fan Tui nodded and, after pondering for a while, smiled and said to Chen He, “If that’s the case, offering me the position of Vice Leader shows significant sincerity on your part.” ʀ₳Ｎộ₿Еṡ

Chen He said earnestly, “Brother Fan, if you agree, you will hold a position second only to Elder Gui. When the sect’s grand plan succeeds, there will certainly be a place for you in the Hall of Gods.”

Fan Tui replied calmly, “Brother Chen, you overestimate me. The Hall of Gods is where our sect’s divine talents reside, and I cannot hope for such a place. However, the matter we discussed is of great importance and involves many aspects. I have many subordinates and cannot decide on my own. I need some time to consider.”

Chen He looked ahead with a slightly cold gaze but quickly replied politely, “Of course.”

The two continued walking, observing the bustling Kunwu City. Chen He suddenly asked, “What about the person on Kunlun Mountain?”

Fan Tui pondered for a moment and said, “Since the Reincarnation Array has appeared, that person is undoubtedly a disciple of our sect. The lack of contact with both sides is likely a result of the sect’s disarray over the years. Nonetheless, we cannot ignore a capable fellow like that.”

Chen He nodded in agreement, “Brother Fan, you are right. Moreover, it’s possible that this person’s actions were intended to signal us. Perhaps we should consider…” He did not continue speaking but instead drew a shape in the air, resembling a circle with some undulating curves, leaving its exact meaning unclear.

Fan Tui clearly recognized the gesture Chen He made and nodded after seeing it, saying, “Alright, I will arrange for someone to go.”

Chen He smiled at him and said, “Brother Fan, you’re quite capable. It seems even top sects like Kunlun can have their people infiltrated.”

Fan Tui showed no sign of pride, just waving his hand dismissively and saying, “It’s nothing much. Kunlun Sect, being a renowned sect, has many disciples, so infiltrating at the lower levels isn’t too difficult. But getting beyond that is extremely hard.”

Chen He chuckled, “That’s fine. Time is on our side, and there will be opportunities to show the Devil Cult’s strength in the future.”

The two shared a friendly smile, as if they had been long-time friends, and walked side by side down the street. They passed by an inconspicuous, quiet alley and proceeded into it.

—

In the deep, quiet alley, the Black Hill Pavilion’s sign still hung on the doorframe, lonely and waiting for what seemed like an eternal visitor.

Lao Ma was napping in his beloved reclining chair, half-closed eyes. In the courtyard behind him, separated by a narrow passage, Ah Tu lay quietly.

On the other side of the courtyard, there was a large basin filled with meat bones. According to past habits, the very hungry Ah Tu would have devoured the entire basin by now. However, for some reason, today there was still a large portion of food left in the basin.

Ah Tu lay on the ground of the courtyard, looking a bit lazy and uninterested, as if even the meat bones had lost their appeal.

On this quiet, lazy afternoon, even the sunlight seemed gentle and feeble. At this moment, a faint sound came from the wall ahead, causing Ah Tu’s ears to perk up and then look up.

A wild cat appeared on the high wall among the green tiles.

The wild cat carefully walked along the top of the wall, frequently glancing around. When it suddenly saw the large basin of meat bones below, its eyes lit up.

Ah Tu looked up at the wild cat’s figure, its single eye gleaming faintly. After the cat looked around for a while, it cautiously jumped down from the high wall and approached the basin of meat.

The wild cat was very cautious, constantly watching its surroundings, and soon noticed the black dog on the other side of the courtyard. Ah Tu kept a close eye on the wild cat but showed no unusual reaction, only slowly getting to its feet.

The wild cat, frightened, took a few steps back but, seeing that Ah Tu had no intention of attacking, it waited a bit longer. Gradually, its courage grew, and the tempting smell of the meat bones drew it closer.

The wild cat walked slowly towards the meat bones, keeping an eye on Ah Tu. The small courtyard was quiet, with no sounds.

A faint, beautiful light flickered in the depths of Ah Tu’s eye, like a green flame.

The wild cat was oblivious to this, as its attention was mostly on the basin of meat bones now within reach. After a moment, it reached the edge of the basin and, unable to resist any longer, buried its head and took a big bite.

Even so, the wild cat did not let its guard down. With meat in its mouth, it kept looking up at Ah Tu. However, Ah Tu remained standing still.

After several attempts, the wild cat finally relaxed. It meowed a few times in delight and began to thoroughly enjoy its feast.

Just as it was deeply engrossed in eating, a shadow suddenly covered its head.

The shadow enveloped its entire body.

In an instant, the wild cat’s fur bristled, and it let out a terrified cry as it looked up to see a black dog that had somehow appeared next to it. One terrifying, glowing eye stared intensely at it.

The dog’s large, fearsome mouth was slowly opening, revealing white, sharp fangs.

The wild cat, terrified, leaped up and tried to escape, but a swift dog leg came down from mid-air and pinned it firmly to the ground.

In the next moment, the dark shadow completely swallowed the wild cat, consuming it entirely.

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