As the Ghost Market auction neared its end, Wang Yu remained composed, while Qingyang still regretted not having the capital to bid on the treasures he desired.
Meanwhile—
Back in Spiritridge City, a grand drama was unfolding.
News of the Deepsea Sinking Silver ore vein had reached Master Tianshui, who rushed from distant Golden Toad City to Spiritridge. After a day's rest, just as he was preparing to depart again—
Ye Qing, the branch master of Spiritridge's Goldfull Pavilion, came knocking.
He exaggerated Wang Yu's arrogance and disdain, while belittling Master Tianshui's skills and misleading him about the spirit stone payments.
And yet—
Master Tianshui remained unexpectedly calm. He smiled and said, "You're Ye Qing, yes? One of Miaoshan's people. She mentioned the Spiritridge City Lord to me—arrogant and unruly, perhaps, but not a fool. So tell me… whose orders are you following?"
Ye Qing broke into a cold sweat, unable to respond.
Master Tianshui was a peak Core cultivator, one step from Nascent Soul. As a renowned refiner within the mighty Goldfull Pavilion, he could've exchanged merit for a Core Ascension Pill long ago.
But he didn't.
He was accumulating mastery—aiming to forge a tier-four artifact while still in the Core realm. That way, when he broke through, he could ride the momentum to elevate his craft to near mid-tier-four.
This was a common strategy among elite sects—leveraging breakthroughs to refine one's art. Some geniuses did the same, seizing every opportunity to grow stronger.
Facing such a powerhouse—barely over five hundred years old—Ye Qing was under immense pressure.
Master Tianshui sighed.
"Young man, playing both sides never ends well. Miaoshan may be trapped, but she's far from finished.
"Whether you side with Jinlin, Jinchi Xuan, or Jin Xuanyuan… none of them will protect you for long."
"—Shut up!"
Ye Qing's face twisted. Deep down, he knew the truth. But what choice did he have?
Jin Miaoshan was in seclusion, unable to shield her subordinates. When Jinlin's people came knocking, what power did he have to refuse? His Ye Clan lived in Golden Toad City.
Miaoshan had suffered a setback in Spiritridge, been punished by the Pavilion, and was now silent due to the Eastern Capital inheritance debacle.
Her followers had little reason to place blind faith in her.
At that moment—
Ye Qing activated the token Jinlin had given him—the one that controlled the death warriors.
The top floor of the Spiritridge branch once again became the eye of the storm.
In a flash—
Nine masked death warriors cloaked in black mist surrounded Master Tianshui. Each radiated peak Core Formation cultivation.
To deal with someone of Tianshui's caliber, Jinlin had sent his elite. These death warriors were costly to train—losing even one was a major blow.
Master Tianshui burst into laughter.
"Attacking a refiner? That's like storming a formation master's sanctum. If these men die, Jinlin will be licking his wounds for years."
"Heh—"
Ye Qing had nothing left to lose. He sneered.
"Miaoshan already failed once in Spiritridge. If it happens again, the Pavilion's losses will be enough to make her atone for three thousand years."
He crushed a bead.
—
In the City Lord's Manor—
He Valley Master, disguised as Wang Yu, sat boldly on the throne. When he sensed the signal, unease crept in.
The plan wasn't unfolding in the right order.
Ideally, Tianshui would die inside the City Lord's Manor. That would better fit the narrative.
He was supposed to trigger the massacre.
Issuing the command now felt abrupt—but the pieces were already in motion. Even if things went awry, he couldn't stop.
"Buzz—"
Just like before, He Valley Master conjured a towering illusion of Wang Yu's upper body, a hundred meters tall, every eyelash rendered in detail. His voice echoed across the city.
"Spiritridge, hear my command!
"All who serve the Sacred Sect, who revere the name of the Exalted Sect—by my decree, destroy the Spiritridge branch of Goldfull Pavilion. All spoils are yours. I, Wang, swear not to reclaim them."
The proclamation mirrored Wang Yu's infamous words from years ago.
He Valley Master soared into the sky, brimming with pride.
He raised his hand—
Silence.
"…?"
He began to sweat.
Why wasn't anyone moving?
Why could Wang Yu command the city before—but not now?
The answer was simple.
Spiritridge had changed.
The City Guard and Patrol Corps were now fully established.
The northern district didn't move. The Guan and Jiang clans didn't move. The shopkeepers didn't move. The three Core sect outposts didn't move.
And with the Eastern Capital's exploration in a lull, few Core cultivators remained in the city.
Any major crime would be investigated. Even with the "famous" City Lord leading, no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out.
That was the reality.
Psychology played a role too. Last time, Wang Yu had backtracked—blaming the incident on "temporary workers" and even helping Goldfull Pavilion save face in Yunling Province.
The Fragrance Gathering's failure had also dented his authority. The street outside the Manor had only just been repaired. People remembered.
With both practical and psychological factors at play—and Wang Yu's prior warnings—
Even the few who started to shout quickly fell silent.
He Valley Master hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure what to do.
—
"BOOM—"
Near Tianbao Pavilion, the Spiritridge branch of Goldfull Pavilion exploded under immense force. Ye Qing's life aura vanished.
Nine coordinated figures wielding crescent moon blades unleashed black, corrosive slashes that blanketed a quarter of the central district.
Tianbao Pavilion was nearly caught in the blast.
Pavilion Master Han Jia quickly lifted the entire building into the sky with his magic, staring at "Wang Yu" in shock.
He seemed to be the only one unaware of the plot.
—
Amid the ruins—
Master Tianshui sat calmly on a stool. A spinning umbrella-shaped artifact hovered above him, casting a golden shield.
The black slashes lingered in the air—but couldn't pierce the golden light.
He sipped his tea and sighed.
"So Jinlin gave you the Divine Art: Shadow Ghost Prison? That's the legacy of the Hidden Shadow Lord. He's getting bolder."
His gaze pierced the distance, locking onto He Valley Master.
"I don't like you. Jinlin's insane—sacrificing the Pavilion's interests to eliminate rivals, even leveraging pressure from the Blood Reversal Sect.
"Even if he defeats Miaoshan—can he really outmaneuver Jinchi Xuan and Jin Xuanyuan?"
He Valley Master knew the situation was spiraling.
He dropped the disguise and approached Tianshui.
"Senior, Young Master Jinlin's orders are clear. We act. Whatever the consequences—he bears them. We are merely blades."
"Sigh—
"Old age makes me chatty. But are you sure you want to kill me? There's still time to stop."
He Valley Master shook his head.
"No abort signal has been given. No matter the cost, the plan proceeds. Senior Tianshui… you won't last long."
As the nine death warriors continued their silent assault, their black slashes ravaging the district, the golden shield remained unmoved.
He Valley Master's unease grew.
Tianshui smiled and gestured to his umbrella.
"You don't understand. A well-funded refiner prepares many artifacts. Want to guess how many I have?"
He Valley Master hesitated.
"Five? Even if you have more, your mana is limited."
"Then you still don't understand."
Tianshui pointed to the umbrella.
"This is a tier-three top-grade artifact: Heavenly Net Umbrella. A failed Nascent Soul artifact—meant for tribulation defense.
"It lost its lightning immunity, but its defense remains. See the bead chains hanging from the edge? Each bead is a golden core.
"I refined them from the cores of death warriors like yours. Want to count them?"
He Valley Master did.
"One… two… one hundred and eight…"
"Correct."
With such vast mana reserves and a purely defensive artifact, unless a Nascent Soul cultivator intervened, they could hammer away until exhaustion—and still fail.
This was the power of a master refiner. With enough resources, they could become invincible within their realm.
Tianshui wasn't a duelist—but his survival tools were unmatched. And if he chose to flee, his speed would be terrifying.
He Valley Master's expression darkened.
"Jinlin never told us you were this strong."
"He doesn't know much."
Tianshui's face turned grim. He raised four black pellets crackling with lightning—each radiating terrifying power.
"Young man, this is your last chance."
He Valley Master gave a bitter smile and summoned his life-bound artifact.
"Senior… do it."
In the next instant—
Thunder exploded like a heavenly tribulation descending upon the city. The City Lord's formation activated. The central district was obliterated.
Half of the eastern and northern districts were caught in the blast.
Fortunately, the City Guard had mobilized swiftly. As soon as the first signs of conflict emerged, they began evacuating civilians and cultivators from the central district. Even so, the scale of destruction was staggering.
Thousands perished in the sea of lightning.
When the storm finally subsided, Master Tianshui emerged from the scorched ruins, his robes singed, his umbrella artifact spinning slowly overhead. The once-proud Spiritridge branch of Goldfull Pavilion had been reduced to ash—only charred debris and lingering spiritual residue remained.
He looked around, surveying the devastation, and muttered to himself:
"The Thunder Tribulation Pellets were too strong… not a single corpse left behind. What a loss. And even the Heavenly Net Umbrella couldn't guarantee complete safety."
Just then, Xu Ruozhou landed nearby, his face pale with awe and fear. He stared at the kindly old man who had just unleashed a calamity upon the city.
"Senior Tianshui…"
Tianshui turned and smiled gently.
"Be sure to thank your City Lord for me."
"—Yes, sir!"
Xu Ruozhou bowed deeply, then turned to relay the message.
Behind him, the city trembled—not just from the physical destruction, but from the implications. A single refiner, armed with preparation and resolve, had repelled a coordinated assassination attempt and obliterated an entire faction's foothold.
The message was clear:
Spiritridge was not to be trifled with.
And Master Tianshui… was not a man to be underestimated.
(End of Chapter)