Chapter 11 :
The faint sound of music and laughter echoed from the Grand Ballroom. Ye-Liyun, covered in the faint, itchy residue of Shadow-Mire Clay, was a banished boy in torn robes, now a ghost inside the City Lord's Manor. He had to succeed, or he would die before dawn.
"Liyun! You must find a way to blend in! The guards here are Foundation Establishment masters! They will spot you instantly!" the Emperor warned.
Ye-Liyun slipped into a dimly lit service corridor. He spotted a discarded servant's uniform—a simple, clean tunic and trousers. He quickly stripped off his mud-caked robes and donned the uniform. It was ill-fitting, but it was clean and provided a temporary disguise.
He moved toward the Grand Ballroom, his new body moving with silent, efficient grace. He was no longer relying on Qi; he was relying on the pure, physical perfection granted by the Supreme Immortal Body Refinement Art.
He slipped into the ballroom, a massive hall glittering with spiritual light. Cultivators in expensive robes, radiating power from the Qi Condensation to the Foundation Establishment realms, mingled around tables laden with spiritual wine and exotic delicacies. The air was thick with the scent of wealth and ambition.
"The Array Master! He is near the central display! He is the one with the arrogant, self-satisfied spiritual signature! Go!"
Ye-Liyun navigated the crowd, keeping his head down and moving with the practiced efficiency of a servant. He found the Array Master—a thin, sharp-featured man in robes embroidered with complex array patterns. He was holding court near a velvet-draped pedestal.
On the pedestal, under a shimmering, protective spiritual barrier, was the target: the Blood-Key. It was not a key at all, but a small, obsidian shard, pulsing with a faint, crimson light.
"Liyun! The Key! It's beautiful! It's a genuine Blood-Key of the Ancient Sects! It's worth more than the entire Ye Clan!" the Emperor exclaimed, his voice filled with genuine awe.
Ye-Liyun focused. He had to get the key.
"The barrier is a simple Illusion-Lock Array! The Array Master is distracted! Now is your chance!"
Ye-Liyun moved closer, pretending to clear a table. He reached the pedestal, his heart pounding. He extended his hand, ready to use the Emperor's knowledge to bypass the lock.
But as his fingers neared the barrier, the Emperor screamed: "Wait! It's a trap! The barrier is a decoy! The real lock is in the pedestal itself! It's a Soul-Snare Array! If you touch the pedestal, it will instantly drain your soul and kill you!"
Ye-Liyun froze, his hand hovering inches from the velvet. The Array Master, who had been laughing with a group of cultivators, suddenly turned his head, his sharp eyes fixing on Ye-Liyun.
"Servant! What are you doing near the display? Get back to your duties!" the Array Master snapped, his voice laced with suspicion.
Ye-Liyun bowed low, his mind racing. "My apologies, Master. I was merely clearing a stray glass."
The Array Master watched him for a long, tense moment before turning back to his conversation.
"Liyun! That was too close! The Array Master is not distracted! He is waiting! He knows someone is coming for the key! The Soul-Snare Array is a trap for a powerful thief! He never expected a servant!"
"How do I get the key, Emperor? The pedestal is a death trap!"
"The key is not the target! The Soul-Snare Array is powered by a single, flawed spiritual stone hidden beneath the pedestal! If you can destroy the stone, the Array Master will be forced to reveal the true lock! But you must do it without touching the pedestal!"
Ye-Liyun scanned the area. He had no Qi to launch a projectile. He had to use the environment. He spotted a large, ornate ice sculpture of a dragon on a nearby table.
He moved to the table, pretending to adjust the tablecloth. He quickly used his new, powerful body to subtly shift the massive ice sculpture just a few inches. The sculpture was balanced precariously.
He then moved back to the pedestal. He waited for the Array Master to turn his back, then, with a quick, silent movement, he flicked a small, decorative silver spoon at the base of the ice sculpture.
The spoon struck the base. The massive ice dragon tilted, then crashed to the floor with a deafening CRACK!
Chaos erupted in the ballroom. Cultivators gasped, and guards rushed toward the noise.
In the confusion, Ye-Liyun sprinted back to the pedestal. The Array Master, furious, rushed toward the broken sculpture.
"Now, Liyun! The flaw is exposed! The spiritual stone is under the pedestal! Use the Shadow-Mire Clay!"
Ye-Liyun quickly reached into his tunic and pulled out a small, hardened piece of the black clay. He slammed it against the side of the pedestal, right where the Emperor guided him. The clay, filled with suppressed spiritual energy, acted as a temporary, chaotic disruptor.
The pedestal's base instantly cracked, revealing a small, glowing spiritual stone. The stone was the power source for the Soul-Snare Array.
Ye-Liyun didn't hesitate. He slammed his fist down, crushing the stone.
The entire Grand Ballroom array system flickered violently. The lights dimmed, and the protective barrier over the Blood-Key vanished.
The Array Master, seeing the array fail, let out a primal scream of rage and terror. He knew he had been outsmarted. He spun around, his eyes locking onto Ye-Liyun.
"THIEF! YOU DARE!"
The Array Master unleashed a wave of Foundation Establishment Qi, a powerful, focused attack aimed directly at Ye-Liyun's head.
"Liyun! You can't dodge it! Use the Void Stone knowledge! The attack has a flaw! Hit the Nexus of the Flow!"
Ye-Liyun, relying purely on the Emperor's knowledge, didn't dodge. He raised his hand and slammed his palm into the incoming wave of Qi at a precise, microscopic point. The attack, instead of hitting him, was momentarily destabilized.
The Array Master staggered back, shocked that a mere servant had deflected his attack.
Ye-Liyun snatched the Blood-Key from the pedestal.
"I have it, Emperor! Now, how do we escape?!"
"The main entrance is sealed! The Array Master is recovering! You must go to the roof! There is a weak point in the roof array! The North-East Bell Tower! Go!"
Ye-Liyun sprinted out of the ballroom, the Array Master's furious shouts echoing behind him. He raced up the winding service stairs, his new body carrying him past panicked servants and confused guards.
He reached the roof—a vast, flat expanse of polished stone. The North-East Bell Tower stood tall and dark against the night sky.
"The weak point is the bell itself! It acts as a grounding rod for the array! You must hit the bell with a focused burst of Qi! It will overload the array and create a momentary hole in the city's defenses!"
Ye-Liyun was exhausted. The deflection of the Array Master's attack had drained the last of the low-grade Qi he had absorbed. He had nothing left.
"I have no Qi, Emperor! I'm empty!"
"Then use your life force! Use the Supreme Immortal Body Refinement Art to convert a fraction of your life force into a single, devastating burst of Qi! It will cost you a day of life, but it's the only way!"
Ye-Liyun gritted his teeth. A day of life. He had no choice. He circulated the Art, forcing his body to cannibalize its own vitality. A faint, golden light, the color of his life force, pulsed around his hand.
He aimed at the massive bronze bell in the tower. He unleashed the burst of life-force Qi.
The Qi struck the bell with a deafening CLANG! The sound was not just noise; it was a spiritual shockwave. The entire array system protecting the Inner City flickered violently, and a massive, visible hole tore open in the spiritual barrier above the tower.
Ye-Liyun didn't wait. He sprinted to the edge of the roof and jumped, aiming for the hole in the barrier.
He passed through the hole, falling into the dark night sky. He was free of the Inner City, but he was falling fast, and he had no way to slow his descent.
"Liyun! You're falling too fast! You'll be killed by the impact!"
"I know! What do I do?!"
"Look down! Below you! I sense a massive, powerful spiritual energy signature! It's a cultivator! A powerful one! And they are looking right at you!"
Ye-Liyun looked down through the dark. Far below, in a secluded courtyard, a figure stood, radiating the terrifying power of the Core Formation Realm. The figure raised a hand, and a wave of spiritual energy shot up toward him, not to save him, but to strike him down.
"WHO DARES VIOLATE THE CITY'S DEFENSES! DIE!"