Lou Xiaowu raised her arm, and with a flick of her mantle, no one saw how she moved—but a short arrow wrapped in blue light shot toward the source of the faint glow!
"Transformation Realm?" Mei Tingyuan was puzzled. Lou Xiaowu looked so weak, probably even worse than herself—there was no way she could be a Transformation Realm Master.
"I won't tell you!" Lou Xiaowu held a grudge.
The arrow wasn't particularly powerful, but it lodged firmly into the wall. Then, its tail burst like fireworks with a muffled bang, igniting into a small torch bright enough to illuminate the surrounding area within a ten-foot radius.
Everyone could clearly see that the faint glow came from a small hole about three inches wide.
"I made that." Lou Xiaowu leaned close to An Jiu, her eyes curved with pride. "Aren’t I amazing?"
An Jiu glanced at her with no expression, momentarily unsure how to respond to her obvious desire for praise and affection. She had always been more tolerant toward harmless little creatures.
Lou Mingyue, unfazed by this, stepped forward with Mei Tingzhu to inspect the hole.
"It's new." Mei Tingzhu wrapped her hand in a piece of dark cloth and pressed against the surrounding wall. "It's a bit loose—someone might have been fighting inside and damaged the wall."
According to the map, the first floor of the giant pagoda was constructed in concentric circles, resembling a maze but not overly complicated. One only needed to follow the doors to reach the very center. This floor had only one entrance and exit, yet the paths taken in and out were not the same, embodying the profound theories of Buddhist philosophy. An Jiu, however, couldn’t fathom the purpose of such a design.
"If they fought near the entrance, does that mean the Heavenly Book Fragment has already been taken?" Qiu Yunxiao moved closer to examine the wall.
Lou Mingyue took two steps forward, deliberately avoiding proximity to him.
Qiu Yunxiao smiled wryly—he was actually being shunned by a little girl!
Under the eerie blue torchlight, the entrance wasn’t far. Everyone stared at the dim doorway, each silently weighing their next move.
From the outside, the pagoda had many grottoes housing Buddha statues. Any of these grottoes could serve as an entrance, but the map indicated only one path led to the second floor—and this path inevitably passed through the very center of the first floor. The pagoda was enormous. If they took the time to search for alternative routes, the Heavenly Book Fragment on the second floor might already be gone by then.
For Qiu Yunxiao and the others, the Heavenly Book Fragment was like treasure to a man who valued wealth over life—even at the risk of death, they had to try. After a brief hesitation, they entered one after another.
The Lou and Mei families had no interest in the Heavenly Book Fragment. They only needed to choose the safest possible route. Lou Mingyue looked at Mei Tingzhu. "Which way?"
"If disaster is unavoidable, we might as well follow the map," Mei Tingzhu replied.
If the Emperor truly intended to strike, nowhere would be safe.
"Among those who ambushed us today, aside from one Transformation Realm Master, the rest weren’t particularly skilled and seemed inexperienced in combat," Mei Tingzhu murmured. "That’s strange. So let’s stick to the original route and adapt as we go."
If the Emperor wanted to act, shouldn’t he have countless masters at his disposal? And wouldn’t they fight to the death rather than retreat halfway? For novices like them, surviving this long was already unexpected."It's hard to say. Although our families' influence in the Crane Control Army is much diminished compared to before, we still have people in almost every division. If there were any unusual movements, we'd likely receive some news. Perhaps His Majesty is aware of this and deliberately bypassed the Crane Control Army?" Lou Mingyue paused, then shifted the topic. "However, I believe your plan is feasible. We mustn't panic first."
Mei Tingjun agreed but cautioned, "You just exposed Qiu Yunxiao's background earlier. This involves the 'Secret Records.' Personally, I think it's better to be more discreet."
Being lectured in front of everyone didn't anger Lou Mingyue. Instead, she smiled and said, "Even juniors like us know His Majesty wants to eliminate us after we've outlived our usefulness. Do you think hiding will make him look upon us more favorably? Perhaps you all need to consider an exit strategy, but our Lou family's lineage has long been severed."
The Lou family always bore daughters. By the previous generation, there were no male heirs left. The current generation has only three males, all from daughters taking in husbands, and one of them died the year before last. Thus, relatively speaking, the Lou family's clan mentality isn't as strong.
An Jiu had no intention of acting alone for now. Though she possessed formidable mental strength, her physical stamina and inner force were far inferior, making solo ventures too risky.
The group decided to enter the tower, and An Jiu naturally followed.
Inside was still a narrow passageway, no different from the outside, with no apparent ambush spots.
After turning a corner, they saw the beam of light. Qiu Yunxiao and the others stood there dazed, only reacting when they sensed someone approaching.
"Ah!" Lou Xiaowu tried to dart forward but was caught by Lou Mingyue. She exclaimed, "Second Sister, look! The inner wall is also damaged, and there's an even bigger hole!"
Indeed, the inner wall had a hole aligned with the breach in the outer wall, but the damage was more severe, allowing more light to pass through.
"I took a glance through the hole earlier. The third layer of the wall inside is also destroyed. Who knows what kind of power caused this!" Qiu Yunxiao sighed.
"Could it be arrows?" Mei Tingyuan suddenly recalled the arrow shot by the Transformation Realm Master on the plank road.
Legends spoke of those who could punch or palm-strike through multiple walls, but those were just tales. For such concentrated and penetrating destruction, weapons were the most likely cause.
"What do you think?" Mei Tingyuan sought An Jiu's opinion.
All eyes turned to An Jiu.
"What's the point of knowing?" An Jiu retorted.
"..." Mei Tingyuan was left speechless for a moment before replying, "To be more cautious, of course!"
"Can you actually guard against it?" An Jiu mercilessly exposed the truth. "So what you should do is—pray you don't encounter this person."
Facing such a master, they could only put up a token resistance. An Jiu's earlier standoff with the Transformation Realm Master on the plank road had relied partly on luck. Had that person not been so arrogant as to disregard the mountain winds, she might not have escaped unscathed.
"This young lady has quite the temper! If she were prettier, perhaps we could arrange a meeting someday..." a lone wanderer teased.
Lou Mingyue's killing intent surged forth.
Caught off guard, the man was suddenly crushed by the immense mental strength, his legs giving way as he collapsed face-first to the ground.
Only when Lou Mingyue's killing intent dissipated could the others breathe again.
Qiu Yunxiao gasped, "Eighth rank!"
"Once is enough. If it happens a third time, watch your head!" Lou Mingyue said coldly.Upon joining the Crane Control Army, one was destined to forsake an ordinary life. Thus, many shadow unit members privately formed partnerships—a practice tacitly permitted within the ranks. Living daily on the knife's edge made them casual about other matters; they couldn't be bothered with idle gossip.
These daughters of noble families weren't as demure and delicate as typical gentlewomen, yet their dignity couldn't be mocked or trampled upon at will.
But An Jiu remained indifferent to any verbal attacks.
"My second sister helped you!" Lou Xiaowu broke free from Lou Mingyue's grip and sidled up to An Jiu.
"Let's go," Lou Mingyue said.
Someone helped up the dazed man who had suffered Lou Mingyue's mental strength attack. "My brother here is just glib-tongued—no ill intent meant. I apologize on his behalf and beg your forgiveness."
Lou Mingyue gave a slight nod, waiting for them to leave first.
The group understood her meaning and gradually turned to proceed. At their age, reaching the eighth rank was exceedingly rare. Lou Mingyue's strength likely made her the most powerful among this batch of trainees. Might made right—this was the unwritten rule among their kind.
After several turns through the narrow passageway, they confirmed that each wall had corresponding holes, growing larger toward the interior. By the eleventh wall, a three-foot collapse allowed direct passage.
At the center, where light was brightest, the group finally witnessed the horrific aftermath of battle—
The victims appeared to have been blasted apart. Blood spatter nearly obscured the walls' original color, with shredded flesh and entrails clinging everywhere. Severed limbs and remains littered the ground, making it impossible to determine how many had perished.
The scene momentarily stunned them into silence.
Only the slow gathering and dripping of blood down the stone walls broke the stillness, staining the light crimson.
An Jiu bent to pick up a blood-blackened scrap of cloth near her feet. Holding it to the light, she discerned half of a character: "Cui."
"The Cui clan..." Even Lou Mingyue's voice trembled slightly.
Dropping the cloth, An Jiu surveyed their surroundings.
The oval chamber measured about seven zhang at its longest diameter. Over a hundred candle stands encircled a central stone Buddhist shrine, upon whose platform rested a transparent case soaked in blood, emitting an eerie glow in the warm light.
The Heavenly Book Fragment had vanished—yet the case remained.
According to the Crane Control Army leader, while the fragment enhanced inner force, this case purified mental strength. Why take one but not the other?
"What exactly is this Heavenly Book Fragment?" An Jiu asked Lou Mingyue.
Regaining composure, Lou Mingyue exhaled. "Legend says it's a Buddhist master's heart sutra, attained after forty years of meditation in a cave. Regular study aids spiritual apertures and meridians, helping martial artists overcome bottlenecks effortlessly. Only forty-nine fragments exist worldwide. The Crane Control Army has collected over thirty—offering twelve as bait isn't surprising."
"Then why disregard this case?" An Jiu wondered—was mental strength unimportant?
Lou Mingyue gave her an odd look.
Mei Tingzhu continued, "This artifact is rarer than the fragments! Countless martial artists reach the ninth rank while their mental strength stagnates at third or fourth rank—proof of its difficulty to cultivate. Without sufficient mental strength, one peaks at ninth rank, forever remaining a mere fighter with no hope of reaching the Transformation Realm!"Martial Arts can be honed through diligent practice, but Mental Strength is something far more elusive—effort alone may not suffice.
"Very strange," Mei Tingzhu frowned.
If The Emperor intended to target the descendants of the four great families, why would he take the Heavenly Book Fragment?
Lou Xiaowu suddenly choked back a sob. "Second Sister, is Cui Yichen... dead too?"
Lou Mingyue remained silent for two breaths, about to raise her hand to pat Xiao Wu's head, when the room abruptly brightened as if in broad daylight.
Qiu Yunxiao shouted in alarm, "Run!" (To be continued...)
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