Zhang Wen merely glanced at the sky above for a brief moment before withdrawing his gaze, showing little interest.
He gently raised his hand. Another set of messages appeared before him, a report sent by Bai An, one of the newly appointed commanders of the Black Crow Secret Unit.
His eyes swept across the contents swiftly.
The situation within Sky Sword City was proceeding according to plan. The crowds were flooding toward the Cloud Commerce Pavilion. Fear and hope were being carefully controlled. The movements of the major forces remained largely silent and inactive.
However, several commerce pavilions had begun sending disguised agents to purchase antidote pills in bulk. Their purpose was not to treat poison, but to study the ingredients and attempt to reverse engineer the antidote formula.
A faint smile appeared on Zhang Wen's lips, as if the matter was nothing more than a trivial inconvenience. He immediately sent a reply.
"There is no need to worry."
The rain surrounding him slowed slightly, moving in rhythm with his thoughts.
"Whether that poison functions or not… depends solely on me."
Every antidote pill being sold contained hidden poison within it. The simplest method of removing it was to kill him… or to find a supreme healing expert capable of interfering with energy at an extremely minute level to neutralize the poison.
After that, he swiftly issued a new command.
"Adjust the plan."
"Have Kang Hao negotiate with all primary commerce pavilions. Inform them that the antidotes truly contain hidden poison."
"Pull the top nine commerce pavilions to the City Lord's side."
"Start with the Seven-Colored Peacock Commerce Pavilion… and bring that woman along as well."
The message remained silent for only a moment before a response returned.
"Understood."
Zhang Wen slowly closed his eyes once more, allowing the rain to obscure the outside world completely. Soon after, another matter surfaced in his thoughts.
The identity of Ye Xin, a disciple of the Jade Pool Sacred Land.
She was merely an ordinary disciple… not important enough for the Sacred Land to dispatch elders to personally guard her. Therefore, the lack of movement from them did not surprise him.
But Mu Ling… was different.
She was a Saint from the Sword Mountain Sect, one of the quasi-Emperor-level forces in the southern region of the Black Wind Continent.
More importantly, he had slain four Saint Kings… all of whom were members of that sect.
Normally, experts of such caliber possessed soul lamps within their sects, used to monitor the life status of their holders. If the lamp extinguished, it signified death.
Yet until now… the Sword Mountain Sect had shown no signs of movement whatsoever.
Zhang Wen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Previously, when he was preparing to travel toward the northern region of the Black Wind Continent, he had deliberately waited for a period of time, hoping that powerful figures from the Sword Mountain Sect or other factions would appear so he could use them as additional materials to refine more blood droplets.
But in the end… no one came.
It could be because not much time had passed. The entire incident had occurred less than a single day ago.
Or… it could be that the four Saint Kings had died within an extremely short time frame, causing the opposing side to become unusually cautious. Still, they should have known that Mu Ling was likely still alive, since she would most likely possess a soul lamp within her sect as well.
Zhang Wen stopped thinking and slowly closed his eyes.
Because for him… at this moment, there was only one thing that truly mattered.
Strength.
The spiritual energy within his body began circulating once more. Enlightenment was activated again. Countless energy structures were formed and shattered repeatedly within his soul as the process of advancing toward becoming a Great Emperor slowly began.
Inside the Seven-Colored Peacock Commerce Pavilion
The innermost office was lavishly decorated. The walls were adorned with emerald jade and spirit peacock feathers that reflected a gentle, soft glow. The faint fragrance of tea lingered in the air.
A man dressed in gray stood beside the desk as he spoke in a half-teasing tone.
"It seems your young lady's fiancé… has changed completely, from heel to palm."
He chuckled softly before continuing.
"He appears calmer now. Even his manner of speaking has become much more composed. Do you think… this might make you change your mind?"
The green-haired young woman leaned elegantly against her chair. Her slender fingers tapped lightly against the table before she replied indifferently.
"Even if he looks somewhat better… he is still disgusting in my eyes."
Her gaze slowly grew more serious.
"But what truly concerns me… are those fourteen men in black."
"Most importantly, among them were four Saint Kings. Could they be from the Wang Clan?"
She paused briefly before murmuring softly,
"Or could it be that Liu Qing… she…"
At that moment—
Knock! Knock!
The sudden sound of knocking echoed through the room.
"Young Lady… I have returned."
Liu Qing's voice sounded from outside the door.
The moment she heard the voice, a smile appeared on the green-haired woman's face. She straightened slightly before saying,
"You may enter."
The door slowly opened.
In the instant they saw the figure outside, the gray-clothed man reacted immediately. He stepped forward instinctively, positioning himself in front of the green-haired woman before cupping his hands respectfully.
"Greetings… City Lord."
At the doorway,
Liu Qing stood to the side, while Kang Hao stood at the center with a relaxed demeanor.
Kang Hao smiled faintly before waving his hand slightly.
"There is no need to be so formal."
His gaze swept across the interior of the room before he spoke politely,
"I simply have something I wish to discuss with your Pavilion Mistress. I wonder if she is available."
The gray-clothed man named Liu Long turned to look at the young woman.
"Young Lady… what is your decision?"
The green-haired woman, named Guo Ning, fell silent for a moment. A thoughtful expression flickered across her face.
But before she could respond, another voice sounded from outside the room.
"Guo Ning… are you free? I have something to discuss with you."
Everyone turned their eyes toward the entrance simultaneously.
Another young woman walked in. She had a tall and slender figure with smooth, pale skin. Her attire was simple yet practical. A masculine-style robe was worn naturally over her body. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, and her sharp, confident gaze carried an unmistakable sense of authority.
She was Chen Yao.
Liu Long immediately frowned.
"Please leave for now. The Young Lady is—"
"Enough, Liu Long."
Guo Ning's voice cut in with a hint of anger.
"Chen Yao is not an outsider."
Liu Long fell silent before lowering his head slightly.
"As you command."
Guo Ning studied Kang Hao with a probing gaze before offering a faint smile.
"Please come in, City Lord. Do you have urgent business?"
Before long, everyone moved into the room.
Guo Ning and Chen Yao sat on one side of the guest table, their posture elegant yet filled with caution.
Kang Hao sat across from them casually, though his expression was serious.
Behind Guo Ning stood Liu Qing and Liu Long as guards, while the atmosphere inside the room gradually tightened into a silent tension.
At that moment, Kang Hao finally spoke.
"Alright… let us get straight to the point."
He leaned back slightly, his gaze slowly sweeping across everyone before continuing.
"In truth… this matter is extremely urgent for all of us."
Suddenly, his finger flicked lightly.
Whoosh!
A small medicine vial appeared in midair, and a single pill slowly floated out from within.
Kang Hao caught it between his fingertips before crushing it immediately.
Crack!
The pill shattered into fine powder. Pale dust scattered silently throughout the room, yet the power hidden within it caused the surrounding air to grow noticeably heavy.
The moment the powder dispersed, Liu Long moved instantly.
A deep silver barrier unfolded, instantly covering Guo Ning's body. The energy wave was dense, like an iron wall.
Kang Hao observed every reaction before speaking slowly.
"Do you know… what this is?"
Guo Ning stared at the floating medicinal dust in the air. A thoughtful expression crossed her face before she answered,
"This… is the antidote pill you purchased from the Cloud Commerce Pavilion, is it not?"
Kang Hao nodded slowly.
"Correct."
He paused briefly before flicking his finger once more.
Ting!
A single drop of clear water floated from his fingertip. It remained suspended in midair, its reflected light resembling a flawless jewel.
Kang Hao stared at the droplet before speaking calmly.
"And do you know… what this is?"
The entire room fell silent.
The spiritual senses of the high-level cultivators gradually expanded, probing the droplet before them. Yet the more they examined it… the more confused their expressions became.
Liu Long narrowed his eyes before speaking slowly.
"It is… a drop of rain from earlier… is it not, City Lord?"
Kang Hao nodded again.
"Yes."
Suddenly, his palm rose slowly. The power of laws flowed from his fingertips before gradually seeping into the droplet with great difficulty, as though he were cutting through layers of energy far too complex to be easily understood.
The droplet trembled.
Faint strands of energy were pulled out layer by layer, resembling overlapping spider silk woven with such precision that it was nearly impossible to separate.
A bead of sweat appeared on Kang Hao's forehead. Although his expression remained calm, everyone could sense that extracting what lay inside… was far from easy.
Before long, he stopped.
The energy that had been drawn from the droplet transformed into a cluster of gray-black mist swirling in midair. It emitted a chilling aura.
Kang Hao looked at everyone before asking once more,
"Can any of you sense what this is?"
Silence filled the room. A fraction of a second later, Liu Long and Chen Yao spoke almost simultaneously.
"Poison… is it?"
The atmosphere inside the room instantly became unbearably heavy.