My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

Wu Zhenshan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? He went to the most dangerous area himself?"

"Yes. Our men are watching. We’ve confirmed that he and all his men have entered the mountains. They won’t be coming out for a while."

Wu Zhenshan nodded and waved the man away. He then turned and walked toward the Guardian Station, where Zhou Jin was in a side room, looking through the Dongshan Mine’s recent mining records.

"Steward Zhou."

Wu Zhenshan offered a gentle smile. "With Town Guardian Liang in the mountains hunting the culprit, we can’t just sit idle. The miners have been on edge these past few days. I was thinking of making a tour of the tunnels to reassure them and see if I can find any other clues. Would you care to join me, Steward?"

Zhou Jin set down the records and considered for a moment. "You go on ahead, Treasurer Wu. The City Lord has ordered me to coordinate from here, so I’ll remain at the station. That way, if any news comes in, I can handle it immediately."

"Very well. In that case, I’ll be back shortly."

He walked out of the Guardian Station, heading in the direction of the main mining district with a casual air. But halfway there, his figure suddenly flickered as he ducked into a remote, narrow alley piled high with waste ore—a place rarely frequented.

A figure in a grey robe was already waiting at the end of the alley. It was none other than the Grey Robe Guardian of the Fire Worship Sect.

"Is Liang Cheng gone?"

"He’s entered the mountains. All his men have scattered. He won’t be back for at least ten days."

Wu Zhenshan said flatly, "Zhou Jin is at the Guardian Station. He’s not familiar with the mine, so he won’t be wandering around."

A low chuckle came from beneath the grey-robed figure’s hood. "Excellent. The altar is ready, and we have enough of a blood catalyst. The ritual can begin at midnight."

Wu Zhenshan’s eyes narrowed. "Will that thing really manifest after the blood sacrifice?"

"The Blood Marrow Jade we buried eight years ago has been nourished by two blood sacrifices and has already begun to take form. If Liang Cheng hadn’t interfered last time, the results would have been even better."

"However, even in this nascent form, the essence of Qi Blood it contains is enough to take your cultivation to the next level."

Wu Zhenshan fell silent for a moment. "Don’t cause too much of a stir. Zhou Jin can’t die here. Otherwise, there will be questions I can’t answer."

"Don’t worry. The Lin Family didn’t know their place, so we’ll make an example of them first. Do you think common miners would be as effective? We’ve been partners for so long—when have I ever failed you? Just wait for your Blood Marrow Jade Seed and focus on advancing your cultivation."

Wu Zhenshan shook his head. "Lin Yue is gravely injured; the Lin Family is like fish in a barrel. I need to maintain my cover in front of Zhou Jin, so I can’t afford any slip-ups."

The Grey Robe Guardian chuckled coldly. "Heh. As cautious as ever, Treasurer Wu. Rest assured, the Blood Marrow Jade Seed will be delivered to you when the time comes."

With that said, the grey-robed figure flickered and vanished without a trace.

Wu Zhenshan stood rooted to the spot, his expression complex as he stared at the faint outlines of the mine shafts visible beyond the alley.

In the hours that followed, the Lin Family’s guards began to disappear, one by one. Strangely, the elite soldiers of the Martial Preparation Hall saw nothing at all.

...

「Lin Mansion.」

Lin Yue was recuperating from his injuries.

Suddenly, Lin Mao burst in, a terrified look on his face.

"Master, the young master has disappeared!"

"What?"

Lin Yue’s eyes shot open. He pushed himself upright and snatched the Double Halberds from beside his bed. "What happened? Tell me everything."

As Lin Mao spoke, he edged closer. Then, he suddenly threw a pouch of powder. Alarmed, Lin Yue immediately circulated his True Qi to form a protective barrier.

"Lin Mao, why?"

"My son died in the mines eight years ago! You left him to die just to keep your secrets, and you have the nerve to ask me why?"

"And that imbecile Lin Fu! If he hadn’t been so incompetent, none of this would have been exposed. He got what he deserved, dying like that. Such a waste of my time."

The next instant, Wu Zhenshan and a grey-robed figure materialized in the room. Already severely injured, Lin Yue couldn’t react in time. They attacked him from both sides, shattering his True Qi barrier. He inhaled the powder, and his True Qi instantly stagnated. Moments later, he succumbed to their joint assault and fell unconscious.

The Grey Robe Guardian let out a cold laugh.

"Lin Mao, leave no one from the Lin Family alive."

"Yes."

...

「Midnight.」

Deep within the Dongshan Mine, far below Tunnel Three, lay a hidden chasm. It opened into a cavern even more vast than the one where Liang Cheng and Lin Yue had battled. In the center of this cavern stood a newly constructed altar, more than three times the size of the one before.

The altar was nine-sided, and at each of its nine corners stood a banner, black with blood-red markings. The surface of the altar was covered in twisted Runes. In a central depression, hundreds of dark-red Blood Marrow Jade Raw Stones were piled high, pulsing with an eerie, bloody light.

Nine Fire Worshipers in grey robes stood at the nine corners of the altar, muttering incantations.

Below the altar, twelve miners and more than a hundred members of the Lin Family lay bound on the ground. Every face was ashen, their eyes filled with utter despair.

Lin Yue was unconscious, lying in the very center.

On a rocky ledge high above the cavern floor, the Grey Robe Guardian stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Two black-robed figures with chilling auras stood behind him, their faces concealed by Ghost-faced Masks.

Lin Mao wore a fawning expression, his eyes filled with satisfaction as he looked down at the captive Lin Family. "My lord, thank you for your generous assistance. My heart’s desire is finally fulfilled."

"Is that so?"

"Truer than gold! May the Holy Sect live forever!"

"Good!"

The next instant, the Grey Robe Guardian flicked a finger, shooting out a bolt of True Qi. "Since you feel such gratitude to the Holy Sect, you can offer your life to it. Become the blood catalyst that begins our sacred ritual."

Before Lin Mao could react, he was sent flying backward. He crashed onto the altar, paralyzed, his face a mask of despair.

"The hour is upon us."

The Grey Robe Guardian’s voice was hoarse. "Begin the ritual! Blood sacrifice!"

The nine cultists slit their wrists in unison. As their blood dripped into the grooves on the altar’s edge, it raced along the paths of the Runes, causing the entire altar’s sanguine glow to erupt in intensity.

The miners and the members of the Lin Family began to struggle violently, but no sound escaped their lips. A bloody glint flashed in the Grey Robe Guardian’s eyes. He raised his right hand, poised to strike.

THUD!

With a sickening crunch, the body of a cultist guarding the entrance flew into the cavern like a rag doll, smashing hard against the rock wall. Every bone in his body was shattered.

Everyone whipped their heads around.

There, at the entrance, a figure stepped over the cultist’s corpse and strode calmly into the cavern.

Dressed in black with a saber on his back, his expression was serene.

It was Liang Cheng.

"It seems I’m not too late. This place was rather difficult to find."

Liang Cheng’s gaze swept across the altar, finally settling on the Grey Robe Guardian high above. "The raid on the shipment was a feint, a diversion to lure me away. Your real goal was to complete this final blood sacrifice in my absence."

The cavern was deathly silent.

The Grey Robe Guardian’s pupils shrank. "How can you be here?!" he blurted out. "My men watched you go into Old Crow Mountain!"

Liang Cheng didn’t answer.

With a flick of his wrist, the Zhenxian Saber was in his hand. The dark metal of the blade seemed to drink in the altar’s sanguine light, reflecting it with a cold, merciless sheen.

"I let you escape last time. It won’t happen again."

The Grey Robe Guardian’s expression shifted rapidly before settling into a savage, maniacal grin. "Excellent! Excellent! Liang Cheng, since you’ve come here to die, you have only yourself to blame!"

He roared, "Activate the Blood Evil Array! Today, we will use your blood—the blood of a True Inheritor of the Martial Arts Academy—to bring our work to completion!"

The nine cultists simultaneously bit the tips of their tongues, spraying their Essence Blood onto the banners!

The Nine-sided Black Banners stirred, though there was no wind, and the blood-red markings on their surfaces exploded with a blinding crimson light!

The pile of Blood Marrow Jade Raw Stones in the center of the altar began to tremble violently. The bloody veins on their surfaces writhed as if they were alive, and an immense wave of Blood Evil Qi erupted, flooding the entire cavern!

The Grey Robe Guardian and the two black-robed Ghost-faced Men leaped down from the high ledge, forming a triangle with Liang Cheng at its center.

The auras of the three linked together. Their greyish-black True Qi was now suffused with thick Blood Evil, making their combined power far greater than when they had last clashed.

"Liang Cheng, today is your day to die!"

Liang Cheng’s Golden Armor Realm Hard Skills activated automatically, causing a faint golden light to shimmer across his skin, deflecting the encroaching Blood Evil Qi.

He tightened his grip on the Zhenxian Saber, raising its tip to point directly at the Grey Robe Guardian.

"Then let’s see you try."

The words had barely left his lips when he moved.

He pushed his Wandering Dragon Step to its absolute limit within the confines of the cavern. His body became a streak of pale golden lightning, lunging straight for the Grey Robe Guardian!

As the saber struck, it was accompanied by the sound of roaring wind and cracking thunder!

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