26 Jun Moxi's Soul Lantern Is Extinguished, Chaos In Shadow Killing Hall!
Author Note:
There's a problem in Inkstone which cause the update to be delayed today. I don't know when this chapter will show up, I hope the problem will fixed asap.
###
In a remote corner of Eastern Desolate, far from the touch of civilization, a massive valley stretched on the backside of the Misty Mountain.
While its reputation lagged behind compared to the terrifying restricted areas or forbidden grounds in Eastern Desolate, no one dared to recklessly step into this land shrouded by thick fog all year long without the determination of not returning alive once they entered.
Thus, not many people were aware that deep inside this valley, a majestic, ancient-style building compound was nestled within this abandoned land, which even the sunlight rarely visited.
This place was the main headquarters of the infamous Shadow Killing Hall, a dark organization with assassination, subterfuge, and information gathering as their main business.
Inside one of those buildings, rows of lanterns lined up neatly atop exquisitely designed cabinets made of the finest wood.
A green flame was swayed gently within each lantern, flickering; their ghostly light spread faint and thin, reaching every corner of the room, making the already dark and gloomy interior even eerier.
Soul Lantern Pavilion.
This was the place where the soul lanterns of all important figures in Shadow Killing Hall were being kept and protected. Each of them represented the life and death of the person whose name was engraved on its base.
When the fire inside flickered greatly and dimmed as if it were about to be extinguished, it signified that a grave danger had befell the corresponding individual.
Li Qing, the person in charge of this place, patrolled around as usual, looking at the various soul lanterns absentmindedly.
The job as a manager of the Soul Lantern Pavilion was so simple that it might feel boring sometimes. His task was mainly to monitor the changes in the soul lanterns every day.
Considering that the one whose soul lantern was placed here was at least a Venerable-level expert—someone who was strong enough to walk sideways in Eastern Desolate—he almost had nothing to do other than glaring at those unchanging green flames.
Boring, so boring.
He sometimes hoped that some minor change would happen to these unperturbed lanterns so that his job wasn't so monotonous; of course, it was just his idle thought; a boring routine was way better than an unexpected accident.
He glanced around silently and continued monitoring the room. All the soul lanterns seemed to be still, and no disturbance had been detected, so Manager Li Qing decided to take a break.
However, when he was about to leave, his expression suddenly changed!
High up on the topmost level, one of the soul lanterns that was just fine a second ago flickered wildly, and in a blink of an eye, the flame within it died out like a light of a candle blew away by a gust of wind!
Under the soul lamp was a name written in bold case—Jun Moxi!
This was the name of one of Shadow Killing Hall's grand elders!
This sudden change struck Li Qing like a bolt of the blue, his face was robbed from its color as his expression twisted into one of terror.
He rushed to check the dying lantern, hoping that it was just his eyes playing tricks on his brain.
However, when he took out the soul lantern, his lips kept trembling and his eyes shook greatly, as if he had lost his soul.
"It's gone… it's really gone!"
A heavy sense of despair washed over him.
Li Qing rushed out of the Soul Lantern Pavilion, running toward the main hall like his life was dependent on it.
*
"Something bad happened! Hall Master, something bad happened!"
At the main hall, the eyes of Ye Sha, the Hall Master of the Shadow Killing Hall, snapped open. The sudden commotion forcibly woke him up from his deep meditation.
Glaring coldly at the trembling man in front of him, he growled furiously, "What's this all about!? Suddenly barge into my room; do you want to die?!!"
Receiving the dense killing intent from his superior, Li Qing's body suddenly froze, sweating profusely. But he gritted his teeth and opened his mouth with difficulty.
With stammered, he hurriedly explained the situation.
"H-hall, Hall Master, it's emergency! Grand Elder Jun, Grand Elder Jun, he…"
"What happened to him?! Explain clearly!" Ye Sha growled impatiently; his cold tone clearly expressed his annoyance.
"Grand Elder Jun's Soul Lantern went off!"
"Isn't it just a soul lantern died out! Why are you making such a fuss… no, wait…" Ye Sha was about to lash out in anger when he suddenly realized something off from Li Qing's report. "Wh-what do you say?"
"His Soul Lantern went off! Grand Elder Jun's Soul Lantern suddenly went puff and died!"
Finally, the gravity of the situation sank into Ye Sha's mind, and his expression turned solemn.
"Are you trying to play prank on me? That's Grand Elder Jun we're talking about!"
Li Qing held the extinguished soul lantern in his hand and cried, "How dare I make a joke about something of this importance, Hall Master! This is the proof!"
Seeing this, Ye Sha felt a chill creeping down his spine and suddenly fell silent.
As a Grand Elder of the Shadow Killing Hall, Jun Moxi was only a step away from Supreme, and his strength was second only to his among the top brass of the organization.
However, with such power that he could be considered the top dog in Eastern Desolate, someone managed to kill him! This was a feat that could only be done by someone with a cultivation level of at least the peak of Supreme!
Who did he offend?!
"What's going on?!" Ye Sha glowered fiercely, the veins bulging on his neck. He gave Li Qing a chilling glare and ordered him sharply, "Tell me, what the hell did Jun Moxi do? Where did he go?!"
Trembling in fear, Li Qing confessed without omitting anything.
"I-it's like this, Hall Master. Li Tianji from the Great Desolate Kingdom came to us before and wanted to use our power to assassinate someone. Originally, he was adamant about asking Hall Master to handle it in person, but at that time, you're still in seclusion, and we didn't dare disturb you. So, Grand Elder Jun volunteered to do the work on your behalf."
"But, but…" His speech became more and more incoherent as he went on. He couldn't even breathe, crushed under Ye Sha's killing intent, which grew more violent with each word. "this... suddenly... happened... argh!"
Li Tianji!!
Hearing this name, Ye Sha's expression was cold.
In this way, Jun Moxi's death was absolutely inseparable from Li Tianji!
"Take people to the Great Desolate Kingdom! If Li Tianji doesn't give me an explanation, I will definitely make him pay the price!"
