The sky was a bruised purple, the sun not yet daring to breach the horizon.

Qin Lu arrived at the rendezvous point outside the city with his gear packed and his senses sharp. He expected a small team. What he found was a small army.

Ten cultivators stood in the pre-dawn gloom.

Qin Lu scanned the faces. Most were familiar. There was Wu Zheng, the Sect Leader of the Xuanyang Sect, and Lu Anchen. Standing near them was Shen Changbai, a Foundation Establishment powerhouse from the Green Mountain Sect, flanked by a trusted aide.

Surrounding them were five others. Three were prominent loose cultivators from the Wuji Market, well-known for their ruthlessness. The last two were strangers with hard eyes and unfamiliar auras.

Qin Lu activated his [Heavenly Eye Technique]. The spiritual signatures flared in his vision.

Three Foundation Establishment experts. Seven late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

His heart hammered against his ribs. What the hell is this lineup? This isn’t a hit squad; it’s a war party.

Li Qingdu spotted him. The Market Master gave a curt, frosty nod.

Qin Lu didn’t bother trying to warm a cold shoulder. He returned a simple cupped-fist salute and retreated to a corner, blending into the shadows.

He exchanged brief, friendly nods with Wu Zheng and Lu Anchen, but kept his distance from the others. His mind raced, analyzing the composition of the team.

Not a single disciple from the Wuji Sect proper, he noted. My guess was right. This is a black ops mission. Li Qingdu is going rogue.

It explained why he had recruited loose cultivators and outsiders. He was dragging two other Foundation Establishment experts into the mud with him.

But damn it, all this manpower just to kill Yang Zhen?

The scale of violence suggested something far grander than assassinating a single prodigy. The suspicion gnawed at him. Was there a secondary target? A trap?

Qin Lu began mentally cataloging his escape routes. No matter what happened, his priority was simple: survive.

A hum of spiritual energy drew his attention toward the market. A flying artifact streaked through the air, carrying two figures.

Qin Lu squinted. His jaw tightened.

The Gu siblings? You have to be kidding me.

Gu Yue and Gu Can landed lightly. Gu Yue looked radiant even in the dim light, while her brother looked like he was ready to burn the world down for entertainment.

“Hey, Big Mouth!” Gu Yue waved, her tone teasing.

“Uh, hello…” Qin Lu waved back, feeling the awkward weight of the nickname.

“Everyone is here,” Li Qingdu announced, his voice cutting through the chatter.

He stepped forward and flicked his wrist. A streak of spiritual light shot from his palm, expanding rapidly in the air.

With a low groan of displacing air, the light solidified into a massive cyan vessel. It was a spirit boat, nearly sixty-five feet long, hovering silently above the grass.

“Board,” Li Qingdu commanded, leaping onto the deck.

The others followed without hesitation.

Qin Lu stared for a split second. He had never seen a flying artifact of this magnitude. Shaking off his awe, he vaulted onto the deck, joining the file of cultivators.

The interior resembled a large, covered river barge. Rows of seats lined the hull, reminding Qin Lu absurdly of a mortal bus.

“Take your seats. We leave immediately,” Li Qingdu ordered.

As soon as everyone settled, the hull vibrated. The spirit boat rose with a stomach-churning lurch, then accelerated violently toward the east.

Inside the cabin, the wind noise was muffled by a protective barrier.

Qin Lu found himself seated next to the Gu siblings. He leaned in, keeping his voice low. “Why are you two here?”

Gu Can grinned, his eyes manic. “How could we miss something this fun? I had to come see the excitement!”

“Uh…” Qin Lu looked at the battle-hungry youth and found no words.

He turned to the sister. “You think the same way?”

“Not really. I didn’t plan on going out,” Gu Yue said, her eyes curving into a smile. “But the Market Master came to invite us personally. Since I have the strength to spare, naturally, I came to help.”

Qin Lu stared at her, but his focus drifted. Caught in her hair was a familiar object.

A silver hairpin. The one he had given her.

Gu Yue noticed his stare. She coughed awkwardly, a faint flush touching her cheeks. “Anyway, why are you here? I thought you hated leaving your courtyard.”

Qin Lu snapped his gaze away. He glanced toward Li Qingdu, who stood like a statue at the prow.

“Ah,” Qin Lu sighed. “Circumstances beyond my control.”

“Hehe.” Gu Yue chuckled softly. “It’s fine. If you get scared, just hide behind me. Protecting your life shouldn’t be a problem.”

Qin Lu felt his face heat up. Being called timid by the woman he was interested in was a blow to his pride.

“I’m not scared,” he muttered, forcing a smile. “We’ll… look out for each other.”

“Gentlemen!” Li Qingdu turned, his voice amplified by qi.

The cabin fell silent.

“I’ve briefed you individually on the target,” Li Qingdu said slowly. “Simply put: we are going to kill Yang Zhen and return to Wuji Market alive.”

Wu Zheng, the Xuanyang Sect Leader, stroked his beard. “Market Master Li, rest assured. This battle will be a walk in the park. I could hammer that boy Yang Zhen to death with one hand.”

“Leader Wu is right,” Shen Changbai of the Green Mountain Sect added, looking relaxed. “Think of this as an outing. Though… do we have a specific plan?”

“Of course,” Li Qingdu said. “I have intel. In a few days, a rare phenomenon called the ‘Fire Waterfall’ will manifest in the Dragon Tiger Sect’s territory. It appears only once every two centuries.”

He paused, letting the significance sink in. “Yang Zhen will definitely be there to witness it. We will ambush him between the Immortal Crane Sect and the Fire Waterfall.”

The tension in the cabin evaporated.

The loose cultivators exchanged relieved glances. They weren’t storming a fortified sect gate. They were jumping a kid in the wild.

With four Foundation Establishment experts and nine veteran fighters, this wasn’t a battle; it was an execution.

“Senior, don’t worry. We’ll handle it cleanly!”

“Exactly! I’ve hated the Immortal Crane Sect for years. Bunch of oath-breakers!”

“I heard they raided our spirit rice shipments and killed our people,” another cultivator growled. “Time to give them a taste of their own medicine!”

“Well said!”

Li Qingdu raised a hand, silencing the rising fervor.

“However,” he cut in, his voice dropping an octave. “Capturing Yang Zhen is only the first step. Our ultimate target is the Immortal Crane Sect Leader… You Ye.”

The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush bone.

The smiles vanished from the loose cultivators’ faces. They looked at each other, fear creeping back into their eyes.

The Foundation Establishment experts remained impassive. They clearly already knew.

You Ye. Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. The strongest cultivator in the Immortal Crane Sect.

Killing a Qi Refining junior was one thing. Hunting a Sect Leader was a different beast entirely. The danger had just multiplied exponentially.

Li Qingdu ignored the fear radiating from the lower ranks.

“You can all see that I haven’t reported this to the Wuji Sect,” he declared, his voice hard as iron. “The Sect knows nothing. This is my private decision because I could not swallow this grievance.”

He scanned the room, meeting every eye.

“Therefore, no one is to reveal their identity. We leave no survivors. We leave no loose ends.”

“Now,” Li Qingdu said, pulling out a map. “Here are the details…”