"The Phantom Building?"
Lu Qian and Lu Yunfei had clearly never heard of this organization before.
Cao Cuo considered for a moment, then said: "The group that attacked were disciples of the Phantom Building — a guild of assassins and killers, with countless masters among their ranks. Blue spiritual power and illusion techniques are the hallmarks of their craft. The disciples of the Stone Sect who fell... died in madness, trapped within their illusions."
"Illusion techniques?"
"Died of madness?"
The two of them could only begin to imagine the suffering the Stone Sect disciples had endured before the end.
"The attackers included one Foundation Establishment cultivator and four monks at the peak of Qi Training. Yet these five are merely the outer fringe of the Phantom Building. One can only imagine how many Foundation Establishment monks they command deeper within — and beyond that, there may even be cultivators who have condensed their Golden Core. I would not presume to know."
"A power that might harbor a Golden Core master... and all of this was drawn upon a mere Stone Sect. Ha — they really do think rather highly of me, Lu Qian."
Lu Qian's voice was thick with bitterness. He had devoted his entire life to building the Stone Alliance and the Stone Sect, driven by ambition and a hunger for influence. Now, with the Stone Sect on the verge of annihilation, half the foundation of his life's work had crumbled. The weight of it was not something ordinary men could bear.
"We have never crossed these people. Why would they attack the Stone Sect?" Lu Yunfei asked, his brow creased with confusion.
"The Phantom Building operates in secret, controlling the talisman trade in Shoushan Market Town. The Origin Stones supplied by the Stone Alliance serve as their raw material. When the Stone Sect began stealing from the source stone mines, word got out. The Phantom Building moved against us because of that," Cao Cuo said, laying out his analysis plainly.
Lu Qian's expression darkened with guilt. "My lord, this is my fault. My careless actions brought disaster upon those disciples."
Cao Cuo was quiet for a moment. Then he said:
"First the He family. Now the Phantom Building."
"In this world, strength is everything. To be weak is to invite destruction — that is the original sin."
Lu Qian, still reeling from the blow, looked up with hollow eyes and asked: "My lord... what do we do now?"
Cao Cuo studied the two of them — their expressions sunken with grief and the quiet despair of powerlessness. Then he asked a single, direct question:
"Do you want revenge?"
"Of course."
"I would follow the Lord's command to the ends of the earth, if only to see this debt repaid."
The moment they heard those words, something flickered back to life in their eyes.
"The Phantom Building is formidable — overwhelming by any direct measure. But strength can be built, and a fortress can be taken apart piece by piece. A dam of a thousand miles can be breached by the hole an ant makes. For now, they stand in the open light. We are in the dark."
Hejiazhuang. Wanshi City. Shoushan Market Town. Cao Cuo had been drifting through this world of immortal cultivation, pushed along by powerful forces and great events, like a pawn swept across a board by other hands.
No. He had never been a pawn.
If the morals and machinations of this world were a game of chess, then he would be the one holding the pieces. And in this game, black moved first.
Besides — it was well past time to cultivate people of his own.
...
After a stick of incense had burned down.
Lu Qian and Lu Yunfei departed from the underground palace.
The remaining members of the Stone Sect were given their orders: all activities within the sect were to go silent at once. Every stronghold and mine was to be abandoned. All remaining disciples were to maintain single-line contact only, with all gatherings strictly forbidden.
In this way, the Stone Sect effectively ceased to exist on the surface. The largest secular power in Shiling City vanished overnight, without a trace.
...
Three days later.
Outside the walls of Shiling City, a streamer of light drifted through the dusk.
"You're saying that the Stone Cult simply evaporated — disappeared overnight?" Elder Qian asked from within the fading light.
"Elder, they have abandoned every stronghold and mine. All activities have gone quiet. I cannot find a single lead."
"I managed to capture a few disciples and put them through illusion interrogation — but every one of them was already dead by the time I found them. Whether they took their own lives or were silenced by someone above them, I cannot say. But whoever gave the order acted with absolute decisiveness."
"Tsk, tsk. This is entirely a worldly method — cutting off the tail to survive. Crude, but surprisingly effective. I had begun to trace a connection between the Stone Cult and the Stone Alliance, but now every thread has been severed."
"These people moved too quickly. It reveals a cowardly nature. They clearly lack the strength to stand and fight. They are nothing more than a pack of rats in a ditch — not worth mobilizing serious resources over."
"Elder Qian, if you suspect the Stone Alliance is connected to the Stone Cult, why not simply arrest Lu Qian — the lord of the Stone Alliance — and put him through an illusion interrogation? He is merely a secular city lord. If he happens to die in the process, it would hardly matter."
"Nonsense! The last time Shi Meng Ye Tingshan died, the quarry fell into chaos for how long? You clearly haven't heard — the Origin Stone supply from Shoushan was cut off for over a year. Lu Qian is a small man, but he has his uses."
"We could just rough him up a little and let him go. Would he truly dare hold a grudge and refuse to cooperate?"
"Lian Jin, all of you are still too young and too inexperienced. Whatever else Lu Qian may be, he is still the master of a regional power. If something is genuinely wrong with him, then fine. But if he is innocent and we break a man like that — damage his mind or his authority — he will no longer be able to command the loyalty of those beneath him. The Stone Alliance will fall into turmoil once again. If that stirs unrest in Shoushan Market Town, the loss will far outweigh any gain."
"Whether this man is guilty or not, moving against him is not worth the cost. A mere Stone Cult ought to have been frightened into submission long ago — they should not have dared to touch the Origin Stone mines to begin with. In any case, we have nearly collected everything we came for. Let us leave it at that."
"Elder Qian is wise..." The others offered their flattery in unison.
The streamer of light lingered no longer. It turned and swept away, leaving Shiling City behind.
...
One month later.
In Jintang Valley, south of the city.
A great burial mound had been raised — massive and unmarked, with no inscription of any kind.
All the victims of the Stone Sect were interred within it. Every building in the valley had been dismantled and removed.
Only at the far end of the valley, carved into the deepest section of the cliff face, a large cave had been opened up.
Now, within that stone chamber.
Eight of the Stone Sect's ten core disciples had gathered here together for the first time since the massacre.
A stern, powerfully built man — broad and imposing as a bear — was clearly the one in command. He spoke first, his voice low and direct:
"Lu Yunfei. You finally show yourself."
Lu Yunfei clasped his hands in greeting. "Greetings, Brother Jintong."
Jintong's eyes were unsmiling. "The Stone Cult was struck by a foreign enemy and suffered catastrophic losses. You didn't appear. All activities went silent — the sect was essentially dissolved. You still didn't appear. Now you've summoned all of us here, and suddenly you show up. What exactly is going on?"
Lu Yunfei replied calmly, "Brother Jintong, please be patient. You'll understand shortly."
Jintong's tone sharpened. "And if I want to understand right now?"
Lu Yunfei had no desire to provoke a confrontation, so he relented and offered what he could: "During this time, I have been in closed cultivation with our leader. It was by the leader's command that everyone has been summoned here today — to reorganize the Stone Sect."
Jintong had cultivated the stone arts to the tenth level — the highest attainment in the sect — and was one of only two men who stood in that rank, second only to Lu Qian himself. He was Lu Qian's most trusted right hand. Had he not already passed thirty and been drawing close to forty, Lu Qian would long since have arranged for him to be his successor.
"A leader?" Another man — long-armed, his hands reaching nearly to his knees — spoke up with a skeptical look. "The Stone Sect truly has such a figure? Why has he never once appeared?"
"I only acknowledge Lu Youshi as the lord of this sect."
"Where did this leader come from?"
"Is this 'leader' even real, or just a fiction?"
The group closed in around Lu Yunfei, voices overlapping, pressing him from every side. He could only do his best to explain what little he knew.
...
A quarter of an hour passed.
"He's coming!"
Whoosh!
A streak of red light sliced across the sky above Jintang Valley, curved in a wide arc, and descended into the valley floor.
The seven core disciples stirred with a ripple of agitation — and then, strangely, settled into stillness.
After listening to Lu Yunfei's explanation moments before, the news had shaken them all.
None of them had expected the Stone Sect to truly have a leader — and a Foundation Establishment cultivator at that. It left them uncertain and, if they were honest, more than a little afraid.
In the secular world, cultivators had always existed on a plane entirely above ordinary mortals. The gap between them was that of two different species. Even the immortal masters stationed within the Stone Alliance dwelled in their shrine buildings year-round, descending only to collect Origin Stones, never exchanging so much as a word with the people around them.
And yet — the organization they had all pledged their lives to had apparently been founded by a cultivator from the very beginning. Whether that was a blessing or a curse, not one of them could say.
Several years had passed since Wanshi City was destroyed, but the deep-rooted fear of cultivators that had taken root in the hearts of those who worked the quarry fields had not faded much.
Inside the cave of Jintang Valley.
The red light settled, and Cao Cuo appeared before them alongside Lu Qian.
Every disciple bowed in unison. "Greetings to the Lord. Greetings to Envoy Lu."
Several of the disciples risked a brief, sidelong glance at the cultivator before them. He was dressed in black, appearing to be in his mid-twenties, with sharp, defined brows and eyes that held a keen, penetrating light.
But cultivators were known for their fine appearances — one could not judge the depth of the water by the surface alone.
Cao Cuo swept his gaze across the assembled group. Each of them carried a distinctive bearing that set them apart from ordinary fighters.
Lu Qian, ever perceptive, took the initiative — stepping forward to make the introductions, one by one, offering Cao Cuo a full picture of each disciple's character and abilities.
He was doing it deliberately. By yielding the floor, he was ensuring that every Stone Sect disciple understood clearly who the true master of the sect was.
Lu Yunfei: second level of Qi Training, tenth level of stone arts. Expert in close-quarters striking — punching and kicking with lethal precision.
Jintong: tenth level of stone arts. Built like a bear, possessed of extraordinary natural strength, his body tempered to a golden hardness through years of horizontal training. He had the courage of a man who could hold a pass alone, a steady and unshakeable temperament, and the composure of a general. He had long been Lu Qian's most dependable right hand.
Hou Shan: tenth level of stone arts. Arms so long his hands hung past his knees — the classic frame of a man with the vision of ape arms. Skilled with flying-star needles and hidden projectiles, deeply versed in medicine and pharmacology, sharp and resourceful. He served as Lu Qian's chief strategist.
The remaining three men and two women were all at the ninth level of stone arts.
Lin Suiyun: handsome and refined, elegant in bearing. Expert in lightness techniques, disguise, and tracking.
Yu Huapeng: a man of few words, composed and deliberate. Skilled with the sword and versed in a wide range of killing techniques.
Wei Heng: plain-featured, unremarkable at first glance. Expert in palm techniques with exceptional raw power — a well-rounded generalist of the sect.
Hong Xiu: graceful and enchanting, with a subtle, unusual fragrance that clung to her. Fair-skinned and full-figured, she was a master of the guqin and music theory, sharp-witted and endlessly clever — a match for Hou Shan in cunning and resourcefulness.
Qing Shuang: tall and slender, as cold and composed as a winter morning. Striking beauty. A master of the Overlord's Spear technique, with combat power that stood in a class of its own.
Cao Cuo regarded them all in silence. These eight people — together with Lu Qian — were the finest heroes the secular world had to offer. Each one possessed a singular, irreplaceable skill.
Were it not for the unfortunate fact that they had been born with mortal bones, none of them would have been confined to the secular world, content to labor beneath the banner of a stone sect.
Cao Cuo's expression remained composed and unhurried. He spoke plainly:
"Everyone here should already understand the situation. The Stone Cult has encountered a powerful enemy, and our position is precarious."
Silence fell across the cave. They were all sharp people. They understood the weight of what was left unsaid.
"The enemy is a group of cultivators from the Phantom Building. One at the Foundation Establishment level; four at the Qi Training level. Their objectives were twofold — to cut off the Stone Sect's supply of Origin Stones, and to harvest lives for alchemy."
The Phantom Building? Harvesting lives for alchemy?
Every face in the room shifted subtly. The enemy was stronger, and far more ruthless, than any of them had imagined.
"More than a thousand members of the sect have died. That blood debt will be repaid in full — but the Phantom Building is a major power rooted in Shoushan, with masters beyond counting. Their strength is far beyond what you can currently picture."
Cao Cuo paused, then continued:
"If you choose to stay, you will be walking a road close to death. There may come a day when not even bones are left behind. If you choose to leave — that will not be counted as betrayal. I will remove the Gu insects. From that point on, we will have no further connection to one another."
No one moved.
Losing the Gu insects meant losing much of the power those creatures had cultivated within them. But more than that — not one of them truly wished to leave the Stone Sect.
Each had their own reasons for staying. And not one was willing to walk away.
Cao Cuo waited in silence for half an hour.
Every last one of them stood firm.
"To stay within the Stone Sect is to place your life and death in my hands. Those who choose to betray — the Gu will take their lives."
The words were absolute. Spoken from above, with the unquestioned authority of a man who held the power of life and death. It made more than a few of them quietly uneasy.
But they had already made their decision. They would not waver now. They responded together, as one voice:
"We understand, my Lord."
Cao Cuo gave a single, measured nod. Then he announced:
"Then it is settled. From this day forward, the Stone Sect is reorganized. The nine of you are hereby registered as official disciples of the inner sect. The original six divisions — Wind, Forest, Fire, Shadow, Thunder, and Mountain — are reclassified as outer affiliates, and are no longer counted among the formal membership of this sect."
"Yes, Master." Every voice answered in unison.