After Elder Jin left, Mei Lin finally allowed herself a faint smile.
Her plan was proceeding smoothly.
She waited until his aura had completely disappeared before looking around his study. Soon, her gaze settled on a jade seal lying beside a stack of bamboo slips.
With a wave of her hand, she took the seal and concealed it inside her sleeve.
After making sure no one was nearby, she quietly left through a side passage.
The Communication Chamber was empty when she arrived. She stepped onto the formation platform and infused it with her spiritual energy. The runes beneath her feet lit up one after another, and a spatial portal gradually took shape.
Mei Lin retrieved a scroll from her sleeve. The ink was still fresh, and Elder Jin's seal had been stamped at the bottom.
"The time has come."
She sent the scroll through the portal. Once it disappeared, the formation gradually dimmed, leaving the chamber silent once more.
---
Far to the west, a hidden valley lay shrouded in silver mist. At its center stood a jade pavilion built into the mountainside, overlooking a lake whose surface remained perfectly still beneath the moonlight.
Inside the pavilion, a man sat quietly.
His long blue hair fell down his back, and his pale face showed little emotion. When a scroll suddenly appeared before him, he caught it and opened it.
The moment he saw the seal, he frowned.
"Elder Jin? Has that old fool finally decided to make his move?"
He continued reading, and his expression gradually turned cold.
After finishing the message, he picked up a brush and wrote a reply. With a flick of his finger, the scroll entered a small transmission formation and disappeared.
---
By the time Elder Jin arrived at Violet Mountain City, the entire branch had been reduced to ruins.
The buildings had collapsed, the training grounds were covered in scorched earth, and the defensive formations had been completely destroyed. Even the guard towers had been reduced to broken pieces of stone.
Elder Jin walked through the ruins with a dark expression.
He had initially thought this was merely an attack against the Shadowclaw Sect. However, after inspecting the remains, he realized that the situation was far more serious than he had imagined.
The enemy had been powerful enough to destroy the entire branch in a short time, leaving almost nothing behind.
More importantly, there was no sign of his son.
Elder Jin stopped beside a charred corpse and extended his spiritual sense, searching for traces of the battle.
Unfortunately, the remaining spiritual energy was too faint. Whoever had attacked the city had carefully concealed their tracks, making it difficult to determine their identity.
"Who exactly did this?"
His voice was low, and his expression grew increasingly grim.
Just then, a messenger bird descended from the sky. Its wings carried a faint chill, and a sealed scroll was tied to its leg.
Elder Jin took the scroll and opened it.
There were only a few words inside.
Come to Sound Soul Valley. Alone.
At the bottom was a crimson seal he recognized immediately.
His expression changed.
He hadn't seen that seal in many years. It belonged to the very person who had once ordered the extermination of the Jiang family.
"So, you've finally appeared again."
Elder Jin clenched the scroll in his hand.
He had a bad feeling that his son's disappearance was connected to this man.
Without wasting any more time, he returned to the Shadowclaw Sect.
---
When Elder Jin entered the sect's main hall, Mei Lin was examining several tactical scrolls spread across a table.
She looked up as he approached.
"Elder Jin, what happened?"
Instead of answering immediately, he handed her the scroll.
Mei Lin read its contents and examined the seal at the bottom before returning it to him.
"You believe this is a trap?"
"It almost certainly is." Elder Jin's expression remained serious. "The person behind this is someone you know. He's the one who ordered the extermination of the Jiang family, and he rarely makes a move without a purpose."
He paused before continuing.
"My son's disappearance is unlikely to be a coincidence. I suspect this man is involved."
"And you intend to go?"
"I have no choice. If my son is in his hands, I cannot simply ignore it."
Elder Jin's eyes narrowed.
"However, I won't walk into a trap without making preparations."
Mei Lin considered the matter for a moment before speaking.
"I'll accompany you."
Elder Jin looked at her in surprise.
"I'll follow you in secret," she explained. "He specifically asked you to come alone, so he mustn't discover my presence. If anything goes wrong, I'll be there to assist you."
Elder Jin remained silent for a moment before nodding.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Sect Leader."
As he looked at Mei Lin, a complicated feeling arose within him.
He hadn't expected her to agree so readily. Given their current circumstances and the ongoing struggles within the sect, he had assumed she would be reluctant to involve herself in such a dangerous matter.
Perhaps he had misjudged her.
A faint sigh escaped his lips.
But whatever regrets he had, there was little point dwelling on them now. The past could not be changed, and no cultivation technique or miraculous pill could bring back what had already been lost.
For now, he could only focus on the matter before him.
His son was still missing.
And until he found out what had happened, he wouldn't be able to rest easy.
---
Night had fallen by the time Elder Jin arrived at Sound Soul Valley.
The valley lay deep within the Blackfog Mountain Range, far from the usual paths taken by cultivators. According to ancient records, a powerful primordial beast had perished here long ago, leaving behind an unusual resonance that continued to affect the surrounding area.
Even now, a faint hum could be heard throughout the valley. It interfered with one's divine sense, making it difficult to detect anything beyond a certain distance.
The valley floor was covered with jagged black rocks, and little vegetation could be found anywhere. At its center stood an old stone platform, its surface covered in weathered runes.
A man was waiting there.
His long blue hair hung loosely behind him, and his violet robe fluttered gently despite the absence of wind. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking entirely relaxed.
When Elder Jin approached, the man opened his eyes and smiled.
"Well, Elder Jin. You actually came alone. I thought you might bring a few fellow elders along for company."
Elder Jin stopped several paces away, maintaining a cautious distance.
"I came because I had no other choice. If my son's life is in your hands, I have to come and find out what you want."
The man's smile widened.
"How touching. I didn't know you were such a devoted father."
Elder Jin ignored the mockery and looked directly at him.
"Where is my son?"
Instead of answering, the man took a step forward.
"Before we discuss that, shouldn't we talk about Li Fang?"
Elder Jin's expression changed slightly.
The man continued, his voice turning cold.
"You provided Li Fang with the information he needed to assassinate Jiang Chen. You told him the boy would be isolated, yet he was surrounded by the Righteous Sects Alliance the moment he attacked."
He paused, watching Elder Jin's reaction.
"You even assured him that reinforcements would arrive. Tell me, did you really think I wouldn't investigate what happened?"
Elder Jin's gaze sharpened.
"So you already know."
"Of course I do."
The blue-haired man chuckled.
"Did you think you could use me to achieve your goals and then pretend you had nothing to do with what happened?"
Elder Jin's expression darkened.
"Then the attack on Violet Mountain City was your doing? And you took my son to force me to come here?"
The man shook his head.
"You're still misunderstanding the situation, Elder Jin. I didn't create this mess. I merely responded to the game you started."
His smile faded, and his eyes turned cold.
"And now, it's time to settle our differences."
Elder Jin's spiritual energy began to circulate beneath his robes. Although he remained outwardly calm, he had already begun preparing for a fight.
He had no intention of trusting this man, especially when his son's whereabouts remained unknown.
The two men stared at each other, neither willing to make the first move.
Then, a faint sound came from above.
A streak of cold light flashed across the darkness.
Mei Lin had arrived.