In the cave of the Southwest Miasma Land, the air was so thick it seemed to drip with water. The black-robed figure had been bound layer upon layer by Tang Xiaoqi using the power of Chaos, like an insect trapped in amber. He couldn't even self-destruct his divine soul, able only to stare fixedly at Xiaoqi with those blood-red eyes, filled with hatred. Situ Ming, meanwhile, had collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, eyes vacant, muttering: "Grandson... my grandson..."
Xiaoqi did not waste time on useless interrogation. He simply extended his right hand, pressing five fingers lightly on the black-robed figure's head. His powerful Nascent Soul stage Divine Consciousness descended like a sharp blade, forcibly breaking through the fragile barrier constructed from heretical faith and demonic energy surrounding the other's soul, and began Soul-Searching!
"Ah—!" The black-robed figure let out a mournful, inhuman scream. His body convulsed violently, and black blood seeped from all seven orifices. The soul-searching process was brutal and agonizing, especially for a being whose divine soul had been severely polluted. It was almost equivalent to completely dismantling and reconstructing his soul structure.
Torrents of information fragments flooded into Xiaoqi's consciousness. He saw countless distorted ritual ceremonies held in darkness, believers prostrating and worshipping the hollow eyeball symbol, reciting profane prayers; he saw the strict hierarchical structure within the Shadow Assembly—Black-Robed Envoys, Gray-Robed Officers, White-Robed Priests, and even higher, more mysterious core members; he saw how they secretly developed members throughout the three realms, infiltrating various sects and forces, using human weaknesses for temptation and control; and he saw their ultimate goal—to awaken and welcome the return of their worshipped "Lord of the Void" (the Demon Lord), opening a passage to the "Eternal Void" (the realm beyond), letting darkness completely shroud this world!
This information was vast and chaotic. Many crucial parts—especially regarding the identity of the Shadow Assembly's supreme leader, the list of core members, and most importantly, their specific plans for "welcoming" the Demon Lord's return—had been set with powerful soul seals. They self-destructed the moment Xiaoqi forcibly broke through, leaving only vague pointers and fragmented scenes.
Nevertheless, the harvest was already astonishing.
Xiaoqi withdrew his hand. The black-robed figure's body went limp, his divine soul completely collapsed, leaving only an empty shell. He looked at the trembling Situ Ming beside him, his tone icy cold: "Where is your grandson?"
Situ Ming grabbed this as his last lifesaver, tears and mucus streaming down his face as he confessed: His only grandson possessed a rare "Void Spirit Root" and had mysteriously disappeared during an outing several months ago. Then he received threats from the Shadow Assembly, claiming his grandson was under their control. If he wanted his grandson's life saved, he had to steal Alliance secrets for them and defect at a specified time. He hadn't truly intended to join them—he was merely coerced. The chaotic words in the jade slips were half genuine emotional turmoil and half the result of demonic energy influence and inner torment.
"They... they said that as long as I completed this final task, they would release my grandson... The final task was to leave specific spatial beacons along my defection route..." Situ Ming's voice was filled with despair.
Spatial beacons! Xiaoqi's eyes sharpened. This was by no means merely for rescuing defectors—it was more like positioning and paving the way for some kind of large-scale spatial ritual or passage opening! The Shadow Assembly's scheme was even larger than he imagined!
He immediately transmitted all the intelligence obtained, together with the Shadow Assembly token and the blood-written prayer fragments, through special channels back to Alliance Headquarters for Mu Qingfeng, Liu Yun, and Luo Feng to handle.
Upon receiving the intelligence, Alliance Headquarters was immediately engulfed in a great wave.
"The Shadow Assembly... it actually exists! And has infiltrated to such an extent!" Mu Qingfeng's face was ashen as he looked at the information recorded in the jade slips. He immediately mobilized all trustworthy forces, conducting unprecedented, underground purge operations against the Shadow Assembly based on those fragmented clues (such as characteristics of certain gathering places, specific contact codes between members, fuzzy identity leads on some mid-to-low-level members), combined with Luo Feng's cross-comparison and analysis of massive data within the Alliance, and Liu Yun's Law Enforcement Hall's secret investigation network.
The operations were conducted in extreme secrecy. A seemingly ordinary medicinal materials merchant at the border of Zhongzhou was raided, and a major Shadow Assembly liaison point was discovered hidden underground. A large amount of correspondence and cult materials awaiting transfer were seized. In a Sea Tribe clan friendly with the Dragon Clan in the East Sea, an esteemed elder was secretly detained, and law enforcement artifacts connected to Shadow Assembly priests were found on him. In a cultivation family renowned for metalwork in the Northern Plains, a small altar for offering sacrifices to the "Lord of the Void" was secretly hidden in their warehouse depths...
Following the trail and unraveling the threads. Shadow Assembly strongholds, large and small, were uprooted one by one. Shadow Assembly members hidden within all walks of life, and even within some small and medium sects, were dragged out.
They discovered that the composition of Shadow Assembly members was extremely complex—some were fallen cultivators tempted by power, others were discontents seeking extreme solutions due to various grievances, and still others like Situ Ming were pitiable victims whose weaknesses had been exploited. But the core members were without exception deeply corrupted by demonic energy and fanatics with fervent faith in the "Lord of the Void."
Their operational funds and resources came partly from member "contributions," partly from controlling underground industries and conducting illegal trades. There were even signs indicating they had countless connections with undisposed remnants of the Shadow Serpent Pavilion and even certain evil beings wandering beyond the realm.
And all the clues ultimately pointed vaguely toward the same ultimate goal—they were preparing an unprecedented, massive ritual, requiring vast amounts of negative energy, specific spatial coordinates (likely related to the Shadow Realm entrance), and... some special "key" or "sacrifice," trying to break the realm barriers and welcome the Demon Lord's complete return, or... open a stable passage to the realm beyond!
The emergence of the Shadow Assembly made the Alliance's situation even more severe and complex. Externally, there was the Demon Lord's remnant soul lurking in the depths of the Shadow Realm, watching covetously; internally, there was this cult organization that had lurked for years, plotting grandly. Add to this the unresolved aftermath of demonic marks and the resulting trust crisis within the Alliance...
The Three-Realms Alliance was like a giant ship sailing through raging waves, simultaneously facing multiple threats from beneath the water (the Shadow Assembly), the hull (internal problems), and distant storms (the Demon Lord).
After cleaning up the traces in the Southwest cave and bringing Situ Ming back in temporary sealing, Xiaoqi received a detailed report from the Alliance. He stood atop a solitary peak, gazing at the vast, dangerous land before him, his eyes sharp as blades.
The Shadow Assembly... must be completely eradicated before they complete that terrifying ritual! And the key to eradicating them might lie in finding the ritual site and... what they intended to use as the "key" or "sacrifice"! A hidden war centered on "ritual" versus "anti-ritual" was about to unfold more intensely.