Treasure Alley never truly slept.
Even in the dead of night, when most of Flying Eagle City had gone quiet, faint lantern lights still flickered behind the heavy curtains of the shops lining both sides of the narrow street.
The air smelled of aged wood, metal shavings, and faint traces of spiritual herbs. Here, every storefront belonged to a wealthy merchant or a hidden expert. The city’s management kept a strict watch over this place, where fake and real stuff often mix. After all, one wrong move and a single enraged cultivator could turn the entire alley into a bloodbath.
But some people simply didn’t care about rules.
Two figures moved silently through the shadows between the buildings, their footsteps light as falling leaves.
"Black Shadow, you sure the information is solid this time?" a low voice asked. The speaker was a lean man dressed in dark gray robes, his face half-covered by a black cloth. Only his sharp, restless eyes were visible.
The man walking beside him was tall with rather broad shoulders, with a white cloth mask. He let out a soft chuckle, "White Flash, when have I ever given you bad intel? The Zhuo Family is paying good spirit stones for this job. And after we finish the woman, we can loot whatever’s inside that antique shop. I heard they’ve got a Noble Grade treasure hidden somewhere."
White Flash clicked his tongue. "Noble Grade, huh... tempting. But don’t get greedy. The Zhuo Family has been keeping an eye on that stuff for a while. If we touch their stuff, they might turn on us later. But no worries, I am sure other than that, we can surely sneak away some other stuff."
Black Shadow snorted. "Those Zhuo bastards think they’re already one of the Seven Stars. They’re still dogs trying to climb higher. As long as we finish the job cleanly and disappear, they won’t have the guts to chase us. Besides..."
His voice dropped into a cold laugh. "We’ve already got enough blood on our hands. One more or two more won’t change anything."
White Flash was silent for a moment, then grinned under his mask. "True. The Twin Ghost Duo doesn’t leave survivors anyway. Let’s go. The sooner we finish, the sooner we collect our pay."
The two figures melted deeper into the darkness, heading straight toward the Cloud Wing Antique Shop.
At the same time, another group was moving.
From the shadows of the surrounding buildings, over a hundred masked figures approached Bing Luoyan’s estate like a tide of silent death. Ten men in dark robes led the way, each of them exuding the powerful aura of the Primordial Spirit Unification Realm.
Behind each captain followed ten elite soldiers at the True Core Formation Realm. All of them moved with disciplined steps, their killing intent tightly suppressed.
At the very front walked a young man in luxurious purple robes, his face twisted into an ugly, excited grin.
Zhuo Dicang.
His eyes burned with lust and cruelty as he stared at the estate ahead.
’Bing Luoyan... that arrogant bitch. You dared to go against my plans again and again. Tonight, I’ll make you kneel. I’ll strip you naked in front of your own people and fuck you until you beg. Then I’ll let my men have their turn. Hmph, and her daughter... I am sure we can do some arrangements too."
His breathing grew heavier just thinking about it.
’That Noble Grade treasure will be mine too. Everything she owns will belong to me.’
He raised a hand.
The captains immediately understood. The group split, half moving toward the front courtyard, the other half circling toward the back entrance.
The front group slipped over the wall and landed in the spacious courtyard.
Strange.
There were no guards. No servants. No lights in the main building. The entire estate was eerily quiet, as if no one was really living here. One of the captains frowned. "Something feels off. But orders are orders. Charge!"
The soldiers rushed forward.
Yet no matter how fast they ran, the distance between them and the main door never changed. It was as if the courtyard itself had stretched into an endless loop.
"What the hell-?!"
"Formation! It’s a fucking formation!"
Panic began to spread.
At the back entrance, the second group faced a similar nightmare. They entered a long corridor lined with doors. Every time they opened one and stepped through, they found themselves back in the same corridor, staring at the same doors they had just passed.
Zhuo Dicang’s face turned pale.
"Array Formation... That bitch actually set up an array formation around her estate?!" His voice shook with rage and fear. "Don’t panic! Split up and find the array core! Once we destroy it, this whole thing collapses!"
The soldiers scattered in groups, desperately searching.
But the formation was merciless.
Inside the main building, Long Ming yawned lazily as he pushed open the door to Fu Mingwu’s room.
"Wake up, you two. We’ve got pests."
Fu Mingwu shot up from his bed, glaring. "Senior! It’s the middle of the night! What the hell-"
Fu Mingyu, who had been sleeping in the next room, also stumbled in, rubbing her eyes. "You better have a good reason for this, or I swear I’ll-"
"Some people are trying to break into the house," Long Ming said, scratching his head. "I want them cleaned up. The one who kills the most gets a treasure. Simple, right?"
Fu Mingwu’s eyes lit up instantly. All sleepiness vanished.
"A treasure?! Say no more!"
He grabbed his spiked knuckles and rushed out like a starving wolf who had just seen fresh meat.
Fu Mingyu sighed, but there was a dangerous glint in her eyes, too. She started gathering her talismans and spiritual tools.
Then she paused and looked at Long Ming.
"...You’re not coming?"
Long Ming stretched and yawned again. "Too sleepy. You two handle it. I’ll be watching from the roof if I feel like it."
Fu Mingyu stared at him for a second, then muttered, "Lazy bastard..." before hurrying after her brother.
Black Shadow and White Flash had just slipped into the antique shop through a side window.
The moment they landed inside, they heard it.
Clang... Clang... Clang...
The rhythmic sound of metal striking metal. The smell of burnt metal, it was clear someone must be forging. White Flash’s eyes narrowed. "Someone’s forging at this hour?"
Black Shadow licked his lips. "Perfect. We extract information first, then kill. Easy."
They moved toward the sound, pushing open the door to the back forge area.
A wave of scorching heat slammed into their faces.
The temperature inside was terrifying. The furnace roared like a living beast, and the array of pillars around it glowed with blinding light. In the center of it all stood an old man with messy gray hair, hammering a piece of molten metal with powerful, precise strikes.
His left arm was no longer the blackened, shriveled stump they had heard rumors about.
It was a sleek, glossy mechanical arm, glowing with intricate golden runes. Every time he brought the hammer down, the runes lit up, channeling terrifying heat into the metal.
The old man looked up as he kept striking the metal, " Hoh? I don’t think you are here with any permission."
" Permission?" White Flash laughed as he looked at the old man, " Crippled bastard. Tell us where is the Noble Grade treasure is hidden. Then I will grant you a swift death."
Black Shadow already gripped his weapon, ready to charge at any moment.
" Hah... Hahahaha." Situ Yan laughed as he rubbed his beard, " How perfect. My new arm was getting a bit itchy. Looks like I have chance to ease it."