Bridge Two paced slowly along the plank road, the path swaying amidst the clouds and mist, stirring within him the strange illusion of swinging in childhood.

His former name was long buried.

He was called “Bridge Two” because when he had awoken, he found himself hanging beneath the second arch of his hometown bridge, the very place that had saved him from the massacre.

The past held no pleasant memories, only an ocean of hate.

He had resided in Linzi for a considerable time, living mostly ordinary days, occasionally venturing out to accomplish certain tasks. Recording intelligence, spreading rumors, or even, on rare occasions, taking a life…

In this city built upon bones and consecrated with blood, there were others like him. Of course, he knew not who they were, and they knew not him. They knew only that they were not alone.

For information always flowed.

In the very heart of this vast empire, they were secretly constructing their ‘homeland’.

Information had, at times, been cut off in the past; it was not an uncommon occurrence. During Cui Zhu’s assassination attempt on the Emperor, Zhang Yong’s lament before the shrine, and the betrayal of high-ranking members within the organization in Xia Country, such interruptions had all transpired.

They challenged the existing order of this world; the might of the enemies they faced was known to each of them. At this moment, their target was Qi Country, but Qi Country was merely one facet of the foe.

They would encounter any hardship.

Yet, no hardship could halt their advance.

Information transmission, once interrupted, would swiftly reconnect.

Especially for his line of work, the esteemed King Zhao, one of the organization’s highest leaders, had personally ventured to Linzi to establish the connection – what boundless courage was that?

Why could they accomplish so much? Why, from the lowest ranks to the highest echelons, did they not fear sacrifice?

Because the same ideal illuminated the path ahead.

Bridge Two was ever cautious; he did not fear sacrifice, but he feared a meaningless sacrifice. He feared his corpse would not become kindling for the ideal.

What joy was there in living, what fear in dying? Only by burning with the light of the ideal could the past be appeased.

His last operation had been in Yao Guang Square. Originally intended to assassinate a young Heaven’s Chosen, provoke Xie Huai’an’s emotions, stir up waves, and weave a frantic tide… he had ultimately abandoned it due to Jiang Wang’s appearance.

It wasn’t that he lacked the ability to kill both Xie Baoshu and Jiang Wang simultaneously; it was simply that he couldn’t guarantee that in the process, the opposing side wouldn’t reveal even a hint of movement… Jiang Wang’s ability to control sound had been clearly demonstrated during the Cui Zhu assassination attempt.

Moreover, King Zhao had specifically emphasized during their last meeting that Jiang Wang could be targeted, but it was best not to actually kill him.

With just a flicker of uncertainty, Bridge Two had chosen to retreat and remain silent until today.

He did not fear death, but that person, that young Heaven’s Chosen called Xie Baoshu, was not worth the risk.

Evidently… Jiang Wuqi was.

Assassinating a Palace Master in Linzi was truly an inconceivable feat.

But precisely because it was inconceivable, few dared to even consider such a direction.

Because of its impossibility, should it succeed, the impact it would create would be immense. Even if they could capture that person alive and spirit him away beyond the borders of Qi… the benefits were incalculable.

And absolutely worth the risk.

This organization did not mind paying a higher price.

Among the Four Palaces – Changle, Changsheng, Huaying, and Yangxin – currently, only Changsheng Palace held any possibility.

Ever since Jiang Wuqi’s blatant display of the jade pendant before Ziji Hall, the Emperor of Qi had not summoned this imperial son again. Once so intimate, now so distant.

Both court and populace knew that the Eleventh Imperial Son had fallen from grace, exhibiting quite the ‘tree falls, monkeys scatter’ posture.

Those civil and military officials who were once intimate with Changsheng Palace had all become unusually low-key during this period.

Jiang Wuqi himself was also traveling light, utterly without ostentation. Apart from watching the sunrise every day on Cloud Mist Mountain, he spent most of his time with his palace gates closed, claiming to be cultivating body and mind and not receiving outside guests.

Today was an excellent opportunity.

According to the latest intelligence, the great battle on Star-Moon Plain had ended, and many of Qi Country’s Heaven’s Chosen were soon to return in triumph. The entire empire’s gaze was fixed upon them, inevitably causing the focus on other areas to loosen somewhat.

Cloud Mist Mountain was, after all, remote. Even if the defenses of Linzi City were much stricter than before following the assassination attempt in Hell No Door, it was not so easy to detect anomalies here in a timely manner… Moreover, they had made ample preparations for this journey.

To put it another way, even if something went awry, with his strength, he could kill the Inner Mansion realm Jiang Wuqi before the strong practitioners of Linzi arrived.

If he could use his life to exchange for Jiang Shu’s most favored son, what was not worth it?

Thinking of the possibility of causing pain to an emperor like Jiang Shu, Bridge Two felt an endless surge of excitement.

Having slightly bested Jing Country in a single battle, Qi Country was now unprecedentedly arrogant, believing the world would submit?

It was time to pour a bucket of cold water over their heads…

With such thoughts, Bridge Two raised his eyes to the frail imperial son before him and slowly straightened his waist. His hunched figure gradually became upright, a sliver of cold light flickering between his fingers.

He walked on the plank road hidden among clouds and mist, like a hunter, approaching his prey. And within the trap was today’s harvest.

To his surprise, Jiang Wuqi was incredibly calm.

Too calm.

Bridge Two confirmed that his every change was witnessed by the other party; Jiang Wuqi showed no signs of distraction or the like.

Yet, this Eleventh Imperial Son of Great Qi remained so composed.

He neither fled nor cried for help, not even slowing down his pace in the slightest. He continued to walk straight towards him.

Was there an ambush?

A ripple of emotion stirred within Bridge Two.

No. If there were an ambush here, that one… it was impossible for him not to detect it.

His spiritual sense instantly enveloped the entire plank road, and indeed, he saw no other people.

Overthinking was fruitless; all matters must be settled at the edge of the blade.

Bridge Two walked faster and faster, the aura of a Divine Arrival realm expert beginning to erupt: “Your Highness, for your safety, would you accompany me on a journey?”

The surrounding clouds were like snow, his white fox fur also like snow, his face pale, yet not losing an iota of its snow-like complexion.

The sickly Eleventh Imperial Son of Great Qi, walking on the swaying plank road, quietly sensed the gradual awakening of a Divine Arrival realm expert’s aura…

He suddenly sighed: “I have waited for you for too long!”

What did he mean?

Only then did Bridge Two realize with a shock that at some point, the noble figure before him had stopped coughing.

And his thin frame walking on this cloud-shrouded plank road actually possessed a composure that seemed to control everything.

Was this a trap?

Who would dare use Jiang Wuqi as bait?!

How could he guarantee his own safety?

A thousand, hundred thoughts exploded in his mind. A character like Bridge Two, of course, could probe the depths within the fog. With extreme decisiveness, he flicked his finger, and the cold light that had long lingered between his fingers instantly shot out with lightning speed!

He struck first! With his Divine Arrival cultivation, facing an Inner Mansion realm cultivator, he held nothing back.

The clouds no longer moved, the mist no longer surged, the wind no longer blew, the plank road no longer swayed; the distance between him and Jiang Wuqi vanished.

Cloud Mist Mountain seemed to fall silent for an instant.

The cold light, once released, was already upon him.

The trail of the cold light, astonishingly, created an abrupt void between Bridge Two and Jiang Wuqi. It began here and ended there.

A so-called Divine Arrival expert, within the range of their spiritual sense, was like a god!

“Thief, how dare you!” A sharp voice suddenly rang out, rapidly approaching.

Jiang Wuqi was, after all, the Master of Changsheng Palace; no matter how much he had fallen from grace, he was still a key object of protection for Linzi’s defense force. Thus, as soon as there was movement on the Cloud Mist Mountain plank road, nearby patrolling experts immediately rushed over.

But… they couldn’t possibly arrive in time.

At this critical moment, taking the person away was absolutely impossible. For Bridge Two, the most optimal outcome was perhaps already lost, but the sub-optimal outcome was still within reach. A Divine Arrival killing an Inner Mansion expert was but a blink of an eye.

That single point of cold light belonging to a Divine Arrival realm cultivator appeared so clearly in Jiang Wuqi’s eyes. And the voice of the blue card Divine Arrival expert who was rapidly rushing over was still very far away.

It seemed his life was always trapped in agonizing contradictions, advancing or retreating, both were dead ends.

Who could understand his despair, Jiang Wuqi’s despair?

That single point of cold light in his eyes seemed to spread endlessly.

That scene from a long time ago, it also seemed to be in such morning light, it also seemed, so cold—

“Your Highness, from now on, you can no longer cultivate.” The speaker was the Imperial Physician, Old Physician Wen. Throughout the entire Great Qi, no one dared to claim superiority over him in medical skills. Thus, his diagnosis was usually the final word.

The young imperial son only asked: “Why?”

“Your cold poison has entered your destiny. As your age increases, and your cultivation rises, the cold poison will become fiercer. The more you strive, the closer you are to death. At this point, Inner Mansion… is already the limit.”

“What about reaching Outer Building?”

“The time of star light quenching the body is the time when the cold poison will be expelled. Breaking the fate of frozen blood requires a fortuitous reason.”

“If I take one step to Gold Body Jade Marrow, then what?”

“If you reach Divine Arrival, your jade marrow will also be cold marrow. Unless you take one step to Cave True, observe the universe externally, clarify your self internally, penetrate the truth, then you can self-sever the cold poison and seek longevity.”

“Then I shall take one step to Cave True.”

“This old minister has something to say, but does not know when to say it…”

“Mister wants to say, it is absolutely impossible?”

“Not to say there is no hope, but the chance of success is extremely tiny. Without climbing to Outer Building, how can one reach Divine Arrival? Without reaching Divine Arrival, how can one reach Cave True? Human power is finite; this matter is truly difficult!”

“I have heard that in ancient times there were wise ones who learned from a hundred schools, touched upon the extraordinary, and reached the absolute peak in one step. Could the legend be false?”

“This… this matter is recorded in historical texts; it should be true.”

“Since the ancients could reach the absolute peak in one step with their mortal bodies, why can I, Jiang Wuqi, not take one step to Cave True?”

At that time, Old Physician Wen bowed his head and did not speak, and his father emperor…

What did his father emperor say?

He remembered—

His father emperor said—

“Good! My divine son! You can do what others cannot do, you must achieve what others cannot achieve!”

His thoughts abruptly halted here.

Because that single point of cold light was already pressed against his brow.

Wrapped in thick fox fur, the pale-faced Jiang Wuqi took a step forward.

With this step, the world changed dramatically!

Four bright points appeared at the edge of the sky, and the distant star dome instantly transformed into four star buildings.

Jiang Wuqi’s hair and eyebrows actually gathered frost.

With him as the center, within three steps, the temperature plummeted to an unbearable level.

Even that attacking cold light seemed to have its speed delayed.

Even his pair of eyes suddenly formed ice edges, reflecting light.

But in the next moment, the ice edges shattered, and the frost on his eyebrows and long hair melted away like snow meeting the scorching sun.

He raised his palm, placing it diagonally before his forehead, and that single point of attacking cold light was contained within his palm. It leaped within his pale, thin, long fingers, clearly whistling continuously with terrifying power, yet it was like a bird in a cage, unable to escape.

Bridge Two stood before this sickly imperial son…

What he heard in his ears seemed to be the coming tide – that was the blood of those running like rivers and seas!

What he saw in his eyes was the golden light hidden in his eyebrows, eyes, hair, and skin – that was the Gold Body of a Divine Arrival expert!

In his eyes, Jiang Wuqi had taken one step and reached Divine Arrival!

The four realms of Outer Building seemed to have never existed, the star buildings had just been erected and were already history. The chasm of life limits from Outer Building to Divine Arrival seemed only a small ditch, only worth Jiang Wuqi’s single small step forward to cross.

One step before, he was still in Inner Mansion; one step after, he was already in Divine Arrival.

Moreover, with a single lift of his hand, he suppressed his life-bound weapon!

What kind of talent was this, what kind of monster?

If this person did not die, in the next hundred, thousand years, what would become of Qi?

From this, shock was born, and from this, fear was born.

Bridge Two had long held a will to die; at this moment, he hesitated even less. His body suddenly began to collapse!

His momentum surged limitlessly, and the overflowing power stirred the cloud sea into a tumble. Clearly, his body was constantly disappearing, yet it gradually possessed a terrifying sensation of devouring the sky and swallowing the earth.

Cui Zhu had demonstrated it before the Grand Shrine, and later Zhang Yong had used it again in the spirit shrine of Marquis Nine Revolutions… the Extinction Technique!

The unique, desperate secret method of the Equality Country.

And only an organization like the Equality Country, only with so many people, was willing to fight with this terrifying secret technique. First, sacrifice one’s own body, then seek to complete the task!

A Divine Arrival realm expert like Bridge Two, whose life limit exceeded five hundred years and who possessed infinite beautiful possibilities and could be heavily utilized by any force, did not show the slightest hesitation when using the Extinction Technique.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

On Cloud Mist Mountain, figures of cultivators rising into the air could be seen everywhere.

The terrifying power fluctuations on the plank road stirred the great array of Cloud Mist Mountain to respond and transmit, alarming the extraordinary cultivators of Tianxiang Cloud Pavilion, as well as those ‘guests’ who possessed extraordinary power.

But among these people, none could interfere in a Divine Arrival level great battle.

“It’s the Eleventh Highness!”

“Who dares to commit a crime in Linzi?!”

Angry shouts continuously rang out, truly sending themselves to their deaths, yet none were absent. A Divine Arrival cultivator in the Extinction state, who could block their path and not die?

Only Jiang Wuqi himself, taking one step to Divine Arrival, blocked Bridge Two’s strike, buying time for the nearby patrolling experts.

“Your Highness, retreat quickly, Li is here!”

The Third Rank Blue Card Head Catcher, the Divine Arrival realm expert Li Youjiu, who had just cleared himself of suspicion!

At this moment, he approached from afar, his divine eyes opening, suddenly like shocking electricity roaming the air.

And in front of Jiang Wuqi, from his legs upwards, the strong body of a Divine Arrival realm cultivator was collapsing inch by inch on the cloud-shrouded plank road.

Legs, knees, thighs, hips… his body diminished inch by inch, yet Bridge Two’s momentum rose inch by inch. His ten fingers interlocked, merging in front of his body, his final strike in life, bound to be brilliantly dazzling.

At such a moment, Jiang Wuqi made his move.

His thin, pale, long fingers grasped, and the cold light that had leaped in his palm was extinguished.

It should have been a dagger, but unfortunately, it had already turned to dust, scattering within Jiang Wuqi’s open palm.

Jiang Wuqi’s hand closed again and then opened, like a blooming flower…

Opening simultaneously with it was an illusory mountain. Clouds and mist swirled around, the plank road wound around the mountain, the pavilions were exquisite… precisely Cloud Mist Mountain!

That plank road suddenly enlarged, revealing a sick, weak male wrapped in white fox fur, revealing the still rapidly collapsing Bridge Two opposite, revealing the already flying Blue Card Head Catcher Li Youjiu who had already opened his divine eyes.

This was indeed a flower blooming.

The divine ability seed, which had been forced to halt due to the cold poison entering his destiny, had now bloomed after Jiang Wuqi took one step to Divine Arrival!

And this ever-sickly Master of Changsheng Palace, with just a flip of his hand, made that cloud-shrouded plank road, that Divine Arrival expert of the Equality Country on the plank road, that already approaching Blue Card Head Catcher Li Youjiu, all disappear from sight.

Divine Ability, Universe in the Palm!