The Grand Hall was a tomb. Hundreds of martial masters, lords of their sects, knelt on the cold stone, their heads bowed not in respect, but in primal fear. The air itself was a solid weight, an extension of Lu Feng’s will, pressing down on their very souls. At the center of it all, the Phoenix Prince, Xiao Tian, trembled. His arrogant features were pale, his silk robes stained with dust and sweat. Each breath was a ragged, painful effort against the crushing pressure emanating from the man he had called trash just minutes before. “The Dark Alliance,” Lu Feng’s voice was quiet, yet it boomed in every person’s mind. It was not a shout. It was a statement of fact, as final as death. He took a slow step forward. The sound of his simple cloth shoe on the marble floor was louder than a thunderclap. “You colluded with them. You provided them shelter. You funneled them resources.” Each sentence tightened the invisible vise around Xiao Tian. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of the Prince’s mouth. “Tell me their master’s name,” Lu Feng commanded. “And I will grant your Phoenix Court a swift end.” Xiao Tian’s eyes widened in horror. A swift end? Not mercy? Not a chance for survival? This was not a negotiation. It was a verdict. The Dragon Sovereign, the true Lord of the Jianghu, had already passed sentence. The only thing left was the execution. “I… I can’t…” Xiao Tian stammered, his pride shattering into a million pieces. “He will kill me! He will kill my entire clan!” “I will kill them first,” Lu Feng stated, his gaze devoid of emotion. He raised a single finger. A vortex of pure, terrifying Inner Qi, golden and blinding, began to form at its tip. It held the power to level a mountain. Xue Yao watched from the side, her hand covering her mouth. The man she had divorced, the man she had called a useless burden, was holding the fate of a royal court in the palm of his hand. The disparity was so immense, so reality-shattering, it made her feel dizzy. “Wait!” Xiao Tian shrieked, his mind finally breaking. “His name is—!” Suddenly, a low, chilling chuckle echoed through the hall. It was a sound that seemed to crawl up the spine, a sound of ancient malice and decay. It did not belong in the world of the living. Instantly, the crushing weight of Lu Feng’s pressure vanished. As if it had been… erased. The kneeling masters gasped, taking in shuddering breaths of air. Xiao Tian collapsed forward, panting like a drowning man. Who? Who in the entire Jianghu could so casually nullify the Dragon Sovereign’s power? A shadow detached itself from the far corner of the hall, coalescing into the form of a man. He was tall and slender, dressed in robes as black as the void. His face was unnaturally pale, handsome in a predatory way, with eyes that held no light, only a profound emptiness. A wisp of black, corrosive mist curled around his feet, killing the very stone it touched. “Always so dramatic, Junior Brother.” The man’s voice was silk and poison. “Did Master not teach you any subtlety?” Lu Feng’s eternally calm face finally changed. His eyes, for the first time, narrowed. A flicker of something ancient and cold—a true killing intent—leaked from his being. The temperature in the hall plummeted below freezing. Bai Li, the War Goddess, moved to his side, her hand already on the hilt of her divine sword. “My Lord?” she whispered, her voice tight with alarm. Lu Feng didn’t answer her. His gaze was locked on the newcomer. “Gui Ying,” Lu Feng’s voice was a low growl, the first sign of rage he had shown. “You dare show your face?” The man named Gui Ying smiled, a terrible, sharp-toothed expression. “Why shouldn’t I? I am no longer the weak disciple hiding in your shadow. I have a new name now. They call me the Master of the Dark Alliance.” A wave of shock and horror swept through the assembled masters. This was him. The shadowy figure who had plunged the Jianghu into chaos, the faceless demon who commanded legions of corrupted warriors. “You betrayed our Master,” Lu Feng said, his voice dropping even lower. “You stole the Forbidden Scrolls. You poisoned his meridians.” Gui Ying laughed, a sound that made one’s blood run cold. “Betrayed? I liberated myself! Our Master was a fool, content to guard his power. Power is not meant to be guarded, Lu Feng. It is meant to be *taken*.” He gestured lazily toward the trembling Phoenix Prince. “This little bird was merely a pawn. A useful idiot to draw you out of your pathetic, self-imposed exile. Did you really enjoy washing dishes for these mortals? You, the chosen heir of the Dragon Vein?” Lu Feng’s silence was his only answer. The golden Qi around him began to glow brighter, hotter. The air crackled with raw power. “Ah, ah,” Gui Ying wagged a finger, his smile widening. “Don’t be so hasty. Your 'Dragon’s Judgment' won’t work on me. I know all your techniques. After all, we learned them together.” To prove his point, Gui Ying flicked his wrist. A stream of black energy, thin as a needle, shot out and struck one of the kneeling Hua Shan Sect elders. The man didn’t even have time to scream. He simply deflated, his skin turning grey and papery, his life force, his very essence, visibly sucked from his body and absorbed into Gui Ying’s palm. In seconds, all that remained was a pile of dust and empty robes. The crowd screamed in terror. “The Soul Devouring Art!” an old master shrieked. “The ultimate forbidden technique! It consumes a warrior’s true essence!” Gui Ying flexed his hand, savoring the stolen power. “A wonderful little trick, isn’t it? Something our dear Master was too cowardly to ever use. This is true power, Junior Brother. The power to consume your enemies and make their strength your own.” He looked directly at Lu Feng, his black eyes gleaming with insane ambition. “The Jianghu is just the beginning. The Dragon Order, your armies, your title… I will take it all. Today, I declare war. Not on these ants, but on *you*.” Lu Feng raised his hand, the air itself seeming to solidify, ready to obliterate the traitor. But Gui Ying simply chuckled, his body beginning to dissolve into black mist. “You cannot kill me here,” his voice echoed, disembodied and chilling. “But I can give you a reason to hunt me.” His misty form shot across the room, not towards Lu Feng, but towards Xue Yao. Bai Li moved like lightning, her sword a blur of silver light, but the mist was faster. It swirled around the terrified Xue Yao, a cold, malevolent touch brushing against her skin before it recoiled. Gui Ying’s form solidified once more near the exit, a look of surprise on his face. “Interesting. A mortal girl, yet she carries a faint trace of your protective Dragon Aura. You truly did care for this little pet.” His smile returned, more venomous than before. “This changes nothing. I have planted a seed of my Dark Qi within her. It is dormant now, harmless.” Gui Ying’s voice lingered as his form faded completely. “But know this, Lu Feng. The moment you unseal your full power to come after me, the seed will awaken, and it will devour her soul from the inside out.”

Chapter 13: The Dark Alliance Master Revealed