THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS
Chapter Thirty-Three — The War Begins

Inside the small courtyard room, Zhuo Fan sat cross-legged on the bed in complete silence.

A long moment later, he exhaled slowly and opened his eyes.

Just one step more.

He was only one step away from breaking through again and reaching the fifth layer of Qi Gathering.

Unfortunately, the energy inside his body remained stuck stubbornly at the peak of the fourth layer, refusing to move further.

What a waste.

Back on Black Wind Mountain, he should have stayed longer and drained a few more people dry.

At the time, he had been too focused on saving time. He let the Blood Infant kill freely without properly harvesting the spiritual energy afterward.

So much cultivation material wasted.

Now the battle was about to begin, and he could no longer casually release the Blood Infant.

If it ran into Elder Jian and the others…

If the Blood Infant was destroyed…

Then even Zhuo Fan would feel genuine pain.

He shook his head helplessly.

“Forget it,” he muttered. “They should be fighting soon enough anyway.”

Almost the moment the words left his mouth—

A terrifying aura suddenly surged toward the courtyard.

Zhuo Fan’s eyes snapped open.

He immediately rushed outside and leapt onto the rooftop.

Someone was already standing there.

Long Jiu.

The old man hovered silently in midair, staring toward the approaching pressure. His single remaining eye trembled constantly, thick killing intent pouring from him without restraint.

Even from over a hundred paces away, Zhuo Fan could still feel a chill crawl across his spine.

As expected.

They truly were Profound Heaven experts.

Zhuo Fan had never been able to fully judge Long Jiu’s cultivation, but now that the man stood directly upon the void itself, the answer became undeniable.

As for the two newly arrived elders—

They were even stronger.

Zhuo Fan narrowed his eyes.

The two elders had not shown themselves yet.

Which meant only one thing.

They were lying in ambush.

Waiting for Jian Fan to walk directly into the trap.

A strange smile curled onto Zhuo Fan’s lips.

This arrangement meant Hidden Dragon Pavilion had already made its decision.

No compromise.

No retreat.

No more pretending.

They intended to fight Nether Valley to the death.

And if that happened—

The Luo family would finally be safe.

“Zhuo Fan, what happened?”

Luo Yunchang, Lei Yuting, and the others rushed into the courtyard.

Only the old mountain chief remained absent. He was still refining the medicinal power of the Restoration Pill and had not yet fully recovered.

Their side still lacked a true high-level expert.

“Go back inside!” Zhuo Fan barked immediately.

People at their level were nothing before Profound Heaven experts. A single finger from those monsters could crush them to death.

Zhuo Fan himself could still rely on the Nine Heavens Coiling Dragon Formation to resist for a moment.

But the others?

They would die instantly.

Seeing the seriousness on his face, Luo Yunchang immediately understood the danger.

She pulled Luo Yunhai close and hurried everyone back toward the rooms.

But before leaving, she glanced back at him.

“Be careful, Zhuo Fan.”

He said nothing.

Only nodded slightly before turning his attention back toward the sky.

Then—

A shrill, unpleasant laugh echoed overhead.

“Kekeke…”

Dark clouds rolled slowly above Hidden Dragon Pavilion.

Within the black mist, a black-robed elder stepped forward gradually. Sparse gray hair danced wildly in the wind while his sinister eyes locked directly onto Long Jiu.

But every so often—

His gaze drifted subtly toward the Luo family courtyard.

“Bald Eagle Jian Fan,” Long Jiu growled, “you’ve got nerve showing up on my territory.”

The moment he saw Jian Fan, the blood vessels in his remaining eye seemed to ignite.

Hatred.

Pure hatred.

Every word carried enough killing intent to freeze the air.

Jian Fan only laughed louder.

“Long Jiu, your Hidden Dragon Pavilion killed Nether Valley disciple You Quan.” His smile widened coldly. “And now you complain because this old man came to demand justice?”

“Justice?”

Long Jiu’s breathing grew heavier.

The atmosphere around him trembled violently.

“You people from Nether Valley actually dare talk about justice?”

His voice exploded like thunder.

“Who was it that lured me to Fallen Leaf City back then? Who laid the trap?” His expression twisted savagely. “Who destroyed my Violet Thunder Golden Eye with three against one?!”

Zhuo Fan’s pupils contracted slightly.

Violet Thunder Golden Eye?

He had not expected someone in the mortal realm to cultivate such a divine ability.

According to legend, the Violet Thunder Golden Eye originated from one of the Three Strongest among the Ancient Ten Emperors.

The Great Emperor’s divine eye.

Golden light from those eyes carried heavenly thunder capable of destroying souls themselves. Even Saint-level experts could perish from a single gaze.

And ordinary Emperor-level cultivators could barely endure looking into those eyes more than a handful of times.

Yet somehow—

A mortal cultivator had inherited part of that technique.

The only question was how far Long Jiu had cultivated it.

If he had truly reached the sixth layer before it was destroyed…

Then that loss was more painful than the murder of one’s parents or the theft of one’s wife.

Even Zhuo Fan felt genuine pity.

Jian Fan, however, only burst into mocking laughter.

“That was your own stupidity. Who else can you blame?”

His eyes gleamed maliciously.

“With the Violet Thunder Golden Eye, you used to rank among Hidden Dragon Pavilion’s top experts.” He sneered openly. “Now that your divine eye is gone, you’ve fallen to the bottom.”

He spread his hands mockingly.

“One of the Nine Elders…”

“And now all you can do is guard a border city like Windforest.”

“How pathetic.”

“Jian Fan!”

Long Jiu roared.

Golden spiritual energy exploded around him.

The blood-red veins inside his remaining eye twisted violently.

“The hatred of my ruined eye will never end between us!”

The instant his voice fell—

Long Jiu shot forward.

A golden dragon wrapped around his arm as his palm struck outward violently.

“Spirit Rank Mid-Tier Martial Skill — Ascending Dragon Claw!”

ROAR!

The dragon’s roar shook the heavens.

The golden dragon surged outward as though alive, claws tearing through the sky toward Jian Fan.

Jian Fan only sneered.

With a casual wave of his sleeve—

Thick black mist exploded outward and transformed instantly into countless black chains that wrapped around the golden dragon.

His fingers clenched.

The dragon shattered with a miserable cry.

“Spirit Rank Mid-Tier Fifth Grade Martial Skill — Nether Chains.”

Jian Fan smirked coldly.

“Long Jiu, back then you were a dragon because of your divine eye.” His grin widened viciously. “Now you’re nothing but a worm.”

“The title Divine-Eyed Long Jiu no longer belongs to you—”

Before he could finish—

A hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“Hidden Dragon Claw!”

Jian Fan’s expression shifted.

His arm felt trapped inside iron restraints.

But even then, he did not panic.

“Hmph. Spirit Rank skills couldn’t hurt me before.” He sneered. “You think a Mortal Rank skill can?”

“This was never meant to kill you.”

Long Jiu’s lips curled upward strangely.

“It was meant to drag you down.”

With a violent swing—

He hurled Jian Fan directly toward the ground.

At the same moment—

The golden-haired elder and the red-haired elder burst from hiding and charged straight toward Jian Fan’s falling body.

Jian Fan’s pupils shrank violently.

Only now did he realize Long Jiu’s true goal.

The Hidden Dragon Claw had never been an attack.

It was bait.

They wanted to trap him inside a three-man kill zone with no escape route.

Long Jiu truly intended to kill him here today.

But—

Jian Fan suddenly smiled.

A dark smile.

“Move!”

Boom!

Two black-robed figures exploded from the clouds and charged directly toward Long Jiu.

This time it was Hidden Dragon Pavilion’s turn to be shocked.

Nether Valley had prepared reinforcements as well.

“Old Ninth, hold them off!”

The golden-haired elder shouted.

Neither he nor the red-haired elder slowed down in the slightest as they continued toward Jian Fan.

Long Jiu grinned savagely.

As long as Jian Fan died—

Everything was worth it.

Golden light flashed.

A dragon-shaped sword appeared in his hand instantly.

He slashed toward the two black-robed experts.

“Third-Grade Spirit Weapon — Proud Dragon Sword?!”

The two men recoiled in alarm.

Neither dared continue forward.

They immediately dodged sideways.

Slash!

A golden arc cut through the sky.

Thunder exploded across heaven and earth.

For an instant—

The entire sky looked split into two halves.

Only after more than ten breaths did the air finally close together again.

The weapon’s edge was so sharp it had literally sliced through the atmosphere itself.

The two black-robed men exchanged horrified looks and retreated more than ten steps instinctively.

They had never expected Hidden Dragon Pavilion to lend Long Jiu such a treasure.

“Excellent!”

The golden-haired elder roared with laughter.

Golden light erupted from his body while terrifying sharpness radiated from every inch of his skin.

Without even using a martial skill, the air screamed apart wherever his arms moved.

Jian Fan’s face finally changed.

Cold sweat appeared along his forehead.

For the first time—

He smelled death.

Then—

BOOM!

A streak of violet light suddenly exploded between them.

The golden-haired elder was blasted backward violently, blood spraying from his mouth.

The red-haired elder immediately rushed to support him.

But neither man cared about the injury.

Both stared directly ahead.

Even Long Jiu froze in shock.

The dust slowly cleared.

Jian Fan stood there breathing heavily.

But the fear on his face was gone now.

Only madness remained.

“And here I thought Hidden Dragon Pavilion only sent Old Ninth.” Jian Fan laughed darkly. “Who would’ve guessed the Third Elder and Fifth Elder came too?”

His eyes swept across them mockingly.

“Mountain-Cleaving Golden Flood Dragon Shears.”

“Earthfire Burning Heaven Flame Dragon.”

“I’ve heard your names for years.”

“Today, I finally see they deserve the reputation.”

But neither elder looked at Jian Fan.

Their eyes were fixed upon his shoulder.

Zhuo Fan’s gaze hardened instantly.

A Devouring Ghost Crow.

He had not expected Jian Fan’s demonic creature to be something like this.

The Devouring Ghost Crow itself possessed no particularly powerful natural abilities.

But it could devour all things and absorb their properties into itself.

Which meant the strength of the creature depended entirely on what it had consumed.

And clearly—

This one was terrifyingly strong.

Zhuo Fan stared at the creature’s eyes.

One eye remained black.

But the other—

Glowed faintly violet-gold.

Thunder crackled within the pupil itself.

Zhuo Fan’s brows lowered slowly.

“Third Layer…”

“Violet Thunder Golden Eye.”

[End of Chapter Thirty-Three]

 

Chapter Thirty-Four — Violet Thunder Golden Eye

“That…”

Long Jiu stared blankly at the familiar object embedded inside the black crow’s eye socket.

“My Violet Thunder Golden Eye?”

For years, he had dominated the world with that divine eye.

Divine-Eyed Long Jiu.

That name once shook the continent.

But now—

His divine eye had become someone else’s weapon.

And it was pointed directly back at him.

“No…” Long Jiu shook his head violently. “Impossible.”

Jian Fan burst into delighted laughter.

“Long Jiu, never expected this, did you?” His grin widened viciously. “Your famous Violet Thunder Golden Eye now serves as part of my demonic creature.”

His eyes flashed coldly.

“If you want to kill me today…”

“Then first survive your own divine eye.”

The moment his words fell, Jian Fan formed a hand seal.

The ghost crow shrieked.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!”

Its wings beat twice before it shot into the sky.

The violet-gold pupil began glowing brilliantly.

Then—

BOOM!

A streak of violet lightning exploded toward Long Jiu.

“Old Ninth, move!”

The golden-haired elder roared instantly.

But Long Jiu had frozen momentarily after seeing his lost divine eye.

By the time he reacted, the lightning was already upon him.

He hurriedly raised the Proud Dragon Sword to block.

BOOM!

Thunder exploded across the heavens like ten thousand charging horses.

Long Jiu was blasted backward violently through the storm of violet light like a broken kite. Blood sprayed from his mouth uncontrollably.

The golden-haired elder and the red-haired elder both felt their hearts sink.

Without hesitation, they charged directly toward Jian Fan.

They understood clearly—

The ghost crow only acted through Jian Fan’s control.

Kill Jian Fan—

And the crow became harmless.

But how could Jian Fan fail to anticipate that?

Sneering coldly, he changed hand seals again.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two more violet bolts erupted toward the two elders.

Both blocked with difficulty, yet both were still sent flying backward. Blood trickled from the corners of their mouths.

Zhuo Fan’s eyes narrowed sharply.

The Violet Thunder Golden Eye truly deserved its reputation.

Only the Third Layer—

Yet it completely suppressed three Profound Heaven experts at once.

If this continued, Hidden Dragon Pavilion would absolutely lose.

And if Hidden Dragon Pavilion fell—

Then the Luo family was finished as well.

“No.”

Zhuo Fan’s eyes darkened.

“I absolutely cannot let that happen.”

His fingers shifted slightly.

A streak of red light slowly emerged from his body before silently flying toward Jian Fan.

This was dangerous.

Extremely dangerous.

If the Blood Infant was discovered—

One strike from the Violet Thunder Golden Eye could destroy it instantly.

And because the Blood Infant was his life-bound demonic artifact…

Zhuo Fan himself would die together with it.

But if he did nothing—

The Luo family would still perish once the three elders lost.

So there was only one option.

Gamble.

Zhuo Fan guided the Blood Infant carefully through the darkness toward Jian Fan.

Meanwhile—

Jian Fan’s full attention remained fixed on the three Hidden Dragon Pavilion elders. He noticed nothing approaching from behind.

“Hahaha…”

His laughter became increasingly arrogant.

“This Violet Thunder Golden Eye truly is a marvelous treasure.” He stood proudly beneath the sky. “Even if all three of you attack together, this old man fears nothing.”

The ghost crow landed once more upon his shoulder.

The other two black-robed experts also gathered beside him, both smiling coldly.

Long Jiu and the others looked increasingly grim.

Three elders of Hidden Dragon Pavilion joining forces—

Yet still being suppressed to this extent?

It was humiliating.

If they lost today, the Pavilion’s reputation would suffer catastrophic damage.

The golden-haired elder slowly exhaled.

Then his eyes exploded with killing intent.

“A mere demonic beast and a stolen divine eye,” he said coldly. “And you think that’s enough to defeat the three of us?”

The fury in his voice was unmistakable now.

“Old Ninth. Old Fifth.”

His tone dropped heavily.

“Do not interfere.”

A dangerous silence spread from his body.

“I’ll take all three of their heads myself.”

The red-haired elder’s body trembled slightly.

But after seeing the determination in the golden-haired elder’s eyes, he nodded slowly and retreated.

Long Jiu did the same.

All of them were among Hidden Dragon Pavilion’s Nine Elders.

And they all understood one thing clearly.

Mountain-Cleaving Sea-Filling Golden Flood Dragon Shears.

That title was not for show.

If Long Jiu still possessed the Violet Thunder Golden Eye, Hidden Dragon Pavilion had perhaps only two and a half people stronger than him.

The First Elder.

The Second Elder.

And half of the Third Elder—

Once the Third Elder truly became enraged.

BZZZZT—

Blinding golden light erupted from the golden-haired elder’s entire body.

Sharp metallic screeches echoed through the air.

A dense golden membrane slowly formed over his skin like a suit of living armor.

Every slight movement of his fingers produced the sound of grinding metal.

Jian Fan’s expression changed immediately.

Even he sensed danger now.

Real danger.

“Today,” the Third Elder growled, “I’ll show you exactly how this old man earned the name Mountain-Cleaving Sea-Filling Golden Flood Dragon Shears.”

His fists clenched violently.

Golden light exploded across the sky.

Then—

He charged.

Both hands crossed together like massive shears as he tore forward.

ROAR!

A deafening dragon roar shook the heavens.

A colossal dragon phantom appeared behind him.

The dragon opened its jaws wide as the Third Elder’s hands snapped downward—

Trying to swallow all three enemies whole.

“Spirit Rank High-Tier Martial Skill — Dragon Bite Claw!”

Jian Fan’s eyes widened.

He immediately ordered the ghost crow to fire again.

BOOM!

Another streak of violet lightning shot outward.

But this time—

The lightning struck the dragon’s head and bounced away instantly.

The enormous dragon phantom only dimmed slightly before continuing forward.

Jian Fan’s heart shook violently.

Even the Violet Thunder Golden Eye could not stop this attack completely.

“Nether Chains!”

All three Nether Valley experts roared simultaneously.

Dozens of black chains exploded outward from their sleeves like a storm of darkness, wrapping tightly around the dragon’s head.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The chains tightened furiously.

The dragon struggled violently but still refused to collapse.

Cold sweat dripped from Jian Fan’s forehead.

“As expected of Hidden Dragon Pavilion’s Third Elder,” he growled. “The three of us together can barely hold you back.”

The Third Elder sneered.

“If not for the Violet Thunder Golden Eye, you three wouldn’t even qualify to fight me.”

Jian Fan suddenly grinned strangely.

“You’re right.”

His eyes gleamed coldly.

“We still have the Violet Thunder Golden Eye.”

Instantly—

The ghost crow shrieked again.

Violet light gathered inside its pupil.

The Third Elder’s face finally changed slightly.

Right now, both sides were locked in direct confrontation.

If that lightning struck him at this distance—

Even if he survived, he would be heavily wounded.

“Third Brother!”

Long Jiu and the red-haired elder shouted simultaneously.

But it was too late.

Jian Fan laughed wildly.

“Die, Third Elder of Hidden Dragon Pavilion!”

The violet lightning began condensing fully.

And at that exact moment—

Far away in the courtyard—

Zhuo Fan smiled.

A cold, vicious smile.

“While you’re distracted…”

“I’ll take your life.”

His hand seal shifted instantly.

The Blood Infant, which had already hidden nearby, shot directly toward Jian Fan.

Right now, all three Nether Valley experts were focused completely on the Third Elder.

None of them noticed the crimson light rushing toward them from behind.

“Hahaha! Die!”

Jian Fan roared triumphantly.

The ghost crow’s eye overflowed with violet lightning.

Then suddenly—

A streak of red entered Jian Fan’s body.

His entire aura froze instantly.

The black chains vanished completely from his hands.

“Elder Jian!”

The two black-robed men shouted in shock.

Only now did Jian Fan realize something had entered his body.

He immediately tried circulating spiritual energy to force it out.

Too late.

The Third Elder’s eyes flashed brilliantly.

How could he possibly miss such a perfect opportunity?

ROAR!

The gigantic dragon shattered free from the chains instantly and bit downward violently.

The two black-robed experts retreated at once after realizing they could not resist.

But Jian Fan—

Because the Blood Infant had disrupted his blood flow—

His body froze for only a fraction of a second.

That single instant—

Was enough.

Slash!

One arm flew through the air.

The Third Elder caught the severed limb calmly before standing proudly beneath the night sky.

Opposite him—

Jian Fan staggered backward, blood pouring endlessly from his shoulder.

His face twisted with fury.

“You shameless bastards!” he roared. “Hidden Dragon Pavilion actually used a demonic artifact for a sneak attack?!”

As a master of demonic cultivation himself, being ambushed by a demonic artifact was already humiliating enough.

Worse—

The people using it were supposedly righteous cultivators.

His lungs nearly exploded from rage.

“Retreat!”

Jian Fan gritted his teeth savagely.

He understood now.

They had already lost the advantage.

Continuing the fight would only worsen things.

Without hesitation, he turned and fled with the other two experts.

“Chase them!”

Long Jiu roared immediately.

The Third Elder shouted as well, and the three Hidden Dragon Pavilion elders shot after them without hesitation.

The Blood Infant returned silently to Zhuo Fan’s body.

No one noticed his involvement.

Zhuo Fan smiled faintly.

Let Nether Valley continue blaming Hidden Dragon Pavilion.

Their hatred was already deep enough.

One more grudge changed nothing.

But compared to all of that—

The Violet Thunder Golden Eye interested him far more.

His eyes gleamed thoughtfully.

“I need to find a way to obtain its cultivation method.”

Among all the treasures in existence, very few could truly tempt the former Demon Emperor.

But the divine eye of one of the Ancient Ten Emperors?

That absolutely qualified.

Then suddenly—

“Kill!”

A group of black-robed figures burst into the area and charged directly toward Hidden Dragon Pavilion’s branch.

Leading them were more than ten Bone Tempering experts.

But Hidden Dragon Pavilion had clearly prepared for this as well.

Long Jie immediately led a force out to intercept them.

Moments later, both sides clashed violently.

Then another hidden force burst from the courtyard.

Long Kui led this group personally.

Clearly, they had hidden themselves earlier specifically to wait for Nether Valley’s reinforcements and wipe them out in one strike.

Nether Valley’s men immediately realized something was wrong and began retreating at once.

Long Kui and Long Jie pursued them without hesitation.

Soon—

The entire battlefield emptied.

Only the Luo family courtyard remained quiet.

Zhuo Fan touched his nose lightly.

“Classic tiger-luring strategy.”

Because he already understood Nether Valley’s plan, he showed no concern whatsoever.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the true main characters to appear.

And before long—

Yang Ming arrived together with the bandits of Black Wind Mountain.

Zhuo Fan’s lips curled upward slowly.

Then he shook his head with amusement.

“Nether Valley spent this much effort…”

“…just to ensure the Luo family dies by the Lei family’s hands?”

“What exactly are they planning?”

[End of Chapter Thirty-Four]