Volume Two, The Armory Catalogue Chapter 121: The Tianzi No. 1 Order

In the Great Wilderness, organizations formed by clans are the most stable, with the Shangguan Clan standing head and shoulders above the rest. Whether within the Weapon Tomb or across the entire Great Wilderness, the Shangguan Clan is an absolute behemoth, a presence that wandering cultivators would never dare to provoke.

Inside the ancestral hall of the Shangguan estate, in a side chamber, wooden tablets inscribed with the names of clan members are kept. Through special techniques, the life force of each individual is imbued into these tablets, allowing them to convey simple messages and track the approximate location of the clan members.

Suddenly, one of the tablets snapped into two pieces and fell from the iron rack to the floor. The caretaker of the hall rushed over upon hearing the sound, and upon seeing the name "Shangguan Qian" carved on the front, he turned pale with shock.

"Disaster! A catastrophe! Young Master Qian has lost his life! Elders, come quickly!"

Following the caretaker's cry, clan members from beyond the courtyard walls hurried over. When an elderly man saw the broken tablet on the ground, he let out a cry of distress and fainted on the spot.

Before long, two maids supported the family's matriarch into the hall. The crowd quickly parted, allowing the old woman to step forward. The backbone of the Shangguan Clan, this centenarian matriarch remained vigorous, her eyes sharp and piercing. She struck the floor three times with her dragon-headed staff and spoke in a calm, steady voice: "Who assigned the mission to Qian'er before he left?"

A steward immediately stepped forward to answer, "Ancestor, it was I who arranged for him to go to the Watching Heaven Pavilion in Tuqiu City. I estimate that Master Heaven’s Eye already has an answer; please, let us wait a moment. You lot, go and check immediately—see if the tablet of that adopted girl is broken."

The steward clearly remembered that the mission list sent from Tuqiu City had included two names.

"Her tablet is fine, there is no change!" a servant reported. Shangguan Baozi’s tablet sat steadily on the iron rack, showing no signs of cracking.

The clan members erupted in chaos. "I told you that girl was bad news! She’s bringing calamity upon the Shangguan Clan! Everyone who adopts her dies inexplicably, and now she’s lured Young Master Qian to his death!"

"Send men to track her down immediately! It’s likely she plotted to kill Young Master Qian to seize the Art of Returning Hundred Weapons!"

Shangguan Qian’s skills were coveted not only by outsiders but by many within the clan as well. Only his formidable strength had prevented others from seizing his secret manual for the Art of Returning Hundred Weapons earlier.

As they argued, two young children appeared outside the courtyard gate, unfurling a scroll with wet ink. They spoke loudly to the Matriarch: "Master has seen the swordsman who committed the murder. He is inside the Watching Heaven Pavilion, currently breaking the formation."

The painting clearly depicted a young swordsman in black and white Taoist robes, holding a black sword, with a faint air of killing intent lingering between his brows.

No one present recognized him. Seeing someone so young capable of killing Shangguan Qian, they all found it hard to believe.

The Matriarch studied the portrait for a long time, then sighed, "The world is vast, and it is not just our Shangguan Clan that produces young heroes. If this person matures, he may well become a great enemy of our Weapon Tomb. Go, bring me the Heaven-Grade Order."

Hearing that the Heaven-Grade Order was to be invoked, the steward hurriedly advised, "Ancestor, does this youth have some profound background? The Heaven-Grade Order hasn't been moved in hundreds of years. Invoking it will surely disturb those figures within the Weapon Tomb..."

"With the current situation, we must act early," the Matriarch said. A maid brought over a simple hexagonal token. The Matriarch traced a character in the air above it with her finger: "One."

The Heaven-Grade Order Number One! As she finished, everyone knelt, shouting in unison: "When the Heaven-Grade Order is issued, the Shangguan Clan dares not disobey!"

Deep within the forbidden grounds of the Weapon Tomb, four pairs of eyes gazed toward the sky. Sensing the ripples emitted by the Heaven-Grade Order, they silently left their places of seclusion.

The entire Shangguan Clan, like a long-dormant beast suddenly awakened, began to operate at full capacity. Tens of thousands of clansmen prepared their gear and began their march toward Tuqiu City.

Standing atop the dilapidated Azure Dragon Tower, Liu Xiaoyi suddenly sneezed a few times. "Is someone cursing me behind my back? Baozi, how should we deal with your cousin?"

He had used too much force earlier and crushed Shangguan Qian’s skull; the headless corpse lay in a pool of blood. He didn't have to worry about his mysophobia, as he couldn't even feel it. In truth, he had intended to capture him and hand him over to Shangguan Baozi to vent her anger, but the power of the scabbard proved three times stronger than the Green Radiance Sword, killing Shangguan Qian in a single strike.

The pillar of light reaching the heavens had been seen clearly by others passing by. Knowing a master was here, they dared not approach and instead slipped along the edges of the tower to move to higher floors.

Shangguan Baozi covered her eyes and approached. Summoning her courage, she kicked the body twice and realized it was truly cold. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. "The clan will definitely send people to hunt us down. Shangguan Qian was the younger generation the Ancestor doted on most."

"How far is the clan from here? A Mountain-Deer level spirit-restraining master has died; they can't possibly send the whole family out to kill me, can they?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Shangguan Baozi’s waist token began to glow. Seeing the number, her small, round face crumpled. "The Heaven-Grade Order Number One! We’re finished! We’re all going to die here!"

As she spoke, she clutched her head and began to cry, sobbing, "I haven't seen the Heaven-Grade Order in hundreds of years. The Ancestor is truly furious this time. I’m only fourteen! I haven't eaten all the good food, I haven't become the strongest spirit-restraining master, and now I’m going to die!"

Liu Xiaoyi signaled for Meng Qiaoqiao to pull her along. The priority was to climb the mountain quickly; the Azure Dragon Tower had lost its guardian spirit and was becoming shaky, liable to collapse at any moment.

"What is this Heaven-Grade Order? Is it really that powerful?" Liu Xiaoyi asked while walking.

"The entire clan will hunt us down. No matter where we go, the uncles at Heaven’s Eye will find us. My token shattered, which means the clan has erased even me—I am no longer part of the Shangguan Clan..."

Her tears flowed as if they cost nothing, which made Liu Xiaoyi’s scalp tingle. He comforted her, "It’s fine. Who knows how many other factions will be set in motion once the Shangguan Clan moves? As long as we stay within Tuqiu City, they won't find it so easy to act."

Every city had its own rules; if the Shangguan Clan truly attacked with such fanfare, the City Lord of Tuqiu would not stand idly by. Liu Xiaoyi looked up at the Watching Heaven Pavilion; that Heaven Lamp was his bargaining chip for survival, which he would use to negotiate with the Qi State.

"Let’s hurry and seize the Heaven Lamp. We need the leverage to stay alive."

In a place beyond their sight, someone was watching clearly. Seeing that Liu Xiaoyi was not afraid and continued to climb upward, the observer couldn't help but offer a few words of silent admiration.

With the unexpected collapse of the Azure Dragon Tower, the formations of the other three towers developed flaws and began to fail one after another.

Suddenly, the Watching Heaven Pavilion became lively once more. Various lights flickered as people engaged in duels or joined forces in mass sieges, the cries of battle echoing incessantly.