"E-elder Zhang Zhenking? Is that really you?"

"I am. Who are you?" the voice from the orb replied.

The confirmation struck Liu Xing like lightning. His eyes widened, and his heart hammered against his ribs. Even Elder Yang Zhaoyan's mouth fell open. They had expected the orb to connect them to a random person, or perhaps, miraculously, someone from the Tang Dynasty. Connecting directly to Elder Zhang Zhenking of the Purple Moon Sect surpassed their wildest expectations.

"Hurry, answer him!" Elder Yang Zhaoyan mouthed urgently.

Liu Xing nodded and gathered his wits. "My name is Liu Xing, elder. I'm an outer disciple of the Purple Moon Sect."

"How did you connect to my communication orb?"

Liu Xing was about to mention receiving the orb from Wang Lin, but fearing the elder might cut the connection, he decided to recount the full story.

"It happened like this," he began, recounting the events from Mystic Moon City to their current predicament with the Yang clan. Elder Zhang Zhenking interrupted several times, instructing him to shorten the tale, and Liu Xing complied. He focused on portraying the Twelve Sun Empire as a victim needing aid, subtly reminding the elder of its status as a vassal state.

"Wang Lin said he didn't know where the orb came from, but one of the children he saved mentioned it was thrown by a black tentacle," Liu Xing concluded.

The elder mused, "A black tentacle?" as if recognizing something significant. The unexpected connection still filled Liu Xing with questions. After a moment of contemplation, Elder Zhang Zhenking's commanding voice reverberated through the orb.

"Liu Xing, I accept your report. The Twelve Sun Empire is indeed our vassal, and we have a duty to protect it. I will send four groups of inner disciples to your location. They should arrive within four days at the latest."

Hearing this, Liu Xing couldn't help but smile. While the elder hadn't sent an elder, four groups of inner disciples were a significant force. Although waiting four days seemed long, it was better than nothing.

"Thank you, elder!" Liu Xing said gratefully.

A grunt came from the orb before the connection severed. The orb's glow faded, leaving a normal, slightly warm sphere in Liu Xing's right hand. He looked at Elder Yang Zhaoyan, who nodded approvingly, as if Liu Xing had accomplished a great feat. And in a way, he had. He had successfully secured reinforcements from the Purple Moon Sect.

Elder Yang Zhaoyan turned to the still-confused Wang Lin. "Wang Lin, you have provided us with great aid in our time of need. You will be rewarded handsomely later."

Wang Lin clasped his hands and smiled broadly. "Thank you, Elder Yang Zhaoyan!"

The elder nodded, then looked at Liu Xing. "Now, let's inform the prince of this good news. We also need to discuss our next steps."

Liu Xing nodded. While relieved that reinforcements were coming, he knew four days was a long time in their current situation. Anything could happen. He decided he wouldn't wait idly. He needed to act.

The elder and Liu Xing stood up and headed toward the prince's location.

***

The City of Suns sprawled across the horizon, its expanse so vast that from the eastern cliffs, one could see an endless sea of buildings crowned by a massive golden castle. Numerous towers dotted the cityscape, lending it an almost modern feel despite the traditional Chinese architecture. It was said a mortal could run for two days and nights and still not reach the city's edge.

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On one of these eastern cliffs stood two figures. The first was Elder Yang Zhaoyan, still clad in his red robe but now adorned with three rings on his right hand—two gold and one silver. When Liu Xing had inquired about them, the elder explained they were spatial rings filled with supplies.

The second figure was Liu Xing himself. He stood with one foot propped on a rock, surveying the City of Suns. He wore black pants and a sleeveless black robe, his spatial bag hanging from his waist. This bag now contained not only his treasures and spirit stones but also numerous pills and talismans given to him by the Yang Clan.

As the sun began to peek over the horizon behind them, Liu Xing could make out several abominations from his position.

One such creature ambled mindlessly through the streets like a zombie. It appeared almost human, with a pale, naked body, but its hands ended in long, black nails that scraped against the ground with each shuffling step. The right side of its face was human, with a vacant eye and slack jaw, while the left side writhed with black worms attempting to form a dog's snout. As it moved, the worms pulsated and shifted, never quite settling into a fixed shape.

In the shadows of a nearby building, Liu Xing spotted a particularly unsettling abomination. It appeared to be a young woman at first glance, but as she stepped into the light, he saw her torso split open like a blooming flower, revealing a mass of writhing tentacles where her organs should have been.

Scanning the area, Liu Xing noticed the wildly different appearances of these creatures. Some had crab-like claws, some had dog claws, and some had animal heads on human bodies. All were grotesque combinations of humans and spirit beasts.

Witnessing this, Elder Yang Zhaoyan shook his head and sighed. "They were mere mortals. I doubt they would be useful to Wei Yi, yet he still transformed them into these abominations."

Liu Xing nodded grimly, knowing they would soon end the creatures' misery.

There were several reasons Liu Xing and the Elder had chosen this easternmost location to begin their culling. The main reason was that mortals mostly occupied this area, making the transformed beings easier to eliminate.

"Alright, Liu Xing, I'll leave this area to you," the elder said, glancing toward the golden castle.

The second part of their plan involved several secret doors connected to the Emperor's Tomb. These were close to the castle, and the elder would check if those doors were locked before helping Liu Xing cull the stronger abominations.

The elder then transformed into white mist, carried away by the wind. "Good luck, and remember our plan," his voice lingered.

Liu Xing nodded, then inhaled deeply and summoned his gun in his left hand.

"All right," he muttered, "let's do this."

After getting confirmation about the help that would come, the prince decided they could not just wait and chose to move forward with his plan. Since it seemed the people turned into abominations would be important to Wei Yi and Yang Lihuo, culling the abominations within the City of Suns was still a valid option while they waited. Therefore, they decided to reduce the number of abominations as much as possible. Liu Xing's role was straightforward: kill as many abominations as possible. His target for the day was five hundred. He would start with the weaker ones and work his way up. After reaching his goal, he would bring the Yang clan into the attack.

Liu Xing willed invisibility to spread through his body. The wind caressed his cheeks and ruffled his invisible hair as he took several steps and plunged off the cliff. As he fell, Liu Xing adjusted his state of mind, attempting to meditate with open eyes and a body ready for action. He landed on his feet, stirring up a cloud of dust. Nearby, an abomination turned its head and rushed toward him.

Liu Xing activated his lightning blade and adjusted his stance, waiting for the enemy to come within reach. When it did, he slashed horizontally, separating the creature's pig-like head from its human body. Then, he sidestepped the barreling corpse.

As he did so, Liu Xing felt something shift within his consciousness, a space opening briefly before settling. A fierce smile spread across his face.

He jogged toward another shambling abomination that hadn't yet noticed its fallen comrade. He filled his gun with qi and shot the creature square in the forehead. A hole appeared, and it collapsed like a sack of potatoes. The gun now held six bullets, formed from the abomination's qi. Sensing this, he absorbed the qi contained within the gun, directing the energy toward his consciousness. It flowed toward his nearly open seventh lock.

As the energy settled, Liu Xing couldn't help but grin. It seemed he might advance to the seventh stage today after all.

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