I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

Mortal City.

Today was the day of the Mortal Realm’s very first auction. Countless factions came and went. Many of these factions knew each other but rarely had the chance to meet. Now that they were gathered, a bit of catching up was inevitable.

This was especially true since many of the groups were led by the heads of their respective factions—Patriarchs, Sect Leaders, and the like—who had come in person.

This alone showed how much importance they placed on the event.

"Patriarch Qi?"

A middle-aged man stood at the gates of Mortal City. After a quick scan of the surroundings to confirm there were no Mortal Realm Members nearby, he cautiously sidled up to another middle-aged man. "Didn’t I hear that when the Mortal Realm killed the Young Master of the Pill Sect, they activated several hundred cannon towers at once?"

"This city doesn’t look like it has that many cannon towers."

"And the City Wall is only Level 1."

"Were the rumors from the outside world false?"

"They’re not false."

Patriarch Qi sighed helplessly. "I keep telling you to get out more. Stop staying at home like a shut-in who never sees the light of day. This isn’t the Mortal Realm’s main base. Their headquarters is inside that Nameless Mountain over there. This is just a Marketplace the Mortal Realm built."

"They just happened to put a City Wall around the Marketplace."

"And let me tell you, don’t even think about causing trouble in the Mortal Realm. You’ve heard about their methods, haven’t you?"

"I’ve heard."

The middle-aged man sighed. "I’ve seen the Memory Stone of the Mortal Realm wiping out the Pill Sect. That Nine-Five Dragon Carriage flying through the sky is truly terrifying. I can’t think of any way to counter it. But... I imagine the cost of using something like that even once must be incredibly high, right?"

...

Patriarch Qi glanced around before lowering his voice. "You need to update your intel. The Mortal Realm is divided into several sections. There’s the Commerce Pavilion for business, the Battle Pavilion for combat, and... the Dark Pavilion for assassinations."

"Have you heard of the Wind and Rain Tower?"

"Of course. They’re a veteran Assassin Organization, famous for ages. They’ve assassinated the leaders of several major factions in the past. It’s said that as long as you pay enough Ghost Stones, there’s no one they can’t kill."

"Mm," Patriarch Qi said with a sigh. "A few days ago, the Wind and Rain Tower sent out dozens of its core members. They used a ploy to lure Chen Fan away from his base and into a trap they’d set, all to assassinate him."

"And they failed?"

"Of course they failed. Otherwise, there’d be no reason to hold this auction. Everyone knows Domain Lord Chen is an Architect with almost no personal combat strength. But no one knows how he survived the assassination. He simply reappeared soon after, completely unscathed. Not even a hair was out of place, nor was there a speck of dust or a drop of blood on him."

"He didn’t look flustered in the slightest."

"Starting the very next day, the Wind and Rain Tower’s establishments in other cities were dismantled one by one. When clients showed up to post a new mission, all they found were piles of bodies lying in pools of blood."

"Drawn on the ground in blood was the symbol of the Dark Pavilion, along with a kill order from the Mortal Realm Dark Pavilion..."

"This was the Mortal Realm’s retaliation."

"The Mortal Realm didn’t use the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage. Instead, they sent out their Dark Pavilion to deliver an eye for an eye."

"Think about it. Those establishments were staffed with official members of the Wind and Rain Tower. For them to be killed so easily, without even putting up a fight... Could the Dark Pavilion possibly be weak?"

...

The middle-aged man stood frozen for a long moment before a chill ran down his spine. He glanced around nervously. "Are you saying the Mortal Realm’s assassination capabilities are also this strong? But the Pill Sect prided itself on its own assassins. Why didn’t the Mortal Realm deal with the Pill Sect this way back then?"

"Well..."

Patriarch Qi mused, ’I suspect there are two possibilities. One is that even the Mortal Realm can’t find the Wind and Rain Tower’s true headquarters. No one has been able to find it for all these years.’

’Without a target, the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage can’t be deployed.’

’So they can only send out the Dark Pavilion to pull out the ’nails’ the Wind and Rain Tower has planted in other cities.’

’The other possibility is that it’s a show of force...’

’They’re using this opportunity to prove something to the outside world.’

’If you want to fight openly, the Mortal Realm has its Dragon Carriage.’

’If you want to play dirty, the Mortal Realm has its Dark Pavilion.’

’Openly or in the shadows, it’s your choice. The Mortal Realm is ready to play either game to the end.’

"So the Wind and Rain Tower just let the Dark Pavilion destroy their establishments without retaliating at all?" the middle-aged man asked, confused.

"Not yet, anyway."

"Forget their core members; not even one of the Mortal Realm’s Ordinary members has turned up dead. Perhaps they’re gathering their strength to go for one big score—to risk everything they have to assassinate Chen Fan. If that’s the case, then tonight’s auction, with so many people from different factions milling about, would be the perfect time."

"Today is the best chance to strike."

"You be careful today."

"Don’t get caught in the crossfire."

"You too."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two went their separate ways.

...

Meanwhile, inside Mortal City, other factions who knew each other were also whispering about the recent actions of the Mortal Realm Dark Pavilion. After all, its achievements, methods, and style were all highly discussion-worthy.

This was the first time they had learned that the Mortal Realm possessed such a formidable group of Assassins.

Why was the Pill Sect so strong back in the day?

Three reasons.

First, their Elixir supply. Second, they used vast quantities of Cultivation Pills to raise numerous Death Warriors, giving them powerful assassination capabilities. Third, their City Walls were strong, making their headquarters secure.

The Mortal Realm of today was, fundamentally, an enhanced version of the Pill Sect.

They also had three points.

First, their Skeleton Horse supply. Second, the Dark Pavilion. Third, their main headquarters was even stronger than the Pill Sect’s.

They outclassed them in every single aspect.

Everything the Pill Sect had, the Mortal Realm also had, only better. And everything the Pill Sect lacked, the Mortal Realm possessed.

The only thing they didn’t have was...

The Mortal Realm... had no Alchemy Masters.