In the inn’s quiet room, the Formation light flowed, isolating the inside and out. Fang Hao sat cross-legged, and before him floated two Storage Rings of ancient style, yet lingering with a faint bloody aura—exactly from Golden Core Middle Stage and Gong Mingli.

After successfully assassinating two Golden Core Elders in a row, Fang Hao’s state of mind had no big waves; only the pleasure of revenge and cold killing intent intertwined in his eyes. His Divine Sense went out, easily erasing the weak residual imprint on the rings, and he began to count the harvest.

First to enter his "sight" was a mountain of Spirit Stones. Golden Core Middle Stage, as the Elder in charge of the Family market, had a particularly rich net worth, with nearly four million Low-Grade Spirit Stones and over eighty thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones! Gong Mingli was slightly less, but also had over a million Low-Grade Spirit Stones and thirty thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. This item alone made Fang Hao’s wealth skyrocket again.

Next were various Medicinal Pills, Materials, and Talismans. Both had rich collections, including precious Medicinal Pills needed for Golden Core Cultivators to Cultivate, such as "Golden Core Condensing Pill" and "Foundation Strengthening Pill." Although Fang Hao couldn’t use them now, they were of great value. Various Artifact Refining and Formation Materials were also of high quality, just replenishing his consumption.

What Fang Hao focused on most were those Cultivation Technique Jade Slips and special items. In Golden Core Middle Stage’s ring was a Jade Slip of the "Mingyu Heart Sutra," one of the core Cultivation Techniques of the Gongming Family, leading directly to the Golden Core Dao. Though useless to Fang Hao, its reference value was not small. There were also several Jade Slips recording the distribution of forces and mineral Spiritual Veins in Black Rock City and surrounding areas, which was extremely precious information. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

In Gong Mingli’s ring, there was an item that made Fang Hao’s eyes narrow—a black token, with the words "Shadow Kill" carved on the front and a strange dagger pattern on the back.

"Shadow Kill Token?" Fang Hao frowned slightly, remembering some rumors. Shadow Kill Tower is a mysterious assassin organization with influence across several provinces, taking orders to kill without asking why. This token seemed to be a token or identity marker. "Did Gong Mingli collude with Shadow Kill Tower? Or is the Gongming Family using Shadow Kill Tower to deal with me?" This was undoubtedly a signal that required vigilance.

After counting the harvest, Fang Hao sorted and stored the useful items, and the Spirit Stones were added to the total account. At this moment, his net worth had reached a staggering number, enough to support his Cultivation for a long time.

However, the growth of wealth did not dilute his killing intent. His gaze became colder, and the third target appeared in his mind—Gong Mingyuan!

Based on the information he had explored these past few days and the assassination methods encountered at Heavenly Wolf Pass, that Middle Golden Core Stage Elder Gong Mingyuan, who acted mysteriously and excelled at hidden assassination, was exactly that shadowy assassin who launched a fatal blow at Heavenly Wolf Pass while he was resisting the backlash of the thunderstorm!

"So it was you..." Fang Hao’s knuckles turned white, and the killing intent in his eyes almost overflowed. Compared to Golden Core Middle Stage and Gong Mingli, Gong Mingyuan was the most important on his must-kill list! If this person was not removed, he would have no peace!

However, after two consecutive Elders were killed, Gong Mingyuan had become a startled bird, huddling in the core area of the Gongming Family’s territory, staying with the Family Head Golden Core Great Perfection and that Nascent Soul Ancestor who had come out of seclusion, with extremely tight security. It was almost impossible to carry out an assassination like the previous two times.

"I must find a way to lure him out, or... create an opportunity to act within the Family territory," Fang Hao pondered. Attacking the Family territory head-on was unwise; even he found that Formation troublesome, not to mention a Nascent Soul Ancestor presiding over it.

He once again carefully studied the Jade Slip maps obtained from Golden Core Middle Stage, especially the scattered records regarding the internal structure of the Gongming Family’s territory (though information on the core area was missing). At the same time, he repeatedly scrutinized Gong Mingyuan’s personality and behavior patterns. This person was responsible for the Family’s external affairs, naturally suspicious and cautious, but also inevitably bore the responsibility of maintaining the Family’s external connections and handling emergency affairs.

"Perhaps... I can apply pressure from the outside to force him to leave his shell?" An idea gradually took shape. What were the most important external interests of the Gongming Family? Several important mineral veins and markets around Black Rock City! If these places had accidents one after another, as the Elder in charge of external affairs, could Gong Mingyuan still sit still?

A cold light flashed in Fang Hao’s eyes. Luring the tiger away from the mountain! Although old-fashioned, it was often effective. As long as Gong Mingyuan left the range of the Family territory’s Formation, even if guards followed, he was confident in using the Chaos Grotto-Heaven and the golden puppet to snipe and kill him!

No sooner said than done! Fang Hao changed his appearance again and quietly left the inn. He didn’t immediately act against the mineral veins, as that target was too large and easy to alert the enemy. He chose a more hidden but equally important target for the Gongming Family—a hidden "Secret Market" located three hundred miles southwest of Black Rock City.

This Secret Market was secretly operated by the Gongming Family, used to handle some illicit goods and as a base for contacting forces like Shadow Kill Tower. Its location was extremely hidden and directly controlled by Gong Mingyuan. There were vague markings in the Jade Slip maps, and Fang Hao only confirmed it by combining information from various sources.

That night, Fang Hao steered the silver light shuttle and arrived silently at this Secret Market hidden in the mountainside. He did not attack head-on but used his Formation expertise to quietly destroy the warning and communication Formations on the outskirts of the Secret Market, then sneaked inside, sweeping away a batch of valuable stolen goods and transaction ledgers, and deliberately left a trace pointing to a rival of the Gongming Family.

After doing all this, he quickly fled far away, leaving no clues about himself.

The next day, news of the Secret Market being robbed reached the Gongming Family, causing quite a stir. Although the loss was not fatal, the exposure and robbery of the Secret Market meant that an important financial path and secret channel of the Gongming Family were seriously threatened.

Sure enough, as Fang Hao expected, at the Family meeting, Golden Core Great Perfection, who had lost two Golden Core Stage Elders and suffered consecutive robberies, was flying into a rage. He strictly ordered Gong Mingyuan to find out the truth as soon as possible, recover the losses, and ensure the safety of other external bases!

Although Gong Mingyuan was extremely unwilling to leave the safe Family territory at this moment, the Family Head’s order was hard to disobey, and this matter indeed concerned his duties and face. He could only bite the bullet and, leading a team of elite guards, quietly left Black Rock City, preparing to personally inspect several key bases and investigate the robbery of the Secret Market.

What he didn’t know was that a pair of cold eyes had already locked onto his departing figure through the Chaos Grotto-Heaven’s monitoring of the Family territory’s exit.

"The fish... has taken the bait." Far away on a mountain peak hundreds of miles away, Fang Hao’s lips curled into a cold arc.

He put away the silver light shuttle, his figure merging into the wind, like the most patient hunter, heading quietly toward a pre-set dangerous canyon suitable for ambush on Gong Mingyuan’s necessary path.

The net of revenge has been cast. Gong Mingyuan, the assassin who gave him a fatal blow at Heavenly Wolf Pass, was about to pay the price of his life for his original choice.