Divine Convenience Store

Northeastern Edge of the Abyssal Forest

Darkness was absolute in the winding network of demonic beast caves. The only light came from the faint, sickly green glow of the Soul Lure Array, which was now eighty percent complete.

Three Core Formation experts from the Impervious Flare Sect stood guard at the array's core, their faces looking grim but determined.

Fifty of their best disciples patrolled the perimeter, their spiritual senses honed sharp for any approaching demonic beasts or cultivators from the Eastern Abyssal Domain.

They felt secure. The caves were a natural labyrinth, and their location was a closely guarded secret. They were the hidden dagger aimed at the heart of Fanling City. Or specifically, the Divine Convenience Store.

The establishment, which was reported to have pushed the Violethaven Temple's Grand Elder back and destroyed a precious heaven-grade artifact.

However, amidst their sense of security, they never saw a figure looming nearby.

A shadow detached itself from another shadow. As subtly and as realistically as possible, there wasn't even a flicker of movement detected. Instead, it was simply a deeper patch of darkness that seemed to flow like liquid night.

This was Shadow Scythe. The peak Nascent Soul Stage assassin of the Shadow Veil Clan.

He had spent the day observing, using the [Void-Step Talismans] to phase through rock and earth, mapping their patrols, identifying their leaders, and understanding their defenses. He had consumed the [Silent-Death Poison] not to use on his blades, but to coat his own aura, making his presence utterly undetectable even to spiritual senses.

He moved not like an assassin, but like a ghost. He was the absence of presence.

But before moving to his target, he read the response from Lin Mo. "Did… I not include it in my report?"

He scratched his head before carefully finding another hiding place to input what Lin Mo was asking.

Once that was done, he became a shadow again, snaking towards his first target.

Soon, the figures of the two-man patrol at the furthest edge of the network were locked in by his senses. Two Foundation Establishment Stage disciples. They were complaining quietly about the dampness of the cave.

"...I'll be glad when this is over. I hate this cursed forest..." One of them said.

"Quiet, fool. This is for the honor of the Temple and our Sect..." The other began. However, he never finished the sentence.

A flicker of deeper darkness passed between them. In the blink of an eye, both men stood frozen. Then, without a sound, they crumpled to the ground, their life force extinguished.

Their souls were extracted, severed and erased. Shadow Scythe didn't even leave a corpse that could be reanimated. They simply became empty husks, leaving behind nothing but their robes.

Starting from this, he became like a ghost, a terrifying whisper in the dark carrying the rumor of death. He flowed through the cave system, and wherever he passed, patrols went silent.

He didn't use a blade. He used a technique that was pure shadow, a touch that unmade life.

The [Shadowmend Salve] he had requested was not for healing wounds, but for mending the disturbances his passage left in the spiritual energy of the caves, leaving no trace for even the most sensitive formation master to detect.

In under an hour, all fifty disciples were gone. They were not dead in a way that would raise an alarm. They were simply… missing. Empty posts.

Unanswered calls. A creeping, silent dread began to settle over the three Core Formation experts at the array's core.

"Report!" The lead elder shouted into his communication jade. "Patrol seven, report!"

However, only static answers.

"Patrol four! Report!"

And another static.

A cold fear, something they hadn't felt in decades, began to grip them. They were powerful Core Formation experts, but they were trapped in a dark, silent cave system where their entire security force had just vanished without a trace.

The elder drew his flaming sword, its light casting dancing, terrified shadows on the cave walls. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

The only answer was a chilling whisper that seemed to come from his own shadow.

"The Shopkeeper sends his regards."

Then, the darkness consumed them.

—

Southern Wilderness, Sunstone Village Outskirts

Venom Master Xun stood atop the silk-choked canyon. Her expression was one of supreme confidence as she glanced down.

Below her, the Crystalweb Tyrant, a being the size of a small fortress, was finally on the move. Enraged by the death of its broodlings and the insolent message they carried, it had emerged, its massive, crystal-studded legs carrying it with terrifying speed towards Sunstone Village.

Its screech of fury was a physical force and a wave of alien psychic energy that washed over the landscape. Behind it, a chittering tide of hundreds of its broodlings swarmed. It looked like a river of purple and black death.

"Mistress," Marrow Weaver said, materializing beside her. "Candidate Chi Yang and the villagers are secured within the fortified perimeter, as you commanded. We ensured that there were no nests underground. They should be safe before we escort them to the store's new branch."

"Excellent," Venom Master Xun smilingly nodded with her eyes gleaming with manic excitement. "And the other… uninvited guests?"

"The Spirit Haze Sect has sent a delegation. They are watching from the eastern ridge. The Ironbone Clan has sent a war party. They are watching from the west. Both have sent messages demanding an explanation for our presence."

"Again? Heh... They're getting impatient, aren't they? Don't worry. Let them watch for now," Venom Master Xun said with a dismissive wave. "Tonight, they will learn a new definition of 'convenience'. They will be privileged to see the power of a true partnership with the store. Little bird, let me show again why you're not losing out following me instead of your outdated syndicate."

She had accepted Lin Mo's challenge. He had given her full authority, and she was going to deliver a performance that would be spoken of for years.

She turned to her assembled priests and acolytes. "The bait is set. The audience is gathered. It's time for the main event. Haa… Shopkeeper, I hope you'll watch this at the edge of your seat."

Venom Master Xun then took a step off the cliff and floated down. Beneath her, a newly summoned massive Doom Spider caught her, its form even larger and more menacing than the one she had ridden before.

It was the Doom Broodmother that she called from its nest. A peak Core Formation beast she had nurtured for decades.

"Today, my dear," She whispered, patting the spider's hairy carapace, "we show this upstart queen what a true matriarch looks like. With the help of convenience, of course."

She raised her hand and an artifact materialized on her wrist. It wasn't a weapon but a single, familiar-looking item. A [Celestial Duel Gear].

After getting her hands on it, she had studied the game, the mechanics, the summons. She had seen its potential. But she wasn't interested in playing by the rules. She had her own, more convenient interpretation.

"Activate," She commanded as she poured her spiritual energy within it.

The Celestial Field spread out, a swirling vortex of purple and black energy. But instead of picking and summoning one of the cards floating in front of her, she did something else.

She took a vial from her robes. A pulsating concoction of her most potent venoms, carrying the lifeblood of a hundred demonic beasts. She poured it directly onto her Celestial Duel Gear.

If Lin Mo were watching this, he'd probably be furious or confused. Because of everyone who bought the artifact, no one had ever tried tampering with it, as they all played by the rules set by the divine craftsmen who forged it.

The device shrieked as the sliver of divine energy within it fused with the corrupting poison.

"The Shopkeeper offers summons," She said with her voice carrying a glee of insanity. "But why settle for a mere projection when you can also summon a real thing and augment it with its ability?"

There, she pulled a Unit Card and played it. However, instead of summoning a spiritual projection of what was depicted on the card, the Celestial Field warped, the purple and black energy twisted into a grotesque mockery of a summoning circle. From it, a creature began to emerge. It was not the Level 3 Celestial Beast Unit he had just played but one of her own broodlings, a venom-spitting spider the size of a carriage, but its form was… enhanced.

Its carapace was reinforced with shimmering, card-like spiritual energy, and its venom sacs glowed with an unnatural, divine light.

Her summoning wasn't the usual one. Instead, the spiritual projection became fused with one of her own. A horrific yet fascinating enhancement. It's like the activation of the Spirit Embodiment Sticker Seal, except with the Celestial Duel Gear as the catalyst.

"Let the landlord eviction…" Venom Master Xun declared, with a wild, triumphant smile on her face, "...begin."

Behind her, Marrow Weaver, Priests, and Acolytes of her Arachnid Branch jumped out as well, charging down to meet the foreign creatures.