Han Yu observed the town in silence.

"This place..." one of the disciples behind him muttered quietly.

"It is shaped by the Blood River," Han Yu said without turning. "Everything here reflects that."

The group slowed as they reached the outskirts of the town.

Meng Jueyan stepped closer to him.

"This is where I stop," she said.

Han Yu nodded.

"Remain alert," he replied. "If anything changes, you know what to do."

"I do."

There was no need for further instruction.

She stepped back, her presence already beginning to fade into the background as Han Yu and the others continued forward.

The town stretched ahead of them, its atmosphere heavy with unseen currents.

Somewhere within it, the gathering awaited.

And at its center, Lady Rot Rose.

Han Yu did not rush forward the moment they reached the outskirts of the town.

He raised a hand, and the small group behind him halted immediately, their movements disciplined and silent. For a brief moment, Han Yu simply stood there, his gaze sweeping across the distant structures of Good Well Town, committing every detail to memory.

Then he took out a set of talismans.

Each one was thin, dark in color, and etched with subtle runic patterns that only revealed themselves when touched by Qi. Without a word, he distributed them among his entourage, keeping one for himself. The disciples accepted them with care, understanding their purpose without needing instruction.

"These are concealment talismans," Han Yu said quietly. "Do not disrupt their flow once activated."

The group nodded.

Han Yu pressed the talisman against his chest, and a faint ripple spread outward from his body.

SHUA

His presence seemed to dim, not disappearing entirely, but fading into something indistinct. The others followed suit, and within seconds, the group had blended into the surrounding environment, their existence masked from casual perception.

This was not a place for open appearances.

Whatever gathering awaited them was meant to remain unseen by the common inhabitants of the town. To the mortals living their lives nearby, this day would pass like any other, untouched by the movements of cultivators far beyond their understanding.

Han Yu took a step forward.

The group followed.

They moved quickly, their figures slipping through the outskirts of the town without drawing attention. The streets were sparse, populated by individuals whose appearances bore the unmistakable marks of long exposure to Blood Qi. Red veins traced beneath their skin, and their eyes held a faint crimson hue that gave them an unsettling presence.

None of them noticed Han Yu’s group.

Or if they did, their minds simply failed to register it.

Within minutes, the buildings grew fewer, replaced by stretches of land that once served as farmland. The soil here was uneven and discolored, patches of darkened earth spreading across the terrain like scars.

What little vegetation remained was twisted and unnatural, its growth shaped by the corrupted energy that seeped through the ground.

Han Yu slowed as they approached their destination.

The abandoned farm stood at the edge of the settlement, its outline barely distinguishable from the surrounding decay. The remnants of old structures lay scattered across the land, broken fences and collapsed sheds hinting at a time when this place had been used for something more ordinary.

Now it was silent.

Too silent.

Han Yu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He could already feel it.

’There’s a lot of arrays,’ Han Yu thought.

They layered over one another with precision, each one serving a distinct purpose. An illusion array masked the true appearance of the place, presenting it as nothing more than another abandoned stretch of land.

A barrier array formed an invisible boundary, preventing entry for those without permission. Beneath those lay a more subtle construct, a befuddling array that influenced perception itself.

Anyone who approached would lose their intent.

They would turn away without realizing why, their memories shifting just enough to erase the reason they had come.

It was an elegant design... And an expensive one.

Han Yu stepped forward, stopping just short of the invisible boundary. The group behind him remained still, their attention fixed on the space ahead.

Then he felt it.

A probing force rose from the array, subtle yet thorough. It brushed against his concealed presence, testing, verifying, analyzing. It did not attack. It observed.

Han Yu did not resist.

He allowed the scan to pass over him, maintaining a calm expression as the array processed his identity. The talisman did not interfere with this level of detection. It only masked him from lesser forms of perception.

A few seconds passed.

Then the barrier shifted.

It was not visible to the eye, yet Han Yu could feel the change. The resistance in the air eased, and a narrow opening formed before him.

"Move," he said quietly.

He stepped forward.

The others followed.

Crossing the threshold felt like passing through a thin membrane, a subtle pressure brushing against his skin before vanishing entirely. For an instant, the world seemed to distort, the illusion peeling away like a veil.

Then the true scene revealed itself.

Han Yu’s eyes sharpened.

What lay beyond was nothing like the abandoned farm they had seen from the outside.

A mansion stood at the center of the land, its structure imposing yet refined. The architecture carried a style rarely seen within the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect. Instead of the harsh, brutal aesthetics favored by most of the sect’s members, this place held a quiet elegance, its design closer to that of orthodox cultivator estates.

The contrast was striking.

Surrounding the mansion was a carefully maintained garden. Rows of spirit herbs grew in organized clusters, their leaves shimmering faintly with contained energy. Artificial streams wound through the landscape, their waters clear despite the environment beyond the array. Rock formations rose in deliberate patterns, creating a sense of balance that felt almost unnatural given the sect’s usual tendencies.

Han Yu took it all in without speaking.

"This place looks like a rich merchant’s..." one of the disciples behind him whispered before catching himself.

Han Yu did not respond.

His attention had shifted.