The five heads of the family walked out of the town guard house and returned to their respective homes.
In a hidden chamber within the Hyacinth Tower in Cloud City, Concubine Mingyue sat at the top of the room, while four men and one woman sat quietly below her.
All four men radiated powerful auras—the unmistakable pressure of God-Transformation cultivators.
Such a gathering, if revealed, would leave the world in utter shock.
Publicly, the Hyacinth Tower was known to house only one Early Yuan Infant cultivator—its owner, Concubine Mingyue—who concealed her true strength. Yet here sat four God-Transformation experts, not even counting the seemingly unfathomable power of Mingyue herself.
This hidden strength, once unleashed, would undoubtedly shake the entirety of Yunzhong Mansion. The depth of the Hyacinth Tower's true power far exceeded anyone's imagination.
Once everyone had assembled, Concubine Mingyue gracefully produced a portrait and spoke slowly.
"Take a look. This is the new town guard. In the future, be cautious in your actions and avoid crossing paths with him."
They passed the portrait among themselves, examining it in turn. When it reached the woman in the green dress at the end, she let out a soft exclamation.
"Hey… how could it be him?"
Startled by her reaction, the others turned to look at her—Concubine Mingyue included.
"Lu'e, do you know this person?" Mingyue asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.
Most inner disciples of the Dao Holy Sect remained secluded behind the sect's gates until formally assigned. Their identities were rarely known to outsiders. For Lu'e to recognize the new town guard was unusual—surprising, even.
Still, Lu'e was responsible for external affairs in the Hyacinth Tower and maintained a wider network than the others. It was not entirely impossible that she had encountered Zhang Yuhe somewhere before.
At this stage, understanding more about the new town guard was urgent—it would help them plan their next moves.
"I haven't seen him in person," Lu'e said after thinking for a moment. "But I've seen his portrait before."
Her words only deepened the intrigue. If she had met Zhang Yuhe directly, perhaps he had passed through Cloud City once. But a portrait? That was strange.
Who would have a portrait of Zhang Yuhe?
"Where did you see it?" Concubine Mingyue asked quickly.
Lu'e gathered her thoughts and replied slowly.
"About a hundred years ago, Wu Wei—the patriarch of the Wu family in Feiyun City—brought a portrait of this man to the Hyacinth Tower."
"The Wu clan from Feiyun City?" Mingyue frowned, her expression clouded with thought.
There were countless minor powers scattered across the Yufantian World, and the Wu clan was insignificant among them—barely worth remembering.
"What did the Wu clan want with him?" she asked.
Lu'e paused before replying. "Revenge, I think. I had someone look into it. Apparently, Wu Wei's sixth son died under suspicious circumstances. Afterward, he brought the portrait here and chased the culprit to Cloud City. Presumably, he was killed by this man—by the new town guard."
Concubine Mingyue went silent, then swept her gaze over the five people below. Her voice was low, yet firm.
"Is the Wu clan of Feiyun City connected to us in any way?"
The mention of past grudges between the new town guard and the Wu clan unsettled her.
The Hyacinth Tower had laid roots all across Yunzhong Mansion, developing deep-cover agents in various places. If the Wu clan was connected to them—even slightly—it needed to be severed immediately.
If Yuhe traced a line from the Wu family to the Hyacinth Tower and disrupted their plans, the consequences could be catastrophic.
A scar-faced man stood and bowed.
"Reporting to the Lady, we do have a shadow operative positioned in the Wu clan—he's likely their enshrined elder."
"Dispose of the Wu clan immediately," Concubine Mingyue commanded without hesitation. "Leave no traces behind."
The five subordinates exchanged uncertain glances. Something felt off.
It was only one shadow operative. And that operative didn't even know the full details of the Hyacinth Tower's operations. Was it truly necessary to annihilate the entire clan?
If caution was the issue, couldn't the shadow simply be recalled or eliminated discreetly?
Why such a drastic move?
Finally, the woman in the green dress voiced what the others were thinking.
"Lady Mingyue, how strong is the new town guard? Do we really need to be this cautious?"
Mingyue idly twirled a strand of her hair with her left hand and replied, her tone serious.
"His true strength is unclear—I can't see through it. But he is obviously not an ordinary man. We must not take him lightly."
If Zhang Yuhe had heard this, he would've been stunned. All he wanted was a peaceful place to cultivate. How had he become such a feared figure?
The scar-faced man stood again and said, "Then I will depart tonight. By morning, the Wu clan will no longer exist in Feiyun City."
At that moment, they all began to understand why Concubine Mingyue was acting so cautiously. The presence of this new town guard clearly placed immense pressure on her.
Mingyue nodded, then gave one final order.
"Our operations are entering a critical stage. You must not relax under any circumstances."
"Yes, Lady Mingyue," they replied in unison.
Once everyone had left, Concubine Mingyue rose and muttered to herself.
"How could such a powerful town guard appear in a backwater like Yunzhong Mansion? Could those old monsters in the Dao Holy Sect have discovered something?"
"It seems we'll have to accelerate our plans."
She had seen through Zhang Yuhe instantly. His childish attempts at concealment were laughably ineffective. Not just her—surely the other family heads had noticed it too.
Yunzhong Mansion, Feiyun City.
That night, a dark figure appeared silently in the skies above the Wu family mansion.
With a simple wave of his right hand, thick black mist surged outward, engulfing the entire estate in moments.
A short while later, the figure vanished into the night.
The next morning, shocking news spread through Feiyun City.
The Wu family—whose legacy spanned centuries—had disappeared without a trace.
There were no signs of battle. All possessions in the home remained untouched.
And yet, the mansion stood eerily empty. No people. No servants. Nothing.
Even the family members who lived outside the main estate had vanished.
The mystery spread like wildfire.
"Where did the Wu family go? Did they offend someone powerful and flee overnight?"
"Flee? Then why leave everything behind in perfect order?"
"Strange… people don't just disappear into thin air."
"Probably angered a hidden expert. Got wiped out in silence."
"Well, good riddance. The Wu clan was arrogant for far too long."
"Yeah, they got what was coming."