I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

Under the cover of night, the western part of Blackstone Fortress was far more dilapidated and chaotic than the central area. The stone houses were low and crooked, the streets narrow and filthy, and the air thick with the unpleasant stench of cheap liquor, sweat, and blood. This was the "gray area" of Blackstone Fortress, home to the Blood Wolf Gang, the Black Wind Bandits, and other smaller bandit groups' informants and peripheral members—a melting pot of all sorts of people, utterly chaotic.

Lu Zhao's figure blended into the night like a shadow, moving silently through broken walls and shadows. His [Flowing Cloud Step], combined with his exquisite control of qi and powerful pre-emptive divine sense, allowed him to perfectly avoid all visible and hidden sentries, as if walking in his own backyard.

Soon, he arrived at the unassuming stone house with half a dried animal bone hanging at the door. Inside, he could faintly hear heavy breathing, the sound of sharpening knives, and low conversation.

"Boss Lone Wolf, that kid went into the quiet room of Yunmeng Pavilion and hasn't come out since. That old fox Chen Song seems to be very polite to him and even greeted him. Our people can't get close." A hoarse voice reported, one of the spies who had been following Lu Zhao during the day.

"Hmph, the people from the Yunmeng Chamber of Commerce are always hypocritical!" Another cold voice rang out; it belonged to the one-armed, burly man nicknamed "Lone Wolf." "However, the things that kid dealt with were no ordinary items, especially those bones... Third Brother, are you sure you didn't see wrong? There really was that 'deathly aura' on them?"

"Absolutely right, boss!" another shrill voice (another spy) hurriedly said, "Although it's very faint, my 'Yin Sha Technique' is most sensitive to death energy and malevolent energy! The death energy on those bones is very similar to the 'ancient, dragon-majestic death energy' that the employer described before! Moreover, judging from the texture and patterns of those bones, they are definitely not from ordinary demonic beasts!"

There was a moment of silence in the room, broken only by heavy breathing.

"Damn it..." Lone Wolf spat. "The employer's price wasn't low. As long as we could find something with that kind of aura, or any related clues, the reward would be enough for us brothers to live a carefree life for quite a while. It's a pity that the item fell into the hands of the Yunmeng Merchant Guild. That old man Chen Song must have realized that it was something special. It won't be easy to get it."

"Boss, that kid... doesn't look like someone to mess with. He was able to severely injure that one-eyed Black Wind Bandit in an instant, so he's at least at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, or even..." The hoarse voice hesitated.

"What are you afraid of!" Lone Wolf growled, interrupting him. "So what if he's in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage? Our Blood Wolf Gang isn't without its own mid-Foundation Establishment elders! Besides, this is Black Stone Fortress. Does he dare to make a move here? Chen Song would be the first to object! Tomorrow, if he leaves Black Stone Fortress, we'll follow him and find an opportunity..." He made a throat-slitting gesture, his eyes flashing with ferocity, "Once he's dead, the loot is naturally ours! The employer only wants the loot, not the person!"

"Boss is brilliant!" the other two quickly complimented.

"Go, call all the brothers over, tonight..."

"You're not going anywhere tonight."

A flat, emotionless voice suddenly rang out in the room.

"Who?!" The three lone wolves jumped up, each grabbing their weapons, and looked warily toward the source of the sound—the doorway.

Unbeknownst to them, the seemingly intact, heavy wooden door silently opened a crack. A young cultivator in a gray robe, with an ordinary face, stood there quietly, looking at them calmly, as if they were three ants.

It was Lu Zhao.

"It's you?!" Lone Wolf's pupils contracted sharply, alarm bells ringing in his mind. When did this person arrive? How did they break through the outer defenses? He hadn't noticed at all!

"Attack!" Lone Wolf reacted swiftly, knowing the newcomer was hostile, and that their ability to sneak in silently indicated terrifying strength. With a single swing of his arm, a massive, door-wide axe, its blade whistling through the air and carrying a dense aura of bloodlust, cleaved down towards Lu Zhao! Simultaneously, he spat out a beam of dark light—a bone-piercing nail coated with deadly poison—aiming for Lu Zhao's face!

The other two also made their moves simultaneously. One threw out three green-glowing darts, blocking Lu Zhao's escape routes to the left and right; the other made hand seals and chanted incantations, and a cold black aura surged from the ground, wrapping around Lu Zhao's feet.

The three worked together seamlessly, clearly having been accustomed to murder and robbery; their attacks were swift and deadly, showing no mercy whatsoever.

However, faced with this siege that would have made even an ordinary mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator flustered, Lu Zhao didn't even lift an eyelid.

He simply took a step forward.

"Buzz—"

An invisible yet terrifying pressure suddenly spread out from him! It wasn't an absolute suppression of spiritual power, but a dragon's might originating from the very essence of life, carrying an absolute stillness and a devouring will! Although only a trace was leaked, for a low-level demonic cultivator like Lone Wolf, who relied on bloodlust and ferocious energy for cultivation, it was tantamount to facing a natural enemy!

The lone wolf's massive axe, halfway through its strike, instantly melted and dissipated its bloodthirsty aura, like snow melting under the blazing sun! The poisoned nail vanished as a wisp of smoke just three feet from Lu Zhao's body. The other two's darts and black energy followed the same fate, dissolved by the invisible pressure and faint gray-black aura before even touching Lu Zhao.

"Splash! Splash! Splash!"

The three of them were struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, and they all knelt down on the ground. Their faces were ashen, their spiritual energy was in complete chaos, and they were so shocked by the terrifying dragon's might that they didn't even have the courage to raise their heads.

"S-Senior, spare our lives!" The lone wolf, no longer the fierce man he once was, kowtowed repeatedly, "I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness, senior! Please spare my lives!" The other two were terrified and could only keep kowtowing.

Lu Zhao ignored their pleas for mercy, his gaze fixed on the lone wolf. He extended a finger and pointed it in the air.

A wisp of grayish-black air, as thin as a hair, instantly disappeared into the Lone Wolf's brow.

"Ah—!" The lone wolf let out a bloodcurdling scream, his body convulsing violently, his eyes rolling back, and foaming at the mouth. The other two collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

This is a brutal method of soul-searching. With Lu Zhao's current spiritual strength and control over the power of "annihilation," he can quickly extract crucial information from the victim's memories without completely destroying their soul. Of course, the pain is unimaginable for the victim, and they will essentially become an idiot afterward.

A moment later, Lu Zhao withdrew his finger. Lone Wolf lay sprawled on the ground like a rag doll, his eyes vacant, drool dripping from his mouth; he was clearly finished.

From the lone wolf's memories, Lu Zhao obtained the information he wanted:

1. Employer: The Blood Wolf Gang is indeed working for a mysterious employer, searching for items imbued with "ancient, deathly dragon energy." The employer's identity is unknown; they were only contacted through an intermediary and have paid a huge deposit. Lone Wolf speculates that the employer may be connected to those mysterious, chilling cultivators recently active in the Gobi Desert (likely members of the Soul Devouring Demon Sect).

2. Strange Events at Dragonbone Hills: About half a month ago, strange phenomena began to occur intermittently in the "Dragonbone Hills" area deep in the Gobi Desert. Sometimes there were deathly gray lights shooting into the sky, sometimes there were earthquakes, and sometimes there were low, deep roars that seemed to come from the earth. Experienced adventurers speculated that the seal on some ancient ruins or tombs might have loosened and was about to open. This attracted more forces, and the Blood Wolf Gang and the Black Wind Bandits were also secretly gathering their forces, preparing to get a share of the spoils.

3. The Great Tomb Rumor: Rumors circulate that beneath the "Dragon Bone Wasteland" lies the tomb of an ancient "Dragon General," containing not only dragon treasures but also potentially extraordinary items like "True Dragon Blood" or "Dragon Soul Essence." This is why forces like the Soul Devouring Demon Sect are frantically searching for these items—they need a "key" or "token" to open or locate the "great tomb."

4. Blood Wolf Gang's Plan: Lone Wolf and his gang did indeed have their eyes on Lu Zhao, planning to seize the treasure after he left Blackstone Fortress.

"The Tomb of the Dragon General... the blood of a true dragon... the essence of a dragon soul..." A glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. "Sure enough, that tremor came from there. It's not just the resonance of the 'Soul Devouring Seal,' but I'm afraid the 'Silent Demon Dragon' Dao Foundation within me also senses something there."

He glanced at the unconscious lone wolf on the ground and the two scouts beside him who were so frightened they had lost control of their bladders, then flicked his fingers.

Three barely perceptible gray-black sparks entered the three people's bodies. The next moment, their bodies silently turned into a cloud of ashes, along with their clothes and weapons, disappearing completely as if they had never existed.

The Flame of Annihilation burns everything, including all traces of existence.

Having dealt with the aftermath, Lu Zhao didn't linger. In a flash, he left the stone house and disappeared into the night.

Instead of returning to his meditation room, he went straight to the edge of the fortress, found a relatively weak spot in the defenses, easily bypassed the guards and formations, and left Blackrock Fortress silently.

Standing in the howling sandstorm outside the fortress, Lu Zhao glanced back at the dimly lit fortress, then turned without hesitation and sped off towards the northwest—the location of "Dragonbone Hills."

"Is the Tomb of the Dragon General... part of the 'Silent Dragon Tomb' that Senior 'Jin' mentioned, which was coveted by the 'Soul Devouring Demon Lord'? Or does it refer to something else?" Lu Zhao pondered as he sped across the Gobi Desert, his figure like a ghost.

"No matter what it is, since it resonates with the 'Soul-Devouring Seal' and may be related to the Dragon Clan or Senior 'Jin', I must go and see for myself."

"And..." He sensed the space between his brows; the mutated "Soul-Devouring Seal" seemed to have intensified slightly as he headed towards the desolate hills, carrying a faint tremor and a sense of longing.

"Perhaps, there is not only danger there, but also an opportunity to completely resolve this mark, and even to further advance the foundation of my 'Silent Demon Dragon' Dao."

Under the cover of night, Lu Zhao's figure quickly disappeared into the vast depths of the Gobi Desert. His journey home, because of this unexpected discovery, once again veered off course, pointing towards that unknown and perilous place—Dragon Bone Hill.