Just then, a bell sounded, instantly silencing and putting to rest the turmoil wreaking havoc in the palace hall.

There was only one toll of the bell, mellifluous and ethereal.

It was the clock hanging within the palace hall, and the single toll of the bell represented the passage of a single day.

For some reason, the familiar sound of the bell seemed to soothe the man behind the veil. He paused for a moment and collected himself, before tossing Shadowless right back to the ground and growing taciturn.

But the fact that the man didn’t say a word didn’t mean that Shadowless was going to remain silent as well. Shadowless immediately lay prostrate on the ground once more, trembling as he begged with a drifty voice, “He said that… he wants to meet with you. But he didn’t say why. I swear this is all he said! He didn’t tell me anything else!”

The man frowned softly. He was initially bent on searching Shadowless’ soul, but the toll of the bell had for some strange reason caused him to drop his intent to kill.

Dead silence.

He stared intently at Shadowless, before turning to look at the scale that was suspended in the air. Yin energy flourished from his body, and then ebbed away, and then flourished again, and then ebbed away again. After vacillating for some time, he finally retracted all of his Yin energy and muttered hoarsely, “Send word back to him.”

“Tell him to come to the Azurewaters City in...