There was no time to hesitate. The leader of the shadows didn't even have to give the signal as they all rushed down towards the scene. Yi energy burst out of their bodies as they conjured their spells.
Their very own shadows that usually stuck underneath them quickly left their side and rushed towards the five troublemakers that now possessed the Silver Bleeding Diamond. This was one of the techniques of the Moon God, the very first artskill taught to these shadows when they first cultivated to the 1st stage: shadow bind.
This artskill allowed them to control their shadows and deploy them to their liking. With the injection of Yi energy, this abstract object seemed to take a kind of its own and attach itself to the 5 cultivators. Unbeknownst to the targets, their movements were already constrained for the shadows to control.
Suddenly, the five cultivators felt a pulling force that dragged them towards an indistinct alley just behind them. This place was away from the eyes of normal people, a prerequisite for the shadows to move in action. After all, they still had to keep their identities a secret.
"Huh?!"
"What's happening?"
These five cultivators were only at the 1st stage of their cultivation and had only experienced battle in practice and friendly bouts. They didn't know that there were other cultivation techniques beyond their own, much less know about the artskill of the recluse Hidden Moon Dynasty shadows. And despite their haughty actions, they had not felt the rush of battling with their lives on the line, something that the shadows was well-versed in.
They stumbled. This surprise attack was enough to send them into a panic and forget the first rule of fighting: always be ready.
The shadows finally showed themselves to the five cultivators as they all lunged at the defenseless prey. Suddenly, a Yi circle appeared at the palms of the shadows as crescent moons appeared right in front of them, complete with the serenity and cool of the moon they replicated, but with the sharpness and edge of any high-end blade.
This would surely kill the five cultivators before they even knew what was happening. This was the specialty of the Moon God's cultivation technique: a fatal strike after a surprise attack. But before they could launch these crescent moons, someone shouted behind them.
"Does mere shadows of the Moon God dare kill disciples of the Primordial Sun Dynasty in their own territory?"
The voice woke them up from the adrenaline because they were surprised that someone was able to sneak up behind them. They didn't even sense that someone was watching them, but that person was even able to stop them just before they launched their attack. This implied something horrifying. If that word of warning was instead a sneak attack aimed at their life, would they have known what killed them?
That alone sent shivers down their spines. But the fact that this person knew that they were from the Hidden Moon Dynasty was even more alarming. Was their identities busted? Did they stumble upon a high-ranking officer from the Primordial Sun Dynasty?
They were taught to supress any emotion—especially fear—but those words frightened them to no end. It was as if they were back in their hellish training from their masters; his voice had the same tyrannical aura as them. But that didn't make sense, their masters were at the very peak of cultivation, that voice definitely did not have the same cultivation as them.
The leader of the shadows looked back, but saw no one. Pedestrians still walked across the sidewalk going about their mundane business, sounds of carriages creaking filled the streets, but there were no signs of a hidden beast lying around. This unknown aspect of this mission sent the leader of the shadows into a panic, but as the commander of this group, he had to keep his cool and his head in the game.
If that monster was around and didn't spring into action in the most opportune moment, then he probably had no intention of interfering. That meant that the shadows could focus on the task at hand; retrieving the Bleeding Silver Diamond.
The voice did end up being right. In the heat of the moment, they almost killed the five cultivators from the Primordial Sun Dynasty. They all went into a frenzy seeing the Bleeding Silver Diamond had been lost that they did not care if they had to kill those who stole it from them. But that would be a mistake because there was always a chance that this subclan of the Primordial Sun Dynasty had an Obituary that could lead their deaths back to the shadows.
So instead of conjuring another Cresent Moon, the shadows simply used their fists to beat the cultivators bloody. These 1st stage cultivators who specialized in Mage techniques of the Sun God had no chance against the 2nd stage shadows and their superior physical abilities.
"Wh-why are you doing this?!"
"Ahh! Help! Help!"
"Ow! Please! No more!"
The five of them screamed for help, but the very sound of their voices only bounced back in an invisible boundary and dissipated into nothingness so that no one could hear it—another technique taught to the shadows from the Moon God called the Eclipsed Voice.
"Where is it?" the leader of the shadows asked.
"W-what?"
The leader no longer gave him any attention and gestured for one of his associates to search the cultivator's bodies. It wasn't long until bills of Liongs, some cultivation pills, and some scrolls were sprawled around the floor. The cultivators even had to strip down to their underwear to prove that they didn't hide anything more. If they tried, then their already bloodied face would become even more red.
The finally, a shadow saw a shiny silver gem from one of the cultivators. With a sigh of releif, the shadow went back and showed it to their leader.
The leader took the gem and examined it carefully. This was a gem that was as big as his fingertips, with an opaque luster that gave off a silver color. Then, he did something that the other shadows didn't expect. With explosive fury, the leader threw the gem to the floor and it exploded into a million pieces of dust.
The leader didn't have to explain. Even if they knew nothing about the intricacies of gems and jewelries, everyone knew that a Diamond would never disintegrate into dust like that. It was then that they realized that they were fooled. This was not the Silver Bleeding Diamond.
Then who had it? The leader immediately knew the answer as he looked back and saw a distinct figure carelessly throwing something in the air and catching it in his hands as if he was playing with a rock.