"Xiaoyao Sword Immortal?"
Zhai Cai froze for a second, fell into thought, and asked, "He's from the Five Elements Alliance?"
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter nodded slightly. "There are many undercover agents like him in New York County."
The conflict between the orthodox and evil factions in New York County drew global attention. As one of the world's most powerful orthodox organizations, it was only natural for the Five Elements Alliance to deploy covert operatives to lurk here.
Back then, Zhai Cai had already deduced that the "Xiaoyao Sword Immortal" of the Anti-Black-and-White League might be an official member from the Second District. Hearing the red-dressed woman's words now confirmed his suspicion.
"So, did you come here today to snatch the prize, or to help?" the Sole-Heir Knight asked with a squint and a smile.
"To help!" the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter replied indifferently.
The Sole-Heir Knight eased his grip on his broadsword, shrugged, and looked toward the Lightning Mage still struggling within the talisman formation. "You're a Musician, right? Perfect. Find a way to hypnotize him. I have questions for him."
At that moment, Channing Lu let out a deep, resonant growl. Blinding arcs of lightning erupted from his body, and the six black talismans arranged in a circle trembled violently as the boundary formation showed faint signs of collapsing.
Breaking through the Spirit Refining Talisman array by physical means was impossible; only attacks in the spiritual domain could do it.
Yet this was precisely not a Lightning Mage's forte. While lightning restrained wraiths, it was fundamentally not a spell of the spiritual domain, nor was a Lightning Mage's soul as formidable as that of a Night Wanderer or an Illusionist.
Even so, under Channing Lu's explosive outburst, the Spirit Refining Talismans still began to loosen. After all, the Head of Administration was a level-eight Lightning Mage.
His status and tier stood firm. Even if he did not excel in the spiritual realm, his fundamental power was immense.
From the perspective of the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, even if Channing Lu managed to brute-force his way out of the talismans' restraint, he would still meet certain death, as two Dominators guarded the perimeter.
However, since the Sole-Heir Knight wanted to interrogate him for intel, she could not simply sit by and watch Channing Lu destroy the Spirit Refining Talismans.
Turning her head, she cautioned, "Cover your ears."
Zhai Cai shrugged. "A knight possesses an unyielding will. Do as you like; don't worry about me."
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter wasted no words. Drawing a deep breath, she unleashed a piercing, whistle-register soprano that shrieked like a dolphin's cry.
Zhai Cai's vision went black. He felt as though countless steel needles had plunged into his brain. Blood seeped from his ears as sound waves pierced directly into his soul.
*If the noise was going to be this ear-splitting, you should've said so earlier! Said so earlier!* The Sole-Heir Knight clutched his head, grimacing in agony.
Amidst that terrifying, shrill screech, Channing Lu's astral soul suffered an unfathomable strike and was severely weakened, allowing the trembling paper talismans to stabilize once more.
A Lightning Mage naturally unsuited to mental combat, assaulted by both the Spirit Refining Talismans and the Musician's sonic attack, gradually lost the ability to resist. His soul power was whittled down repeatedly, his gaze grew murky, and his consciousness blurred.
Seeing this, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter ceased her screech. Deep vortexes surfaced in her limpid, water-bright eyes, and her voice took on a soothing, pacifying power.
"Channing Lu, we are comrades... We are comrades..."
No one could resist a Musician's voice, just as no one could resist the allure of the Desire class.
Channing Lu showed a look of struggle at first, but soon only the agony inflicted by the Spirit Refining Talismans remained in his eyes; his vigilance and hostility dissolved into nothing. A moment later, his eyes turned hollow, and he mumbled:
"We are comrades... Why aren't you saving me? Why aren't you saving me..."
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter nodded. "Rest assured, I am saving you right now."
She flicked her wide sleeves gently, causing the six black talismans to float up one by one and burrow into her sleeve, linked end to end.
This action was the final step of the hypnosis.
The instant the Spirit Refining Talismans were put away, the last vestige of resistance in Channing Lu vanished completely. He stood there woodenly, like a puppet stripped of its soul.
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter looked at Zhai Cai.
The Sole-Heir Knight pondered for a few seconds before asking, "Why did the Hunter Guild—no, why did the Covenant of Freedom target Old Berrent?"
Old Berrent was Winnie Berrent's grandfather.
Channing Lu fell silent for a brief moment before answering truthfully, "Because Old Berrent holds a Holy Plate fragment of the Holy See."
*A Holy Plate fragment?* The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter's heart stirred. She had heard Yuanshi speak of the Holy Plate fragments and the treasure of the Holy See. Two fragments were in Yuanshi's hands, and one was held by this punchable Sole-Heir Knight. If Channing Lu's intelligence was reliable, then the whereabouts of the final fragment were now accounted for.
Zhai Cai clicked his tongue. "How did you people find out Old Berrent had a Holy Plate fragment?"
Channing Lu answered:
"Through the connection between Jia Feizhang and the Anti-Black-and-White League, we traced the source of the Holy Plate fragment to Huo Zhengkui. After investigating Huo Zhengkui's life in detail, the organization pinpointed the locations of the remaining two fragments. One was hidden inside the Zhou Ji Phoenix Bird Zun, which Huo Zhengkui sent back to China in 1955.
"Not long ago, Fu Qingyang, a newly risen authority in the Five Elements Alliance, went to the Capital City Museum requesting to view the Zhou Ji Phoenix Bird Zun and stayed alone with the antique for over a quarter of an hour. The organization has confirmed that the fragment was obtained by Fu Qingyang."
Hearing this, Zhai Cai looked at the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter. "It was that dirty sneak Xiaoyao Sword Immortal who passed the intel to the Five Elements Alliance, wasn't it?"
Xiaoyao Sword Immortal had participated throughout the Holy Plate incident and had learned of Huo Zhengkui's existence directly from the chief of the Anti-Black-and-White League. The Five Elements Alliance could only have learned the details through him.
Furthermore, the woman in red had just stated that Xiaoyao Sword Immortal was an undercover operative sent by the Five Elements Alliance to gather intelligence in New York County.
"You're the dirty sneak!" the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter retorted, curling her lip.
Channing Lu continued:
"The thirty-first president of the Free Confederation was once funded by a Chinese gang leader, and the two shared a profound friendship. That gang leader was Huo Zhengkui.
"Before returning to the Spirit Realm, Huo Zhengkui seemed to foresee the collapse of the Brotherhood. Under the pretext of financial assistance, he gifted a vast collection of antique paintings, calligraphy, and cash to that president.
"After the president died of illness, those items vanished into thin air. They were neither sold nor donated to museums, nor were they found in his family vault. We investigated the president's life and discovered that Old Berrent had served as the president's personal bodyguard in his youth—a trustworthy confidant.
"Thus, we deduced that after the president died, those items were taken by Old Berrent and hidden inside Maze Villa."
Before Zhai Cai and the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter could speak, Winnie's voice came from behind them:
"So that's why you demanded the routes through the first and second tiers of the maze from me?"
Looking toward the sound, they saw Winnie leaning against the iron door, her sightless eyes fixed emptily on the trio. Two meters in front of her, the floor was broken open, leading directly to the level below.
Although her vision was gone, her hearing remained intact. When Channing Lu unleashed his lightning burst earlier, she had distinctly heard the sound of floors and walls collapsing. Consequently, she had not dared to step completely out of the secret chamber, instead leaning against the doorway.
A level-eight Lightning Mage would not die even if she leaped from the top of a skyscraper, but it would be utterly humiliating.
"I knew all along that a Holy Plate fragment was hidden in your grandfather's maze. I'm a man with a Scholar secretary, after all," Zhai Cai admitted openly.
"Still, when I sought asylum from your grandfather, I didn't know a fragment was hidden in his maze. It was only later, when I had my secretary analyze Huo Zhengkui's files, that I discovered it. I tried to buy the late president's relics from your grandfather, but he refused.
"Your grandfather is stubborn and pedantic. He claimed the president asked him to guard those things until the end of his life, so he would never sell them under any circumstances.
"With no other choice, I could only cooperate with you. Since you know Maze Villa well, if he wouldn't give it to me, I'd just steal it."
*Are these words an upright knight ought to say?* The Palace Master was momentarily taken aback.
Winnie fell silent after hearing this.
Earlier in the secret chamber, when she heard Channing Lu reveal that his target was her grandfather rather than Zhai Cai, she had sensed something amiss.
Now she finally understood the whole picture.
"I will honor our agreement and give you the routes through the first and second tiers of the maze. However, the treasure of the Holy See is of paramount importance. Now that I know about it, I cannot simply turn a blind eye," Winnie said coolly.
"I'll give you five days. If you still haven't retrieved the Holy Plate fragment within five days, it's mine."
This was her greatest concession. Of course, given the present circumstances, she also worried that if she showed any intention of claiming the Holy Plate entirely for herself, she might be silenced by Zhai Cai and the Musician Dominator from the Second District.
"No problem. A Lightning Mage is truly just and fair," Zhai Cai remarked, though whether he was sincere or mocking remained unclear.
Winnie ignored him, turning her hollow gaze toward the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter. "Ask him who the Covenant of Freedom's moles in the Enforcement Division are."
Given Channing Lu's position, he could not possibly be like Emma, ignorant of everything.
There were likely downlines and spies he had cultivated inside Heaven's Punishment.
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter did not refuse. Repeating Winnie's question, she reinforced her hypnosis along the way to ensure that Channing's severely weakened astral soul remained under her total control.
"Mark Edward, Sinclair Keith..." Channing Lu rattled off five names in one breath.
Winnie listened without any change in expression, then asked, "Who is your handler? How many spies of your tier exist in other orthodox organizations?"
Channing Lu answered:
"The one who contacts me is the president of the Hunter Guild. I don't know who he is. Every time, he initiates contact with me using dial-up networking.
"I don't know how many people like me exist in other orthodox organizations. But we Dominator-stage Spirit Realm walkers hold a banquet under the gaze of a god on the twenty-eighth of every month.
"There, everyone's desires can be indulged. You can solicit any woman present, and she cannot refuse. You can also watch bloody, violent gladiatorial combats..."
Channing Lu recounted the details piece by piece.
Before the twenty-eighth arrived, each attendee could submit requests to the organization. For instance, if you took a liking to a powerful woman and wished to play with and humiliate her, you could submit an application to the Covenant of Freedom; as long as your contribution points were sufficient, the Covenant of Freedom would abduct that powerful woman for you.
Or, if you wished to see your enemy or political rival slaughtered in gladiatorial combat, upon submitting an application and paying contribution points, that enemy or rival would appear at the gathering on the twenty-eighth.
Zhai Cai shook his head as he listened. "You folks in the evil faction sure know how to indulge yourselves."
Winnie, however, thought of the gathering Emma had attended. It was at a similar banquet that her assistant had lain upon the golden bed, her mind twisted from then on as she became one of the fallen.
Winnie stated, "We've actually grasped the Covenant of Freedom's operational model. Every spy has a handler, and the handler is typically a Dominator of the evil faction. As long as we hunt the Dominators of the evil faction, we can drag the spies out into the open."
Back then, it was precisely because Pluto's biological father—the leader of an evil organization—had been hunted down by Heaven's Punishment that the Covenant of Freedom had resurfaced in the public eye after an absence of a century.
That leader of the evil organization had been at the Dominator stage.
Winnie asked several more questions, including how Channing Lu had fallen. Unsurprisingly, Channing Lu, who possessed a weakness for women, had failed to withstand temptation, was seduced by a corrupted member of the Desire class, joined the gatherings, and became polluted.
Once Winnie had asked all she wanted, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter suddenly spoke up:
"How did spies like you conceal yourselves and avoid detection by Heaven's Punishment?"
Chapter 725