I Have a Huge Secret

Deep in the unnamed mountain range. Su Yu's "Calamity" divine character pulsed faintly. Keeping his expression neutral, he wondered if this meant danger was near. Had Yuan Qingdong arrived? He stepped out of the cave. Behind him, Di Shiba called out, "Don't wander off. Watch out for ambushes." "I'll be fine," Su Yu replied dismissively. *You'd better worry about getting killed yourselves. Ambushing and killing me won't be that simple.* Once outside the cave, Su Yu glanced around, feeling that the air itself had grown heavy and sluggish. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination. Just as the thought crossed his mind, a jolt struck his senses. The next instant, he barked, "Fall back!" The moment the words left his mouth, he vanished from where he stood. Inside the cave, the other three white masks reacted instantly without a word. One crashed through the wall and shot into the sky, another plunged underground, and the third darted straight for the cave entrance. At that very moment, an enormous official seal plummeted from the heavens. *Boom!* A deafening explosion rang out as the small hilltop was blasted to pieces! Ji Hong materialized in midair, his expression aloof. "They really are here!" "And there's more than one!" "Vice Head Yuan, don't waste time. If you can't take them alive, kill them all!" On the other side, Yuan Qingdong gave a slight nod and slammed a palm down toward the earth! *Boom!* Another thunderous blast erupted, fracturing the ground into jagged spiderwebs. Beneath the soil, one of the white masks coughed up blood and dove even deeper, not daring to linger for a fraction of a second. It wasn't just one Sun Moon expert! Two had come! The entire hilltop was flattened in an instant. …… Fleeing through the void, Su Yu cursed under his breath. Two Sun Moons had shown up! What a setup! Well, strictly speaking, he should have seen it coming, but Wan Tiansheng was truly a menace for not giving him even a hint of a warning. If Su Yu hadn't sensed it just now when Ji Hong smashed down with that seal, what if he had been crushed to death on the spot? As the thought flashed through his mind, a crescent moon materialized before him. His vision blurred as the crescent moon tore toward him at blinding speed. Su Yu threw a punch. Yuan qi detonated, violently shaking the surrounding void. With a deafening boom, the crescent moon shattered into fragments. "Hmm?" Suspended in the air, Ji Hong was slightly caught off guard. "Xuan Jiu?" *This is that Xuan Jiu?* He had some skill after all, actually shattering his attack. "Vice Head Yuan, go capture the others. I'll take care of him!" "Understood!" Yuan Qingdong couldn't have asked for anything better. Breathing a sigh of relief, he thought, *I'll leave this Xuan Jiu to you while I handle the rest. Thank goodness I requested backup from the Great Xia Prefecture and they sent a Sun Moon expert. Otherwise, if I'd come alone, I might not have been able to handle this Xuan Jiu at all.* *As expected, I knew this was dangerous.* In an instant, an all-out battle erupted. Su Yu bellowed, "Don't scatter! Regroup and fight him together! He's only freshly entered the first stage of the Sun Moon Realm. Join forces against the enemy!" At his command, the three white masks quickly converged. "Kill!" All three white masks were at the high stages of the Shanhai Realm and boasted considerable strength. Now, they unleashed their respective abilities. Huang Jiu thrust forth his sword. Di Shiba raised a massive mountain illusion and hurled it at Yuan Qingdong. Xuan Shiqi merged into the void, spinning a dense web of transparent threads that seemed to wrap around the space itself, ensnaring Yuan Qingdong. For the moment, the three Shanhai experts held Yuan Qingdong at bay. …… Meanwhile, on Su Yu's side, another massive seal came crashing down. Su Yu had seen this seal smash people before—it was Ji Hong's official seal as the director of the Yuqiang Department, and it packed immense destructive power. Su Yu didn't reveal any of his divine characters, relying purely on the strength of his physical body. He threw a punch! With a thunderous *bang*, the seal was knocked backward, while blood welled up on Su Yu's knuckles. "Not bad. Your body is quite sturdy!" Ji Hong praised with a smile, hurling the seal once more. Su Yu let out a furious roar as his aura surged with terrifying power. A wave of death qi seeped out from him as he launched another fist forward! Ji Hong's expression changed slightly as he brought his seal down to suppress it. The next instant, sizzling sounds hissed out as the death qi corroded the seal. "An ancient city resident?" Ji Hong was somewhat surprised. Xuan Jiu was actually an ancient city resident! For an ancient city resident to venture into the Human Realm, he was remarkably audacious—did he have a death wish? Though plagued by death qi corrosion, they did enjoy certain advantages; when they struck, the dense death qi was something ordinary experts could hardly withstand. *Boom!* Another massive explosion sounded as Su Yu blasted the seal away once again. In an icy tone, he said, "Director Ji? Yuan Qingdong? Why must you push us to the brink? If the two of you are willing to cooperate, I can invite both of you to join our Heaven Hunting Pavilion, and I can even petition for white mask positions on your behalf!" "Heh!" Ji Hong chuckled faintly. The next moment, the seal morphed into a long sword, rocketing through the void straight toward Su Yu. Su Yu couldn't even tell whether this fellow was a Civilization Master or a warrior; everything about Ji Hong felt somewhat like a Civilization Master. On his end, Su Yu could still barely hold his ground. Over on the other side, however, the three white masks were being pushed back step by step by Yuan Qingdong. After all, Yuan Qingdong was a descendant of an Invincible, a Sun Moon expert, and a Civilization Master. At that moment, his "Sever" divine character severed everything in its path, cleaving through Di Shiba's mountain, slashing Xuan Shiqi's void threads, and snapping Huang Jiu's long sword. Yuan Qingdong sneered inwardly. *Just three Shanhai white masks, and you dare contend with me?* *My luck isn't bad this time. Capturing four white masks, and Ji Hong shouldn't have any trouble dealing with Xuan Jiu, right?* *Thank goodness I didn't come alone!* He silently congratulated himself once more on his wise decision. Just as he was thinking this, Su Yu let out a roar nearby. Surrounded by the long sword formed from the seal, his body was battered with bloody fractures. Roaring in fury, he suddenly unleashed a brilliant burst of flame from his eyes! *Buzz!* A blazing beam of fire erupted, scorching the heavens and tearing through the earth. "The Fire Pupil race?" Ji Hong recognized the racial innate skill and stepped back slightly. The next instant, the void where he stood burst into flames, the space cracking from the intense heat. Incredibly powerful! The other three white masks were secretly astonished as well. Now they finally knew Xuan Jiu's origin—an expert of the Fire Pupil race. The Fire Pupil race didn't rank very high among all races and had no living Invincible overseeing them, but they did possess multiple Sun Moon experts. To think Xuan Jiu was this strong. Had he not been in the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, he would likely be part of the Fire Pupil race's upper echelon. Su Yu couldn't care less about what they thought. The previous Xuan Jiu was indeed from the Fire Pupil race. Who knew how many people were aware of that identity? It was best to disguise himself as him for now. The fierce fire in his eyes burned away everything before him. Su Yu had no intention of going all out; Cai Yi should be arriving shortly. He only needed to stall for a moment! …… Meanwhile, Cai Yi rushed over swiftly. After sensing the surroundings and confirming there were no other enemies besides these two Sun Moon experts, he felt both amazed by Xuan Jiu's strength—even Ji Hong couldn't subdue him quickly—and delighted for himself. This seemed like an opportunity to make a massive profit! Cai Yi slipped into the void, concealed his aura, and quietly moved to strike at Ji Hong. Ji Hong was still tangled in combat with Su Yu, equally astonished by Su Yu's prowess. Just as he prepared to unleash his full power to bring him down, alarm bells rang in his mind. He quickly shifted through the void, his figure blurring. With a wet *squelch*, despite his rapid spatial evasion, a slender dagger still pierced through his back. "My Lord!" Su Yu let out a breath of relief. *Good, you're here. As for Ji Hong... Wan Tiansheng knows what's going on, so nothing bad should happen, right?* Without lingering on formalities, Cai Yi said curtly, "Go deal with Yuan Qingdong. Once I take down Ji Hong, I'll assist you!" "Understood!" *Beating Yuan Qingdong is right up my alley. You go play with Ji Hong!* Without a second thought, Su Yu flew toward Yuan Qingdong. By now, Yuan Qingdong had already sensed a severe threat. He had beaten the three white masks until they were battered and bloody, and was right on the verge of capturing and killing them, yet he still chose to pull back and flee immediately! Another powerful foe had actually shown up. Perhaps this had been a trap from the very beginning. *Damn it, thank goodness I brought Ji Hong along. Otherwise, wouldn't I be completely done for on my own?* He spun around to flee, but right at that moment, a divine character flared to life around his body. *Boom!* Su Yu stepped through the void and threw a punch. Yuan Qingdong was sent flying, but he wasn't injured; a defensive divine character had manifested around him to absorb the impact. With a cold snort, Yuan Qingdong glanced toward the distance where Cai Yi and Ji Hong were locked in a fierce clash. Having no desire to linger, his eyes shifted as he looked at Xuan Jiu closing in. In that split second, Su Yu's vision suddenly blurred. An illusion? He was somewhat surprised. *Yuan Qingdong knows illusion techniques too?* Of course, Su Yu knew them as well. Not the least bit flustered, Su Yu detonated his blood qi. With a thunderous boom, the surging power shattered the illusion, and he barked, "Surround and kill him!" The three wounded white masks wasted no words, swiftly closing in on Yuan Qingdong from different angles. Just as Yuan Qingdong made to escape, Su Yu hurled another punch from behind, violently roiling the void. Yuan Qingdong cursed inwardly! This warrior was astonishingly strong. Strictly speaking, he was even slightly stronger than himself. The Fire Pupil race was just a minor race, yet this fellow possessed such formidable might. Was he at the first or second stage of the Sun Moon Realm? Concealed by the mask, the opponent's aura was difficult to read, leaving even him uncertain. Su Yu didn't care what Yuan Qingdong was thinking, nor did he care whether the man was bait or not. Right now, he had only one thought: if no one came to save Yuan Qingdong, he would beat him to death! If he died, so be it! They weren't friends anyway; in fact, there was bad blood between them. Tearing through the void, Su Yu closed the distance and launched punch after punch! One strike after another! Yuan Qingdong's divine characters shuddered relentlessly. He cast illusions and used his "Sever" divine character to cut off incoming attacks, yet Su Yu was like a tireless perpetual-motion machine, raining down over a hundred punches in rapid succession. With a colossal blast, Yuan Qingdong was sent flying by a direct hit! He crashed into the earth with a heavy thud, fracturing the ground as blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. Su Yu dropped down instantly, charging straight into the crater. Cursing furiously, Yuan Qingdong brought out a divine talisman without hesitation. Su Yu retreated and leaped back at once. The very next instant, a beam of golden light pierced the void, hurtling toward Su Yu. The hairs on Su Yu's body stood on end! What an immensely powerful talisman! He could feel a lethal threat radiating from it. After all, Yuan Qingdong was a Sun Moon expert; a talisman activated by him was vastly more powerful than those Fu Tuling had used in the past! This single strike made Su Yu feel mortal danger! Without a word, Su Yu fled straight in Cai Yi's direction. Cai Yi was currently suppressing Ji Hong. The once-overbearing Ji Hong was now disheveled, drenched in blood, and battered so thoroughly that he had virtually no room to counterattack. Just as he was on the brink of being finished off, Su Yu suddenly hurtled over. Cai Yi cursed inwardly! Yet he had no choice but to intervene. Thrusting his slender sword toward the golden light, *boom!* Another world-shaking blast erupted, and the entire hilltop collapsed into oblivion, reduced completely to dust. Moments after their initial clash, both sides were already engaged in a life-and-death struggle. No one was faking it. Whether it was Su Yu, Yuan Qingdong, or the others, all were fighting with their lives on the line. In this entire battlefield, aside from Su Yu, nobody thought anything other than that they had to give it their all. …… Su Yu was essentially just along for the ride. Now that Yuan Qingdong had suddenly unleashed a talisman, there was no way he would risk his own skin. When trouble arose, let the stronger expert take the hit. Since Cai Yi was powerful, Cai Yi could handle it! Once Cai Yi shattered the talisman attack with a sword strike, Ji Hong seized the opening from behind. Letting out an enraged roar, he threw a punch... Cai Yi had assumed Xuan Jiu would help block it, but reality proved he had expected too much. Su Yu was already fleeing at lightning speed! *You guys fight it out.* As he fled, he shouted, "My Lord, we'll keep Yuan Qingdong occupied! Once you kill Ji Hong, come back and aid us!" The next instant, the four white masks once again encircled Yuan Qingdong. Yuan Qingdong cursed under his breath as well! That white mask fighting Ji Hong was terrifyingly strong! He had shattered his divine talisman in a single strike! Fighting while retreating, Yuan Qingdong avoided clashing directly with Su Yu and instead focused on the other three white masks. After several aggressive onslaughts, the other three white masks were heavily injured one after another, crashing down and losing the ability to keep fighting. Su Yu strongly suspected they were faking it, but he had no proof. Never mind. It was only natural that they didn't want to exert themselves too hard. What Shanhai expert would fight to the death against a Sun Moon unless driven to an absolute dead end? Su Yu continued trading blows with Yuan Qingdong, treating this as a way to temper himself. The only true Sun Moon expert he had fought head-on before was that fellow from the Red Frog race. Even then, he had relied on devouring essence blood to kill him in the end. This time, with so many people present, Su Yu had no intention of devouring essence blood, nor did he use any of his distinctive divine characters. He relied entirely on his physical body and a rather ordinary set of fist techniques. He merely supplemented his attacks with his innate skill from time to time. Even so, he and Yuan Qingdong fought fiercely, and Yuan Qingdong was steadily suppressed. Beaten until he coughed up blood repeatedly, Yuan Qingdong fell entirely into a disadvantaged position. Over on the other side, Cai Yi had also completely overwhelmed Ji Hong. With a cold sneer, Cai Yi slashed his sword forward, intending to finish Ji Hong off once and for all! Right at that moment, Ji Hong suddenly roared, "Stop! I'll buy my life with a piece of information! I know who wants to kill me! Did you come specifically to assassinate me? Don't you want to know why someone wants me dead?" Su Yu sneered, "Our objective was to kill Yuan Qingdong. You're overthinking things..." Cai Yi, however, cut Su Yu off and demanded coldly, "What information!" He was intensely intrigued! What kind of information could warrant someone spending a hundred drops of Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid to place a hit? Coughing blood continuously, Ji Hong gasped, "Step back first, and then I'll tell you!" "Speak, or die!" The Heaven Hunting Pavilion's primary business was still intelligence. A single piece of vital information could be sold to countless buyers; that was where the real wealth lay. As for assassinations, killing a Sun Moon expert didn't fetch that much in comparison. In this era, intelligence was far more lucrative than killing. Thus, Cai Yi truly wanted to know what this secret was. Of course, he also understood that he needed to end this quickly so as not to give Ji Hong an opening or let unforeseen complications arise. He had already made up his mind: if Ji Hong tried to stall for time, he would kill him immediately. Coughing up blood, Ji Hong spoke, "It's related to an Invincible... related to the Invincible who betrayed the human race. I have already..." The moment those words were spoken, Cai Yi's expression changed drastically! Even Yuan Qingdong, who was locked in combat with Su Yu, went pale in an instant. An Invincible? A traitorous Invincible? This was massive news! To tell the truth, ever since learning that there was a traitor among the Invincibles, even Yuan Qingdong had harbored doubts about whether his own grandfather might be that traitor. Or rather, in Yuan Qingdong's own eyes, the Invincibles backing any of the Eight Great Families were all suspects! Ji Hong had actually been investigating this! No wonder—no wonder that Heaven Hunting Pavilion Sun Moon expert had gone straight to kill him upon arriving instead of focusing on Yuan Qingdong. Perhaps someone truly had placed a contract with the Heaven Hunting Pavilion to have Ji Hong eliminated. As Yuan Qingdong's mind raced, Su Yu struck with another punch. With a deafening boom, the immense force shattered Yuan Qingdong's bones and blew his arm apart! Feigning carelessness, Su Yu casually scooped up all the bone fragments and blood. Meanwhile, Cai Yi's mind was reeling. An Invincible? A traitorous Invincible of the human race! This information was worth an astronomical fortune! If sold to the human race, forget a hundred drops of Xuanhuang Liquid—they might be willing to pay thousands or even tens of thousands of drops, provided the intelligence was genuine. Ji Hong knew? If he knew, why hadn't he revealed it publicly? Or was he trying to deceive him? "Who is that Invincible...?" Cai Yi transmitted his voice rapidly, no longer questioning aloud. Panting for breath, Ji Hong transmitted back, "I haven't pinpointed exactly who the traitor is yet, but I have narrowed it down to three Invincibles. It must be one of them..." "Which three?" Cai Yi was thoroughly shaken. If the suspects were already narrowed down to three, they were only one step away from uncovering the real traitor. Combined with the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's intelligence network, the Pavilion itself could investigate and determine which one was truly the traitorous Invincible. Right at that moment, ripples tore through the void. Someone ripped open space and stepped through directly. An immensely formidable figure manifested in the sky. "Audacious! Heaven Hunting Pavilion, you court death!" Cai Yi's face drained of color! Su Yu's expression also changed. "Were you waiting for him?" The elderly man who had appeared in the void stood with a straight back. Gone was his usual refined, gentle demeanor; in its place was the terrifying presence of an ancient demon. Chief Hu! Su Yu had seen this man erupt in fury before. Back during the clash between the Single and Multiple Divine Character Factions, Chief Hu had unleashed his wrath once, crushing a Sun Moon divine character clone to death with his bare hands. Now, Chief Hu had transformed once again. In his grip, he held a person. Black One! Black One was clamped in his hand, struggling frantically and roaring, yet entirely incapable of slipping free from his grasp. "Heaven Hunting Pavilion... Black One, Cai Yi... your gall knows no bounds. Do you think the Great Xia Prefecture is a place you can come and go as you please?" *Boom!* The massive hand clenched shut. With a gruesome crunch, bones shattered, and flesh splattered in all directions. A deafening roar followed as a crescent moon crashed and disintegrated! Without a single word, Cai Yi instantly burned his essence blood to flee through the void. "Do you think you can run?" Chief Hu said with chilling detachment. With a casual wave of his hand, he sent a palm strike toward Su Yu and the others, then vanished from the spot to pursue Cai Yi. Su Yu and the rest all turned pale. Su Yu slammed another fist into Yuan Qingdong, fracturing more of his bones, and roared, "Flee! Damn it!" Roaring furiously, he threw another punch, looking as if he was determined to execute Yuan Qingdong on the spot! Right at that moment, Chief Hu's palm strike descended, blotting out heaven and earth. Su Yu barked a warning and retreated at top speed. The other three white masks ran even faster than him, but they still couldn't withstand the crushing pressure of the palm strike. With a thunderous boom, Xuan Shiqi, who was the slowest, had his physical body blown apart, perishing on the spot! Su Yu retreated continuously, hammering out punch after punch until he blasted a hole through the translucent palm projection. Piercing through it in an instant, he prepared to flee. Right then, the previously injured Ji Hong hurled his seal once more! With a heavy *thud*, Su Yu's body cracked open, blood spraying outward. The flames in his eyes flared again, shooting toward Ji Hong while simultaneously incinerating all his spilled blood. Su Yu burned through the void, vanishing from the area in the blink of an eye. Huang Jiu seized the opportunity to follow through the gap Su Yu had blasted open, making his escape instantly! Su Yu and Huang Jiu had gotten away. Yuan Qingdong, heavily wounded and nearly killed, was terrified out of his wits. Just as he was about to speak, Ji Hong slapped Di Shiba to death with a thunderous blast. The very next moment, Yuan Qingdong suddenly sensed a chilling wave of killing intent. He turned his head, his eyes widening in horror! Ji Hong! "Director Ji, what are you doing?" Yuan Qingdong gasped in terror. What was he trying to do?! Ji Hong's eyes flickered with dark, cold intent. "You heard... just now, didn't you?" "No, I didn't hear anything!" Yuan Qingdong realized. He understood what Ji Hong wanted to do—silence the witness! He was petrified! *Yes, I know. I know what Ji Hong uncovered, and he wants to kill me so the secret won't leak.* "Director Ji, those two white masks who escaped know as well..." "They don't know. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion doesn't know the specifics, so it won't leak..." Ji Hong walked toward him step by step. Yuan Qingdong pleaded in terror, "I don't know anything either! Truly, I don't know anything! Director Ji, you can't kill me! If you kill me, the Yuan family won't let you off! They will find out..." Right at that moment, a shrill, agonizing roar echoed from the distance! The next instant, accompanied by an earth-shattering boom, a crescent moon suddenly crashed and collapsed! *Rumble!* The entire mountain forest was flooded with an immense surge of origin qi. Ji Hong's face shifted slightly. A moment later, Chief Hu reappeared on the scene, covered in blood. Seeing the two of them, he frowned. "What are you doing? Why didn't you pursue them? Damn it, those two little mice got away!" Two little mice had escaped, and the crux of the matter was that these two Sun Moon experts hadn't pursued them at all; instead, they were engaged in internal strife right here! Ji Hong's expression changed slightly, but he quickly said, "I was checking Vice Head Yuan's injuries. I'll go pursue them now!" With that, he vanished on the spot. Yuan Qingdong's expression shifted repeatedly as he stammered, "I... I was too heavily injured. Director Ji was checking my wounds, worried something might happen to me..." "Tend to your wounds properly!" Chief Hu frowned. "That Xuan Jiu is remarkably strong. He must be eliminated!" With that, he also vanished from the area. Covered in cold sweat with both arms fractured, Yuan Qingdong couldn't care less about the pain. He hurriedly took out a voice transmission talisman, swallowed hard, and after a moment's hesitation, fled the area at once, not daring to linger. "Father!" he messaged urgently, calling repeatedly. Soon, the talisman vibrated. "What happened?" "Father, a disaster has struck! I was almost killed!" "Are you all right?" "Heavily injured, but still alive. But... something monumental has happened! Several Heaven Hunting Pavilion experts just ambushed Ji Hong and me. To buy his life, Ji Hong claimed he possesses information about the Invincible who betrayed the human race... I don't know what followed because they switched to voice transmission. Then Hu Dehao arrived shortly after, killed two of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's mid-stage Sun Moon experts, and killed several white masks, though two of them escaped... Father, the sky is about to fall!" "……" Over at the Quest Realm, King Dayuan's youngest son also went pale, transmitting back urgently, "Ji Hong? What did he uncover?" "I don't know, Father, but he wanted to kill me! Hu Dehao might not know that Ji Hong tried to silence me. Hu Dehao happened to return just in time, so Ji Hong gave up on killing me. Father, I'm in extreme danger! Ji Hong... Ji Hong... Father, I want to come back! I'm grievously wounded!" Yuan Qingdong's mental state was on the verge of collapsing! He wanted to leave. He had known before that the Great Xia Prefecture was dangerous, but now, it felt like an explosive keg about to detonate. Ji Hong might have uncovered something but kept quiet all this time, and perhaps the Invincible mastermind behind the scenes had learned of it and placed a contract with the Heaven Hunting Pavilion to eliminate Ji Hong... And now Ji Hong wasn't dead! Regardless of whether the information had leaked or not, this was a monumental affair. And... who could say for sure that the Invincible mastermind wasn't their own King Dayuan? Even Yuan Qingdong couldn't guarantee it wasn't him! Would an Invincible inform his descendants about what he did behind closed doors? "You are not permitted to leave! You are currently the vice head of the Great Xia Civilization Academy. Go back to the Great Xia Prefecture city and do not step outside again. I will dispatch reinforcements to support you immediately... Chaos is about to engulf the Great Xia Prefecture!" Yuan Qingdong's father was deeply shaken as well, adding swiftly, "No matter what, do not leave the Great Xia Prefecture. There are many opportunities in Great Xia right now, but also many variables. Returning to the city will guarantee your safety..." "No, Father, it's not safe!" Yuan Qingdong cursed inwardly. His father didn't understand in the slightest! Forget it, he couldn't count on him. His father only cared about opportunities and chances, completely oblivious to how many perils he had faced here. One wrong step and he would be dead! He quickly stopped arguing with his father and began rapidly transmitting to others. "Brother Zhang, the Nanyuan ruins are about to open. Are you interested in coming to the Great Xia Prefecture for a visit?" "Old Brother Wang, battles have been breaking out constantly in the Great Xia Prefecture lately. I just killed several Heaven Hunting Pavilion experts, including a Sun Moon. It's bustling like crazy over here—aren't you interested in checking out the excitement? Come along with Brother Zhang and the others. There's strength in numbers, and we might even gain entry to the ruins!" "……" Yuan Qingdong frantically contacted his friends. It was simply too dangerous! His father wouldn't allow him to leave, and he couldn't just abandon his post rashly. This vice head position had now become his shackles and his prison; leaving without authorization was dereliction of duty and would be severely punished. In that case, he would summon all his friends here! They were all Sun Moon experts, which would at least provide a sense of security. If they moved together as a large group of Sun Moon cultivators, his safety would increase dramatically. These fellows had no idea how dangerous the Great Xia Prefecture truly was! …… Meanwhile. At the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's Human Realm branch. Bai Yi's brow was tightly furrowed. Before him, messages flooded the communication screen in rapid succession! "Requesting backup!" "Requesting backup!" "Law Enforcer Cai Yi has been killed! Requesting reinforcements, send aid... I have critical intelligence to report, save me..." Bai Yi frowned. Soon, the Law Enforcement Elder arrived, looking grim. "Black One is dead, and Cai Yi was just killed as well! Before dying, he reported that he had critical intelligence to submit concerning Ji Hong..." Cai Yi hadn't even had the chance to finish his report before being slain! As for Black One, he knew nothing at all and had been killed completely out of the blue. Furthermore, two white masks were dead—Xuan Shiqi and Di Shiba had both been eliminated. Currently, only Huang Jiu and Xuan Jiu were still alive. Both were frantically calling for rescue! The Law Enforcement Elder instructed urgently, "Ask Xuan Jiu what the intelligence is!" "Understood!" Bai Yi was also intensely solemn. Two law enforcers had perished—damn it, those were mid-stage Sun Moon experts. "Xuan Jiu, what is the intelligence? What did you encounter?" "Save me! Save me, and then I'll tell you! I'm being pursued by a Sun Moon expert—it's Hu Dehao from the Great Xia Prefecture... He's at the high stages of the Sun Moon Realm, absolutely! If I die, this secret will be buried with me!" Bai Yi's gaze shifted slightly. He quickly messaged Huang Jiu, "Huang Jiu, how are things on your end?" "Perilous! Extremely perilous! Xuan Jiu and I split up to run. Save me..." "Do you know what secret Xuan Jiu holds?" "I know... Save me, and I'll tell you!" "……" Bai Yi cursed inwardly. These two fellows were treating this secret as their life-saving straw. What should they do? "Elder, what should we do?" The Law Enforcement Elder frowned slightly and ordered quickly, "Inquire which elder is closest to that area. Have an elder go rescue them!" "However, if this is a trap..." The Law Enforcement Elder said in a low voice, "The top experts of the Great Xia Prefecture are currently away. Even if it is a trap... an elder possesses the strength to protect himself!" "Understood!" Though still somewhat worried, Bai Yi quickly contacted the nearest elder, directing him to rescue Xuan Jiu and the other. The group waited in silence, an undercurrent of anxiety running through them. What on earth had happened? Why had two Sun Moon law enforcers ended up dead? Hadn't the plan been proceeding smoothly? They had reviewed some of the mission logs, including Cai Yi's reports, which indicated that everything was going as intended. Yet in the blink of an eye, several powerhouses had perished. Had they fallen into an ambush, or was something else at play? …… Meanwhile, Su Yu was cursing inwardly as he fled frantically. *Does Chief Hu seriously not know who I am?* *He's genuinely trying to hunt me down!* A strike blasted through the distance! *Boom!* Su Yu felt as though his body was about to burst apart. *Fuck, do you really want to kill me?* *If you push me, I'm going to devour essence blood, transform, and make a break for it!* As for Huang Jiu, whether he was dead or had escaped, Su Yu had no time to worry about him. After fleeing for some time, Su Yu's expression changed dramatically. Letting out a furious roar, he threw a punch forward! *Boom!* A barrier materialized ahead, and a Faceless Elder appeared, slightly surprised. "No wonder you managed to survive until now!" Quite formidable! Comparable to a second-stage Sun Moon expert from a minor race. This Xuan Jiu was truly powerful; no one had known he was this capable before. "Run! I'll hold him off for you!" "Thank you, Elder!" Su Yu was surprised as well. It was a Faceless Elder, someone he didn't recognize. Forget it, who cared! He promptly burned essence blood and fled at top speed. Seeing him sprint away with depleted blood qi and an unstable aura, the elder knew he was heavily injured. Without further ado, he swiftly laid down a grand formation. In the blink of an eye, two immensely powerful auras detonated across the void. A moment later, the Faceless Elder coughed up blood and rapidly retreated through the void. Chief Hu, his hair disheveled, stepped out of the spatial rift with a cold snort, his aura fluctuating slightly. "Dragon Martial Guards, hear my command! Search the Great Xia Prefecture and root out these little mice!" "Understood!" Shouts echoed from all directions, and soon, a multitude of experts took to the sky, flying out in every direction! Chief Hu scanned the surroundings, his brows furrowing slightly. In a frigid voice, he said, "Heaven Hunting Pavilion, your insolence is astounding! Hand over Xuan Jiu, or the Great Xia Prefecture will never let you off lightly! What audacious audacity to stir up trouble in our Great Xia Prefecture!" The surroundings remained silent. Chief Hu didn't mind, but he still frowned, sensing that today's events were rather bizarre. It felt as though there was something he didn't know. Furthermore, why had the Heaven Hunting Pavilion suddenly sent so many experts? They had lost two mid-stage Sun Moon experts, only for a late-stage Sun Moon elder to arrive. Could it truly be just to rescue a single white mask? Did Xuan Jiu carry that much weight? And what were Ji Hong and Yuan Qingdong doing? If the two of them had joined forces earlier, killing Xuan Jiu shouldn't have been difficult, right? Because he had focused on hunting down Cai Yi, he hadn't been able to keep watch over this side. Yet in the end, the target had managed to slip away right under the noses of two Sun Moon experts! Questions arose one after another in his mind. And... the Marquis hadn't even returned yet, so how had he known Ji Hong was in trouble? Chief Hu sighed helplessly. *Damn it, I don't know a thing. I can't shake the feeling that I'm being used as someone else's weapon!*