Meng Qi intended to send Gu Changqing to the Marquis Huanhou’s mansion. Even though the Wang Clan of Zhou County might have different ideologies and standpoints, they would still uphold basic virtues. Combined with his understanding of Wang Zai, Meng Qi firmly believed that Gu Changqing, without the escorted object, would face no danger at all.
After entering the mansion, Wang Wenxian personally came to meet them. After carefully inquiring about the details, he ordered the servants to lead Gu Changqing to the guest quarters, while he himself paced back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back, pondering the matter deeply.
“Myth, Fairyland, Heaven-Annihilating Sect, and Luo Sect have all appeared in the Divine Capital. What exactly are their intentions?” He seemed to be contemplating or asking Meng Qi.
After the previous assassination attempt on the crown prince by “Myth,” the existence of Myth and Fairyland was no longer a secret among the senior officials of the court.
Meng Qi slightly furrowed his brow: “On the surface, it seems related to that escorted object. If we can figure out the value and origin of this object, we might glimpse their true intentions.”
He paused and continued, “Now the escorted object has fallen into the hands of Heaven-Annihilating Sect, Luo Sect, and Fairyland. We can only start by investigating the factions that commissioned and received the escorted object.”
Wang Wenxian turned sideways to face Meng Qi, still pacing, “If the faction that commissioned the escorted object knew everything, they would have made the matter widely known in the case of the complete loss of the object. They wouldn’t let Luo Sect, Heaven-Annihilating Sect, and Fairyland get away easily for their own failure… I suspect even if we find them, it might not be of much use.”
“There might be other reasons preventing them from spreading the news, so we cannot easily ignore any clue,” Meng Qi expressed his opinion.
For example, the samsara task—if anyone reveals it, they die!
This was one of Meng Qi’s thoughts after “Fairyland” joined the struggle for the escorted object.
“Hmm, I will assign the Six Doors to investigate,” Wang Wenxian nodded lightly.
This was the right of the Deputy Chancellor.
“Uncle, have you found any traces of Luo Sect and Heaven-Annihilating Sect?” Meng Qi asked casually.
Wang Wenxian shook his head: “No. Although the Six Doors have exerted every effort and mobilized all the aristocratic families and local gangs in the Divine Capital, they still haven’t found any traces of Luo Sect and Heaven-Annihilating Sect. It seems they never entered the Divine Capital at all, vanished into thin air, or are hiding somewhere we least expect.”
“The nine demonic paths have a long and profound heritage, all predating the current dynasty, so it’s only natural for them to have legitimate identities as cover.”
This was the strength of the established forces… Meng Qi sighed inwardly: “What about Myth?”
“It’s the same,” Wang Wenxian’s expression was quite serious.
Suddenly, Meng Qi remembered something: “Uncle, the chief investigator of the Zhongzhou Escort Bureau is an old friend of yours. Did he find any clues when the bodies were discovered?”
Wang Wenxian pondered: “Judging from the corpses and the surrounding damage, the main opponent should be the Illusion-Destroying Demon King among the Eight Great Demon Kings. Additionally, there were residual traces of the Six Annihilation God-Sundering Palm nearby, leading to the preliminary suspicion that the current Six Annihilation Demon has appeared in the world.”
“The Six Annihilation Demon?” Meng Qi felt his knowledge was lacking.
He had heard from Gu Changqing’s retelling of the incident and knew that the Heaven-Annihilating Sect had a Six Annihilation Human Demon involved, but he didn’t take it seriously, thinking it was just a “minor Human Demon.”
Wang Wenxian smiled: “It’s normal that you don’t know. Since the Demon Master was subdued by the monk Kongwen, the Heaven-Annihilating Sect has not had a Six Annihilation Demon for many years.”
“Although not every Six Annihilation Demon can succeed as the sect leader, anyone who can cultivate the Six Annihilation God-Sundering Palm and earn this title is generally groomed as a future sect leader.”
This was a future big shot… In Meng Qi’s eyes, the Six Annihilation Demon was somewhat equivalent to the Luo Sect’s Holy Maiden, though this generation of Six Annihilation Demon was still a Human Demon, at most a perfect half-step.
After bidding farewell and leaving the Marquis Huanhou’s mansion, Meng Qi first felt a wave of relaxation. Since the escorted object was already lost, it seemed there was nothing more for him to do. If heaven were to collapse, it would be the responsibility of the Zhao Clan in the Divine Capital, the Council of State Affairs, and the Six Doors to bear it. His own cultivation was not yet sufficient, and getting involved recklessly would not only be ineffective but also endanger his life.
However, after walking a few steps, Meng Qi’s expression turned serious again. Would this matter involve the Qionghua Banquet and hinder the completion of his main task?
Even if he didn’t want to get deeply involved, contacting the “Grand Cheng Heavenly Venerable” was not a difficult or dangerous thing. He needed to clarify the matter of the escorted object to feel at ease.
Willingness meant action, and a thought meant movement. Meng Qi immediately quickened his pace, heading straight for the Marquis Langya’s mansion!
He had previously noticed a powerful expert far stronger than himself tailing him. Now, when he needed to contact the “Grand Cheng Heavenly Venerable,” how could he afford to be careless?
Regardless of the strength or intentions of the opponent, they would certainly not dare to sneak into Ruan Mansion recklessly!
Outsiders could never figure out how many layers of defenses were hidden within the mansions of such top aristocratic families. Moreover, the younger brother of the little glutton was also an unparalleled expert. Visiting the little glutton was nothing out of the ordinary, so who would dare to take such a risk and follow him all the way inside?
At that time, with the little glutton covering for him, Meng Qi would change his appearance and aura, mingling with the Ruan family’s servants when they went out, leaving freely. Later, he would quietly return and leave openly, eliminating any suspicions from others!
In just a few steps, Meng Qi had already made his decision in his heart.
Having a partner to help was indeed relaxing and easy. If he were alone, facing a stalker of this level, it would be difficult to escape!
The Marquis Langya’s mansion was large and prosperous, with servants and maids constantly coming and going. In just one afternoon hour, more than ten people entered and exited.
A group of servants responsible for purchasing walked out in a line, all keeping silent, not whispering among themselves, fully displaying the discipline of a prestigious family.
After reaching the bustling street, they split up. A servant with a yellowish complexion, holding a money bag, merged into the crowd, heading toward the outer city.
This person was indeed Meng Qi. After informing Ruan Yushu about the appearances of Myth, Fairyland, Luo Sect, and Heaven-Annihilating Sect, with her help, he successfully infiltrated the servant team.
After leaving a secret mark at the agreed location in the outer city, Meng Qi quickly returned to the Ruan family, changed back into his original attire, and left openly. The entire process was completely undetected.
Just after stepping into the Su family’s gate, Meng Qi met Su Yue again.
He looked solemn and said, “Tomorrow at dusk, the chief investigator will meet you at the Zhu Yi Tower. The emperor will also arrive in person to bestow the silver insignia upon you.”
Meng Qi felt only curiosity toward the chief investigator and the emperor, without any sense of inferiority. However, thinking about becoming a silver insignia member and being able to choose an item of the Outer Scenery level, he immediately smiled, nodded in agreement, and finally asked, “Uncle Wu, have you found any clues about Luo Sect and Heaven-Annihilating Sect?”
“No.” Su Yue narrowed his eyes slightly and snorted, “Our Six Doors previously suspected that some aristocratic families were merely fronts created by evil sects during dynastic changes. Judging from the current situation, it seems not false. We hope to expose them all through this incident!”
“Hope for a smooth outcome.” Meng Qi wished for the complete eradication of the Nine Evil Paths, as he himself was an enemy of evil, having offended several sects within the Nine Evil Paths!
The next day, Meng Qi finished adjusting his breath and appeared to go out for a casual stroll to experience worldly affairs. Passing the agreed location in the outer city, he unsurprisingly saw the response from the Grand Cheng Heavenly Venerable, including the meeting time and place.
Again in the afternoon, using the same method, Meng Qi used the Marquis Langya’s mansion as a decoy to escape. After reaching a quiet and secluded courtyard, he changed into a black robe, put on a mask, and went straight into the study.
Inside the study, a tall figure stood with his back to Meng Qi. His hair was jet black, his aura profound and mountainous, both heavy and filled with destruction.
“Seeing your mask, I always feel a bit uneasy,” the figure turned around, his tone teasing.
He was wearing the mask of the “Grand Cheng Heavenly Venerable,” while Meng Qi wore the “Yuanshi Tianzun” mask. Facing each other, the situation was particularly amusing.
Meng Qi chuckled dryly, not mentioning this topic: “Heavenly Venerable, did you take the escorted object from the Zhongzhou Escort Bureau?”
“Yes,” the Grand Cheng Heavenly Venerable admitted frankly, “This is an important part of our main task. Does it conflict with your mission?”
Indeed, a mission… Meng Qi’s thoughts flashed, his voice deliberately deepened and hoarse: “For now, it doesn’t seem to conflict. I just think this matter involves a wide range and is of great importance, and I fear it might affect the Qionghua Banquet, so I came to seek your advice.”
“At any rate, our mission currently does not involve Qionghua…” the Grand Cheng Heavenly Venerable’s voice gradually faded, as if recalling something.
Without a signed contract, even as fellow members of Fairyland, he could not possibly inform Meng Qi of his own mission, a natural instinct of a samsara warrior, since the other party’s mission might involve potential conflicts.
Meng Qi sensed the issue and quickly asked, “Heavenly Venerable, do you have any suspicions?”
“Do you know the purpose of that escorted object?” the Grand Cheng Heavenly Venerable replied with a question instead.
“I was hoping to seek advice from the Heavenly Venerable.” This was the main purpose of Meng Qi’s visit.
The Grand Cheng Heavenly Venerable pondered: “According to our collective judgment, it should be an item capable of slowly and secretly stealing the power of all beings, similar to the legendary ‘Holy Emperor’s Demon Decree,’ while the grand formation in the Divine Capital has accumulated the power of all beings over generations, vast like an endless sea.”
“Stealing the power of all beings…” Meng Qi felt quite puzzled. What would Luo Sect and Heaven-Annihilating Sect use the power of all beings for?
The Heaven-Annihilating Sect didn’t even have similar cultivation techniques, while although Luo Sect had methods for cultivating the power of beings’ wishes, there was a subtle difference between the power of beings and the power of all beings. One was related to divine ways, and the other to human ways, completely opposite paths. Wouldn’t they fear mutual conflict and self-destruction? Unless they also establish an empire, combining divine and imperial powers, but that was completely out of the question for now!
As Meng Qi thought, his expression slightly changed: “So, could they be secretly aiding a certain prince?”
Stealing the power of all beings could increase the emperor’s aura, enhance one’s fate, and greatly benefit the cultivation of human path techniques, similar to the “True Emperor’s Seal.” The word “stealing” seemed to indicate the identity of the user…
The Grand Cheng Heavenly Venerable nodded slightly: “They might involve the Qionghua Banquet, but it shouldn’t significantly increase the difficulty of your mission. That should be our affair.”
Meng Qi frowned. Could it be the crown prince, who says one thing and does another, practicing Buddhism openly while secretly associating with evil sects? Or is it Zhao Lao San, who is ambitious and inviting wolves into his house? Or perhaps another member of the royal family is attempting to create chaos and benefit from it?
If Luo Sect and Heaven-Annihilating Sect were hiding in their mansions, it would indeed be impossible to find any traces, just like when he himself had hidden in the mansion of Prince Wei long ago…
Poor Old Five… Meng Qi couldn’t help but sigh for Zhao Heng.
“You have already completed three missions. You can now apply for the formal member’s test, which brings many benefits,” the Grand Cheng Heavenly Venerable reminded him.
Yang Wuliang was killed by an Outer Scenery move derived from the Flipping Heaven Seal, and since the Grand Cheng Heavenly Venerable himself didn’t act, the one who completed the mission was clear.
“I’ll apply once I finish this matter,” Meng Qi nodded.
After leaving the place and changing his attire, Meng Qi took a deep breath, looked at the midday sun, and secretly smiled: “Thank goodness I have good information, many channels, and plenty of support; otherwise, I’d be completely clueless. Hmph, no matter what schemes you have, don’t provoke me!”
Returning to Ruan Mansion, he told Ruan Yushu about the parts he could share.
“This task is indeed far-reaching…” Ruan Yushu plucked a string of her zither.
Meng Qi paced in deep thought and suddenly asked, “The Divine Capital Zhao Clan’s Outer Scenery experts don’t appear on the Earth Ranking. Do you know which experts are in the imperial family?”
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