Chapter 224: Double Agents, The Celestial Everlasting Clan's Emperor!

Qin Chuan didn't recognize the passcode.

But that didn't matter.

He decided to give it a shot.

If his response was wrong, he could just capture this group and interrogate them. After all, none of them could defeat him.

Worth a try!

After pondering for a moment, he casually responded with, "Perseverance leads to victory."

Whoosh!

The air suddenly grew still. The black-robed youth who had just passed by Qin Chuan stopped in his tracks.

He turned around solemnly and whispered, "Are you Nightingale?"

Qin Chuan hesitated for a moment, then quickly guessed that "Nightingale" must be a codename. Spies often used such aliases.

So, he nodded. "Yes."

"Come with me," the black-robed youth said quietly before heading toward a nearby hill. The others in the group began discreetly shifting their positions, closing in around them.

Some remained outside to keep watch, while the rest followed Qin Chuan into the hill's shadowy depths.

"Nightingale, sir!"

The group bowed slightly to Qin Chuan, like subordinates paying respect to a superior. The black-robed youth then spoke:

"You've passed the passcode test, which should be proof enough of your identity, but due to the importance of our mission, we need to verify your bloodline."

He then took out a strange compass, its surface etched with intricate patterns.

Qin Chuan noticed that the formation markings on the compass were entirely different from those he was familiar with. There was also a peculiar aura emanating from it—something otherworldly.

"Perseverance leads to victory."

"Celestial Everlasting..."

"They're from the Celestial Everlasting Clan!"

A realization hit Qin Chuan like a thunderclap, nearly making him gasp out loud.

But years of keeping up appearances had honed his composure, especially in the face of shocking revelations. He kept a straight face.

Calmly, he flicked his finger, sending a drop of blood onto the compass.

Buzz!

The compass began to vibrate, glowing with a faint golden light.

"Indeed, it's our bloodline!"

The group's eyes lit up, and they visibly relaxed. They bowed to Qin Chuan once more, apologizing.

"Forgive us, Nightingale, for the offense."

"This mission is too critical, so we had to be cautious. We hope you understand."

"We are counting on you for the success of this operation to rescue our elder."

Qin Chuan straightened up, a serious expression on his face. "There's no need to apologize. For our elder's sake, I will spare no effort!"

He chuckled inwardly.

That drop of blood was actually from the Celestial Everlasting Clan's peak Emperor that he had extorted back at the Fragment Star Palace.

It had come in handy after unsealing the Ice Dragon Spear.

"Let's get moving. Staying here too long will raise suspicions. We'll proceed according to plan," Qin Chuan said seriously.

"Understood!"

The group dispersed, avoiding the gaze of any onlookers, slipping out from different corners of the hill.

Most of the people in the secret realm were busy searching for rare herbs, so no one paid attention to them.

The group continued to discreetly observe the portal, waiting for it to disappear before they could make their move.

After several hours passed...

Boom!

The portal trembled violently before it rapidly shrank into a ring of light, eventually vanishing.

In the final moments, a hapless soul tried to sneak in at the last second but was unceremoniously ejected.

"Crap, that was tight!"

The unlucky person cursed, having just missed his chance to enter the Immortal Herb Secret Realm.

He wanted to get his hands on some herbs, but the door had shut.

"Unseal your powers!"

At that moment, the Celestial Everlasting Clan spies removed the seals on their cultivation, their power surging to the Emperor realm!

They had been Emperor-level powerhouses all along, but had used a unique sealing technique to temporarily hide their strength.

The technique was highly complex and had been developed by the elites of their clan in recent times.

"Nightingale, sir, let's move out."

The group gathered around Qin Chuan, treating him like their leader. It seemed he played a crucial role in their mission.

"Let's go."

Qin Chuan nodded calmly.

"You... you all!"

A young man nearby noticed something amiss, but before he could cry out, a blood-red arc flashed across the air.

Thud!

His head was separated from his body.

"Hmph, you saw something you shouldn't have. Blame your own bad luck." The black-robed youth snorted coldly.

Qin Chuan watched the scene unfold with little emotional reaction. The deep-seated enmity between the two races couldn't be resolved with just words.

If these Celestial Everlasting Clan spies were captured by the Nine Heavens Human Clan, they would meet the same, if not worse, fate.

"Nightingale, sir, follow us. We've located the general area of the elder's imprisonment. All we need you to do is break the sealing formation."

The black-robed youth spoke.

He pulled out a blue, strange-looking compass to lead the way. The group of spies formed a protective circle around Qin Chuan as they marched forward.

They no longer moved covertly, striding openly toward their destination. If anyone saw them, they would be swiftly silenced.

These were Emperor-level experts. Killing a group of Saint-level cultivators was no more difficult than slaughtering livestock.

Thud, thud, thud!

Ahhh!

"Mercy... Thud!"

As they charged forward, they left a trail of corpses behind, blood soaking the ground. The carnage was brutal.

Anyone who crossed their path was killed, and those who later stumbled upon the bodies assumed it was the result of a battle over Immortal Herbs.

Qin Chuan, standing at the center of the group, crossed his arms and maintained a cold, distant demeanor.

Everywhere they went, the spies slaughtered without mercy. Blood spattered across the ground, leaving not a single corpse intact.

From a distance...

It looked like a tyrant was passing through, his lackeys paving the way in an excessively brutal manner.

Weren't all witnesses supposed to be killed? So why could someone see this from afar?

That's because... a moving recording stone was flying in the distance like a drone, capturing the entire scene.

It even zoomed in on Qin Chuan's face for a close-up—except it wasn't his face, but Qin Zi's!

Qin Chuan grinned.

Just this footage alone—of cold-blooded slaughter—would be enough to make everyone hate Qin Zi once it spread.

And that's without revealing the spies' true identities.

If evidence emerged later proving that these people were Celestial Everlasting Clan spies, things would get even more interesting.

Collusion with the Celestial Everlasting Clan? That crime would crush anyone, not just Qin Zi. Even an Emperor couldn't escape the consequences...

Of course, that accusation couldn't be made lightly. As Qin Zi's father, Qin Chuan would also be implicated.

He'd have to wait until he was stronger and in hiding before pinning the blame on Qin Zi, letting his son deal with the fallout...

As a father, how could he compete with his son for glory?

He wouldn't stoop so low!

The group continued their ruthless advance. After some time...

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

The blue compass in the black-robed youth's hand began to spin rapidly, emitting a white glow.

"It's here! The elder is sealed beneath this spot. Quick, tear open the ground!"

The black-robed youth exclaimed excitedly.

"Let me handle this!"

A burly youth stepped forward, his body swelling to three meters tall as a beastly aura radiated from him.

He pressed his hands against the ground, conjuring two massive golden arms, which he used to tear the earth apart.

"Open!"

The ground trembled violently, splitting apart to reveal a massive chasm, five hundred meters wide and several thousand meters deep.

And then, an awe-inspiring sight appeared.

At the bottom of the chasm was a majestic altar. At its center stood a black pillar covered in runes and cursed markings.

A giant figure, three hundred meters tall, was bound to the pillar by massive chains of runes. His limbs were shackled, and his head hung low. His skin was pale and rigid, as if he were turning to stone.

Yet despite his condition, each of his heartbeats sounded like thunder, and every breath carried an overwhelming pressure.

This was a Celestial Everlasting Clan Emperor!