In the pitch-black night, the faint candlelight in the room reflected on Wang Fugui’s flushed face, making him look quite embarrassed.
"Because... a traitor appeared among the spies in the Xitang Dynasty," Wang Fugui said sheepishly. "To avoid implicating more of our agents, we had to temporarily go silent and cut off all contact with the outside world."
"Then why did you still come to find me?" Lin Huang frowned.
"Please rest assured, Young Master. The lower-ranking members of the Dark Department can never know the identities of their superiors. The spies here don’t know that I am the Squad Leader of the Xitang Dynasty branch," Wang Fugui continued. He stole a glance at Lin Huang, terrified that he would pursue the matter of the spy’s betrayal.
A spy’s betrayal was, ultimately, his dereliction of duty as the Squad Leader. He wasn’t afraid of being punished for it; he was just afraid that the Squad Leaders of the other dynasties would mock him endlessly!
"Has the matter been handled?" Lin Huang asked.
"I dealt with it this afternoon when you entered the city, Young Master. Once the aftermath is sorted, we can reestablish contact with the Dark Department," Wang Fugui smiled.
Lin Huang nodded, dropping the issue. What he truly cared about was the task Qin Xuance had entrusted to him before his departure.
"Then tell me, what was the deal with the secret letter sent out on Winter Month Shiyi? Why did it only contain the words ’Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers’?" Lin Huang asked. This was exactly why Qin Xuance had sent him to the Xitang Dynasty.
The Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers had been circulating in the unofficial histories of the East Spirit Realm for at least three hundred years. All historical records in the East Spirit Realm corroborated one belief: the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers contained the secrets of Yin Yang Valley, the most mysterious and terrifying place in the entire East Spirit Realm.
A thousand years ago, no one could walk out of Yin Yang Valley alive. In the past millennium, a few had managed to emerge from it, though they remained exceedingly rare. Most of those who did survive eventually became the top powerhouses of the East Spirit Realm.
However, even those survivors were extremely wary of Yin Yang Valley and refused to breathe a word about it. They only claimed that all of its secrets were hidden within the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers.
Over time, various rumors about the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers spread throughout the East Spirit Realm. Some said there was a Demon King in Yin Yang Valley that could devour all living creatures. Others claimed there was a legacy hidden within, and the ancient scroll was the key to unlocking it, or that the scroll could lead one to the valley’s exact location. It was even said that whoever obtained the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers would undoubtedly become the East Spirit Martial Arts Leader.
The rumors were endless and varied, but there was one thing everyone could be certain of: the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers had originally come from the Xuanyuan Family of the East Spirit Realm. The Xuanyuan of Xuanyuan Tibing!
For some unknown reason, the scroll subsequently changed hands across the East Spirit Realm and never returned to the Xuanyuan Family.
Previously, when Qin Xuance received the secret letter from the Xitang Dynasty, it had immediately caught his attention despite only containing those few words. When the Divine General’s Mansion later lost contact with the Xitang Dynasty branch, Qin Xuance thought of Lin Huang. Even though Lin Huang was about to leave for Piaoxue Palace, shouldn’t he, as the Young Master of the Divine General’s Mansion, squeeze out every last drop of his usefulness before departing?
In the dim room, Wang Fugui smiled, seemingly anticipating Lin Huang’s question. "Speaking of the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers, we have to start from another incident!"
Lin Huang waved his hand, signaling Wang Fugui to sit down and elaborate.
"Three months ago, news spread across the East Spirit Realm that the home of Jia Wanjing, the richest man in the Xitang Dynasty, housed a Hundred Treasures Box. It supposedly contained a third of his life’s wealth—an amount large enough to buy the entire Xitang Dynasty!"
"Jia Wanjing? As far as I know, he’s just a merchant. What does he have to do with this?" Lin Huang asked, puzzled.
"It’s not just about wealth," Wang Fugui shook his head. "Rumor has it that his Hundred Treasures Box also contained a rare treasure. Forget being priceless—that single item alone could rival a decade of financial revenue for an Imperial Dynasty!"
"And that rare treasure is the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers?" Lin Huang asked.
Wang Fugui nodded. "The treasure is indeed the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers, though that was only discovered later. However, ever since the news of the Hundred Treasures Box spread, several major incidents have occurred in succession within the Xitang Dynasty!"
At this point, Wang Fugui furrowed his brows deeply, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes. "Three months ago, a small town in the Xitang Dynasty was completely slaughtered overnight. A full twenty thousand people were turned into mummies, as if their flesh and blood had been completely drained!"
Hearing this, Lin Huang’s expression changed. Twenty thousand people! In a single night!
"Two months ago, half of the properties under Jia Wanjing’s name suffered a devastating blow. The people in those businesses also died bizarrely, all turning into mummies just like before."
"The work of a group?" Lin Huang asked.
Wang Fugui nodded. "The cause of death was exactly the same. Aside from their bodies becoming mummified, there were no wounds on them, nor were there any warning signs beforehand."
"And then what happened?" Lin Huang pressed.
"A month ago, a person suddenly arrived at Jia Wanjing’s mansion, claiming he wanted to buy the Hundred Treasures Box from him," Wang Fugui said, his voice dropping into a somber silence.
"Buy the Hundred Treasures Box?" Hearing this, Lin Huang couldn’t help but gasp. Although Jia Wanjing was merely the richest man in the Xitang Dynasty, his immense financial power was enough to rank in the top five of the entire East Spirit Realm. To have the audacity to buy his Hundred Treasures Box—what kind of boldness did that require!
"I presume this person didn’t succeed," Lin Huang said. He couldn’t imagine anyone successfully using money to buy something from the richest man around.
However, Wang Fugui shook his head.
"Jia Wanjing gave the Hundred Treasures Box to that person without taking a single penny," Wang Fugui continued. "And that very night, Jia Wanjing’s entire family was massacred. Only he and his daughter narrowly escaped the calamity."
"Did they also become mummies?" Lin Huang asked.
Wang Fugui nodded, his expression turning particularly grave. One had to know that with Jia Wanjing’s unrivaled financial power at the time, he had at least ten Celestial Element Realm guards in his home. Yet, even with such formidable strength, everyone still fell silently in the night, drained of their flesh and blood and reduced to mummies.
"Was it the person who wanted to buy the Hundred Treasures Box?" Lin Huang asked.
"We don’t know, but it’s highly likely!" Wang Fugui looked helpless. "We’ve been investigating this matter for three months, but we could only lock our suspicions onto the person who bought the Hundred Treasures Box. Plus, he has that kind of strength!"
"Who is he?" Lin Huang’s heart tightened slightly. Someone who could silently slaughter dozens of Celestial Element experts, massacre twenty thousand people overnight, and uproot half of Jia Wanjing’s properties not only possessed extremely terrifying personal strength but also an incredibly formidable background. In the East Spirit Realm, the number of people capable of such a feat could be counted on one hand.
"Xuanyuan Tibing!" Wang Fugui enunciated each syllable with extreme caution.
Lin Huang’s expression froze, his heart trembling violently!
Xuanyuan Tibing?!
The man ranked first on both the Martial Marquis List and the Famous General List—in the world of the East Spirit Realm, he was undoubtedly a Human World Myth.
Before the age of twenty, he had only done two things. First, he commanded a million soldiers to conquer the world. Under the title of the contemporary Military God, he swept across twenty-eight dynasties, forcefully elevating the Beiyan Dynasty to imperial status and placing it among the Ten Great Dynasties! Second, he broke through to the Celestial Element Realm at the age of nineteen.
A nineteen-year-old Celestial Element Realm expert—no one before him had ever possessed such talent. And after him, only Lin Cangxue had the potential to achieve it. Unfortunately, Lin Cangxue’s Martial Soul shattered when she was at the Half-Step Celestial Element Realm.
After reaching the Celestial Element Realm, Xuanyuan Tibing did only one more thing: commanding a million soldiers to annihilate the Dongxuan Sect!
Back then, after his only son, Xuanyuan Sword, was accidentally killed by the Dongxuan Sect, this young man, who was only at the Celestial Element Realm, led a million iron cavalry to trample Dongxuan Mountain. Relying on one thousand nine hundred and eighty-two battle arrays, he forcefully trapped and killed three thousand four hundred members of the Dongxuan Sect. Even the Martial Marquis powerhouses among them were all trampled to death by his iron cavalry.
One must remember that the Dongxuan Sect was the leader of the Five Great Sects at the time. The sect boasted eighteen Martial Marquises, seventy-three Celestial Element experts, and countless Earth Element Martial Artists. Yet Xuanyuan Tibing, a mere Celestial Element Realm expert, forcefully overwhelmed an entire sect using his million-strong army.
On that day, Xuanyuan Tibing stood mounted upon Dongxuan Mountain, his fierce and terrifying reputation spreading across the world!
After commanding a million soldiers to annihilate Dongxuan, Xuanyuan Tibing stayed in the Beiyan Imperial City. It wasn’t until the day he broke through to the Martial Marquis Realm that he issued a challenge to Chen Chuanfeng, who was ranked first on the Martial Marquis List at the time. In the end, this young man who had just stepped into the Martial Marquis Realm leaped across the barrier of the Seventh Heaven and beheaded Chen Chuanfeng in a mere thirty-eight moves.
Invincible upon entering the Martial Marquis Realm!
From then on, the name Xuanyuan Tibing resounded thoroughly across the world, shaking the entire East Spirit Land. He alone was the greatest faction in the East Spirit Realm, an insurmountable mountain. However, since defeating Chen Chuanfeng, Xuanyuan Tibing hadn’t interfered with worldly affairs. He stayed in Xuanyuan City year-round, at most venturing out to hunt.
In the dim room, Lin Huang felt incredibly conflicted as he thought of this man known as a Human World Myth. This person was both righteous and evil, never caring for the common people or the Great Dao. This was evident from how he had commanded a million soldiers to massacre the Dongxuan Sect back then.
If the disasters of the past three months were truly Xuanyuan Tibing’s doing, what exactly was he trying to achieve? Although the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers originally belonged to the Xuanyuan Family, why would he slaughter so many people? With his strength and influence, how difficult could it be to force Jia Wanjing to hand over the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers? Why did he have to resort to such cruel and wicked methods?
Lin Huang couldn’t figure this out no matter how hard he thought. Could someone else have done this? But other than Xuanyuan Tibing, who else possessed such capability? What kind of secrets were hidden within the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers? What kind of sinister Martial Technique could drain the flesh and blood of a Martial Artist, turning them into a mummy? Was there an earth-shattering conspiracy hiding behind the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers?
Lin Huang thought, "Perhaps the root of all this lies within the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers." He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of worry, fearing that one day, this disaster might spread to the Great Xia Dynasty.
"I will inform my grandfather of this matter and have the people in the Dark Department investigate it with all their might," Lin Huang said to Wang Fugui.
Wang Fugui nodded. Since this matter involved Xuanyuan Tibing and the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers, it wasn’t something he could meddle in. Even if the Four Great Sects or the Ten Great Dynasties intervened to investigate, it wouldn’t be an overreaction.
"Right, what about Jia Wanjing and his daughter? How are they now?" Lin Huang asked.
"They are currently still in the Xitang Imperial City," Wang Fugui replied. "However, after suddenly suffering such a massive disaster, Jia Wanjing has lost all interest in commerce, fame, and wealth. He has already dispersed most of his family’s assets and is packing his belongings while recruiting guards. He plans to head to the Blood Triangle to seek refuge with his son-in-law."
"The Blood Triangle?" Lin Huang raised an eyebrow. The Blood Triangle was located at the border of the Three Great Dynasties and was notoriously chaotic within the East Spirit Realm. Coincidentally, his journey to Piaoxue Palace would pass right through it.
Thinking of this, Lin Huang instructed Wang Fugui, "Make the arrangements. I want to join Jia Wanjing’s escort team!"