Chapter 285: Every Word an Immortal Speaks Carries Deep Meaning

"If it really is an ancient immortal…"

Su Wan's smile faded, and on that eternally twenty‑year‑old delicate face, genuine apprehension showed for the first time.

"We act rashly tonight, not to capture anyone, but to send them to death."

"So we can't be reckless," Tie Mian finally said a sentence longer than three characters.

Lin Si inhaled deeply, forcing the four words "act tonight" that had already reached his lips back down.

He stood before the floor‑to‑ceiling window, his gaze passing the cloud layer, looking down at the gray‑hued slum beneath his feet.

"First, scout."

Lin Si turned, his tone cold and decisive,

"Until we verify the opponent's true background, all large‑scale military actions are to be halted.

We need a pair of eyes to slip silently into the Ancient Immortal Gate, to uncover A Qi and Tie Tu's backgrounds, the source of the spirit stones, and whether anything stands behind them, and to clarify everything."

"Who to send?" Su Wan asked.

"Internal Guard Executive Officer."

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the communication channel changed abruptly.

Tie Mian's mechanical brain's processing frequency visibly accelerated a notch.

Chen Jiuyuan's hand, gripping his serpent staff, froze mid‑air.

Even the habitually languid Su Wan sat up slightly.

Internal Guard Executive Officer.

That is the highest‑spec clandestine force cultivated jointly by the Four Great Conglomerates.

Each city is equipped with at least one, the ultimate trump card for subduing an entire city.

The Internal Guard Executive Officer of City Eleven, codename "Hui Ya," is equipped with a full set of sixth‑tier crystal cores.

Its combined combat power spikes straight to seventh‑tier.

Converted to this world's cultivation system, that corresponds to Return to Void Peak, an existence infinitely close to the Union Stage.

Placed within the entire Tianxu City Eleven, Hui Ya stands at the very top of the food chain.

The financial elite, noble guards, and private armies of the Upper District are all insignificant before him.

An entity of this caliber is normally beyond Lin Si's authority to mobilize; activation requires the joint signatures of four overseers.

Now, Lin Si voluntarily proposes to deploy this trump card merely to carry out a small "intelligence‑gathering" task.

That alone underscores the seriousness of the issue.

"Hui Ya has only one mission."

Lin Si spoke each word haltingly,

"Infiltrate the Ancient Immortal Gate, make close contact with A Qi and Tie Tu, and determine whether any force beyond our comprehension stands behind them.

If it is confirmed to be merely an undeveloped natural spirit‑stone vein, he may kill on the spot and bring both the person and the vein back."

He paused, his tone growing heavier.

"But if… he detects any power fluctuation beyond the sixth‑tier cognitive scope, even a trace—"

Lin Si's gaze swept over three holographic images.

"Immediately retreat, report the intelligence to headquarters, and have the elder ancestors of the Four Great Conglomerates decide personally."

Su Wan pondered briefly, then was the first to nod: "Agreed."

Tie Mian: "Agreed."

Chen Jiuyuan thumped his serpent staff heavily on the ground: "Agreed. However, I must add one condition—Hui Ya's mission will be jointly monitored by the four families, with real‑time data sharing. No one may conceal anything in this matter."

"Naturally."

Four signatures were affixed simultaneously.

On the communication prism, a dark‑red activation code that had slumbered for an unknown number of years slowly illuminated.

……

……

Deep within the air‑raid shelter.

Gu Yuan sat on a white‑jade chair in the secret chamber, idly turning over a dismantled fourth‑tier crystal core shell held between his fingers.

Tie Tu knelt before him, the exhilaration after his cultivation still lingering, his eyes blood‑red.

"The task you ordered, my lord, cannot be delayed!"

"Hold on, listen first," Gu Yuan tossed the crystal shell onto the table. "You've already entered the Reverse Spirit Technique; dissemination can begin. But there are a few rules."

He raised three fingers.

"First, the technique is only passed to the lower‑class poor. Those who can afford crystal cores above third‑tier are not taught."

Tie Tu was startled: "Lord, why is that? If powerful individuals join, wouldn't that make the Ancient Immortal Gate grow stronger faster?"

"Are you teaching me how to act?"

Tie Tu's neck twitched, and he fell silent immediately.

Gu Yuan was too lazy to explain.

Those who can afford crystal cores are too tightly bound to the conglomerates' interests; their foundations are riddled with back‑door programs, and even learning the Reverse Spirit Technique won't cleanse them.

More importantly—he doesn't seek to enlarge the Ancient Immortal Gate; he aims to lever the world's qi order from the bottom up.

The lower‑class poor lack crystal cores, lack cybernetic bodies, yet retain bodies closest to the original state.

Although severely regressed, the Reverse Spirit Technique was crafted precisely for such wasteful Dao bodies.

Starting from zero, there is no contamination.

As for whether they will betray to the conglomerates.

Gu Yuan also doesn't care.

Informed?

Then let's change the way we play.

"Second, the cultivation method charges no fee. It's given for free."

Tie Tu's mouth opened.

Free?

On the wasteland, even breathing requires tax, yet this immortal wants to give away for free the cultivation method that can change fate?

"Third." Gu Yuan raised his last finger, "When transmitting the cultivation method, bring along a sentence——'The spiritual qi of heaven and earth ought to belong to everyone, not be monopolized by anyone.'"

Tie Tu knelt on the ground, his back turned cold.

He is an old hand in the jianghu, instantly sensed the meaning behind these three rules.

This is not about building a gang.

This is about overturning the table.

Giving the cultivation method for free to the lower-class poor, letting them cultivate without relying on crystal essence, directly uprooting the conglomerates' sale of crystal essence.

Adding that sentence as a slogan, igniting the lower-class people's resentment toward the conglomerates.

Once it spreads...

Tie Tu dared not think further.

"Subordinate understands." He kowtowed, voice tense, "Subordinate will go handle it immediately."

Go.

Tie Tu rose, turned, and walked out.

Just as he reached the secret chamber's door, Gu Yuan's voice drifted from behind, his tone still that lazy ambiguity between joke and seriousness.

"By the way, when transmitting the cultivation method, pay attention to safety. After all, you're now worth some money, don't get knocked out."

Tie Tu's steps paused, he felt there was hidden meaning in the immortal's words.

As for what it was, he dared not ask, only could lower his head and silently keep it in mind.

Every word of the immortal carries deep meaning.