Chapter 26: The Guardian Deity in the Dark Night of the Beigan Dynasty! (Sound effect)

"You have returned."

The man stood with his hands behind his back and spoke indifferently:

"Has the previous matter been investigated clearly?"

The person who arrived knelt on one knee behind the man and cupped their fists respectfully:

"Reporting to you, my lord, it has been investigated clearly."

"According to reliable intelligence, the anomaly that occurred at the Divine Path Sect was not a Heaven-sent treasure as the outside world speculated, but an anomaly summoned by a disciple in the Golden Core Realm during the Descent of the Gods."

With his back to his subordinate, the man's eyes widened slightly; he could not suppress his surprise.

"Only Golden Core? Such a massive anomaly was actually caused by a mere disciple in the Golden Core Realm? Are you certain?"

How could a tiny cultivator who had not yet entered the Earth Realm create such a massive commotion?

"I was also shocked when I first received the intelligence, but the matter is not as simple as it appears on the surface."

The subordinate stated the explanation provided by those in the know:

"That anomaly was not caused solely by the power of that disciple alone, but was a celestial phenomenon triggered by the Divine Path Bell after he resonated with the Divine Path Sect's Supreme Treasure."

Rather than saying the disciple was miraculous, it would be better to say the power of the Divine Path Bell is astonishing.

Hearing this explanation, the man felt slightly more settled, but soon shook his head again:

"No... even so, this is still shocking. To be able to resonate with a Supreme Treasure while only in the Golden Core Realm—once he steps into the Heaven Realm, I fear he will be able to completely control the Divine Path Bell."

To be able to mobilize a sect's Supreme Treasure upon just entering the Formless stage; such a person is someone who must be guarded against at any time.

"That disciple, what is his name?"

From this day forward, this person must be focused on!

The subordinate understood the thoughts in the man's heart, skipped the rest, and said straightforwardly:

"His name is Ren Yidao, he is from Luoyue..."

Clang.

Hm?

An unusual sound caused the man in black to look up in confusion; he looked around the room but found nothing abnormal.

The leader's back was still as dignified as before, though it seemed a bit closer to the wall.

"My lord?"

"Ahem, it is nothing... say it again, what is his name?"

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, the subordinate continued:

"His name is Ren Yidao, he is a disciple of Luoyue Peak of the Divine Path Sect, this year..."

But before he could finish, the man standing with his hands behind his back spoke first, his voice somewhat melancholy:

"Just turned eighteen."

"Hm? Ah, yes, my lord is sharp."

What is going on?

Didn't my lord already know the other party's intelligence?

Blinking in confusion, the Dark Guard subordinate suddenly shuddered, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Could it be!!?

So my lord was testing me!

It is fortunate I did not conceal anything earlier, otherwise now...

Hiss!

While feeling terrified, the Dark Guard's admiration for his leader grew even higher!

To have obtained the intelligence without even needing an informant, and doing so without anyone noticing.

As expected of my lord!

The sharpest dagger in the hands of His Majesty!

The guardian deity in the dark night of the Beigan Dynasty!

Lord Shi Anqi!!!

Wanting to look up but fearing it would be disrespectful, the subordinate finally kept his head half-raised, his gaze burning as he stared directly at the... buttocks in front of him.

Unaware that his subordinate had entered a fanatical state through his own imagination, Shi Anqi was currently completely bewildered.

His mind was left with only three sentences:

"Ah?"

"Why is it you again?"

"You are playing for real!"

That Ren brother of his was truly surprising him more and more each time.

"What am I supposed to do about this?"

Hm?

Suddenly noticing a scorching gaze gathering behind him, Shi Anqi finally realized there were others in the room.

He coughed lightly and waved his hand:

"Ahem, well done, you may withdraw first."

"Yes!"

The Dark Guard responded with deep emotion, then vanished silently from the room.

Rubbing his chin and pondering for a while, Shi Anqi muttered:

"In that case..."

"How about we go talk to Xiaoxue again?"

Not to mention anything else, such a talent—even if she doesn't worship the Foster Father, talking about a marriage alliance wouldn't be bad!

"So your meaning is, Beigan might not necessarily be the true mastermind behind the scenes?"

Turning around to straddle the chair, Ren Yidao rested his folded arms on the back of the chair, then lazily pillowed his chin on his arms.

Ignoring his junior brother's slouching, unrefined posture, Jian Xinxin set her brush to the spread-out white paper, quickly drawing a rough map.

First, she delineated the four dynasties, then circled three points within the kingdoms and dynasties above.

"Divine Path Sect, Sword Casting Hut, Wanhua Valley."

"There are countless sects in Beiming Divine Continent, but only these three truly count as super sects."

"And among the three sects, the Sword Casting Hut is on good terms with the previous Emperor, providing armaments to the Beigan army every year."

"Because the Valley Master is a distant relative of the current Empress, Wanhua Valley's relationship with Beigan is also at its best in history."

Speaking to this point, Jian Xinxin sighed wearily and spoke faintly:

"Only my Divine Path Sect never has contact with the outside world; even though the Beigan Dynasty has come to the door several times, they have all been turned away."

"Not only that, but the Divine Path Sect happens to be located in the far south, closest to the other dynasties."

"So, do you think the Beigan Dynasty might harbor suspicion toward us?"

Putting himself in the position of the Beiganhuangdi to think about it, Ren Yidao nodded decisively:

"Mm, that is extremely likely."

Hearing Jian Xinxin analyze it this way, even Ren Yidao felt that this Divine Path Sect probably wasn't a good thing.

"This sect is not only mysterious and weird, but it also keeps tinkering with unspeakable things behind the scenes."

Bad, huh.

Beside one's bed, how can one allow others to snore?

Even if the Beiganhuangdi had the best temper, he could not tolerate this situation continuing.

"Then doesn't that prove even more that the Beiganhuangdi dispatched Shi Anqi, letting him bring the Imperial Secret Guard to carry out... no, that's not right."

Halfway through speaking, Ren Yidao realized where the problem lay.

If it were truly the Beiganhuangdi wanting to sabotage the Divine Path Sect, he wouldn't let Shi Anqi's unit stay in Chongzhou City, but would instead infiltrate directly into the interior of the Divine Path Sect.

It's too conspicuous.

Shi Anqi would even less likely risk danger to give a "Brother Ren" from the Divine Path Sect the slightest hint.

"Then since it's not the Beigan Dynasty, it must be... a sect from another Divine Continent, or even some dynasty."

After having a clear line of thought, everything became clear, and Ren Yidao's train of thought became smoother and smoother.

"Therefore, the role the Beigan Dynasty is playing is, in all likelihood, that of a spectator."

"But since this is nominally their territory, they cannot completely leave it alone, so they have to send people to supervise."

"But as for what decision Beigan will ultimately make, it still depends on the further development of events."

If the result is favorable to Beigan, they will ignore it, or even push it along from the shadows.

Conversely, the long-waiting Shi Anqi will make a dazzling appearance to help the Divine Path Sect restore order.

Imagining that scene, Ren Yidao chuckled:

"His Majesty the Emperor of Beigan really has a good plan."

Very satisfied with his junior brother's intelligence, Jian Xinxin nodded and rinsed the brush in clear water.

Watching the ink drift in the clear water and finally disappear completely, Ren Yidao had a sudden realization.

"Senior Brother, do you mean that the enemy has already infiltrated the sect and gone into hiding?"

Jian Xinxin's movements paused, she turned her head away, and spoke dryly:

"No, I was just rinsing the brush."

"Oh."