Chapter 709

Great Qin, Xianyanggong.

"What exactly are these 'host demons' and 'seven-life grudge couples'?"

The previous few individuals, Ying Zheng said nothing about, but when he finally introduced Wan Wan and Nie Xiaoqian, he spoke up.

The so-called "host demon" is in fact an entirely new term.

The seven-life grudge couple has appeared once, whereas its counterpart, the seven-life marital bond, Yan Hongye, has only just entered the Heavenly Dao's Hundred Flowers List.

But what exactly is a host demon, and how did Wan Wan accomplish it?

Not only did Ying Zheng not know, but the entire Qin court fell silent for a long while, not a single person answering.

The description of the seven-life marital bond was still fated—Ximen Wudi could break it.

But with the seven-life grudge couple, it was said this would bring about the end of the world.

All of this, how could Emperor Ying Zheng, a ruler intent on unifying the world, not care?

He sought to unify the world, not a ruin.

Moreover, a mere ordinary peasant girl, Nie Xiaoqian, by means of this seven-life grudge couple's host demon, had directly become a late-stage Heavenly Being.

Does this not mean the host demon is a method for rapid cultivation?

How does this compare to Great Qin's Lishan Project, Great Yuan's Thirteen Wings Project, and Mingwang Temple reincarnation?

All of this, Ying Zheng wanted to know.

Unfortunately, the term "host demon" had only just been exposed by the Heavenly Dao's Hundred Flowers List.

Everyone under heaven, likely, had only just learned of it.

Even Great Qin's spies, scattered across the land, might not yet know.

Indeed, Zhang Han smiled bitterly and said,

"Your Majesty, this 'host demon' has only just emerged; I have not yet had time to gather intelligence on it.

But Chenzhejiu Sect will immediately dispatch Heibing Tai and Luowang to Nie Family Village to find Nie Xiaoqian.

Since she is the first known host demon, she likely understands something about it."

Zhang Han truly deserved his title as Grand Commander of Heibing Tai—even without knowledge, he immediately devised a strategy.

Since Nie Xiaoqian was possessed by the seven-life grudge couple, she was indeed the best person to interrogate.

Moreover, an ordinary person had reached late-stage Heavenly Being Realm.

Even within Great Qin, such a cultivator was rare, worthy of becoming a National Guardian.

If they could find Nie Xiaoqian and bring her back to Great Qin, it would be two birds with one stone.

"Zhang Shaofu, you've misjudged your plan."

At this moment, Hu Hai, temporarily in charge of Luowang, spoke up.

"I humbly ask the Eighteenth Prince to instruct me."

If it had been any other Luowang member—even Zhao Gao himself—publicly contradicting him like this,

Zhang Han would have likely snapped back immediately.

After all, as Grand Commander of Heibing Tai and Minister of the Treasury, his status was no lower than Zhao Gao's as Luowang Commander and Master of the Imperial Carriage Bureau.

But the one temporarily replacing Zhao Gao was the Eighteenth Prince, Hu Hai.

In the previous Xixia affair, though he had failed to retrieve Dongfang Canglong's Seven Stars and Li Qinglu,

he was still Ying Zheng's own son, the most favored prince after Fusu.

Such status was not something Zhang Han could afford to provoke.

Hu Hai first bowed to Ying Zheng—within the court, there were no father and son, only ruler and minister; he knew this well.

Then, holding a report, he spoke loudly,

"Your Majesty, Luowang has just reported: Great Yuan and Great Tang have clashed fiercely over Youzhou.

In Great Tang's northwest two provinces, nearly a million soldiers and civilians have retreated south; only Yanmen Pass remains with a lone garrison.

They are now surrounded by Great Yuan's famed general Borhur, unable to move.

On the other side, Beizhen in Youzhou—yes, the very Beizhen mentioned just now on the Heavenly Dao's Hundred Flowers List—

has become the main battlefield between Great Yuan and Great Tang.

According to incomplete reports, Great Yuan's new Left State Preceptor, Master Changsheng, and National Guardian Long Xiang Seng,

along with the new Thirteen Wings, Mu Huali and General Zhebie, plus several imperial household guardians, number at least fifty elite cultivators gathered there.

As for Great Tang, it is led by the imperial faction under Di Renjie.

Yet Di Renjie is strange—he has willingly ceded Youzhou.

From my estimation, the region around Beizhen is now engulfed in war.

To speak of searching for Nie Xiaoqian is nothing but the ramblings of a fool."

After circling so broadly, Hu Hai finally returned to criticizing Zhang Han's proposal to find Nie Xiaoqian.

Zhang Han found this amusing—this Eighteenth Prince was too close to Zhao Gao.

To favor Luowang, he insisted on suppressing Heibing Tai.

These reports, Heibing Tai had naturally received too.

They even knew why Di Renjie had retreated and why the northwest two provinces of Great Tang had evacuated.

But Zhang Han had no reason to embarrass the Eighteenth Prince in court.

Watching Hu Hai finish, he gave Zhang Han a mocking glance.

Though Zhang Han wanted to laugh inside, he feigned shame and said,

"So many events have occurred—I have failed in my duties; I beg Your Majesty and the Eighteenth Prince to punish me."

"How is this failure?"

Fusu, who had not spoken until now, said at this moment,

"The Black Ice Terrace had long since sent intelligence reports to Your Majesty, detailing the full story of the conflict between the Dayuan and Great Tang.

Even Commandant Zhang had long since deduced that Beizhen must be home to either the Xuanxinzheng Sect or the Yin Moon Imperial Dynasty.

Or perhaps both at once, which is precisely why the Dayuan and Great Tang are fighting fiercely at this sensitive moment."

The Black Ice Terrace and the Net of Luo are different in nature; although both gather intelligence,

the Black Ice Terrace is the intelligence-gathering arm of Great Qin, and from its very founding, intelligence has been its primary mission.

The number of spies it has dispatched across the Nine Provinces is countless.

On a regular day, Black Ice Terrace spies are only responsible for scouting intelligence and transmitting it back.

Afterwards, Zhang Han, the commander of the Black Ice Terrace, would work together with the Terrace's intelligence staff officers.

They would sort the intelligence from each province into categories, compile it, produce a detailed analysis, and then submit it to the Great Qin sovereign for imperial review.

As the Crown Prince of Great Qin, Fusu had naturally had the fortune of seeing it.

That is how he knows.

The Net of Luo, however, differs greatly from the Black Ice Terrace; for one, it was founded somewhat later.

Secondly, the Net of Luo is a sword in Ying Zheng's hand.

A sword that does the things inconvenient for him to do himself!

Therefore, the Net of Luo's greater use is killing!

Killing for Ying Zheng, killing for the Great Qin Imperial Dynasty!

So as far as intelligence goes, although the Net of Luo is always compared with the Black Ice Terrace,

in truth there is still some distance between the two.

Hu Hai, hearing Fusu say all this, turned ashen-faced and looked at Ying Zheng with some puzzlement.

As if wanting to read from Ying Zheng's face whether his elder brother's words were true or false.

Ying Zheng, however, paid no heed to the covert struggle between the Black Ice Terrace and the Net of Luo, nor did Fusu's and Hu Hai's petty squabbles fall within his considerations.

What he cared most about right now was, in truth, this Demon-Host, and exactly how matters stood with Beizhen.

"The Yin Moon Imperial Dynasty and the Xuanxinzheng Sect have always held a transcendent position, with countless experts within their ranks.

I have always wished to bring one of them under my banner, or better yet, both at once.

Now the Dayuan and Great Tang are fighting fiercely over this.

And Nie Xiaoqian is in Nie Family Village near Beizhen.

Even though it has already become a battlefield, I still hope you can send people there."