Qiu Tu had put on an utterly ordinary face and walked forward. This was a god whose identity he had casually "borrowed" along the way—an Intermediate Heavenly God.
A god of this strength was incomparably powerful in the human world, but in the Destruction Royal Court, he was utterly unremarkable. The sort who would disappear forever once tossed into a crowd of gods.
Walking amid the broken walls and ruins, Qiu Tu made no sound, but his eyes remained alert in every direction.
The Order Shrine's "nails" embedded throughout the various routes all had a unique set of contact codes. Those codes were not fixed, but adjusted at any time according to the environment.
In a place like Destruction Royal City, the most common code was the shape of the ruins.
Qiu Tu had already encountered two codes along the way. One was guidance, and one was a warning. By his estimation, the next should be the signal for a meeting.
After all, if things were truly as written in that "Moon"-level spy code, then the Order Shrine's intelligence network in the Destruction Royal Court should have been completely destroyed.
And that "Moon"-level spy had fled here, leaving warnings and information behind for future reinforcements.
According to the Execution Department's usual practice, leaving two warnings and reminders was actually enough.
If the reinforcements were not strong enough, then after seeing those two warnings, they would hide and continue reporting upward.
But if the reinforcements were sufficiently strong, they would make contact with the survivor to further understand the current situation.
So normally, the third code should have been the contact information left by that survivor.
With that in mind, Qiu Tu continued onward.
Perhaps because the intelligence network had been suddenly wiped out, that "Moon"-level spy was clearly extremely cautious.
Qiu Tu passed through another five cities, reaching nearly the central area of Destruction Royal City, before finally seeing the code she had left behind once more.
It was a tilted stone pillar forming a twenty-six-degree angle with the ground, three stacked pieces of rubble, and an inconspicuous crack in the wall winding together into a single whole.
To outsiders, those were naturally formed scenes of ruin. But in Qiu Tu's eyes, they were a clear and unmistakable guide.
Qiu Tu's footsteps paused slightly before he continued forward, his mind automatically decoding the signal.
At the same time, Zhao Ji in the Punishment God Domain seemed to sense the change in Qiu Tu's emotions. She withdrew from her analysis of the Punishment God Domain and coolly asked, "Found her?"
Qiu Tu gave an "Mm" and replied inwardly, "According to the code she left behind, she is currently hiding in the ruins of a clock tower one kilometer away from here."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Zhao Ji gave an "Mm," then reflexively said, "Be careful."
The moment she said that, Qiu Tu froze.
After all, whether in his previous life or this one, Zhao Ji had never been someone who liked expressing her emotions or caring for others.
Over all these years, even if Zhao Ji might have worried about someone in her heart, she had never expressed it.
Yet this time, she had actually spoken up.
Perhaps realizing that she had misspoken, Zhao Ji's body visibly stiffened. Then, as though nothing had happened, she closed her eyes and continued deciphering the Punishment God Domain.
Qiu Tu's gaze rested on her for two seconds, and an involuntary smile appeared on his lips.
Because despite Zhao Ji pretending to be unconcerned, she was clearly a little shocked herself.
That much was obvious from the fact that although she had closed her eyes and resumed deciphering the Punishment God Domain, her aura was fluctuating slightly.
However, Qiu Tu did not expose her. He simply pretended not to notice and continued walking.
The seventy-sixth of the 108 Ways to Enhance Affection in the Affection Handbook: When you discover that a woman has feelings for you, never casually pierce that thin layer of paper.
Because a woman's affection was often hazy and fragile.
Once the relationship between both sides changed, or that layer of paper was pierced, it could very well destroy that feeling.
And for women with stronger personalities, piercing that layer of paper might even make them lash out in embarrassment, perhaps even developing a rebellious mindset.
The proper approach was to maintain the status quo. This had two benefits:
First, it could preserve the atmosphere of ambiguity and affection as much as possible, allowing it to take root and grow.
Once that affection and ambiguity had completely developed into "love," it would no longer be under the woman's own control.
Second, it could arouse a woman's curiosity and make her "guess."
She had clearly exposed herself, yet you said nothing. Then she would begin guessing whether you knew but chose not to say anything, or whether you had not noticed at all.
That process itself would subconsciously deepen her feelings for you.
As for Zhao Ji, Qiu Tu had long regarded her as his woman.
However, Qiu Tu also knew that if he wanted to conquer a Peerless Paragon like Zhao Ji, he had to take things slowly. He could not rush it.
So, he had patience, and he was willing to wait.
Thus, while thinking this, Qiu Tu pretended he had noticed nothing and headed toward the meeting point.
Very soon, a half-collapsed clock tower appeared in Qiu Tu's sight. Its spire had broken off, slanting toward the heavens like a shattered sword. On the clock tower's remaining wall, a lightning-shaped crack ran downward, pointing toward a pitch-black entrance underground.
This was the final contact signal.
Qiu Tu watched from afar and did not enter immediately.
He pondered for a moment, then willed it.
The next second, a black shadow emerged from beneath his feet, lowered its head, and knelt on one knee before him.
This was a Dark Soldier Qiu Tu had cultivated when he killed those seven Immortal God Kings.
Although it was not as strong as it had been in life, it still possessed the power of a Level Three God King.
Qiu Tu was currently in the world of the Destruction Tyrant, a High-Level God King. He had to be cautious and careful in every action.
Therefore, even when meeting with a nail, he still chose to use a Dark Soldier as his substitute.
With that thought, Qiu Tu bit his finger, and blood from his fingertip landed directly on the Dark Soldier's forehead.
The next second, everything before his eyes was replaced by the Dark Soldier's perspective.
Finally, with another thought from Qiu Tu, the Dark Soldier transformed into a mass of shadow and headed toward the distant clock tower.
Soon, upon reaching the clock tower, the Dark Soldier emerged from the shadows and circled the tower once. After confirming there was no ambush and no surveillance array, he silently slipped into the darkness of the entrance.
Qiu Tu shared the Dark Soldier's vision and senses, while Zhao Ji shared Qiu Tu's vision and senses. The three of them were in different locations and different worlds, yet they shared the same image. This novel experience made Zhao Ji open her eyes and pay attention to this meeting.
The tunnel was filled with a damp, moldy smell mixed with a faint scent of blood.
The Dark Soldier's footsteps were light, nearly blending into the darkness. His senses had been heightened to the extreme, catching every faint movement in the air.
Through his senses, Qiu Tu and Zhao Ji could not only smell the tunnel's odors, but even distinguish the tiny sounds of moss growing upon the damp stone walls.
They walked dozens of meters along the tunnel. Just as the light around them grew dimmer and the sounds grew quieter, a hoarse, wary woman's voice suddenly came from the depths of the darkness. "Who is it?"
Her voice was filled with vigilance, like a wounded beast deep within a cave, maintaining the highest alert toward every approaching footstep.
Along with her voice, a faint ripple of divine power cautiously extended toward the Dark Soldier.
Hearing the woman's voice, Qiu Tu's thoughts stirred.
The next second, the Dark Soldier stopped.
He did not respond. Instead, following the Temple's internal rules, he lightly tapped the stone wall with his finger four times—three long, one short.
The tapping was crisp yet dull. It sounded especially abrupt in the silent tunnel, yet carried a unique rhythm.
The darkness remained silent for more than ten seconds, as though she were confirming Qiu Tu's identity, or observing and assessing the situation within the tunnel.
A moment later, the hoarse woman's voice sounded again. This time, there was less wariness in it and more exhaustion and delight. "Come in."
Hearing the woman's voice, Qiu Tu willed it again, and only then did the Dark Soldier step toward the source of the voice.
At the end of the tunnel was a cramped stone chamber. A dim hanging lamp swayed in the corner, stretching the shadows on the walls long and short like ghosts.
In the center of the stone chamber, a Female Heavenly God was curled up in a corner.
She had a pale yet charming face. Her black soft armor was damaged in many places, exposing large patches of snowy skin. The wounds on her abdomen and shoulder blade were horrifying. Congealed black blood and fair skin formed a striking visual contrast. One of her arms twisted at a strange angle, clearly broken. She looked miserable, but it also added a touch of shattered beauty.
When she saw the Dark Soldier enter, scrutiny and wariness appeared on her paper-pale face.
She looked at the Dark Soldier and asked hoarsely,
"Who are you? You do not seem to be... one of us."
She might initially have wanted to say someone from the Temple, but the words reached her lips and she remembered the current environment and situation, so she changed her phrasing.
Hearing her words, Qiu Tu's thoughts stirred again. The next second, the Dark Soldier said, "I serve in the Execution Department of the Temple—West Branch."
"I was not originally responsible for intelligence work."
"But recently, you lost contact, so His Excellency ordered me to investigate the situation."
"I am the advance party. Other God Kings will arrive afterward."
Upon hearing the Dark Soldier's words, the woman's eyes brightened slightly at first, but then became even more wary.
She did not speak, merely stared intently at the Dark Soldier as though hinting at something.
Seeing this, the Dark Soldier directly followed Qiu Tu's orders and made several hand gestures.
When she saw those gestures, the woman's wariness finally vanished completely.
She struggled to her feet, bowed to the Dark Soldier, then lowered her head and said, "Ghost Blade, 'Moon'-level intelligence agent of the Destruction Royal Court's Second Intelligence Squad, greets you, my lord."
The gestures the Dark Soldier had made just now were the Temple spies' contact codes. They concealed one's rank within the Temple, the authority granted for the mission, and the password for the relevant area.
Qiu Tu had hurriedly learned all of them before leaving the Wine God Kingdom.
Each intelligence team used different codes. Only members of the same team, or reinforcements sent by superiors to that intelligence team, would know them.
The identity Qiu Tu had arranged for the Dark Soldier was that of a "Sun"-level spy, with the authority to take over the liaison work of every intelligence squad currently in the Destruction Royal Court. Naturally, that made him the superior of the female spy before him.
After the female spy finished saluting and introduced herself with another set of coded hand gestures, Qiu Tu had the Dark Soldier directly begin asking about the intelligence.
The Dark Soldier asked, "What exactly happened in the Destruction Royal Court? And what happened to your Second Squad?"
Upon hearing the Dark Soldier's question, Ghost Blade leaned against the wall and coughed violently several times, as though she were about to cough out her lungs.
Her injuries seemed severe, so every cough pulled at her wounds, making her already pale face seem as though it were wearing a mask of pain.
She clutched her chest, lowered her head, and said in a voice filled with grief and helplessness, "In the entire Second Squad, I may be the only one left."
The Dark Soldier did not respond. Instead, following Qiu Tu's orders, he first surveyed the entire stone chamber.
The stone chamber was extremely simple. Other than several bags of fruit barely sufficient to stave off hunger and some used medicine for injuries, there was nothing else.
"What exactly happened?" the Dark Soldier asked on Qiu Tu's orders.
A deep, bone-chilling hatred appeared in Ghost Blade's eyes. Two faint flames ignited in her almond-shaped eyes, but were quickly drowned by even deeper fear. "We... were betrayed."
"One week ago, the Mad War God King suddenly led his personal guard in a surprise purge of our stronghold."
"Several intelligence agents at the stronghold were captured on the spot before they could even send out any intelligence. Immediately afterward, the Mad War God King launched a large-scale manhunt for us."
"One intelligence agent after another was dragged out and executed on the spot."
"I happened to be contacting a Destruction God King whom I had just turned, so they did not find me immediately. I was lucky enough to escape disaster."
Ghost Blade's voice trembled. "But while fleeing afterward, I was still severely wounded by a Heavenly God under his command and had to hide from place to place."
"But even so, I only escaped by faking my death. I hid here and barely survived."
Her voice grew softer and softer, but her teeth clenched with an audible grinding sound.
At that moment, Qiu Tu in the distance listened to her words and watched her expression and movements, his brows furrowing slightly.
He closed his eyes to think for two seconds, opened them, and then willed it.
The next second, the Dark Soldier asked, "The Mad War God King? You mean the Destruction Tyrant's foremost War General?"
Qiu Tu had always liked to plan before acting, and he understood the importance of intelligence even more. Thus, before coming here, he had memorized every scrap of intelligence on the Destruction Royal Court.
Now that he had heard Ghost Blade's words, he naturally connected the information immediately.
The only issue was that the Mad War God King Ghost Blade described seemed somewhat different from the Mad War God King he knew from the intelligence reports.
It was the last day of the month. Please vote with your monthly tickets~ They will expire if you do not use them~~
Before you continue