Rank Six

Rumble—!

The tide trembled like thunder, countless waves piling, rolling, and crashing forward!

As the great tide arrived, Lu Yuzhen, the white-robed Daoist seated upon the river's surface, lifted his head. Gazing at the surging waters that swept toward him like an avalanche, he let out a long sigh of admiration and simply spread his arms to welcome the waves—

Then, with a boom, the white robes were swallowed by the tide!

Xie Xuanyi's gaze remained fixed on Lu Yuzhen from beginning to end.

Perhaps because the gap in their cultivation was too great, he had failed to catch any trace of the white-robed Daoist's departure.

"Splash..."

By the time the tide washed over the riverbank and reached him, only several murky waves of middling size remained.

The white-robed figure devoured by the great tide vanished into the night.

"Lu Yuzhen."

Xie Xuanyi silently committed the name to memory.

Only after Lu Yuzhen had left did Xie Xuanyi notice a flicker of fire hanging over the Carp Tide River not far ahead. Like a lantern, half-submerged in the river's surging waters, it finally burned out at that moment and vanished into the darkness with great speed... It was a talisman that had been placed there beforehand, shielding all aura and movement within a hundred zhang.

The commotion from his clash with Lu Yuzhen had not been small.

Yet Carp Tide City had shown no sign of noticing.

But now that the talisman had burned out, things were different.

Xie Xuanyi had originally intended to search for his Lifebound Flying Sword... but from the looks of it, Chronic Ailment was trapped within Great Sage Bai Ze's secret realm cave abode.

Could that legendary supreme Dao sacred treasure sever the connection between a cultivator and their lifebound item?

Standing before the tide, Xie Xuanyi suppressed the urge to investigate.

If Great Sage Bai Ze truly had a cave abode within the Carp Tide River... then it must currently be under surveillance by numerous forces in Azure Prefecture. The Eight Hundred Li Forbidden Zone in Fengsui City was enough to show the attitude of Azure Prefecture's upper echelons toward this secret realm.

With his current strength, if he rashly entered the Carp Tide River, he would likely be discovered at once.

Never mind retrieving his flying sword.

By then, even escaping intact would be exceedingly difficult.

Buzz!

Just then, the thumb ring Xie Xuanyi wore gave off a faint tremor.

This was the communication tool the Demon Kingdom had left for Xu You.

After leaving Taian City, it had shown no movement whatsoever.

Xie Xuanyi had been waiting for word from the Demon Kingdom.

He silently retreated, leaving the Carp Tide River and returning to the bustling, prosperous streets... He found the most secluded, deserted dark alley. After confirming that no Fly Eyes had noticed him, Xie Xuanyi flicked out a Purification Talisman and slowly immersed his divine soul into the treasure ring.

"Rank Three, why did it take so long?"

Xie Xuanyi's consciousness entered the demon artifact.

His divine soul was attached to that wisp of Xu You's remnant soul, kneeling prostrate on the ground. Not far away stood the mysterious venerable who had been assigning tasks all this time.

"Lord Venerable."

Controlling Xu You's remnant soul, Xie Xuanyi replied cautiously, "Carp Tide City is heavily fortified, and there are many Fly Eyes."

"Mm... no matter."

This venerable's reaction perfectly confirmed his suspicions.

The Demon Kingdom's spy network was dense and vast.

After the Poisoned Drink War ended, the spies' specific identities had not been individually uncovered. In order to withstand the Imperial City Bureau's severe crackdown... most Demon Kingdom venerables only knew the "codenames" of the spies under their command, not their actual identities. It seemed this venerable knew nothing at all about Rank Three having been replaced.

"You move quite quickly. You've already reached Carp Tide City?"

The Black Shirt Venerable turned around and looked at Rank Three, kneeling on the ground.

He smiled in praise. "You've done well. Once this matter is finished, the day we head south will arrive soon enough. When that time comes, the Great Venerable will surely reward you handsomely."

"..."

Xie Xuanyi fell silent at once upon hearing this.

The big shots of the Demon Kingdom seemed rather skilled at dangling empty promises?

When he had Soul Searched Xu You earlier, he had seen Xu You's promise to Shen Yan... That utterly ordinary yet self-assured Xu You had actually dared to promise Shen Yan an entire Northern Prefecture.

Most importantly, this venerable's tone was exactly the same.

Every word carried the implication that the Demon Kingdom might march south at any time and ignite a second war.

Faced with such a lavish promise, Xie Xuanyi promptly controlled Xu You's remnant soul to kowtow, replying in a trembling voice.

"Through boiling water and blazing fire, even unto ten thousand deaths, I shall not refuse."

The venerable waved his sleeve. "Enough. There is no need for such ceremony."

After a slight pause.

The Venerable began assigning a new round of tasks. "You arrived faster than I expected. The handover ceremony had originally been scheduled for three days from now. But since you arrived early, the mission can be moved forward as well... Rank Six will enter the city tomorrow. I will establish a 'soul connection' between your tokens. He will be responsible for the handover mission in Carp Tide City."

"...Rank Six?"

Xie Xuanyi frowned slightly.

Rank Three, Rank Six—both were code names... These code names seemed to be related to one's cultivation realm?

Although Shen Yan had been a crucial link in the mission to transport the Finger Bone, she had no such code name at all.

If that was truly the case, then Xu You of the Qi Guiding Realm had been rated "Rank Two"—wouldn't that mean Rank Six had reached the "Cavern Heaven" realm above Qi Guiding?

"Once the handover mission is completed smoothly, Rank Six will give you a 'Violet Origin Pill' as a reward for completing the mission." The Black Shirt Venerable's tone was exceedingly amiable. "With this Violet Origin Pill, you can advance to Rank One within half a year at most."

A Violet Origin Pill?!

Xie Xuanyi, who had remained unruffled all along, abruptly raised his head.

"What..."

Seeing the blurry-faced soul before him reveal such delight, the Venerable could not help but laugh. "You're this happy over a single Violet Origin Pill? When the day comes to head south, the Great Venerable will give you more. Perhaps... you may even earn a chance at 'rebirth'!"

Hearing this, Xie Xuanyi's expression became somewhat complicated.

He truly did want the Violet Origin Pill...

But rebirth? He would pass.

"Many thanks, Venerable! Many thanks, Great Venerable!"

No matter what, if he was acting, he had to act the part to the end.

Xu You's remnant soul was immediately overwhelmed with gratitude, banging its head against the ground again and again.

The Black Shirt Venerable hovering nearby saw this and gave a derisive snort. Shaking his head, he severed the soul connection with Rank Three's treasure artifact.

"A Violet Origin Pill for completing the Finger Bone handover?"

In the darkness, Xie Xuanyi leaned against the alley wall and silently clenched the ring on his finger.

The Black Shirt Venerable's words had piqued his interest.

Rank Six, who would enter the city tomorrow, was carrying a Violet Origin Pill?

He had now ignited forty-three major acupoints!

He still lacked sixty-five... If he absorbed Azure Origin Pills, he would likely need another ten!

But if it was a Violet Origin Pill, perhaps one would be enough!

Just then.

The demonic artifact ring vibrated again. Xie Xuanyi's gaze sharpened. This vibration was completely different from the Venerable's earlier soul summons... It was likely that the Black Shirt Venerable had established a mental link between the demonic artifacts of the two spies who were about to hand over the Finger Bone.

Following the artifact's tremor, he immersed himself in his soul.

The familiar soul world.

Soul mist filled the air.

Xie Xuanyi controlled Xu You's remnant soul and looked ahead.

In the depths of the mist stood a towering figure, its outline like a small mountain.

"Rank Six?"

The fog here was too dense for Xie Xuanyi to see the other person clearly, so he tentatively asked.

"It's me."

Rank Six's voice matched his appearance. Deep and heavy as a mountain, it rolled outward from afar, even sweeping away the surrounding mist.

Xie Xuanyi was sizing him up.

He was also sizing up Xie Xuanyi.

"You are... Rank Three?"

Meeting for the first time, both maintained a relatively safe distance.

"The Venerable wishes to move the mission forward, but I still have some arrangements on my end..."

Rank Six spoke in a deep voice. "So let us proceed with the Finger Bone handover according to the original plan."

"At midnight three days from now, I'll wait for you at Sunken Chime Mountain south of Carp Tide City."

Where is Warrior Z?