Covert Operation

Chapter 20: The Covert Infiltration Plan

Taiyi flew back from Wind Burial Valley at an unhurried pace.

It was not that he did not want to go faster—with the cultivation of a peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal, if he truly went all out with an escape technique, he could dash from one end of the Great Wilderness to the other in half an hour. But he had too much on his mind right now. Flying too fast would only make it harder for him to settle down.

After that fight with Di Jiang, he needed to think things over.

Not his moves. He felt he had not exposed himself there. In fact, with Lin Yuan's tricky fighting style mixed in, his attacks had been more refined than those of the original Eastern Emperor, who only knew how to charge in headfirst. What he was considering was the "acting" part.

Had he handled that wild arrogance properly?

When he withdrew, had he looked like the real Eastern Emperor, with that attitude of "It's not that I can't beat you; I just can't be bothered wasting time on you"?

As he flew over the cliffs along the eastern foothills of Buzhou Mountain, the moon had just climbed to its zenith. Taiyi stopped in midair and spread open his right hand beneath the moonlight.

With a flare, a ball of fire sprang up in his palm.

It was golden-red, yet a closer look revealed something wrong—the heart of the flame was mixed with dark crimson, while gray-black ripples twisted around its edges. This was what had mutated after the Blood Fiend Power fused into it. In private, he called it Chaos True Sun Fire.

The fire burned quietly, illuminating the area within thirty yards.

A stream ran beneath the cliff, its gentle babble making the night seem even quieter.

Taiyi stared at the flame for a while before suddenly clenching his fingers.

"Buzz—"

The flame instantly collapsed, condensing into a pill the size of a date pit in his palm. It was dark gold, with three rings of patterns rotating across its surface: the outermost was a golden-red sun pattern, the middle a dark crimson Blood Fiend pattern, and the innermost a gray-black Chaos pattern.

Three Flowers Gathered at the Crown, Five Qi Towards Origin. This was the mark of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal.

But his Three Flowers looked rather... crooked.

Other people's Three Flowers were surrounded by clear qi and flowing Dao intent, obviously the result of proper cultivation. What about his? The one above his head was a golden-red lotus, which was still somewhat normal. The one on the left, however, was a dark crimson Higanbana, brimming with sinister energy. The one on the right was simply a gray-black Chaos Lotus; one glance at it made the heart shudder.

The system called this "Pseudo Peak Grand Unity," but Taiyi felt that he was not even as powerful as before.

On the surface, his realm seemed extremely stable. His flowers had bloomed to twelve petals, his True Sun Fire had reached completion, and with the Chaos Bell in hand, his battle strength could contend with an early Quasi-Saint.

But in reality?

Taiyi loosened his hand, and the pill scattered back into flames. He raised a hand and pressed his brow, where a faint pain throbbed. It was not a physical injury. His soul simply felt wrong.

Lin Yuan's consciousness and Eastern Emperor Taiyi's memories—the two "souls" had not completely fused. Their compatibility was currently stuck at 71%. Beyond that point, every percentage would require painstaking effort.

The most troublesome issue was the lag in his control over his power.

It was around 10% to 20%. Once his mind gave the command, his body would take half a beat to follow. It was not noticeable ordinarily, but in a life-and-death battle, that half beat was the difference between living and dying.

"I still need to polish it," he muttered, putting away the fire and continuing eastward.

Around midnight, he entered the range illuminated by the Sun Star.

That familiar warmth wrapped around him, and the True Sun Fire inside his body began circulating on its own, rejoicing like a fish returned to water. Taiyi slowed down even further, allowing himself to soak in the Sun Star's radiance. After all, this body had been nurtured in the heart of the Sun Star. Returning here felt like returning home.

His hidden injuries visibly began to heal.

By the time he passed through the South Heaven Gate and stepped into the Thirty-Three Heavens, the sky was already brightening.

The heavenly soldiers and generals on duty hurriedly saluted when they saw him. Taiyi waved them off and did not enter through the main gate—using it meant having his jade token checked and registering his arrival, and he had no patience for that right now. He simply slipped through a side cloud path.

The Sun Palace stood at the easternmost edge of the Heavenly Court.

When he landed, the two guards outside the palace gates snapped upright. Taiyi glanced at them. The younger one's lips moved, as though he wanted to say something.

"Where's Fei Lian?" he asked.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the commander is drilling troops at the training grounds," the older guard replied with a bow.

"Tell him to come see me when he's done."

"Yes!"

He passed through three courtyards and entered the main hall. It was empty except for a meditation cushion in the center—the original owner considered decorations unnecessary, as long as there was somewhere to meditate.

Taiyi did not sit immediately. Instead, he walked to the western wall and pushed open the small window facing the Sun Star.

Golden-red morning light streamed in and fell across his face, warm and soothing. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The Blood Fiend Power churning within him after the battle slowly settled down.

Only then did he begin his internal inspection.

Within his dantian, the Chaos Bell hovered quietly. The three layers of Great Sun restrictions on its surface had all stabilized. It was currently drawing in and exhaling True Sun Fire, illuminating the entire dantian as brightly as day. The dark crimson Blood Fiend patterns along its edge wriggled faintly like living things—the Battle Fiend it had absorbed during the day had already been fully digested, transformed into Chaos-colored energy that sank deep into the bell's body.

The artifact spirit sent him a vague thought, like someone who had just eaten their fill and was dozing off.

Quite the picky eater, Taiyi muttered inwardly. It disdained ordinary fiendish qi and insisted on Battle Fiend born from combat, carrying killing intent and obsession. Where was he supposed to find that in the future? He could not exactly pick fights with people every day, could he?

After inspecting the Chaos Bell, he began sorting through his own condition.

There were three hidden injuries in his meridians, caused by the shock of clashing head-on with Di Jiang. They were not serious; two hours of breathing exercises would heal them. The True Sun Fire circulated smoothly, and his peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm was as stable as ever—indeed, because of that actual battle, his control over his power had improved slightly.

But that was also where the problem lay.

He raised his right hand, palm facing upward, and willed it.

Golden-red flames surged to life in his palm, condensing in the blink of an eye into a three-foot flaming spear. Its shaft was sleek, its spearhead sharp. It looked perfect.

But Taiyi frowned.

Too slow.

From the instant his thought moved to the moment the flames formed a spear, there had been a delay of about one-tenth of a breath. It was usually impossible to notice, but in a true life-or-death crisis, that one-tenth of a breath would become a fatal opening.

He dispersed the spear and tried with his left hand.

This time, it was even slower—nearly one-fifth of a breath.

"As expected..." he said quietly.

His left and right hands controlled power differently—the right was Eastern Emperor Taiyi's habitual hand, and the instinct remained, so the delay was smaller. The left was Lin Yuan's habitual hand, making the delay much more obvious.

This was the consequence of the personalities not having fully merged.

As he pondered this, footsteps sounded outside the hall.

They were soft, but every step was steady as if measured with a ruler—it was Fei Lian.

"Your Majesty." Fei Lian stopped outside the hall.

"Enter."

The curtain was lifted, and Fei Lian entered in silver armor. He dropped to one knee. "This general pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Rise." Taiyi did not look up. "How's the training going?"

"Following Your Majesty's orders, I selected three thousand elite soldiers to focus on coordinated escape techniques." Fei Lian rose, his back perfectly straight. "Results have appeared after three days. A squad of thirty can now use the escape technique at a speed comparable to an early Grand Unity Golden Immortal."

"Mm." Taiyi nodded. "Any new developments from the Witch Race at Wind Burial Valley?"

"Our scouts just sent word." Fei Lian took a jade slip from his robes. "After Di Jiang returned to Pangu Hall, the various Witch Race tribes strengthened their patrols. In particular, the paths leading from Buzhou Mountain to the Heavenly Court have had their hidden sentries tripled. Also..."

He paused and lowered his voice. "The Houtu Tribe has accelerated preparations for its ritual. According to our informant, they brought twelve ancient steles out from deep within the earth veins. Each was carved with incantations from the age of Chaos."

Taiyi accepted the jade slip and swept it with divine sense. It contained a jumble of things: terrain maps, troop deployments, and several incomplete rubbings of ritual texts. The writing twisted like crawling earthworms, but he recognized it at once. It was Chaotic Divine Script used by the Chaos Demon Gods.

The system flickered inside his sea of consciousness:

[Detected fragment of forbidden knowledge]

[Record it?]

"Record it," Taiyi silently answered. The rubbing inside the jade slip vanished instantly, and a new line appeared on the system panel: [Fragment of Chaotic Incantation (1/12)].

"Anything else?" he asked.

"Yes." Fei Lian hesitated. "Mr. Bai Ze came by half an hour ago and left a message."

"Say it."

"He said..." Fei Lian repeated carefully, "The heavenly secrets have become increasingly chaotic, like flowers viewed through fog. If Your Majesty is plotting something, you must be extremely cautious, for there may be more than flowers in the mist. There may also be snakes."

Taiyi narrowed his eyes.

Bai Ze's words had practically laid it bare. The heavenly secrets had become chaotic—because of him. Every time he signed in, the system used forbidden power to disturb the Karma Threads, making even a deduction specialist like Bai Ze unable to see the future clearly.

There might be snakes in the fog... Was he referring to the Heavenly Dao? Or something else?

"Understood." Taiyi waved a hand. "Go on. Continue watching the Witch Race. Report immediately if anything changes."

"Yes!"

Fei Lian bowed and withdrew.

The hall fell quiet again. Taiyi sat cross-legged once more and began regulating his breath.

Two hours later, all his hidden injuries had healed.

He opened his eyes. Golden-red light flashed through them before they regained their clarity. He rose and walked to the window. The sun was already high, its brilliant golden rays filling the Sun Palace.

It was time.

"System, can I take the Pangu Hall mission now?"

[At any time]

[However, the host is advised to make thorough preparations]

[Current estimated success probability: 47.3%]

Not even fifty percent. Taiyi tugged at the corner of his mouth. "What if we add the Time-Space Stasis I just comprehended?"

[Probability increases to 58.6%]

[Still classified as high risk]

"Enough." Taiyi turned around. "Accept the mission."

[Special mission 'Provocation at Pangu Hall' activated]

[Mission requirement: Complete a sign-in within the core restricted zone of Pangu Hall, and leave behind a mark sufficient to enrage the Witch Race]

[Time limit: seventy-two hours]

[Failure penalty: Greatly increased Heavenly Dao attention]

The panel appeared, listing the mission details one by one. Taiyi skimmed through them and understood—the system was forcing him to make a big move. He not only had to sneak in and sign in, but also leave a mark behind, as if it was afraid the Witch Race would not know who had been there.

How vicious.

But he liked it.

After accepting the mission, Taiyi began considering how to tell Di Jun. He certainly could not say directly, "Brother, I'm going to risk my life in the Witch Race's sacred ground." He needed an excuse. Just as he was thinking, another disturbance came from outside the hall—this time, not footsteps, but a gentle yet impossible-to-ignore pressure.

Di Jun had arrived.

Taiyi took a deep breath, wiped the calculating look from his face, and replaced it with the weary expression of someone who had just finished recuperating. He had barely sat on the meditation cushion when the hall doors were pushed open.

Di Jun was not wearing court robes, only simple crimson-gold casual attire. He carried a food box in one hand. Upon entering, he first swept his gaze over Taiyi's complexion, and his furrowed brow relaxed somewhat. "Your injuries aren't serious?"

"Just superficial wounds." Taiyi grinned. "That brute Di Jiang is strong, but he couldn't hit anything vital."

"Still acting tough." Di Jun approached, placed the food box on the ground, and lifted its lid. Inside was a steaming bowl of soup with a medicinal fragrance. "Bai Ze said your soul had been shaken, so he told me to bring this—made with Solar Essence and soul-nourishing herbs. Drink it while it's hot."

Taiyi accepted the bowl. The soup was hot, warming his hands as he held it. He lowered his head and took a sip. Bitterness and sweetness mingled in his mouth before sliding down his throat, soothing every meridian it passed through.

"Tastes good," he said.

"Then drink more." Di Jun sat across from him. His gaze settled on Taiyi's face. He watched him for a long while before speaking. "Taiyi, tell your brother the truth."

The bowl stopped at Taiyi's lips. He raised his eyes. "Mm?"

"Lately..." Di Jun chose his words carefully. "Have you been planning something? Something big."

The hall went quiet for a moment.

Taiyi slowly placed the bowl down, sending ripples over the soup's surface. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm your brother," Di Jun said calmly. "I watched you grow up. Whenever you furrowed your brow, I knew what you were thinking. These past few days, you've frowned more times than you did in the last three hundred years."

Taiyi fell silent.

He looked down at the soup. Steam curled upward, blurring his vision. That trace of guilt rose in his heart again, twisting his stomach into a heavy knot. But the act had to continue, and the road still had to be walked.

"Brother." He raised his head, his expression turning serious. "At Buzhou Mountain, I sensed something."

"What?"

"Deep within Pangu Hall, there is a fluctuation from a strange treasure." Taiyi spoke slowly, weighing every word. "Its aura is terrifyingly ancient. I suspect... it is a true legacy left behind when Father God opened the heavens, not the scattered remnants the Witch Race currently worships."

Di Jun's expression changed. "You want to take it?"

"I do." Taiyi did not evade his gaze. "But we can't take it by force. Pangu Hall is the Witch Race's sacred ground. A direct assault would be a declaration of war. What I mean is... sneak in and investigate first."

"Nonsense!" Di Jun abruptly rose to his feet. The wind stirred by his sleeves nearly overturned the bowl of soup. "Do you know what kind of place Pangu Hall is? The core of the Twelve Capital Gods and Fiends Formation! Even if you can avoid the Witch Race, can you avoid the restrictions? That place rejects anyone without Witch Race blood as fiercely as tossing them into a cauldron of boiling oil!"

"That's why I need preparation." Taiyi stood as well, his eyes burning. "I have the Chaos Bell to protect me and can withstand the rejection. Bai Ze gave me a Void-Escaping Talisman, so I can withdraw immediately if something goes wrong. Besides..."

He paused and lowered his voice. "Brother, the Witch Race's recent movements are wrong. The Houtu Tribe's ritual is far too large in scale. I suspect they are after that legacy too—if they obtain it first, and the Twelve Capital Gods and Fiends Formation advances further, will the Heavenly Court still have any chance of survival?"

Those words struck Di Jun's weak point. His expression shifted repeatedly. He paced around the hall for a few steps before abruptly stopping. "How certain are you?"

"Fifty percent." Taiyi answered honestly. "But if I don't go, we lose with one hundred percent certainty."

Di Jun stared at him intensely, as if trying to peel him apart and see through him completely. After a long while, he released a long breath, took a crimson-gold jade pendant from his robes, and stuffed it into Taiyi's hand.

"This was condensed from my origin blood essence." Di Jun spoke quickly and urgently, as though afraid he would regret it. "If you encounter danger, crush it. It can draw upon thirty percent of the Great Zhou Heavenly Stars Formation's power to protect you—but it can only be used once. If you use it, I will be severely injured. So don't waste it unless it is truly life or death."

The jade pendant was scorching hot in his hand. Taiyi could feel the surging power within it, along with Di Jun's unreserved concern.

His throat tightened. "Brother..."

"Enough nonsense." Di Jun turned his face away. "If you're going, go quickly and return quickly. Three days. Only three days. If you don't return by then, I'll personally lead an army and flatten Buzhou Mountain—my word is my bond."

After saying that, he turned and left. At the door, he paused but did not look back. "Finish the soup. Leave the bowl there; someone will collect it."

The hall doors closed.

Taiyi stood where he was, gripping the burning-hot jade pendant for a long time.

The soup had gone cold.

He tipped his head back and drained the rest in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and his eyes became sharp once more.

The plan was underway.

At midnight, inside the Sun Palace's secret chamber.

Taiyi sat cross-legged at the center of the formation's core, making his final adjustments.

First, he inspected his dantian.

The phantoms of three flowers emerged above his head: the golden-red lotus stood in the center, the dark crimson Higanbana on the left, and the gray-black Chaos Lotus on the right. The Three Flowers revolved slowly, spilling threads of Dao intent that nourished his soul.

Five qi circulated through his chest and abdomen: heart fire, liver wood, spleen earth, lung metal, and kidney water. They should have been pure and balanced Five Elements qi, yet they now carried a hint of Chaos coloration—the trace left by the Blood Fiend Power seeping into them.

This was his current cultivation state: outwardly, he was at the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, but in truth, too many things that should not have existed were mixed within him. The Blood Fiend of a Chaos Demon God, the forbidden system's power, and the mutation of his soul caused by transmigration.

The battle strength he could unleash truly could contend against an early Quasi-Saint.

But the price he had to pay was much greater than that of an ordinary cultivator.

Taiyi took a deep breath and formed hand seals. Within his sea of consciousness, the Chaos Bell trembled softly. Its chime rippled outward, drawing all Three Flowers and Five Qi back into his body. For the infiltration ahead, not even the slightest trace of his aura could leak out.

Then he began checking his equipment.

The Chaos Bell had already been returned to his sea of consciousness for nourishment and could be used at any moment.

The Blood Fiend Power lay dormant deep within his meridians. Once activated, it could put him into the "Chaos True Body" state within three breaths—the price was that his body would begin to collapse after three breaths.

Bai Ze's Void-Escaping Talisman was pressed against the center of his chest, while Di Jun's jade pendant hung at his waist. The latter was scorching hot in his hand, and he could clearly sense the immense power contained within that drop of blood essence.

[System, activate navigation.]

[Planning route...]

[Optimal infiltration route generated: Depart from the northeastern corner of the Thirty-Third Heaven, use the Sun Star's projection as cover, skirt the edge of Northern Darkness, and enter through an earth-vein fissure on the shadowed side of Buzhou Mountain.]

[Estimated arrival time: one shichen.]

[Warning: Witch Race patrol density is extremely high. Remaining concealed throughout is recommended.]

This system was pretty useful. Heh heh.

Taiyi closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, the hesitation and guilt in his eyes had vanished, leaving only a calm, cold gleam.

He rose to his feet without using the door—the north wall of the secret chamber held a hidden window that led directly to the sea of clouds outside the palace. As he pushed it open, the night wind poured in, carrying the unique chill of the Thirty-Third Heaven.

He looked back at the secret chamber where he had stayed for three days: the meditation cushion, the empty bowl, and the star map on the wall.

Then he leaped forward, turning into a streak of golden light and vanishing into the night.

As he passed the Observatory Platform, he caught sight of Bai Ze still standing there, gazing up at the chaotic starry sky. His moon-white figure looked slender in the night wind, yet as steady as a pine rooted in the earth.

Their gazes met for an instant in midair.

Bai Ze nodded gently and traced an ancient blessing sigil before his chest with his right hand.

Taiyi nodded as well. The golden light accelerated, tearing through the clouds as it sped toward the northeast.

Below, atop the Demon Master's Palace.

Kunpeng stood with his hands behind his back on the upturned eaves, his black robes nearly blending into the darkness. He watched the retreating golden light, a trace of amusement curling at the corner of his lips.

"Pangu Hall... Eastern Emperor Your Majesty, that was a truly dangerous move."

The night was still deep.

The wind was fierce.

Like an arrow, the golden light shot toward the oldest and most dangerous land in the Great Wilderness.

And waiting for him there was not only Pangu Hall.

There was also a long-laid fuse—

A clash on a narrow path.