This Was Your Plan?

"Oh, right! Let's get down to business!"

Ying Huaixu hurriedly put away his sword, then retrieved a scroll from a hidden compartment in the inner room, leaving He Xiuyuan staring in disbelief.

Wait, I didn't even see you look for it.

He Xiuyuan was utterly bewildered.

What bewildered him even more was that the scroll was secured by a mechanical lock.

Yet in Ying Huaixu's hands, that mechanism might as well not have existed.

Ying Huaixu opened the mechanism-equipped box in a few quick moves and calmly took out the scroll inside.

Had they not been with Ying Huaixu the entire way, He Xiuyuan would have suspected that he was working for the other side.

Of course, that was absolutely impossible.

Who would slaughter their own people so ruthlessly?

Ying Huaixu, meanwhile, paid none of this any mind.

He simply unrolled the scroll and began reading.

This was the quest item for the mission's first stage.

Ying Huaixu read through its contents.

After finishing, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The overall situation had barely changed. The Thousand Mechanisms Sect still planned to construct a Blood Sacrifice Array and sacrifice everyone in Falling Radiance City. They had even deliberately leaked the information to lure more Outer Disciples from the Divine Firmament Sword Sect to their deaths.

Once Ying Huaixu finished reading, he handed the scroll to He Xiuyuan.

He Xiuyuan's face turned deathly pale as he read it, anger mingling with his shock.

"Those animals!"

But after cursing them, He Xiuyuan suddenly looked at Ying Huaixu.

"What do we do next? Should we report this to the sect?"

Ying Huaixu nodded. "Of course we should!"

Wasn't that obvious?

The first act of this World Mission was to investigate the demonic cultivators and report back to the sect.

Even if Ying Huaixu knew how the story would unfold, he still had to complete the mission, didn't he?

After receiving Ying Huaixu's answer, He Xiuyuan immediately took out his Jade Token.

But before submitting the mission report, He Xiuyuan suddenly looked at Ying Huaixu.

"What should I write?"

Ying Huaixu said, "..."

Still, Ying Huaixu really did need to give this some thought!

When completing missions in the game, the system had dictated the contents of the report to the sect.

But this wasn't a game now. Could I... tweak the report a little?

Ying Huaixu decided to give it a try.

"Report the facts, but add this: it was far too easy for us to discover such important information, almost as if someone deliberately wanted us to find it. It seems like bait!"

He Xiuyuan scratched his head.

"It was a little easy to get this information, but that's not quite the same as what you're saying!"

Ying Huaixu was speechless. "Why the hell are you arguing? Just write what I told you!"

He Xiuyuan said, "Oh, okay..."

And he really did write it that way.

Once the mission report was finished, the three of them began waiting.

Although Ying Huaixu wanted to keep a straight face, he could barely suppress his grin.

World Mission, act one complete. Successfully uncovered the Thousand Mechanisms Sect's blood sacrifice plan. Rewards: 5,000 experience, 1,000 spirit stones, 20 Spirit Leaves!

World Mission, stage two unlocked. Infiltrate the City Lord's Manor and investigate the object of the blood sacrifice!

The rewards for this World Mission were much higher than when he had played the game.

The spirit stone reward was substantial too.

But these Spirit Leaves-what the hell were they even for?

He Xiuyuan simply couldn't sit still.

On the way back, He Xiuyuan asked again, "Ying, are we heading back to the sect next, or what?"

Ying Huaixu shook his head. "Unless something unexpected happens, the sect will assign us another mission!"

He Xiuyuan didn't believe him.

"Surely not. This is already more than we can handle!"

"Even if they give us another mission, what would it be?"

Ying Huaixu put on a solemn, inscrutable air.

"I think that even after receiving our findings, the sect won't immediately mobilize too many people. And with the Thousand Mechanisms Sect involved, they'll have to consider things carefully!"

"So the sect may have us secretly investigate the City Lord's Manor next. They may even ask us to find out exactly who the Thousand Mechanisms Sect and the city lord intend to offer this blood sacrifice to, after going to such lengths to set up the Blood Sacrifice Array!"

He Xiuyuan shook his head.

"Surely not. Although I'm at the first layer of meridian opening now, the sect still thinks I'm at the ninth layer of body tempering. You're at body tempering fifth layer, and Junior Sister Ningshuang is only at body tempering first layer!"

"With our lineup, wouldn't taking that mission be suicide?"

No sooner had he said that than He Xiuyuan noticed his Identity Token flashing.

He Xiuyuan took the token and read its contents, his face going blank.

He looked at Ying Huaixu, then back at the token, his face full of disbelief.

"You, you, you... this, this, this..."

Ye Ningshuang also looked at the token and was briefly shocked.

But once she remembered that Ying Huaixu had predicted it, it suddenly seemed much more reasonable.

"You're amazing, Senior Brother!"

He Xiuyuan took a deep breath.

The mission details were far too close to what Ying Huaixu had said.

But He Xiuyuan couldn't understand it.

"But is it really right to give this mission to us?"

Ying Huaixu smiled.

"Relax. Although our Divine Firmament Sword Sect has no spies in its ranks, that doesn't mean we don't have spies in other sects. We even have someone in the City Lord's Manor!"

"They say we're to investigate the City Lord's Manor, but all we actually have to do is find the spy and collect the intelligence he's carrying. Then we're done!"

He Xiuyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now that makes sense!"

But a moment later, He Xiuyuan's brain stalled again.

"Wait, that's not right. The mission doesn't mention any of that. We don't know who the spy is, so how are we supposed to complete it?"

Ying Huaixu smiled.

"Simple. We disguise ourselves as members of the Thousand Mechanisms Sect, and someone will naturally come to meet us!"

He Xiuyuan nodded.

"That makes sense!"

With their minds made up, the three prepared to wait until nightfall.

But after night fell, Ying Huaixu's infiltration plan left He Xiuyuan rather bewildered.

He Xiuyuan had actually wanted to sneak in too.

The game system could even mark these people's lines of sight.

But Ying Huaixu still couldn't resist.

Killing these people during the mission would still earn him experience.

So Ying Huaixu turned to Ye Ningshuang.

"How about we try a full-clear infiltration?"

Ye Ningshuang asked in confusion, "What's a full-clear infiltration?"

Ying Huaixu said, "Kill 'em all!"

Ye Ningshuang instantly perked up. "Okay!"

Then the two of them began a wholesale slaughter.

Before long, they had wiped out everyone at one of the Thousand Mechanisms Sect's outposts.

Ying Huaixu grew even more excited.

Even the people Ye Ningshuang killed gave him experience.

"Come on, come on! Next one!"

The two excited figures then dragged a bewildered He Xiuyuan off to attack the next outpost.

Although He Xiuyuan was bewildered, he still joined in.

His thoughts were just a little tangled right now.

"Wait, wait!"

He Xiuyuan hurriedly called Ying Huaixu to a halt.

"This is what you call infiltration?"

Ying Huaixu nodded. "There's nothing wrong with it. As long as everyone's dead, no one will know we snuck in!"

He Xiuyuan said, "?!!!"