Chen Qingyu's expression shifted, and he pressed for an answer:
What was the result?
Quasi-Emperor Qinghe frowned and said in a deep voice:
"In just six months, more than twenty Quasi-Emperor have fallen within the alliance!"
"Among them, at least three are powerful Quasi-Emperor who have ascended to the Seventh Heavenly Stair!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingyu's expression changed slightly:
"This..."
This rate of decline is absolutely abnormal.
Under normal circumstances:
When Quasi-Emperor fight each other, it is rare for one side to fall.
First, the Quasi-Emperor have a strong ability to survive; defeating opponents is easy, but killing them is difficult.
Even within the Divine Throne, those directly competitive secret realms can be abandoned and left at any time, which to some extent guarantees the safety of the Quasi-Emperor.
Secondly, in the early stages of the opening of the Divine Throne, the overall situation was in the exploration phase, and the competition had not yet reached a fever pitch.
In places like the Heavenly Star Lesser Realm, where everyone follows the guidance and the competition is exceptionally fierce, such situations are extremely rare.
"Brother Qinghe..."
Chen Qingyu raised his head, looked at Quasi-Emperor Qinghe, and asked:
What caused this?
Upon hearing this, Quasi-Emperor Qinghe shook his head and said:
The specific reason is currently unclear.
"However, the possibility of some kind of danger or turmoil suddenly arising within the Kunyu Divine Throne is extremely small."
"Therefore, I suspect that someone is deliberately and systematically hunting down the Quasi-Emperor of the various alliances."
Chen Qingyu felt a chill run down his spine:
"A planned hunt? Do other allies do the same?"
"Good."
Quasi-Emperor Qinghe's expression was solemn as he said in a deep voice:
"It's not just our Holy Protection Alliance; the other four major alliances have also suffered heavy casualties among their Quasi-Emperor in the past six months, which is extremely abnormal."
"A rough count reveals that over a hundred Quasi-Emperor have perished in the past six months!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingyu couldn't help but take a deep breath:
"Hundreds of Quasi-Emperor..."
This number is truly alarming.
If this number holds true, the Quasi-Emperor of the five major alliances will all be dead within twenty or thirty years at most.
Who is behind all this?!
"Brother Taiyu.".2⓪.С○мш
Quasi-Emperor Qinghe's expression was solemn:
"Now you know how serious this situation is, right?"
"Not only me, but the temporary leaders of the other four alliances also felt deeply threatened and decided to expose the mastermind hiding in the shadows."
He paused for a moment before continuing:
"After our meeting, we unanimously decided that each of the five alliances would contribute one person to form a Joint Investigation Team to thoroughly investigate this matter."
"Based on initial assessments, the mastermind behind this is either extremely powerful or not acting alone, but rather part of an organized group."
"Therefore, the envoys sent by the five major alliances must be Peak Quasi-Emperor, or at least possess the strength of the Ninth Heavenly Stair."
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingyu suddenly realized:
"So... Brother Qinghe is planning to have me investigate this matter on behalf of the Holy Protection Alliance?"
His brow furrowed slightly.
"Excuse my bluntness, but why did you come to me, Brother Qinghe?"
"The alliance is full of powerful individuals; surely there are more suitable people than me?"
To be fair, he had no intention of getting involved in this mess.
Not only is it not beneficial, it also wastes time. If things don't go well or nothing is found, you'll end up taking the blame.
"Brother Taiyu."
Quasi-Emperor Qinghe a wry smile and said helplessly:
"You don't know this, I really had no other choice but to come to you..."
Then he began to explain.
Despite the Holy Protection Alliance's impressive number of Quasi-Emperor and its formidable power, it only boasts a handful of Peak Quasi-Emperor, numbering only seven or eight.
And among these seven or eight:
There are three of the strongest fighters who participated in the previous secret battle. For the past six months, they have been following the Emperor Venerable on their adventures in the fourth level of the Divine Throne, scouting ahead for the Emperor Venerable, assisting them, and doing the hard and tiring work.
The Emperor Venerable would occasionally share some soup with them, which made them extremely happy and reluctant to leave.
These three people are unlikely to work for Quasi-Emperor Qinghe. Even if they were willing to agree, the Emperor Venerable would not agree to let go of their tools.
Secondly:
There are also several Peak Quasi-Emperor, all from other Emperor Venerable- level major forces such as the Immeasurable Dao Sect and the Mingzang Li Clan, which Quasi-Emperor Qinghe doesn't really have much power to command.
As for himself, he had to oversee the Holy Protection Alliance on one hand and serve the descendants of Kunyu on the other, leaving him with no time to even venture into the Divine Throne, let alone investigate.
After much deliberation, he couldn't find a suitable candidate, so he turned his attention to Chen Qingyu.
"Brother Taiyu!"
Quasi-Emperor Qinghe said earnestly:
"This Joint Investigation Team comprises five Peak Quasi-Emperor level combatants. Regardless of whether they can uncover the truth, they are at least unlikely to encounter any danger."
"At worst, it's just a wasted effort and a return empty-handed."
"As long as you're willing to take the lead and represent my Holy Protection Alliance as an investigator, you can name your terms—they'll be incredibly generous!"
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingyu was immediately tempted and said:
"Then I want the Taihao Core."
Quasi-Emperor Qinghe's expression immediately changed, and he said in shock and anger:
"That's impossible!"
"Brother Taiyu, you're making outrageous demands and taking advantage of my misfortune!"
He paused slightly, then said in a deep voice:
"How precious are the Taihao Core? Even I don't have any; they're all treasured in the hands of the Emperor Venerable."
"Do you expect me to go and ask the Emperor Venerable for it?"
"Brother Taiyu, how about you change your terms? Don't you need the Star Soul Life-Creation Pill? I can arrange for it to be allocated separately..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingyu shook his head and said:
"Brother Qinghe, I've exchanged more than ten Star Soul Life-Creation Pill from the alliance's treasury."
"Now, this miraculous pill is becoming less and less effective for me; I've developed resistance to it."
"This..."
Upon hearing this, Quasi-Emperor Qinghe hesitated for a moment before speaking:
Three!
"As long as you're willing to help, I can arrange to allocate three Star Soul Life-Creation Pill to you all at once!"
Even though the medication's effectiveness has decreased, it's still quite helpful to you, isn't it?
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingyu's eyes flashed, and he immediately spoke:
Five!
Quasi-Emperor Qinghe frowned slightly and shook his head, saying:
You're asking for too much!
"You should know that refining the Star Soul Life-Creation Pill is inherently difficult, and its main ingredient can only be found in the Void Cosmos."
"Moreover, over the past year, the alliance has prioritized supplying you, and you've almost emptied the stock..."
The two went back and forth, bargaining, until finally each compromised.
Chen Qingyu, representing the Holy Protection Alliance, participated in the Joint Investigation Team. His reward was four Star Soul Life-Creation Pill, which would be paid upon completion of the mission.
After agreeing on the terms, everyone was naturally happy, and Quasi-Emperor Qinghe's expression relaxed.
"Brother Taiyu."
He reached out and flipped his hand, taking out a jade slip and handing it to Chen Qingyu:
"This is a summary of information from the five major alliances."
"The exploration routes, connections, and death locations of the numerous Quasi-Emperor who have fallen over the past six months are all contained within."
"If you are ready, set off as soon as possible; this matter cannot be delayed any longer."
"Good."
Chen Qingyu nodded slightly, accepted the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and casually said:
"I'll set off immediately..."
You provided the starting sign-in rewards for the legendary Zhuang Shisan, featuring Chen Qingyu from the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Transformations Zhuang Shisan.