Kong Deming and Kong Xuan listened quietly, their faces expressionless, until Shi Bing finished speaking.
Kong Deming then pressed on in a deep voice, "Who was the person who contacted you? What is their identity? What are their distinguishing features?"
Upon Shi Bing shook her head blankly. "No one knows him. He hides himself very well and has never shown his true face, but..."
He frowned, seemingly trying to recall the remaining memories, "However, during my brief encounter with him, I keenly sensed that he... was faintly Entanglement by an extremely unsettling, chilling, and Evil aura!"
Evil aura!
Upon hearing this description, Kong Deming and Kong Xuan exchanged a glance almost simultaneously, both seeing the same answer in each other's eyes— Evil Soul Master!
Kong Deming's brows furrowed suddenly. His mind raced, and with a wave of his hand, an invisible spatial barrier instantly rose, completely isolating Shi Bing, who was slumped on the ground with a dejected expression, from the outside.
The Holy Spirit Cult has been rooted and developed in the Sun Moon Empire for over a thousand years, with its influence deeply entrenched and complex, even having intricate and ambiguous relationships with the Sun Moon Imperial Family.
Kong Deming personally despises Evil Soul Master, has always disdained associating with them, and is too lazy to bother with their sordid dealings.
However, regardless of the circumstances, any connection with Evil Soul Master would ultimately be a huge scandal if word got out.
Therefore, it's best not to let Shi Bing, an outsider, overhear the following conversation about the Holy Spirit Cult.
He looked at Kong Xuan, his brows still furrowed, and said in a deep voice, "If Shi Bing wasn't lying, then the one pulling the strings behind the scenes is most likely that group of shady characters from the Holy Spirit Cult."
Kong Xuan nodded, acknowledging the assessment. "Judging from their motives and style of operation, it does indeed fit the Holy Spirit Cult's modus operandi of stirring up trouble from the shadows, however..."
He then changed the subject, asking, "I have no connection with the Holy Spirit Cult, let alone any enmity with them. Why would they go to such lengths to kill me?"
A flash of disgust and coldness crossed Kong Deming's eyes as he sneered, "The thoughts of those Evil Soul Master are twisted and perverse, beyond the comprehension of ordinary people."
"Perhaps it's the talent and potential you've shown that made them feel threatened?"
"Or perhaps they simply want to test the reaction of my Sun Moon Empire by killing you, to stir up trouble and fish in troubled waters?"
"However, the fact that they were able to leverage the power of the Dou Ling and Heavenly Soul kingdoms to make a move this time is truly... somewhat beyond my expectations."
Kong Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "Grandpa, although Shi Bing has confessed, it is ultimately only his side of the story. We should listen to both sides to gain a clear understanding, and believe only one side to gain a false sense of security."
"Since we have other prisoners in our hands, we might as well interrogate them as well and cross-verify their statements. This will not only determine the truth of Shi Bing's words, but we might also be able to piece together more complete information from different people and see if there are any omissions or contradictions."
Upon hearing this, Kong Deming gave his grandson an approving look and nodded, saying, "What you say is absolutely right, just as it should be."
Without further hesitation, he removed the spatial barrier that had isolated him from the Shi Bing.
Immediately afterwards, he waved his sleeve again, and the power of the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield fluctuated. Another figure, whose aura was weakened and imprisoned by the God Sealing Ring, was thrown down next to Shi Bing with a "bang" as if by an invisible force.
This Titled Douluo looked a little younger, but he was equally disheveled at the moment, his eyes filled with unease.
He first looked around blankly, and when he saw Shi Bing next to him, whose face was ashen, a bad feeling rose in his heart.
Without any preamble, Kong Deming pressed forward with his powerful Divine Power, his voice as cold as a judge's. "Speak! Who ordered you to come and ambush my Sun Kong Xuan?"
"Tell me everything you know, down to the last detail!"
"This Spatial Domain Douluo has already confessed. If even a single word he uttered is false, or if it differs from what Shi Bing said..."
Kong Deming didn't finish his sentence, but the threatening tone was already quite clear.
The titled Titled Douluo suddenly glanced at Shi Bing on the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief. He hadn't expected that their "leader" had been so righteous inside, declaring "I'd rather die than tell."
He's only been out for a short time, and he's already "confessed"?!
After establishing Shi Bing as a breakthrough point, the subsequent interrogations of the other three people naturally went much more smoothly.
Faced with Kong Deming's overwhelming strength and Shi Bing's confession, the other three Titled Douluo offered little resistance and resignedly revealed the information they knew.
After comparing the information with other sources, the facts that Shi Bing had previously stated were largely confirmed, ruling out the possibility that he had fabricated them.
However, when they interrogated the last person, Kong Deming and Kong Xuan received an unexpected surprise.
This Titled Douluo is named Chen Qing, with the title of Heavenly Spirit. He comes from the Heavenly Soul Empire and is a rather rare Titled Douluo with Spiritual System.
Compared to the others, he appeared calmer; although there was fear in his eyes, he also retained a hint of contemplation and weighing of options.
After giving the same basic information as the others, his eyes flickered slightly. He looked up at Kong Deming and said with a hint of probing, "Palace Master Kong, although that person tried his best to hide his figure and appearance, my Martial Soul is of the Mental Attribute, and I have some expertise in Divine Power perception."
"At that time, I secretly activated my Soul Skill and vaguely... saw through his disguise and glimpsed his true face beneath."
Upon hearing this, Kong Deming and Kong Xuan's eyes simultaneously narrowed!
This is extremely crucial information!
If we could know the contact's exact appearance, the chances of uncovering their true identity would greatly increase!
Chen Qing observed Kong Deming's expression and continued cautiously, "If Palace Master Kong trusts me and is willing to temporarily lift the seal on me, I can use my memory and Divine Power to materialize that person's appearance for Palace Master to recognize."
In order to prevent the Sun Moon Empire from going to war with the Heavenly Soul Empire, he must also demonstrate his own value!
Kong Deming had captured the four people with lightning speed, which was a complete crushing of strength. He hadn't really noticed that Chen Qing was Titled Douluo with Mental Attribute.
Upon hearing this, he raised an eyebrow and scrutinized Chen Qing.
A moment later, Kong Deming didn't waste any words and casually waved his hand...
"Click, click, click, click, click!"
With five soft sounds, the God Sealing Ring that had been binding Chen Qing's neck and limbs fell off and transformed into five streams of light, flying back into Kong Deming's hand.
A powerful surge of Soul Power instantly returned to Chen Qing's body like a tidal wave. The aura of Titled Douluo surged forth once more, causing him to let out a comfortable groan, and his listless spirit was instantly invigorated.
However, before he could even think of making any move, an even more vast and terrifying pressure, like an invisible mountain, firmly suppressed his rising aura!
Kong Deming didn't even look at him specifically, but the meaning was clear—you'd better behave yourself in front of me.
The fleeting whim that had just arisen in Chen Qing's mind vanished instantly, leaving only awe and reverence.
He dared not be negligent, so he quickly composed himself, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
A powerful Divine Power began to ripple around his body, and a pale silver light gathered at the center of his brow.
He made a series of hand gestures in front of his chest, and streams of condensed Divine Power, like paintbrushes, outlined and intertwined in the void...
Gradually, a blurry human silhouette began to appear, followed by the gradual clarifying of facial features.
When that face finally appeared completely clear and lifelike...
Kong Deming's gaze sharpened; he didn't even need to send anyone out to investigate and verify, because he had already recognized the person.
It is the Nangong Wan of the Holy Spirit Cult!