Chapter 164 Covert and Overt Actions

"Damn, so the Devil Monarch really killed the Arbiter of Deceitful Eyes!" Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of emotions.

Although he had proposed the hypothesis that the Devil Monarch killed the Arbiter of Deceitful Eyes, it was merely a bold assumption lacking careful verification.

Therefore, when he heard Fu Qingyang assert with certainty that the Saint's relic of Corruption had been influenced by the Devil Monarch and that the Arbiter of Deceitful Eyes was killed by the Devil Monarch, Zhang Yuanqing felt that the Centurion's judgment was too confident and too arbitrary.

But now, after listening to this conversation, Zhang Yuanqing was convinced that the Arbiter of Deceitful Eyes was indeed killed by the Devil Monarch.

Even the reason why Black Impermanence had connected with the Dark Night Rose was because of the Devil Monarch.

The causes and consequences were all linked together at once.

"The power of the Dark Night Rose has already infiltrated to the level of stewards? Damn, the Five Elements Alliance is too large, and it's inevitable that all sorts of demons and monsters will emerge. Brother Bing said not to trust the authorities too much, perhaps there are factors in this regard..."

"Why did the Devil Monarch say that killing ten Lawful Faction professionals each month was his task? Where did this task come from? Was it arranged by the Spirit Realm? Is this why he became a Fallen, hated by the Taiyi Sect?"

In short, the Devil Monarch was indeed involved with the Arbiter of Deceitful Eyes and Black Impermanence. Then, the reason why Brother Bing wanted me to obtain the roster can also be understood...

Zhang Yuanqing immediately thought about whether to subtly tell Fu Qingyang this information.

This would undoubtedly be an opportunity to earn great merit and improve his standing.

"No, there's no need. Heng Xingwuji's memories have already provided hints, there's no need for me to say it again. Moreover, since the Dark Night Rose can infiltrate to the level of stewards, whether Fu Qingyang is trustworthy is still questionable."

Zhang Yuanqing waited for a while, but the Cat King speaker did not play any more audio.

He immediately wrapped the speaker in a thin blanket to create simple sound insulation and burrowed into the quilt.

"The Devil Monarch has experienced a copy from the Ming Dynasty. The characters in the copy relied on cultivation, which is consistent with the contents of the handscrolls I saw in the Niangniang Temple of Three Paths Mountain. If the Spirit Realm is a parallel world, then we are outsiders with a 'system,' leveling up by doing tasks?"

"As expected, I'm not the only one who has noticed that there may be secrets hidden within the Spirit Realm. The Devil Monarch is a high-level Spirit Realm walker, I wonder if he has investigated this matter further. Actually, the best way is to meet the Niangniang of Three Paths Mountain, but that old hag is too terrifying."

"The Cat King speaker records too many secrets, which can bring me a lot of information beyond my authority. By making good use of the information gap, I can control more secrets and knowledge than other Spirit Realm walkers..."

His thoughts wandered as he gradually drifted into dreamland.

Morning.

In a luxurious and splendid private room of the Huayu Hotel's restaurant, Xie Lingxi warmly received two distinguished guests – Xiahou Xin and Xiahou Tianyuan.

"Speaking of which, it's been a few years since I've seen my niece, and she's become even more charming."

Xiahou Xin picked up his coffee and took a sip. He waved his hand in the air, conjuring a small mirror with a bronze handle and a brass face, about the size of a palm.

He smiled and said, "This is a gift from your uncle, a small prop. It's not very useful, just consider it a toy."

"Thank you, Uncle," Xie Lingxi said with bright eyes and a delicate voice.

Xiahou Tianyuan, who was sitting beside them, couldn't help but take a few more glances. He hadn't seen this girl in many years. The last time he saw her, she was still in junior high school, and although she was pretty and had the makings of a beauty, she was still too young after all.

He didn't expect that after a few years, she would have become so refined and ethereal, with a sweet and tender voice, bright eyes, white teeth, and a pure and innocent demeanor.

After giving the gift, Xiahou Xin went straight to the point: "Lingxi, I heard that you came to Songhai to see that person from the Palace of Ceaseless Killing?"

"Yes, I haven't seen Palace Master Sister for a long time, so I came to visit her," Xie Lingxi nodded obediently.

Xiahou Xin nodded with satisfaction and asked in a gentle tone, "Do you know where she is?"

Xie Lingxi shook her head: "She hid after fighting with Grandpa Xiahou, and I don't know where she is."

Xiahou Xin wasn't surprised by this answer. He smiled slightly and changed the subject:

"You and Tianyuan are of the same generation, so you should get closer in the future. Although Tianyuan is not very accomplished, he has reached level 3 and becoming a Saint is only a matter of time."

Xie Lingxi immediately put on an admiring expression, clasped her hands together, and her eyes sparkled:

"Brother Tianyuan is so amazing."

Xiahou Tianyuan was stunned. He had seen many women's flattery and attempts to please him, but this kind of pure admiration, like a young girl who had never seen the world admiring the big brother next door, was so beautiful and so pure.

He couldn't help but feel a little elated.

Xie Lingxi changed the subject: "I heard that there is a young man named Yuan Shitianzun in the Five Elements Alliance who is a genius."

Xiahou Tianyuan's face darkened, and an inexplicable anger arose, as if his beautiful moment had been stolen. He glanced at his father and said casually:

"Being able to clear two S-grade Spirit Realms shows that he has some ability."

Xie Lingxi glanced at him and said with a smile, "I believe Brother Tianyuan is stronger than him."

After Xiahou and his son finished breakfast, they said goodbye and left.

As soon as they left, the innocence and sweetness on Xie Lingxi's face disappeared, and she became calm.

Xiahou Tianyuan and Brother Yuanshi had a conflict? Hmm, at least something unpleasant happened...

The day before yesterday, Brother Yuanshi called her to inquire about information about the Xiahou family, which she found strange. If it was just curiosity, he could have easily inquired about it within the Five Elements Alliance.

Some basic information could be found out, enough to satisfy curiosity. Why ask her?

So she tested him just now. With Xiahou Tianyuan's arrogant personality, he would probably have been floating in the sky under her flattery, which contained the abilities of a musician. But when she turned around and praised Brother Yuanshi, Xiahou Tianyun restrained his temper.

There must have been a conflict, and the Xiahou family didn't want people to know about it. After all, Brother Yuanshi had made contributions. Ah, was he bullied by Xiahou Tianyuan?

Xie Lingxi was wondering whether to call and express her concern for her brother when the female assistant next to her said:

"Miss, they were using a lie detection tool to test you just now."

Xie Lingxi gave an "hmm" and said, "Go find out if the Xiahou family has had a conflict with Yuan Shitianzun and investigate the reason."

Female assistant: "Yes!"

In the elevator, Xiahou Tianyuan clicked his tongue and said:

"This girl is getting more and more beautiful. Dad, I want to marry her. Can you go to the Xie family to propose marriage for me?"

Xiahou Tianyuan was different from his older brother Xiahou Tianwen. The latter's纨绔 lay in his obsession with women, while the former's problem lay in his personality: arrogant, domineering, and overbearing.

Xiahou Xin pondered:

"Speaking of which, your third aunt is a collateral relative of the Xie family. I can ask her to sound them out. With your talent, you are more than worthy of her."

The father and son stopped talking, exited the elevator, and entered the car surrounded by bodyguards.

Xiahou Xin looked ahead and got down to business:

"That girl really doesn't know the hiding place of the Palace Master of Ceaseless Killing. Perhaps she has a way to contact her, but it's not important. We can't possibly force the daughter of the Xie family. Now, the clues to the other members of the Palace of Ceaseless Killing have also been cut off. You came out with me to gain experience, and after watching for so long, what are your thoughts?"

Just as the official organization was searching for Black Impermanence like looking for a needle in a haystack, the Xiahou family was finding the Palace Master of Ceaseless Killing equally difficult.

It was extremely difficult to find a high-level Spirit Realm walker in the vast sea of people. The other party had too many methods to avoid real-world detection methods.

Xiahou Tianyuan smiled:

"No matter how powerful a Spirit Realm walker is, as long as you figure out their real-world roots, you can make them submit obediently. The Xie family has contact with her, so they must have some understanding of her real-world identity. She must have someone she cares about in the real world.

"We can't do anything about the core members of the Xie family, but we can bribe ordinary people in the Xie family to inquire about it."

Xiahou Xin glanced at his son. Compared to his eldest son, he preferred his youngest son. Although he was domineering and arrogant, and didn't follow the rules, not following the rules meant that he wouldn't be bound by them.

When Xiahou Tianyuan was young, Xiahou Xin saw this advantage in his son. Over the years, he had indulged him, occasionally knocking and beating him, and he felt that he had cultivated him well.

Xiahou Tianyuan had indeed not disappointed him. There were many young people in the family who were more talented than him, but when a real fight broke out, the one who got bullied was definitely not Xiahou Tianyuan.

After a few more years of training, when he mastered the degree of "arrogance," his achievements would definitely be greater than those of his eldest son, Xiahou Tianwen.

"Anything else?" Xiahou Xin asked.

"Of course." Xiahou Tianyuan touched his silver ear stud and sneered:

"That guy named Wang Qian, although he has hidden, his family can't hide, and his relatives and friends can't hide. I'll find someone to drive a car and kill his family to give him a warning, and he'll naturally come out."

Xiahou Xin shook his head: "That's too extreme. This is not our territory, and it will attract the intervention of the Five Elements Alliance."

Xiahou Tianyuan seemed to have expected his father to answer like this, and then said a second plan:

"Then we'll kidnap his family, capture them but don't kill them. After we lure out Wang Qian, we'll release his family, and the Five Elements Alliance will naturally not turn against us."

Xiahou Xin nodded slightly:

"Execute both plans together."

He didn't say anything else and looked out the car window, with a look of worry between his brows.

The fact that that woman could investigate the Xiahou family meant that there was definitely someone behind her.

This incident was very棘手, and even the most extreme means had to be tried.

Xie Lingxi changed into her sportswear and stretched her beautiful figure like a willow branch by the window, planning to go to the hotel gym for half an hour of exercise.

There was no other way. She had been eating a lot lately, big fish and big meat, and desserts after meals. And the Musicians in the Transcendent stage had limited enhancements in physical fitness. If she didn't exercise regularly, she would still be at risk of gaining weight.

Of course, gaining weight wasn't a bad thing, but she was just afraid of gaining weight in the wrong places.

Xie Lingxi looked down at her disappointing little chest and comforted herself:

"This is better, it's beneficial for combat. Women with big breasts die quickly..."

At this moment, the female assistant in a small suit and skirt pushed the door open and said:

"Miss, I just found out that the Xiahou family had contacted Yuan Shitianzun. One of the members of the Palace of Ceaseless Killing is his informant. The Xiahou family hopes that Yuan Shitianzun can help lure out that member.

"But there should have been no conflict between the two parties."

When Xie Lingxi heard the first half of the sentence, she frowned. When she heard the second half, she immediately smiled:

"It seems that after being rejected by Brother Yuanshi, the Xiahou family secretly approached him. Quickly get my phone, I want to express my concern for my brother. He must have been beaten by Xiahou Tianyuan."

The female assistant immediately walked to the bed, unplugged the phone charger, and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window, saying:

"There's one more thing, it's about last night."