After hearing the news from the Empress, Xie Qing couldn’t help but be interested in the situation. So, he asked his acquaintances to conduct an investigation. Although he didn’t get enough information, at least Yu Longfeng’s words proved to be reliable.
“This is strange, Your Majesty. Although these disturbances are currently minor, I believe we should nip them in the bud,” the man said the next day after their conversation, now with his own information.
“Oh? Well, actually, I’ve also been thinking and realized that this situation has the potential to become a problem, so I’ve been considering how to resolve it,” Yu Longfeng replied calmly, sipping her tea.
Just like the day before, they were in her garden, sitting at a table surrounded by beautiful flowers and animals. What was called a garden was so vast that even Xie Qing, with all his wealth, could only marvel at the Empress’s rich purse.
“And how? Have you found a solution?” Xie Qing asked, rhythmically tapping on the table, creating a mysterious, tense melody, his eyes narrowing.
“Hmm?” Yu Longfeng smiled seductively, then replied, “No.”
“…”
Xie Qing sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. He really didn’t know how to deal with this woman. She was… so carefree!
“And you… Empress… sigh…”
“That was a joke. Stop being so serious,” Yu Longfeng said with a squint, letting out an annoyed snort. She continued, ignoring the skeptical expression on her interlocutor’s face: “I’ve already taken measures, and all those who caused the disturbances have been arrested and are being interrogated. Moreover, I’ve asked Lady Zhang Mei to come and strengthen the formations, as well as add new ones focused on surveillance. She will arrive soon.”
“Hmm, if Lady Zhang is handling the formations, there’s no need to worry,” Xie Qing continued calmly and looked at the report he received after the reconnaissance team completed their search. He narrowed his eyes: “But… is everything really as simple as it seems on paper? I think there’s more to this, we just can’t see it.”
“More to it? Do you suspect someone’s plan? That someone wants to divert our attention?” Yu Longfeng raised an eyebrow and sat up straight: “Well, that actually sounds logical…”
Xie Qing leaned back in his chair and looked at Yu Longfeng, who had fallen into thought. He didn’t just suspect, he was certain. That’s what his intuition told him, and it rarely lied.
So, from the beginning, after reading the report, Xie Qing was convinced that someone was likely involved in this situation. Because, no matter how well thought out it was, one couldn’t ignore the fact that the sudden increase in disturbances was extremely suspicious.
“But who?” Xie Qing wondered, rubbing his nose, his eyes narrowing: “Who exactly is behind this? And why?”
***
In a spacious, dark hall, where the only source of light was a single candle standing on a large round table, there was a deathly silence.
Around the table were more than forty seats, twenty of which were occupied by people in black hoods.
One of them suddenly twitched, then with a groan, as if he were an old man, he muttered.
“It seems Yu Longfeng has started to act. Indeed, as the Empress, she won’t allow disorder on her lands.”
His voice was unpleasant, grating on the ears, and it felt like someone was rubbing two stones together.
However, no one in this hall was bothered by his unpleasant voice. They were only discussing Yu Longfeng.
“Well, that old bitch is quite resilient. I was born twenty years after her and am already dying of old age, but she is still as strong as she was several thousand years ago.”
“Comparing yourself to a cultivator of the Transcendence level? You have strange hobbies. If it weren’t for that person’s help, you would have died of old age two hundred years ago…” came a sharp reply.
“Well, I won’t deny it…”
Most of those gathered here were cultivators who had not surpassed the level of Divine Transformation, so they did not pose a significant threat. But…
“The master ordered us to cause disturbances to divert attention. Will this work?” one of them asked.
“In the short term, yes, but in the long term, it’s unlikely. Yu Longfeng is not stupid, she will sense that something is not right. Don’t forget, when she ascended the throne, she eliminated all dissenters and parasites. Therefore, we must be careful with her,” someone else said, and everyone nodded. Then he added: “Moreover, remember that monster who caused the fall of the Devilish Dao? He must also be feared. Even the Ultimate Being was shocked to learn of his talent.”
“You mean the disciple of the Princess of Swords?”
“That…”
Everyone immediately fell silent. The existence of Xie Qing was too strange and incomprehensible for all of them, who had been preparing for this plan for centuries.
In the past, the problem was the Princess of Swords, who represented an unprecedented talent that forced this mysterious organization to halt its plans.
And now, a hundred years later, the Princess of Swords had disappeared, and the world of cultivation had become sluggish. But…
The expected effect did not materialize. When they were ready to cause disturbances, a war broke out, giving them a chance, but…
All attempts to cause disturbances ended in the death of those involved. They were all killed by Xu Mei, who during this period looked so devilish that the devilish cultivators nervously smoked on the sidelines.
And now, in place of this, Xie Qing had appeared, whose talent had even surpassed Xu Mei, shocked the Ultimate Being, and continued to grow stronger and stronger, becoming a potential threat.
“Maybe… we should join forces and kill him?” one of them suggested.
“Agreed.”
“Agreed.”
“I’m in too.”
“Agreed.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
In general, almost everyone agreed to this plan. In the end, one of them summarized the meeting and gave the order.
“Send the Hunter.”
“Understood.”
***
“Agh!”
Xie Qing, with an indifferent expression, grabbed the fallen enemy and, squeezing his head, lifted him into the air to the level of his eyes.
“Well? How does it feel to cause disturbances? Admit it, it’s quite fun, isn’t it? I also like to mess with people’s nerves from time to time. And you?” Xie Qing said in a matter-of-fact, calm tone, but his cold black eyes alone could make people lose consciousness and fear.
This was experienced by the defeated enemy, who twenty minutes earlier had attacked a remote village with the intention of looting and having fun, but encountered a wall in the form of Xie Qing.
“I-I… m-mercy…”
“Mercy? Come on, don’t be so lame, we’re just getting started. You’re a cultivator at the Soul Integration stage, so you can resist for five seconds. At least, the last one like you lasted that long. But when I killed him, he looked a bit sad. Can you guess why? He broke the record, he should be proud of that…”
Xie Qing, as if devoid of all emotions, played with his enemy’s nerves in an extremely cruel way, using intimidation. This was not for thought, he was just annoyed.
“Seriously, guys, what’s wrong with you? If you want to act tough, why not try attacking a city? Or are you afraid your asses will be impaled on spears? Huh?”
Xie Qing’s rough tone, his grip that tightened with each second – all this created a desperate situation for the cultivator who had been optimistic just minutes earlier.
“P-please… I…”
“Not interested.”
Thud.
The enemy’s head was crushed in Xie Qing’s hands, and the headless body, like a bag of shit, fell to the ground.
Stepping over the corpse, Xie Qing looked at the village and noticed the terrified gazes upon him.
“To them, I’m probably just as much of a monster,” Xie Qing thought and snorted: “Worthless mortals…”
Then, turning around, he snapped his fingers, and suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the villain’s corpse with a loud crash, turning it into dust.
And Xie Qing, under the terrified gazes, disappeared into the distance.
Such a scene repeated itself not once or twice. In one day, Xie Qing dealt with twenty scoundrels, who were turned into dust along with their souls, deprived of any further chance of reincarnation.
And during one of his expeditions…
Crash.
Xie Qing indifferently tilted his head to the left, dodging a fierce spear thrust, holding the shaft between two fingers.
Looking at the burly man in armor, whose face bore a bloodthirsty grin, Xie Qing narrowed his eyes.
“You, scum, are looking for death.”
