However, the spy network of the Five Elders Association also seemed to have suffered significant disruption.
No one came to receive him.
Li Qing had no choice but to continue deeper until he reached a region called Fanqing Prefecture, where he finally received a response.
Yet, when the connection was made, the other side remained silent—waiting for Li Qing to speak first.
"I am a member of the Federation of All Worlds. I have an urgent matter and must contact your superior," Li Qing transmitted through his spiritual voice.
"Federation of All Worlds? What is that?" came a voice that sounded startled, as if awakening from a dream.
The voice was clearly young.
After a burst of static and muffled noise, the contact was replaced by a calm, middle-aged cultivator.
"Please forgive me, Daoist friend. The world is in chaos now. Many key figures in the organization disappeared during the great battle, their life or death uncertain. Therefore, at the moment, we cannot confirm your identity…"
Gewoon een lepeltje voor het slapengaan. - 7 kg in 7 dagenMore detailsIt was a direct refusal to meet.
After a short silence, Li Qing spoke again. "Precisely because of this chaos, key intelligence is even more valuable. The information I hold could turn the tide of the Five Elders Association's dire situation."
"A merit of great magnitude—are you willing to let it slip by for nothing? Many positions are now vacant. If you achieve something significant, promotion will be within reach."
"Besides, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance already holds an overwhelming advantage. Do you still think I am one of their spies?"
His tone was laced with mockery. In just a few sentences, he pierced straight through the man's mental defenses.
The sound of breathing on the other end grew rapid.
Then the communication abruptly ended.
Li Qing was in no hurry. He waited patiently, full of confidence.
Sure enough, less than half a day later, the same middle-aged cultivator took the initiative to reach out again.
"Where shall we meet?"
"But let me make this clear first—I came here on my own. If your information turns out unreliable, I'll pretend we never met."
Li Qing smiled faintly and gave him his location.
Not long after, a streak of black light shot across the sky and descended before her.
A cultivator wrapped head to toe in metallic armor, his face completely obscured, appeared silently before Li Qing.
"Quite an outfit," Li Qing remarked.
The armor was identical to that worn by the cultivators who had flown out from the floating city in the sky.
"At times like this, Carefree Paradise finally lets us use such equipment," the middle-aged man said curtly, his tone filled with resentment. "If they hadn't hoarded these things all along, would we have been defeated so miserably?"
As he spoke, a transparent ripple pulsed from his armor, spreading outward to form a circular barrier that enclosed them both.
The surroundings blurred—the barrier completely isolated sound and sight from the outside.
"All right. It's safe here now. What is this important information you spoke of?" the man asked tensely, fixing his gaze on Li Qing.
Li Qing smiled faintly. "I told you, it's information that could reverse the tide of war. How could I simply give it away?"
The middle-aged cultivator grew anxious. "Then what do you want?"
"At the very least, I want to speak to someone with real authority," Li Qing said firmly.
"If you don't say anything, how can I tell you're not lying? In times like these, you expect me to bring an unidentified person to see my superior? Am I looking for death?" the man snapped.
It was obvious he was not trained in intelligence or espionage—he lacked subtlety and restraint, showing his irritation openly.
Li Qing, seeing the situation, decided not to waste any more time arguing. He spoke directly. "Our Federation of All Worlds knows how to break the Immortal Ancestor Manifestation of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. What do you think of that?"
"What?" The middle-aged cultivator froze for a moment, then blurted out in disbelief.
"Is that true?" His voice trembled slightly.
"I will wait here," Li Qing said coldly, "until someone of authority arrives."
The middle-aged cultivator lowered his head and pondered for a moment before finally gritting his teeth.
Without showing any fluctuation of divine sense, he completed the notification.
Before such weighty information, the Five Elders Association finally displayed the level of efficiency they were expected to have.
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In the time it took for half a cup of tea, over a hundred streaks of black light flew toward the area.
They were all clad in metal battle armor and surrounded Li Qing in formation.
To his surprise, the one leading them was a female cultivator. She walked straight up to Li Qing. "A friend from the Federation of All Worlds?"
Li Qing nodded in acknowledgment, confirming his identity.
"My name is Qing Yang," the woman said. "I am responsible for rebuilding the postwar intelligence system. Follow me."
Encircled by more than a hundred cultivators, Li Qing was led into an underground fortress.
His expression remained perfectly calm throughout.
That composure earned him a measure of trust from the members of the Five Elders Association.
The underground fortress had clearly been built recently, a precaution against attacks from the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
Reaching the deepest chamber, Qing Yang dismissed the others, leaving only herself and Li Qing face to face.
"Speak. You can say whatever you came for now." Qing Yang's tone was devoid of emotion.
Li Qing gave a faint smile. "Miss Qing Yang, you do not even dare show your face. That makes it hard for me to trust you."
After a brief silence, the black metal armor dissolved, revealing Qing Yang's true appearance.
Her features were plain, the sort one would easily overlook in a crowd.
Yet Li Qing keenly sensed the indifference to life reflected in the woman's eyes.
After a long and careful observation, Li Qing finally spoke. "We will exchange intelligence on the Chosen Immortals for the information we seek."
"Agreed," Qing Yang replied immediately.
"What is it that you wish to know?" she asked decisively.
"What exactly is the Immortal Alliance Treasure that the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance is after?"
"Hm?" Qing Yang was clearly taken aback by the question, momentarily stunned.
"This... I am not sure. But it should not be classified. I will inquire."
The metallic light once again covered her face.
When her features reappeared, they were filled with visible doubt and confusion.
"This information is above my clearance level..."
Now she looked unsettled.
"Apologies. Please wait a moment," Qing Yang said, before hastily leaving the chamber.
Li Qing fell into deep thought.
"So it is true. That so-called Immortal Alliance Relic, which sounded like an excuse, truly exists."
"What sort of treasure did the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance once possess, that it could haunt them for thousands of years?"
As he pondered, Qing Yang soon returned.
Her expression was strange as she spoke. "The so-called Immortal Alliance Relic refers to the remnants of the first-generation members of the Alliance—fragments of their souls and their corpses."
"In the past, when the Immortal Sects besieged the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance as a warning to the world, they extracted the souls of the defeated Dharma-Transmitter and tortured them endlessly."
"At the time, such cruelty was considered normal, even publicly celebrated. But in retrospect, it is far from glorious, so the matter has been kept secret."
In the Spiritwood Realm, Li Fan, who sensed this information through his clone, narrowed his eyes.
He remembered that during the 115th lifetime, the Five Elders Association had launched a sudden raid on Ten Thousand Immortal Island, apparently also to unearth the remains of those first-generation Dharma-Transmitters.
***