Xuan Yuanjie was even more furious seeing the two of them playing riddles.
"Hey, what's going on with you two old guys? What are you talking about? I can understand every word you say, but when you put them together, I just don't get it..."
Just then, a voice came.
"Greetings to all three elders!"
Xuan Yuanjie spun around, staring at the newcomer with shock, almost dropping his jaw. He saw that it was Ling Tian, who had been missing for a long time, now standing behind the three of them!
Even more bizarrely, they were out at sea with no other ships around. He had no idea how Ling Tian had appeared there!
"Ling Tian, you... didn't you die in a plane crash?"
"No, elder. Due to some reasons at the time, I had other matters to attend to, so I secretly got off the plane!"
"But I clearly saw it on the surveillance..." Xuan Yuanjie asked in surprise.
"Elder, evading surveillance is not difficult for me!"
"But why did you do this!"
"People from the crooked path had already set their sights on me. The enemy was in the dark, and I was in the light, which put me in a very passive position. That's why I faked my death, to lure out those who were plotting against me from the shadows. Then I would deal with them!"
Upon hearing this, the three of them couldn't help but give Ling Tian a thumbs-up in their hearts. This young man was incredibly meticulous.
Xie Liheng gave a wry smile, "Ling Tian, do you know how much trouble you've caused us? We've wasted so much resources searching for you and trying to find your killer.
Also, because of your situation, the Tianshan Sword Sect and the Long family have been fighting fiercely, and the Situ family has also gotten involved...
By the way, Ling Tian, the matter between the Tianshan Sword Sect and the Long family wasn't your doing, was it?" Xie Liheng suddenly asked.
"No, don't say that. Ever since the plane crash, I've been hiding somewhere, cultivating and waiting for those people to reveal themselves!"
Ling Tian wasn't foolish. Although these behind-the-scenes dealings were done by him and his teachers, he couldn't admit it to them. If it got out all at once, those families would surely come after him. It was better to deny it outright, especially since they had no evidence.
The three old men stared intently at Ling Tian, only to find that this kid was as cunning as they were, a thousand-year-old fox. From his appearance, there was no trace of lying.
However, Xie Liheng also knew that now was not the time to dwell on this matter.
"Ling Tian, you know about the recent events in the martial world, don't you?"
Ling Tian nodded, "Please accept my condolences!"
Hearing Ling Tian's words, Xie Liheng's expression turned somber.
Although Xie Chong was his nephew, he had always treated Xie Chong as his own son. Xie Chong's death had been a great blow to him, and he still blamed himself for sending Xie Chong to Xiangxi in the first place.
"Ling Tian, we have no choice but to ask for your help. We are at a significant disadvantage in our competition with the crooked path.
Take a look at this information, and you'll understand!"
Xie Liheng handed Ling Tian a document. Ling Tian read it carefully, his brow furrowing deeper with each word.
The document in his hand was extremely precious, obtained at the cost of a life by an undercover agent of the Righteous Path Alliance!
Recently, the Heavenly Demon Gate and the crooked path had undergone tremendous changes. Out of the thirteen protectors of the Heavenly Demon Gate, only three remained. The other ten protectors had all been replaced!
This was because the Heavenly Demon Gate had actually learned to implement KPI assessments and a survival-of-the-fittest mechanism!
They had even developed a dedicated app where they posted tasks. Those who completed the tasks received points and generous rewards.
Those who failed to complete the corresponding tasks within a certain period would have their protector status revoked and receive fewer resources.
Recently, the Heavenly Demon Gate had seen a surge of new members, whose presence had caused a great impact on the old guard of the Heavenly Demon Gate!
The tasks posted by the Heavenly Demon Gate were related to the Righteous Path Alliance. Killing members of the Righteous Path Alliance would earn corresponding points, and the more important the person killed, the higher the points.
After completing a task, they had to upload their battle results. The app would record and rank them. Additionally, the app had an online store where resources could be directly exchanged for points.
Among these, the sect leaders, elders, and honored guests of the various sects within the Righteous Path Alliance had the highest points. Killing one of them was equivalent to killing dozens of others.
However, these individuals were difficult to kill. On one hand, they were highly skilled in martial arts and were always accompanied by many experts. They rarely traveled alone. Thus, these people shifted their targets to the younger generation of the various sects.
These young people also had considerable points. Moreover, being young, they were extremely confident and often acted alone, which provided an opportunity for those from the crooked path.
As a result, the promising young talents of various sects fell victim to ambushes, suffering heavy casualties.
The deaths of these individuals were difficult for both the Righteous Path Alliance and the major sects to bear.
These sects wanted revenge but didn't know who the culprits were, so the pressure fell entirely on the Righteous Path Alliance.
Xie Liheng had been extremely busy and worried lately, to the point where his hair was almost all gone. It was at this moment that he remembered the prediction made by Daoist Zhuge Tianji a few days ago. So, on a whim, he emailed the email address that had been in contact with Ling Tian. To his surprise, he actually received a reply!
"Ling Tian, I need your help! We need someone to investigate and eliminate the members of the crooked path from the shadows.
This person must also be highly skilled and have access to intelligence sources. We also need the help of the Misty Rain Pavilion, and only you can achieve this!" Xie Liheng said very sincerely.
"I accept this mission!
Xie Chong and Situ Leisheng were both my friends. Their deaths have made me very angry, and I have a duty to avenge them!
Moreover, if the crooked path is allowed to continue like this, the entire martial world will truly fall into chaos!
Senior Xie, what do you need me to do!"
"We will provide you with intelligence, and you will investigate and verify it in secret.
If you believe you can handle it, then directly take action to eliminate these individuals from the crooked path!
We grant you absolute autonomy! And your identity and existence will be known only to the three of us!"
Ling Tian nodded, "Understood. This matter is now in my hands.
Brother Xie, if possible, I would like to see Xie Chong's case first. I want to avenge him!"
Xie Liheng was very grateful. He took out another piece of information and handed it to Ling Tian.