City 20, Xinjìng Dojo.
A young man sat cross-legged on the wooden floor of the dojo. Before him sat twelve death squad members in kendo attire, all dressed in black, silent and murderous.
The young man spoke, "The family head is the helmsman of the Iitō-ryū lineage, and we are the people he trusts most. Now, someone has come to the dojo's gate, killed hundreds of people in our Xinjìng Dojo, and left unscathed. We absolutely cannot tolerate this happening again."
The Iitō-ryū produces death squad members—this is a universally acknowledged fact in the Federation. They have a whole set of brainwashing procedures. After young people come here for Cultivation, they become more radical and more loyal.
Therefore, in the Outer World island nation's Shadow Agency, it has always been Shendai Yunxiu, the cultivator of the Iitō-ryū lineage, who holds power, not Shendai Yunluo, who possesses the highest strength.
Of course, this is also related to the drastic reduction in the number of Shikigami in the Yin-Yang Master lineage.
What is a Yin-Yang Master without Shikigami?
Now, Shendai Yun Cang, along with six important Shikigami, has died in City 10, including top-ranked Shikigami such as Prajna, Wine Swallowing Child, and Flying Head Demon.
With the Yin-Yang Master lineage suffering another heavy blow, the Iitō-ryū lineage has gradually overshadowed all the limelight of the Yin-Yang Master lineage, dominating the field.
The young man who leads the Iitō-ryū is called Shendai Yunyi, the twelfth grandson of the Shendai family head, Shendai Qianshan.Of course, what name this family head, who like Shendai Qianshan has lived for hundreds of years, used before is gradually forgotten, and few even know how many lifetimes he has lived.
Zheng Yuandong only managed to verify this person's identity based on Shendai Qianshan and the notes of the family head from six hundred years ago.
At this moment, Shendai Yunyi picked up a card-type hard drive and said, "Someone has sent us Qing Chen's information, the culprit. He helped us eliminate the Guardians' Union in the city, which shows his stance. Although I don't know why this person used a puppet to send the information, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Shendai Yunyi continued, "The war ahead has subsided. Before the new war begins, we must eliminate this person. Someone previously suggested hunting down important figures in City 10, but killing a hundred people in City 10 is not as useful as killing him. As long as he dies, or even if he is stopped from advancing on his Cultivation path, we can achieve our goal. Everyone, the glory of the Shendai Family rests on your shoulders."
The twelve death squad members performed a prostration, "Jade shattering!"
Shendai Yunyi said, "Everyone, the Airship to take you to your destination is ready for takeoff at the port. Please ensure you complete the mission."
The twelve death squad members got up and walked out. They would carry out the beheading of the young man named Qing Chen at the most opportune moment.
After the twelve death squad members left, another young man in a black suit walked out from the shadows behind the dojo, "We'll act in the Inner World, and for the Outer World, I've notified the Kingdom and the Future Organization. They will carry out a sniper attack on Qing Chen over there. This plan must not fail. Qing Chen is one of the biggest obstacles to our southward advance. He is still weak now, but we absolutely cannot let him continue to grow."
"Twelve Class B death squad members might not be able to kill him."
Shendai Yunyi snapped open the folding fan in his hand and chuckled, "When a Knight challenges the Trials of Life and Death, they are no different from ordinary people. At that time, even a Class F would be enough to kill him. Even if he can't be killed, once he interrupts the Trials of Life and Death, we can stop him from advancing on his Cultivation path. That's enough. Moreover...attacking him from two worlds at once, can he possibly survive? The overseas forces intercepting him in the Outer World are the main event. This time, we must make him run around until he's exhausted and finally dies in front of his Trials of Life and Death. The hatred between us and the Knight must end in this generation."
"He seems to have taken on several disciples?" the young man in the black suit asked.
"That's right, according to the information from the puppet, Qing Chen now has two Knight disciples, one is Hu Xiaoniu, and the other is Li Ke. While he has other disciples, none of them are Knights."
The young man in the black suit nodded, "If there are only two, then after we kill Qing Chen and Li Shutong, we'll take care of them. They are insignificant. By the way, who exactly is that Puppeteer?"
Shendai Yunyi shook his head, "I don't know, and I don't need to know for now. We must unite all the forces we can unite. Let's not alarm him for now. Let's deal with the Knight first and eliminate them completely."
……
……
In Forbidden Zone 002.
Li Ke and Li Yunjing were sitting by a bonfire.
The Banished Immortal Li Yunjing was sitting cross-legged, cultivating, without a care in the world.
Ding Dong had just come to deliver some fruit and now had disappeared again to play.
They were waiting for someone.
Li Ke is the eldest brother among all of Qing Chen's disciples. He is treated like a treasure by the elders, making Li Ke somewhat overwhelmed.
"Are you Li Ke?"
"Don't learn from your master and grandmaster. Their personalities are disliked even by dogs."
"They're always thinking about our Forbidden Artifact..."
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"When are you going to bring her over for us to see? Let's have a baby here. We'll have Ding Dong help you look after the child."
Li Ke replied awkwardly, "I'm still young. I just celebrated my 15th birthday."
"At our age, you'd already have two children. What's wrong with the Li Clan, so slow? Each generation is worse than the last."
A Knight from the Li Clan retorted, "Stop badmouthing our family. There are 13 Li Clan members in the Knight alone. You're no match for us if we start fighting."
"Oh, forming cliques, are you?!"
The elders started arguing among themselves, and Li Ke breathed a sigh of relief when they had no time to bother him.
It was exactly as his master said; his ancestors were exceptionally enthusiastic.
The satellite phone rang.
Li Ke picked up the satellite phone and listened to Qing Yi chattering like a bamboo shoot pouring out beans, "Has master told you? I fought alongside him in City 10..."
Li Ke listened with a smile for a while, "Okay, okay, I know you're now in charge of the Secret Spy Agency for master, and I know you went through the disaster with him, and helped him rescue the students of Qing He University, and finally helped him find Shendai Yun Cang's location and left a mark... Hmm, very capable, very capable."
"Did master praise me when he called you?" Qing Yi asked curiously.
"He did," Li Ke laughed, "He said Qing Yi has grown up and can stand on his own two feet. He's very relieved to have you in City 10."
"Ah...really?" Qing Yi asked on the phone, "By the way, has master's new disciple arrived at your place? It's a young boy named Zhang Mengqian."
"Master told me about him, but he hasn't arrived yet," Li Ke said, "He's 14 years old, only a year younger than you and me. Why call him a young boy? I've heard master mention him; he seems to be a very interesting person. His mentality is stronger than both you and me."
After saying this, he closed his eyes and continued his Cultivation without saying anything more.
Zhang Mengqian was somewhat at a loss.
Li Ke smiled, "Don't mind him, Uncle Yunjing doesn't like to talk, but he's a very good person. We are both Knights. What we need to do is grow faster and then turn this world upside down. By the way, how is City 10?"
Zhang Mengqian replied, "Everything is on track. Shendai and Koshima killed some of our people in the north, but master will teach them a lesson soon."
The bonfire continued to flicker, tearing a small opening in the midnight darkness.
……
……
Return Countdown 04:00:00.
By the sewage canal outside City 10, Luo Wanya was saying goodbye to Xiao San.
Xiao San was carrying a huge backpack, which contained his luggage.
Beside them, a dense army of cockroaches was passing by. Basin-sized cockroaches poured out of the sewage canal in groups and ran towards the wilderness.
Wherever they passed, the insects and plant stems on the ground, everything containing protein and sugar, would become food for the cockroach army.
Luo Wanya looked at the cockroaches, and Xiao San smiled, "Don't look at them; it's disgusting if you look at them too much. It took me several days to get used to them."
As he spoke, he showed the red piece of wood in his hand. It was the Forbidden Artifact ace-022, a token used by the ant queen to control her colony. Only by carrying this could one share the memory and vision of the cockroaches and control them.
Luo Wanya shook his head, "What you can endure, I must also learn to endure. At least I have to know what you're enduring for the Guardians' Union."
Xiao San said, "Actually, after getting used to it, I find them quite cute... Now Little Seven and the others call me the Outlaw Cockroach San, and I don't even get angry."
Luo Wanya said, "Your journey to City 20, the Leader has already planned the best route for you. You need to go west first to avoid the main battlefield of the four Conglomerates, and then go north. Along the way, you must avoid the surveillance satellites of the various Conglomerates and take the most remote path... This journey will be tough."
"I'm not afraid," Xiao San patted his backpack, "I have food, clothing, and utensils in it, and I'll be able to reach City 20 in a month at most. Then I'll enter through their No. 6 sewage canal and live there incognito. I've been controlling the cockroach king to breed smaller cockroaches. It always wants to breed big ones, the bigger the better, like cars. That's powerful, but I think it's a bit of a fool. Cockroaches are better at infiltrating every corner of the Shendai if they are smaller."
Luo Wanya was silent for a while, "You don't have to be so detailed..."
"Hahaha," Xiao San laughed, "Old Luo, take good care of City 10, and help the Leader manage it well. To be honest, I have deep feelings for it. I just hope it can get better and better."
"Don't worry, it will," Luo Wanya nodded in agreement, "I'm now shouldering the expectations of six million people, and I'm afraid I don't have enough time or brains."
Xiao San genuinely had feelings for City 10 because he was the one who led the defense.
Now, the people of various cities are gradually awakening under the oppression of the Conglomerates.
All the family members are quickly withdrawing to City 10 after completing their missions.
Only Xiao San is going north alone, leading the entire northern Guardians' Union, just like Qing Mu of the Qing Family back then.
The Guardians' Union has already evacuated 90%, and 10% of the family members, because they are well hidden, remain there. Under Xiao San's leadership, they will become the intelligence branch of the Guardians' Union, continuing to infiltrate the crowd.
During the evacuation, the Guardians' Union sought the opinions of these people, as staying was dangerous, so it was voluntary.
Even in such a dangerous environment, some people still chose to stay.
These are true warriors.
"Okay, let's not talk about it," Xiao San looked back at City 10 and said suddenly, "I really don't want to leave this place. Actually, I really want to witness its growth, but I have more important things to do."
"Take care," Luo Wanya took out a silver flask from his bosom, "It was raided from a big shot's house. Drink it on the road. If you miss this place, take a sip."
Xiao San was amused, "The Outer World is our home! Don't be so sad. In four hours, we'll be back on Whale Island together."
Luo Wanya thought for a moment, "That's also true. When you said that, my emotions were all messed up. Then I wish you'll one day make all Shendai members feel terrified! I can already imagine the scene of the cockroach swarm attacking the Shendai Consortium's mansion!"
This is the surprise that Qing Chen has prepared for the Shendai Consortium.
"I'm off," Xiao San turned to leave, "See you later!"
"See you later," Luo Wanya watched Xiao San's back disappear.
For the first time, this black member of the Guardians' Union was so grateful for the time-travel mechanism, at least they wouldn't be separated for too long.
……
……
Return Countdown 01:00:00.
A bonfire burned in the Wildlanders camp in the south, and Qing Chen, Li Shutong, Zard, and Dayu sat around it to keep warm.
"If there's nothing else, I'm going to take those two A-class puppets to Forbidden Zone 002. Let's get them planted as soon as possible, so we can extract the Forbidden Artifact sooner," Li Shutong said.
"It takes decades to extract a Forbidden Artifact. What are you in such a hurry for? Don't worry, I won't ask you for a Forbidden Artifact," Qing Chen said.
"Is that so?" Li Shutong relaxed his whole body, "Then I can stay a little longer."
Qing Chen was amused, "You, the leader of the Knights, don't need to hide from your disciples just for a Forbidden Artifact. What about our courage to make the decision and have no regrets?"
"I wouldn't necessarily regret it, but who would have thought you could bring out so many Knights?" Li Shutong sighed.
Zard suddenly said, "When I die, can I be planted in Forbidden Zone 002? I also want to extract a Forbidden Artifact for the Knights to use!"
Qing Chen:……
Li Shutong:……
Dayu:……
Li Shutong hesitated for two seconds, "What's wrong with him? How long has he been sick?"
Even Demi-Gods were stunned by Zard's unusual way of thinking.
"Ahem, his thinking is a little...not quite normal," Qing Chen said, "Master, do you have anything else to do besides looking for Forbidden Artifacts?"
"Yes," Li Shutong said, "I'm learning English using your Outer World textbooks."
"Huh? Why are you learning English?" Qing Chen was puzzled.
"Now that overseas forces are invading the Federation, there will inevitably be a war sooner or later. I plan to learn English well and go overseas to see if there are any beheading opportunities," Li Shutong said, "Master is different from you. You can develop the Guardians' Union so well and receive the support of the people. Master is not good at these things, but he's good at killing people."
Qing Chen thought for a moment, "The threats are not just overseas. There's also that person who can make puppets. If, as the legend says, he can be resurrected endlessly on puppets, then it's highly likely that we can't kill him."
The situation in the Federation is complicated, and he seriously analyzed the enemies that need to be dealt with now.
The first is the Conglomerates. During the development of the Guardians' Union, there were inevitable conflicts with the Conglomerates, including the Qing Family, Li Clan, Chen Family, Shendai, and Koshima.
If you want to change the world, all the Conglomerates are unavoidable, including the Qing Family.
The second is overseas. The forces on the West Coast and North America are larger than imagined. The Federation is now facing internal and external troubles, and the war will last a long time.
The third is the person who can make puppets hidden in the dark.
Although the other party has only recently surfaced, the appearance of such a person means that it is already difficult to deal with.
It's like a rat tide. When you see thousands of rats on the ground, there may already be hundreds of thousands in the dark underground world.
What level is the person who can make two A-class puppets?
The most crucial point is that even if the body of the person hidden in the dark dies, it can be reborn on the puppets.
How can such a cruel person be killed? Qing Chen and Li Shutong couldn't even think of how to find all his puppets.
The other party wouldn't give them the chance to kill more than half of the puppets at once.
This person has been planning for decades, and now he's becoming unscrupulous and has reached the point of no return.
Even Li Shutong frowned at this point, "Now, none of us know the limit of this Puppeteer. How many puppets can he make? How many puppets have already been made into intelligence organizations? Where are these puppets scattered? We don't know anything!"
"That's why he's so confident," Qing Chen sighed, "Putting myself in his shoes, if I were him, I would scatter all the puppets in the 25 cities of the Federation. In this way, as long as the world doesn't end, then he is immortal, and no one can kill him."
"It's indeed very tricky and difficult to deal with," Li Shutong sighed.
At this time, Qing Chen suddenly said, "I know a way, but this method is too dangerous and will be opposed and resisted by everyone, even making me a public enemy. This road is difficult to walk, and once I walk through it, I don't know what other consequences there will be. Master, I don't know whether I should do this or not."
Li Shutong pondered for a moment, "The path of the Knights only seeks to be worthy of their hearts. Truth and sincerity are our principles. If you feel that this is the only way, and it's right...then do it."
"Understood," Qing Chen nodded, "And this matter must be kept secret, carried out by a small number of people, and ensuring that there are no puppets among them...Some people need to sacrifice their youth and be nameless heroes for a few years."
"Do you have anyone in mind?" Li Shutong asked, "I can let Li Dongze, Ye Wan, and Lin Xiaoxiao help you. This person is a serious threat. If there is a way to kill him, we can pay some price. I even think he's a bigger threat than overseas forces."
"I do," Qing Chen grinned, "I have a lot of talented people under me now, and they can all stand on their own."
The countdown returned to zero.
Return!
……