This place is fun

Chapter 198 Sky Thunder
Zheng Fugui stood halfway up Tiandao Mountain.

This is a cliff on the sixth level of Tiandao Mountain. A huge rock, shaped like an eagle's beak, protrudes from the cliff edge, jutting out diagonally into the void. Standing on this rock, it's easy to look up at the sky or down at people.

Of course, more importantly, it's a very secluded place.

The boulder juts out from the cliff, offering a panoramic view of the surrounding area. It would be perfect for a private meeting.

"What are you looking at?" a voice came. Although the voice in the spiritual realm could be altered on its own, and the Dao Seed of the other party could not be sensed on Tiandao Mountain, Zheng Fugui knew that the person he was waiting for had arrived.

Because the same conversation started when they were still fellow apprentices and has continued for decades.

Even though Zheng Fugui had already left the sect.

Even though, on the surface, this senior secret agent of the Imperial Guard of Xi Kingdom, the head of Section C, has no connection with Han Gu whatsoever, some things are already etched into his bones.

"Look at the sky," Zheng Fugui said without turning his head, "Don't you think the sky above the Gate of Heaven is a bit dark today?"

"You're a royal spy, shouldn't you be properly observing the person you're supposed to be observing? What are you doing looking at the sky?" Wei Qikong walked disdainfully to Zheng Fugui's side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. "Are you seeing things?"

As soon as Wei Qikong finished speaking, another figure stepped onto Eagle Beak Rock. He looked up at the sky and said with some surprise, "You know what, Fugui is right. The sky above the Gate of Heaven's Path seems a bit strange today."

"The third brother is here. How is everything at home?" Wei Qikong asked upon seeing the figure.

"What else can happen? It's a tiny place, with only a few cats and kittens. Every day is different. Do you think things will suddenly change just because you've been gone for a day?" said Ji Fan, the third elder of Hangu.

"He's worried about the pigs he's raising." Zheng Fugui chuckled, then asked Wei Qikong curiously, "Where did you go if you weren't in the valley?"

“Head towards Beizi Town.” Wei Qikong scratched his head and sighed.

"What are you going there for?" Zheng Fugui asked.

Ji Fanqu interjected, "The demonic path crossed the border and ambushed Xiang Yuxi not far from Beizi Town. Now his two precious disciples are in Beizi Town. If he doesn't go, who will?"

As he spoke, Ji Fanqu asked Wei Qikong, "Where are we? What's the situation?"

"We've passed Micang Mountain, and things don't look good," Wei Qikong sighed. "The fourth and fifth brothers said the situation in the Wanchang City secret realm is a bit troublesome. They've fought several battles with the enemy, but not only have they not gained any advantage, they're now worried that the enemy will turn the tables on them."

"Furthermore, the Nether Clan in Kelenburg and Wen'an City have launched a full-scale attack. The Blazing Fire Army is completely tied down. And judging from their offensive, they haven't given us a single chance to catch our breath. Our main force is basically pinned down."

As he spoke, Wei Qikong spread his hands and said, "Under these circumstances, if there are still a large number of demonic cultivators passing through Beizi Town, you all understand what that means."

Ji Fanqu and Zheng Fugui both felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

Anyone who plays chess knows that when all of your pieces are pinned down, even if the opponent has just one more pawn, it can still rampage around and cause huge threats and damage.

Moreover, what appeared near Beizi Town was not just a lowly soldier, but a force capable of successfully assassinating Xiang Yuxi, a peak fourth-rank expert.

“Wei Zhifei didn’t react,” Ji Fanqu asked. “He just watched?”

“I don’t know,” Wei Qikong shook his head. “Beizi Town is just a transit point. Given Wei Zhifei’s personality, normally even if he knew that demonic cultivators were passing through, he wouldn’t directly dispatch troops there.”

"After all, the battlefield situation changes in an instant, and the worst thing is to be led by the nose. The demonic path was prepared in advance. After killing Xiang Yuxi, they can go wherever they want. Since you were a step too slow, you have to accept the loss. Otherwise, when you send troops over, they might make a feint and take advantage of your other weaknesses to stab you in the back."

Wei Qikong paused, then said carefully, "So, if I were Wei Zhifei, there would only be one possibility for mobilizing the reserve forces of the two major camps in Yishan City or Chongguang City—that is, the fall of Beizi Town."

Ji Fanqu and Zheng Fugui's eyelids both twitched.

When Wei Qikong talked about Beizi Town, he didn't use the terms "attacked" or "subjected to attack," but rather "captured." This implies that, for Wei Zhifei, Beizi Town was merely a pawn to be discarded.

A discard pawn only works when it is swallowed up.

When that time comes, the fallen Beizi Town will inevitably experience a fierce battle. Corpses will litter the fields, and blood will flow like rivers. But the enemy will not come away unscathed.

If they waste enough time in Beizi Town, Wei Zhifei will mobilize troops from surrounding cities and regions to encircle them. Wave after wave of troops will relentlessly pursue them, dragging them out until they are either dead or severely injured.

If their losses in Beizi Town are significant enough, Wei Zhifei will not hesitate to deploy his full force and swallow them whole.

This is the time for Wei Zhifei to make a move.

It may sound cold-blooded, but for a war where the current situation is already unfavorable and the main eye of the storm is not here, it is worthwhile.

"So, we can't count on Wei Zhifei for the time being," Ji Fanqu said with some worry. "Can you manage on your own?"

"Bringing the two little ones along should still allow us to make it in time." Wei Qikong shook his head and looked at Zheng Fugui: "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. How's the situation you were trying to find out over there?"

"There's some pretty good news," Zheng Fugui said.

"Oh?" Wei Qikong urged, "Tell me."

“As you know, even within the Criminal Investigation Bureau, not many people know about the Su family's affairs…” Zheng Fugui said.

Wei Qikong and Ji Fanqu nodded.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau is a behemoth with tens of thousands of members, constantly on the move monitoring and investigating; its affairs are incredibly complex. The Su family, on the other hand, is merely a small, influential family in a remote town.

How could the bureau assigning a low-ranking deacon to handle this matter cause such a stir and become common knowledge?

Therefore, on a larger scale, even fewer people know about it.

Zheng Fugui paused slightly and said, "However, now, someone has reported this to the palace. It's estimated that His Majesty will hear the name of the Su family soon."

Wei Qikong and Ji Fanqu's eyes lit up, and they asked in unison, "Who did it?"

"I don't know, there are too many suspects..." Zheng Fugui shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "But from my personal judgment, the most likely culprit is that rascal brother-in-law..."

“Zhang Qingchen?” Wei Qikong asked.

Zheng Fugui nodded, then shook his head and said, "It's just a guess, there's no solid evidence."

"Regardless of whether it's this guy or not," Wei Qikong patted Zheng Fugui on the shoulder, somewhat excitedly, "the news is indeed good news."

Ji Fanqu nodded as well.

Whether Emperor Yongtai knew about the Su family matter was an extremely delicate and crucial question.

Logically speaking, Emperor Yongtai should not have known.

Firstly, a small task at the lower level of the Criminal Investigation Bureau would never reach the level of being heard by the highest authorities.

Secondly, given the relationship between the Su family and Emperor Yongtai during his time as a prince, if the Bureau of Investigation wanted to take action against the Su family, it would not only have to keep it a secret from Emperor Yongtai, but would also have to deliberately conceal it and take the blame upon itself.

Otherwise, where do you place Emperor Yongtai? Are you really going to put a label of being mean and ungrateful on his head?
Therefore, whether Emperor Yongtai actually knew or not, no one knows. But at least publicly, Emperor Yongtai was obligated to be unaware.

But now, someone has delivered the message to the palace.

The phrase "passing into the palace" here is not just a simple literal meaning.

Because this means that the secretive actions of the Criminal Investigation Bureau have been made public in an informal way that reaches the highest levels of authority!

Not only the emperor will know about this, but also all the forces, both overt and covert, that are watching the palace closely.

Now that the issue has been brought to the forefront, Emperor Yongtai must have a stance.

If Emperor Yongtai were to be mindful of past relationships and not want to be branded as a harsh and ungrateful ruler, he would certainly have to rebuke the Bureau of Investigation for their unwarranted attempts to guess his intentions.

In that case, the person should be satisfied.

Of course, the will of Heaven is unpredictable. It would be naive for anyone to think that an emperor who seized the throne amidst great upheaval would be swayed by a reputation for being harsh and ungrateful.

Emperor Yongtai's attitude was likely to be to watch the Su family die without making a sound.

After all, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics had carried out a full-scale operation over the past fifteen years. Given Emperor Yongtai's trust in the Bureau, there was no reason for him to kick his own hunting dog down while it was attacking its prey.

but……

Throughout history, imperial power has never been controlled by a single person. It inevitably involves a series of complex and stable exchanges of interests, participants from all walks of life, and unavoidable traditions and rules. Therefore, in the matter of the Su family, remaining silent was already the limit for a monarch who still cared about his reputation. Just as the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics could not have informed him in advance, he could not have personally issued an edict ordering the Su family to die.

This creates a very delicate situation—perhaps no one is interested in helping the Su family, but if this situation can be used to make a fuss and embarrass the Criminal Investigation Bureau, many people will be interested.

This is why someone intervened and brought the Su family's affairs to the forefront—if Emperor Yongtai favored the Su family, that would be best. If he favored the Bureau of Investigation, then everyone could pretend they didn't know and just assume he favored the Su family.

Therefore, helping the Su family deal with the Criminal Investigation Bureau became a very correct thing to do.

If, at this time, Xia Prefecture happens to be invaded by the You Clan, and Yishan City and the Su family become the main resistance force on the front line, that would be even better.

The idea of ​​heroes shedding blood and tears would be enough to fuel relentless criticism in any dynasty.

Wei Qikong chuckled and said quietly, "If I'm not mistaken, it seems that the military achievements that the Blazing Fire Army reported to that kid have been discovered by someone with ulterior motives... They're really quick."

Zheng Fugui and Ji Fanqu both laughed.

Kyoto is full of cunning old foxes. They have a keen sense of smell for any disturbance.

However, regardless of the circumstances, with someone now intervening, things are much easier for Han Gu. Otherwise, getting the Bureau of Investigation to remove its involvement from the Su family would have been quite troublesome for the sect.

Moreover, even if we manage to protect Su Daoshan, we might not be able to protect the Su family.

With his worries resolved, Wei Qikong relaxed and looked at Zheng Fugui curiously, asking, "By the way, who's on your observation list today?"

The most powerful intelligence agencies in the world are the courts of the major empires. As a secret agent of the Xi Kingdom's Internal Security Department, Zheng Fugui would track targets according to the department's list every time he entered the Spirit Realm.

Among these targets, many had their real-world identities uncovered, and several were even recruited into the imperial court. Twenty years ago, the appointment of Xi Liuyun, the lord of Liuyun Manor, as the commander of the Black Scale Guard in the palace caused quite a stir.

Since then, the sect has been extremely wary of the imperial intelligence network. So much so that now, many within the sect are unwilling to reveal their identities in the Spirit Realm.

“We only have two targets today,” Zheng Fugui looked up at the Gate of Heavenly Dao, “one is Long Bai, and the other is a newcomer who went out of the domain a couple of days ago, whose alias is ‘If we can’t reach an agreement, we’ll cut him down.’”

"If you can't reach an agreement, then kill them?" Wei Qikong was clearly more interested in this person and immediately asked, "Have you deployed men around the perimeter?"

“Yes,” Zheng Fugui nodded, “When the intelligence about this newcomer came out before, the higher-ups were very interested. Ding Mao personally made arrangements and has been spending the last few days in the outer regions, keeping a close watch on the area around Xianlai Town. They have even cooperated with the four major organizations. As soon as he appears, they will expose him to the elements.”

"Exposing oneself to the sun" is a term specific to the spiritual realm. It means to completely and publicly expose a person's identity.

Because one can only recognize a person in the spirit realm through spiritual perception. And since spiritual perception cannot be described to a third party, it is very easy for a person to hide or change their identity in this world.

All you need to do is move to a place where nobody knows you and change your name.

In reality, there are portraits and wanted posters. In the spirit world, unless someone identifies the other person in person, no one can know who the other person was before.

However, once a person's spiritual seed has been perceived by enough people, labeled, and reaches a critical point, then he can no longer hide it.

Because the spiritual realm is neither too small nor too large. Moreover, everyone's activity area is basically within the spiritual veins. This provides various organizations with the conditions to build an intelligence and surveillance system.

What many people don't know is that a tea drinker sitting in a teahouse might be an "eye" of an organization or intelligence agency.

If someone is recognized by enough "eyes," then no matter where he goes, someone will recognize him.

This kind of organized, large-scale, extreme cognitive activity targeting an individual is called sun exposure.

In the spiritual realm, if someone says they'll expose someone to the elements, they're bragging. If an organization says the same thing, they're very likely bragging as well.

But if someone like Zheng Fugui were to speak up, especially if it involves cooperation among so many organizations, no one would doubt that if an agreement couldn't be reached, he would be cut off. Once that happens, he will never be able to change his identity in the Spirit Realm again.

"Tsk," Wei Qikong sneered, "The Inner Guard is probably only after that weapon... Is that kid really from the Xiao family?"

Zheng Fugui shook his head and said, "The old temple elder who saw the Rain of Pear Blossoms Nails said that the two are not similar. The Rain of Pear Blossoms Nails are launched in one wave, airtight and difficult for even ghosts and gods to defend against. But they are not sustained. According to the people of Huangzhushan at the time, the weapon that kills when negotiations fail is far more terrifying than the Rain of Pear Blossoms Nails."

As he spoke, he said earnestly, "Many people say that thing should not exist in the world at all."

Wei Qikong and Ji Fanqu both felt a jolt in their hearts.

These past few days, rumors about this newcomer and his weapon have been rampant, causing quite a stir in the city, with all sorts of speculation circulating.

However, as everyone knows, in the spiritual realm, the art of refining artifacts using a heart furnace cannot be imagined out of thin air. Only when someone in the real world has actually created it can it be successfully visualized in the spiritual realm.

The fact that a group of extraordinary martial artists who wield immense power in the real world could utter words that shouldn't exist in this world speaks volumes about how terrifying that thing is.

"So, have you found them?" Wei Qikong asked.

Zheng Fugui shook his head and said with a strange look, "The last time he left the Spirit Realm, he should have been in the Ancient Banyan Tribe in Xianlai Town. But we have kept a close watch on the entire Xianlai Town, but we haven't seen him appear again. Even when Tiandao Mountain opened, he didn't come out."

"Oh?" Wei Qikong and Ji Fanqu were both somewhat surprised.

During the early stages of one's career, time is the most precious resource. To grow and develop, one must seize every opportunity.

Since it's rumored that this person's combat strength had already reached sixteen meters during the battle at Huangzhu Mountain, that means he'd reached the peak of his newcomer potential. He should definitely participate in the opening of Tiandao Mountain this time.

Otherwise, this delay could last for a whole month. And in today's turbulent world, who knows what unexpected events might occur in the real world during that month?
"Could it be that you missed something?" Ji Fanqu asked.

Zheng Fugui shook his head and said, "You think we're the only ones interested in this kid? Let me put it this way, right now, in that small town outside the realm, there are dozens of top-tier forces. There are those from Jing Kingdom, Wei Kingdom, sects, the military, not to mention the organizations within the Spirit Realm..."

He chuckled coldly, "With so many people watching, how do you think it'll slip by? In Xianlai Town now, anyone who saw the 'no-negotiation-no-kill' incident at Huangzhu Mountain is highly sought after. People are even nurturing them with Hua Lingyun, just waiting for them to identify them. They've even infiltrated those five tribes long ago. As soon as the 'no-negotiation-no-kill' incident occurs, the people from those tribes will spread the news..."

"Perhaps something in reality has held him back." Ji Fanqu nodded, about to say something, when suddenly his gaze fixed on something else.

Almost simultaneously, Zheng Fugui and Wei Qikong's expressions also changed.

The three of them stared in astonishment at the Heavenly Gate in the sky, unable to believe their eyes.

And like them, countless martial artists in the Spirit Realm also noticed a strange phenomenon. Whether they were on Heavenly Dao Mountain or scattered throughout the Spirit Realm, as long as their divine senses were within the Heavenly Dao Gate, everyone discovered it.

That was the sky within the illusion of the Gate of Heavenly Dao, which suddenly darkened at that moment. Countless dark clouds rolled, surged, and gathered together, pressing down heavily until they reached the summit of Heavenly Dao Mountain.

Then, streaks of lightning, like the bodies of swimming dragons, appeared and disappeared in the black leaden clouds.

"What is this?" Wei Qikong asked in astonishment, "The Heavenly Punishment of the Dao Heart?"

"Impossible!" Zheng Fugui exclaimed, "I've never seen such a Heavenly Punishment of the Dao Heart in all these years."

The so-called "divine punishment for a person's unstable Daoist heart" refers to the fact that when someone climbs the ladder to seek the Dao when their Daoist heart is unstable, they are disliked by the Dao and thus suffer divine punishment from heaven.

However, it is extremely rare for someone's Dao heart to be unstable.

It is important to understand that after obtaining the Dao Seed, if an extraordinary martial artist does not have a firm Dao Heart, or if their own temperament is incompatible with the Dao Heart they have pledged, and they are not recognized by the Heavenly Dao, it is impossible for them to plant the Dao Heart and become an extraordinary profession.

The Dao mind is not a thought; it cannot be changed at will.

From a certain perspective, it is a wish, a pursuit. And it is a pursuit based on one's own nature.

The saying goes, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature." Once the Daoist heart takes root and sprouts, it becomes incredibly steadfast.

For this reason, the concept of an unstable Dao heart is almost non-existent for extraordinary martial artists. Unless they suffer a major blow that is enough to destroy their spirit, they cannot become unstable even if they want to.

Naturally, it is extremely rare for a superhuman martial artist to suffer "divine punishment for their Dao heart" due to an unstable mind.

Moreover, ordinary Heavenly Punishment of the Dao Heart is often just a fleeting illusion within the Gate of Heaven, like a dark cloud or a flash of lightning. It comes and goes quickly, sometimes ending as nothing more than a brief surge of gray clouds in the sky.

Many people only realize someone is in trouble when they hear the sound of their Dao heart shattering.

In the nearly one hundred years since the opening of the Spirit Realm, no one has ever seen such a sight—the dark clouds above everyone's heads are piled up like mountains. So much so that the sky above the illusion is as dark as if night has fallen.

If one's Dao heart is truly unstable, how bad must it be?

Just as people were discussing and being shocked by this unprecedented phenomenon, finally, a bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket descended from the black, leaden clouds. The lightning struck directly onto the first platform of the illusion.

Then, everyone watched in disbelief as the bolt of lightning pierced the ground and disappeared deep underground!

(End of this chapter)