Daily Intelligence: From Miner to Dao Ancestor of Alchemy and Talismans

The other person nodded slightly, his fingertips already gripping the poisoned dagger at his waist, and replied telepathically, "Quickly finish this. The vice-captain instructed that this kid has entanglements with the Zhao family and has repeatedly ruined our plans. We must eliminate him completely and leave no trace."

The two said no more, crouched down, and crept toward the door one after the other.

The man in black who was walking in front stepped across the threshold first, and as soon as his toes touched the ground, he stepped on the silkworm thread that was as thin as a hair.

With a faint click of a mechanism, the three trapping talismans were activated simultaneously, and three pale golden light curtains suddenly rose up, like three inverted iron bells, instantly locking the entire hall tightly shut. Even the windows were sealed off by the light curtains, so that not only could no one pass through, but not even a wisp of wind could get out.

The two men in black's expressions changed drastically, their pupils shrinking sharply: "Damn it! An ambush!"

They tried to turn around and leave, but their backs slammed hard against the indestructible light barrier, the enormous recoil causing their blood to surge.

In the blink of an eye, all eight Explosive Flame Talismans detonated simultaneously!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The deafening explosions were trapped inside the room, only muffled sounds could be heard from outside. The violent waves of fire surged wildly in the confined space, and the scorching heat instantly engulfed the two men in black.

Before they could even unleash their magical artifacts, they were struck head-on by the Exploding Flame Talisman.

"Pfft—" Both of them spat out a mouthful of blood at the same time, slamming into the light screen like broken sacks. Their bodies were charred black, countless bones were broken, and their short blades flew out of their hands. They had completely lost the ability to resist.

They couldn't understand how a rogue cultivator who posed no threat to them could set up such a ruthless and precise killing trap, giving them no chance to make a move before severely injuring them.

Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, stood up from the couch, and walked step by step to the two people. He looked down at the black-clad man slumped on the ground, his eyes as cold as ice, without the slightest ripple.

"People from the Blood Fiend Sect?" he asked, his voice low but carrying a chilling edge.

The two men in black turned pale and opened their mouths to call for help, but Xu Yuan flicked his finger and two silencing talismans were precisely placed on their mouths.

"Waaah—" They made whimpering sounds in their throats, but couldn't utter a single word. They could only stare at Xu Yuan with terrified eyes.

"I'll ask, you answer. Nod, yes; shake, no." Xu Yuan crouched down, a finely crafted, golden blade talisman between his fingertips. The cold glint of the blade reflected in their pupils. "Are you Blood Fiend Sect's spies planted in the market?"

The two exchanged a glance, gritting their teeth and refusing to nod, their eyes still showing a fierce, defiant resistance.

Without wasting words, Xu Yuan activated his spiritual power at his fingertips, instantly activating the Sharp Blade Talisman. A sharp spiritual blade severed the left wrist of one of the men, causing blood to gush out. The man convulsed in pain, veins bulging on his forehead, but he was silenced by a Silencing Talisman and couldn't even scream. He could only grit his teeth, cold sweat instantly soaking through his black clothes.

The other person, witnessing this scene, had his fierce expression instantly replaced by fear, and his whole body trembled violently.

"I'll ask you one more time." Xu Yuan's gaze fell on him, the blade talisman already aimed at his right hand. "Is that right?"

The man nodded hastily, his head bobbing like a pestle being pounded, all traces of his previous sinister demeanor now gone.

Xu Yuan nodded slightly and continued, "How many inside agents like you are there in the market?"

The man trembled as he stretched out his hand and made a "twelve" gesture.

"Who's the leader?" The man swallowed hard, dipped his finger in the blood on the ground, and wrote three words: Zhang Kui.

Xu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

Zhang Kui, deputy captain of the Qingyafang guard team, is a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining. He is a trusted confidant of the core direct line of the Zhao family and is in charge of most of the patrol and guard duties in the market. He is a truly powerful figure in the market.

He was actually an inside agent of the Blood Fiend Sect?

No wonder the Blood Fiend Sect was able to find out the details of the protective array so clearly. No wonder the Zhao family couldn't catch many accomplices even after searching the entire city. The person in charge was the deputy captain of the guard team responsible for the search!

Xu Yuan suppressed the shock in his heart and continued to interrogate, uncovering all the details in just half an incense stick's time.

These two spies, codenamed Black Crow and Black Rat, were the outermost members of the twelve inside agents. Three months later, Zhang Kui was in charge of the surprise attack by the vanguard team of Black Wind Stronghold and Blood Fiend Sect. At that time, he would use the authority of the guard team to open the three loopholes in the protective array and let Jie Xiu in. And the final attack six months later was carried out by him, who coordinated from the inside and outside to completely paralyze the Zhao family's defense.

Xu Yuan also found out the secret code for the twelve inside agents, the location where they would meet every month, as well as Zhang Kui's daily routine and the defenses of the mansion.

After asking all the questions, Xu Yuan stood up and looked at the two men in black on the ground who were completely powerless to resist, without the slightest hesitation in his eyes.

To spare their lives? Impossible.

For someone seeking survival, the worst thing is to cut the weeds without eliminating the roots. If he lets them go or leaves any survivors, he will face the relentless pursuit of Zhang Kui, who is at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and the entire Blood Fiend Sect's internal organization.

He activated two blade talismans at his fingertips simultaneously, and two flashes of cold light appeared, clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

The two men in black died before they could even utter a final whimper.

After dealing with the two men, Xu Yuan didn't linger and immediately began cleaning up the scene.

He took out the prepared corpse-dissolving powder from his storage bag and sprinkled it evenly on the two corpses. After a hissing sound, in just a moment, the two corpses, bones and flesh, turned into a pool of foul-smelling yellow liquid that seeped into the cracks between the floor tiles.

He used the dust-removing talisman to clean the entire hall three times, wiping the floor until it was spotless, leaving not a trace of blood or a wisp of evil energy. He replaced the damaged floor tiles, smoothed the charred walls with his spiritual power, and even completely dispelled the lingering smell of gunpowder in the air with the juice of the Heart-Cleansing Grass.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the entire house was restored to its original state, as if the two men in black had never stepped into the courtyard.

After doing all this, Xu Yuan squatted down and rummaged through the storage bags left behind by the two.

Besides dozens of spirit stones and a few low-level magic artifacts, the most crucial items inside were two tokens engraved with the blood-red character "煞" and a series of sealed letters with sealing wax, clearly intended as contact letters to be given to Zhang Kui.

As dawn approached, the east began to lighten, and the first rays of morning light streamed into the room through the window paper.

Xu Yuan sat at the table, his fingertips pointing at the "煞" (killing) token. His face showed no excitement at his successful counterattack; instead, he became even calmer.

Killing two spies on the outskirts is nothing special.

The real threat hanging over his head was Zhang Kui, a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining. Zhang Kui was a peak late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, only one step away from Foundation Establishment. With his current sixth-level Qi Refining cultivation, he had no chance of winning if they met head-on.

He had to be more careful and absolutely could not reveal that he already knew the identity of the mole, nor could he let Zhang Kui target him.

Xu Yuan took a deep breath and unfolded the sealed letter.