Douluo Continent: Little Huo Niang Taken Away by Di Tian

Chapter 299 My Years as an Undercover Agent in the Holy Spirit Cult

Looking at the obedient Nana in front of him, Zhang Peng made a decision in an instant.

"I'm assigning you a task." Zhang Peng stood with his hands behind his back, his tone becoming serious. "Use your time at the academy to get close to Huo Yutong. You don't need to flatter her or do anything bad. Just befriend her, and then report her whereabouts and movements to me every week."

Nana was completely stunned.

She originally thought Zhang Peng would send her to assassinate someone or steal information from the Spirit Pagoda.

She was even prepared to be used as a tool to be sent to her death.

Can we...be friends?

"Remember," Zhang Peng saw the doubt in her eyes and added calmly, "Don't try to hurt her, and don't let her notice anything unusual. Just be a normal classmate. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand!" Nana nodded emphatically, a huge weight lifted from her heart.

This mission turned out better than any of the outcomes she had anticipated.

"Go ahead." Zhang Peng waved his hand and turned to leave.

"Practice diligently and study hard," Zhang Peng added in his mind.

As the days went by, Zhang Peng's time at the branch gradually entered a strange yet regular rhythm.

Every weekend afternoon at 3:45, you can always see an old man and a young man practicing together on the training field.

Zhang Peng imparted all his knowledge to Nana, from the connection of soul skills of the Ghost Martial Soul to the subtle tricks of soul power circulation...

He taught diligently, and Nana studied with all her might; the two of them were beginning to resemble a true master and apprentice.

Before each training session, Nana would sit obediently to the side and report on what she had seen and heard at the academy that week.

"Your Majesty, Huo Yutong... is still in a state of enlightenment," Nana said cautiously. "Xiao Meng said she's been in this state for several months now, and we don't know when she'll be able to emerge from seclusion."

Zhang Peng wiped away the remaining soul power from his fingertips without even lifting his eyelids: "Okay."

Nana's reports are usually very trivial, but Zhang Peng can always extract useful information from them accurately.

For example, she has successfully become friends with Meng Hongchen, Xiao Xiao, and Ning Tian.

Zhang Peng was secretly astonished as he heard these names.

This girl has great social skills; she's been in contact with top figures among the younger generation in mainland China.

Although his task was simply to get Nana to "be friends," she clearly did a much better job than expected.

However, Zhang Peng simply replied with a nonchalant, "Okay."

Then it was time to continue training.

He knew that within the Holy Spirit Cult, he couldn't give Nana freedom, but he could at least give her the strength to protect herself.

Every move he taught was an extra layer of insurance for the girl's life.

Of course, Zhang Peng never forgot his true mission.

Every day at the branch, he secretly sorted out information such as the personnel structure, resource flow, and secret strongholds of the Holy Spirit Cult branch, waiting for the right opportunity to pass it on to the Evil Emperor.

In addition, he did something significant: he went to the Xishui Alliance in Mingdu.

On the surface, the Xishui Alliance is one of the largest underground forces in Mingdu, but in reality, it is the core intelligence and resource transfer station of the Holy Spirit Cult in the Sun Moon Empire.

As a newly appointed retainer, Zhang Peng naturally had the right to come and go.

When he stepped into the magnificent yet blood-stained pavilion of the Xishui Alliance, he was immediately given an extremely warm welcome by the alliance leader, Nangong Wan.

Nangong Wan greeted him with a smile as he personally ascended the steps: "It is truly an honor to have Venerable Scorpion Tiger grace us with his presence!"

He hosted a banquet, during which they drank and chatted, his words conveying both firm support for the Grand Instructor's orders and a well-timed attempt to win over and test Zhang Peng, this "newly rich" figure.

During the conversation, Zhang Peng silently noted down the frequency of the guard rotation of the Xishui Alliance, the location of the secret room, and the latest developments of the Grand Master that Nangong Wan inadvertently revealed in his words.

After a few rounds of drinks, Zhang Peng, slightly tipsy, got up to say goodbye.

Nangong Wan personally escorted him to the door, and as he watched his unsteady departing figure, a meaningful smile flashed in his eyes.

As Zhang Peng walked out of the dimly lit long street of Xishui Alliance, a night breeze blew, and the drunkenness on his face instantly disappeared.

He glanced back at the golden and red pavilion, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Nangong Wan...you're testing me too. Unfortunately, you won't find anything out.

Time flies, and more than two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

For the past two years, Zhang Peng has maintained an unwavering habit: every six months, he would sneak away from the branch under the cover of night, travel to the Demon Forest, meet with the Evil Emperor, and report on all the intelligence he had gathered about the Holy Spirit Cult over the past six months.

In the core area of ​​the Demon Forest, beside that familiar rock, the Evil Emperor still maintained his languid demeanor.

Sometimes they were playing cards, sometimes... well, continuing to rehearse that "wedding song and dance" that still gives Zhang Peng nightmares whenever he thinks about it.

But each time he listened to Zhang Peng's report, the Evil Emperor would seriously put away his frivolous attitude, and a solemn light would flash in his eyes.

"Xiao Zhang, you did a great job." The Evil Emperor once patted him on the shoulder and said, "The Holy Spirit Cult's infiltration in Mingdu is deeper than we expected. Even Electrolux and Brother Di Tian would frown upon seeing this information."

Each time he left, Zhang Peng would let out a long sigh of relief, as if a huge rock had been lifted from his chest.

On this path of dancing on the edge of a knife, the Evil Emperor is the only person he can speak the truth to.

However, this time, less than three days after Zhang Peng returned to the branch, a communication soul tool engraved with the Holy Spirit Cult's dark symbols began to vibrate.

He picked it up and took a look; his face instantly darkened.

The head instructor urgently summoned him back to headquarters for a meeting.

Without delay, Zhang Peng set off overnight to return to the Holy Spirit Church headquarters.

Along the way, he had a vague sense of foreboding. If it weren't for something major, Ye Xishui would never have summoned all the core members at this critical juncture.

The atmosphere inside the council hall was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

Ye Xishui sat upright in the main seat, her black robe making her beautiful face appear even more cold and aloof.

Zhongli Wu, Long Xiaoyao, Feng Ling, and all the elders who could be mobilized were present.

Zhang Peng quietly took his seat, bowed his head and remained silent, shrinking himself into the background.

"Everyone's here." Ye Xishui slowly stood up, her gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on the map in the center of the long table.

"Soon, the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament will begin." Her voice wasn't loud, but it pierced everyone's ears like an ice pick. "Crown Prince Xu Tianran has reached a consensus with me—when the geniuses from all sides gather in Mingdu after the tournament, that will be our opportunity to join forces and annihilate them."

The hall was deathly silent, then burst into suppressed murmurs.

Ye Xishui raised her hand to quell the noise and continued, "The prodigies of Shrek Academy, the princess of Xingluo... these people are the future backbone of the continent. As long as we wipe them all out after the competition—"

A cruel smile curled at the corner of her lips:

"The future of the mainland is over."

Next, Ye Xishui began to assign tasks one by one... Every step was precise down to the hour, and every stronghold was marked with manpower.