Douluo Continent II: The Peerless Tang Sect: I, Huo Yuhao, join the Sun Moon Sect

"The Heavenly Soul Empire has sided with the Sun Moon Empire, and their spies can no longer be trusted. Let's find the Shrek Academy spies first."

With that in mind, Xuanzi immediately chose to head to the south of Mingdu City, based on the memories in his mind.

Chapter 681 The spies only need to gather intelligence, but I have many more things to consider.

Before long, Xuanzi arrived in front of a Xuantian Restaurant.

In fact, this restaurant originally belonged to the Tang Clan. During the war more than four thousand years ago, in order to gather as much intelligence as possible to aid the war effort, the Tang Clan sent a group of people to Mingdu to open this restaurant.

As the Tang Sect gradually sank amidst the tidal wave of soul tools, this restaurant closed its doors multiple times. After many twists and turns, it eventually came into the hands of Shrek Academy and became a contact point for Shrek spies.

Xuanzi lifted the curtain, and the noisy sounds poured into his ears.

It was clearly the middle of the night, yet a group of drunken men were drinking, with several more lying sprawled on the ground.

He wasn't surprised by this; on the contrary, he found it perfectly normal.

No matter what, Xuantian Restaurant is a long-established brand with excellent brewing skills, and its business is usually very good.

He strode to the counter, found the waiter in gray, and said in a deep voice, "I need to see the owner of Xuantian Restaurant. Go and tell him now that someone I know wants to see him."

Although Xuantian Restaurant serves as a contact point, to ensure security and the restaurant's normal operation, only the owner is a Shrek spy; the rest of the staff are ordinary Sun and Moon people.

The waiter stared in astonishment at the strange man dressed in a black robe and wearing a hood to cover his face, somewhat bewildered, but judging from the man's tone, he dared not be negligent.

After all, as a waiter in the restaurant, it wouldn't be good if he accidentally bumped into someone the boss knew. So he quickly said, "Sir, please wait here for a moment. I'll go and inform the boss right away."

As he spoke, the shop assistant left the counter to look for the owner. A moment later, the shop assistant returned with a middle-aged man.

The man, dressed in a blue robe, with a stubble beard and sharply defined eyebrows, walked up to Xuanzi and asked suspiciously, "This guest, you told my shop assistant that you are an acquaintance of mine?"

“Yes, an acquaintance. You should know who I am from my voice!” Xuanzi said while transmitting his voice to the middle-aged man: “Zhao Yunfeng, I am Shrek Xuanzi. I need you to help me gather some intelligence.”

If I remember correctly, the person in front of me is Zhao Yunfeng. He used to study at Shrek Academy and chose to serve the academy after graduation.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man named Zhao Yunfeng's pupils contracted slightly, and his body stiffened for a moment, but he quickly relaxed. He found it hard to believe that the notorious Elder Xuan would come to the restaurant to look for him.

As an experienced spy, he appropriately feigned surprise and exclaimed with delight, "Teacher, it's you! We haven't seen each other for many years, let's have a good get-together today!"

As he spoke, he turned around and led Xuanzi the way, instructing the waiter to have the kitchen prepare wine and food. Soon, he led Xuanzi to a private room in the restaurant and activated a soundproof soul-guided shield to prevent sound leakage.

Xuanzi took off his hood, revealing his face. Zhao Yunfeng's face lit up with a smile, and he immediately said, "Elder Xuan, what brings you here?"

Xuanzi deliberately put on a stern face: "What, can't I come?"

"This... Elder Xuan, please don't tease me. That's not what I meant. I was just curious. I heard that you were fighting against Sun and Moon level experts on the battlefield not long ago..." As Zhao Yunfeng spoke, he couldn't help but stare at Xuanzi, subconsciously sizing up this second strongest member of Shrek Academy who had lost an arm.

In fact, as time went by, Xuanzi's image in his mind became worse and worse. He had also heard about Xuanzi's "brilliant" performance on the battlefield some time ago.

Nowadays, many people in the Sun Moon Empire suspect that Xuanzi might be a spy planted by the Sun Moon Emperor in the allied forces. After all, his series of actions are practically helping the Sun Moon army to conquer cities and seize territory. Therefore, rumors about Xuanzi being a spy are flying like snowflakes within the Sun Moon Empire.

Living in such an environment, Zhao Yunfeng's dissatisfaction with Xuanzi grew day by day. After all, as the second strongest person in Shrek Academy, Xuanzi practically represented the image of Shrek Academy in the outside world. Xuanzi's outrageous behavior also affected the reputation of Shrek Academy.

"My purpose in coming to you is very simple: to immediately gather information about Xu Tianran. I need to know his travel arrangements and who his powerful protectors are," Xuanzi stated his purpose.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yunfeng was somewhat taken aback: "Elder Xuan, do you mean you intend to harm Xu Tianran?"

“Hmm.” Xuanzi didn’t hide his intentions and admitted it frankly. “Elder Mu gave me a task to cause trouble within the Sun Moon Empire. I feel that targeting Xu Tianran also falls into the category of causing trouble.”

Zhao Yunfeng was somewhat surprised and uncertain. Taking action against Xu Tianran was no simple matter, after all, as the Emperor of the Sun and Moon, he had extremely strong protection.

Moreover, given Xuanzi's past glorious achievements, he was really worried that Xuanzi would cause some trouble again this time. So he advised, "Elder Xuan, there are many ways to cause destruction. Instead of thinking about targeting Xu Tianran, why not destroy the soul tool warehouses in various parts of the Sun Moon Empire?"

Xuanzi frowned and refused, saying, "No, destroying the soul tool warehouse cannot fundamentally improve the allied forces' dire situation on the front lines. Only by capturing Xu Tianran alive can the situation be improved. After all, Xu Tianran is the Sun and Moon Emperor, and capturing him alive would have profound significance."

No, don't you have any idea why the coalition forces are in such a terrible situation on the front lines? If it weren't for your series of outrageous actions, would the coalition forces have ended up in this predicament?

Zhao Yunfeng inwardly scoffed, but he still wanted to try again, so he continued, "Elder Xuan, but..."

“Alright, Yunfeng!” Xuanzi interrupted Zhao Yunfeng. “Just do as I say. If anything goes wrong, I, as the second strongest in Shrek Academy, will take full responsibility. But if I can successfully capture Xu Tianran alive, you and the other spies from the academy will undoubtedly be credited and will be rewarded by the academy.”

Hearing this, Zhao Yunfeng could no longer argue and could only nod with difficulty: "Yes, Elder Xuan!"

“Okay, then you can arrange for people to gather intelligence now. I’ll stay at the restaurant and give you and your spies three days to gather intelligence,” Xuanzi said.

You can stay comfortably in the restaurant for three days while your spies are out there doing extremely difficult things. It's easy for you to talk when you're not in their shoes!

Suppressing his dissatisfaction, Zhao Yunfeng pleaded, "Three days is far too short, Elder Xuan. Could you please grant us more time? After all, this puts too much pressure on our spies."

Xuanzi said calmly, "Are you questioning my decision? The spies only need to gather intelligence, but I have many more things to consider."

Chapter 682 Xuanzi: Arrange for me to join the Soul Master Corps

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Xuanzi otherwise, Zhao Yunfeng had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree: "Elder Xuan, I understand. I will convey your message to the others."

"Okay, go ahead and do your work. Oh, and remember to bring Xingluo Scouts and Douling Scouts along. That way, we'll be more efficient at gathering intelligence," Xuanzi said.

"Yes, Elder Xuan!" Zhao Yunfeng replied respectfully.

........

Mingdu, Imperial Palace, Sun and Moon Hall.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, piercing the window and falling onto the ground, creating patches of light of varying sizes.

Xu Tianran sat in a wheelchair, his hands gripping the armrests tightly, his knuckles white, and his face pale.

The reason was simple: he had just left the court assembly. At first, the ministers were discussing the war at the front and praising the wisdom and bravery of Confucius and Ju Zi, as well as His Majesty's wisdom. He was quite pleased to hear this at first. However, as the ministers talked, they changed the subject and began to advise him to take more concubines, establish an empress as soon as possible, and have children soon.

In fact, he could understand the ministers' thoughts. Although these guys had their own selfish motives and wanted to take this opportunity to become in-laws with the royal family, what they said was not wrong. If he really followed the ministers' advice, he could undoubtedly make his throne more secure.

The problem is that because of his physical disability, he is unable to have sex and has no chance of having his own biological children. If he were to take in many concubines, his physical defect would definitely be exposed.

Will he still be able to sit securely on the throne then?

Those members of the royal family who have always coveted the throne will probably pounce on him like sharks smelling blood, using this incident to make trouble for him.

After all, throughout history, any emperor who wants to secure his throne must have offspring. Without offspring, a series of complex problems will inevitably arise.

"I must establish an empress and take concubines as soon as possible, otherwise the ministers will gradually become suspicious and my throne will become more and more unstable. But how can I find someone I can trust?"

"Ju Zi is trustworthy, but her current task is to seduce Huo Yuhao and build a relationship with him. Therefore, I have no way of arranging for Ju Zi to become the empress." Thinking of this, his face became even more gloomy.

In fact, he had already made plans regarding the child.

That meant sending people to observe whether any of the incompetent princes in the royal family had pregnant women. If they did, the people would have these incompetent princes and women killed, the children taken away, and the blame shifted to the resistance forces led by Shrek Academy.

In this way, not only would the Sun Moon people's dissatisfaction with the resistance forces led by Shrek Academy deepen, but the captured children, especially the boys, could also be used as their illegitimate children, thus giving them offspring.

However, his plan was based on having ample time.

Currently, the ministers are pressing him relentlessly, and he doesn't have much time left. Even if he were to arrange for his illegitimate son to be introduced, that would be a matter for later, since he has to wait until those children are born.

Although he is the Emperor of the Sun and Moon, he has been trying to maintain the image of a sage ruler since he ascended the throne. He strongly supports the Sun and Moon Army in launching wars, and now that the Sun and Moon Army has won one victory after another on the battlefield, his image as a sage ruler has become more and more solid. In order to further consolidate his position, he really cannot continue to ignore the advice of his ministers.

"Let's resolve the matter of establishing an empress first, and put the matter of the concubines aside for now. This way, we can delay things for a while longer. Once those children are born, they will have illegitimate children, which can also be considered offspring."

As for the Empress... let's choose one first. Find some time soon to visit Zhongli Wu and see if we can obtain the Holy Spirit Cult's secret methods from him, so we can control the Empress and find a way to get her to have a child.

"However, this requires repairing relations with the Holy Spirit Church."

.........

Three days later.

Inside the restaurant.

Xuanzi drank wine and ate chicken legs, his face full of contentment, and he seemed to be in a very good mood.

Standing to the side, Zhao Yunfeng looked exhausted and travel-worn. Looking at Xuanzi like this, he couldn't help but curse inwardly, feeling that the other party was completely enjoying life.

Meanwhile, he and the other spies had been working almost non-stop for the past three days to gather the intelligence that Xuanzi needed, and they were exhausted to the point of near death.

He said, "Elder Xuan, the information you requested regarding Xu Tianran's travel arrangements and the deployment of powerful figures around him has been collected."

Upon hearing this, Xuanzi put down the wine pot and said with an appreciative look, "Not bad. I originally thought you wouldn't be able to do this in three days and was going to give you some time to postpone it. Sure enough, people really need to be pushed, otherwise you will never know how much potential you have."

Zhao Yunfeng felt that Xuanzi was too shameless. His face turned ugly, as if he had swallowed a fly. He had an urge to curse, but considering the difference in status and strength, he silently held back.

Seeing Zhao Yunfeng's expression, Xuanzi comforted him, "Yunfeng, don't blame me. I only gave you three days because it was for your own good. This was actually a test for you."

You attended Shrek Academy, so you should know that the books written by Ancestor Yu Xiaogang at the academy contain the teaching insights left by Ancestor Tang San before he left this world.

Tang San's ancestor believed that to cultivate students, the first step was to subject them to various arduous trials. This would strengthen their will and make them resilient. Therefore, you and the other spies might have to thank me profusely when you recall the tasks I assigned you.

Zhao Yunfeng forced a smile and said, "Elder Xuan, you're absolutely right. However, I think intelligence is more important. Why don't you listen to the intelligence first?"

Xuanzi nodded: "Okay."

So Zhao Yunfeng began to inform Xuanzi of the intelligence he had gathered.

Xu Tianran's travel arrangements were simple. Three days later, Xu Tianran would set off to inspect the Mingde Hall at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. He would be accompanied by two level-nine soul masters and a soul master regiment.

Compared to breaking into the palace and capturing Xu Tianran alive, it is clearly more likely to succeed to capture him when he leaves the palace.

After hearing the intelligence, Xuanzi frowned, feeling that something was amiss. After thinking for a moment, he had a flash of inspiration, "We can start arranging to capture Xu Tianran alive now."

"You spies also need to contribute. Here's what we'll do: infiltrate the Soul Master Corps. If I can get in there too, I can definitely capture Xu Tianran alive when the time is right!"

Although spies who want to gather intelligence will certainly need to cultivate good interpersonal relationships through various means, arranging for Xuanzi to join an ordinary Soul Master Corps is not a problem.

However, the Soul Master Corps that protects the Sun and Moon Emperor is different from ordinary Soul Master Corps.

Zhao Yunfeng immediately showed a look of hesitation.

Chapter 683 We must prioritize the overall situation!

"Elder Xuan, it would be far too difficult to arrange for you to join this kind of Soul Master Corps. This is the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps! As you know, the five strongest Soul Master Corps of the Sun Moon Empire are known as the Guardians of the Nation, and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps is the strongest among the five Beast King-level Soul Master Corps. Not only are its members the strongest in overall strength, but its internal management is also extremely strict!"

“The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps?” Xuanzi frowned, dissatisfied with Zhao Yunfeng’s answer. He questioned Zhao Yunfeng with a puzzled look, “You’ve been operating here for many years, surely you haven’t cultivated any relationships within the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps that could be used in a critical moment?”

Zhao Yunfeng's face showed helplessness. He thought to himself that Elder Xuan was just talking without understanding the situation, but he still patiently explained: "Elder Xuan, you think too highly of us. As the strongest soul master group in the world, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Group has carefully selected members. In addition, the benefits are excellent, the management is strict, and they are only loyal to the royal family. There is a natural barrier between them and the outside world. It can be said that they are impenetrable."

The intelligence we've gathered about Xu Tianran mainly comes from greedy members of the royal family and ministers of the Sun Moon Sect, as well as some palace eunuchs. As for the internal members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps, we haven't established any contact with them yet.

Upon hearing this, Xuanzi's brows furrowed deeply. He said coldly, "In that case, you will all be mobilized in three days to attack some important locations in Mingdu. Remember, make a big commotion so as to attract attention and create an opportunity for me to capture Xu Tianran alive."

"Elder Xuan!" Zhao Yunfeng's face turned ashen, and he raised his voice, "We are spies. Our main task is to gather intelligence, not to cause destruction everywhere. If we launch a full-scale attack on important locations, it could very well lead to the complete destruction of the academy's intelligence network in Mingdu. How will we explain that to Elder Mu then?"

"Yunfeng! Time waits for no one. If we don't take this opportunity to strike at Xu Tianran, the situation facing the allied forces at the front will only worsen."

After all, there are far too many powerful individuals in the Sun and Moon Army. You must prioritize the overall situation. An intelligence network can be rebuilt, but if Xu Tianran isn't captured alive, the allied forces will suffer even greater losses.”