Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 461 Intelligence on the Bad Guys

"Seven thousand miles deep in the Ten Thousand Mountains."

Liang Qi lowered his voice and said slowly:

"The outer perimeter was completely sealed off by multiple layers of formations and swarms of insects. The Bad Guys lost seven brothers and couldn't even get through the first layer completely."

When Ryoichi said "seven", his Adam's apple bobbed and his eyelids drooped slightly.

"Based on intelligence gathered from other sources, the Gu God Palace has at least five Celestial Immortals in charge."

The Palace Master's cultivation level—I can only say it is unfathomable.

"A thousand years ago, he was already at the peak of the Celestial Immortal realm. Nobody knows what his cultivation level is now."

Lin Chen remained expressionless and asked calmly, "Anything else?"

"The Gu God Palace has almost no contact with the outside world," Liang Qi continued.

"They are self-sufficient, farming, refining pills, and raising insects. Even during this celestial rift, they didn't make a sound."

Lin Chen frowned slightly, thinking to himself:

Looks like I'll have to make the trip myself. If we just rely on the thugs wandering around aimlessly, how long will it take to find out?

"Notify the Bad Guys that they need to stop investigating. Also, do you have any information about Tianyuan City?"

"Yes!" Liang Qi replied steadily, as if reading a well-organized report.

"Zhang Yiyuan, a peak Celestial Immortal, has lived for 2,300 years. He only emerged from seclusion after the Heavenly Rift. Before that, he had been in seclusion trying to break through to the True Monarch realm, but he probably didn't succeed."

Tianyuan City never takes sides; no matter how the major powers in Zhongzhou fight, Tianyuan City always remains neutral.

"How do you legislate?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.

He welcomes everyone who comes and doesn't offend anyone. He welcomes righteous people to do business in Tianyuan City and doesn't refuse demonic people to open branch offices in Tianyuan City.

But whenever someone tries to make a move in the city, Tianyuan City will deploy its mysterious thirty-six city guards.

Everyone is at least a terrestrial deity; this number has remained largely unchanged for tens of thousands of years, and no one dares to break the rule.

Lin Chen nodded.

"There are a few more things," Liang Qichi continued.

"First, the protective formation of Tianyuan City is at the True Lord level, and it is said to have been set up by the first city lord."

After so many years of reinforcement and maintenance, it can easily withstand the True Lord's full-force attack for three days when fully activated.

Secondly, Tianyuan City also has five Celestial Elders who are usually in seclusion and don't manage affairs much.

"Third—" Liang Qi paused for a moment.

"Tianyuan City has connections with the three holy lands, but none are deep; they have always adhered to the rule of neutrality."

Lin Chen leaned against the window frame and thought for a moment.

One peak Celestial Immortal, five Celestial Immortal Elders, and a city-protecting formation capable of blocking True Monarchs.

With its mysterious thirty-six city guards and tens of thousands of years of management, Tianyuan City's position in Zhongzhou is indeed not something that any force can easily shake.

But what has truly kept him alive until now is not these things, but his neutrality.

I neither offend nor get close to anyone, and I don't take sides.

Seeing that Lin Chen didn't speak, Liang Qi continued his report:

"The major powers in Zhongzhou have recently been tightening their defenses."

Kunlun Domain recalled most of its outer disciples, and the mountain-protecting formation was activated throughout the day.

Penglai Immortal Island went even further, directly recalling all the disciples who were traveling outside, and activating all nine layers of formations surrounding the island.

The Qingyun Sect and the Tianjian Pavilion are relatively stable, but they are also shrinking.

The Heavenly Sword Pavilion has summoned back several elders who were traveling abroad.

"Mount Sumeru—" Liang Qi paused for a moment.

"The mountain gates remain closed, hidden in the void, and the abbot has never even shown his face."

Lin Chen scoffed, "These bald monks, they talk about saving all living beings all the time, but when something really happens, they run away faster than anyone else."

Ryoichi didn't pick up on that topic and continued:

"The Corpse Refining Sect is in the worst shape. Dugu Qiubai single-handedly tormented them, and now they're all holed up in their mountain gates."

Lin Chen's lips curled up slightly, thinking to himself that the old man was quite something, one person was worth an entire sect.

"Ma Qiangteng of the Tianyuan Chamber of Commerce has been quite active lately," Liang Qi said, lowering his voice slightly.

"They are trying to win people over everywhere and build a business alliance to jointly resist major changes."

We've already brought in several businesses, all of which are top-tier merchants in Zhongzhou.

Ma Qiangteng is a very eloquent and diplomatic person, but his subordinates always feel that he has someone else backing him up.

Lin Chen glanced at Liang Qi but didn't ask any further questions.

Liang Qi then told Lin Chen something that surprised him:

"There is also a newly emerging organization called the 'Heavenly Alliance'."

They spread the word that the great changes in the world were divine punishment, and that only by following them could one be saved.

Many independent cultivators and small sects have already joined, and the group's influence is expanding rapidly, having recruited several thousand people in just half a month.

"The Heavenly Alliance? Who's behind it all?"

Liang Qi shook his head: "I can't find out. The core members never show their faces. When they do, they always wear masks. You can't detect them with your divine sense."

The subordinates suspected that there might be a celestial being backing them up, and not just one.

Their methods of recruiting people are also suspicious; instead of preaching in public, they recruit people one by one in private.

First, they'll invite you for tea, and as the conversation progresses, they'll start talking about the Heavenly Dao Alliance, getting more and more involved until you're completely hooked.

Lin Chen narrowed his eyes. This approach sounded a bit familiar.

"Continue the investigation, but don't alert them," Lin Chen said after thinking for a moment.

Liang Qi clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."

Lin Chen was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "How many members of the Bad Guys are there in Zhongzhou now?"

"Two hundred and eighty-eight people." Liang Qi was precise down to the single digit.

"They are spread across various sects, but it's still impossible to break into the core. Those major sects are very strict in their recruitment, even tracing back to their ancestors for eighteen generations. It's very difficult for ordinary people to infiltrate."

Lin Chen nodded and then asked about cultivation level.

"The Central Plains are full of vital energy, and with the celestial rift, the spiritual energy has surged. Now everyone has broken through to the Grandmaster level," Liang Qi replied in turn.

Lin Chen glanced at Liang Qi and took out two small porcelain bottles from his pocket.

One is large and one is small; the small one contains the Heavenly Elixir, and the large one contains the Immortal Elixir.

He casually tossed it over, and Liang Qi caught it. He looked down at it, and his hand suddenly trembled as if he had been burned.

He looked up at Lin Chen, his lips trembling slightly.

"My lord, this—"

Lin Chen waved his hand: "Eat them, first take the Celestial Human Pill, then take the Human Immortal Pill after you break through. Two pills and you can directly become a terrestrial immortal."

Liang Qi's hand holding the porcelain bottle trembled, and his voice was a little hoarse:

"My lord, what merit do I possess...?"

Lin Chen interrupted him, tossed another ring to Liang Qi, and said calmly:

"What's given to you is yours. Eat it and then do your job well."

This contains some cultivation resources, which are distributed to the Bad People.

The passage is about to open; even Grandmasters won't be enough to survive in the future.

Liang Qi took a deep breath and put the ring and the two porcelain bottles into the closest place on his body.

Then he knelt down and kowtowed heavily.

His forehead hit the wooden floor with a loud thud.

Lin Chen didn't help him up, and turned to walk back into the room.

Liang Qi knelt in the corridor, watching Lin Chen's figure disappear behind the door. He looked down at the porcelain bottle in his arms, his eyes reddening.

He knelt in the darkness for a long time, then stood up and silently retreated into the shadows.

The corridor was empty, as if nothing had happened.

Only the faint mark on the floor remains.