Chapter 78: A Mighty Power Behind Qin Qin

Chapter 78: A Mighty Power Behind Qin Qin "Deacon, I believe there’s a big problem with this intel," said a disciple of the Dayan Holy Land. The Eleventh Deacon turned his gaze toward him. "Tell me, what’s wrong with the intel?" The disciple replied, "Reporting to Deacon, as everyone knows, the ten institute heads of Wendao Academy are all marquises. Even if the Miscellaneous Dao Institute is the weakest among them, its head should at least be a Nirvana Realm expert." The Eleventh Deacon nodded slightly. He too felt that this piece of intel was suspicious. "Does anyone else have anything to add?" Soon, another disciple stepped forward and said, "Deacon, I think the disappearance of our fellow disciples might be related to this intel." "After all, even if this report had been sent back to the sect, no one would have believed it. Perhaps our comrades stayed behind to verify the truth of this information." "It’s possible. We’re the first batch of cultivators to arrive in Wendao City. Soon, more reinforcements will come. Before that, we can try to find out the truth about this report." The Eleventh Deacon did not intend to abandon the investigation just because of the missing disciples. If the upper levels had only wanted them to station themselves in Wendao City, they wouldn’t have sent additional reinforcements. Not to mention, the target of this mission was someone the Dark Hall had been tracking for years. However, none of the Dark Hall disciples present immediately stepped forward to take on the task. Although they were members of the Dark Hall and usually had to conceal their true identities in their daily actions, that didn’t mean they were fools. So many comrades had disappeared—most likely wiped out completely. If their small group dug too deeply, they probably wouldn’t end up much better. The smartest plan was to wait for more reinforcements before investigating together. The Eleventh Deacon saw everyone’s silence and understood what they were thinking. "My intention," he said, "is for you to gather information. All you need is to find out news related to the head of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute." "I believe that as long as we are willing to spend spirit stones, we can get some useful information without any danger." "The spirit stones required for this operation will be reimbursed by me. Tomorrow, two people will accompany me to the Red Pavilion." "The rest of you will spread out to tea houses, taverns, inns, and other places to gather information." Upon hearing that they could spend freely, everyone's spirits lifted. "Deacon, I’m willing to accompany you to the Red Pavilion!" "Junior Brother, you're still too young to know how deep the waters of the Red Pavilion run. Let Senior Brother handle it." "..." The crowd started arguing over the two coveted spots. "Silence." The Eleventh Deacon coldly snorted. "We’ll draw lots." "Deacon is wise!" they all responded in unison. The next day, several unfamiliar faces appeared at the taverns and tea houses of Wendao City, quietly listening to the cultivators gossiping about the affairs of Wendao Academy. The information from these places was half-true and half-false, but the Dark Hall disciples were professionals when it came to gathering intelligence. They were best at piecing together the truth from scattered rumors. Unfortunately, most of the discussions about Wendao Academy concerned the Eight Great Institutes. Occasionally, there were mentions of the Foreign Affairs Institute. As for the Miscellaneous Dao Institute, it was barely mentioned at all. Several days passed, but they still couldn’t find the information they needed. As time went on, two more groups arrived in Wendao City. One of the groups even brought the news that all their fellow disciples previously stationed in Wendao City had been wiped out. Unfortunately, no one knew exactly how that group had been destroyed. With more forces from the Dayan Holy Land gathering in Wendao City, some disciples decided to leave the city to search for the corpses of their missing comrades, hoping to find clues from the remains. Meanwhile, those who stayed within the city, after a few more days of blending in, managed to befriend a few disciples of Wendao Academy. After a few outings to the Red Pavilion with some disciples from Wendao Academy, they finally gathered information about the Miscellaneous Dao Institute. It was exactly the same as what the Ninth Deacon and others had previously found. Of course, they also uncovered a critical piece of information. The two outstanding talents of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute, Xiao Chen and Cao Youqian, were currently not in the academy, having gone out for training. At present, there were only three people left in the Miscellaneous Dao Institute. The institute head Chu Feng, Qin Qin, and a small useless newcomer who had entered the academy with a Wendao Token. Meanwhile, the disciples of the Dayan Holy Land who had gone out to search for the corpses of the Ninth Deacon’s group finally found his body. Although the Ninth Deacon had been dead for over ten days, he had been a half-step Spirit Nourishment Realm cultivator. Even in death, his body had not decomposed easily. Moreover, the lingering aura on his corpse kept nearby demon beasts from approaching. As for the rest of the comrades, they were less fortunate—nothing remained but piles of bones. "The Ninth Deacon’s dantian was shattered by a terrifying sword cultivator in a single strike. Judging by the sword qi remnants in his dantian, it must have been done by a true expert. However, that wasn’t the fatal wound. His true cause of death was multiple soundwave attacks." Inside the Dayan Holy Land’s stronghold. After examining the Ninth Deacon’s body, the Eighth Deacon made his judgment. The two deacons nearby were shocked when they heard this. The Ninth Deacon, although only a half-step Spirit Nourishment Realm cultivator, could still fight against a full Spirit Nourishment Realm opponent. Only facing a Path Union expert could he possibly be defeated so thoroughly. "Soundwave technique... Could it be that Qin Qin killed the Ninth Deacon?" the Eleventh Deacon muttered instinctively. "It’s possible, but based on our intelligence, there was no expert protecting Qin Qin in the Miscellaneous Dao Institute. With her strength alone, she couldn’t have killed the Ninth Deacon," said the Eighth Deacon, his expression growing grim. The Ninth Deacon had been one of the Dark Hall’s most promising disciples, likely to break through to the Spirit Nourishment Realm in a few decades. Even if he failed to capture Qin Qin, he would have eventually achieved a major breakthrough. And now, he had become a corpse. "It’s clear now. Someone powerful is guarding Qin Qin. At least a Path Union Realm expert. It means she’s already been favored by one of Wendao Academy’s mighty figures." "Unless the entire Dark Hall moves out, there’s no way to capture Qin Qin—especially if she goes out traveling." The Eighth Deacon’s voice was calm, devoid of any emotion. The two deacons beside him spoke in unison, "At this point, we can only report the situation back to the sect and let the true experts decide." "Yes, I’ll send the report now." After speaking, the Eighth Deacon turned and left. Dayan Holy Land, Dark Hall. For the past few days, Elder Jiu had been unable to sit still. A few days ago, he and another head had personally gone to report the situation in Wendao City and about Qin Qin to the sect master. Unfortunately, whether it was the sect master or the other heads, none of them took it seriously. Even though he reasoned vehemently, the sect master simply waved it off with a light sentence: "The Dark Hall can act however it sees fit; this seat supports it." "Elder Jiu, a message from Wendao City!" "Quick, give it to me!" Elder Jiu spoke urgently, full of excitement. The disciple quickly handed the transmission talisman to Elder Jiu. As Elder Jiu read it, his brows slowly furrowed into a deep, creased frown. ==================================================================================== Get access to 20 chapters in advance and enjoy 2 daily updates by supporting the series. Available on Patreon: /Alex_Cruise or Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/anish_44