Chapter 895: Forty-Eight Words

Void Island Rift.

Teng Shanhai wore the Cyan God Armor, his single eye sharp and piercing like a hawk's, resembling a war god guarding his domain.

Yet, his aura seemed to lack something.

If he had a great spear or halberd in hand, the current Teng Shanhai would undoubtedly be even more imposing, commanding fear from all directions.

Unfortunately, it was gone...

The loss of Xiao Shen Qiang was a matter of varying significance.

At worst, it meant losing face and facing mockery from peers, but it could also serve as a backup plan to track the holy slave Xu Xiao Shou.

As a lost divine artifact, the Legacy Pattern Stele would eventually return as long as its owner lived.

No real harm done.

Previously, Teng Shanhai hadn't taken the mission too seriously, but ever since losing Xiao Shen Qiang, he had become more cautious.

However, what truly elevated the danger of this mission in his mind was the latest intelligence from Central Domain's Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain.

"Yi has fallen in battle, soul lamp extinguished, no possibility of revival."

These twelve simple words carried news that would shake the entire Sheng Shen Continent.

One of the six department heads, Yi.

Gone without a trace!

The suspected battlefield was Yunlun Mountain Range.

Yet, not a single trace of battle fluctuations emerged from the site.

Who would believe it?

From his high vantage point, Teng Shanhai could overlook everything in the Yunlun Mountain Range.

Even though control of the Yun Realm had been seized, his Tai Xu spiritual sense still allowed him to survey all directions.

But even so,

Throughout the entire process of Yi's death, Teng Shanhai detected no signals and witnessed no anomalies.

They say when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out.

But for a Tai Xu, it shouldn't be like this.

At the very least, before dying, there should be an earth-shattering event or a distress signal, right?

In the end...

In utter silence, Tai Xu fell in battle!

"Ye Xiao..."

Teng Shanhai thought of the Dark Department head, Ye Xiao, and felt a chill in his heart.

If you asked who among all in the Sheng Shen Hall frightened people the most,

Besides the "Gui Zhe Supervising Holy Envoy," it was only the Dark Department head, Ye Xiao!

Among the six departments, Ye Xiao was the only one with no intelligence leaks, not even their cultivation level known—merely a vague classification as Tai Xu based on overall abilities.

Ye Xiao, a mysterious figure.

To the outside world, people didn't even know if Ye Xiao was male or female.

Because the world's largest intelligence organization was run by her partner, Yi, who sealed all information for her, allowing her to sit on the supreme throne of the dark world!

The king of assassins...

The king of killers...

Even in the dark world, some compared her to the two great ruling sovereigns of the Sheng Shen Hall, calling her the invisible third—the Dark Sovereign!

On the surface,

The Sheng Shen Hall couldn't handle certain troubles, but the Dark Department could.

The White Department couldn't crack certain dark forces, but the Dark Department could.

The Red Department couldn't eradicate certain ghost beast hosts, but the Dark Department could.

In short...

The Dark Department had authority over matters of the righteous path and the underworld alike. Any person or affair that couldn't be resolved through legitimate means—just provide a portrait, and in the shadows, the Dark Department would settle it all.

Even among the six departments, the Dark Department was the most unique.

To mobilize the other five departments for a mission, one only needed to apply to the Sheng Shen Hall headquarters and get a majority vote from the "Heaven Ladder Council."

But to mobilize the Dark Department,

It required over 90 percent approval from the "Heaven Ladder Council," plus consent from at least one "Gui Zhe Supervising Holy Envoy," and finally, the approval seal of the current Sheng Shen Hall lord, Dao Qiong Cang.

The Sheng Shen Hall emphasized evidence in its operations.

But once things spiraled out of control and the Dark Department was called in...

They acted on suspicion alone.

If I suspect you, you're as good as dead.

That's how straightforward it was!

Of course, such immense power and strength came with immense oversight.

In fact, in the current world situation, full deployments of the Dark Department happened less than a few times a year, and each operation went through strict procedures, approvals, and secrecy to avoid alarming the world.

To outsiders, the Dark Department was like a mere decoration.

No one knew when it was established, when it had acted, or how many troubles it had resolved.

Nevertheless,

Among the six departments, the Dark Department was the only one with a 100 percent mission success rate.

Its members did just two things in a year—one for half a year: half waiting, half killing!

"Yi is dead, Ye Xiao is probably going mad."

"If Ye Xiao goes mad and no one suppresses her, how many people will die?"

As Teng Shanhai pondered, a sense of horror crept into his heart.

He'd rather believe he himself might die, or the renowned Eighth Sword Immortal might die.

But he never expected that Yi, who handled intelligence, would lose his life in what seemed like a simple mission.

Open enemies are easy to kill—just gang up on them.

But someone as elusive as a snake in the shadows—how could they die, how could they be killed?

Yi and Ye Xiao.

This pair was publicly recognized on Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain as the hardest to kill.

One managed intelligence, the other assassinations, and as dao companions, they complemented each other—who could eliminate them?

But now, Yi was dead...

Beyond their dao companion bond,

Just considering how Yi had erased all traces of Ye Xiao's assassinations over the years,

That favor had to be repaid, right?

And the Dark Department didn't operate like Rao Yao Yao or Gou Wu Yue, needing ironclad evidence for the world to see.

They killed based on suspicion alone.

The Dark Department head even possessed the authority of "first strike, then report"—something the other five department heads, and even the two great ruling sovereigns of the Sheng Shen Hall, including Ye Xiao herself, had never used.

Teng Shanhai's head throbbing from thinking about it.

He never thought the Dark Department would have issues—it was the ultimate trump card of the Sheng Shen Hall.

But with Yi's death...

If Yi were just an ordinary Tai Xu, it might be fine.

But he wasn't!

Yi's death involved too many complications, too much at stake.

The Sheng Shen Hall might even fall into chaos if no one stepped in.

The priority was clearly to keep Ye Xiao from learning about Yi's death!

"Drip."

The secondary command of the Yun Realm's heavenly mechanism array trembled, interrupting Teng Shanhai's thoughts.

As usual, he quickly scanned the images sent by Yu Zhi Wen and forwarded them to Rao Yao Yao, who was already inside the Void Island Rift.

Rao Yao Yao couldn't communicate directly with the outside from within the Void Island Rift.

Teng Shanhai's role was to guard and act as an intermediary.

He used his Tai Xu world to connect with Rao Yao Yao's intent, relaying all the information reported by Yu Zhi Wen.

And vice versa.

Images of Mu Xiao Gong and his guard Xiao Qing's actions in the Yunlun Mountain Range were sent over.

Soon,

Rao Yao Yao's voice came through the Tai Xu world:

"One, as I instructed before, expand the Yun Realm's scouting range to a hundred li around Yi's location before death, and search for any suspicious individuals, regardless of cultivation level."

"Two, with Yi dead and the imitator lost, we can't rule out the possibility of impersonation. Mu Xiao Gong is a prime suspect; the same goes for her guard. Remember, Yu Ling Di previously suspected him of being a heavenly mechanism master."

"Three, investigate Xu Shao from the First Heaven Tower. Use external agents to trace the source of his heavenly mechanism arts, including the Bei Domain Tai Xiang Xu family—whether the surname is Xu or not doesn't matter. I want all information on any semi-saint families that have secretly studied heavenly mechanism arts."

"Four, Si Tu Yong Ren has confirmed, through backtracking the Yun Realm's heavenly mechanism traces, that the one who seized control was the same heavenly mechanism master he clashed with remotely in Dong Tian Wang City. Based on their abilities, it's likely the ghost beast that escaped from inside Void Island—Xuan Wu Ji, with a seventy percent probability."

"Five, Xuan Wu Ji had a personal grudge with Yi, so we can't rule out a crime of passion. Si Tu Yong Ren said that Zhi Wen's Pearl Star Pupils are still no match for Xuan Wu Ji's heavenly mechanism arts, but they could at least hinder him and waste his time during a kill. Thus, if Xuan Wu Ji is involved, he wouldn't be acting alone—he must have accomplices. Focus on major dark forces as suspects."

"Six, activate the undercover agents from the Ling Que Trade Fair who were tracking dark forces but haven't acted yet. Prioritize surveillance and pursuit of large dark organizations. For local forces in Dong Tian Wang City, use the Sheng Shen Hall search warrant—I give you one quarter-hour; if you can't get information, bring me their heads. For the rest, including Yan Wang who has conflicts with the semi-saint Jiang family, Sheng Nu who has declared war on the Sheng Shen Hall, and Xu Yue Gray Palace with its extensive ties to ghost beasts, I want the locations of their key members—from broad regions down to specific streets and alleys. Provide all available information."

"Seven, order Wang Da Chui to investigate everywhere Yi went from receiving the mission until his death. Any battle leaves traces. Yi must have left important clues waiting—whether in domains, Tai Xu worlds, soul wills, or other spacetime traces that could override heavenly mechanism abilities. Pinpoint the exact battle site, identify suspects, and report back in one quarter-hour."

"Above."

Seven orders!

In less than a few minutes since the Yun Realm images were sent, they came back one by one, methodically.

Teng Shanhai was astounded listening to them.

Was this the capability of the Red Department ruling sovereign?

In such a situation, Rao Yao Yao could still remain so calm and provide specific execution plans in just a few minutes.

From inside the Yunlun Mountain Range to the outer Dong Tian Wang City,

All suspects, from small to large, were addressed step by step.

Then, through thorough investigation, from large to small, narrowing the scope of suspicion.

It was foreseeable that

After one quarter-hour,

Regardless of the responses below, the list of suspects would be reduced to a few specific individuals.

Because in the Dong Tian Realm, only a handful of major figures could kill Yi.

"Yes!"

In response, Teng Shanhai relayed Rao Yao Yao's seven orders to Yu Zhi Wen for execution.

Another message came from the Tai Xu world.

"The above orders are for Yu Zhi Wen. What follows is for you." Rao Yao Yao's voice grew heavier.

Teng Shanhai's heart tensed, vaguely sensing what she might say next.

Rao Yao Yao: "The intelligence above was only given to the three department heads besides the Dark Department, plus Si Tu Yong Ren and me. Yi's death situation—Ye Xiao doesn't know yet. I need you to use any method to keep her bound to your side for now. She absolutely cannot leave your sight."

Teng Shanhai's pupils shook.

Bind Ye Xiao to his side?

Wasn't that like putting a knife to his chest, waiting for someone to push it in?

Who knew if Ye Xiao, once she learned the truth and went mad, might assassinate even him.

After all, there were plenty of open and hidden grudges among the six departments.

"She is rational." Rao Yao Yao knew what Teng Shanhai was thinking.

"She might be rational now." Teng Shanhai added.

"The intelligence exchanges between the Dark Department and Yi's department have been sealed off, cutting all contact. Ye Xiao couldn't possibly know about this."

"You forget, Ye Xiao and Yi are dao companions..."

Teng Shanhai's words hit the point.

The connection in the Tai Xu world fell into a long silence.

Then,

Rao Yao Yao's voice returned.

"This is an order!"

Teng Shanhai sighed inwardly and replied solemnly, "Alright, I'll contact her right now."

The Tai Xu world connection ended.

He activated the communication bead.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, clearly waiting for him to speak.

Teng Shanhai steeled himself and said calmly, "Rao Yao Yao's message: There's a change in the Void Island Rift. Come to my side immediately to help guard."

"Rao Yao Yao?" Ye Xiao's voice was androgynous, impossible to discern gender from, with no hint of emotion. "She didn't send me a message. The Dark Department doesn't accept orders from the War Department."

Teng Shanhai: "Rao Yao Yao is currently in the Void Island Rift and can only establish a Tai Xu world link with me."

Ye Xiao: "I'm also Tai Xu and bound to the Tai Xu world combat channel."

Teng Shanhai laughed: "You haven't been involved in Void Island Rift missions before. Come here, step in with one foot, and you'll understand why Rao Yao Yao can only relay combat orders through me."

Ye Xiao fell silent.

After a long while, a voice came from the communication bead.

"How much time?"

"One quarter-hour."

"Alright, I'll be there in one quarter-hour."

With a beep, the communication bead disconnected.

Teng Shanhai's hand holding the bead trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly, before he slowly lowered it and let out a long breath.

He gazed around.

The night in the Yunlun Mountain Range was serene and profound.

In the distance, Dong Tian Wang City flickered with scattered lights of human activity.

Above it, the ancient fortress city floated, still bound by heavenly dao chains, yet gradually breaking free from the spatial fragments like a wild horse shaking off its reins...

The night was beautiful.

Life was as fragile as grass.

Teng Shanhai reconnected to the Tai Xu world, his lips parting, but suddenly, he had nothing to say.

"How did it go?" Rao Yao Yao's transmission sounded urgent.

"Forty-eight words." Teng Shanhai sighed deeply after speaking.

"What do you mean?" Rao Yao Yao was puzzled.

"I mean!" Teng Shanhai clenched his fist, his expression grave and urgent, "Ye Xiao said 'forty-eight words' to me! She hasn't said that many words to me in ten years, but the communication bead stayed connected, and the voice was hers... So, who was I just talking to? A ghost?!"

In an instant,

The other side of the Tai Xu world fell silent.

One breath...

Two breaths...

Three breaths...

After three breaths, a hum resonated from the Void Island Rift.

Rao Yao Yao emerged, her hair slightly disheveled, her clothes lightly torn, but she appeared like that anyway.

In the Tai Xu world structure...

Structure successful!

In the combat channel connection...

Connection failed!

Rao Yao Yao's eyes lost focus instantly.

All she saw was the night-filled mountains, nothing else.

"Ye Xiao... has gone missing."