Unsheathed

Approximately one hour after Cui Dongshan left, an ordinary-looking man ran to the immortal inn to look for Chen Ping'an. After finding the young man, he retrieved a Peace and Safety Tablet that only spies from immortal forces in the Great Li Empire could possess.

Chen Ping'an's expression remained calm, yet his mind was almost about to explode with vigilance and apprehension. One had to realize that the so-called jade tablet from the ancestral hall of Peace and Tranquility Mountain had caused him to suffer greatly in the Parasol Leaf Continent. As a result, it was only normal that he was feeling extremely alert and skeptical at this moment. Moreover, both tablets had the word "peace" on them, so Chen Ping'an couldn't help but feel even more apprehensive.

This person was a spy from the Great Li Empire who had infiltrated the Azure Phoenix Nation and lay low for many years, and cultivators who could disguise themselves and accept missions like this were all required to possess three qualities.

Firstly, they needed to possess sufficient skills, have the ability to kill people, and have the ability to flee. Secondly, they needed to possess mental fortitude, be able to endure loneliness, and remain committed to their initial goals. They needed to show unwavering loyalty to the Great Li Empire for several years or even several decades. Lastly, they needed to be exceptionally good at reading people's emotions. Otherwise, they would be nothing more than useless Go pieces that couldn't bring about any change.

The ordinary-looking man naturally possessed all of these qualities, so he immediately noticed the subtle change in Chen Ping'an's aura. However, these things were unrelated to him. He was openly visiting Hundred Flower Garden right now, so it was inevitable that he would have to deal with many issues once he completed his task here and left. There was nothing he could do about this. The person who had given him this task was far too paramount.

After entering this prefectural city located right under the nose of the emperor of the Azure Phoenix Nation, that esteemed person had directly come over to look for him. Not only that, but he had even showed a top-grade Embroidered Tiger Weapon Talisman, something that gave him the ability to command all of the spies of the Great Li Empire.

In the beginning, the intelligence agency of the Great Li Empire had been composed of three factions. There was the Cattle and Horse Pen controlled by Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan, the Copper Person Dew-Holding Platform controlled by Song Changjing, and the Green Ripple Pavilion controlled by an imperial concubine.

Each faction had looked after its own region, yet the imperial concubine who had controlled the Green Ripple Pavilion had suddenly retreated from the imperial court of the Great Li Empire several years ago and gone to an immortal mountain neighboring the capital to cultivate in a thatched cottage. Because of this, Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan had gained control of the Green Ripple Pavilion.

Afterward, under the instruction of the emperor, even Song Changjing's Copper Person Dew-Holding Platform had been handed to the imperial preceptor to manage. Thus, Embroidered Tiger Cui Chan had complete control of the empire's intelligence agencies now.

Having not spoken it for a long time, the ordinary-looking man was finally able to use the official dialect of the Great Li Empire again, using it to report matters to the esteemed young man.

As it turned out, the yellow earth bull hiding outside the prefectural city had decided to embark on a long journey with Cui Dongshan. Cui Dongshan would give the Sea Observation Tier demon a fated opportunity, allowing it to smoothly form a golden core. The probability of success was extremely high.