127: Chapter 127 The Demon Emperor Exchanges Intelligence for Real Power – This Move Was Absolutely Amazing!

Chiyang wants to see him.

Shen Ji put down his teacup and stood up.

"Where?"

"The Tianxuan Main Hall." Hall Master Lei Zhen glanced at him. "Chiyang arrived in the middle of the night and hasn't rested since hearing the news."

Shen Ji straightened his cuffs and stepped out of the courtyard gate.

The morning mist had not yet dispersed.

Thin traces of moisture condensed on the stone steps of the Main Peak.

The two walked one after another, heading up along the empty corridor.

As they approached the Tianxuan Main Hall, Shen Ji's footsteps faltered slightly.

A scorching pressure swept out from the direction of the hall doors.

The disciples on duty along the way all lowered their heads, their backs tense.

Golden Core Late Stage.

Hall Master Lei Zhen pushed open the heavy wooden door.

Inside the hall, a middle-aged man in red robes stood with his hands behind his back in front of a stone desk.

His figure was robust, his jawline sharp and rigid.

Chiyang.

Hall Master of Fire Cloud Hall.

The scene at Tianyang City where the two had once joined forces to force the Nascent Soul stage Demon King Lieyan to self-destruct flashed through Shen Ji's mind.

Chiyang turned around.

His gaze swept over Shen Ji from top to bottom.

Two breaths later, Chiyang raised an eyebrow.

"Mid Golden Core Stage."

"Twenty-nine years old?"

"Yes." Shen Ji responded.

Chiyang tilted his head to look at Hall Master Lei Zhen.

Hall Master Lei Zhen leaned against the doorframe: "Verified yesterday, it's the real deal."

Chiyang looked back at Shen Ji, his thumb rubbing the hilt of his sword.

"Do I know you?"

"No."

"You don't know me, yet you specifically asked to see me." Chiyang's voice was low. "The Tianxuan Sect has a sect leader and elders. You, an outsider Golden Core sword cultivator, skipped everyone to come directly to me. On what grounds?"

Shen Ji met the pressure and looked at him levelly.

"Because you hunt demons year-round and understand the methods of the demon race best."

"I have intelligence on the demon kings under Demon Emperor Lietian, and it is extremely time-sensitive. If I followed the sect's protocols, reporting it level by level for verification, the opportunity would have long passed."

Chiyang's thumb stopped moving.

"Demon Emperor Lietian?"

"Correct."

Chiyang released the sword hilt and walked over to sit behind the stone desk.

"Speak."

Shen Ji stepped forward twice.

"Demon Emperor Lietian, whose original name is Li Wuji, was originally an ancient rogue cultivator and was once ranked among the top ten in the Eastern Region's sword dao."

"He suffered a backlash from practicing forbidden techniques, his physical body was destroyed, and his remnant soul possessed a fourth-rank Lietian Peng, fusing with its demon core to reshape his golden body."

Chiyang tapped his knuckles against the stone desk.

"The Scripture Pavilion does have records of this. You are quite well-informed."

Shen Ji didn't take the bait and directly revealed his trump card.

"Does Chiyang know how many Nascent Soul stage demon kings he has under his command?"

Chiyang was expressionless: "Four."

"Then does Chiyang know what each of these four demon kings excels at? When they join forces, who is the eye of the formation? And where are their fatal weaknesses?"

Chiyang stopped speaking.

"Where did you get this intelligence?"

"I have already paid the price." Shen Ji's voice was steady. "The source cannot be disclosed."

Bang!

Chiyang slammed his large palm down.

The half-inch thick stone slab immediately cracked with a web-like pattern.

The teacup tipped over, and water droplets dripped along the edge.

"You run to the Tianxuan Sect to specifically see me, spout top-secret intelligence, and won't even say where it came from."

He stood up abruptly, his scorching spiritual pressure exploding instantly.

"Why should I trust you?"

Shen Ji stood in the center of the heatwave.

His robes were whipped by the fierce wind, making a flapping sound.

The golden core energy within him circulated.

The heatwave was forced to within three feet of him, then completely diverted and dissipated.

"You don't need to trust me."

"Verifying the intelligence itself is enough."

"I will provide one clue first, and you can immediately send people to investigate. If it is fake—"

Shen Ji spread his hands, completely undefended.

"On the Main Peak of the Tianxuan Sect, I cannot escape even with wings."

Chiyang did not withdraw his spiritual pressure, but he didn't attack either.

Hall Master Lei Zhen, who was leaning against the doorframe, spoke up at the right moment: "Chiyang, he casually gifted me a fourth-rank mind-condensing ring yesterday. He acts with discretion; it doesn't seem like he's here to waste your time."

Chiyang glanced at Hall Master Lei Zhen.

"You are quick to protect him."

Hall Master Lei Zhen shrugged: "I am just speaking based on the facts."

Chiyang's gaze fell back onto Shen Ji's face: "How do you intend to verify it?"

Shen Ji took out a jade slip and pressed it onto the stone desk.

"Xuanyin Valley is a secret outpost of Demon Emperor Lietian; you will eventually find clues about this matter."

"Inside the jade slip are the demon race contact points, code words, and rotation times for three other commanderies in the southern part of the Eastern Region."

Chiyang picked up the jade slip and pressed it against his forehead.

A moment later.

He slammed the jade slip back onto the table.

The heavy spiritual pressure in the hall dissipated instantly.

"Three days. I will have a definitive answer within three days."

Shen Ji nodded.

Chiyang sat back in the wooden chair.

"Assuming the intelligence is completely true, what do you want?"

"The Eastern Region is facing a great disaster. As a cultivator, I have an obligation—"

"Stop with the pretty words." Chiyang interrupted coldly. "What do you actually want?"

Shen Ji cupped his hands.

"I want the Tianxuan Sect to give me an official identity."

Chiyang frowned: "You want to join the Tianxuan Sect?"

"Not as a disciple." Shen Ji shook his head. "I need an identity that allows me to walk legitimately among the various major forces in the Eastern Region, a title that ensures my actions are not questioned."

"To use the Tianxuan Sect as an endorsement."

Chiyang sneered.

"The Tianxuan brand isn't something just anyone can borrow. This matter must be decided by the sect leader, and Senior Brother Xuanyang is in seclusion, so I cannot make the decision."

"I dare not disturb the sect leader." Shen Ji did not yield an inch. "You are the Hall Master of Fire Cloud Hall. The Hall Master has the authority to make a final decision on the appointment of a core 'Protector' within the hall."

Chiyang's movements stalled.

He stared at Shen Ji for a full ten breaths.

"You have figured out the regulations of my Fire Cloud Hall thoroughly. You don't want an outsider's idle position, but are coming directly for a position of real power in my hall?"

Shen Ji was noncommittal.

"A Fire Cloud Hall Protector enjoys the treatment of an elder and can mobilize and guide inner sect disciples." Chiyang leaned forward. "Why do you want such deep power?"

"To investigate some matters. Fire Cloud Hall is currently the best place for me to stay."

Shen Ji paused.

"You are often away, and the disciples in the hall need an elder to look after them during their training. With me at Mid Golden Core Stage, leading a few Foundation Establishment disciples, the Tianxuan Sect is guaranteed to profit."

Chiyang turned his head to look at Hall Master Lei Zhen by the door.

Hall Master Lei Zhen lowered his head to pick at his fingernails, pretending to be deaf and dumb.

Chiyang walked around the stone desk and stopped two feet in front of Shen Ji.

"If the intelligence is true, I will grant you the position of Protector."

He extended his right hand, which was covered in calluses.

"If there is even a half-sentence of falsehood, the Tianxuan Sect will be your grave."

Shen Ji reached out.

Their palms struck heavily against each other.

A dull explosion shook the accumulated dust from the hall roof.

"It's a deal."

Chiyang retracted his slightly numb palm and stared at him intently.

"A twenty-nine-year-old Mid Golden Core Stage." He shook his head. "When I was your age, I was still eating mud at Foundation Establishment Level 5."

He walked past Shen Ji and pushed open the hall door.

"Quji!"

A deep shout echoed across half of the Main Peak.

Before long, a figure wearing red disciple robes swooped down from mid-air and landed on the bluestone slab in front of the hall.

Huo Quji.

Compared to his appearance in the simulation, the youth now looked thinner, bearing the impulsive sharpness of someone who had never tasted defeat.

Foundation Establishment Level 2.

Chiyang slapped the back of Huo Quji's head.

"This is Shen Ji. From today on, he is the new Protector of Fire Cloud Hall. Mid Golden Core Stage."

Huo Quji turned around, clutching his head.

Seeing Shen Ji's face clearly, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Don't make a fuss." Chiyang's tone was blunt. "Take Protector Shen to the back mountain and arrange a private courtyard for him. You handle the errands for his daily needs personally."

"Yes, Master."

Chiyang didn't waste any more words and strode down the stone steps.

Hall Master Lei Zhen nodded to Shen Ji and left with his hands behind his back.

In front of the main hall.

Huo Quji put his hands behind his back and straightened his posture, but his eyes couldn't help but drift toward Shen Ji.

"Protector... Protector Shen, are you really twenty-nine?"

"Absolutely genuine."

Huo Quji rubbed his hands together: "Please, this way."

The two walked along the small path toward Fire Cloud Hall.

Huo Quji walked extremely fast, holding it in for half the mountain, but finally couldn't help himself.

"Protector, can I ask you something?"

"Ask."

"A twenty-nine-year-old Mid Golden Core Stage, what level is that in the Eastern Region?"

"When your master was twenty-nine, he was at Foundation Establishment Level 5."

Huo Quji slipped, nearly tumbling off the stone steps.

"...Then what does my master think when he hears that?"

"He said he was still eating mud at that time."

Huo Quji abruptly turned his face away, his shoulders shaking violently.

—

Fire Cloud Hall, back mountain.

A small courtyard of blue bricks, an old elm tree with lush branches and leaves, and a mossy stone well under the tree.

"First Senior Brother Xiao Yunfei used to live in this courtyard; it has been empty for nearly two years."

Shen Ji sat down at the stone table.

"How many inner sect disciples are there in Fire Cloud Hall?"

Huo Quji pulled out the stone stool opposite: "Six. First Senior Brother Xiao Yunfei, fire-type heavenly spiritual root, Foundation Establishment Level 9. Second Senior Brother Huo Feng, Foundation Establishment Level 8. Third Senior Brother Han Shuo, Foundation Establishment Level 6. Fourth Senior Sister Nangong Yue, Foundation Establishment Level 5."

He finished reciting like a list of dishes, then his tone slowed down.

"Fifth is Lu Chen, his talent is ranked third, Foundation Establishment Level 6 peak. He is a quiet person, never socializes, and spends the most time training outside."

Shen Ji rubbed his fingertips slowly along the rough edge of the teacup.

Lu Chen.

The inside agent for Xuanyin Valley, a thorn the demon race had planted in the heart of the Tianxuan Sect. He was in the hall right now.

"Sixth is me." Huo Quji thumped his chest. "Foundation Establishment Level 2, always at the bottom."

"You won't be at the bottom forever."

Huo Quji took it as him being polite and stood up with a grin: "Protector, rest up. I'll come to pick you up for the front hall at mealtime."

"I can go by myself."

"Alright, then I'll head out first—"

"Wait."

Shen Ji called him back.

"What weapon do you usually use?"

"The chiyan sword. Passed down by Master."

Shen Ji flipped his wrist.

A heavy shield, pitch-black all over with deep turtle patterns, slammed heavily onto the stone table.

The edge of the stone slab was crushed to pieces.

"Take it."

Huo Quji's eyes widened instantly.

"Four... fourth-rank... how can I accept this!"

"Fire-type cultivation techniques have strong offense but weak defense. With your current cultivation, without heavy armor to protect yourself, you will sooner or later be worn down to death."

Shen Ji leaned back in his chair.

"Chiyang told me to look after you all; this is an advance meeting gift. Take it and get lost."

Huo Quji froze in place.

A full quarter of an hour later, he walked closer with a flushed face and lifted the heavy shield with both hands.

As soon as his spiritual energy made contact.

The turtle patterns on the shield surface lit up brightly, and a defensive spiritual pressure as heavy as a mountain tightly enveloped him. Fourth-rank spiritual weapon, mystic turtle spirit shield.

"Thank you, Protector, for the treasure!" His voice drifted.

Shen Ji waved his hand.

Huo Quji backed away two steps holding the heavy shield, turned around, and rushed out of the courtyard gate.

The sound of footsteps faded away.

A dozen feet away, a roar burst from his throat.

"My God! A fourth-rank spiritual weapon! I'm invincible now!"

Shen Ji listened to the commotion outside and looked up at the elm tree branches and leaves.

Six disciples of Fire Cloud Hall.

Five good seedlings must be protected.

The remaining inside agent must be rooted out when the opportunity arises.

Once Chiyang's intelligence is verified in three days, the Protector title will be completely solidified.