96: The rise of the dark horse caused a sensation, and its status was improved and it gained authority.

The capital's sky, due to the pebble 'Mu Feng', was completely stirred up.

"By order of the Commander! Promote Hidden Dragon Guard Mu Feng to Shadow Guard Commander of the Demon Suppression Headquarters, effective immediately!"

When this order spread throughout the Demon Suppression Headquarters, many people's jaws almost dropped.

Shadow Guard Commander? That was a trusted position of the Head of the Department, directly reporting to the great Wei Zheng!

Did 'Mu Feng' ride a rocket or use Wei Zheng's back door?

The old hands of the Hidden Dragon Guard were even more in an uproar.

"I didn't hear wrong, did I? Mu Feng? That simpleton?"

"He's a Commander? Then what are we? The Commander's Commander?"

"Shh! Keep it down! He's a favorite now; who knows when he'll make things difficult for us!"

Li Dong, oh no, now he was Commander Mu, stood in front of his still-simple small house, scratching his head, with his characteristic honest smile: "Big brothers, please take care of me in the future.

I... I'm new here and don't understand anything."

Everyone: "..." Was this kid truly stupid, or was he faking it?

However, from that day on, Li Dong felt like a monkey in a zoo, and a rare species at that.

No matter where he went, he always felt countless gazes sticking to him; people 'accidentally met' him when he ate, 'passed by' when he drank, and even when he went to the latrine, he felt someone in the next stall listening intently.

"System, give me a count, how many eyes are on me today?" Li Dong asked in his mind while gnawing on a dry steamed bun.

"[System: A total of seventeen external spiritual essences are probing, coming from different directions.

Additionally, three Cultivators are concealed a hundred feet away.

Friendly reminder, the one lying on that crooked-necked tree behind you on the left hasn't moved for three days; be careful he doesn't fall and hit you.]"

"Tsk, what dedication," Li Dong rolled his eyes, deliberately dropping steamed bun crumbs everywhere.

"It seems being this Shadow Guard Commander isn't so easy after all."

During the day, he pretended to 'inspect' the Headquarters, and at night, he quietly closed his door and immersed his mind in the hard-won [core experimental data chip].

"System, how's the analysis coming along?"

"[System: Core layer protection of the data chip has been cracked by ninety-nine percent... one hundred percent! Data extraction in progress...]."

Complex and terrifying information surged into Li Dong's consciousness like a tide.

"Hiss--" Even with Li Dong's firm will, he couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle at this moment.

"'Soul-Devouring Demon Flower'... it actually uses the Empire's Dragon Qi as nourishment... He Tianzheng, that old scoundrel, he wants to dig up the Foundation of the entire Great Xia!"

"[System: Data shows that the 'Soul-Devouring Demon Flower' plan was not He Tianzheng's original idea; it involves an ancient organization called the 'Abyss of Eternal Life'.

This organization is dedicated to researching Forbidden Power, with goals far beyond Mortal comprehension, possibly related to the legendary 'Ancient God's Revival'.]"

"Abyss of Eternal Life? Ancient God's Revival?" Li Dong felt his worldview being refreshed again.

"What is all this? Xuanhuan world suddenly interspersing Cthulhu mythology?"

"[System: Chip data shows that the 'Perfect Dao Body', which is you, the host, is a key part of the 'Abyss of Eternal Life' plan.

You are not only a 'Vessel' to carry the contaminated Dragon Qi Luck but also their chosen... 'Divine Descent Vessel'.]"

"Divine... Divine Descent Vessel?!" Li Dong almost jumped up from his meditation cushion.

"So I'm just a disposable cup, and it's for holding who knows what?"

He finally understood now why He Tianzheng looked at him with such fiery eyes; it wasn't admiration, it was like looking at a handy tool, or rather... a perfect sacrifice!

"Damn it! I cultivated so hard, not to be a charging treasure for some ancient god!" Li Dong gritted his teeth in anger.

His status had risen, from an unknown small soldier to "Shadow Guard Commander," which sounded infinitely glorious, but Li Dong knew in his heart that he was now standing at the forefront, and one careless mistake could lead to utter destruction.

This capital was even more perilous than he had imagined.

"Commander Mu, the Head of the Department requests your presence." A voice of summons came from outside the door.

Demon Suppression Headquarters, Head of the Department Wei Zheng's quiet room.

Wei Zheng still had his usual unruffled demeanor, slowly brewing tea.

"Mu Feng," Wei Zheng took a sip of tea and looked up at Li Dong, "you have rendered great service to the Headquarters this time.

Those hidden worms have finally been rooted out by you."

Li Dong quickly bowed: "It's all thanks to the Head of the Department's keen insight; your subordinate dares not take credit." But in his heart, he muttered: Old fox, he's starting again.

Wei Zheng put down his teacup, his voice calm: "The position of Shadow Guard Commander is not easy to hold.

Many people are watching you, and even more want to see you make a fool of yourself."

"Your subordinate understands and will certainly be cautious in speech and action, living up to your great expectations!"

"Mm." Wei Zheng took out a palm-sized Xuan iron token from his sleeve and handed it to Li Dong, "This is the Shadow Guard Commander's token.

With this token, you can access most of the Headquarters' archives, except for the most top-secret ones.

It might come in handy at crucial moments."

Li Dong took the token; it felt heavy in his hand, with a hint of coolness.

This authority was given in a rather subtle way.

"Thank you, Head of the Department!"

"Go." Wei Zheng waved his hand, "The waters of the capital are deep.

Young man, watch more, listen more, speak less."

Coming out of the quiet room, Li Dong held the token, his mind buzzing.

What exactly did this old man Wei Zheng mean? Was he genuinely nurturing him, or did he want to use his hand to poke some hornet's nests that he himself found inconvenient to poke?

Who cares! It would be a fool to not take advantage!

Li Dong tucked the token away and plunged into the dusty archives of the Demon Suppression Headquarters.

"System, help me find any records about 'Capital Forbidden Ground', 'Ancient Sacrifices', 'Dragon Vein Anomalies', and that 'Vortex Trap Zone'."

"[System: Searching... One hundred eighty-three relevant dossiers have been filtered out.

Seventy-two of them require the Head of the Department's written order or equivalent Rank authority to access.]"

"Let's look at what I can see first!" Li Dong rubbed his hands like a mouse that had fallen into a rice jar.

He flipped through the yellowed old papers, one by one; the texts were mostly obscure and difficult to understand, full of metaphors and hints.

"'Black Wind Gulch in the west of the capital, an ancient Dragon-suppressing land, rumored to have a wondrous array laid by a previous dynasty's expert, locking down underground malevolent forces...' Isn't this where I encountered the mutated demon last time?

Is it related to the Dragon Vein?"

"'Secret Records of the Grand Ancestor: Below the Imperial Capital, there is an Earth Eye, named 'Xuanji Vortex', which moves according to the celestial stars and concerns the nation's destiny.

If stirred by evil spirits, the capital will be ruined, and Dragon Qi will dissipate...' Xuanji Vortex? Vortex Trap Zone? It doesn't sound like a good place!"

"'Ancient Fragment: In ancient times, extraterrestrial evil demons coveted the human world, seeking a 'Dao Body' to descend, turning the Mortal realm into a blood hell...' This, isn't this talking about me?!" Li Dong felt a chill down his spine.

It seemed that what He Tianzheng and the "Abyss of Eternal Life" were plotting was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

He immediately contacted Zhou Yuanhong, who was far away in Qingzhou, via an encrypted jade talisman.

"Old Zhou, it's me, Mu Feng.

The waters here in the capital are getting muddier and muddier.

Help me check if there are any clues in Qingzhou Prefecture about the remnants of the Lin family colluding with some mysterious forces or performing some strange sacrifices."

Zhou Yuanhong's slightly weary voice soon came from the other end of the jade talisman: "Little brother Mu, you really are... stirring up trouble as soon as you act!

The capital is almost turned upside down now.

Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on Qingzhou here; I'll notify you as soon as I have news.

Oh, and that kid Zhang Wu is still stuck on the Lin family case; he says the Lin family might be involved with big figures in the capital."

"Tell him to be careful and not to alert the enemy," Li Dong instructed.

After ending the communication, Li Dong rubbed his temples.

The clues were increasing, and the enemies were becoming stronger and more mysterious.

"System, based on the current intelligence, what is He Tianzheng and that 'Abyss of Eternal Life' most likely to do next?"

"[System: Comprehensive analysis indicates that the target He Tianzheng is highly likely to accelerate the final cultivation of the 'Soul-Devouring Demon Flower' and attempt to control you, the host, as soon as possible to complete the 'Divine Descent Vessel' preparation.

The risk of activating the 'Vortex Trap Zone' is increasing.]"

"So, I'm about to become Tang Monk's flesh?" Li Dong chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"No, I can't just sit and wait for death.

I must quickly find a way to counter the 'Soul-Devouring Demon Flower' and that 'spiritual essence'.

Also, I need to figure out what that 'Divine Descent' is all about!"

He looked at the capital shrouded in night outside the window, his eyes gradually sharpening.

In this game, he no longer wanted to be a pawn at the mercy of others.

"He Tianzheng, Abyss of Eternal Life, and all those ghosts and monsters hiding in the dark... This young master, I'm going to have a good time with you!"

The wind in the capital grew stronger.

And Li Dong, this dark horse, was no longer just eye-catching; he had become a key figure in the eyes of all forces, one that had to be contended for or... destroyed.