212: Chapter 212 The Fox Spirit's Battleground! Subduing the Underground Queen—This Damned Map Holds a Huge Secret!

Qin Xueji stood with her arms crossed, looking down at Red Rhombus on the ground.

Her slender legs, encased in a black evening gown, were slightly crossed, her posture exuding the absolute arrogance of Jiangnan's wealthiest person.

"The Boss doesn't keep idle people around. Besides showing your face on stage and flaunting your charms, what value can you bring to the Boss? Do you expect to sing for him in the courtyard every day?"

Qin Xueji's words were sharp and barbed, dripping with jealousy.

Mary, never one to miss a chance to stir up trouble, added fuel to the fire: "Exactly, exactly! The Boss has me, and that's enough. I can even warm his bed! Besides, the blood on a vixen like you doesn't taste good. You should just leave quickly."

Faced with the combined exclusion of two top-tier beauties, Red Rhombus didn't show the slightest panic.

Her watery peach-blossom eyes still looked at Su Yang pitifully, but her tone became exceptionally firm.

"Benefactor, although Red Rhombus has low cultivation, I grew up in the black market. The over three thousand informants from all walks of life on this night sea queen, and eighty percent of the underground black market's trading network in Jiangnan Province, are under my control."

Red Rhombus bit her rosy lips and pulled her collar down slightly, revealing a hidden black tattoo on her neck.

"As long as Benefactor nods, from now on, the underground intelligence network of Jiangnan Province and even the entire southern Huaxia will be your back garden. Even the details of those hidden Sects—as long as they dare to show their faces in the secular world, Red Rhombus can strip them bare for you!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Qin Xueji's expression changed slightly.

Although her Qin family was wealthy and controlled a commercial Empire on the surface, the secret intelligence of the underground black market was indeed the Qin family's shortcoming.

This vixen in the bright red cheongsam was actually a hidden 'Underground Queen'!

"Interesting."

Su Yang rubbed his chin, a hint of appreciation flashing in his deep eyes.

"One in the light, one in the dark. Qin Xueji manages the purse strings, and you manage the intelligence network. This configuration suits this Young Master's appetite quite well."

Su Yang extended a finger and gently tilted up Red Rhombus's smooth and tender chin.

"You want to serve me like an ox or a horse? Fine. But I am a very possessive person. Once you are my dog, you can only wag your tail for me for the rest of your life. If one day you dare to bite your master..."

"If Red Rhombus ever has a change of heart, I am willing to suffer the pain of ten thousand Gu devouring my heart and never be reincarnated!" Red Rhombus raised three fair fingers without hesitation and swore the most poisonous Heavenly Dao Blood Oath.

A drop of crimson heart's blood was forced out from between her eyebrows, turning into a blood-colored rune that merged into Su Yang's palm.

"Very well, get up."

Su Yang nodded with satisfaction, casually pulled a large black trench coat from the System space, and threw it over Red Rhombus, covering her body which was exposed due to the torn cheongsam.

"Go clean up the mess on this ship, then compile a detailed report on the Yin Sha Sect and send it to Steward Qin. As for you, once you've handled the matters at hand, report to No. 44 Locust Tree Alley in the western suburbs of Jiangzhou."

"Yes! Thank you, Master, for taking me in!"

Red Rhombus tightly wrapped herself in the trench coat that still carried Su Yang's body heat, her voice trembling with excitement. She knew she had won this grand gamble! Having secured such a powerful backer, who in all of Huaxia would dare to treat her as an auction item to be toyed with at will?

After subduing Red Rhombus, Su Yang had no interest in lingering on the cruise ship.

Under the gazes of Captain Long and the security personnel, who looked at him with the reverence one would show a god, Su Yang led Qin Xueji and Mary off the night sea queen with great fanfare and sat in the stretched Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Inside the carriage, the space was spacious and luxurious.

As soon as Mary got into the car, she couldn't wait to kick off her high heels. She lay barefoot across the large leather back seat, her head resting on Su Yang's lap, purring like a well-fed cat.

Qin Xueji dutifully sat on the individual sofa nearby, poured a glass of aerated red wine from the car's wine cabinet, and respectfully handed it to Su Yang.

"Boss, you just gave the Yin Sha Sect an ultimatum. They are a hidden Sect that has been passed down for centuries with deep foundations. What if, instead of paying, they get desperate and strike back...?" Qin Xueji asked with some concern.

"Desperate? That depends on whether they can even jump over the wall."

Su Yang took a sip of red wine and gave a disdainful, cold laugh.

"In three days, if they dare to be short by even a single cent, I will personally visit their nest and scatter their ashes. It just so happens that Big Black has a good appetite lately; the flesh and blood of several hundred evil cultivators should be enough for it to evolve again."

A single, nonchalant sentence made Qin Xueji's scalp tingle.

The hidden Sects that others would avoid at all costs were, in her boss's eyes, merely fodder prepared for that plant monster in the courtyard!

"Alright, don't worry about those dead people."

Su Yang set down the wine glass, and with a flip of his wrist, the beast-hide Incomplete Manual, which emitted an extremely ancient and desolate Aura, appeared in his palm.

The temperature in the carriage dropped a few degrees the moment the Incomplete Manual appeared, and a faint, irritatingly violent emotion began to spread through the air.

This was precisely the residual malice of the ancient malevolent Formation, the 'Blood-Sucking Spirit-Snatching Formation.'

"Hum!"

Su Yang gave a cold snort, and a ball of golden Pure Yang True Fire surged from his palm, instantly incinerating that malice into nothingness.

Without the cover of the malice, the Incomplete Manual finally revealed its true appearance.

It was a piece of hide from an unknown Yao Beast, upon which an intricate topographical map of mountain ranges was sketched using an extremely ancient dark-gold pigment. At the very center of the map was the outline of a magnificent, massive palace that seemed to float among the clouds.

Beside the palace, two blurred characters were written in ancient seal script: Kunlun.

"System, scan this broken map and see what secrets are hidden inside," Su Yang commanded in his mind.

"Ding! Calling the ancient database for deep analysis..."

"Analysis progress: 10%... 50%... 100%!"

"Ding! Analysis complete!"

"Target confirmed as: [Ancient Kunlun Immortal Palace Outer Boundary Formation Map (Incomplete Manual Part 1)]."

"Reminder: The Kunlun Immortal Palace is a top-tier independent space left behind before the destruction of the ancient Cultivation World. The Incomplete Manual held by the host records the coordinates of the only 'Gate of Life' to enter the palace's outer Formation."

"The System has detected an extremely strong Origin fluctuation of the 'Heaven-Reaching Jade Plate' inside the Immortal Palace! There is a very high probability that the third Jade Plate fragment is hidden there!"

Hearing the System's prompt, Su Yang's eyes instantly lit up.

As expected!

This so-called Kunlun Immortal Palace indeed hid a fragment of the key to the Ascension channel!

He had already collected two pieces. If he could find the third in the Kunlun Immortal Palace, he would only be one piece away from completing this legendary Heaven-Defying divine object.

"Interesting."

Su Yang looked at the Incomplete Manual in his hand, his lips curling into an excited arc.

"But System, you said this is 'Part 1'? Meaning, to find the exact location of the Immortal Palace, this one broken map isn't enough?"

"Ding! The host is correct. The complete map of the Kunlun Immortal Palace was divided into three parts. The host only possesses one, which is insufficient to locate the exact spatial coordinates. It is recommended that the host pay attention to recent movements in the Cultivation World; the other two Incomplete Manuals are very likely to have surfaced."

"Still have to go collect maps, what a damn hassle."

Su Yang curled his lips in annoyance and casually tossed the Incomplete Manual back into the System space.

He turned to look out the car window.

By now, the Rolls-Royce had entered the Jiangzhou City highway, and the distant city neon lights were receding rapidly in the night.

"Boss, are you thinking about that Incomplete Manual?" Qin Xueji, being quick-witted, saw through Su Yang's thoughts and asked softly.

"Why, do you have some clues?" Su Yang reached out and pinched her fair cheek.

Qin Xueji's cheek turned slightly red from the pinch, but she didn't dodge; instead, she lowered her head even more submissively.