78: Chapter 78 The Key to Completing the Mission

Xia Jin did not sleep all night, sitting cross-legged on the bed until dawn.

Although the reward given by the System this time was still very tempting, the difficulty of the mission drove him to distraction.

Throughout the night, he simulated countless possibilities, yet still could not find one that would allow him to eliminate the three Earthly Immortals within the Great Qian Imperial Palace.

"Sigh..." As the first ray of morning sunlight passed through the window and landed on the floor of the room, Xia Jin finally let out a long, turbid breath and rubbed his throbbing temples, seemingly resigned to his fate.

"As expected, my Realm is not high enough; no matter how much I think, it is all in vain. Forget it, this matter cannot be rushed. I can only temporarily focus on improving my strength first, and then reconsider later."

"Knock, knock, knock."

Suddenly, a knock came from outside Xia Jin's door.

"My Lord, it is I, Liu Tongtian. I have brought what you ordered." Liu Tongtian's voice then sounded from outside the door.

"Alright, come in!" Xia Jin glanced towards the door and spoke indifferently.

The door was pushed open, and Liu Tongtian walked in, carrying a large box.

"My Lord, all the records regarding the members of the Great Qian Imperial Palace you requested, as long as 'Qianjin Workshop' could find them, are all here." Liu Tongtian carefully placed the box on the floor of the room, then smiled respectfully at Xia Jin.

"Well done!" Xia Jin nodded, rose from the bed, walked over to the box, and casually lifted the lid.

Inside were neatly stacked various books, dossiers, and even some old letters, all categorized. It was evident that Liu Tongtian had not slept all night, having spent considerable effort to organize them.

"Hmm? There are so many. Alright, you may wait outside for now. I will examine them first." Xia Jin gave the order, picked up the top few booklets, and sat down at the table to read through them.

Liu Tongtian stood to the side, watching Xia Jin as he read, not daring to even breathe loudly.

A quarter of an hour, two quarters of an hour... an hour.

As time passed, more sunlight filtered through the window, and the initially gentle sunlight began to brighten the entire room.

Suddenly, Xia Jin's reading motion stopped. His gaze fell upon a page in the yellowing, blue-covered book in his hand, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

"...Great Qian Emperor Lu Hao, in the autumn of the 27th year of Tianyou, suddenly felt his health declining, lacking energy, and frequently experienced dizziness... After several treatments, it was said to be due to overwork... However, in the months that followed, the Emperor's complexion deteriorated daily, the time spent handling government affairs gradually shortened, and there seemed to be signs of decline..."

"Something is not right... There is a problem with this information!" A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Xia Jin's eyes.

This Emperor Lu Hao is, after all, a powerhouse at the Peak of the Spirit Wandering Realm!

At this Realm, one's Physical Body is flawless, and their Qi and blood are like a Dragon. Unless their Lifespan is coming to an end, their time is up, or they have suffered severe injuries, they would absolutely not show such signs of declining Qi and blood!

And according to intelligence, for a being at the Spirit Wandering Realm, the current age of Emperor Lu Hao is in his prime, far from his end!

"It seems this guy is doing this on purpose? But what exactly is his goal?" Xia Jin put down the book in his hand, a flash of doubt in his eyes. Just as he was about to pick up the teacup beside him, Liu Tongtian hurriedly filled the teacup with tea and handed it over.

After taking a light sip of tea, Xia Jin closed his eyes.

"To be able to make him feign illness, abandoning this Great Qian imperial throne above ten thousand others, could it be..." A thought suddenly emerged in Xia Jin's mind.

"That's right! It must be this. Besides ascending to the Land Immortal Realm, nothing else could possibly attract the current Great Qian Emperor!"

"And to ascend to the Land Immortal Realm, Emperor Lu Hao only has one choice, and that is to accept the 'power transmission' from one of the Old Ancestors within the Great Qian Imperial Palace!! Therefore, this Emperor Lu Hao must be the 'blood sacrifice' selected by those three old monsters this time!"

Xia Jin slowly opened his eyes, and all the questions in his heart were instantly resolved.

In that case, Emperor Lu Hao is the key to completing his System mission.

Xia Jin gently placed the teacup on the table, and a bold plan emerged in his mind!

"If... I can find a way to make Emperor Lu Hao fall into my hands! As this important 'blood sacrifice,' his disappearance will surely alarm those three Earthly Immortals within the Imperial Palace!"

"As long as I can lure one of them out of the Imperial Palace... relying on the full-force explosion augmented by secret techniques like the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder, if I launch a sneak attack, perhaps there really is a chance to kill them..." Xia Jin clenched his hands, a hint of excitement faintly flashing in his eyes.

Although the risk remains huge, once successful, the System reward he obtains will surely allow him to steadily step into the Land Immortal Realm!

"Liu Tongtian, do you know if Emperor Lu Hao will be leaving the palace anytime soon?" Xia Jin looked at Liu Tongtian beside him and asked seriously.

Liu Tongtian thought carefully for a moment before speaking cautiously: "Replying to my Lord, Emperor Lu Hao is, after all, the Great Qian Emperor, so we are not very clear about his daily whereabouts. However, as far as I know, he has a habit of leaving the palace at least once a month."

"Oh? Go on." Xia Jin leaned forward slightly.

"Yes." Liu Tongtian gave Xia Jin a strange look before continuing: "This Emperor Lu Hao has a peculiar habit. That is, he... has a preference for other men's wives, especially favoring those ministers or aristocratic wives with outstanding appearance and temperament. Every month, he uses various excuses to leave the palace."

"Hmm!? This Emperor Lu Hao plays so wildly?" Xia Jin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"This..." Liu Tongtian revealed a wry smile upon hearing this, "My Lord, this... actually cannot be considered the most outrageous. Several princes in the court, as well as a few powerful officials, privately... play even more absurdly and wildly than this."

Xia Jin snorted coldly, having no interest in the decadent lives of these royal nobles, and just continued to ask: "Then do you know when exactly Emperor Lu Hao will leave the palace this month? And where he will go?"

Liu Tongtian pondered for a moment, seemingly recalling something: "A few days ago, Duke Zhen Zhao Wuji took in a new concubine. It is said she is a stunning beauty from the south, and everyone who has seen her says she has a face that would shame the fish and the geese. With Emperor Lu Hao's habits, nine times out of ten, his target for leaving the palace this time is the Duke Zhen Mansion. According to his past patterns, he will likely leave the palace within these next two or three days."

"Duke Zhen Mansion..." A sharp glint flashed in Xia Jin's eyes, "Is the information reliable?"

"Although I dare not say it is one hundred percent, there is an eighty percent certainty." Liu Tongtian nodded.

"Good! You handled this matter well. You may return for now. If there is any new information about Emperor Lu Hao, report to me immediately." After Xia Jin finished speaking, he directly took out a small porcelain bottle from his bosom and threw it over.

"Yes! This servant understands!" Liu Tongtian hurriedly caught it, his face showing joy, and he bowed respectfully to Xia Jin before carefully backing out of the room.

Xia Jin was once again left alone in the room.

"It seems that while there is still time, I must find an escape route in advance!"