234: Dragon Sky Chapter: Confessing to Being an Undercover Agent Leads to Promotion

Under the cover of night, Long Tianxing was leaping between the rooftops.

"Sigh, what kind of situation is this?"

He looked at the mark in his palm, which would faintly appear and disappear when activated with magical power, and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

He had come here originally just to find Zhou Yan, but now he was inexplicably caught up in some "Dragon Transformation Ritual."

Just now, guided by a voice, he walked into the Royal Treasury, which resembled a storage room, and after some fumbling, finally opened the door and met Emperor Gaozong of Yu.

Emperor Gaozong laid everything bare.

The gist was that his descendants had gone astray, attempting to glimpse the Human Dao through bloody means.

This method was too harmful and difficult to achieve, yet the Imperial Dynasty actually approved of it.

Because although this method was radical and cruel, the practitioners themselves were also making sacrifices and not mixing in too much selfishness, thus it was seen as a radical reform.

Although this explanation seemed absurd, as long as the Imperial Dynasty gave it even a little recognition, he, the Old Ancestor, could only remain trapped here, helpless.

Originally, he had given up struggling, but his unfilial descendants even brought in external threats, which was tantamount to playing with fire.

Perhaps under the opponent's arrangements, the Human Dao could truly manifest, but the cost was simply too great.

The destruction of Great Yu would be one thing, but if another great disaster like that of the Demon Venerable were to occur, he would truly be ashamed to Face his ancestors.

Therefore, he had been trying to change the outcome, and Long Tianxing's arrival was the biggest variable.

Long Tianxing accidentally triggered a mechanism in this Imperial Kaifeng; because this Imperial Kaifeng was also one of the ancient Imperial Cities, some very old mechanisms existed within it.

And this mechanism was coincidentally awakened by him, who possessed great Luck.

Although the mechanism was small, only enough to trip someone, it changed the current layout of the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Palace itself had been highly refined by the Imperial Dynasty, and the existence of that mechanism was like a box.

The box was included in the overall Imperial Palace and had been refined, but the contents inside the box were actually also part of the Imperial Palace. However, because the box had never been opened, the interior of the box was not considered to belong to Great Yu.

And after he accidentally opened it, it was equivalent to opening a crack belonging to the previous dynasty in this Imperial Palace, allowing him to operate from within, preventing the Imperial Dynasty from refining it in a short time. He could also use it to escape from here and no longer be suppressed underground.

At that time, as long as there was a person of sufficient weight in the outside world who could connect through the mark, the boundary could be broken, allowing him to escape from the location of that mechanism and personally intervene in subsequent matters.

Even if his actions were restricted, it was better than being completely helpless.

After the other party explained the stakes, Long Tianxing also understood that he could no longer hide this time.

There were at least a million residents in the Kaifeng. If they died in vain due to a doomed plan, and he had the Opportunity to change it but did not act, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Taking responsibility was something he had long been accustomed to.

No matter what happened, as long as he was present, it was likely related to him.

It was precisely because of this that he instinctively felt indebted for all the major events he encountered, believing that he was the cause.

This was also one of the reasons why he constantly stayed away from crowds and frequently moved before joining Qingxu Grotto-Heaven.

Emperor Gaozong had not expected this young man to be so straightforward; after merely explaining the cause and effect, the other party sincerely agreed, not even asking for benefits.

This, instead, made him a little disappointed. If he had been completely honest with Zhou Yan back then, would he not have had to pay those costs to get more help?

In fact, if Zhou Yan knew Emperor Gaozong's thoughts, he would probably advise him to go all-in.

Since failure would mean losing everything, it would be better to give all the good things to himself.

Even if he died, those treasures would still be in his backpack and wouldn't drop; that's called maximizing profits.

At worst, if they won, he'd return half and give back some unused items.

Of course, Emperor Gaozong did not know any of this.

However, though Emperor Gaozong was stingy, he wasn't entirely ungenerous. He made an exception and allowed Long Tianxing to take two items.

In contrast, Zhou Yan had previously come down for a pleasant game of chess and made a fortune.

Long Tianxing, on this trip, took on this legendary mission but only obtained two items, and was also morally blackmailed; he truly suffered a huge loss.

After leaving the Royal Treasury, Long Tianxing's mind was a mess, and he somehow ran in the wrong direction.

Immediately after, he heard a loud shout, seemingly about fighting a tyrant or something. As the sound approached, Divine Sense from all directions continuously gathered at this spot. He knew it would be difficult to escape in the night, and deliberately fleeing might even cause him to be mistaken for an accomplice.

As the sound approached, Divine Sense from all directions continuously gathered at this spot. He knew it would be difficult to escape in the night, and deliberately fleeing might even cause him to be mistaken for an accomplice.

Helpless, he could only cover his Face, put on the mask given by the Little Mouse, and rush forward.

But as soon as he engaged, he regretted it. His strike landed squarely on the opponent, yet caused no damage. Instead, he realized the opponent's true strength should be at the Core Formation Stage, and not an ordinary Core Formation Cultivator.

Knowing he was no match, he wouldn't fight to the death.

Feeling that the opponent showed no killing intent, he took a blow, suffered heavy injuries, and then fell to the ground, feigning unconsciousness.

He wasn't unable to fight further, but he understood that feigning unconsciousness was the best strategy at the moment, so he simply went to sleep.

When he woke up again, he was already lying in the room he was originally assigned, his chest wrapped in bandages.

Noticing that the injury was not light, but not too severe either, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Such a string of misfortunes... what's wrong with me?" Long Tianxing stroked his chest, a faint sense of unreality mixed with the pain. "Ever since coming to Great Yu, I've encountered so many things one after another. Could it be because I forcefully rejected that great Opportunity before?"

That was also the first time he had refused such a great Opportunity, and he wasn't sure if there would be any Subsequent influences.

But since he had promised to save Kaifeng, he could only persevere, even if this was not something a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator like him should be involved in.

"Knock knock knock, Brother Zhao, are you awake?"

Long Tianxing looked at the sound coming from the door, lowered his head, and fell into thought.

In an underground venue, Long Tianxing and Hui Yuxuan, wearing masks made by the Hui Family, moved through the crowd.

Most of the people in the venue were dressed in standard uniforms, with only a few, like them, wearing their own robes.

Long Tianxing, taking advantage of being a patient, squeezed his way to the front, only then seeing a kind-faced middle-aged man with a large saber at his waist standing at the very front.

The middle-aged man noticed his gaze and returned a smile.

This smile sent a chill down Long Tianxing's spine.

The other party was precisely the one who came to find him yesterday, clearly the leader of this place.

And this place didn't seem like a legitimate stronghold, coupled with what Emperor Gaozong said last night, and the potential consequences of his appearance at night... he felt that he might have already been exposed.

He had thought of this while pondering in his room earlier, but considering that the other party chose to bring him back instead of leaving him alone or doing something else, it meant they had other plans.

He had originally wanted to gamble that the other party hadn't seen through him, but now it seemed unlikely to end well.

Indeed, after the middle-aged man whispered a few words to the old man beside him, he stepped onto the high platform and spoke to those below.

"I am Lei Yan, the interim Station Chief of this stronghold, fully responsible for your subsequent deployment matters. The competition is about to begin, and everyone must follow arrangements and not do anything unnecessary. You all know this, so I won't say more."

"Now, for the important part!"

"There are undercover agents among you. I don't know what your purpose is in coming here, as we are just a small, ordinary force. But since you dared to come, we are not afraid. We have already obtained some clues and know who the undercover agents are. If you want lenient treatment, it's best to step forward voluntarily."

He scanned the crowd, his Early Stage Core Formation Cultivator pressure enveloping the platform. Seeing no one step forward, his tone sharpened.

"You are delaying everyone by an incense stick's time, and with so many people here, that's countless incense sticks wasted! Everyone present doesn't have time to waste with you!"

At this point, even Long Tianxing, however slow, understood that this was clearly meant to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys, forcing him to reveal himself.

Sigh, it seems he lost the gamble. He sighed inwardly, just about to step out, when Lei Yan on the stage noticed him, and a Sound Transmission immediately echoed in his mind.

He sighed inwardly, just about to step out, when Lei Yan on the stage noticed him, and a Sound Transmission immediately echoed in his mind.

"Little Zhao, don't make trouble."

"I know you still hold a grudge, but now is a critical moment. Even if you want to quit, this isn't the way."

Long Tianxing was stunned.

The Sound Transmission was indeed from Lei Yan, but why was its content so strange?

Indeed, seeing that no one still stepped out, Lei Yan waved his hand, and a group of uniformed individuals rushed into the crowd to apprehend people.

In a short while, over ten people were brought out.

He first sternly reprimanded them, claiming he would "repatriate" them to their original locations and demand compensation from their organizations.

Then, his tone shifted.

"The regrettable undercover incident has temporarily concluded. Now, I announce some good news."

"Last night, a thief dared to pass by our temporary station in broad daylight and attempted to assassinate The Emperor! This is utterly lawless and intolerable!"

"But our member, Zhao Da," he pointed, and the crowd around Long Tianxing instantly dispersed, leaving him standing alone in the center, "timely detected the thief and fought with him, attracting everyone's attention. Although he failed to stop him, he ensured the thief was dealt with outside the Imperial Palace, preventing a more severe impact. For this, we even received commendation from the Imperial Family."

"To commend his spirit, Zhao Da is hereby temporarily promoted to Squad Leader. Although this position is temporary, it can be converted to an equivalent position or treatment upon returning to his original post or taking on a new assignment in the future. Please give Zhao Da a round of applause!"

"Clap clap clap!"

Warm applause erupted, leaving only Long Tianxing in a state of bewilderment.

They're attributing the shouts of that mysterious Core Formation Cultivator to me?

The old man below the stage, however, stared at Long Tianxing with a gloomy expression, as if trying to discern something from his Face. He then sent a Sound Transmission to Lei Yan on the stage.

"Boss Lei, this kid doesn't have his identification, and his previous employer has been wiped out. Everyone who knew him is also gone... all signs point to him being suspicious."

"Is doing this really okay?"

Lei Yan still wore a gentle smile on his Face, clapping his hands while slightly opening his eyes, a sharp glint appearing within them.

"Don't worry, I've investigated him."

"The Zhao Family behind him is also a somewhat influential Family, and he mostly does things through connections; most of the people who know him also have some status."

"After that station had an incident, it was precisely the prominent people who died, so ordinary people naturally couldn't vouch for him."

"As for losing his identification, look at his dumbfounded expression. Second-generation rich kids who rely on connections are all like this, usually careless, since their Family has their back anyway."

"He's here merely to gain some experience."

"I tested him before; his indifferent attitude towards money doesn't seem faked."

"Since he genuinely performed a meritorious deed and allowed the Imperial Court to give us convenience, our station will be much more relaxed these days. A little reward is harmless."

"Moreover, he's just a temporary worker anyway and will be transferred in a while. If you strictly investigate now, it will involve the Family behind him, and then it will be us who are investigated for suspicious activities, which would only add trouble."

"And whether this temporary Squad Leader title is useful is a matter for his next employer."

"Putting on this show now can both boost morale and cost nothing real. Are you still afraid that some ignorant fool will try to seize power?"

The other party listened and seemed to find it reasonable.

This person doesn't care about money, only fame, and this empty fame doesn't affect anything practical. It's like getting something for nothing, and it can also win people's hearts. It seems there's no harm in it.

However, he still felt Long Tianxing's identity was suspicious and insisted on personally investigating, at most avoiding his Family and only investigating him as an individual.

He was meticulous, but Lei Yan found him verbose.

The two of them actually didn't get along well normally. This Vice Station Chief, though outwardly obedient, often did superfluous things that both undermined his Face and were of no practical use, just like now.

So he directly revealed the truth.

"Because this kid acts erratically, the officials have already started investigating him, but our people have suppressed it."

"Even the opposing side insists he's Zhao Da, yet you, one of our own, don't believe it?"

"Doing all these unnecessary things will only demoralize people. He's just a temporary worker anyway, why be so particular?"

"Now we've had two bases swept, and we're already short on people. Many of them are undercover agents and can't be used."

"But instead of investigating the undercover agents, you're fixated on a temporary worker. Are you still angry that I took your position?"

Upon hearing the other party say this, his Face grew even darker.

However, when the other party looked at him, he still showed a frightened expression.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Boss Lei's position is well-deserved and what everyone hoped for, including myself. How could I possibly feel jealous?"

"Since Boss Lei has confidence, then I naturally trust Boss Lei."

Looking at the other party's satisfied expression, he also wore a fawning smile until the other party turned away, and then his Face once again returned to its gloomy state.

Lei Yan, just wait, I'll let you know what a wrong decision you've made.

Having such a foolish superior means he won't live long. It seems I need to switch jobs soon.

Hmm, Prince Kangs Residence is a good place to go.