NOVPUBBut the espionage organization of the Five Elders Organization also seemed to have been significantly affected.
No one had come to guide them.
Li Qing had no choice but to continue deeper until he reached a region called Fan Qingzhou, where he finally got a response.
However, once communication was connected, the other side remained silent.
They simply waited for Li Qing to speak first.
"I am a member of the United Federation of All Realms, with urgent matters requiring contact with your superiors," Li Qing transmitted.
"The United Federation of All Realms? What is that?" a voice that sounded as if it had just awoken came from the other side.
The voice sounded very young.
After a burst of chaotic static, the contact person soon became a stable middle-aged cultivator.
"Fellow Daoist, please forgive us. Currently, every place is in chaos. Many key figures in the organization have disappeared in the great war, their fates unknown. Therefore, we currently cannot confirm your identity..."
He directly refused Li Qing’s request to meet.
After a brief silence, Li Qing spoke up, "The more critical the moment, the more vital the intelligence. The information I hold is enough to turn around the dire situation of your Five Elders Organization..."
"A great merit, would you really miss it? With positions now vacant, if you could distinguish yourself and rise up..."
"Moreover, the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals already has an absolute advantage. Are you still worried I might be a spy sent by them?"
Li Qing’s tone was full of irony, and with just a few sentences, he directly broke through the other’s psychological defense.
The breathing from the other side suddenly became rapid.
However, the communication was temporarily cut off.
Li Qing was not in a hurry but waited patiently with confidence.
Sure enough, after half a day, the middle-aged cultivator took the initiative to reach out.
"Where shall we meet?"
"Let’s get this straight, I am here on my own accord. If the information you speak of is unreliable, I’ll pretend I never met you," he declared.
Li Qing chuckled lightly and informed the other party of his location.
It wasn’t long before a streak of black light soared across the sky towards him.
A cultivator clad in black metal armor, his features obscured, quietly appeared before Li Qing.
"This outfit is quite impressive," Li Qing commented.
The armor worn by the middle-aged cultivator was identical to that of the cultivators who flew out of the floating city in the sky.
"Only at times like this would Worry-Free Paradise be willing to bring out these treasures."
"If they hadn’t been hoarding them all this time, we wouldn’t have been defeated so miserably," the middle-aged cultivator replied shortly, his tone full of complaints.
As he spoke, a transparent ripple emanated from the armor on his body.
It spread out, forming a circular barrier that enveloped the two of them.
Isolating the inside from the outside, the scene beyond the barrier immediately became blurry.
"Alright, we’re safe here. What is the critical information you’re talking about?" the middle-aged man asked with some urgency, staring at Li Qing.
Li Qing smiled sardonically, "As I said, it’s heavyweight information that can turn the tide of battle. How could I just tell you so easily?"
The middle-aged cultivator became anxious at once, "Then what do you want?"
"At the very least, I want to see someone in charge before I speak," Li Qing stated emphatically.
"If you don’t speak, how can I know if you’re lying? In such a sensitive moment, you expect me to take someone of unknown identity to see my superiors? Am I tired of living?" The middle-aged cultivator on the other end clearly was not in charge of intelligence or spy work before.
He was straightforward and expressed his annoyance.
Seeing this, Li Qing didn’t want to argue with this man any longer and straightforwardly said, "Our United Federation of All Realms knows how to break the Heavenly Venerable Law Phases of the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals. What do you think?"
"What?" The middle-aged cultivator was momentarily stunned, then exclaimed in disbelief.
"Is this true?" His voice trembled.
"I’ll wait right here for someone who can actually speak," said Li Qing coldly.
The middle-aged cultivator bowed his head, pondering for a moment before finally gritting his teeth.
Without any fluctuations in spiritual consciousness, the notification was completed.
In the face of such significant intelligence, the Five Elders Organization finally demonstrated a hint of the efficiency that should be expected of them.
Within the time it took to brew half a pot of tea, hundreds of streaks of black light flew to this place simultaneously.
All of them were clad in black metal armor, encircling Li Qing tightly.
The leader was actually a female cultivator. She walked straight up to Li Qing, "A fellow from the United Federation of All Realms?"
Li Qing nodded, confirming his identity.
"My name is Qing Yang, responsible for rebuilding the post-war intelligence system. Follow me."
Escorted by hundreds of cultivators, Li Qing arrived at an underground bunker.
His expression remained unchanged throughout the journey.
This earned him quite a bit of respect from the members of the Five Elders Organization.
This underground bunker was clearly recently built in anticipation of an attack from the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals.
Once in the deepest part of a secret room, Qing Yang ordered everyone else out, leaving her alone facing Li Qing.
"Whatever you have to say, you can say it now," Qing Yang’s voice was void of any emotion.
"It’s hard for me to trust you when even Miss Qing Yang won’t show her face," Li Qing said, shaking his head with a light chuckle.
After a brief silence, the black metal armor receded, and Qing Yang revealed her true face.
Her appearance was unremarkable, the kind that wouldn’t stand out in a crowd.
But Li Qing keenly sensed the indifference to life in her eyes.
After carefully scrutinizing her for a long while, Li Qing finally spoke slowly, "Exchange the information of the Chosen Immortal for the information we want."
"Agreed," Qing Yang nodded.
"What exactly do you want to know?" Qing Yang asked directly and decisively.
"What, exactly, is the Immortal Alliance Treasure that the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals seeks?"
"Hmm?" Qing Yang seemed very surprised by the question and froze on the spot.
"That... I don’t know. But this should not be a secret, I’ll ask."
The metallic light once again shrouded Qing Yang’s face.
When her face was revealed again, it was filled with shock and uncertainty.
"The information exceeds my level of clearance..."
Now she was somewhat unsettled.
"Sorry, please wait a moment," Qing Yang hurriedly left the secret room.
Li Qing fell into deep thought.
"As expected, this so-called Immortal Alliance Treasure that seemed like a pretext actually exists."
"What treasures did the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals possess back then that they are still obsessed with after thousands of years?"
While Li Qing was pondering, Qing Yang quickly returned.
Her expression was odd.
She provided an answer directly, "The so-called Immortal Alliance Treasure is some of the residual souls and bones of the Immortal Alliance’s founding members."
"Back then, the Immortal Sects eradicated the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals. To set an example, the souls of those defeated and obstinate Dharma Transmitters were extracted and tormented day and night."
"It was common practice back in the day, a declaration to all under the heavens. Looking back now, it doesn’t seem very glorious, so it has been kept secret."
In the Spirit Tree Realm, Li Fan, sensing what his avatar heard, narrowed his eyes.
He remembered that in the 115th era, the Five Elders Organization suddenly attacked Ten Thousand Immortals Island, it appeared, to excavate the bodies of the original Dharma Transmitters.
