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"Ancestor, the humans have taken so much of our land, what's wrong with me taking a few of their pretty clothes?" protested the girl named "Cui'er" with a pout. "We're just here to gather some intelligence. From what I see, apart from their numbers, humans are really weak. The streets are full of rookies."
Rookies, they can fly, but not far, and are easily caught and made into a dish.
"Not that weak," the Qinghuang Demon Emperor's gaze was rather solemn. "In my impression, the Qian Nation was a new force among humans, most mortals as weak as ants. But look at the aura of these humans on the street..."
"Aren't most of them just first or second rank? Hmm~ there seem to be quite a few third and fourth ranks too." Cui'er's vast divine sense swept over, revealing surprise in her eyes. "Oh, there's a fifth-rank human in that tavern, and another one just arrived at the end of the street!"
"Such a scene is almost like the Immortal Dynasty. It seems the Qian Nation has developed rapidly over the years." The Qinghuang Demon Emperor's face was stern, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.
She remembered when she first transformed, she was young and had secretly snuck into the Immortal Dynasty for a "tour." She encountered several dangers and almost got caught once, leaving a deep impression and wariness of the Immortal Dynasty.
The Qian Nation wasn't always standing on this land. Over seven thousand years ago, the founding emperor and Lingyun Zhenjun joined forces to slay a demon emperor, seized its territory, and established the nation after exterminating and driving away countless fierce beasts.
This shows that the conflict between humans and fierce beast tribes over habitat has existed since ancient times.
"Ancestor, we're hiding our tracks like this, but we can't really uncover any secrets." Cui'er, who grew up in the Myriad Demon Nation and never suffered at the hands of humans, naturally felt no animosity or vigilance.
Seeing the bustling and vibrant place, she was more inclined to play, her eyes rolling as she suggested, "Why don't we take some clothes, dress up like humans, and mingle among them to investigate?"
The Qinghuang Demon Emperor pondered briefly and agreed, "Indeed, our current method is like viewing flowers from across the river, only seeing the surface. To gain deeper intelligence, we must delve into it."
"Ancestor, leave this to me~" Cui'er's eyes lit up, and she eagerly rubbed her hands together.
With a swift movement, she appeared in a clothing shop she had her eyes on, starting to pick and choose.
Her speed was truly like a fleeting shadow, astonishingly fast.
This clothing shop was one of the high-end stores jointly operated by the Longzuo Zhou Clan and the Wang's Clan, primarily selling a series of daily wear made from materials like spirit silk, spirit cotton, and leather. Whether in materials or design, they were top-notch, and new products often set fashion trends across the Great Qian.
In no time, a startled shout came from the shop assistant, "Manager, something's happened, something's happened! The seventh-rank Ice Silkworm Silk Celestial Dress has suddenly disappeared!"
"What? Wasn't it locked in the glass cabinet on display?" The manager was thunderstruck, nearly collapsing to the ground.
This was the shop's treasure! Priced at a hundred thousand immortal crystals, less than ten were produced across the Great Qian, and those who could afford it were extremely rare.
After all, this wasn't a combat treasure or a cultivation resource but a regular item. Unless someone was truly wealthy, few would splurge on such expensive clothing.
But now, the shop's treasure was lost in his store. How could he explain this to the owner?!
The manager's mind buzzed, and it took a while before he regained his composure, trembling as he ordered, "Investigate for an insider, report to the authorities!"
The clothing shop was in chaos for a while, and only after some time did a staff member, while inventorying the clothes, discover that along with the shop's treasure, dozens of high-end garments of varying prices had also disappeared.
Meanwhile, in a secluded area of Xinping Town, the Qinghuang Demon Emperor and Cui'er had already changed into human women's casual clothes.
Of course, they weren't foolish enough to wear the shop's treasure but opted for more ordinary women's casual clothes worth a few hundred immortal crystals, also making some adjustments to their appearance and hair color.
Once ready, they lifted their concealment spells and began strolling around Xinping Town, gathering intelligence.
Almost simultaneously, in an inconspicuous building in the central area of Xinping Town, Wang Shoucheng, the ninth of the "Shou" generation of the Changning Wang's Clan, listened intently to his subordinates' reports.
Wang Shoucheng, the youngest of the "Shou" generation, was born when the family was already on the fast track to development. Most of his elder siblings had already started their own households, and thus, he was doted on from a young age and well cared for even after reaching adulthood.
As a result, his path was smooth, and his bloodline aptitude soared with the family's momentum, reaching the great prodigy B-grade.
Now, at just over 160 years old, he was about to step into the second level of the Purple Mansion Realm, already one of the pillars of the Wang's Clan.
Wang Shoucheng was in charge of a key department within the family, known as the "Security Office."
The "Security Office," established only a few decades ago, had already become crucial within the Wang's Clan.
Unlike the patrol camps and other government-affiliated inspection agencies, the Security Office was a secret agency directly under the Wang's Clan, with its main personnel being clan members or trusted family retainers who had served the Wang's Clan for generations.
The primary function of the "Security Office" was counterintelligence, monitoring the situation within the Wang's Clan's sphere of influence, especially in the towns surrounding Ping'an Town, to prevent "idle" big shots from entering the territory unknowingly.
During the establishment of the Security Office, the ladies from the Palace of Immortals contributed significantly, providing numerous practical lessons for the staff. The current work standard of the Security Office owed much to Wang Mei's significant contributions.
As the work gradually fell into place, the Security Office's system matured, with its informants and spies spread throughout Xinping Town and the Wang's Clan's territory.
"Ninth Elder," a family retainer reported, "Based on the results from our spirit energy detectors, the target entered from the eastern outskirts of Xinping Town, walked openly on the street, yet our informants couldn't visually detect them."
"However, the spirit energy detectors along the way showed subtle, super-threshold spirit energy fluctuations moving continuously, indicating the target likely used some concealment technique."
The [Spirit Energy Detector] was a spherical investigative artifact.
It was one of the research outcomes from the Wang's Research Institute, led by Wang Liyue. Its principle was not complex, detecting and capturing the fluctuations formed by the dispersion of profound energy or other spirit energies in the air.
Its principle was somewhat similar to a simplified version of the Spirit Testing Platform used for detecting bloodlines.
Once a threshold was set, any spirit energy fluctuation exceeding it would trigger the detector's alarm.
The device was simple but highly effective.
Because the Wang's Clan discreetly installed spirit energy detectors throughout their territory, and those "big shots" who entered the Wang's territory often habitually used some techniques, they were easily detected and monitored by the Security Office.
Previously, Wang Shouzhe could quickly locate the Chaoyang King and his wife, thanks in no small part to the Security Office under Wang Shoucheng's command, the spirit energy detectors, and the numerous informants and spies affiliated with the Security Office.
"We retrieved data from all spirit energy detectors near the stolen clothing shop and found that at the last moment, there was a significant spirit energy surge, accompanied by special spatial fluctuations from space being torn." The retainer presented the data to Wang Shoucheng, continuing his report, "I suspect there might be a Void Realm cultivator among the intruders."
Void Realm!
Wang Shoucheng's expression turned serious, his brow furrowing unconsciously, "Continue to have informants monitor, be extremely cautious, and do not alert the mysterious visitors. I will personally notify my fourth brother to discuss countermeasures."
"Yes, Ninth Elder." The retainer left to carry out the orders.
Over the years since the establishment of the Wang's Clan's Security Office, many outstanding surveillance personnel had been trained, forming a dense surveillance network within the Wang's territory.
They could be a beggar stationed at the same spot for years, an inconspicuous ordinary shop assistant, or even a group of dancing grannies frequently appearing in popular areas like Xinping Town and Xin'an Town, repeatedly making contributions and affectionately referred to by the Wang's Clan's upper echelons as "the Peaceful Masses."
A short while later.
Ping'an Town.
The main residence of the Wang's Clan.
Two concealed figures silently entered the main residence's grounds.
These were the Qinghuang Demon Emperor and Cui'er from the Myriad Demon Nation, still wearing the new dresses developed by the Wang's and Zhou's Clans.
"Ancestor, it turns out everything was orchestrated by that 'Wang Shouzhe,' the Great Demon King," Cui'er transmitted angrily. "He's so bad, launching the Southern Wilderness Development Plan, driving away and slaughtering spiritual beasts and birds, continuously encroaching on our territory."
"What's worse, he even raises spiritual beasts on a large scale, eating their meat and drinking their blood. It makes me so angry I want to peck him a few times."
"Enough, be quiet," the Qinghuang Demon Emperor scolded her softly, transmitting, "Our plan this time is to secretly infiltrate, capture Wang Shouzhe, and take him back to the Ten Thousand Saints Kingdom, then force the humans to swear to stop the Southern Wilderness Development Plan. You must not be careless, nor create unnecessary killings. Humans hold grudges, and Wang Shouzhe is said to have backing in the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty. Don't stir up unnecessary trouble."
"Don't worry, Ancestor. Although Wang Shouzhe, the Great Demon King, is fierce, his cultivation is only at the Purple Mansion Realm." Cui'er chuckled, her eyes fierce, fingers curling as if to grab something ahead, "I can capture him with one claw, and I'll make sure to teach him a lesson, showing him that our Sacred Tribe is not to be trifled with."
"Remember the plan, first capture someone to find out..." The Qinghuang Demon Emperor's words abruptly stopped.
Because she suddenly noticed two birds nestled by the shimmering lake.
One bird had snow-white feathers, with a hint of blue at the back of its head and wing tips, emitting a shimmering, water-like glow. The other was fiery red, surrounded by a fiery aura, like a burning flame.
As the emperor of all birds, the Qinghuang Demon Emperor immediately recognized them as a "Yuanshui Sky Sparrow" and a "Leaving Fire Sky Sparrow," both high-ranking spirit sparrows.
In the territory of the Ten Thousand Saints Kingdom, these two tribes existed, but due to the incompatibility of water and fire, their relationship was usually not harmonious. Yet, these two were snuggling together, feathers touching, chirping and enjoying the night.
The Qinghuang Demon Emperor's gaze froze, a look of shock passing through her majestic phoenix eyes, not because of their intimacy, but because they were so fat.
Their round bodies combined with fluffy feathers made them look like two big dumplings, one red and one white!
So fat, they probably couldn't even fly!
The Qinghuang Demon Emperor and Cui'er were in the Wang's main residence because of the "rumors and messages" deliberately spread by Wang Shouzhe, the further expansion of the Southern Wilderness Development Plan targeting the Myriad Demon Nation, the "Wang's Livestock Industry" promotion and stock offering plans, and so on.
Using propaganda and other methods to give them psychological hints, while the Peaceful Masses continuously "spread various messages" around them, gradually leading them to believe that Wang Shouzhe was the mastermind Great Demon King, and solving him was the core of the problem.
This method of spreading messages through "the masses" to guide public opinion and actions was not uncommon, and Wang Shouzhe had used it many times, mastering it to perfection.
"They... were raised, weren't they?" Cui'er also noticed the two sky sparrows, nervously swallowing, "To be raised so fat. With such a body, they'd be discriminated against back in the tribe. Wang Shouzhe, the Great Demon King, is truly ruthless, as terrifying as the intelligence reports say."
Cui'er shuddered at the thought of being captured by humans and raised into a fat dumpling, unable to fit into her new dress.
Too scary~ She didn't want to become like that!
"Cui'er, when we leave, take them away from this den of evil." The Qinghuang Demon Emperor couldn't bear to look at the two fat dumplings any longer, feeling both heartache and anger, "Once we capture Wang Shouzhe, I'll make sure he..."
However, before she could finish, several powerful auras rose around them, locking onto them from all directions.
The Qinghuang Demon Emperor's words were instantly choked.
Around the two demons, four human elders emitting terrifying pressure appeared out of nowhere.
These four were three men and one woman.
The three male elders stood with their hands behind their backs, exuding an extraordinary aura, their presence like a tidal wave.
The leading human elder woman had sharp phoenix eyes, her aura like an unsheathed blade, with a vast aura that seemed to suppress everything.
She alone was like a thousand troops.
These four were clearly the Chaoyang King and his wife, Emperor Longchang, and Jiang Zhencang, four Void Realm powerhouses currently residing with the Wang's Clan.
Together, they instantly blocked all escape routes for the Qinghuang Demon Emperor and Cui'er.
Meanwhile, Wang Shouzhe's broad and steady voice drifted from afar, "Honored guests visiting my Wang's Clan, I apologize for not welcoming you from afar."
"We've been ambushed!"
The Qinghuang Demon Emperor's face turned extremely grim.
It was said that Wang Shouzhe, the Great Demon King, was cunning, but she hadn't expected him to be this cunning.
Judging by the situation, these people were clearly prepared for her arrival. Moreover, there were four Void Realm powerhouses, one of whom seemed to be in the mid to late Void Realm, far from ordinary Void Realms. Such big shots were rare even among humans.
Where did Wang Shouzhe find them?!
Suddenly.
Emperor Longchang's eyes widened, pointing at the Qinghuang Demon Emperor and shouting, "Shouzhe, just as you predicted, this is the Qinghuang Demon Emperor from the Myriad Demon Nation. She's the one who injured me! You must avenge me!"
