Chapter 126 (Part 1) Low-Profile Request

Beside Lin Qiye lay a vacuum-sealed bag containing a pinch of Tribulation Stone powder. Data flashed across Lin Qiye's eyes. While running his analysis, he cross-referenced the output figures of various mining regions on the internet. Soon, a profile caught his attention.

"The Wei family?"

"This precise data points directly to the Wei family as the origin of this powder. It seems the fiend who made a move this time is lurking within the Wei family. Heh..."

"And among those who had access to the Wei family's Tribulation Stone, could utilize it to unleash lightning attacks, and were present near the crime scene at the time... there are only three hundred and seventy-eight people."

Lin Qiye quickly narrowed down the scope.

The next second, the profiles of the three hundred and seventy-eight suspects were laid out before him.

After browsing through them one by one for half an hour, a slight smile curved the corners of Lin Qiye's lips.

"So there are six fiends in total. Judging by the situation, they aren't Skin-Painting Fiends. Those creatures tend to hide much more flawlessly."

Lin Qiye's gaze flickered. He then opened the household registry of Ideal Island.

Ideal Island sheltered far too many civilians—nearly ten million. Fiends were bound to be lurking among them. Tracking them all down wouldn't be a simple task for Lin Qiye. However, he decided to screen the upper echelons first.

Ideal Island possessed a total of 398 floating islands. Together with the four Diamond-tier captains and Lin Qiye and Chen Fan, there were six Diamond-tier walkers in total.

There were 679 Platinum-tier walkers, 3,005 Gold-tier walkers, and 134,500 Silver-tier walkers.

The numbers were not overwhelmingly large, especially since Ideal Island had not been established for very long. It could not compare to the Technology Association or the Seven-City Coalition Army, keeping the workload manageable.

Lin Qiye began by vetting the walkers from Li City.

Before he knew it, evening had arrived.

By dusk, Lin Qiye had finished the screening. His gaze shifted toward a nearby floating island.

"Three fiends are lurking here. Were they embedded here from the past?" Lin Qiye muttered to himself.

He then vanished from the villa and summoned Chen Fan, Wen Shuhong, and Song Shu.

"Uncle Song, please have these three Silver-tier walkers originally from Li City brought over."

Song Shu was momentarily stunned. Though he did not know the reason, he asked no unnecessary questions and immediately carried out Lin Qiye's order.

A short while later, the three Silver-tier walkers stood before Lin Qiye, Wen Shuhong, and Chen Fan.

Wen Shuhong asked with some curiosity, "Why call them here? Do they possess extraordinary innate talents?"

Chen Fan was equally puzzled. "Brother Ye, what does this mean?"

An oppressive aura leaked from Lin Qiye. Looking down from on high at the three Silver-tier walkers, the crushing pressure forced all three to their knees. Their faces turned pale, cold sweat pouring down as they prostrated themselves on the ground and begged for mercy.

"Spare my life, My Lord! I have always worked diligently and honestly, never committing any evil deeds!"

"Me too!"

"Same here!"

The three of them looked pitiful.

Lin Qiye remained expressionless. His immortal sense and soul, carrying the lingering resentment of his immortal eyes, transformed into invisible ripples that drilled into the minds of the three.

"Are you still not going to reveal your true forms?!" Lin Qiye roared.

It was as if a switch had been flipped. Green blood began to well up from the eyes of the three individuals. They looked up at Lin Qiye, their eyes turning increasingly gloomy and gruesome green.

Without a doubt, under the impact of the resentful immortal eyes, the three could no longer hold out and subconsciously revealed their true forms.

Their skin began to split open, as if industrial-grade glue had bonded to their flesh and was now being forcefully torn away. Blood drenched their entire bodies, and beneath their skin, emerald-green fish scales began to emerge, slick, viscous fluid dripping across the scales.

"They really are fiends!" Wen Shuhong was alarmed.

"How could they be fiends? We didn't detect anything at all!"

"If they can hide this meticulously, doesn't that mean fiends might be lurking in other areas of Ideal Island as well?" Chen Fan's heart pounded with fear. "Brother Ye, how did you discover them? Their disguise was nearly flawless! This is terrifying!"

Lin Qiye narrowed his eyes slightly. "I treated all walkers from Li City with the presumption of guilt. I first imagined them as fiends and then looked for flaws. Doing it that way hits the mark every single time."

As he spoke, threads of lightning surged from Lin Qiye, binding the three fiends tightly.

"Brother Wen, take them down to the celestial prison. When the time comes, get a team of scientists to study them."

"By the way, I acquired a high-quality floating island. I plan to deploy it and recruit some gifted civilians to conduct scientific research. Roughly ten thousand scientists should be able to live and work there."

Lin Qiye displayed the Primordial God Floating Island.

Wen Shuhong was astounded. "With something this good, you're only going to house ten thousand people? Isn't that a bit of a waste of heaven's gifts?"

Lin Qiye nodded firmly. "House ten thousand scientists first. They are very important."

Wen Shuhong opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. "I respect your choice. In any case, your subordinate Song Shu is already helping you manage a large floating island, and you have your own plans for this one. That's fine."

Wen Shuhong patted Lin Qiye's shoulder. Lin Qiye had already far exceeded his expectations; he had no reason to push his luck and demand too much.

"However, you're only fourteen years old and have a bright future ahead of you. Put your all into sprinting toward the Immortal realm! Breaking through to this realm is extremely difficult, but once you break through, you will step into an entirely new world."

"The Seven-City Coalition Army originally had information regarding a Primordial Divine Kingdom that could be purchased with money. But since you've offended them, I'm afraid you won't be able to take that shortcut anymore."

Wen Shuhong shook his head.

Lin Qiye, however, remained completely indifferent. "Those are trivial matters."

"Bring back the video of capturing these three fiends, Brother Wen, and release it. The Seven-City Coalition Army will take the initiative to come and invite me."

Hearing this, Wen Shuhong froze. Then, a look of sudden comprehension dawned on him as he gazed at Lin Qiye.

"Little Qiye, you... you truly are a genius!"

"Alright! I'll release the video immediately!" Wen Shuhong left with a smile.

***

The video was released and instantly spread like wildfire across Star City. Whether it was the Seven-City Coalition Army, the Technology Association, or the Light and Shadow Cult, upon viewing the contents of the video, all of them felt their scalps tingle.

Three walkers whose true nature could not even be detected by Diamond-tier walkers turned out to be fiends! If Lin Qiye hadn't exposed them, who knows... these three might have infiltrated the highest ranks!

A newly joined minor city faction on Ideal Island had three fiends lurking within it, so what about themselves? Did their own factions harbor fiends?

These fiends possessed astonishingly superb methods of concealment; no one could detect them. For all they knew, the corruption might have already spread to the highest echelons!

Recalling how fiends had disguised themselves as Lin Qiye and Chen Fan the night before, murdering their own prodigies to sow discord between factions, cold sweat broke out all over again.

Guard against external enemies a thousand times over, only to be betrayed from within! To have fiends lurking by your side in complete ignorance, quietly spreading while employing the most vicious methods to sow discord—how chilling was that?

If they weren't rooted out, nobody would be able to sleep or eat in peace. These were fiends that even peak Diamond-tier walkers failed to perceive!

The leadership of the major factions immediately convened an emergency meeting.

"Hurry! Let every Diamond-tier walker lead a team and conduct a thorough sweep immediately!"

Not long after, the Seven-City Coalition Army, the Technology Association, and the Light and Shadow Cult were thrown into absolute chaos as everyone scrambled to purge the fiends.

Yet after tossing and turning all night long, they didn't even find a single hair belonging to a fiend.

"Where are the fiends? Is Ideal Island trying to hoodwink us?"

"There isn't a single sign of anything suspicious."

Some people began to grumble.

However, the Diamond-tier bigwigs of the Seven-City Coalition Army, the Technology Association, and the Light and Shadow Cult grew even more terrified.

"As expected, even peak Diamond-tier walkers can't detect them!"

"Then... just how many fiends are lurking within our sphere of influence?"

"They could brazenly murder the Wang family's greatest prodigy in three hundred years and swagger away; next time, they could slaughter even more geniuses, or even assassinate peak Diamond-tier walkers!"

"We must unearth them, otherwise, everyone will live in a state of constant panic!"

"But how do we dig them out?"

Everyone looked at each other in dismay.

Ultimately, a most reluctant face surfaced in their minds—young and handsome, but whose past actions had left them profoundly uncomfortable.

"Lin Qiye..."

"Perhaps only Lin Qiye can track down these fiends..."

"Ask him to help?"

The head of the Wang family frowned slightly. In the end, as if abandoning something important, he said, "I will go invite him in person. As the Alliance Master of the Seven-City Coalition Army representing its face, me going personally demonstrates proper respect."

"But that fellow is wildly arrogant, and he injured—"

Alliance Master Wang waved a hand. "Our attitude was wrong to begin with, treating him as the killer. Now... it is us who must beg him for a favor. How can we afford not to lower our posture?"

"Besides, the other party is capable of suppressing three peak Diamond-tier walkers single-handedly, along with four other Diamond-tier powerhouses. His strength is formidable, and he is bound to be a dragon amongst men in the future."

"Since we have a genius like this, if we can use this opportunity to resolve our grievances, we should do so."

"Go prepare a tribute-level grand gift. I will personally invite Lin Qiye."

Under Alliance Master Wang's orders, no one dared say anything further, though a few Diamond-tier walkers still had flickering glints in their eyes.

After half an hour of preparation, Alliance Master Wang set off. It was now eight o'clock in the morning.

Alliance Master Wang led a grandiose procession toward Ideal Island. Walkers along the way chattered amongst themselves.

"What's going on?"

"No idea. I heard the Seven-City Coalition Army had a falling out with Ideal Island. Are they about to go to war?"

"With so many fiends outside the city, they're still engaging in internal strife?"

"Who knows!"

As the crowd whispered quietly among themselves, Alliance Master Wang's procession arrived at the entrance of Ideal Island.

"Alliance Master Wang Li of the Seven-City Coalition Army has come to pay respects to Lin Qiye. We ask Mr. Lin to graciously receive us," Wang Li announced in a refined tone.

The gate guards looked at one another.

"The Seven-City Coalition Army? Those arrogant bastards who came to cause trouble yesterday?"

"What are you guys here for?" The guards' expressions turned frosty.

Alliance Master Wang chuckled genially. "Apologies, yesterday's incident was a misunderstanding. Our Seven-City Coalition Army acted improperly. Today, I, Wang, have specially brought gifts to apologize to Mr. Lin."

With that, Wang Li gestured with his hand, and the curtains were pulled back, revealing dazzling treasures glowing inside—weapons, armor, various spiritual herbs, and rare ores that looked extraordinary at first glance.

The gate guards stared wide-eyed.

"Alright, we'll go report this!"

However, an hour passed, and no reply came.

The Diamond-tier walkers accompanying Alliance Master Wang could no longer hold back their indignation.

"What is the meaning of this? Are they deliberately giving us the cold shoulder?"

"An hour has passed, and they still won't see us? What an enormous ego!"

"We came to the Seven-City Coalition Army with sincerity. What kind of logic is this?"

Alliance Master Wang waved his hand. "Do not speak recklessly. We are here to beg for a favor! These minor slights don't matter. Wait here properly until Lin Qiye comes out."

"When the time comes, make sure you wear smiling faces."

"Our dignity may take a hit, but that doesn't matter. The crucial thing is that the internal fiends must be completely purged!"

"That is the most important objective. We must distinguish between primary and secondary priorities."

Alliance Master Wang laughed heartily, maintaining an amiable expression.

Another hour passed before Lin Qiye, Chen Fan, Wen Shuhong, and Jiang Nian leisurely strolled out.

"Yo, isn't this the Seven-City Coalition Army? What? Here to stir up trouble again?"

"Didn't you already prove your point yesterday?"

"Trying to frame my Brother Ye again?"

Chen Fan couldn't help but resort to sarcasm, even rolling up his sleeves as if he wanted to exchange blows with them.

However, not a single person in the Seven-City Coalition Army showed any sign of anger; instead, they forced smiles onto their faces.

This abnormal reaction left Chen Fan momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say.

Lin Qiye smiled faintly. "Is there something you need? Such a grand formation?"

Alliance Master Wang stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Mr. Lin, I, Wang Li, Alliance Master of the Seven-City Coalition Army, have specifically brought gifts to offer my apologies and make amends. These are the Diamond-tier walkers who offended you yesterday..."

As he spoke, several Diamond-tier walkers stepped out and bowed at a ninety-degree angle. "We are sorry, Mr. Lin."

Chen Fan: "..."

Wen Shuhong: "..."

The apologies finished, Alliance Master Wang continued, "We also ask Mr. Lin to accept these gifts, let bygones be bygones, and help the Seven-City Coalition Army unearth all the fiends. Whatever reward, treasure, or price Mr. Lin requires, just name it. Our Seven-City Coalition Army will definitely gather it!"

Alliance Master Wang spoke with earnest sincerity, his attitude so deferential that even Chen Fan couldn't bring himself to strike a smiling face.

Lin Qiye nodded slightly. "You certainly know how to bend and stretch. However, if you want me to act, the reward will naturally be quite substantial."

"First of all, I heard that your Seven-City Coalition Army holds information regarding a Primordial Divine Kingdom. How about sharing it with me?"

Hearing this, Alliance Master Wang's expression shifted. "This... this..."

"Can Mr. Lin not make other demands?"

Lin Qiye's expression turned cold instantly as he uttered two flat words. "No deal."

Alliance Master Wang hesitated. But seeing that Lin Qiye was about to turn and leave, he immediately spoke up. "Deal!"

With that, he pulled a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Lin Qiye.

Lin Qiye unrolled it and glanced through it.

"The Primordial Divine Kingdom is actually situated right in the dead center of a fiend nest..." Lin Qiye frowned slightly. "It seems the difficulty isn't low. Still... being able to save three years of time isn't too bad."

Lin Qiye put away the scroll. "How many people have you sold this scroll to?"

Alliance Master Wang pondered for a moment. "It can only be sold to twenty people."

Lin Qiye nodded at that. "Also, give me seventy million walking points, and I'll root out all the fiends lurking within your seven factions."

To this, Alliance Master Wang seemed mentally prepared. "That's not a problem. We will pay thirty million upfront, and once all of them are captured, we'll pay the remaining forty million. How does that sound?"

"Deal." Lin Qiye smiled.

For him, hunting down mere fiends was an effortless task—he could finish it in a day at most. Earning seventy million walking points in a single day, plus the specific intelligence and map of a Primordial Divine Kingdom, meant he had made an absolute killing!

Lin Qiye was extremely satisfied. "Let's go. Take me to the Wei family."

Alliance Master Wang couldn't help but look puzzled. "Could we go to the Wang family first?"

Lin Qiye shook his head. "The fiends of the Wei family have a personal grudge with me. Let's go wipe them out first; as for your Wang family, we can talk about it afterward."

Lin Qiye was a man who held onto grudges. Since the Wei family's fiends had disguised themselves as him and Little Fan to frame him, he naturally had to send them packing to the underworld first!

The words fading, Lin Qiye, Chen Fan, and Wen Shuhong headed straight for the Wei family...