Stranger Danger

However, the woman's spirit was no joke, not to mention that her mind was booby-trapped with various restrictions. She was also the key to obtaining information about the mastermind and rescuing Jin Manshan and Ming Yueying, so Ye Qing did not dare to grow lax. He purposely took the time to neutralize all of the restrictions inside her mind before finally converting her into his Heavenly Demon Dependent.

A few breaths later, the woman woke up and opened her eyes. The silhouette of a demonic lotus briefly flashed behind her pupils before she bowed respectfully to Ye Qing. "Hua Ling greets you, master."

As she spoke, her appearance and temperament underwent a gradual change. Her countenance turned exquisite, and her temperament became out of the world. Although she was still wearing an ordinary outfit, she now appeared anything but ordinary.

This was how she really looked.

"Rise. Address me as young master." Ye Qing motioned for Hua Ling to get up before asking, "Now speak. Who are you, who sent you here, and what is the conspiracy against Gold Island?"

Of course, he had already obtained most of Hua Ling's memories when he converted her into his Heavenly Demon Dependent. He was ordering her to speak for the benefit of Feng Qingyou and Jin Wanliang.

"There are four envoys in the City of No Return—Wine, Sex, Wealth and Popularity[1]—and I am the Wealth Envoy. I serve the city lord of the City of No Return, and I am mainly in charge of managing all the wealth of the City of No Return, and collecting more wealth from outside."

Hua Ling explained, "I came here because I was ordered by the city lord to infiltrate Gold Island and use the Mud Morphs to replace Jin Manshan and Ming Yueying. My goal is to put Gold Island under our control in secret and steal its wealth."

"Hmph! I knew it was the city lord of the City of No Return! I knew it!"

Jin Wanliang asked angrily, "What did you do to my parents?"

Instead of answering, Hua Ling looked to Ye Qing for instructions.

Ye Qing replied, "Answer him."

"As you command, young master."

It was only then Hua Ling looked at Jin Wanliang and replied, "Don't worry, Scion Jin. For now, your parents are still alive. They are currently imprisoned in the City of No Return."

"That's good to hear." Jin Wanliang let out an audible sigh of relief before asking another question, "Who is your city lord? What is his background?"

Hua Ling shook his head. "I don't know the city lord's identity or background very well myself. I only know that his surname is Xuan."

"Impossible. You are the esteemed envoy of the City of No Return, are you not? How can you not know about your own city lord's identity or background?" Jin Wanliang asked doubtfully.

The Wine Envoy was responsible for collecting delicious alcohol for the City of No Return. The Sex Envoy was responsible for scouring beautiful women. The Wealth Envoy was responsible for collecting wealth, and the Popularity Envoy was responsible for protecting the City of No Return.

The four envoys were the true aides of the city lord. They served only one person and reigned above all else. Their authority was massive to put it mildly.

Jin Wanliang had met the Wine Envoy before. At the time, he was accompanying his parents. He clearly saw them acting meekly and respectfully in front of the Wine Envoy.

That was why he couldn't quite believe Hua Ling when she told him that she knew little about the city lord.

"I am telling you the truth." Hua Ling let out a bitter chuckle. "To outsiders, the four envoys definitely look like the city lord's most trusted aides. Our status is lofty, and our future seems limitless. In reality, we are no different from anyone else in the city lord's eyes. We are all tools for him to make merry, accumulate wealth, and achieve his goals. He has never cared for our opinions nor our lives. Naturally, we cannot be his aides. We don't even have his trust."

"The actual trusted aides of the city lord are the two deputy lords, Star and Moon. Most of the time, they are the ones who convey the city lord's instructions and tasks to us. We rarely get to meet the city lord himself."

"Not only that, the city lord often appears to us in different forms. He could be male, female, young or old. Forget his background or identity, we don't even know if he is male or female."

"So, you're saying that only the two deputy lords are the only ones who know about their true identity?"

Feng Qingyou pondered, "Okay, who are the Star and Moon Deputy Lords? What is their background, and how strong are they?"

"The Star Deputy Lord is called Xing Luan, though it is not his real name. His real name is Yuan Budong. I believe Scion Jin knows who he is!"

"Yuan Budong? The Immovable Nether King?" As she said, Jin Wanliang was wearing a stunned expression on his face. "The one who stunned the Profound Alliance over sixty years ago? I thought he was dead?"

"He is not. He simply joined the City of No Return."

Hua Ling replied before explaining to Feng Qingyou, "Yuan Budong was a member of the Floating Light Celestial Island. Famous for their body-tempering arts, Yuan Budong used to be their most renowned disciple. At the mere age of forty, he successfully pushed the 'Floating Light Immovable Wisdom King Art' to the adept level and became a Half-Sage. He was renowned throughout the Profound Alliance and was heralded as an unparalleled, once-in-a-millennium genius at the time."

"Yuan Budong was named the Holy Son by the Floating Light Celestial Island, and he would have become the next island lord when he became a Sage."

"Unfortunately, Yuan Budong was obsessed with martial arts. He sneakily practiced a martial art that was labeled taboo by the Celestial Light Floating Island because it required killing other human beings to perform. As a result, his personality underwent a dramatic change."

"After he was discovered, Yuan Budong betrayed the Floating Light Celestial Island and escaped. Having lost all sense of restraint, he massacred islands and destroyed cities to further his cultivation. Such was his brutality and savagery that they came to call him the Immovable Nether King."

"Unable to stand his atrocities any longer, the Profound Alliance dispatched all of its elites to hunt down Yuan Budong. It was a battle that cost them dearly, but ultimately ended in Yuan Budong's demise—or so the Profound Alliance claimed."

Hua Ling cast Jin Wanliang a look and continued, "In reality, Yuan Budong was only grievously injured. He was later rescued by the city lord. Today, he is the Star Deputy Lord of the City of No Return."

"I see." Jin Wanliang harrumphed. "I can't believe that the city lord would save such a person. They really are jackals of the same tribe."

Hua Ling did not comment on his remark and continued, "Yuan Budong was already a Half Sage over sixty years ago. Although he still hadn't become a Sage, his powers are unfathomable."

"As for the Moon City Lord, she is a woman who calls herself the Moon Princess. Similar to the city lord, her identity and origin are unknown. However, I've seen her fight before. I believe she uses the 'Nine Firmaments Moon Worshiping Profound Scripture', and she has mastered the martial art. Just like Yuan Budong, she is a Half Sage."

"The 'Nine Firmaments Moon Worshiping Profound Scripture' is an exclusive martial art passed down within the royal family of the Profound Moon Dynasty only. Only those with their bloodline—the Profound Moon bloodline—could hope to push it to the adept level."

"Therefore, I suspect that she is a member of the Profound Moon Dynasty; a royal member of the Profound Moon Dynasty no less."

"A royal member of the Profound Moon Dynasty?"

Jin Wanliang blanched a little. "Is the City of No Return tied to the Profound Moon Dynasty?"

Gold Island was rich, sure. It was at least on the same level as the Southern Sea Sword Sect, the Floating Light Celestial Island, the Sun Worshiping Divine Kingdom and more. But in terms of the quantity and quality of their elites, the difference between Gold Island and every other top faction might as well be night and day.

For starters, all these factions were guarded by a Sage at minimum. If Hua Ling's guess was true, and the City of No Return truly was affiliated with the Profound Moon Dynasty, then they would be in trouble. Big trouble.

"That, I'm unsure." Hua Ling shook her head.

1. YOU THOUGHT WE WERE GONE, BUT WE ARE BACK FOR THE THIRD TIME! ☜