’Crap, has he discovered me?’

Seeing the sky fill with giant Palm Seals, Nie Yun tensed. He instinctively moved back, ready to signal Xiaofong to act, but he immediately suppressed the urge.

’No one can see through a Disguise Master’s abilities. I shouldn’t have been discovered. I just got too emotional and lost my composure for a moment when I suddenly heard news about my parents.’

"Lord Qi Emperor!"

Realizing this, Nie Yun offered no resistance. He rode the force of the Palm Seal, gliding forward and emerging from the crowd in an instant.

"Hm? Not bad. I didn’t expect to find such a powerful expert from outside the Zi Qiong Mountain Range! From your reaction just now, do you know these people? Do you have news about them?" The Qi Emperor’s eyes narrowed, and the aura around him intensified. It seemed he would strike if Nie Yun said a single wrong word.

A moment ago, in his emotional state, Nie Yun hadn’t properly concealed his aura. He had fully revealed his strength at the Peak of Soul and Qi Sea, making the Qi Emperor wary.

"My Lord Qi Emperor, I do not know them. I was just sensing their soul auras and realized their strength was nothing special. That’s why I couldn’t hide my pleasure!" As Nie Yun spoke, he circulated his Disguise Qi. Demon Qi suffused his body. No matter how one looked at him, he was an impeccable, bona fide Demon.

"Mm, good. Here, these are the Demon Race Tokens that represent your identity. You can also use them to send back any information you find. Prepare to leave now. And let me tell you, no one is to speak of this mission I’ve arranged. If I find out any news has been leaked, I will kill every last one of you!"

The Qi Emperor stared at Nie Yun for a moment longer but saw nothing amiss. He casually tossed out several Tokens, one for each person, then turned away with a cold snort.

"Yes!" The Demons answered in unison and backed away.

’Peak Qi Sea Soul Power... To think there was such an expert among these freelancers.’ After Nie Yun and the others left, a flickering expression crossed the Qi Emperor’s face, his thoughts unreadable.

"No matter how strong he is, he’s just a pawn. If you, Lord Qi Emperor, can find those people before Lord Zi Qiong Emperor does, you’ll surely be rewarded. You might even break through to the Secret Realm!" the Golden Armored Man beside the Qi Emperor said with a smile.

"Hmph. That fool Zi Qiong Emperor didn’t listen to me back then; he deserves to be punished for this mess. Anyway, these people can’t be relied upon. Sending them to the Divine Holy Empire is just a diversion to attract attention. If I want that reward, I’ll have to handle this myself!"

The Qi Emperor walked down from the high platform, gave a casual wave of his hand, and strode out of the Treasure Vault.

As they followed the other Demons out of the Treasure Vault, Xiaofong sent Nie Yun a quiet Sound Transmission.

"Master, what do we do now?"

"First, we leave with the group. Since we know the location of the Treasure Vault now, we can sneak back in a little later and take everything!"

Nie Yun gave a sly laugh.

"Sneak in? Why don’t I just take out that Qi Emperor? Then we wouldn’t have to sneak in..." Xiaofong was never one to shy away from trouble.

"That’s not necessary. The time isn’t right yet," Nie Yun said with a wave of his hand.

Before coming here, Nie Yun had originally planned to exterminate all the Demons in the Zi Qiong Mountain Range. Now, it seemed, was not the right time to act.

’Judging from the Qi Emperor’s tone, the relationship between the Demon Race and the Divine Holy Empire isn’t harmonious. I can definitely exploit the rift between these two great powers, maneuver within it, and reap the benefits!’

After walking for a while, the group flew out of the Zi Qiong Mountain Range’s borders. A Demon suddenly spoke up.

"Everyone, Lord Qi Emperor made it sound simple, but I think this mission won’t be easy. What kind of place is the Divine Holy Empire? It’s the pinnacle of the Qi Sea Continent! The slightest mistake will mean death. I think we should team up. Our chances of success would be much greater that way!"

"Yao Liang is right! We’re all in the same boat now. If we cooperate, we all stand to gain. If we don’t, we’ll likely all die!" another Demon shouted.

The proposal from the two Demons immediately won the approval of the others, and everyone quickly voiced their support.

"Heh, my apologies, everyone. The two of us are used to being freelancers and don’t like working in a group. We’ll be taking our leave."

Whether they cooperated or not had nothing to do with Nie Yun. Seeing that they had things to discuss, he simply gave a wave, grabbed Xiaofong, and left.

"You..."

Seeing Nie Yun’s refusal to cooperate, one of the Demons, burning with rage, started to charge forward. But all he saw was a blur before the two of them vanished from sight, disappearing to who knows where.

"You’re lucky you got away fast! Otherwise, I’d have killed you myself!"

The Demon’s pupils shrank at their speed, but he still roared in anger.

Ignoring the Demon’s shouting, Nie Yun and Xiaofong had already changed their appearances again and slipped back into the Zi Qiong Mountain Range.

Soon, the two of them arrived before the Treasure Vault again. Xiaofong stopped, his voice worried as he sent a Sound Transmission.

"The Treasure Vault is right here, but I took a quick look when we came out earlier. Security is tight. There are at least four or five Golden Armored Men at the Ultimate Venerable Peak. If we try to force our way in, we’ll definitely attract all the experts in the Zi Qiong Mountain Range..."

"Heh, that’s simple!" Nie Yun said, turning his face. "Take a look."

Xiaofong jumped in fright when he got a clear look at Nie Yun’s transformation. "Ah... Lord Qi Emperor? Master, you’ve turned into the Qi Emperor?"

Nie Yun had somehow transformed into the Qi Emperor. Not only was his appearance identical, but his soul also exuded a supreme pressure that left one unable to even think of resisting.

"Let’s change you, too!" With a faint smile, he made a grasping motion toward Xiaofong. Xiaofong’s face instantly transformed into that of the Golden Armored Man who had been following closely behind the Qi Emperor. His appearance and aura were flawless, only lacking the Golden Armor itself.

"Let’s go."

With their disguises complete, Nie Yun led Xiaofong straight toward the Treasure Vault.

"Who goes there?"

Before they even reached the Treasure Vault, a loud shout had rung out as four Golden Armored Men leaped out from their hiding places.

"Hmph!" Nie Yun didn’t speak, just snorted coldly. A vast Spiritual Power instantly surged out, combined with the power of a Blood Pupil Master, pressing down on the four Golden Armored Men.

"The Qi... Lord Qi Emperor!"

Feeling the pressure on their souls, the Golden Armored Men jumped in alarm and scrambled backward.

"I am entering the Treasure Vault. Open it at once!" Nie Yun snorted coldly.

"Yes!" Not daring to resist, the four Golden Armored Men hurriedly opened the great doors to the Treasure Vault.

"Mm!" Nie Yun swaggered inside with Xiaofong. "You all stand guard outside. Don’t let any loiterers get close!"

With a wave of his arm, Nie Yun sealed the Treasure Vault’s doors shut.

"We’re rich! It’s all ours!"

Once the doors were shut, the "Qi Emperor" instantly lost his dignified bearing. His face lit up with excitement as he raised a hand and reached for the sky full of stars!