Stellar Transformation-Chapter 47 - 1 Tongtian Map Block 1 (Part 1)

"Useless, useless, useless!!!"

"Bang!" The inkstone was fiercely smashed onto the ground, shattering completely.

Xiang Guang glared at the man with the hook nose like a wild beast ready to devour someone, and angrily rebuked, "You useless thing, Zhen Xu has actually been killed. What exactly happened? Explain everything to me in detail, otherwise... your time as the spy leader is over!"

Xiang Guang was completely blinded by rage.

The man with the hook nose trembled in his heart, well aware that a spy leader privy to so many of the Emperor’s secrets, once dismissed, only had one fate—execution! The man with the hook nose quickly thought, then bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, according to our investigation, the gold medal task for Heavenly Net was precisely to kill Zhen Xu. Although we do not know who took the mission, based on the crime scene, we can confirm one thing—the killer was a silver-level killer!"

"Useless! I am very clear about Zhen Xu’s strength, a silver-level killer? Nonsense. The Nolan siblings under his command could probably deal with them with ease. The Nolan siblings are both innate experts, and Zhen Xu’s strength far surpasses theirs. With three such people, you tell me they were killed by just a silver-level killer. Do you think I would believe that? Or rather, do you think I am a fool," Xiang Guang severely stared at the man with the hook nose.

The man with the hook nose inwardly smiled bitterly, knowing that sometimes the truth was less believable.

"Your Majesty, Zhen Xu was extremely powerful, and even I am far inferior to him. He arranged his security work himself, and I was not privy to it. This time he was killed, and a silver mask was found at the scene, but I suspect that the actual assassin might be a gold medal killer, wearing a silver mask to deceive Zhen Xu and make him lower his guard, thus falling victim," the man with the hook nose hurriedly said.

Xiang Guang pondered for a long while. Seeing that Xiang Guang seemed unconvinced, the man with the hook nose quickly came up with another possibility, "Your Majesty, there is another possibility. That Prince Zhen Dong, Qin De, saw Zhen Xu as an obstacle, so he sent a top-notch expert to kill Zhen Xu. As for the shattered silver mask, it might be a ruse by Prince Zhen Dong to mislead us."

The man with the hook nose thought to himself, "Prince Zhen Dong, I’m sorry, but in a critical moment, I can only push the blame onto you." He knew very well that Xiang Guang had always harbored suspicions against Qin De, and blaming things on him was mostly successful.

Indeed!

"Right, it must be that Qin De, he wants to rebel but is worried about being discovered by Zhen Xu, so he had him killed. But concerned that I would find out it was his doing, he leaves behind a shattered silver mask. Hmph, this idiot, why not leave a broken gold mask? That would have been even more convincing," Xiang Guang muttered to himself, his eyes flashing coldly, "But I am not so easily fooled. Qin De, you want to rebel, that is a sure thing. By killing Zhen Xu, you’ve clipped one of my wings. Good, good!!!"

Xiang Guang was fuming with anger.

Zhen Xu was far too important to him. For over twenty years, whenever Xiang Guang was worried about someone harboring intentions against him, doubting someone’s loyalty, or suspecting someone held a precious treasure, he had Zhen Xu handle these difficult matters. Zhen Xu never let him down, with Zhen Xu on his side, Xiang Guang could rest easy without worry.

Even with Qin De’s capabilities, Zhen Xu was still able to uncover many of Prince Zhen Dong’s secrets. Zhen Xu’s importance to Xiang Guang was therefore self-evident.

However, Zhen Xu was dead.

Although there were still many spies under the spy leader’s command, they were far from being as formidable as Zhen Xu. With Zhen Xu dead, Xiang Guang had lost one of his wings; how could he not be enraged, how could he not be grinding his teeth in hatred? And he was pinning this grudge upon Qin De.

For years, plagued by nightmares and having discovered Qin De’s plans of rebellion, now his most valued Zhen Xu had also been killed by Qin De.

"Qin De, how can I rest until I annihilate your Qin Family," Xiang Guang crushed the teacup in his hand, his eyes ablaze with fury. At that moment, Xiang Guang made another decision, "Summon Yi Yan to me. You may go back now."

The man with the hook nose inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, obviously, Xiang Guang was no longer going to vent his anger on him. In the presence of the Emperor, even the faintest misstep could be fatal.

"Yes, I shall take my leave," said the man with the hook nose, bowing deeply.

Xiang Guang sat in the Imperial Study Room, staring at the shattered inkstone, motionless. Although his eyes were fixed on the broken inkstone, it was clear that Xiang Guang’s mind was preoccupied with other matters. After a moment, footsteps were heard outside.

"Yi Yan, come in," Xiang Guang’s voice rang out.

The door opened, and a young man with an eerie demeanor walked in. This was Yi Yan, the leader of the ’Ba Long Army.’ While the spies merely gathered intelligence, the ’Ba Long Army’ was a secret military force tasked with quietly eliminating any enemies that stood in the way of the Imperial Family Xiang.

Yi Yan was incredibly sinister. He had the appearance of a young man, yet he had already been at the Innate Realm for over forty years. Main Innate experts have a lifespan of five hundred years. Once one reached the Innate Realm, the aging process would slow down.

"Your Majesty," Yi Yan bowed slightly and said.

Xiang Guang thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth, "Alright, tell that Zhu San that I have agreed. However, all materials from that Demon Beast Sword-toothed Tiger’s body must go to me, especially those sixteen Sharp Swords. Not even one less."

Yi Yan’s brows lifted, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly as he bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. That Zhu San has already promised that as long as he receives a piece of the Tongtian Map, he will deliver the entire body of the Demon Beast Sword-toothed Tiger without taking anything."

"Good," Xiang Guang smiled coldly. "That Zhu San wouldn’t dare to play tricks with me."

Zhu San, known as the wealthiest magnate on the Hidden Dragon Continent, had his stronghold within the Ming Dynasty. Zhu San’s business spanned across the entire Hidden Dragon Continent, and his hidden influence was also enormous. Zhu San’s elite subordinates, through some unknown means, had killed a Demon Beast.

The Demon Beast Sword-toothed Tiger, resembling a huge tiger, had sixteen sword-like spikes on its back, all of unparalleled Sharpness, their power comparable to Immortal Upper Grade weapons. The Sword-toothed Tiger’s claws could be forged into weapons as well. Killing a Sword-toothed Tiger was like uncovering a moving treasure trove.

How formidable the Sword-toothed Tiger was, perhaps only an Upper Immortal could compare. Who knows what means Zhu San had used.

"Your Majesty, Zhu San has numerous secret bases, and this Sword-toothed Tiger, killed in the Boundless Wilderness, is currently in a secret base in a city nearby. They are unable to transport it openly to the Ming Dynasty, so they can only dismember it in that city and then transport it back in batches. That city is right within the territory of the Eastern Domain Three Prefectures," Yi Yan said as he bowed.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Guang knew that the matter was getting troublesome.

The Boundless Wilderness was to the far east of the continent, and the Chu Dynasty bordered on the Boundless Wilderness. The Eastern Domain Three Prefectures of the Chu Dynasty were the three prefectures closest to the Boundless Wilderness. Usually, one had to go through the Eastern Domain Three Prefectures to enter the Boundless Wilderness. And these Three Prefectures were Qin De’s domain.

In the past, Qin De didn’t dare to seize it openly, but the current Qin De was another story.

"Yi Yan, have your father Elder Yu personally lead a team of experts to the Eastern Domain Three Prefectures and negotiate with them," Xiang Guang ordered sternly. Yi Yan immediately responded respectfully, "Yes, with my father’s presence, there will be no mistakes."

Xiang Guang suddenly laughed, "Haha, this is only the second piece of the Tongtian Map. Without collecting all three pieces of the Tongtian Map, one simply cannot uncover the secrets of the mysterious Piao Miao Cultivation Technique. Plus, throughout history, many prodigies, even Cultivators, have obtained all three pieces of the Tongtian Map, yet no one has ever unraveled their mystery. Having just one piece is useless; trading a useless piece of the Tongtian Map for a Demon Beast is worthwhile."

Yi Yan bowed and said, "That Zhu San merely enjoys collecting treasures. He just wants to keep one piece for his collection."

"Good, Yi Yan, there must be no mistakes this time. Once we have the Sword-toothed Tiger, it will mean acquiring a number of Immortal Upper Grade weapons. Not only Elder Yu, but send several more Innate Experts there as well. Remember, there must be absolutely no mistakes," Xiang Guang said once more.

If Qin De ended up seizing the body of the Sword-toothed Tiger, it would be like Xiang Guang had made the wedding dress for someone else. He would not be able to get quality weapons for himself, and would instead end up furnishing Qin De with a batch of high-quality weapons. Xiang Guang would never allow such an occurrence.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. With my father taking action, he will not disappoint Your Majesty," Yi Yan said as he bowed.

Thinking of Yi Yan’s father, Elder Yu, Xiang Guang felt reassured as well.