The cold wind blew through the bamboo forest, making the bamboo leaves rustle.

A few strands of bamboo leaves gradually floated in the air with the cold wind, spinning as they fell to the ground, stirring up a breeze.

At this moment, the first words the Zhou family patriarch uttered upon crawling out were to ask Qin An for mercy.

Qin An squinted his eyes, still maintaining his grip on Mrs. Zhou’s neck, and said calmly, "What secrets are known, and of what great use are they to the Evil Extermination Bureau?"

"They are the ruins of the ancient battlefield."

The Zhou family patriarch weakly sat down on the ground, taking a deep breath as he said, "This vile woman has always been a spy for the demon forces, providing Pseudo-Gods with much intelligence on the Evil Extermination Bureau. I only learned about this recently."

"But I never expected this vile woman to use a sneaky trick on me, spreading the news that the Zhou family was a spy’s base, attempting to silence me, and the secret she holds seems related to the Golden Palace Holy Scripture within the ancient battlefield ruins."

Upon these words, Qin An’s brows furrowed slightly.

"Did you just mention the Golden Palace Holy Scripture?"

The patriarch nodded, "Yes, the Golden Palace Holy Scripture. He knows some secrets of the Golden Palace Holy Scripture, and recently, it is about to open. Whether it is people from the Evil Extermination Bureau or other martial world forces, including the demon Pseudo-God powers, all have their eyes on the Golden Palace Holy Scripture."

"I don’t know what secret he knows, but it’s definitely useful."

Qin An raised his eyebrows slightly, then turned his gaze to Mrs. Zhou and said calmly, "If you speak, you might have a way to live. If you don’t, death is certain."

Upon hearing these words, Mrs. Zhou’s face showed disdain.

"It’s delusional to think I’ll reveal the secrets of the Golden Palace Holy Scripture."

"None of you from the Evil Extermination Bureau, including the cultivators of Tianyun Dao, will pry any information about the Golden Palace Holy Scripture from me."

Qin An thought for a moment and then threw Mrs. Zhou to the ground: "The Evil Extermination Bureau has many methods. You might not endure them, especially with such a big secret as the Golden Palace Holy Scripture. Do you think the Evil Extermination Bureau can’t extract information?"

Qin An also had an understanding of what the Golden Palace Holy Scripture was.

After all, he was a frequent visitor to the Confidential Library.

In the very center of the ancient battlefield ruins, there stood a grand golden palace.

The palace was resplendent and brilliant, completely different from the ruins of the ancient battlefield. This Golden Palace was the greatest opportunity within the ancient battlefield ruins.

Every so often, the Golden Palace would appear, containing treasures coveted by many cultivators of Tianyun Dao and demon Pseudo-Gods.

Upon entering, though one would face danger, the benefits far outweighed the risks.

Because of this, every time the Golden Palace opens, it attracts numerous forces.

As for what secrets the Golden Palace holds, no one knows to this day.

After all, the Golden Palace is mysterious enough in the ancient battlefield ruins, and even the Confidential Library does not have detailed records.

Let alone people from other martial world forces.

And now, this Mrs. Zhou claimed to know the secrets of the Golden Palace. This news is likely of interest not only to the Evil Extermination Bureau but also to the demon Pseudo-God forces.

Upon hearing Qin An say this, Mrs. Zhou’s face suddenly turned pale, as if she had thought of something terrifying.

Even her body began to tremble slightly.

Qin An noted Mrs. Zhou’s expression, raised his hand to release a strand of Nine-Colored Void Essence, and used the Nine-Turn Blood-Burning Demon Sealing Hand to seal off all of Mrs. Zhou’s energy.

At this moment, Mrs. Zhou found it difficult even to lift a finger.

Qin An turned his gaze to the other Zhou Clan Members and said calmly, "Carry her back to the Evil Extermination Bureau for me. Additionally, Patriarch Zhou, you might also have to come with me to the Evil Extermination Bureau."

This matter is significant, and it even involves the secrets of the Golden Palace, so Qin An naturally had to take it back to the Evil Extermination Bureau for Lord Zhu to question.

The Zhou patriarch nodded quickly upon hearing this.

At this moment, after such a long period of recovery, much of his injuries and weakness had dissipated, allowing him to move about lightly.

The Zhou patriarch got up and then ordered the Zhou Clan Members to take Mrs. Zhou into custody.

Qin An then looked at the empty ground and waved his hand, saying, "Let’s return to the Evil Extermination Bureau first."

Though someone blocked their way on this journey, there was no real danger, and they also gained this great secret.

Qin An didn’t want to waste any time now.

Everyone followed Qin An, hesitantly heading back to the Evil Extermination Bureau.

...

Upon returning to the Evil Extermination Bureau, many Tong Daoshuai members saw Qin An leading so many people over, carrying a middle-aged woman, and all looked curious.

Some who knew Qin An also began to speculate.

"Isn’t that Qin An who’s been out of sight lately? Why is he out on a mission again this time?"

"It does seem to be him. Every time he goes out on a mission, there’s blood and chaos. I wonder what he’s stirred up this time."

"The person he brought back seems to be from the Zhou family. The Zhou family is the Evil Extermination Bureau’s secret spy, but very few people know this. Why is he handling it so openly?"

"You’re not well-informed. The news that the Zhou family patriarch is a spy has already spread among the demon Pseudo-God powers. They wish nothing more than to kill him. Wait, didn’t the Zhou family patriarch die? Why is he alive again?"

"I think there’s a huge secret in this. Come, let’s find a corner to discuss this properly."

The whispers grew louder, but Qin An seemed oblivious.

He merely continued to lead the Zhou Clan Members to Lord Zhu’s courtyard.

At this moment, Lord Zhu was still buried in work, and upon hearing footsteps, looked up.

When he saw Qin An bringing in the Zhou family patriarch and others, even with his cold, frosty demeanor, it was as if he’d been struck by lightning, standing still for a long time.

Luckily, they were all cultivators.

Lord Zhu reacted quickly, coming back to his senses and asking with surprise.

"Patriarch Zhou, weren’t you already dead? Why are you suddenly alive again? You need to provide an explanation to the Evil Extermination Bureau for this."

Given the current situation, with the Zhou family patriarch brought back by Qin An, even if Lord Zhu couldn’t fully understand, he had some leads to follow.

The patriarch of the Zhou family cautiously glanced at Qin An. Seeing Qin An remain silent, he knew he had to explain the matter himself.

Thus, the patriarch did not hesitate further and quietly explained the situation in detail.

After hearing the patriarch’s explanation, Zhu Xueshuang turned her gaze to the Zhou Wangshi, who was sitting paralyzed nearby, and waved her hand into the void.

"Bring someone."

Soon, two figures appeared at the door, two Tong Daoshuai strode in respectfully and saluted Zhu Xueshuang.

"Your humble servant greets the Lord."

Zhu Xueshuang pointed at Zhou Wangshi, who was slumped on the ground, and said: "Take her to the dungeon of the Evil Extermination Bureau. I need you to use all means necessary to extract the secrets of the Golden Palace Holy Scripture from her mouth, and I require that the secrets be genuine."

Golden Palace Holy Scripture?

Upon hearing these four words, the two Tong Daoshuai showed a look of shock.

However, they hid it well.

They immediately lifted Zhou Wangshi and headed towards the dungeon of the Evil Extermination Bureau.

There are professionals there for interrogation.

It is rumored that as long as you enter the dungeon of the Evil Extermination Bureau, no message can remain unextracted.

Those who walk out of the dungeon do so either because the message is sufficient to offset their crimes or as corpses.

After the two Tong Daoshuai took Zhou Wangshi away, Zhu Xueshuang waved her hand again, and subsequently, two more Tong Daoshuai entered.

These individuals are frequently stationed around Zhu Xueshuang. They do go on missions, but not often, and their achievements are partly distributed by Zhu Xueshuang.

This can be considered their reward for being stationed nearby.

After waiting for the two men to approach, Zhu Xueshuang said coldly: "From top to bottom, thoroughly investigate the Zhou family. If there are people equivalent to Zhou Wangshi, capture them and take them back to the Evil Extermination Bureau. If unable to bring back, execute them on the spot."

"Your humble servant obeys!"

The two men bowed, then quietly left.

The patriarch of the Zhou family wiped the sweat from his forehead and said: "Lord Zhu, the Zhou family is now exposed to the Pseudo-God Power of the monsters. Please find a way for the Zhou family to survive!"

As the patriarch, the head of the Zhou family clearly understood the dangerous situation he was facing.

That Zhou Wangshi was malicious, revealing his identity as a spy and intending to use others to kill him.

The reason he is still alive is that he used the Zhou family’s Secret Technique before being seriously injured, enveloping himself in invisible Void Essence, making it impossible for Zhou Wangshi to kill him.

Today, had Qin An not been vigilant, given Qin An’s attack power, if he had really killed both the coffin and him, his invisible Void Essence barrier wouldn’t have been able to withstand it.

However, even though Zhou Wangshi’s problem was solved and he survived, his identity as a spy was also leaked.

The Pseudo-Gods among those monsters deeply hate the Zhou family and will not let them go lightly.

Zhu Xueshuang nodded slightly and said: "I know about this matter, you can rest assured, all the Pseudo-God forces that the Zhou family once offended will be uprooted by the Evil Extermination Bureau, reducing your threat significantly."

Upon hearing this, the patriarch of the Zhou family breathed a little easier and then bowed, saying: "In that case, I will not disturb the two lords further; I wish to go back to recuperate."

Although he did not die this time, he was extremely weak and naturally needed to return first.

Soon, the Zhou family elder left the Evil Extermination Bureau with this large group of clan members.

As for the investigation mentioned previously by Zhu Xueshuang, the Tong Daoshuai of the Evil Extermination Bureau will handle it, and those clan members who were taken away will definitely not leave Tianyun Road.

Qin An stood up and said: "Lord Zhu, since there’s nothing further, I will take my leave first. By the way, can our mission accomplishments still be counted this time?"

Zhu Xueshuang had originally planned to exchange a few pleasantries with Qin An but hadn’t expected Qin An to prepare to leave directly.

Moreover, he straightforwardly asked if the achievements of this trip would be counted.

Zhu Xueshuang understood Qin An’s intention.

After all, the nature of this escort mission appeared to have changed, but she still said.

"Don’t worry, even if the nature of the escort mission changed, you still successfully completed the mission. Moreover, there are additional discoveries this time, so I will count extra achievements for you."

Qin An nodded upon hearing this: "In that case, thank you, Lord Zhu. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."

Now he had completed another task, acquiring a large amount of achievements, so he could focus on advancing the remaining Body Technique and protective technique to Great Success of Void Shattering Realm.

Once that time comes, he’ll only have the Pill Master and Array Master left.

Therefore, Qin An didn’t plan to waste time.

Zhu Xueshuang knew Qin An’s character and could only nod and say: "Alright, you go rest first. If any news arises, I will inform you promptly."

Zhu Xueshuang didn’t specify what news it was.

But Qin An knew in his heart it must be related to the Golden Palace Holy Scripture.

Qin An lingered no longer and turned to leave Zhu Xueshuang’s residence.

After walking several dozen steps, he thought for a moment and decided to first advance the dancer profession to level eighteen, wait for the next qualitative change, then cultivate the healer profession.

Once both professions are sufficiently advanced, he plans to elevate his Body Technique and protective technique to Shattering Void Realm Perfection.

With a plan in mind, Qin An said no more and proceeded toward his residence.

...

Meanwhile, as Qin An headed to his residence, screams from Zhou Wangshi were already coming from the dungeon.

The night quickly passed.

Screams from the dungeon lasted all night.

Fortunately, with the effect of a special Array, the screams were not heard outside and did not affect others.

Until early the next morning, a Tong Daoshuai found Qin An’s residence.