Chapter 778: Section 566: Remnants of the Purple Vine
"When the Fishmen attacked the island, one of the elders from the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce took action and successfully seized the Iron Lump. Afterwards, during the battle with Ya Ma, he was forced to use Undead Magic, thus revealing his identity as an Undead Mage."
"At that point, our side finally realized that among the two Purple Vine seventh-level elders, there was a Silver Level Undead Mage."
"However, to tell the truth, I wasn’t very surprised."
"Because before its reorganization, the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce indeed had many secret ties with those Undead Mages."
"From another perspective, if there were any remaining forces of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce after the reorganization, they must have utilized the hidden abilities of the Undead Mages to hide and avoid being purged."
Tu Ji said expressionlessly, "According to the report, Hun Tong had already requested the execution of this Undead Mage on the battlefield where the Fishmen attacked, but you stopped him."
"After the Undead Mage fled by boat, Hun Tong once again proposed chasing and killing the Undead Mage, but you dissuaded him."
"Shadow Yan Yi, since you actively let the Undead Mage go, there must be a follow-up plan. What actions did you take afterward?"
Yan Yi fell silent and looked towards Tan Mo.
Tan Mo said, "Shadow, just speak freely. We, the Empire’s spies and the Blood Light Sanction Court, are all part of the Empire; we are all our own people. You can discuss things that are inconvenient to mention without worrying about shouldering the blame."
Yan Yi immediately caught the underlying message: things that were inconvenient to talk about could be mentioned, but things that couldn’t be said were off-limits!
Yan Yi then said, "After letting go of the Purple Vine elder, I did not dare to mobilize the Imperial Navy, fearing that doing so would startle the quarry."
"Therefore, I arranged for the Sea Snake Lady to pursue and kill the target."
"The Sea Snake Lady is the squad leader of the Petal Snake Pirate Group, which is part of Firebeard’s pirate group."
"In reality, the Sea Snake Lady’s true identity is one of our imperial spies, a mole infiltrated into Firebeard’s pirate group."
Tu Ji’s expression changed slightly, revealing a hint of surprise upon hearing this.
But soon, he accepted it.
The Holy Bright Empire had made a large-scale invasion of the Wilderness Continent, and its intent to annex it was never concealed from the beginning.
The vanguard had already gained a foothold on the Wilderness Continent, but the main force had not really started moving.
Since the Holy Bright Continent and the Wilderness Continent were not contiguous, the Holy Bright Empire needed to establish supply lines across the vast ocean.
Against such a backdrop, the Empire’s spies extensively deployed personnel - on one hand to gather intelligence, and on the other to carry out assassinations, infiltration, defections, and various other actions to maintain stability and security in each area.
Shadow Yan Yi was one of the operatives in this large-scale action. Although he was only at the Bronze Level, his logic was clear, he was well-organized, and his methods were extraordinary.
Through this questioning, Tu Ji had already clearly felt Yan Yi’s talent.
"If not for his bloodline holding him back, had he possessed a higher Transcendent level, he would surely have a much broader future!"
Whether the Sea Snake Lady was originally an Empire spy or had been turned, she was part of spy operations too.
Tu Ji had also heard of the renown of Firebeard’s pirate group: "Three Legendary Level pirate groups are the pinnacle of pirate power, and Firebeard’s pirate group is one of them."
"It’s the largest in scale and has the lowest threshold for recruiting members."
"Besides the Sea Snake Lady, there are probably other spy operatives."
Tu Ji’s mind raced, and he continued to question Yan Yi, "According to the report you submitted, the operation by the Sea Snake Lady failed. Tell me more about it."
Yan Yi hurriedly said, "To be precise, it’s not yet time to concede failure."
"The Sea Snake Lady, in order to conceal her motives, specifically used means to rally the Clapping Pirate Group, the Electric Shock Pirate Group, and the Stinky Sky Pirate Group."
"Near Songfeng Island, she sparked the Songfeng Sea Battle."
"After this battle, the pirate groups retreated one after another, and one of the Purple Vine elders fled in defeat with the help of ship ghosts and others. The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps seized the Iron Lump and gained the loyalty of the Dwarves. The Sea Snake Lady, however, continued the pursuit."
"At this point, the Undead Mages had left this sea area, no longer within my jurisdiction."
"Therefore, I could no longer access any information related to the Sea Snake Lady’s subsequent actions."
At this point, Yan Yi looked at Tu Ji with utmost sincerity: "Sir, this is the genuine truth."
"I have not lied, not one word. I swear upon my personal honor, my family’s reputation, and my loyalty to the Empire!"
"I know I am guilty."
"I let the Undead Mage go, releasing the tiger back into the mountain."
"Now I can only hope that the other spy leaders who took over my task can successfully follow up and ultimately exterminate all the Undead Mages, so my merits may outweigh my faults!"
Tu Ji fell silent.
Yan Yi spoke sincerely, yet there was cunning in his words.
He subtly expressed: this mission, this matter has not reached its conclusion. The Blood Light Sanction Court, even if it wished to pursue accountability, had not reached the day for settlement. Everything depended on the final outcome.
After a while.
Tu Ji broke the silence: "It’s getting late, rest now."
"The two of you, don’t wander around; just sleep here."
"All other related personnel are also to be temporarily detained and restricted in their movements."
This interrogation was just the first phase. Tu Ji had read the report and listened to the answers, but he still needed to personally verify them and he would not take one side’s word for it.
Ice Sculpture Royal Capital.
Purple Vine Shop.
"Purple Vine elder, this is the Restriction Chain. Surrender peacefully!"
"That’s right, at least you’ll still have a life left."
Zi Di was tightly bound by Alchemy Chains, standing still.
She tried to break free, but the ends of the chain were firmly grasped by the ambushers, and the chain was pulled taut.
Her Undead Mana was rapidly depleting.
"Restriction Chain? It can even target the Undead?" Zi Di was surprised but not desperate.
The next moment, the three ambushing Transcendents were instantly killed on the spot.
One was bisected at the waist, one had his head severed, and another’s heart was pierced through by a sharp claw from behind.
"What is that?!" The last remaining Transcendent was horrified.
But soon, he too was slaughtered, losing his life.
In a moment, all four Silver Level Transcendents had been killed in a counterattack.
The alchemy chains became ownerless, instantly loosening.
Zi Di shook her arms and threw off the chains from her body onto the ground.
"Restriction Chain, huh... Gold Level equipment, a nice catch," Zi Di turned around and left, at the same time using her Spirit Manipulation to command the ice sculpture ghosts to pick up the Restriction Chain.
"This place’s Flying Communication Station never received the ransom note, and I was ambushed again."
"This Purple Vine Shop is a trap."
"Then, is the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce on Twin Eyes Island also a trap?"
"The original ransom note was never sent out... There’s something wrong with Yan Yi!"
As Zi Di thought this, her view suddenly changed dramatically.
In an instant, she was forcibly teleported, disappearing from the inside of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce.
The next moment, she appeared inside a sealed space enveloped in pure white.
Zi Di faced a sudden change, her face tense, she quickly observed her surroundings.
Chilling air emanated all around, and the walls were built of ice bricks, with not a single window.
Just as Zi Di was about to use a spell to investigate, the space fluctuated again, revealing the presence of two Gold Level entities.
Zi Di slapped her Storage Bag, and three ice sculpture ghosts flew out, swooping towards the source of the spatial fluctuations.
In just a moment, however, the teleportation had been successful. Gold Level fighters positioned themselves on the battlefield, easily blocking the three ice sculpture ghosts.
Zi Di quickly retreated to distance herself from the enemy.
She was but a Black Iron Level Undead Mage, at best comparable to a Silver Level Mage in terms of spirit attributes. Facing two Gold Level opponents alone, she had no chance of triumph.
Therefore, her first choice was to send a distress signal.
She was not acting alone, Zong Ge was right outside the shop in case of unexpected situations.
The distress signal failed to send!
The three ice sculpture ghosts were successively destroyed, even though they were alchemy puppet masterpieces from Jia Bing.
Two Gold Level adversaries lunged at her.
Zi Di could only release her army of ghosts.
Her ghost army had been accumulating since leaving Mysterious Monster Island. By now, it was not small in scale. However, the main force was still the fire mouse souls and Tide Snake souls from Snake Rat Island.
The two Gold Level adversaries remained silently focused, one scattering medicine powder, the other wielding Combat Skill.
The powder touched the ghosts, causing them to melt away like snow. The Combat Skill’s radiance was even more intense, completely incinerating any ghost it touched along the way.
Zi Di’s heart sank.
The enemy was fully prepared, possessing means specifically targeted at the Undead.
Zi Di had no power to fight back.
She reached into her waist pouch, took out two tubes of Magic Potion, and smashed them.
The poison fog formed by the potions temporarily repelled the two Gold Level adversaries.
Zi Di finally won a moment to breathe.
These were Gold Level potions, purchased from the Lijian family.
The poison fog wasn’t much harm to an Undead like herself, but it had strong lethality to other life forms.
Not only that, the poison fog was also corroding the surrounding floor and ice walls.
Zi Di attempted to send the distress signal again, still without success.
In the hand not holding her Magic Wand, she gripped a Pearl Bubble.
But in such a sealed battlefield, even if she used the Pearl Bubble, could she really emerge victorious and escape?
Zi Di lacked confidence.
The Deception and Disguise Skill was only meant for living entities, and using the Pearl Bubble directly was even less effective, as well as it could only evolve naturally according to the real situation.
Even with these, Zi Di found it difficult to escape.
She didn’t even know exactly where this place was!
"This time, my chances are more deadly than hopeful."
"Unexpectedly, entering the Royal Capital has brought my end."
"The Pearl Bubble must be used, but I’m afraid it’ll also leave many clues for the enemy."
"I just hope my disappearance can serve as a sufficient warning to Zong Ge! Hopefully, he is safe."
"Squad leader... I might..."
Just then, with a bang, the floor burst open, and a rush of cold water surged in.
As the cold water encountered the air, it immediately froze into a layer of ice.
The ice was immediately broken through, and a torpedo-shaped mini-submarine emerged, its hatch opening.
"Get in quick, I’ll take you out!" A hoarse voice made Zi Di’s heart tremble.
"Elder Yuan Ci?!"
Seeing the two Gold Level adversaries ignore the poison fog and charge in, Zi Di hurriedly dived into the submarine.
The Gold Level fighters struck the submarine’s surface, creating a significant dent.
But the submarine was made of solid materials, its defensive Magic Light Shield shattered three layers, leaving the last layer, and it re-entered the hole, successfully escaping.
"Chase!!" The Gold Level adversaries finally couldn’t hold back and cried out in frustration.