?”Tch, as we thought, they interfered”

A man in plain gray robes said standing in a room of a tall pagoda tower, another restaurant located not that far from where the meeting took place, looking through the windows while several other people dressed like him sighed with heavy expressions on their faces.

“The higher-ups will not be happy, we were given clear instructions”

“No matter, have the second and third wave-…”

“They won’t be there to respond”

A voice resounded behind them, and as they turned around, a masked man clad in black clothes with a few people behind him stood at the entrance to the room.

Their eyes widened as they did not notice anyone approaching.

“Attack!”

The Golden Ox mercenaries sprang into action, but as they ran forward, they received slashes in their backs from one of their own.

“You.. little-… khu-…”

The leader who was looking through the window earlier turned his head, and his chest was pierced by a sword from the front.

The others were also swiftly overpowered, as the leader turned forward to the masked man who held the sword that pierced him.

“You-…khuk!… picked the wrong… khuk… side…”

He struggled to speak, blood gushing from his mouth as his eyes venomously looked at the eyes behind the mask.

“Quite contrary, I picked the side of an Undefeated God”

The middle-age sounding voice behind the mask replied with confidence, as he pulled the sword and the leader of the mercenaries fell face down while he stepped to the side.

“Thank you for your good work”

The man who betrayed the mercenaries spoke respectfully, bowing to the masked man.

“It is we who should be grateful to the Thousand Eyes Information Bureau. As always, impeccable work. I believe Boss would say so too. We should- …! Brute Fortress Art!”

The masked man spoke when his eyes widened and then a protective Spiritual Qi appeared around him and the others as he turned and made hand seals.

*Boom!*

Part of the top floor of the pagoda tower was blown away with bits and parts of the roof, walls and furniture flying onto the street below.

A damaged Spiritual Qi shield appeared from within the dust, and the masked man who had a drop of blood appear at the bottom of the mask turned his sharp gaze to a figure standing in the intact part of the building, though there was a hole on the other side as well through which he sent that attack.

“Hooh~, you were able to receive that?”

“Tch, Core Reformation Realm…”

It was a gray-robed man, with a badge depicting a golden ox head on his belt, a saber casually placed on his shoulder. There was a smile on his face, and excitement glinting in his eyes.

Two people joined him after, standing to his sides.

“You are quite good, for someone in the Foundation Building Realm…”

The man narrowed his eyes, as he did not expect the masked man to not only defend himself, bit his subordinates and the man in gray as well. There was a slight suspicion in his eyes as that power was far more than what a Foundation Building Realm practitioner should be able to handle.

“…are you the Troublemaker?”

“Haha, dream on”

Old Yen wiped the drop of blood from the lower corner of the wooden mask and chuckled at the words, causing a disappointed expression to appear on the face of the gray-robed man.

“Tch… a pity…

Anyway, I was told not to interfere… but the mission was important and you completely screwed us over so I kinda felt annoyed you know?

We were suspecting there were rats among us with how easily our moves got intercepted recently… but now it is certain”

He then spoke turning to the man in gray robes standing among those he attacked.

“This is… Fen Gigyu, he is the overseer of the Tingren Branch since the death of the previous one”

“Death? Hahaha, that guy got slaughtered by the Troublemaker two whole Major Realms beneath him, tsk tsk tsk, talk about an embarrassment”

The executive of the Golden Ox mercenaries laughed at the washed-up version of relaying the previous overseer’s fate.

“… you sound as if were you in his spot, the situation would have been different…”

Old Yen spoke with a bit of inflection in his voice signifying how absurd the notion was but Fen Gigyu simply and straightforwardly nodded with a confident grin.

“Of course, where have you seen a Revolving Qi Realm youngster killing an expert fighter in the Core Reformation Realm?

And I’m not talking about three feeble old fogeys living the last dregs of their lives who have no legacy to speak of that he supposedly buried on the other side of the pond… I am talking about a real Core Reformation Realm cultivator.

If you are working with those Thousand Eye rats, and fighting against us, you must know what kind I am talking about, the kind that really has what it takes to claim being in their cultivation realm”

He spoke as Old Yen narrowed his eyes behind the mask.

‘Hmm, I should be able to take him on but…

I would have to go all out, and it wouldn’t be easy.

Boss told me not to show the prowess of a Core Formation Realm… and not to engage enemies that required my full strength at all if possible…’

He knew his own strengths, as he truly was not specialized in fighting. His expertise lied in subterfuge and guerilla tactics, as well as figuring his way around the dark side of society.

Always holding back part of his power was the only way he was allowed to roam freely and work independently to aid Wu Long as that was his biggest defense.

Otherwise the enemy would send someone to deal with him that he could not handle and that would be the end of him.

At this moment, a muscular man with a face resembling an avant-garde painting kneeling on the floor came to his mind.

‘If only I had a partner with brawl…’

He lamented as it would have made his work much easier, and less taxing on him. The scope of his movements would have been far wider as well.

“We’re retreating”

He turned to the side, giving his orders.

“Retreating? And you suppose I just let you go?”

The mercenary executive raised his eyebrow.

“Haha, tell you what, leave the one who sold us out and you may go”

A fun idea then came to him as he grinned.

“Then…”

The Thousand Eyes Information Bureau spy tried to walk forward but Old Yen raised his hand.

“No need, we’re leaving”

He smiled showing his hand was empty that looked as if he was stopping the man, but at this moment a pill was falling to the floor beneath the feet of Fen Gigyu and his men.

“…! You fuc-..!”

The executive widened his eyes, the pill exploding into smoke the moment it hit the floor, covering his nose and mouth as he suspected possible poison, and was not wrong in his assumption as one of his two subordinates who did not react in time fell to the floor foaming at the mouth and holding his throat almost immediately.

“Shit! Find them!”

He made a swift motion with his saber, instantly blowing away the smoke and shouting to the other subordinate who came with him.

“But…”

“Ekh-.. urkh… Khuu!!!”

The one he called turned his gaze to his colleague who was wriggling in agony on the floor. And then a saber pierced the the poisoned man’s chest.

“Any objections?”

“Yes sir!”

The subordinate took out a communication jade, and while running forward to jump off the tower seemed to contact reinforcements, as men in gray robes started jumping on the roofs in different parts of the city, assembling to this area.

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