Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

Upon returning to the Bai Family, Lin Yun stored the assets from the Three Great Clans. He naturally had no intention of keeping them and would certainly return everything once the matter was settled.

He had Little Ape stand guard while he cultivated. Lin Yun could already feel the barrier to the Eighth Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm, and he planned to break through it in one fell swoop today.

He instructed Little Ape not to let anyone see him during his breakthrough and that everything else could wait until he was finished. With that, Lin Yun sat cross-legged on his bed and began the process.

He swallowed three Low Grade Primordial Spirit Pills in succession, then shattered over ten thousand Low Grade Primordial Stones. At his current level, Low Grade Primordial Stones were of little use, so he felt no qualms about consuming them in such large quantities.

Late into the night, Lin Yun finally shattered the barrier to the Eighth Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm. In an instant, all the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Power rushed toward him.

Seeing this phenomenon, Li Tian and Zhou Wen, who had been waiting in the courtyard for a long time, knew that Lin Yun had broken through. Zhou Wen, in particular, was as excited as if he had made the breakthrough himself. "First Senior Brother broke through!" he exclaimed.

Hearing this, Li Tian smiled and said, "He should be coming out soon, then."

The phenomenon lasted for a full quarter of an hour before the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Power finally settled. Lin Yun slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath. He wasn’t particularly excited about breaking through to the Eighth Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm; for him, it was simply a natural progression.

"Did anyone come looking for me?" Lin Yun asked with a smile, looking over at Little Ape, who was idling nearby.

"Yeah. I made them wait outside. They’ve probably been there for about three hours," Little Ape replied, letting out a yawn.

"You lazy pig, all you do is eat and sleep," Lin Yun chided with a laugh, gently rapping Little Ape on the head. "Alright, I’ll go see them. You can stay here and sleep."

Opening the door, Lin Yun immediately saw Li Tian and Zhou Wen sitting in the pavilion. He walked straight over to them. Both men rose to their feet and greeted him.

"Young Master Lin."

"First Senior Brother."

Gesturing for them to sit, Lin Yun smiled faintly and looked at Li Tian. "So," he asked, "is it time to make our move?"

Li Tian was taken aback for a moment, then he chuckled. "It seems I can’t hide anything from you, Young Master Lin. Yes, it is indeed time to make our move."

Lin Yun didn’t want to involve innocent people, but that didn’t mean he was completely in the dark. They had been in Wind City for a while now; if Li Tian hadn’t laid any groundwork, he wouldn’t be Li Tian.

’Even back when Li Tian first asked me to pretend to be a wastrel,’ Lin Yun thought, ’I knew his ultimate goal wasn’t just the mysterious organization itself. If their stronghold could be found simply by someone acting like a fool, then the organization would be nothing more than a paper tiger.’

Lin Yun suspected that there were members of the mysterious organization right there among them, even within the He and Bai Families. If that was the case, they must know exactly what kind of person he was.

’This can’t be solved by just playing dumb. Li Tian’s plan was probably to use my act to fish out a few leads, follow them back to their source, and then strike at the heart of their operation.’

Of the hundred-plus clans in Wind City, Li Tian already had his suspects, but he lacked confirmation. Lin Yun’s act was meant to pinpoint one or two of those clans that were truly in league with the mysterious organization.

"So, tell me. Which clans are you certain about now?" Lin Yun asked with a light smile, pouring himself a cup of tea.

In response, Li Tian named three clans, the Wu Family prominently among them.

Lin Yun fell into thought for a moment after hearing the names. Then, he looked at Li Tian and asked, "How do you plan to deal with these three clans?"

"Don’t worry, Young Master Lin. I’ve already made all the arrangements," Li Tian said with a confident smile. "Within three days, the patriarchs of these three clans will be under my control."

"Good," Lin Yun said. "But there’s one more thing you need to act on quickly. The moles inside the He and Bai Families must be identified as soon as possible. I’d bet anything there’s a spy from the mysterious organization right under our noses."

Li Tian nodded. "The Bai Family is manageable; I have anyone who seems even remotely suspicious under tight surveillance. The He Family, however, is what puzzles me. Everything appears perfectly normal. There isn’t a single suspicious servant..."

"The more normal things seem, the more abnormal they are," Lin Yun said calmly. "Our enemy isn’t stupid. They know the He Family is a crucial place to plant a spy. If you haven’t found anyone suspicious, it’s probably because the mole is the person you’d least expect."

Having said that, Lin Yun turned to Zhou Wen and instructed, "Zhou Wen, for the time being, I want you to focus on watching the He Family, especially the He Family Patriarch. Watch his every move."

Lin Yun was pointing his suspicion at the He Family Patriarch. Li Tian didn’t object to this. Often, the person you’d least suspect is the one who will stab you in the back when it matters most.

Zhou Wen nodded in acknowledgment. Seeing this, Lin Yun looked at them both and said with a smile, "Alright, it’s getting late. You should both get some rest. Li Tian, you have three days to get those clans under control. When you do, bring their patriarchs to see me in secret."

The two men nodded and departed. Lin Yun went back into his room and resumed his cultivation.

Deep in the night in Wind City, inside the same inconspicuous house, Guang Xuanji was once again meeting with the man in black.

After the man in black finished reporting on Lin Yun’s activities over the past two days, Guang Xuanji asked with a faint smile, "Do you believe Lin Yun is really this sort of person?"

"My Lady, you already have your own answer, why ask me?" the man in black replied. "But based on my understanding of Lin Yun, his intellect is extraordinary. He could not possibly be the man he’s pretending to be."

At this, Guang Xuanji let out a bewitching laugh. "Heh... trying to fool me by playing the idiot. Lin Yun, you’re far too naive, aren’t you?"

With that, Guang Xuanji looked at the man in black and ordered, "Lin Yun’s act will never fool you. But even though they could never guess your identity, it’s still best to be careful. Don’t come here again unless it’s something important. If I need you, I’ll find you."

"I understand," the man in black replied with a respectful nod.

Lin Yun’s act had not fooled Guang Xuanji or the man in black in the slightest. After giving a few more instructions, Guang Xuanji finally dismissed him.

The man in black was Guang Xuanji’s most important asset. He was the one closest to Lin Yun, and it was through him that she received most of her intelligence on her target. For this reason, she valued him greatly.

’Lin Yun, since you love acting so much, I’ll be happy to play along.’ After the man in black had gone, Guang Xuanji mused with a bewitching smile, ’I wonder what would happen if the First Disciple of the Flawless Palace were to die here in Wind City?’ As her laughter echoed, her figure melted away into the darkness.