Chapter 584 - 577: Purge
At this very moment, in Zhou Yuanjue’s eyes, the sky was a kaleidoscope of color. Countless threads, like surging tides, tangled and clustered together, filling the entire expanse.
This was the omnipresent Natural Magnetic Field.
And now, with the help of the gray fog remnant he had ingested, Zhou Yuanjue could see wisps of gray threads emerging from the colorful Natural Magnetic Field, stretching out in every direction.
"Found it."
Zhou Yuanjue muttered to himself, watching the gray threads in the sky.
He had deliberately shown an opening for two reasons: first, to speak directly with an Ancestral Level entity and gather useful information; second, to find a way to uncover the Celestial Demons’ secret communication channels through direct contact.
The fact was, even with Donghua under heavy security, Celestial Demons still moved in the shadows, prying into everything that happened in the country.
Furthermore, the possibility that the enemy had moles within the high-level ranks of Donghua or the Secret Inspection Bureau could not be ruled out.
The Celestial Demons’ ability to conceal themselves was simply too powerful. Unless they chose to reveal themselves, rooting them out from the shadows was a near-impossible task.
Zhou Yuanjue knew that they had reached the stage where Earth’s natural restrictions were broken. The coming clash between both sides would be white-hot. With Celestial Demon spies planted in his own territory, a critical moment could bring a devastating blow.
And so, Zhou Yuanjue had devised this plan.
Doctor Nightmare’s formidable ability had an extremely wide reach; it was the very channel the Celestial Demons used for their secret communications. If Zhou Yuanjue could identify this channel by its magnetic signature, it would be a groundbreaking advantage in the fight against them.
The sky was filled with far too many gray threads. Some stretched beyond the borders of Shangjing Prefecture, making it difficult for even Zhou Yuanjue to trace them all in an instant.
’I don’t know if they’ve realized my objective, but I have to move fast. To catch a thief, first catch the king. I’ll start with the one in charge of the Celestial Demons in Donghua. Once he’s captured, all of the Celestial Demons’ secrets in Donghua will be laid bare.’
Zhou Yuanjue’s eyes narrowed as he searched through the countless gray threads, looking for the most distinct and powerful connection.
’As the one in charge of the Celestial Demons in Donghua, his communication channel with their high command must be the most stable and powerful one.’
Soon, with his formidable Perception Power, he picked out the most distinct connection from the chaotic, tangled mess of threads.
The connection stretched from high above, extending beyond the borders of Shangjing Prefecture. It didn’t go too far, though; it seemed to lead to one of the neighboring prefectures.
’The Celestial Demon in charge of Donghua... I think that guy’s name is Seven Desires...’
’You got away last time. This time, you won’t be so lucky.’
Muttering to himself, Zhou Yuanjue took out his satellite phone and dialed the Chief Commissioner.
After a single ring, the call connected.
"You really caused a stir, didn’t you? I heard you almost shot right off of Earth."
The Chief Commissioner’s voice, tinged with amazement, came through the phone.
"Just a test," Zhou Yuanjue said. "Now for the real business. I’ve found a trail of those Celestial Demons in the country, the ones I mentioned before."
"You found them?"
The Chief Commissioner’s tone turned serious in an instant.
"I’ve locked on to what I believe is the trail of their leader. It’s somewhere within Jinhai Prefecture. The enemy’s strength is above the First Generation. I’m going to handle this personally. Could you give the National Defense Bureau a heads-up? I don’t want to be under that much scrutiny again."
"Haha, well, it’s not my fault everything you do is so world-shaking. Alright, I’ll make the arrangements. Do what you need to do."
The Chief Commissioner said with a laugh. Zhou Yuanjue hung up and looked in the direction the gray thread pointed.
’Jinhai Prefecture. By air, it’s only about a hundred kilometers from Shangjing Prefecture...’
’Very close.’
SWOOSH!!
The next moment, Zhou Yuanjue leaped into the air. He pushed off the air itself, his form quickly vanishing into the night sky.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
On the ground below, everyone in Zhou Yuanjue’s path heard a sound like rolling thunder and looked up at the sky in confusion.
’Thunder? In this weather?’
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「Jinhai Prefecture, Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center.」
At this moment, the convention center, one of Jinhai Prefecture’s most prominent, was bustling with activity.
The parking lot was filled with countless luxury cars. Inside, social elites and successful entrepreneurs mingled, impeccably dressed in suits. The women were graceful and poised, their expensive attire, fair skin, and exceptional-bearing making them stand out.
Waiters shuttled through the crowd, offering the most attentive service. Guests clinked glasses, chatting and laughing, creating a lively and vibrant atmosphere.
Everyone gathered here was a socialite from Jinhai Prefecture. They wielded incredible power and resources, possessing wealth beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
But they weren’t satisfied. On the contrary, their desires only continued to swell.
Of course, on the outside, they projected an image of perfection, more so than anyone.
This gathering, for instance, was a charity gala.
It was hosted by the nationally renowned "Zhijie Technology" group. The company’s founder, Yuan Zhihe, hailed from a prestigious Jinhai family. He had studied abroad in the Starry Sky Country in his youth, bringing back advanced technologies and concepts. He was considered a leading figure among Donghua’s new generation of entrepreneurs and was also a famous philanthropist.
With numerous titles and accolades to his name, he seemed to shine with a dazzling light. Combined with his handsome features and the calm confidence in his every gesture, he remained the object of affection for countless Jinhai socialites, even in his forties.
Charity galas like this one were held twice a year. Of course, most attendees didn’t truly care about charity, or even where their money was going. They were more concerned with leveraging this gathering of elites to secure more benefits for themselves.
Networking.
And as the organizer of the gala, Yuan Zhihe was the center of everyone’s attention.
A handsome, mature-looking middle-aged man stood in a private lounge. This was Yuan Zhihe. His face, which should have been beaming with a triumphant smile, was instead gloomy and heavy with worry.
Yuan Zhihe was merely his public identity. His true identity was Seven Desires, the head of the Celestial Organization’s operations in Donghua.
A short while ago, Seven Desires had received intelligence from one of his moles.
Zhou Yuanjue was back in the country, secretly.
This news instantly filled Seven Desires with immense pressure.
’Zhou Yuanjue was no longer the man he had once disdained. That guy had advanced step by step, and now he had actually shattered the shackles that were like an impassable chasm!’
’King Level!’
’He knew exactly what that level of existence signified.’
’He couldn’t comprehend how a human could achieve such power, but he knew one thing for certain: he could never allow himself to be exposed in the presence of such a being.’
’Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable.’