A free-spirited sword immortal? Zhai Cai was taken aback, paused for a few seconds, then said, "Is he one of the Five Elements Alliance's agents?" The Master of Zhishake nodded slightly. "There are many such undercover agents within the New Accord Province." With the orderly and chaotic factions in the New Accord Province constantly clashing, drawing global attention, it's entirely natural that the Five Elements Alliance—one of the world's most powerful orderly organizations—has sent agents to operate covertly there. Zhai Cai had previously speculated that the so-called free-spirited sword immortal from the Anti-Black-and-White Coalition might be an official member of the provincial administration. Now, hearing the red-dressed woman's words, his hunch was confirmed. "So, are you here to take over his position, or to assist?" asked the single-ward knight, smiling slightly. "To assist!" replied the Master of Zhishake calmly. The knight released his grip on the sword, shrugged, and turned his gaze toward the thunder mage still struggling within the incantation and ritual array. "You're a musician, aren't you? That's perfect—try to put him into a trance. I have some questions for At that moment, Qian Cheng Lu roared with a deep, resonant voice, powerful electric light surging from his body. The six black talismans arranged in a circle trembled violently, and the protective array seemed to be nearing collapse. Physically, it was impossible to breach the array's enchantment—only a mental assault could achieve that. This was not the forte of lightning mages. Though lightning effectively countered spirit-wraiths, it was fundamentally not a spiritual magic, and the mages' souls were not as robust as those of the night-wanderers or illusionists. Nevertheless, under Qian Cheng Lu's overwhelming surge, the Shengshen Talisman showed signs of loosening. After all, the Minister of Administration was a seasoned eighth-level lightning mage. In terms of status, even if he were not particularly adept at spiritual magic, his foundational strength remained solid. From the perspective of the Master of Zhengshi Palace, even if Qian Cheng Lu managed to break free from the talisman's binding through sheer force, he would still inevitably perish, as there were two sovereigns guarding the outer perimeter of the array. Yet since the single-line knight wished to extract intelligence, she could not allow Channing Lu to disrupt the Spirit-Weaving Seal. So she turned back and instructed: "Cover your ears." Zhai Cai shrugged, saying, "The knight has unyielding resolve—do as you please, I won't interfere." The Master of Zhishi Palace said nothing, took a deep breath, and emitted a sharp, dolphin-like soprano. Zhai Cai felt her vision blur, as if countless steel needles had been driven into her head, blood seeping from her ears, her soul pierced by the wave attacks. How could you have waited until now? You should have said it earlier—say it earlier! The single-line knight clutched her head, gritting her teeth. Amidst this unbearable noise, Channing Lu’s spiritual form suffered unimaginable damage, weakened significantly, and the previously trembling paper seal regained its stability. The lightning mage, already not particularly adept in spiritual matters, gradually lost resistance under the combined assault of the Spirit-Weaving Seal and the musician’s sonic waves, his spiritual power steadily eroded, his eyes growing hazy, his consciousness growing increasingly foggy. Seeing this, the Master of the Halt-Kill Palace ceased her piercing cry, and the clear, water-like gaze of her eyes deepened into a calm vortex. Her voice, as if imbued with a power that soothed the heart, resonated: "Qian Ning Lu, we are companions, we are companions..." No one could withstand the strength of the musician's voice, any more than one could resist the allure of a life dedicated to love. Qian Ning Lu first showed signs of struggle, then his eyes, once filled with pain from the divine seal, gradually faded into stillness—his caution and hostility dissolving completely. A moment later, his gaze grew hollow, and he murmured, "We are companions—why didn't you save me? Why didn't you save me?" The Master of the Halt-Kill Palace nodded. "Rest assured, I will save you now." With a gentle sweep of her sleeve, she caused six black seals to float one after another, linking them end to end and then drawing them into her sleeve. This was the final step of the hypnotic process. At the very instant the divine seal was withdrawn, Qian Ning Lu's last trace of resistance vanished, and he stood motionless, The single-legacy knight paused for a few seconds, saying, "Why does the Hunter's Guild—no, the Free Covenant—want to target Elder Berlant?" Elder Berlant was the grandfather of Vinye Berlant. Qian Ning Lu replied, "Through our investigation into the relationship between Jia Fei Zhang and the anti-Black-and-White alliance, we traced the origin of the Sacred Disc fragments back to Huo Zhengkui. After a thorough examination of Huo Zhengkui's life, we pinpointed the locations of the remaining two fragments—one hidden within Zhou Ji Feng's Bird Vessel, which Huo Zhengkui returned to Huaguo in 1955. Recently, Fu Qingyang, the newly ascended leader of the Five Elements Alliance, visited the Capital Museum and requested to view Zhou Ji Feng's Bird Vessel, spending over a minute in exclusive conversation with it. Our organization has confirmed that Fu Qingyang now holds that fragment." Hearing this, Zhai Cai turned to Zhi Sha Palace's master and asked, "Was it the elder sixth member of the Free-Sailing Sword Immortal who passed on the information to the Five Elements Alliance?" The Free-Sailing Sword Immortal was fully involved in the Sacred Disc incident and personally learned of Huo Zhengkui's existence from the head of the anti-Black-and-White alliance. The Five Elements Alliance could only have gained detailed knowledge of this matter through him. Moreover, the red-dress woman mentioned earlier stated that the Free-Riding Immortal Sword Master is actually an undercover agent sent by the Five Elements Alliance to gather intelligence in the New Treaty County. "You're only number six!" the Master of Zhishā said, rolling her eyes. Zhai Cai and Zhi Sha Palace Master had not yet spoken, when a voice came from behind: "So this is why you asked for the routes to the first and second levels of the maze?" Turning to see, Vinny stood against the iron gate, her gaze vacant, fixed on the three of them. Two meters ahead of her, the floor had cracked open, leading directly down to the next level. Though she could no longer see, she could still hear. When Qian Cheng Lu unleashed his lightning blast, she clearly heard the sounds of the floor and walls collapsing, so she had not dared fully step out of the chamber, but instead remained crouched against the gate. An eighth-level lightning mage would hardly die even if he jumped from the top of a skyscraper, but he would certainly be embarrassed. "I've known since long ago that your grandfather's maze concealed a fragment of the Sacred Disk—I'm no ordinary man, I'm a scholar's secret." Zhai Cai spoke with confidence. "But when I first sought refuge with your grandfather, I didn't know his maze held a fragment. It was only later, after my secretary analyzed Ho Zhengkui's records, that this discovery came to light." I tried to purchase the president's belongings from your grandfather, but he refused. "Your grandfather is stubborn and inflexible—he insisted that, before the president passed away, he should carefully preserve those items until his own death, so he'll never sell them. "With no other choice, I'll have to work with you. After all, you're already familiar with the Maze Villa; if he won't part with them, I'll simply take them by force." Is that what a noble knight would say? The Princess was momentarily stunned. Vine listened quietly. Earlier, in the inner chamber, when he heard Channing Lu mention his target as your grandfather rather than Zhai Cai, he had already sensed something was off. Now it all made sense. "Regarding the first and second maze routes, I'll fulfill my promise and share them with you," Vine said calmly. "However, the Church's treasure is of great significance. Once I learned of it, I won't treat it as merely a matter of passing interest. I give you five days. If, within that time, you still haven't secured the fragments of the Sacred Disk, then they shall be mine." "This is her greatest concession—of course, she's also worried that if she expresses any intention of claiming the Sacred Plate exclusively in this situation, she'll be silenced by Zhai Cai and the leading musicians from the Second District." "Indeed, Master Lei is fair," Zhai Cai said—whether sincerely or with a touch of irony, she couldn't tell. Winni didn't respond, her gaze vacant, fixed on the Master of Zhishā. "Ask him: who among the Executive Department's spies is part of the Free Alliance?" Given Channing Lu's position, he couldn't possibly be as ignorant as Emma. There must be someone he's developed within the Heaven's Judgment itself—someone acting as a spy. The Master of Zhishā didn't hesitate. He repeated Winni's question, deepened the hypnosis, and ensured that Channing remained under her complete control, his spirit so weakened that he could barely respond. "Mark Edward, Sinclair Keith..." Channing Lu named five names in succession. Winni listened without expression, then added, "And who is your direct superior? How many other ordered organizations currently have spies at your level?" "Chenning Lu replied, "The one who contacts me is the president of the Hunter's Guild. I don't know his name—each time, it's he who reaches out to me, using a network dial-up connection. "I'm not sure how many others in the other lawful organizations are like me, but our master-tier spiritual travelers hold banquets every 28th of the month, under the watchful gaze of the gods. "At these banquets, every desire can be fulfilled—any man may court any woman present, who cannot refuse; he may also enjoy the spectacle of bloody, violent gladiatorial contests..." Chenning Lu delivered the information verbatim. In the days leading up to the 28th, each attendee could submit requests to the organization—say, if you've taken a strong woman under your eye and wish to play with her, humiliate her, you could apply to the Free Covenant. As long as your contribution is sufficient, the Free Covenant will arrange to bring her to you. Or, perhaps you'd like to see your enemy or political rival killed during the gladiatorial contest—once you submit your application and pay the contribution points, that very enemy or rival will appear at the gathering on the 28th. Zai Cai shook her head in disbelief: "The people in your Evil faction truly know how to play their game." But Winny recalled Emma's experience—the assistant had been found lying on a golden bed during a similar banquet, her perception warped, and she had since become a fallen one. Winny explained: "The Free Covenant's model has now been clearly understood. Each spy has a superior, and that superior is typically a master of the Evil faction. As long as you hunt down the masters of the Evil faction, you can uncover the spies." Indeed, it was precisely because the mortal father of the冥王—a master-level leader of an Evil organization—had been slain by divine judgment that the Free Covenant reemerged into public consciousness after a century of obscurity. That leader was a master-tier figure. Weney asked a few more questions, including how Channing Lu had fallen—without surprise, the man who enjoyed women's company had not resisted the allure of the seductive, passion-driven professionals, joining the gatherings and becoming tainted. When Weney had finished her inquiries, the Master of Zhishik Palace suddenly said: "Yet, how have your spies managed to remain undetected, not discovered by the Heavenly Judgment?"