Otherworldly Affairs Office

Chapter 1112: Making Things Difficult

"How is the situation now? Have you all been okay these past few days?" Pei Yan, having been led to a secluded courtyard inside the Immortal Palace, frowned upon seeing the surroundings, and immediately asked Wang Wenze, who was responsible for the surrounding security.Wang Wenze glanced at the Immortal Palace disciple who had escorted Pei Yan and her brother, and after they saluted and left, he pulled Pei Yan into the courtyard, shaking his head with a wry smile as he walked, "You should have felt the atmosphere along the way."

"Yes, pretty much. Have these people been excessive?" Pei Yan nodded in understanding and asked rhetorically.

"Not really. After all, at this conference we’ve shown enough strength, coupled with the relationship between the two Spirit Lords, the two planes are supposedly in a honeymoon phase. Plus, Director Mei has the ’Imperial Sword’ granted by Lin Ruxue, so even though many in the Immortal Palace are resistant to our investigation, because of these factors, they cannot act openly against us. However, sarcasm and acting in contradiction are inevitable."

It seems Wang Wenze has endured quite a bit of grievance these days. Seeing his friend inquire about this, he immediately began venting his troubles. Pei Yan frowned upon hearing this and continued, "Is security guaranteed? The protection promised by Lin Ruxue?"

"Security is not a problem. Besides our own people, Lin Ruxue has sent her trusted aides, Embroidered Robe Envoys, who are judged to be above seventh level in skill. There is one to protect every five of us, with Lin Daozi personally overseeing security arrangements. So far, no one has dared to threaten us. Hehe, now we don’t even need Immortal Palace people to deliver our meals, using ingredients brought from the Foundation Plane, cooked by our own people. Is that cautious enough? But..."

"But what?"

"But though these Embroidered Robe Envoys have no apparent ties with the Immortal Palace, it seems like neither side looks kindly upon the other. However, these people might not necessarily take our side either. They strictly adhere to agreements, only ensuring personal safety. Regarding other matters, they won’t interfere unless our lives are in danger. Relying on their power for investigation is difficult."

"Didn’t Lin Ruxue promise us the right to mobilize?" Pei Yan, already somewhat dissatisfied, pursued this line of questioning.

By this time, the two had entered the hall, and before Wang Wenze could respond, Mei Simiao, who had long overheard their conversation, interjected, "That’s the power that can only be used once we have concrete evidence. Unless absolutely necessary, using it recklessly without having discovered anything yet will only make us appear incompetent and provoke greater resistance, which is not worth it."

"Director Mei, have you discovered anything?" Pei Yan asked, looking at Mei Simiao, who was examining documents beside the desk.

"Not that easily." Mei Simiao’s capable assistant, Yuan Shaoqing, walked in from outside carrying a thick stack of scrolls, placing them on an empty desk. He casually grabbed a chair, sat down while fanning himself, and said, "Set aside the disdain and ridicule from the Immortal Palace disciples recording the tasks as we sift through secrets of various factions. Right now, many of us don’t recognize Daoist Realm’s language and obscure record-keeping methods, making the review highly inefficient." As Yuan Shaoqing spoke, he picked up a scroll from the table and tossed it to Pei Yan in resignation, "This thing has words, pictures, and a heap of symbols only comprehensible to their Immortal Palace cultivators. By the time we decipher it, I reckon we won’t even need to find the traitor; the Blood Slaughter would have already engaged us in battle!"

"Do your job properly! Where’s all this griping coming from? If you shrink from difficulty, nothing will get done." Mei Simiao admonished from behind her documents, not lifting her head.

"Yes!" Yuan Shaoqing responded as his boss expressed anger. He shrugged toward Pei Yan, smiled helplessly, and returned to arranging the documents.

"Director Mei, is there anything I can help with?" This task was negotiated by Pei Yan and Lin Ruxue. Despite many preventive measures prearranged, truly implementing them remained exceedingly difficult, which left Pei Yan both frustrated and disheartened.

"If you were my subordinate—no! If you weren’t preoccupied, I would unhesitatingly request your assistance from above. But you have your own matters to attend to; staying here is just for temporary support." Mei Simiao said, looking up at Pei Yan with a smile, "So it’s best for you to fulfill your duties without undue worry. We anticipated these difficulties when taking on the task, and the electronic equipment you provided us is already a great help. Leave the rest to us."

"I understand!" As Director Mei put it that way, Pei Yan didn’t insist further. After completing the handover of tasks with Ye Ruozai, Pei Yan had Ye Ruozai return to Yirong Pavilion to assist Gu Shenghui in safeguarding Engineer Li and others, while he and his sister Pei Jin stayed to handle security duties.

Fortunately, the investigation group just acquired a large batch of documents and would remain at the stationed location to review them, so Pei Yan didn’t have to follow them around. With leisure time, he arranged security and began meditating, pulling out Yue Yong’s gifted notebook to study meticulously in a corner of the courtyard.

Once engrossed, Pei Yan became deeply absorbed. Yue Yong’s decades of accumulated insights on energy usage indeed benefited Pei Yan immensely, as he claimed. The disk Yue Yong gifted was absorbed by Pei Yan, its contents imprinted into his mind. Unconsciously, Pei Yan started coordinating with the notebook’s notes in tandem with Yue Yong’s explanations on the disk, attempting to combine the six streams of source energy in his body with three types of elemental abilities into one.

This attempt was both uncertain and perilous. What Yue Yong provided resembled a key, unlocking a door for Pei Yan to break through his own shackles. How far he could go depended on Pei Yan’s ability and destiny. In contrast with Pei Yan’s calm immersion in cycles of fusion and failure, Lin Junzhao, residing within him, was exceedingly excited. She vaguely perceived an immense energy budding within Pei Yan. When conceiving the Child of Origin among multiple plane masters initially, aside from seeking a suitable host, another reason was to see whether mortals could break the Laws of Heaven and Earth, cultivating an existence comparable to the Master of Origin. But despite the unparalleled combat strength of the Child of Origin, essentially, they still couldn’t break through their limitations, offering Lin Junzhao no sight of them surpassing the Master of Origin.

Yet Pei Yan differed, just as she speculated before. By coincidence, Pei Yan became the first across various planes to integrate the Six Origins, seemingly infusing him with a fortune distinct from others. In him, Lin Junzhao saw a glimmer of hope for breakthrough.