The opening scene reveals the story of Yao Lao, alarming the Soul Emperor.

The words "I am the bait" circled in the empty hall, swallowed by the black mist of the dome, and then spat out from all directions.

Soul Extinction's vertical pupils remained still.

The two blood-red beams of light hung in the deepest part of the black mist, staring at the thin young man in white clothes below the steps.

The silence lasted for a long time.

It was long enough that Hunyu could hear the faint rustling of the clothes of the dried corpse on the steps amidst the remaining battle qi.

"You're using yourself as bait."

Soul Extinction's voice came down from above, speaking even slower than before.

"A collateral relative with no fighting spirit, a sickly man who won't live more than three years."

"What makes you think you're qualified to be bait?"

Hunyu rested the fan on his shoulder, tilted his head, and seemed to be seriously considering the question.

"Because I'm new enough."

"new?"

"Palace Master, think about it. The mole has been hiding in the Heavenly Gang Palace for three months. He has figured out everyone, every pawn, and every rule."

Hunyu tapped the fan ribs lightly with his fingers.

"He knows when the Palace Master will get angry, when Hun Yuan will step in to smooth things over, and when Hun Yue will jump out and start cursing."

"He had marked the price of every single piece on the chessboard, clearly indicating which piece could be moved, which could not be touched, and which could be discarded at any time."

"But tonight, there's an extra piece on the chessboard that he's never seen before."

Hunyu pointed to himself with the end of his fan.

"I come from a collateral branch of the family, and I have no past grievances with the Heavenly Gang Palace, nor do I have any relationship with the Five Heavenly Venerables."

"I just narrowed down the suspicion to three people in the main hall, and everyone present heard that."

"The mole doesn't know how many cards I actually have, or whether I'm bluffing or have really found out something."

He paused for a moment.

"A new pawn whose background is unknown patted his chest in front of the Palace Master and said he would hand over the head of the traitor in three days."

"Your Highness, do you think the mole will be able to sleep tonight?"

A layer of black mist rolled in.

Hun Miesheng did not reply, but his hand emerged from the mist and rested on the armrest of the throne, his index finger tapping twice on the beast head on the dark gold armrest.

Hunyu understood the rhythm; he was waiting for what would follow.

"I'll start moving around if I can't sleep."

"Any movement will reveal a weakness."

"That's the value of the bait."

Hunyu took half a step forward, stepping on the shadow of the dried corpse.

"But the bait has to be effective; it has to be fragrant enough."

"I need three things from the temple master."

The knocking stopped.

"explain."

"First, all the original documents for all top-secret operations of the Intelligence Division over the past year, including copies that have already been destroyed."

The temperature inside the hall dropped another level, and the black mist pressed down half a foot from the dome.

Those drafts are top-level secrets of the Heavenly Gang Palace. Even the Soul Abyss needs the Palace Master's personal seal to unlock them. How could a collateral descendant ask for them all?

Hunyu's face showed no particular expression, as if all he wanted was a pot of tea.

"Secondly, I need the authority to move freely within the Heavenly Hall, without being controlled by any Heavenly Venerable, and without needing anyone's approval, including the Great Heavenly Venerable."

This one is even more outrageous than the first one.

The hierarchy of the Heavenly Gang Hall is even more rigid than that of the military. A collateral descendant with no cultivation who demands freedom of action above the five Heavenly Venerables would be asking for his head to roll on the table at any time.

"third."

Hunyu's voice softened slightly.

"I need a personal keepsake from the temple master."

The black mist churned violently.

The brightness of the blood-red light from the two vertical pupils increased by a level, and the dark red light shone directly down from the dome, hitting the ground three inches in front of Hun Yu's feet, scorching a mark on the stone slab.

That's not a light.

That was murderous intent.

Soul Feather did not retreat.

His toes were curled up inside his boots, and a layer of cold sweat seeped out from his back, but his knees didn't bend an inch.

A white feather fan was held in front of her chest, the golden feathers emitting a faint light, much dimmer than before, almost to the point of being extinguished.

"Lord, I know the importance of these three things."

His voice was low, but every word was delivered to the throne.

"So I risked my life."

"If I can't find the traitor, the Palace Master can take my life at any time."

"But if the temple master doesn't give me anything, I'm just a piece of raw meat thrown on the ground. The traitor can just step on it and move on without even looking back."

"Only when the entire Heavenly Gang Hall knows that the Hall Master has handed over the highest authority to a sickly person from a collateral branch will the traitor panic."

"Only then will it move."

"That's why we make mistakes."

The scorch marks stopped spreading.

The murderous aura hadn't disappeared, but it had changed from sharp to dull and heavy, like a hand loosening two fingers from the throat.

When Hun Miesheng's voice rang out again, his tone had changed.

It wasn't the coldness of scrutinizing prey, nor the oppressive rage.

It was a scrutinizing look tinged with slight curiosity.

"Do you know when was the last time I gave away a personal keepsake?"

Hunyu shook his head.

"Sixty-two years ago, what was given was the Soul Abyss."

"It took him thirty years to climb from an ordinary Dou Zun to the position of Da Tian Zun."

"If you get this sign, you won't live more than three days before someone tries to strangle you."

That's their business.

Hunyu tucked the fan back into his waistband and let his hands hang at his sides.

"I only need three days."

Another silence followed.

Then a piece of black mist peeled off from above the throne, condensing into a fist-sized lump that tumbled a few times in mid-air. The layers of black mist on the surface gradually faded, revealing what was inside.

A sign.

It is entirely black, with dark red veins flowing along its edges, as fine as blood vessels.

There were no words on the card, only a symbol. The symbol, Soul Feather, had been seen in the family genealogy and was the soul power imprint of Soul Extinction himself.

The black plaque hovered in mid-air, then slowly floated down and stopped two feet in front of Hunyu.

"Take it."

Hun Miesheng's voice was very soft.

"This is a get-out-of-jail-free card. Within the territory of the Heavenly Gang Palace, no one can kill you."

Hunyu reached out and caught the black card. The moment he touched it, a cold force seeped from the card into his palm, traveled half an inch up his meridians, and made his damaged dantian throb with pain.

He tucked the sign into his pocket, and a faint layer of black mist floated on the surface of his clothes where the fabric had been attached.

"The intelligence department's draft will be delivered to your residence tomorrow morning."

"Walking permission is now in effect."

Soul Extinction's fingers retracted back into the black mist.

"Three days."

As the last two words pressed down from the dome, all the lights in the hall went out for a moment.

"Three days later, the soul of the traitor will be placed before me."

"I'll take yours."

Hunyu bent down slightly, just enough to be considered polite.

"The Lord of the Palace is wise."

He turned around and walked towards the main entrance of the hall. His boots made a very faint sticky sound as they stepped on the black liquid next to the dried corpse.

When I reached the seventh step, I heard the last sentence from behind.

"Soul Feather."

He stopped.

"The clan chief said you have ability, and now I believe him to some extent."

"But you'd better pray that the remaining seven parts are real too."

Hun Yu did not turn around.

"Rest assured, Your Highness."

His right hand reached into his sleeve and found the handle of the white feather fan. The pad of his thumb pressed against a tiny indentation at the end of the handle. The indentation was shaped like a miniature array of patterns, which felt faintly warm under the heat of his fingertips.

"Three days later, you will believe it completely."

The main gate of the hall closed behind him.

As the last ray of light disappeared through the crack in the door, a very short, cold laugh echoed from within the black mist.

The corridor outside the door was long, and most of the soul lamps hanging on both sides had gone dark, with only one lamp still lit at the corner at the end.

Hunyu had barely taken ten steps out of the palace when her legs went weak.

He braced himself against the wall with the fan handle, bent down, and couldn't hold back the mouthful of blood that welled up in his throat. It fell into the crack of the stone slab on the ground, and the dark red liquid flowed away along the crack.

He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, straightened up, and regulated his breathing.

Then he raised his head and looked at the still-lit soul lamp at the end of the corridor.

There is a shadow beneath the lamp.

The shadow leaned against the wall, arms crossed, tall with broad shoulders.

It is the Abyss of Souls.

Hunyu unfolded his fan, covering the lower half of his face, revealing only a pair of eyes that still bore traces of golden patterns.

He didn't speak.

There is none in the Soul Abyss either.

The two men stared at each other for three breaths, about twenty paces apart.

Then Hunyuan smiled, turned around and walked into the shadows around the corner, his footsteps quickly disappearing.

Hunyu put away his fan, took the black token out of his pocket, and glanced at the back.

The back of the sign was smooth as a mirror, reflecting his own face—pale, thin, with bloodstains still hanging from the corner of his mouth.

He wiped away the bloodstains with his thumb and carefully put the black card back on his body.

"The first step is to place the piece."

He muttered something to himself, so softly that even the soul lamp on the wall couldn't hear it.

Then he walked to the other end of the corridor, the hem of his white robe trailing over the still-dry bloodstain on the ground, leaving a faint red mark.

In the shadows around the corner in the distance, the sound of Hunyuan's footsteps could no longer be heard.

But Hunyu knew that from this moment on, at least three people in the Heavenly Gang Hall would not be able to close their eyes tonight.