The Killing God Domain is a well-known figure in Killing Star City, one of the city's five major mercenary groups. Due to Ming Qi's rapidly rising reputation in Killing Star City in recent times, all the major mercenary groups there have begun to take notice of this rising star.
Currently, there are five members of the Killing God Domain. The leader is a middle-aged man, approximately at the fifth level of the Innate Realm. He is accompanied by four Innate cultivators, none of whom have reached the Controlled Weapon Realm.
"Haha, isn't this the genius leader of the Angels? I never expected to meet you here."
As the two sides approached, the leader of the Killing God Domain immediately smiled and waved to Ming Qi, expressing his friendliness.
"This man is from the Killing God Realm, his name is Shi Chong."
Wei Silong, standing nearby, immediately whispered to Ming Qi. Ming Qi's fame within Killing Star City was constantly rising, but he knew very little about the major figures there. Aside from a few he'd met, he didn't really know anyone else. It was the kind of situation where he knew you, but you didn't know him. And Shi Chong, from the Killing God Realm, was exactly that kind of person.
He knew Ming Qi, but Ming Qi didn't know him.
"Nice to meet you."
Ming Qi gave Shi Chong a forced smile, then stopped talking, apparently planning to leave.
Seeing Ming Qi's attitude, Shi Chong grew a little annoyed. After all, he was a figure of status within the Killing God Realm. Even if a junior like you was powerful, you couldn't be so dismissive.
"Captain Genius, there are many powerful monsters in the Imperial Mountains. I wonder if you've encountered any?"
Shi Chong suddenly brought this up, unsure of what was going on.
"Monster?"
Ming Qi turned to look at Shi Chong and casually said, "We didn't encounter any monsters, but we did encounter someone. I think you'll be interested in this person."
"Oh?"
Shi Chong smiled. Their visit to the Imperial Mountains was a tacit understanding. It could even be said that Ming Qi's speculation was not much different from the ideas of the other mercenary groups' think tanks. Right now, Shi Chong couldn't think of anyone else who would interest him, besides the mysterious treasure on Mount Osho.
"Who is that?"
Shi Chong was happy to chat with Ming Qi for a while. After all, they were all going to Mount Osho, and their ultimate goal was the same. Sooner or later, they would all be together.
"That person is Ye Qizong, the Dragon Thief!"
Ming Qi deliberately emphasized the last few words, clearly giving him a warning.
"Huh? Ye Qizong?"
Shi Chong's originally dismissive expression suddenly shifted. He knew Ye Qizong's name, of course, but their research had unanimously concluded that the so-called Dragon Thief Ye Qizong was a fictitious name and didn't exist. Furthermore, their operations within the God-Slaying Domain had been carried out entirely according to their strategy based on this premise. But now someone suddenly claimed that Ye Qizong actually existed. Wouldn't that mean they had to start all over again?
After a brief pause, Shi Chong burst into laughter and said, "You're kidding! There's no such thing as Ye Qizong..."
But mid-sentence, Shi Chong's face suddenly turned green as he realized he'd inadvertently said something he shouldn't have.
"Oh? Since you're convinced there's no such person as Ye Qizong, then why are you here?"
Ming Qi naturally wouldn't let Shi Chong's slip of the tongue go. For something like this, keeping it secret is one thing, but speaking it out loud is another. The two are completely different.
"I don't know anything about Ye Qizong. We came to the Imperial Mountains simply to follow the captain's instructions and search for something."
Shi Chong began to evade him.
"Searching for something? Very well, then go ahead and search. I originally planned to reveal Ye Qizong's information to you, and then split the bounty in half. It would be a real shame if you didn't know. Let's go."
Ming Qi rambled a few more times, then waved his hand and led the others away, winding their way towards Mount Osho.
After watching Ming Qi and the others leave without a trace, Shi Chong said solemnly to those around him, "Send one person to follow them immediately. Also, quickly report this to the deputy commander, saying there's a change of plan and the presence of the Dragon Thieves!"
Two of the four people around Shi Chong immediately staggered off in two directions.
"Let's head towards Mount Osho first, and then we'll reunite with the others at the assembly point."
After relaying the message, Shi Chong and the remaining two men set off in a different direction, heading towards Mount Osho.
Meanwhile, Ming Qi, who had already walked some distance, was quietly spreading his spiritual awareness, utilizing the amplification effect of the Supreme Diagram to closely monitor his surroundings.
"Why did you tell the God of Killing about Ye Qizong?"
Wei Silong had been perplexed by Ming Qi's previous actions. His previous predictions hadn't revealed the Dragon Thief, so he naturally didn't need to consider the matter. But now that the Dragon Thief had appeared, he had to consider the deal his mysterious employer had negotiated. He wanted the Dragon Thief, and now that the Dragon Thief had appeared, the matter clearly couldn't be put aside.
But Wei Silong couldn't understand why Ming Qi had so readily disclosed this matter to the God of Killing. Wouldn't that be equivalent to creating a powerful competitor for him?
"It's actually quite simple. I've determined that this so-called Ye Qizong isn't real, so I wanted the God of Killing to test him. He's already near Mount Osho, and I think he'll be out soon."
Ming Qi's response was lighthearted, but Wei Silong was speechless with astonishment.
Why hadn't she realized that this so-called Ye Qizong was a fake?
If it's a fake, wouldn't it all be a waste of time in the end?
"But..."
But upon thinking about this, Wei Silong immediately ran into another puzzlement.
"If this Ye Qizong is fake, then who is instructing him to do this?"
This question is difficult to answer. Ming Qi has been pondering it, too. In fact, he's been thinking about it since the man claiming to be Ye Qizong appeared, but he's still lacking a clear clue.
"It's hard to guess. It could be any force that comes to the Imperial Mountains, and they're equally convinced that the Dragon Thief Ye Qizong doesn't exist. That's why they're using a fake Ye Qizong to distract the view and draw attention."
"Very likely."
Wei Silong nodded. This analysis was the best he could offer.
"At least one thing is certain: that person definitely wasn't sent by the Killing God Realm," Ming Qi said with certainty.
"Why?"
Wei Silong was puzzled. Could it be that Shi Chong's expression just now was enough to tell? That was clearly an exaggeration.
"Because there's a tail behind us," Ming Qi said cheerfully, pointing behind him.
Then he casually asked, "Who wants to take care of this tail?"
"I'll do it."
Su Yuan was the first to agree.
"Okay, that guy isn't as strong as you, so just take care of him quickly and efficiently."
After Ming Qi gave a few simple instructions, Su Yuan quickly headed back.
"The people in the Killing God Domain are too impatient. They definitely won't be able to find Ye Qizong."
Ming Qi said.
"Perhaps this is just Shi Chong's decision."
Wei Silong said.
"If so, that's great."
Ming Qi said something incoherent and continued walking forward.
A short while later, the sound of light footsteps could be heard behind them, and then Su Yuan returned.
"Looks like it went pretty smoothly."
Seeing Su Yuan return with a normal expression, Ming Qi asked with a smile.
"Just a low-class pervert. Killing him would be a bit of a dirtying on my sword."
Su Yuan said this in a grouchy tone, then fell silent.
The group continued forward. Now they were very close to Mount Osho. It was obvious that more and more cultivators were moving around, and from time to time, they could sense the flow of varying auras.
However, they had not encountered each other again along the way, perhaps because both sides chose to avoid each other as soon as possible.
Towards dusk, Ming Qi and the others could already see the towering peak of Mount Osho in the distance.
"It's been quite smooth sailing all the way here. Let's take a break first."
Mo Changli finally became a little more active.
Seeing that they were really close to Mount Osho, the others breathed a sigh of relief. Unlike Ming Qi's predictions from the previous night, they had not encountered a tough battle. On the contrary, the day had passed peacefully. Even after Su Yuan dealt with the tail behind him, everything remained perfectly still, with not a single sound. Clearly, the Killing God Domain had suffered a loss this time and had no intention of directly confronting Ming Qi.
"Alright, let's find a place to rest today. I'll figure out what to do next."
Ming Qi said briefly, and then the others moved forward a distance, finding a well-hidden spot to rest for the night.
After a day of running around, they were all somewhat exhausted, so they simply replenished their energy and rested.
Ming Qi sat alone, pondering the matter.
Dabai, who had been wandering nearby, now sat quietly beside Ming Qi, not disturbing him.
After a long moment, Ming Qi finally relaxed his brows, as if he had figured things out. Suddenly, Dabai beside him sent a voice message, "I'm here. I think I can sense her presence."
"Oh? Who is that?"
Ming Qi was stunned and asked casually.
"Meng Ling..."