On the tall white jade stage, the corners of Governor Liu Wudiao’s, Wei Lingzhen’s, Du Dongtu’s, and the other bigwigs’ mouths could not help but twitch as their expressions turned a little strange.

Lin Xun’s eccentric behavior put them at a loss for words.

By the time everyone returned to their senses, Lin Xun’s figure had disappeared from the arena.

The risky and hard-fought battle had left him with several injuries. Moreover, he had depleted most of his energy and needed rest to recover.

Hence, he had decisively left as soon as he could. There was no time to waste since the final round of the exam would start in three days.

……

The third round of the exam continued after Lin Xun departed and news of his battle swiftly spread to the entire city.

“My goodness, Lin Xun is a monster! He’s freaking amazing!”

Numerous people were shocked and amazed.

“It’s a pity about Le Zhiyou. He would have been able to pass the provincial exam if he didn’t match with Lin Xun.”

Many also felt regretful for Le Zhiyou.

“Hahaha, Lin Xun is simply too interesting. I can’t believe he even helped create publicity for Golden Jade Hall at the end. I might have to visit them sometime.”

Some laughed in amusement, finding Lin Xun’s surprising actions rather refreshing.

None of this mattered to Lin Xun. When he returned home, he gave a quick greeting to Xue Jin before walking into the room to rest.

The final round was going to begin in three days. Lin Xun needed to recover to peak condition before then.

In the courtyard, Xue Jin sat alone under the night sky as he thought about how he would be leaving in three days. He would leave Haze City, leave the empire, and head toward a land filled with unpredictable danger and turmoil…

All of a sudden, a bizarre black shadow appeared in the sky. If one were to take a closer look, they would discover that it was a strange black bird!

It had golden eyes, red claws, and a long, slender body. Six wings grew from its back and lava-like fire seemed to burn deep in its pupils, creating an intimidating sight.

The dark night six-winged falcon!

Xue Jin was immediately roused from his thoughts. A wisp of iciness shone in his eyes as he gazed at the sky.

To think that it has been dispatched. Could something big have happened in Black Glory Sacred Hall?

The dark night six-winged falcon glided through the air and noiselessly landed in the courtyard.

A strong and deep voice sounded from the bird’s mouth, “The Lord instructs you to wait here for orders and new information before proceeding to your next mission.”

The bird spoke human speech as if it was an intelligent, sentient being.

“What happened?”

Xue Jin frowned.

The dark night six-winged bird shook its head. “We’re not certain yet but it seems that a traitor has been discovered in Black Glory Sacred Hall and has leaked some very important secrets.”

Xue Jin raised his brow as his expression turned ice-cold. “A traitor? Such a thing hasn’t happened for many years. There’s something fishy going on.”

Xue Jin puzzledly asked, “But what does this have to do with me heading to the Turbulent Wasteland?”

The dark night six-winged bird was silent for a moment before it answered, “It has nothing to do with you but it concerns the little fellow you are protecting. Let’s chat another time, I have to leave and report back to the Lord.”

With a flap of its wings, it rose into the air and disappeared into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

A matter related to Lin Xun!

Xue Jin’s heart shook. A chilling light shone in his eyes as he fell into deep thought.

A traitor in Black Glory Sacred Hall had leaked secret information about Lin Xun…what was going on?

Moreover, even the dark night six-winged falcon had been dispatched to disseminate the news. This alone told him how serious the issue was.

After a long time, Xue Jin shook his head. He had far too little information to figure out what was going on. The only thing he could do was wait for new information to determine his next course of action.

However, the fact that Lin Xun’s existence was somehow tied to a traitor made Xue Jin feel that this matter was likely far more astonishing than he could imagine!

……

The Castle of Darkness.

The pitch-black hall was wrapped in its usual stony silence, filled with power that could squeeze a person’s heart.

“Some decisions, once made, cannot be undone. However, I did not expect that you would be the first traitor to appear in the past 136 years.”

A cold, ethereal voice sounded in the darkness. Light surged in its wake, revealing a sinister throne made of white bones.

An impossibly giant figure sat on the throne, like the king of the eternal night that looked down upon the world.

The Dark Night Queen!

Like always, her voice was uniquely husky and mysterious like night.

She was not showing her true face, or rather even if she did, only a small handful would be able to view her true features.

The surge of light also made visible a man with his torso bare kneeling at the center of the grand hall.

The man’s head was lowered in silence.

At closer inspection, one would see numerous black chains embedded in the man’s back. Mysterious black rune flames burned along the chains like the legendary fires of hell, burning the man’s skin until it turned charred black.

However, the man seemed oblivious to it all. His kneeling figure was as still as a statue, painting a bizarre and horrifying sight.

“You are still the same as before. When you’ve decided on something, you’d rather die than break your silence. However, I’ve captured you because I’m curious about one thing. What did that old thing from the stargazing platform promise you that you would choose to betray me?”

The Dark Night Queen’s ethereal voice sounded from the white bone throne, devoid of all emotion.

The man remained silent as if he was a mute.

“Never mind, since you’ve chosen to uphold your silence and die, I shall grant your wish.”

The black chains on the man’s back began slowly began to burrow deeper into his skin.

The man’s body started to tremble uncontrollably as he was finally unable to bear the intense pain

Despite this, his head remained lowered in silence, stubborn as a rock.

A kindly-looking old man in black palace garb walked into the hall. Without glancing at the kneeling man, the old man bowed toward the white bone throne. “My Lady, we have investigated. Steward Zi Yun did it to protect a woman.”

These words caused the man on the floor to tremble violently. He finally raised his head, revealing a resolute, weather-beaten face.

However, his face was currently filled with rage, and his eyes were red as if they were bleeding. It was an exceptionally sinister sight to behold.

He stared at the white bone throne and his pale lips trembled for a moment as if wanting to say something. In the end, he disappointedly lowered his head again as if resigned to his fate.

The Dark Night Queen was silent for a moment before she let out a soft sigh. “Love harms us all.”

As her voice sounded, the man’s body turned rigid. His body was soon enveloped by a layer of darkness and began to vanish little by little. In the end, he seemed to evaporate from this plane of existence, leaving no traces behind.

Everything had ended without a sound.

The old man could not help but sigh at this scene.

The Queen of the Eternal Night asked, “What else do you have to report?”

“It has already been discovered by the old seer of the stargazing platform. They’ve arranged for the Chi Clan to properly resolve this matter that had been left unsettled all those years ago.”

The old man slowly said, “I’ve already informed the other party of your proposal as you instructed. However, I did not expect them to agree.”

“They agreed?” There was a sliver of surprise in the Eternal Night Queen’s voice.

The old man bowed his head. “However, they have a condition.”

“Speak.”

The old man’s expression turned a little strange. “They said that Lin Xun can be allowed to live. However, it will depend on whether or not he can smoothly enter the Forbidden City.”

The white bone throne was silent. After a long time, she finally said, “Is this the intention of that old thing from the stargazing platform?”

The old man nodded. “It should be.”

The Dark Night Queen pondered for a moment and said, “How do they wish to do this?”

The old man replied, “The Chi Clan will dispatch forces to stop Lin Xun on his way to the Forbidden City.”

The Dark Night Queen muttered, “That old thing’s decision is somewhat odd this time. What is he up to?”

The old man also fell deep into thought. He also did not know the reason.

“Fine, since he wishes to play, we shall accompany him. I look forward to finding out what exactly he is up to.”

The Dark Night Queen made her decision. “Tell Xue Jin that there is a change in plans. He shall bring Lin Xun to the Forbidden City!”

The old man shook his head. “My Lady, the other party has already said that Black Glory Sacred Hall cannot interfere. They will only send Spirit Sea stage and below cultivators to stop Lin Xun. Otherwise, all of the conditions they promised will be void.”

“Heh, do you think that they have me cornered?”

There was a trace of iciness in her voice.

The old man said, “My Lady, regardless of what they believe, I feel that we can give it a try. Rather than call it a condition, it feels more like a test for Lin Xun. However, there is likely some hidden detail we are unaware of.”

After a brief silence, the Dark Night Queen said, “Alright. Tell Xue Jin to let Lin Xun decide. Tell him that if he goes to the Forbidden City, he might be killed along the way. But if he doesn’t, he will never again have a chance to learn of his true identity. He shall be the one to make this choice.”

The old man bowed and left to carry out her instruction.

The hall once again fell into darkness and silence.

……

The next night, Xue Jin met the dark night six-winged falcon again and was informed of everything that had happened.

“Zi Yun…to think that it was him…”

Xue Jin felt somewhat lost. Zi Yun was one of the Black Glory Sacred Hall’s twelve stewards and a powerful Heaven Ascension expert. Even Xue Jin did not dare to claim that he could defeat Zi Yun!

However, such a powerful expert had become a traitor…

Xue Jin did not understand what was going on.

How did a piece of information that concerned Lin Xun make Zi Yun betray Black Glory Sacred Hall?