You undercover agents are really interesting.

"Little brat who never gains weight, later you’ll cooperate with the Han family’s young mistress Han Qianxue to cover each other and restrain the former peak ranking No. 30—'Transcendence Celestial Lord' Ye Chen!"

After constructing the Wuji Will projection filter barrier within Shen Lingxi’s consciousness, Chen Yi immediately began assigning tasks.

Shen Lingxi’s spirit shrank back slightly: "Boss, you could just call me by my name..."

She felt this boss was a bit petty—she had only muttered a couple of complaints about him under her breath earlier, and now he retaliated by calling her by her online nickname?

"Got it, little brat. No problem, little brat." Chen Yi smiled amiably. "Hurry back to your spiritual platform now, little brat. Time to work!"

Shen Lingxi: "..."

No doubt about it—he was absolutely doing this on purpose!

"Understood, boss. Whatever you say, boss!"

Shen Lingxi smiled faintly, her spirit instantly soaring back to her spiritual platform.

The next moment.

Han Qianxue, who had been swaying her head and pretending to be overly affectionate, suddenly felt the delicate figure in her arms tremble. Shen Lingxi’s unfocused pupils sharpened again, her beautiful eyes no longer clouded by a gray haze but instead crystal clear.

"Sister Lingxi~ I missed you so much~"

"Little sister Qianxue~ I missed you too~"

Shen Lingxi quickly got into character, playing along with the NPC-like Han Qianxue, mimicking the inane dialogue of mindless automatons.

The other freely moving NPCs nearby glanced over but detected nothing unusual, soon turning away to resume their meaningless activities.

Completely unaware, Shen Lingxi and Han Qianxue, arm in arm, were quietly leaving their designated activity zone and inching closer to Ye Chen, who was swaying absentmindedly in the distance.

Upstream of the River of Time in the Divine Realm.

Within a certain stretch of ancient history.

First-rank Time-Space Inspector Zhang Bairen was investigating traces of the fugitive Ling Xiao.

"Wait, Ling Xiao actually passed through this stretch of ancient history?"

"Good, these are just residual traces from his passage. No need to add to my workload..."

Zhang Bairen’s gaze was profound as he subtly smoothed out a few wrinkles in time.

Of course, these wrinkles weren’t entirely worthless. If one were to pursue them, they could deduce Ling Xiao’s escape route—maybe even pinpoint his hiding place!

But there was absolutely no need for him to work that hard.

After all, what would he do if he, a mole, actually found Ling Xiao? That would be awkward.

Ling Xiao was still useful—at the very least, he diverted most of Wuji’s attention, easing the pressure on that little devil Chen Yi.

So, showing up was enough. Actually putting in effort? Absolutely not!

"Brother Bairen, what are you up to?"

Suddenly, a figure materialized silently behind Zhang Bairen.

Zhang Bairen stiffened for a moment before calmly turning around to face the newly arrived Seal Immortal Official Chen Ye. "Just following Emperor Wuji’s orders to track the fugitive Ling Xiao. What else would I be doing?"

"I could’ve sworn I saw you covering Ling Xiao’s tracks." Chen Ye’s gaze was sharp, cutting straight to the truth.

Zhang Bairen smirked. "Then go report me. Do you dare? No, you don’t, do you?"

"Vulgar bastard!" Chen Ye snapped his folding fan shut in disdain. "You’re still cracking crude jokes at your age?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Zhang Bairen teased. "You’re so refined, so noble, such a cultured man—you’re the best!"

"I just don’t get it. You Divine Realm moles are so weird, always meeting up in your old stomping grounds. What, does nostalgia get you excited?"

Chen Ye’s lips twitched. "Unlike you, I don’t operate in the open. But it seems your people didn’t clean up their mess properly."

Zhang Bairen frowned. "What do you mean?"

Chen Ye didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped into the River of Time, arriving at the Divine Realm’s golden age. He found a secluded, picturesque spot, settling into a pavilion amidst wind and rain, where he leisurely brewed a pot of tea.

Zhang Bairen’s expression darkened. After glancing at a certain stretch of time where his little devil avatar was still idling, he hesitated briefly before quietly following. Taking a seat across from Chen Ye, he asked in a low voice:

"Between friends, what happened while I was away?"

Chen Ye smiled faintly, pouring Zhang Bairen a cup of tea before speaking slowly. "I know you’re anxious, but don’t be. Because it won’t help."

"Here, try this Divine Life Tea I’ve been saving. It’s a rare vintage!"

"Even if it’s useless, I’m still anxious!"

Zhang Bairen grabbed the teacup and downed it in one gulp. "Did my two disappointing descendants get into trouble?"

Chen Ye shook his head slightly. "Zi Lingyun was exposed. Her affair with Wu Jinzhou was discovered by him. She left... with dignity."

At this, Zhang Bairen fell silent.

Chen Ye continued, "He is furious now. He’s ordered Liu and me to investigate everyone connected to the Ziwei Celestial faction. And you, my friend—how do you plan to explain your ties to Cui Changsheng?"

Zhang Bairen gloomily refilled his cup. "It’s fine. I’m a deep-cover agent. Back when we cut ties, many comrades used their lives as proof of loyalty. My hands are drenched in blood—my honors are my armor. I can withstand scrutiny."

Chen Ye unfolded his fan, revealing the words "A Heart Without Dust." "Sacrifice a few. Otherwise, I can’t close this case."

"Easy for you to say!" Zhang Bairen clenched his fists. "When Cheng was compromised, I gave him up. When Qing Deng was compromised, I gave him up. When Wu Jinzhou was compromised, I gave him up. Now Zi Lingyun is gone too—who’s left? Who can I give up?"

Chen Ye sighed softly. "Your last two blood descendants are untouchable. But Ling Que and Chu Xingyun... they can’t be saved."

Zhang Bairen was a dead agent—forging weapons, forging people, even forging the heavens. Back then, he had been so ruthless that even Wuji never suspected him. If Chen Ye hadn’t caught his slip and reached out first, even he might have been fooled.

Thus, his faction was considered utterly loyal. Not a single one could afford to slip—even if there were only three left...

In contrast, Ling Que and Chu Xingyun, who had hesitated to kill their own kin out of lingering sentiment, now seemed highly suspicious.

Sentiment was usually a virtue—after all, who would trust someone without emotions?

But once suspicion took root, it became a fatal flaw.

And most importantly, Ling Que and Chu Xingyun had worked directly with Zi Lingyun. Who would believe they were clean?

"Ah..."

After a long silence, Zhang Bairen exhaled deeply. "Tell them this for me: Our ideals are becoming reality. The world of our dreams is taking shape. Everything we’ve done—it is all supremely glorious."

Chen Ye froze for a moment before slowly sipping his tea, murmuring wistfully, "Hope is a beautiful thing. I only wish we ghosts wandering in the dark could also catch a glimpse of that elusive light..."