Chapter 3494: The Shock Of The Emissaries
Chapter 3494: The Shock Of The Emissaries
The Right Emissary’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"At that time," the man continued, "the target remained in that world long enough for our affiliates to discover him and relay the information to us."
He hesitated for a brief moment.
"They assessed the situation and decided to test the target first."
"Test him how?" the Left Emissary asked.
"By going after his newly acquired disciple," the man said.
The Right Emissary scoffed. "A standard probing method."
"Yes," the man agreed quickly. "However, things did not proceed as expected. Not only did the first attempt fail entirely, but it also drew attention."
"Attention?" the Left Emissary repeated.
"Yes," the man said. "Eyes were placed on the assassin. The target and his companions became alert. It became impossible to continue the test without escalation."
The Right Emissary’s expression darkened.
"And the second attempt?"
The kneeling man’s voice grew quieter.
"When a more direct attempt was authorized," he said, "all contact was lost."
Silence filled the chamber.
The formation beneath their feet continued to rotate, its light casting shifting shadows across the elders’ faces.
"All contact?" the Left Emissary asked slowly. "You mean even failure reports ceased?"
"Yes," the man replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "No failure reports. No success confirmation. No distress signals."
"That is impossible," the Left Emissary said flatly. "Even a complete annihilation leaves traces. Soul imprints. Formation disturbances. Something."
"That is precisely the problem," the man said. "We received nothing at all."
The Right Emissary leaned forward, his eyes blazing.
"Explain," he demanded.
The kneeling man swallowed.
"The Dead Needle Abyss," he said, referring to one of the Hegemony’s affiliate assassination organizations, "reported a catastrophic event."
Both elders stiffened slightly.
"All of their informants," the man continued, "spread across the Martial Fist King World and its surrounding regions... died."
A heavy silence followed.
"Their soul lamps," the man said, forcing the words out, "all went out at the same exact time."
The Left Emissary’s fingers stopped tapping.
"All of them?" he asked.
"Yes," the man replied. "Every single one."
The Right Emissary’s anger shifted into something colder.
"That makes no sense," the Left Emissary said. "Were they fools? Did they gather together?"
"No," the man said quickly. "That is what frightened the Dead Needle Abyss the most. Their people were hidden across different continents, different cities, different layers of the world."
He took a shaky breath.
"Yet they were all killed simultaneously."
The formation beneath the chamber pulsed once, brighter than before.
The Right Emissary leaned back slowly, his fury now replaced by a dangerous calm.
"To erase every informant at once," he said, "requires absolute control."
"Or," the Left Emissary added quietly, "a force that does not rely on distance."
Both elders fell silent, their gazes turning inward as they contemplated the implications.
After a long moment, the Left Emissary spoke again.
"This target," he said, "is far more troublesome than anticipated."
The kneeling man dared not speak.
The Right Emissary’s eyes gleamed with cold intent.
"We need to inform the sponsors," he said at last. "Tell them the situation has escalated."
He paused, then added.
"And begin preparations for a different approach."
The chamber remained heavy with silence after the kneeling man finished his report, the rotating formation beneath their feet casting slow, crawling shadows along the walls.
The two emissaries did not speak immediately.
They were still processing what they had just heard.
The Right Emissary was the first to move. He lifted a hand and pressed his fingers against his temple, eyes narrowing as if a persistent ache had begun to form.
"To erase every operative of the Dead Needle Abyss within an entire world," he said slowly, "and to do so simultaneously... that alone is already absurd."
The Left Emissary nodded faintly.
"Even for us," he replied, voice calm but strained, "that would require preparation, layered coordination, and authority that overrides distance and concealment."
The kneeling man hesitated, then spoke again, clearly aware that what he was about to say would only deepen their displeasure.
"That... is not the extent of it."
Both emissaries looked at him sharply.
The man swallowed, his throat bobbing as sweat trickled down his back.
"Soon after the annihilation of the Dead Needle Abyss’ informants," he said, "multiple major powers of the Eastern Immortal Court began acting."
The Right Emissary’s brow furrowed.
"Define acting."
"Sects, empires, kingdoms, clans," the man replied quickly, "and even enforcement divisions of the Eastern Immortal Court itself. They have jointly declared the Dead Needle Abyss an enemy organization."
The Left Emissary’s eyes hardened.
"How extensive?"
The man clenched his fists against the stone floor.
"Nearly thirty hidden bases have been destroyed so far. Kill on sight orders have been issued across several worlds. Known affiliates are being hunted down. The Dead Needle Abyss is collapsing its operations and withdrawing its people from active missions."
Silence crashed into the chamber like a physical force.
The Right Emissary exhaled slowly, the sound sharp.
"To provoke that many orthodox powers at once," he muttered, "they must have been furious."
"They were," the man said quietly. "The assassination attempt occurred during a major gathering. Many high ranking figures were present. They took it as a direct insult."
The Left Emissary closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"A slap to their collective face," he said. "No wonder they responded with force."
The Right Emissary let out a low laugh, devoid of humor.
"And here we thought using an affiliate would keep our hands clean."
He turned his gaze back to the kneeling man.
"Enough circumstantial damage. Let us return to the core issue. What is your assessment of the target’s strength?"
The man straightened slightly, grateful for the change in direction.
"Official records list the target at the Fifth Stage of the Immortal Qi Refining Realm," he said. "His body cultivation is also at the Fifth Stage."
The Right Emissary scoffed.
"And yet?"
"And yet," the man continued, choosing his words carefully, "every engagement suggests his true combat power is far above that."
"How far," the Left Emissary asked.