Chapter 2650: Double Agent

Zu An knew that now that they had acquired annihilation power, Zhao Yuan and the others couldn’t be underestimated. They would have made troublesome foes anywhere else. But he held the World Law Beacon of this world, making him the true god here. He could even alter the laws of this world.

He could have altered the world laws anytime to cancel the Marks of Annihilation’s weakening effect. Similarly, the elite assassins’ deaths siphoning away his life force didn’t pose a problem to him either. He could easily regenerate it with his Primordial Origin Sutra.

He'd only been entertaining Zhao Yuan and his subordinates to gather more information about the path of annihilation. Now that he had gotten what he wanted out of them, it was time to draw the curtains on this farce.

Sensing Zu An’s aura swiftly recovering, Zhao Yuan and the others descended into despair.

He was toying with us all this time!

As the Shadow Group Master, Zhao Yuan had never tasted despair no matter how strong his opponent was. He knew an assassin’s true strength didn’t lie in direct confrontation; he simply had to engineer the most advantageous circumstances to eliminate his target.

Even so, this time, he collapsed into true despair.

After acquiring annihilation power, he'd thought he was strong enough to dominate the world, not to mention that he had the aid of the Shadow Group’s top ten elite assassins. They had also grown by leaps and bounds after acquiring annihilation power. He'd thought,

Surely we can bring down a mortal with the power of a true deity?

He hadn’t expected the world to be so cruel.

Is a true god’s power inferior to that of a mortal?

With his elite assassins losing their fighting spirit, he knew it was pointless to continue this fight. So, he gritted his teeth and said, “Concubine Bai and the imperial grandson are in my hands. Are you going to abandon them?”

Zhang Zitong glanced at Bi Linglong.

Her Majesty and Concubine Bai used to be sisters in the Eastern Palace. Is history going to repeat itself?

Many in the imperial army’s upper echelons looked at Bi Linglong too. They knew the two women weren’t on good terms.

The gazes on her made Bi Linglong frustrated. She wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words, so she decided to wait for Zu An’s decision first.

Zu An frowned. “The previous emperor secretly sentenced Concubine Bai to death. How did you find her?”

“There’s nothing in the world the Shadow Group can’t find. When it comes to gathering intelligence, we’re far superior to the Embroidered Envoys.”

Zhao Yuan’s words angered Xiao Jianren and Zhang Zitong, but they had to concede that the Shadow Group was indeed not inferior to the Embroided Envoys when it came to intelligence, and they were even a notch higher when it came to confidentiality.

“Where’s Concubine Bai?” Zu An asked.

“Let us go, and you’ll see her.” Deep down, Zhao Yuan knew that he was only inferior to Zu An; he was strong enough to tower over everyone else. As long as he avoided Zu An, he could still live a carefree life. And if he continued praying to the Deity of Annihilation, perhaps he could just gain new powers to turn the tables on Zu An.

Zu An shook his head. “Your rebellion has caused the deaths of many innocent civilians and soldiers. I can’t let you go.”

“If I die here, those two won’t live either!” Zhao Yuan anxiously exclaimed.

“I doubt that.” Zu An figured he could sieve through the memories of Zhao Yuan’s soul after killing him. He could figure Concubine Bai’s whereabouts by doing that.

Zhao Yuan suddenly laughed maniacally. “Concubine Bai, it looks like your regent doesn’t care about you. You can come out now.”

His words shocked both the rebel army and the imperial army.

Is Concubine Bai not being held hostage?

A woman dressed in white slowly walked out from a house in Phoenix Pass. She looked frail. Her beautiful face contrasted with the surrounding blood and flame remnants, which made her look even more pitiful.

“Concubine Bai!” Many recognized the beautiful woman.

The dimwitted crown prince was lucky to have such a beautiful concubine!

Unlike the authoritative Crown Prince Consort, her frail stature evoked a man’s desire to protect.

“It has been a while, regent.” Concubine Bai looked at the man in the sky with conflicted eyes.

“Concubine Bai, if you convince the regent to let us go, I’ll ensure your son’s safety.” Zhao Yuan said.

Many soldiers in the rebel army cursed Zhao Yuan.

We’re fighting against the empress in the imperial grandson’s name, yet you’re holding the imperial grandson hostage? This is ridiculous!

Zu An descended to Concubine Bai’s side. “Who could have thought we would meet again under such circumstances?”

Hesitation flickered across Concubine Bai’s face as she secretly sent him a telepathic message, “Be careful, regent. Zhao Yuan intends for me to find an opportunity to assassinate you.”

“I know.” Zu An smiled. “Why else would I come here?”

“You already know?” Concubine Bai was taken aback.

“He wouldn’t have let you move independently if you were truly a hostage.” Zu An sighed. “You’re also from the Shadow Group, aren’t you?”

Concubine Bai looked at him with a bitter smile. “Indeed. I am the Shadow Group’s Holy Maiden, as well as its eleventh elite assassin. It’s quite a coincidence. Back then, you were the eleventh Embroidered Envoy, and I was the eleventh assassin.”

Despite having figured out her identity, Zu An still had questions. “But you're Yun Jianyue’s junior. How did you get involved with the Shadow Group?”

I always thought she was a spy planted by the Devil Sect in the imperial palace. Is she a double agent?

“The Shadow Group has its roots in the Devil Sect’s Skysplitting School.”

Concubine Bai didn’t explain in detail, but that was all Zu An needed. There had been infighting in the Devil Sect when he was at the Lake of Hatred. There, he'd learned about the relationship between the Shadow Group and the Skysplitting School and released the son of the Skysplitting School’s master, Jing Li.

Jing Li had been investigating the Shadow Group Master all this while. Due to this link, he was probably the only one in the world who could have uncovered Zhao Yuan’s true identity.

Seeing the hushed conversation between Concubine Bai and Zu An, Zhao Yuan began losing his patience. He shouted, “What are you waiting for?”

Concubine Bai suddenly dropped to the ground. Zu An reflexively reached out to support her, but she suddenly whipped out a blue, glowing dagger and stabbed it into his chest.