Chapter 270: The Tragic Life of King Xuanwu and the Two Top-Level Secret Scriptures (II)

The old man spoke like a caring elder, with a warm tone, showing no sign of being the supreme commander of the southern battlefield.

After chatting for a while, the old man finally turned serious.

"Little Chen, I actually have a challenging task for you. This mission has a personal aspect to it, and I hope you won't refuse."

Chen Chu replied earnestly, "Please, tell me General. If it is within my power, I will not hesitate to accept."

Chen Chu spoke carefully, not wanting to fully commit yet. For a battlefield commander to offer two top-level secret scriptures as a reward, the task had to be quite difficult.

"Protect a girl and ensure she dies peacefully."

"What...?" Chen Chu wondered if he had misheard.

Ling Yi sighed. "That's right. Protect a girl for three months, and then let her die peacefully. Here's her file."

With that, he slid a folder across the desk. Chen Chu opened it in curiosity, and saw a photo of a somewhat familiar woman. He didn’t know her personally, but he had seen her photo in Chen Hu's room; she was a very popular international celebrity.

Is it really possible for a celebrity to warrant this kind of request from Ling Yi?

Intrigued, he began to read the profile.

Yan Ruoyi, female, 19 years old. An internationally renowned singer who has released multiple albums in her four-year career...

It really is that celebrity.

Baffled, Chen Chu turned to the last page.

...Youngest daughter of Heavenly King Xuanwu.

The daughter of Heavenly King Xuanwu. No wonder someone as important as Ling Yi would get involved. But with her status, why do they need a small fry like me? And why does she need to die?

Chen Chu looked up at Ling Yi in confusion, and the general sighed again. "As one of the top-level human powerhouses, Xuanwu has been active on the frontlines for years. He has killed countless aliens and powerful demon cult members, including demon lords from the Purgatory Clan and gods from the demon cults.

"This makes him a prime target for our enemies, but as a powerful Heavenly King, he's too strong to be easily killed, so his enemies have turned their attention to his family. The truth is, all family members of human kings are targets for assassination by aliens and the demon cults.

"And the fact that this world is filled with strange things, such as abilities, special equipment, unique powers, bloodlines, even soul possession, makes assassinations and infiltrations nearly impossible to prevent. Under these circumstances, the kings’ families are heavily protected, which is why the public rarely sees or hears about them.

"With that being said, family members with cultivation abilities will still move around living their own life. It's just that, once their identities are exposed, they face numerous assassination attempts. So their protection is mainly reactive, and despite having vast resources and a great starting point in life, many family members don't dare to reveal their identities lightly."

Ling Yi's expression turned cold and severe. "Over the years, many of our geniuses and various family members of kings have been assassinated. However, the enemy has paid a heavy price as well. Our kings also secretly launch attacks on their geniuses or important figures. For example, this time, Heavenly King Xuanwu killed a descendant of one of the Purgatory Clan’s demon gods."

"Our kings launch surprise attacks too...?" Chen Chu paused.

Ling Yi shook his head. "The War of Civilizations is extremely brutal. Any means necessary to weaken the opponent are justified. There are no rules, only results."

"...I understand," Chen Chu nodded.

The War of Civilizations was a struggle between races, not a conflict between small nations. To lose was to become extinct. Under circumstances like this, nobody cared about morality; the priority was to eliminate the enemy.

"While Xuanwu was growing up, his grandfather had also adopted two other children. So, while cultivating, Xuanwu had to take care of his two younger brothers and endure many hardships.

"After years of struggle, at twenty-five years old, Xuanwu finally broke through to the Third Heavenly Realm. Then he reached the Sixth Heavenly Realm at twenty-seven, and ascended to the throne within three years. He was unstoppable.

"When he became a king, intense conflicts erupted between humans and the Purgatory Clan, and he quickly made a name for himself when he killed a Purgatory demon king. But in the second year after his ascension, one of his brothers was ambushed and killed by a Purgatory expert.

"Twenty years ago, Xuanwu's wife was ambushed by the Blood God Akunus on her way back from the frontline. Her soul was severely damaged, and she died six months later, leaving behind a daughter.

"Two years later, when Xuanwu’s other brother led a team to explore a hidden realm for resources, he was also ambushed and killed by a Purgatory demon king, as well as numerous experts from the demon cults. After that, Xuanwu chased the demon king for hundreds of kilometers and killed him, along with five Ninth and several Eighth Demonic Mark demons. But it was still too late.

"Ten years ago, Xuanwu's eldest son broke through to the Eighth Heavenly Realm, but during a mission, his whereabouts were leaked, and he was surrounded and killed. The demon cult paid the price of four Ninth Demonic Mark demons and a severely injured king.

"Eight years ago, Xuanwu's youngest son broke through to the Seventh Heavenly Realm and became a frontline warrior. His identity was exposed, and he was surrounded and killed.

"As of now, Xuanwu only has his youngest daughter left. But her soul is damaged, and she won't live for more than a few months."

Once he finished relaying all of that, Ling Yi couldn't help but let out a long sigh, his tone heavy.

Chen Chu found himself at a loss for words, a mix of emotions stirring within him. What Heavenly King Xuanwu had gone through was truly tragic. After a long pause, Chen Chu exhaled deeply and asked, "Is there really no way for the Federation or Heavenly King Xuanwu to heal Miss Yan Ruoyi?"

Ling Yi shook his head. "Little Yi was born with damage to the core of her soul. Despite the Federation and Xuanwu's efforts, as well as the consumption of numerous precious resources, they've only managed to ensure her healthy growth.

"But starting last year, her soul power began to rapidly weaken. It's estimated that in about three months, her soul will disintegrate and she'll die. Everyone has come to terms with this, including Little Yi. She plans to complete her final global tour and then pass away peacefully.

"But some people don't want her to go quietly. From captured traitors, we learned that during the chaos of the mutated beast battlefield, two king level soul avatars had managed to infiltrate our world.

"One is a demon king from the Purgatory Clan, and the other is Akunus, who harbors intense hatred for humans. They both have deep-seated grudges against Xuanwu, and with Little Yi's identity accidentally exposed, there's a high likelihood they'll make a move. At the same time, we aim to use this chance to lure these soul avatars out.

"If we can destroy their soul avatars, it will severely weaken their main bodies. And there's even a chance we could track down their true forms and completely eliminate them.

"Currently, Xuanwu is being hunted by a Purgatory demon god and is missing. We don't know if he's dead or alive. If Little Yi is assassinated by demons within human territory, the entire Federation would be disgraced if or when Xuanwu returns. So, for both emotional and logical reasons, we cannot let Little Yi die before her soul's natural end."

Chen Chu frowned and suddenly asked, "Why was Miss Yan Ruoyi's identity exposed at this critical time?"

"I know what you're thinking—you suspect that someone within the Federation intentionally leaked Little Yi's information to draw out the soul avatars."

Chen Chu remained silent.

Human nature was complex, and the Human Federation was composed of various factions. It was impossible to guarantee that everyone was selfless and united. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many traitors.

Given the sensitive timing of Yan Ruoyi's exposure as the daughter of Heavenly King Xuanwu, Chen Chu couldn't help feeling that there was a conspiracy. After all, sacrificing someone who was about to die to lure out two king soul avatars seemed like a profitable exchange.

Ling Yi sighed. "I understand your suspicions. I was furious, too, and demanded that the Federation's intelligence department conduct a thorough investigation to dig out that traitor at all costs.

"But after exhaustive efforts, we discovered that the person who leaked Little Yi's identity... was Little Yi herself."

"What!?" Even Chen Chu was stunned this time, but soon felt a deep respect.