Chapter 104 – Shen Feiyang: Because I'm an Undercover Agent

Time rewinds to five minutes earlier.

The Five Directions Grand Formation—this was Luocheng High School’s School Protection Array.

The defining feature of this formation was that once activated, it would draw upon the principles of the Five Elements to absorb Spiritual Power from heaven and earth as energy, thereby maintaining the formation’s stability.

As long as the enemy couldn’t breach this formation in an instant,

it could continuously replenish itself through the endless Spiritual Power between heaven and earth, possessing remarkable endurance.

Moreover, if a Golden Core Stage cultivator were to control this formation,

it could summon the corresponding Five Directions Beasts at the five positions of the formation, unleashing formidable formation power.

These Five Directions Beasts were the traditionally recognized Divine Beasts:

Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird Army, Black Tortoise, and Qilin.

Among them, the Azure Dragon governed the east, the White Tiger governed the west, the Vermillion Bird Army governed the south, the Black Tortoise governed the north, and the Qilin anchored the center.

The positions of the first four directional beasts were clearly defined, with only the final Qilin being somewhat unique.

Its role of anchoring the center didn’t refer to the center above ground, but the center below ground.

Thus, the scope of the Five Directions Array encompassed not only twenty-five meters above ground but also twenty-five meters below ground,

forming a perfect massive circle.

Although the Five Directions Array was powerful, if any one of the five directions was disrupted, the integrity of the formation would be severely compromised.

Therefore, even though Meng Chuanping had dispatched teachers from the school to rescue Luocheng citizens accidentally caught in the ‘Black Lotus Palm’ outside,

he had also assigned a significant number of people to guard these five formation eyes.

At each location, he stationed two Foundation Establishment Stage teachers,

demonstrating the importance he placed on the Five Directions Array.

In the underground space representing the central Qilin, Luo Yang from No. 1 High and a teacher surnamed Chen from Second High were stationed here.

Although these two taught at different schools, they were familiar with each other.

After all, Luocheng wasn’t particularly large, but it wasn’t small either.

Most cultivators willing to teach here were locals who had grown up in the area,

so knowing each other wasn’t surprising.

“Old Luo, it’s been over two years since we last met, hasn’t it?”

Chen Zhengjie looked at Luo Yang, who had entered middle age with temples slightly graying, and spoke abruptly.

These words seemed to stir memories in Luo Yang, causing his perpetually stern, square-jawed face to soften into a rare, gentle smile.

He sighed, “Yes, if I remember correctly, our last meeting was at the city-wide faculty conference two years ago.”

“How is your daughter? Has she woken up yet? I recall the city arranged for Dao Academy experts to assist you—that should have helped, right?”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengjie didn’t respond. Instead, he silently pulled out a pack of cheap five-yuan cigarettes from his pocket.

Logically, as a Dao Academy teacher and a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator in the Immortal Alliance, his salary wasn’t top-tier but certainly not poor.

Even if he couldn’t afford expensive cigarettes, there was no need for him to smoke such cheap ones.

However, he spent almost his entire salary on his daughter’s medical treatments, so he naturally saved wherever he could.

“Want one?”

Seeing the cigarette Chen Zhengjie offered, Luo Yang waved his hand and said, “No, I quit after becoming a teacher and a grandfather.””After all, no matter what, I must lead by example. Otherwise, how would my students and my precious grandson view me?”

“I see…”

Chen Zhengjie watched the happy smile on Luo Yang’s face, silently lit a cigarette, and gazed into the distance with profound eyes, soon lost in clouds of smoke.

Seeing him like this, Luo Yang was immediately reminded of what had happened to him.

With a complex tone, he asked, “What? Even the experts at the Dao Academy can’t cure your daughter’s Soul Loss Syndrome?”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengjie replied expressionlessly, “There’s no helping it. They say it’s a special case, not an ordinary illness, so it’s practically incurable.”

The so-called Soul Loss Syndrome refers to a person losing parts of their Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Spirits.

Whenever this occurs, the only solutions are either to quickly find a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator capable of Soul Emergence to help retrieve the lost spirits, or to seek help from cultivators with special Legacies.

Otherwise, it’s essentially an incurable condition, beyond the reach of medicine or treatment.

Chen Zhengjie’s daughter had accidentally lost part of her soul during the Black Lotus turmoil ten years ago, thus contracting this Soul Loss Syndrome.

Although Chen Zhengjie had exhausted all his means, he had never been able to recover this part of his daughter’s Divine Soul.

As a result, his daughter had become a vegetable lying in a hospital.

Over the years, Chen Zhengjie had continuously searched for a way to cure his daughter but had never found one.

Perhaps sensing Chen Zhengjie’s hardship, Luo Yang couldn’t help but pat his shoulder and comfort him, “Don’t worry, Old Chen. The Immortal Alliance is advancing rapidly now, with many things we never imagined before springing up like bamboo shoots after rain.”

“Perhaps in the near future, the Immortal Alliance will find a way to cure Soul Loss Syndrome, and your daughter will wake up.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengjie just smoked silently without responding.

For Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators like them who had begun to touch upon the Domain of the Divine Soul, they naturally understood how severe any issue with the Divine Soul could be for a person.

Thus, curing his daughter’s condition was absolutely not something that could be achieved through ordinary means.

Knowing this well, Luo Yang said nothing more after his brief words of comfort.

The two middle-aged men stood silently before a massive Qilin Statue, falling into an eerie silence for a long time.

After an unknown period, Chen Zhengje suddenly threw his cigarette to the ground and stamped it out fiercely.

Then, looking up with a serious expression, he said, “Old Luo, can you tell me what it feels like to have a grandson?”

Hearing this, Luo Yang immediately broke into a happy smile and said proudly, “You’ve asked the right person. Let me tell you, the bond between grandfather and grandson truly skips a generation.”

“When my precious grandson first learned to speak, the first word he uttered was ‘Grandpa.’ I…”

For the following while, Luo Yang cheerfully shared many amusing stories about him and his grandson with Chen Zhengjie.

Watching Luo Yang’s heartfelt smile, Chen Zhengjie’s eyes filled with envy.

If not for the accident ten years ago, he might have reached the age of holding a grandchild by now.

But unfortunately, there are few “ifs” in this world.”…So you see, teaching grandchildren is truly a profound art. I’ve only recently begun to grasp some insights myself, and there’s still much to learn.”

Just as Luo Yang was speaking enthusiastically, he noticed Chen Zhengjie’s despondent expression.

He immediately realized his blunder – he was inadvertently rubbing salt in Old Chen’s wounds by saying such things in his presence.

Thinking this, Luo Yang comforted him: “It’s alright, Old Chen. You must trust the methods of the Immortal Alliance. They will surely cure your daughter.”

“When that time comes, you’ll be like me, holding a chubby grandson in your arms – or perhaps a granddaughter, haha!”

Whether it was Luo Yang’s consolation that worked, or Chen Zhengjie had come to terms with things himself, he sighed and said with a smile: “You’re right, Old Luo. There’s always a solution to be found.”

“That’s the spirit! I’m relieved to hear you think that way. I was truly worried you might get stuck in despair.”

Chen Zhengjie nodded, then suddenly said: “Old Luo, look over there. Is something moving?”

Hearing this, Luo Yang who was facing Chen Zhengjie instinctively turned to look behind him, but saw nothing.

Puzzled, he said: “Movement? I don’t see any mov-“

Shoosh!

Before Luo Yang could finish his sentence, a sharp Spirit Sword had already pierced through his chest.

Luo Yang turned back, looking at Chen Zhengjie who held the Spirit Sword in disbelief. He gripped the sword blade with both hands, blood trickling from his mouth, as if wanting to say something to Chen Zhengjie, to question why he would do this.

Perhaps out of guilt, Chen Zhengjie directly covered Luo Yang’s mouth with his hand and forcefully twisted the Spirit Sword embedded in his body.

This twist immediately shattered Luo Yang’s heart meridians.

Even though Luo Yang was a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, under such circumstances his death was inevitable.

Gazing at Luo Yang’s complex expression of fury and confusion, Chen Zhengjie said guiltily: “I’m sorry, Old Luo. I tried. I’ve tried every possible method available within the Immortal Alliance, but none of them worked.”

“So… I had no choice but to seek help from the Black Lotus Sect.”

“I’m sorry, truly sorry…”

As these words fell, Chen Zhengjie violently withdrew the Spirit Sword from Luo Yang’s body and pushed him away.

Thump!

Luo Yang fell to the ground, copious amounts of blood continuously flowing from his mouth and chest.

He stared fixedly at Chen Zhengjie – if looks could kill, Chen Zhengjie would have been dead countless times over.

Though he desperately wanted to report Chen Zhengjie’s betrayal, the life draining from his body and his increasingly heavy eyelids undoubtedly told him his time was running out.

Yet despite this, Luo Yang still intended to do something.

With his final strength, he tightly grabbed one of Chen Zhengjie’s pant legs, as if trying to prevent him from approaching the Qilin Statue not far away.

Feeling the movement at his foot, Chen Zhengjie looked down expressionlessly.

He saw Luo Yang struggling to lift his head, blood foam in his mouth, gritting his teeth to say: “You… will regret this…”

“Regret…Chen Zhengjie looked complicatedly at Luo Yang on the ground. His eyes hesitated only momentarily before firming again.

“Whether I’ll regret it later, I don’t know. All I know is… if I can’t save my daughter, I will definitely regret it.””Don’t worry, Old Luo. Once I wake my daughter, I’ll personally come down to apologize to you.”

As he spoke, Chen Zhengjie’s Spirit Sword once again pierced through Luo Yang’s back.

Thud!

When Chen Zhengjie withdrew the sword, Luo Yang finally fell completely still.

The hand that had been gripping Chen Zhengjie dropped limply.

Witnessing this, Chen Zhengjie took a deep breath and approached the Qilin Statue alone. He pulled out an eerie mouse statue from his robe and murmured, “Soon… it will all be over soon…”

The moment Chen Zhengjie placed the mouse statue down, it sprang to life.

It climbed onto the Qilin Statue and began gnawing relentlessly.

Boom!

Almost simultaneously with the strange mouse’s chewing, the entire Underground Space began to tremble.

Meanwhile, dozens of Black Lotus Cultists who had been lying in wait in a sewer outside No. 1 High seemed to receive a signal and immediately headed toward the designated drainage tunnel.

The Missionary had completed his task—now it was their turn to take the stage.

It was time for action!

In the Underground Space beneath Luocheng High School, Chen Zhengjie watched as one-fifth of the Qilin Statue had been devoured, knowing his mission was nearly accomplished.

From this moment on, he was no longer Chen Zhengjie, the teacher from Second High, but Missionary No. 4 of Luocheng Branch of the Black Lotus Sect.

“So… this is your mission, No. 4.”

Just as Chen Zhengjie put on his mask, a voice tinged with complexity sounded from nearby.

Chen Zhengjie turned to see Shen Feiyang emerging from the stairwell, unnoticed until now.

Had it been anyone else, Chen Zhengjie would have attacked without hesitation.

But having guessed Shen Feiyang’s identity, Chen Zhengjie believed they weren’t enemies—at least, that was his conviction.

Watching Shen Feiyang approach steadily, Chen Zhengjie calmly asked, “What about you? Shouldn’t you be attending to your own duties? Why are you here?”

Hearing this, Shen Feiyang inwardly sighed with bitter amusement.

Indeed, why of all places did he have to show up here?

It was pure coincidence. Due to his unique ghost-controlling techniques, his power was significantly suppressed in brightly lit areas.

After consulting with a teacher from No. 1 High, he was ultimately assigned to guard the Qilin Statue here.

Only in this sunless place could he fully utilize his abilities.

Shen Feiyang found the reasoning sound and thus hurried underground.

But he arrived just in time to witness Chen Zhengjie delivering the second sword strike to Luo Yang.

Without overthinking, Shen Feiyang decided to engage Chen Zhengjie using his identity as Black Lotus Sect’s No. 10.

Chen Zhengjie, perhaps out of absolute trust in the Deputy Leader behind Shen Feiyang, allowed him to approach without any defense.

Looking at Shen Feiyang standing before him, Chen Zhengjie kindly advised, “Your position is delicate. It’s best not to associate with me too much to avoid exposure.”

“Find an opportunity to leave soon. I’ll try to—”

Before Chen Zhengjie could finish, he suddenly sensed a sharp arrow intent descending from above.

In an instant, Chen Zhengjie swiftly raised his sword overhead, barely deflecting the sneak attack arrow.But before he could react further, a massive saber came slashing toward his face.

Faced with this sudden ambush, although Chen Zhengjie narrowly dodged the fatal strike, his shoulder was still slashed.

Chen Zhengjie retreated to a safe distance, his gaze solemn as he stared at the ancient bow ghoul inverted on the ceiling and the ancient blade ghoul standing beside Shen Feiyang. He asked expressionlessly, “Why are you doing this?”

Even at this point, Chen Zhengjie did not suspect Shen Feiyang’s identity, instead wondering if this was some other arrangement from higher-ups.

In response, Shen Feiyang abandoned his usual lazy demeanor and spoke with rare seriousness, “Because… I’m an undercover agent.”

Chen Zhengjie’s pupils contracted sharply. He never expected that Shen Feiyang, who had been brought into the sect by the Deputy Leader, would actually be an undercover agent for the Immortal Alliance.

The implications of this revelation made his mind momentarily unable to process the information.

The Deputy Leader, an undercover agent…

Could these two concepts really be connected…

Not giving Chen Zhengjie much time to think, Shen Feiyang commanded two Foundation Establishment Stage fierce ghosts to restrain Chen Zhengjie while he charged toward the strange rat still gnawing at the Qilin Statue.

Seeing this, Chen Zhengjie roared angrily, “Don’t you dare ruin my plans!”

Chen Zhengjie formed a sword gesture with his fingers, and a sharp Flying Sword immediately shot toward Shen Feiyang.

But Shen Feiyang acted as if he didn’t see it, charging toward the Qilin Statue while pulling out a large number of Talismans from his robe…

Though he didn’t know what the rat on the Qilin Statue was, he knew the Five Directions Array must not be broken.

Because if the Five Directions Array were destroyed, the thousands of people currently in Luocheng High School would be in danger.

So between protecting his undercover identity and exposing himself to save everyone…

He decisively chose the latter…

As for whether he could maintain his undercover position in the Black Lotus Sect after today, Shen Feiyang couldn’t concern himself with that anymore.

Because he felt that if Yu Tianqi knew about the current situation, he would definitely support this decision.

Though most of the time he just wanted to be a lazy bum waiting to die…

When given the choice, he could also be that admired great hero.

“Blade Ghoul, block that sword for me!”

“Roar!”

The ancient blade ghoul roared and directly intercepted the Flying Sword between it and Shen Feiyang.

Staring at the strange rat on the Qilin Statue, Shen Feiyang resolutely threw the Talismans…

My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror.

All my deeds are for justice.

The Black Lotus Sect?

Unless I, Shen Feiyang, truly have no other choice… I’d rather die than be a rat in the gutter!!!

…

(End of Chapter)