Flaxseed leaned in, whistled at the figure on the page, then sucked a sharp breath. “Ten thousand high-grade celestial gems at that! What kind of lunatic throws around that stack of stones?”

“Someone hoping to set 100 thousand demon souls loose across level six,” Jared answered, shutting the folder with a soft clap. “Celestial Palace’s Sixth Hall wants those demonic souls to bleed strength from Roaring Storm Church and Celestia so they can seize new turf…”

“Inside Celestia, a traitor aims to plunge the capital into chaos, maybe even dethrone the current monarch. The princess’ escape already proved the court is split. As for Malevolent Path Hall, they crave strong souls for their Soul Fiend Pills. A cache of 100 thousand souls is raw gold to them.”

The veiled woman nodded. “Your analysis is sound, Mr. Chance. One more thread, last night, Celestia’s Celestial Guards sealed the west gate of Celestia City. Officially, they were hunting a thief who stole a national sacred relic… Our spies say they are truly searching for a cultivator who commands a demonic aura, someone tied to Malevolent Path Hall.”

Jared and Flaxseed exchanged a glance, the same thought flashed in both sets of eyes.

If the Celestial Guards had slammed the gates of Celestia City shut, the missing relic had to be Roaring Storm Bell, and the cultivator with a demonic aura must be the courier assigned by Malevolent Path Hall.

Once they stepped out of Whispers Tower’s shadowed arches, Jared said to Flaxseed, “Mr. Flaxseed, I’m heading to Celestia. With three factions wrapped around that bell, something feels wrong… Deeply wrong…”