Chapter 289: Impossible Mission

Inside the temporary base in Jin City, Wutian and the others wore grave expressions.

Qin Tianxuan strode in, tossing off his windbreaker with a faint smile. “Why all the long faces? The Ten Thousand Ghosts are just a bunch of petty thieves. Are they really more formidable than the Celestial Demon King?”

Wutian and the others laughed.

It was true. When the Celestial Demon Army had rampaged across the Northern Domain, all of Da Xia had trembled, and the world was gripped by fear.

Back then, Qin Tianxuan had taken only a single team and crushed the Celestial Demons’ main force three consecutive times in the desert.

Compared to those difficult days, the Ten Thousand Ghosts truly seemed like nothing.

Wutian bowed and reported, “My subordinates and I are frustrated by the battle order from the Imperial Capital! They’ve forbidden our Northern Domain forces from taking action and have demanded that you go alone.”

Qin Tianxuan slowly sat down. “This was well within my expectations. The people from the Qin and Ye Families have already disregarded the bigger picture. They would rather let the Ten Thousand Ghosts invade than see me in control of two Battle Departments.”

He tapped his fingers on the table. “Such fools. I have no intention of controlling two Battle Departments in the first place.”

Venerable Yuan of the Intelligence Hall handed over a detailed report. “During the meeting in the Imperial Capital, they established three rules. First, you must go alone. Second, you must sign a military pledge to resolve the conflict within half a month. And third, they have dispatched a Supervision Team, composed mainly of members from the Qin Race and the Ye Family, to monitor you at all times!”

Under these three rules, the Southern Domain campaign seemed like an impossible mission.

Even Wutian and the others, who had blind faith in Qin Tianxuan, were extremely frustrated.

Qin Tianxuan’s expression remained unchanged. “Half a month? How ridiculous.”

Everyone looked at him. “Sir, how long do you plan on taking to end this battle?”

Qin Tianxuan smiled without answering. “I’ll keep you in suspense for now. Stop studying the Southern Domain battle reports. The Ten Thousand Ghosts have numerous strongholds hidden in the jungle, and their locations are constantly changing. They want us to send large forces into the jungle to hunt for them.”

“Fighting a jungle war against them would be like getting stuck in a swamp, just waiting to be bled dry!”

Qin Tianxuan’s gaze sharpened. “In this battle, we must strike directly at their headquarters and destroy the main camp of the Ten Thousand Ghosts. Once their ‘brain’ is gone, the ghosts in the jungle will be left to die. Without needing to deploy any troops, they will wither away on their own!”

If he hadn’t seized the initiative, Qin Tianxuan’s original plan had been to form an elite squad with Wutian and the others, using their superior strength to eliminate all the strongholds in the jungle.

But now, he had four high-ranking captives from the Ten Thousand Ghosts in his hands.

“Those assassins from the Ten Thousand Ghosts, the so-called ‘Four-faced Ghosts’—how is the interrogation going?”

Venerable Yuan of the Intelligence Hall clapped his hands lightly.

The two men known as the Cyan-faced Ghost and the Black-faced Ghost were dragged out.

The Cyan-faced Ghost’s expression was savage, though the wounds on his body had mostly healed.

He spat viciously. “I know what you want to ask, Night Emperor, but you’re dreaming. We will never betray the Ten Thousand Ghosts.”

Qin Tianxuan glanced at him. “Where is the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Ghosts?”

The Cyan-faced Ghost spat again. “We’ve studied you, Night Emperor. Your greatest strength is solo raids, striking straight at the heart of your enemy. That’s why this time, our main camp moves periodically. Not even we know its latest location. Ha! Feeling stupid now, are you?”

Qin Tianxuan laughed. “A mobile camp? You fool. You’ve just exposed at least three pieces of intelligence with that one sentence!”

He rose and flicked his sleeves. “Don’t try to play your clever little tricks on me. Your operation in Jin City was so important, you must have been in constant contact with your main camp. If I’m not mistaken, you have a stronghold right here in Jin City—a stronghold responsible for communicating with the main camp!”

The Cyan-faced Ghost was stunned speechless on the spot.

His eyes widened, unable to utter a word.

The Black-faced Ghost was furious. “You idiot! Why did you say so much? Couldn’t you have just kept your mouth shut?”

Seeing the change in their expressions, Qin Tianxuan knew he had guessed correctly.

He turned, left the dark room, and walked directly into the dark courtyard of the base.

He stared deep into the darkness. “Honglian!”

Among the Night Emperor’s subordinates, the Six Halls and the Ninth Army, the most feared and mysterious was the Dark Prison Hall!

Its leader, Honglian, appeared out of the darkness, her body wrapped in a red cloak. Her voice, however, was crisp and pleasant. “Sir, I am here.”

“You have half an hour. Pry open the mouths of these four ghosts. I want the location of their stronghold in Jin City!”

「Fifteen minutes later.」

Honglian emerged silently. “The four of them couldn’t withstand my methods. They’re all dead. The stronghold is located in a courier station in the southwest of Jin City. Two communicators from the Ten Thousand Ghosts are disguised as ordinary delivery personnel!”

Qin Tianxuan glanced at the time. “You… you’re always too heavy-handed. This time, have Venerable Yuan lead the team. I want them alive!”

「Two hours later.」

The Ten Thousand Ghosts’ stronghold was eliminated, and Venerable Yuan returned with two live captives.

The interrogation continued.

「Before dawn.」

The coordinates of the Ten Thousand Ghosts’ main camp headquarters were placed before Qin Tianxuan.

“I depart for the Southern Domain in three hours!” Qin Tianxuan issued a series of commands. “Wutian, return to the Northern Domain and continue to stand guard. The Ninth Army will go with you. The other five Halls, return to Su City with Weiwei for the time being!”

The leaders of the five Halls were all stunned.

‘Why would Sir make such arrangements?’

‘Could it be that there’s another operation after we defeat the Ten Thousand Ghosts?’

They didn’t dare to speculate and simply bowed to accept their orders.

Qin Tianxuan returned to the villa, took out his military bayonet, and began to polish it gently.

The door opened with a CREAK, and Han Biwei stood before him.

It was not yet dawn. She wore only a nightdress and, upon entering, sat down obediently. “Are… are you going on another mission?”

Qin Tianxuan had already changed into his military attire. He looked valiant and handsome, the bayonet twirling in his hand.

He slowly stood up and looked at the sorrowful Han Biwei.

“Weiwei, I understand what’s troubling you. You feel that by being with me, you’re letting Shuanghua down. Or maybe you feel a little insecure, that you’re not good enough for me!”

These were exactly Han Biwei’s thoughts, but she never expected Qin Tianxuan to lay them bare in a single sentence.

Qin Tianxuan looked at the haggard girl and shook his head decisively. “Weiwei, is there anything in this world that can’t be overcome? If your heart can’t find peace, then I will never mention the wedding again. We’ll go back to how things were, taking care of Niannian together!”

At this, he turned away abruptly. “I have things to do now. Don’t be so wishy-washy. The Han Biwei I used to know wasn’t some little girl with a perpetual frown!”

In a flash, he appeared in the small bedroom, gently kissed his daughter’s forehead, then turned and disappeared into the pre-dawn darkness without a backward glance.

Han Biwei stood in the cold, damp air and let out a long sigh of relief.

‘This man is still as decisive and domineering as ever, not even giving me a chance to speak.’

At that moment, she clasped her hands together and prayed silently.

‘I hope Brother Tianxuan returns safely and that this mission is a swift success!’

Qin Tianxuan traveled through the night to the Southern Domain, appearing directly in the command center.

The people in the Imperial Capital were in a panic. The “masters” of the Qin Race’s Supervision Team were still packing their bags.

These masters looked like they wanted to bring their gold-plated toilets from home. This wasn’t a military supervision; it was more like a vacation!

“Damn it! Get the private jet ready, we’re leaving now! Qin Tianxuan is shameless, getting there so quickly.”

Led by a secret representative of the Qin Family, the Supervision Team, composed of various major powers, didn’t arrive at the Southern Domain Battle Department’s hall until the following afternoon.

When they looked up, they saw Qin Tianxuan sitting there, leisurely sipping his tea.

“Qin Tianxuan! As the Night Emperor and the supreme commander of this operation, you have time to drink tea? Aren’t you going to look at the battle reports?”