"What are you going to do?" Ling Feng asked.

"I'm going to play the thief..." Chen Feng replied with a smile, his body flickering instantly outside the "Divine Mansion of Light," retracting his domain to wrap the mansion around his body, transforming it into armor.

The Divine Mansion of Light truly lived up to its name as a treasure; it possessed its own internal space. Even though Chen Feng had stored it on his person, Ling Feng, seated within, experienced no change from before; the layout remained a four-room, two-hall configuration, unaltered by the shape change occurring outside.

As the master of the Divine Mansion of Light, Chen Feng naturally understood this transformation. Otherwise, if he had retracted the mansion without considering Ling Feng, she would have been crushed to death trying to escape, which would have been utterly embarrassing.

Slowly paddling beneath the water’s surface, he traveled four or five li. Chen Feng waited until darkness fell, and just as he was about to climb ashore from the water, he overheard a conversation from the bank.

"Did you hear? The Fourth Deputy Lord is dead," one voice gossiped.

"How could I not have heard? The person watching the Spirit Pearl Hall said that as he was cleaning the room, the Fourth Deputy Lord's spirit pearl suddenly exploded for no reason. At first, he suspected he was mistaken, but upon confirming it, he immediately reported it to the Lord!" The other person seemed to have a clearer understanding.

"How could the Fourth Deputy Lord suddenly die? Could it be... the work of the people from the Heavenly Snow Demon Territory or the Golden Crow Demon Territory?"

The Heavenly Demon Territory and the Golden Crow Demon Territory were the other two major powers on the overseas continent.

"Who knows? All we know is that the man is dead. Not even a body was found. When the Lord heard about it, he didn't pursue the killer but has been arranging something constantly. I don't know why!"

"The Lord is supremely intelligent. He must have discovered something, otherwise, he wouldn't have made no public statement!" The first person's eyes shone with adoration when speaking of the Lord.

"That's true. But regardless of whether it's the Heavenly Snow Demon Territory or the Golden Crow Demon Territory, we should all be more cautious. Although those of us guarding the island's core are relatively safe, if the enemy attacks, we have nowhere to flee!"

"You worry too much. Do you think the Purple Garden Demon Territory can be invaded so easily? With the Lord masterminding everything, these are non-issues!"

"Don't be so sure. These past few days, I've seen many brothers outside the island making preparations. I don't know what for, but there's likely a major move coming..."

The two walked away while talking. Chen Feng surfaced from the water, darting out like a cormorant, utterly silent, without the slightest sound.

"Two Level Six Dou Zun experts!" Chen Feng judged their strength as he watched their receding backs. "It must be a single, decisive strike."

On this island, few people regularly used spiritual perception to scan their surroundings. If tens of thousands of Dou Zun-level experts all released their senses, the daily order would descend into chaos. Thus, although these two were stronger than Chen Feng, they failed to detect him.

Unfurling the Sky-Dancing Technique, Chen Feng floated slowly in the air. His gaze immediately became as placid as an ancient well, devoid of any emotion. He pointed two fingers toward the center of their backs and tapped lightly twice.

The two men walking ahead didn't even manage a cry of pain before they were pierced by Black Particles and instantly perished.

Although the Black Particle technique left Chen Feng completely drained after only two uses, it possessed an immense advantage in surprise attacks. Killing two Level Six Dou Zun experts using the Endless Slaughter Domain could barely achieve it, but it would inevitably alert many people. Accomplishing it silently now demonstrated the sheer power of the Black Particles.

Walking up to the two bodies, he spotted one whose build was similar to his own. He stripped off the man's robes and donned them, casually incinerating both corpses into ash.

To fish in troubled waters, one must first alter their appearance. Chen Feng understood these necessities.

After taking the "Energy Serum," his domain power flared, turning his hair stark white. He smeared dark mud from the riverbank onto his face. Once ready, he carefully stepped out, wearing the waist token.

When he had arrived from the main hall, Chen Feng had paid attention to the patrol routes. Now, he could discern where the defenses were tight and where they were lax. Aided by the concealment of the night, he stealthily approached the main hall area.

The journey there was unexpectedly quiet; no one came to search. The silence almost made him disbelieve it.

"Swoosh..." A bright light, accompanied by a sharp cry, shot in from the distance, exploding in the air like a lit firework.

Immediately following, countless similar fireworks erupted in the distance. Illuminated by the firelight, a dense swarm of figures soared into the sky.

"This must be a signaling method. Has something truly happened on this island?" Chen Feng thought. If he couldn't figure it out now, he'd be truly dense.

"Doo-doo..." A faint, long horn blast echoed from afar, immediately followed by the ground rumbling as if a battle was underway.

Quickly taking a few steps forward, Chen Feng saw a guard wearing the same uniform as himself. He hurried over and asked, "Brother, what is this..."

The guard glanced at him. "It's outsiders attacking, of course. Otherwise, what would cause this? But it is strange that both the Heavenly Snow Demon Territory and the Golden Crow Demon Territory are attacking simultaneously..." As he spoke, he abruptly turned to Chen Feng. "The signal has already been sent; how could you not know? Which squad are you from..."

Before he could finish, a streak of fire flashed before his eyes, and a wave of frenzied killing intent flooded Chen Feng's mind, causing a splitting headache.

"Bang!" With a crisp sound, the guard's head exploded into countless fragments of flesh, dying instantly.

Chen Feng let out a long breath. This was the first time he had used his Endless Slaughter Domain to kill, and it seemed the effect was quite good.

The Heavenly Snow Demon Territory and the Golden Crow Demon Territory attacking at this time? No wonder no one caught him during the long wait in the river. It seemed the Purple Garden Demon Territory was already facing an external enemy and had no spare attention for a small fry like him.

Furthermore, he had acted quickly. The Fourth Deputy Lord was killed directly without leaving any trace. The enemy probably didn't even suspect him.

After all, the difference between a Dou Zun and a Dou Sheng was vast. If a Dou Zun killed a Dou Sheng, no one would believe it. The gap in power was like that between an ant and an elephant. If someone claimed an ant killed an elephant after the elephant fell asleep, who would believe them?

With the death of the Fourth Deputy Lord coinciding with the island being attacked, the situation suggested that a Dou Sheng-level expert had infiltrated the island and killed the Fourth Deputy Lord!

Chen Feng understood the reason, feeling his luck was excellent. Deeply relieved, he cautiously slipped toward the location of the treasury.

The treasury was located on one side of the main hall, quite close to the Lord's residence. In truth, such a structure was unnecessary on the island; all treasures could be stored most conveniently and safely in spatial rings. However, the Lord deliberately built a grand treasury for the sake of clear rewards and punishments, with a single goal: to spur his subordinates to cultivate harder and improve themselves better.

The treasury was divided into six levels. Those who reached a certain cultivation level or earned sufficient merit could enter the first level to select treasures; merit allowed entry to the second, and so on. It was these tangible rewards shining before their eyes that stimulated the people on the island, making them more united and motivated.

It could be said that the Lord’s decision was a brilliant stroke.

The treasury was built beside the Lord’s manor. If any force managed to attack this location, it would mean the Purple Garden Demon Territory had already fallen, allowing the Lord to instantly collect the treasures and flee...

It seemed, no matter how one looked at it, this arrangement was beneficial and without harm.

Thinking of Kozmo and Resil arguing red-faced over petty merits further demonstrated the intoxicating nature of such rewards for everyone.

The treasury was heavily guarded; a circle of Level Nine Magister-level experts stood watch. Sneaking in would certainly be difficult.

"This... looks tricky," he frowned.

"Right, create chaos!" Chen Feng thought of a solution. He slowly circled around, walking farther and farther until he reached the rear of the main hall.

Seeing no one around, he conjured a ball of purple flame on his fingertip and flung it onto the ground, instantly releasing fifty balls of fire!

The power of these flames was not great, nor did they utilize domain power; they were purely used as kindling, requiring little effort.

The island had few trees, and the ground was covered mostly in dry leaves and decaying wood, which ignited easily. Immediately, a raging fire broke out there.

"Assassins from the Heavenly Snow Demon Territory and the Golden Crow Demon Territory... are setting fires!" Chen Feng lowered his voice and shouted the moment the flames erupted, simultaneously letting out a shriek: "Aah..."

His tone was intensely tragic, sounding from a distance like a loyal guard of the Purple Garden Demon Territory being viciously slain upon discovering the enemy's conspiracy.

However, contrary to Chen Feng's initial plan, the very moment he finished shouting, illuminated by the firelight, dozens of figures dressed in black suddenly rose from the surroundings and charged straight toward the main hall.

"Damn it, we've been discovered! We have to charge straight through..." one of them roared.

Chen Feng felt a wave of dizziness. He hadn't expected that his casual shout would actually expose people lying in ambush nearby. But why hadn't those people killed him just now? He understood after a moment's thought: his cultivation of a mere Level Two Dou Zun was too low to warrant their attention. If killing him caused their plan to fail, the loss would outweigh the gain.

It seemed the people from the Heavenly Snow Demon Territory and the Golden Crow Demon Territory hidden here were also targeting the treasury.

"Could it be that Diagram of the Profound Heavens again?"

The three largest powers on the overseas continent all had so-called secret agents among each other. For the Purple Garden Demon Territory to possess such a treasure, it would be strange if the news hadn't leaked.

Obtaining the Diagram of the Profound Heavens offered a chance to enter the Profound Heavens Divine Palace, and within, a chance to obtain a Godhead. For the lords of major powers, gaining a Godhead was something worth going insane over.

These lords had all likely reached the peak of the Saint Domain and were struggling to break through. Knowing the key to advancement, wouldn't they be fools not to act now?

Thinking of this, a sudden intuition struck Chen Feng.

The Lord of the Purple Garden Demon Territory, being so intelligent, would naturally know these things. They might even know the item was at the Sky-Reaching Academy, and the only reason they hadn't acted was the fear that the other two factions would unite to fight for it.

But now that it was in their possession, they must have taken precautions. If they really left the item sitting in the treasury, wouldn't that be waiting to be stolen?

Ling Feng had heard the Fourth Deputy Lord mention the Diagram of the Profound Heavens would be in the treasury, but in reality, it certainly wasn't there!

It seemed the Lord intentionally and publicly placed the Diagram of the Profound Heavens in the treasury, knowing that secrets couldn't be kept, aiming to divert the enemy's gaze...

The elites sent by the Heavenly Snow Demon Territory and the Golden Crow Demon Territory to steal the item must have been the top experts of their respective domains, likely not far below the Deputy Lord level. However, the Lord of the Purple Garden Demon Territory must have devised a method to deal with them, luring them into a trap so he could execute an 'enveloping net' strategy!

What a grand undertaking and strategy.

With this, the elites of the two major powers, the Heavenly Snow Demon Territory and the Golden Crow Demon Territory, would be ambushed and wiped out. Both Demon Territories would naturally suffer a massive blow and be unable to contend with them further!

In an instant, Chen Feng pieced everything together and broke into a cold sweat. The cunning of the Lord of the Purple Garden Demon Territory was truly formidable!

In reality, he didn't even realize it himself. Drawing such a conclusion purely from scattered clues meant his own strategic intellect had completely transformed.

"If my guesses are correct, then the Diagram of the Profound Heavens... will definitely not be on the Lord's person, and certainly not in the main hall... Where could it be?" Chen Feng rapidly calculated in his mind.

An item as precious as the Diagram of the Profound Heavens, coveted by all major powers, even the overconfident Lord of the Purple Garden Demon Territory would not carry it on his person. But if not on him, where else would he place it?

………………………………………………………………………………

The middle-aged man in the brocade robe sat in his room, a faint smile playing on his lips. He was not fiddling with antiques; instead, he was looking at the person standing before him.

"My Lord, the soul blood pearl of the Fourth Deputy Commander has exploded, meaning he is dead!" stated the Third Deputy Lord, Kristo.

The middle-aged man in the brocade robe sneered. "Have they made their move? Heh, even earlier than I predicted. But we were already prepared and do not fear any tricks they might play!"

"However... My Lord, since the Heavenly Snow Demon Territory and the Golden Crow Demon Territory both possess a diagram, why do they covet ours?" Kristo asked, puzzled.

"One diagram can only lead two people into the Profound Heavens Demon Palace. The more people who enter, the greater the chance of obtaining a Godhead. Who doesn't wish to become a god? For the sake of godhood, they are naturally willing to take risks!" the middle-aged man said with a cold laugh.

Kristo nodded, as if dimly understanding.

"Fibbie..." the middle-aged man called out.

A small attendant in gray instantly appeared before him, cupping his hands. "My Lord!" This was the same attendant who had delivered the memory stone showing Chen Feng's breakthrough to Dou Zun.

This attendant appeared to possess only a Level Three Dou Zun cultivation, yet his instantaneous movement speed surpassed a hundred meters. He was the transformed shape of a special magical beast specializing in speed. Thus, even though his cultivation was only Level Three Dou Zun, if he truly needed to escape, even a Level Nine Dou Zun could not catch him.

"Go notify the 'A' First Guard Squad. Tonight, we are going to catch a turtle in a jar..." The middle-aged man chuckled coldly.

ps: 12,000 words updated today. No more tonight... (To be continued. For future developments, please log in to www.idiancomm for more chapters, supporting the author and genuine reading!) First release