Seeing it was about time, Lin Zichen got up, dressed, and said to Shen Qinghan:

"When I went to the warehouse to collect my reward during the day, the City Lord’s Secretary told me that around midnight, the City Lord wanted to talk about some matters and asked me to go to his office."

"I’ll head there now; if I’m not back too late, you should go to sleep first."

"..."

Shen Qinghan nodded and said, "Okay, I understand. Go ahead."

Lin Zichen kissed her and then quickly left the dormitory, flying out through the window without staying any longer.

It was only a moment before...

Lin Zichen arrived at the City Lord’s Office.

The office was brightly lit, but Qin Chuan was nowhere to be seen, nor could his presence be sensed.

What was there were just stacks of documents neatly arranged on the desk.

Why is no one here?

Looking at the empty office, Lin Zichen suddenly became wary and began to suspect something after the fact.

Coming here at midnight to meet the City Lord wasn’t notified by the City Lord himself, but by the City Lord’s Secretary.

Logically speaking, since the City Lord was actually present at the time, he could have told me personally about this matter. Why go through the trouble of having the Secretary inform me?

Something seems off...

With these doubts, Lin Zichen did not hesitate even for a second, immediately turning around to walk outside.

Just then—

"Snap!"

A crisp snapping sound echoed.

The moment the sound was heard, the whole office suddenly darkened, almost to the point where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

Then, in the next moment, countless mysterious runes flashed in the air, emitting a deep blue glow.

These blue lights became increasingly bright over time, casting a tall, impressive figure in one corner of the office.

It was the City Lord’s Secretary from earlier in the day!

Guan Secretary!

Lin Zichen recognized the figure in the corner of the office instantly, tensed up all his nerves, and mobilized all his Blood Qi Power, ready to react at any moment.

Then, trying to appear calm and unaffected, he coldly asked, "Secretary Guan, is the City Lord not here?"

"Not here."

Guan Secretary walked out from the corner, manipulating the runes in the air to weave them into an even brighter complex, saying, "The City Lord never stays in the office at night."

Hearing this, Lin Zichen’s heart sank, but he still forced a calm tone, "But Secretary Guan, you told me earlier today that the City Lord wanted me to come to the office at midnight to discuss matters..."

Guan Secretary: "The City Lord didn’t ask you to come; I wanted you to come."

Lin Zichen: "Is there something you wanted to discuss with me, Secretary Guan?"

As he spoke, he used his "Danger Perception" to probe Secretary Guan’s Biological Level.

But he found nothing.

This meant that Secretary Guan’s Biological Level was far beyond his.

This was bad...

Lin Zichen’s expression suddenly turned grave and he could no longer maintain his composure.

"I have nothing I want to discuss with you."

Secretary Guan proceeded to drive all the runes through the air down into the ground, laying a huge mysterious Array and continued, "I only want to take you away from here, to send you to the Sun-Moon Sacred Land to be sacrificed to the great Flower God."

Sun-Moon Sacred Land?

Upon hearing these four words, Lin Zichen’s brow furrowed tightly.

He realized something.

The person in front of him, the City Lord’s Secretary, was a traitor!

"Originally, I had no particular interest in you and just wanted to quietly be an insider, lurking in City No. 1 waiting for the final battle to break out, to help the Sun-Moon Sacred Land take over. But you had to act too conspicuously during the day. Despite being a Pureblood Human who practices the Body Tempering Technique, you can control plants and summon Divine Vines.

If I can successfully bring you back to the Sacred Land for a sacrifice to the Flower God, then my identity as an insider, even if compromised, would have been worth it."

After hearing all this, Lin Zichen felt a bit like dying.

Every time he decided to expose his strength to get more Evolution Resources, he would end up being targeted by traitors who then attempted to take him down.

It felt like a self-inflicted disaster.

However, now was not the time for regrets.

It was time to think of a way to escape.

Having regained his senses, Lin Zichen burst forth with all his Qi-Blood, rushing toward the office’s exit immediately.

However, when he reached the door, he found he couldn’t break through no matter how hard he tried.

The office door was firmly blocked by an invisible wall.

Realizing escape was not an option, Lin Zichen quickly changed his strategy, gathering the Qi-Blood in his body to his throat and shouting outside the office:

"The City Lord’s Secretary is a traitor!!!"

"She wants to take me to the Sun-Moon Sacred Land!!!"

"Someone, help!!!"

Though calling for help was shameful for a genius, it was the only way out at the moment.

Unfortunately, right after he shouted, Secretary Guan coldly said, "The entire office has been sealed. You can’t get out, and your voice won’t carry outside."

As soon as she finished speaking, she pressed the last rune into the ground.

"Boom!"

A sound like a particle burst erupted.

The next instant, the mysterious Array on the ground violently burst into extremely bright light.

Follwing that, a huge flower bud broke through the soil, opening a gaping maw and lunging at Lin Zichen.

Lin Zichen didn’t just wait to be devoured; he used all his might to dodge the gaping maw of the flower bud.

At the same time, with a thought, he instantly used "Advanced Spirit" and "Forest Lord" to try and control the attacking flower maw.

However, the control failed.

The flower bud, with its radiant rank and high biological level, was too superior for Eighth Order Lin Zichen to control.

Just as Lin Zichen was about to be swallowed whole—

"Swoosh!"

Suddenly, a sound like a flame being struck flared suddenly.

Immediately afterward, Lin Zichen saw the flower bud in front of him burst into massive purple flames.

Under the scorching of the purple flames, the highly ranked flower bud turned into a pile of ash scattered on the ground in an instant, utterly lifeless.

Having witnessed this scene, Lin Zichen’s eyes widened.

What a powerful method!

To instantly reduce that flower bud to nothingness!

Who was it that intervened?

With this question, Lin Zichen immediately enhanced his sensory perception to the maximum, searching for the presence of a third person.

However, he found no one else; in the vast office, there were only him and Secretary Guan.

Yet, he saw a hint of fear on Secretary Guan’s face.

Secretary Guan seemed to recognize that terrifying black flame.

"Guan Min, I never expected you to be an insider planted here by the Sun-Moon Sacred Land, especially since I watched you grow up," a deep voice emanated from the office chair.

At the sound, Lin Zichen quickly looked over and then saw City Lord Qin Chuan leisurely drinking tea in the office chair.

"When did you come in?!" Guan Min turned to Qin Chuan, her face full of shock and confusion.

Qin Chuan, calm as a still well, replied, "I’ve always been in the office, never left; it’s just that you two didn’t perceive my presence, that’s all." Enjoy exclusive content from empire

Guan Min, pale with fear, said, "Uncle Chuan, could you let me go for old times’ sake?"

Qin Chuan, devoid of emotion, replied, "I would like to, but my hatred for traitors exceeds my affection for you."

"Uncle Chuan, I’m carrying your child, please, spare my life for the sake of the child!" Guan Min suddenly knelt down and pleaded.

Qin Chuan looked at her belly, his voice unfluctuating: "A child that is born is called a child; an unborn child is called a stillborn."

As soon as these words fell, a "swoosh" noise resounded.

Guan Min’s body suddenly burst into large black flames, and before she could even make a sound, she turned to ash, dead beyond death.

Lin Zichen, having witnessed the process, realized one truth.

Great figures are always ruthless.

Or rather, people who are not ruthless can hardly become great figures.

Whether it’s Qi Qingmo or the present Qin Chuan, both fit the bill.

...

PS: Bowl in hand, begging for monthly and recommend tickets!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read