Chapter 668: Capturing Shadow Hall Members

Xingluo Marquis had been feeling quite unsettled lately. His trusted general, Qihe, had gone missing, and even the mother hen in his care had fallen into the hands of the Red Alert Empire. Things were spiraling out of control, and he felt like he was losing everything.

"Why haven't we heard anything from Shadow Hall? Didn't they take our deposit?"

To ensure he had no loose ends, Xingluo Marquis had paid a hefty price of five Planets. But not long ago, he discovered he couldn't reach these five Planets. It was evident that Shadow Hall had made off with his deposit. The problem was, the Red Alert Empire's fleet still existed.

Feeling increasingly uneasy, Xingluo Marquis quietly entered a house accessible only to him. As he stepped inside, a strange odor, a mix of blood, feces, and urine, assaulted his senses. Most people would have found these smells nauseating, but Xingluo Marquis seemed to relish them, as if this place were his sanctuary.

"The ritual is almost ready. It seems we can't rely on Shadow Hall anymore. As long as we can bring forth our deity, what is a mere human Empire to us?" Xingluo Marquis's demeanor grew increasingly manic, his eyes bloodshot, like a desperate gambler going all in.

This Xingluo Marquis was no longer the same as before. He had unwittingly come into possession of a token from the Dark God, and one of the Dark God's devout followers had taken control of his consciousness, all to summon the Dark God into the human star domain.

The borders between the human star domain and those of other races were heavily guarded. Even if the Dark God wished to breach them, it was no simple task. However, through the ritual, it became much simpler.

The ritual could be considered a form of specialized spatial technology. Humans had once researched Dark God rituals and ultimately reached a conclusion: only the Dark God could employ these rituals. If a human powerhouse wanted to appear in another location through the ritual, they would have to transform into a Dark God.

In essence, the ritual served as a gateway, and the Dark God possessed the key, allowing them to traverse back and forth, albeit at a small cost.

Humans, however, lacked the key. If they tried to force their way through the gateway, they would meet their doom.

Fortunately, the ritual was not something easily performed. Even with Xingluo Marquis's capabilities, gathering the necessary ritual items had taken a considerable amount of time.

Kneeling on the ground, Xingluo Marquis faced a peculiar pattern before him. Surrounding the pattern were many grotesque items, each more repulsive than the last.

This was the ritual to summon the Dark God, and Xingluo Marquis chanted incomprehensible words. According to the Dark God's followers, these were the incantations to beseech the Dark God's presence.

On the other side, Yuri and Lily swiftly joined up with Spy Number One. They were prepared to help him apprehend Shadow Hall members and replace one of them to climb the ranks.

Once they reached a high-ranking position in Shadow Hall, Spy Number One's role would become crucial, a task Commander had explicitly assigned to him.

"It seems that Shadow Hall members possess some ability or device to conceal themselves from SpySatellites. So, I was thinking, with your psychic powers and psychic sensitivity, you might be able to detect them," Spy Number One got straight to the point, wasting no time.

"Evading SpySatellites' detection is no easy feat. Do you have any such concealment on the member you're impersonating?" Yuri asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"No, according to Shadow Hall's hierarchy, it's divided into five tiers, with the first tier being the highest and the fifth tier the lowest. In my current identity, I'm at the bottom of the fifth tier," Spy Number One said with a bitter smile.

Yuri had nothing to say. He knew that lower-level members within the organization would never be privy to significant matters.

"Only members of the fourth tier have the qualifications to possess the means to deal with this. However, whether that method is an ability or something else, this fool has no idea."

"Where is the location this time?" Lily inquired.

Without hesitation, Spy Number One pointed at the map in front of him. "Right here. As long as I place the box here, he will come to retrieve it in due time."

"No specific time?" Yuri furrowed his brows slightly, realizing they couldn't afford to let their guard down even for a second; they had to keep a constant watch on that spot.

Even though he had reached the level of a Small Galaxy-class Powerhouse, this task was still challenging. After all, Small Galaxy-class Powerhouses were incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, the box could be taken. Any lapse in their vigilance could result in losing this lead.

"No."

After some discussion, they settled on their old method—keeping a close watch on the box. If the box disappeared, they would immediately take action to identify the Shadow Hall member.

The location where the box was placed was on the summit of a rather ordinary small mountain. Spy Number One arrived there cautiously, placing the box on a rock before departing. He couldn't guarantee that the Shadow Hall member wasn't hiding nearby; he had to maintain his act.

Yuri and Lily positioned themselves separately in two different spots. They wore specialized combat Laboratory clothing with abilities similar to the Phantom Tank. In the eyes of others, they appeared to be nothing more than rocks or trees.

As they waited, a day passed.

The other side was cautious and didn't appear immediately. It seemed they were also worried about the presence of other individuals.

On the second day, an unexpected development occurred. A figure appeared near Yuri, who casually stroked his chin, wearing a somewhat peculiar expression. "Has Shadow Hall given up on taking this box? Are they willing to part with such a substantial prize?"

This person's sudden appearance was quite unexpected. If Yuri hadn't been consistently composed, he might have blown their cover. The clothing's ability wasn't absolute; it was merely a sophisticated form of camouflage. If Yuri had shown even the slightest change, this man might have discovered him.

"Could there be other factions interested in Shadow Hall? Has there been a traitor within Shadow Hall?" Yuri wondered.

With the addition of this new person, the situation on the scene had changed somewhat. Fortunately, Yuri could directly contact the others and promptly relayed the situation of this man.

"Let's observe for now. I suspect this person may be a member of the Human Peacekeeping Operations Group," Spy Number One speculated.

After all, among the known factions, they were the only ones specifically targeting Shadow Hall. As for him being a powerhouse from the Rota Empire, that was unlikely; the existence of the Rota Empire's Imperial Star was still uncertain.

And so, another day passed. Just as darkness was about to fall, the box suddenly disappeared!

"Haha, Shadow Hall's rats, why run after coming here? Stay and face your doom!" the man laughed heartily. He appeared on the mountaintop in an instant, emanating a powerful energy fluctuation, unmistakably a Small Galaxy eighth-order Powerhouse! (To be continued)

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay