"Lift your head up."

Bai Pu ordered.

The posture of kneeling respectfully might appear humble and submissive on the surface, but from Bai Pu’s angle, he could only see the arched back of Misheng, unable to see his face.

Perhaps, beneath that facade of humility and subservience, his face was contorted with resentment and defiance.

Misheng quickly lifted his head, his expression as sincere as could be.

"What are your orders, State Preceptor?"

Bai Pu nodded: "You and your partner, go and kill Zhao Gou."

Anyone else might hesitate for a moment, considering Zhao Gou’s special status.

But Misheng nodded without hesitation, approached Zhao Gou, and with a swift stroke, plunged a dagger into Zhao Gou’s heart.

Seeing their elder brother take the lead, Ye Zi followed suit, flipping out a dagger and slitting Zhao Gou’s throat.

This future Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, founder of the Southern Song, and employer of Qin Hui, the man behind the infamous Wind Pavilion Case, met an untimely death.

Bai Pu also received a notification.

[Due to your actions, Zhao Gou, Prince Kang, has died, causing a significant shift in the world destiny of the Celestial Hero: Jingkang Incident dimension.]

[You have gained 1 Legend Point.]

Bai Pu nodded in satisfaction.

The accumulated 1 Legend Point could be used to unlock "Memory Expansion" on the first layer of the Talent Tree, allowing the storage of four additional evolutionary states.

However, the effect of the first layer talent is far inferior to the second layer.

Bai Pu planned to use his resources wisely and, after accumulating 3 Legend Points, directly unlock talents on the second layer.

Aside from the already unlocked "Source Lord’s Descent," the remaining two talents in the second layer, whether "Dual Evolution" or "Enhanced Meditation," were both powerful.

Bai Pu opened the second layer of the Heart of Evolution Talent Tree and reviewed the talents once more.

[A: Dual Evolution: Allows you to simultaneously activate two Adaptive Evolution states, gaining Mimic Enhancement Effect upon activation. (Inactive)]

[B: Source Lord’s Descent: Increases your Source Blood Points limit by 1 and Pure Blood Points limit by 3. All your Source Blood Apostles and Pure Blood Servants can join your Mind Connection for conscious exchange within your Heart Image. You gain the Talent Skill: Descent. (Active)]

[C: Enhanced Meditation: When using Genetic Heart Image for combat training, the proficiency of Combat Skills and Mystical Arts is synchronized into reality. (Inactive)]

"I must continue collecting Legend Points. For now, prioritizing ’Source Lord’s Descent’ and developing Apostles and Servants was the right strategy, significantly improving the efficiency of Legend Points collection."

Bai Pu glanced at Misheng and Ye Zi and said coolly, "Dispose of Zhao Gou’s body, make it appear as if he’s missing. With your crime of murdering Zhao Gou in my hands, I can trust you."

"Understood!"

Misheng and Ye Zi were thrilled, having received a message from the Spirit Realm Will.

[State Preceptor Bai Yujing’s attitude towards you has softened, no longer hostile. Current Favor Level: Coldly.]

[State Preceptor Bai Yujing invites you to join the restoration camp of the Twenty-Eighth Prince Zhao Si, do you agree?]

Of course, the two agreed.

However, seeing their Favor Level with the "big shot" was only at the level of "Coldly," Misheng felt anxious.

He had a sudden flash of inspiration.

"State Preceptor! Although Zhao Gou is dead, there are still some loyal to him who are extraordinary individuals and won’t easily give up! Just like us, they are adept at networking, disguise, and it would be hard to guard against them if they plan against the Twenty-Eighth Prince.

"I am familiar with these people and can help the State Preceptor to root them out and eliminate future threats!"

Bai Pu’s mouth curved slightly.

Misheng intended to betray his fellow Awakened of the same camp.

The first strike upon landing was to cut down his teammates.

Bai Pu nodded slightly: "Very well, arrange a location, and I will handle it."

Watching the pair depart, Bai Pu exhaled lightly.

He reached out and caressed the dented surface of the Dark Gold Tower Shield.

"Thanks to this shield, I was able to withstand the final wave of sword shadows from the Supreme Profound Sword and avoid a humiliating retreat."

"Unfortunately, the Dark Gold Shield originates from the Mid-level Spirit Realm, with material only of ’Rare Level.’ Under the fierce assault of an Ancient Relic like the Supreme Profound Sword, the durability decreased too quickly."

Bai Pu used the shield’s Devouring Enhancement ability, consuming the corpse of the Youyan Guest.

Fortunately, the shield has a strong self-repair ability, and as long as there are corpses of strong individuals, the durability recovers quickly.

...

Zhao Gou’s "disappearance" caused a huge uproar at the Zong Manor.

Those from the Jianghu, upon hearing of Zhao Gou’s disappearance and the vanished Youyan Guest, became terribly anxious.

In their desperate search, they could only find some chaotic traces of combat in the back garden, along with the lingering scent of blood.

"It seems Prince Kang has met with misfortune..."

"Could it be the pursuit troops of the Golden Dogs?"

"What kind of pursuit could be so fierce that even a master like the Youyan Guest couldn’t protect him?"

"You must admit, the origin of the Youyan Guest is mysterious; he’s a name unknown in the Martial Arts world, yet wields such power. This all seems very unusual."

"The Youyan Guest, presumably hails from the Sixteen States of Yanyun, right? Hiss... Could it be he’s not from the Central Plains Martial Arts circles."

The Northern Song has always been weak externally, with the Sixteen States of Yanyun long held by the Liao Kingdom, unable to be reclaimed. Over time, this region became considered foreign territory and no longer part of the Central Plains.

The Ma Bang, a group of Awakened, listened to the discussions of the Natives and looked at each other in confusion.

They had received the notification from the Spirit Realm Will, stating that the key Natives — Prince Kang Zhao Gou and the Youyan Guest — involved in the main storyline mission had all disappeared, putting the main mission into an incomplete state.

Once the mission time ends, it will automatically be considered a failure. Although they won’t be banished, they will lose the original rewards and even incur deductions of Spiritual Points!

These people were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

However, Misheng conveyed the message that he found clues about Prince Kang, inviting them to a secluded location.

Initially, some suspected Misheng’s intentions. As Awakened, they would not act without benefit, so why would he share clues freely?

Misheng, evidently understanding the mindset of the Awakened, boldly proclaimed, "If Ye Zi and I had enough strength, we’d have rescued Prince Kang ourselves and taken all the credit, and this clue wouldn’t be shared. Now, we’re all in the same boat, and I’m contacting you to save him, and complete the mission. However, there’s a fee — ten thousand Spiritual Points per person!"

The group felt somewhat reassured and then used "Misheng and Ye Zi lack the capability to rescue him" as leverage to negotiate. They bargained the fee down to six thousand per person.

Misheng made quite a profit from this.

After collecting the fees, Misheng led the group to the outskirts of the Yingtian Prefecture, to a desolate farmhouse.

There, they successfully found the mysterious person who "abducted" Prince Kang!