Eastern Huaguo, Yangguo.
East Capital.
Dragon Division Branch Base.
It was a day of continuous rain, but within the Dragon Division branch base, everyone was in a state of chaos, seemingly preparing for someone's funeral.
Wang Liren stood alone under a black umbrella at the base entrance, his face filled with anxiety.
Wang Liren had originally been in his office handling urgent branch affairs, but upon learning that Ye Ling was coming, he immediately put down his work and came out alone to receive Ye Ling.
"Yo, Wang Liren!"
At this moment, Ye Ling's voice came from the sky. Wang Liren looked up and saw Ye Ling descending from the heavens. The raindrops had not yet touched Ye Ling before they were all evaporated by Ye Ling's spiritual energy.
Seeing that Ye Ling had truly arrived, Wang Liren swallowed slightly and smiled, "Emperor... Emperor Jun... you are truly efficient..."
According to internal information from the Dragon Division, Ye Ling had made a brilliant appearance at the Wuhou Sect in Xichuan that morning, defeating Feng Li single-handedly, deterring many extraordinary individuals in Huaguo, and safeguarding Huaguo's dragon脉.
Unexpectedly, Ye Ling had arrived in Yangguo that afternoon.
Ye Ling glanced at the busy Dragon Division members within the base and asked, "What are they busy with?"
Wang Liren quickly replied, "They are handling Qi Tan's posthumous affairs."
"Qi Tan?"
Wang Liren said, "He is the head of our Dragon Division's Yangguo branch, a seventh-rank extraordinary. He was assassinated a few days ago, and I came here to deal with this matter."
"The head of the Dragon Division branch was assassinated?"
Upon hearing Wang Liren's words, Ye Ling seemed somewhat surprised. "Such a serious matter, and the Dragon Division has no reaction?"
Logically, the Dragon Division was an official organization of Huaguo, equivalent to the state within the circle of extraordinary individuals. The Dragon Division branch in Yangguo was like an embassy in that circle.
Now that the Dragon Division's ambassador in Yangguo had been assassinated, this was a rather serious international issue. If not handled properly, it could even lead to conflict between the two countries.
Wang Liren said with a wry smile, "The Dragon Division is currently facing internal and external troubles. Domestically, there was just the Yun Palace incident. Our Dragon Division really can't spare more resources to manage affairs in Yangguo."
"Moreover, many high-ranking officials in Yangguo's Arashi Division have also died recently, including a deputy minister. We don't want to add fuel to the fire and escalate the conflict at this time."
"Arashi Division... is it also an official organization for extraordinary individuals in Yangguo, like the Dragon Division?" Ye Ling asked again.
Wang Liren nodded. "That's right... Yangguo has a small land area, and its circle of extraordinary individuals is also niche. However, precisely because of this, the Arashi Division has gathered the nation's most elite ninjas and Onmyoji. Their deputy minister, Arasaka Shun, is an eighth-rank Onmyoji. Now that Arasaka Shun has been assassinated, the entire Yangguo is under strict security."
"In that case, the internal problems in Yangguo are also a bit serious..."
Receiving such news from Wang Liren, Ye Ling's brow furrowed slightly.
The assassination of the Arashi Division's deputy minister indicated that extremely serious problems had emerged within Yangguo, and the state's political structure might even collapse.
If he were to investigate the top hidden forces of Yangguo at this time, not only would he face severe obstacles, but even if he found the hidden forces himself, if he were to challenge them at this moment, he might inadvertently cause Yangguo to collapse.
In that case, even if the prestige of their Demon Palace increased, their reputation would be ruined. When the Demon Palace emerged, it would directly become an evil cult, and the resistance from various extraordinary forces would intensify, leading to waves of resistance against the Demon Palace everywhere.
At that time, if Ye Ling wanted the Demon Palace to rule the world's extraordinary organizations, he would have to resort to military suppression.
This would be contrary to Ye Ling's original intention in establishing the Demon Palace.
Ye Ling sighed slightly and then asked, "What is your current situation? We need to resolve this matter, and the sooner the better."
"Emperor Jun is going to help us?"
Upon hearing Ye Ling's words, Wang Liren's eyes lit up.
After Qi Tan was assassinated, the top strength of the Dragon Division branch became extremely weak. If any force in Yangguo were to attack their Dragon Division branch base, there would be no one capable of stopping them!
But with Ye Ling's arrival, it was different. It was equivalent to having a formidable figure even more fearsome than a Red Dust Immortal in their branch base. The entire base would be impregnable, and anyone who dared to come would perish!
With Ye Ling's backing, Wang Liren's confidence in investigating Qi Tan's death grew significantly.
Logically speaking, Wang Liren was sent by the Dragon Division headquarters to the branch. In ancient times, his status and position would be equivalent to an imperial envoy, holding the same rank as Qi Tan, the head of the Dragon Division branch, here.
However, Wang Liren had no confidantes here, and coupled with the numerous factions and complex interests within the branch base, Wang Liren's orders were basically ignored.
His investigations here were constantly met with obstruction.
Now that Ye Ling had agreed to help, Wang Liren dared to become more assertive. Those disobedient interest groups could all be dealt with!
Ye Ling nodded. "The priority is to restore the Dragon Division and the Arashi Division to their former strength, and then I can attend to my own matters. This is urgent, so tell me all the information you have."
Having confirmed Ye Ling's intention to help, Wang Liren was extremely excited. He didn't even bother to ask about Ye Ling's own objectives and immediately said, "That's great! The documents are in the office. Emperor Jun, please come with me!"
With that, Wang Liren led Ye Ling into the base and headed towards his office.
However, before Wang Liren could take a few steps, he was stopped by a branch employee. "Imperial Envoy Wang, this is our base, and there are many important documents inside. What is the meaning of bringing a stranger in?"
Wang Liren, suddenly being stopped in front of Ye Ling, felt his face lose its color. He said coldly, "I was sent by headquarters, and what I say goes here!"
"Do I need to report to you about who I bring in?"
"Are you the imperial envoy, or am I?"
"Or perhaps you don't respect headquarters at all?"
Seeing Wang Liren suddenly become assertive, the employee's expression changed slightly. However, he dared not openly confront headquarters and had to step aside. "I understand... I was being too nosy."
"Hmph! Don't let it happen again!"
Wang Liren glared coldly at the employee and then said to Ye Ling, "Emperor Jun, let's go inside and talk."
Ye Ling followed Wang Liren into the building and glanced back at the sullen employee. He smiled at Wang Liren and said, "You are an imperial envoy, yet you are so unwelcome here?"
"That person should just be an ordinary staff member, right? And he can still give you a cold shoulder?"
Wang Liren said with a wry smile, "Emperor Jun, you may not know, but although I am an imperial envoy, the power of the branch is firmly controlled by the deputy minister, Nie Yi. That fellow was specifically sent by Nie Yi to keep an eye on me."
"With Nie Yi's backing, he naturally doesn't need to show me any respect."
"Nie Yi..." Ye Ling murmured the name, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It seems that fellow is preparing to seize power..."