Chapter 299: The Seven Deadly Sins Is Just an Empty Shell!

"Lord Gongsun, what is the meaning of this?"

"The Empire needs you to impersonate the Seven Deadly Sins."

Sikong Zhen was speechless.

After a long silence, he asked, "Why?"

Gongsun Quan laid out the entire plan to attack the Blood Moon Empire in full detail. As he listened, Sikong Zhen's brow furrowed tightly.

Again?!

Are you just singling me out to screw over?

"Lord Sikong, after thinking it over, I still believe you are the most suitable candidate. After all, you have the most experience."

Sikong Zhen stared at him wordlessly.

He exhaled.

He took a deep breath. "Will it just be me?"

Gongsun Quan shook his head. "No. There is also Lord Dongfang, along with three other Gold powerhouses. The command of this operation will be handed over to you."

"Me? With Lord Dongfang present, he is naturally the most suited to command."

"There's no need to be modest, Lord Sikong. Your strength and capabilities are more than enough to shoulder this burden. Moreover, out of everyone involved, you are the one who understands the Seven Deadly Sins best. That makes you the perfect choice.

"Remember, this mission is of utmost importance. It may even determine whether the Empire can ultimately defeat the Blood Moon Empire in the future. We can only succeed; failure is not an option. Once we succeed, the foundations of the Blood Moon Empire will undoubtedly be shaken!"

Seeing the gravity of Gongsun Quan's words, Sikong Zhen was somewhat skeptical. "Aren't you exaggerating a bit, Lord Gongsun? A single terrorist attack can shake the foundations of the Blood Moon Empire?"

"It is not an exaggeration. The Blood Moon Empire appears mighty today, but it is actually strong on the outside and hollow on the inside. Their internal conflicts have reached an irreconcilable breaking point. Do you know why the Blood Moon Empire has been repeatedly provoking our nation in recent years?"

"Why else? Between empires, it is always a matter of interests."

"True, it is about interests. But those interests likely deviate from what you have in mind. The Blood Moon Empire is after population!

"The Blood Moon Empire is ruled by the Blood Clan. Its strength represents the might of the Blood Clan. However, as the empire has developed, their numbers have skyrocketed. This has led to a situation where the humans within their borders can no longer satisfy the Blood Clan's ever-growing need to feed.

"In the Blood Moon Empire, humans appear to live normal lives, but they are actually slaves to the Blood Clan. They are born simply to serve as livestock. Under these conditions, the human desire to reproduce has plummeted. They have even secretly formed quite a few anti-Blood Clan organizations.

"The conflict between humans and the Blood Clan has reached a breaking point. Furthermore, there is strife among the Blood Clan themselves. The distribution of blood resources is severely uneven. Faced with blood prices that rise by the day, some commoner members of the Blood Clan have long been unable to afford it. Trapped in a state of chronic starvation, they completely lose their minds and degenerate into mindless, bloodsucking monsters.

"Their frequent attacks on humans have caused the human population to plummet even further.

"If this continues, the Blood Moon Empire will inevitably fall into chaos. That is why they constantly provoke the Chiyan Empire. If they do not launch a war to plunder our population soon, they will be finished."

Sikong Zhen was taken aback. "I see. Their internal conflicts are already irreconcilable. So, as long as this operation can strike a blow against their Royal Family's prestige, the Royal Family won't be able to suppress the unrest any longer. It will lead to a total eruption!"

"Exactly." Gongsun Quan nodded. "Therefore, Lord Sikong, we are counting on you this time."

...

...

Longevity Daoist Temple.

"What?! Lord Divine Envoy, you want to plunder the Blood Moon Empire?!" Taoist Priest Xuanqing's face was filled with horror.

"Please reconsider, Lord Divine Envoy! The Blood Moon Empire is nothing like the Chiyan Empire. Out of the Seven Great Empires, the Chiyan Empire is the weakest, constantly plagued by internal strife and foreign threats, and King Chi isn't even considered a Gold King in the traditional sense. It's one thing for us to usually stir up trou—uh, conduct operations in the Chiyan Empire.

"But if we go to the Blood Moon Empire, that place is crawling with the Blood Clan! We might not make it back alive!"

Su Mu's expression remained indifferent. "Relax. You won't be alone this time. The other members of the Seven Deadly Sins will also be going."

Other members?

Taoist Priest Xuanqing was stunned for a moment, then let out a bitter smile. How could he not know what kind of organization the Seven Deadly Sins was? What other members? It was fake. It was all a sham.

The Seven Deadly Sins was just an empty shell! Aside from the Leader, Pride, where was anyone else?

He himself counted as half a member at best. Jun Wushang was the real Lust, and he was nothing more than a temporary stand-in.

Lord Divine Envoy, you can't start believing your own lies just because you've told them so many times! Wake up! You are the only person in the Seven Deadly Sins!

Of course, he only dared to voice these words in his head. He wouldn't dare say them to Su Mu's face.

"How is Jun Wushang's progress?"

"He is already at Bronze 3. That little girl from the Bronze Coffin is very capable; she quickly acquired the Transcendent Potion that Jun Wushang needed. This poor Daoist has also imparted the entirety of the Longevity Daoist Magic to him. Following your orders, I have been continuously overdrawing Jun Wushang's lifespan to help him grow rapidly.

"Now, as soon as the next potion is in place, he can break through to Silver 1 at any time."

Su Mu nodded in satisfaction. Taoist Priest Xuanqing was doing a fine job, acting entirely according to his instructions. Using the Longevity Daoist Magic to overdraw lifespan and elevate one's strength was also an idea he had authorized.

Lifespan could be replenished at any time anyway, so a cost that initially seemed incredibly severe was actually nothing at all.

He even planned to use the Longevity Daoist Magic to help the other members within the organization rapidly increase their strength.

After a few brief instructions, Su Mu prepared to leave. But just then, Taoist Priest Xuanqing suddenly thought of something and hurriedly said, "Right, Lord Divine Envoy. That little girl from the Bronze Coffin came looking for me not long ago. She said that if I saw you, I should ask you to make a trip back to the Bronze Coffin. She has urgent matters to discuss."

"I understand."

The space in front of Su Mu distorted slightly, and in an instant, he vanished.

After Su Mu left, Taoist Priest Xuanqing hurriedly performed a divination for himself. He had previously suspected that he might meet a sudden, violent death; otherwise, if he didn't die, how would it ever be Jun Wushang's turn to take his position?

It might just happen on this very mission!

A moment later, Taoist Priest Xuanqing breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, thank goodness. I won't die this time."

Granted, doing a reading for oneself was much harder than reading for others—after all, a person standing on a mountain could not see its true shape.

However, he hadn't divined the specific details. He had only cast for a simple outcome: would he die during this mission? The answer was no, and that was enough for him.

Inside the Bronze Coffin, Su Mu's figure appeared out of thin air.

Nangong Mengli, who had been buried in her work, seemed to sense something. She snapped her head up. Upon seeing that it was Su Mu, her expression involuntarily relaxed.

"Susu, you're finally back."

"Yeah. You mentioned you had something to discuss. Did something happen?"

"I broke through."

Su Mu raised an eyebrow. He didn't think this was the kind of matter that required a special report.

Nangong Mengli burst into laughter. "Before I tell you the bad news, I had to share some good news first. Thanks to you, both Duanmu Qing and I have broken through to Silver 2.

"My second Silver Law is [Merciful Release], and Duanmu Qing's is [Forest's Devouring]. Which one do you want to hear about first?"

"I want to hear the bad news first."