Although he wanted to make the secret public, it wasn't an easy thing to do.
If this secret hadn't yet reached the Chief Deities but Lin Lei got to it first... once Lin Lei learned of the truth, he would immediately hunt Moerde down! After pondering for a moment, Moerde settled on a simple strategy.
Inside the great hall of the Tianshan Mansion Lord's estate.
One hundred Highgod warriors stood respectfully below the main dais, awaiting the Mansion Lord's arrival.
"I really have no idea why the Mansion Lord has summoned us!"
they muttered to themselves. Before long, a figure emerged from the side door of the great hall — it was the silver-haired Moerde. His cold, sinister gaze swept across the Highgods, and instantly every one of them stood ramrod straight, not daring to look around or show the slightest hint of laxity. Moerde strode up to the seat at the top of the hall.
Seated upon his throne, Moerde cast his frigid gaze downward. "I have a mission for you all. Should anyone leak the details of this mission... hah, the one who leaks it will have their entire clan executed." Within the Mansion Lord's army, discipline was strict. But executing an entire family over a leaked secret? That had never happened before.
The hundred Highgods below felt a chill run through them, their hearts turning bitter. How had they drawn this task?
"However, rest assured — as long as the mission details remain sealed, you'll be fine," Moerde said flatly. "Moreover, once you complete the mission, each of you will receive one billion inkstones!"
The Highgods were visibly shaken.
These Highgod warriors had accumulated assets worth perhaps a few hundred million over countless years. They weren't Seven-Star Demons — they didn't have that kind of wealth. A single mission offering a reward of one billion inkstones was an astronomical sum.
Moerde waved his hand, and black sheets of paper materialized in the air before him.
"Whoosh!"
The papers shot downward, one landing before each of the hundred Highgods. Every single one of them received a sheet. The Highgods couldn't help but look down, and with just a single glance they committed every detail on the paper to memory.
At the same time, the faces of all one hundred Highgods changed dramatically.
This secret... was truly terrifying.
"You've all seen it?" Moerde said with a cold smile. "Never mind whether the information is true or false — what matters is that you remember it! You must not leak it. The one who does... hah." Moerde's gaze swept over the crowd below.
"Your subordinates wouldn't dare."
As one warrior dropped to a single knee, the other ninety-nine followed suit.
"Good," Moerde said flatly. "Fifteen of you go one way, fifteen go another... and the remaining twenty-five. That makes exactly six groups!" His divine power surged outward, effortlessly dividing the hundred into six squads. Five of these groups had fifteen members each, while the sixth had twenty-five.
"First group — you will travel to the Kalosha Continent in western Hell. The fifteen of you will each deliver a copy of that document to a different individual. Here are the names and addresses. Remember: under no circumstances may you reveal the information during transit." Moerde issued his warning once more, and another black sheet of paper flew toward the first group.
"Second group — you head to the Bifu Continent in eastern Hell. Here are the names and addresses. Third group — the Muya Continent in the south. Fourth group — the Zijing Continent in the north. Fifth group — the Starry Misty Sea. And sixth group — the Sea of Chaos."
Moerde distributed the delivery lists and addresses to each group. Most of the names belonged to Chief Deity envoys. Of course, there were also many Mansion Lords among them. Cast a wide net — only then could he hope the Chief Deities would learn the news sooner.
Of Hell's seven great regions, these six groups were heading to six of them. Only one region was left unvisited: Blood Peak Continent!
Moerde knew that if he spread the news across Blood Peak Continent, it would very likely reach Lin Lei's ears.
"Every one of you will leave a divine clone here in my mansion," Moerde said flatly. "You will keep watch over one another. Should anyone leak the secret, report to me immediately." Moerde had chosen these particular individuals for two reasons: their loyalty was relatively high, and each of them possessed divine clones.
"Yes, Mansion Lord."
All one hundred individuals separated out their divine clones.
"Depart now." Moerde had no desire to delay. The hundred Highgods acknowledged the order, split into six small squads, and departed immediately. The squad members kept each other in check, the consequences of leaking provided ample deterrence, and the promise of one billion inkstones offered powerful incentive. Moerde was confident there would be no problems.
Moerde smiled coldly. "Blood Peak Continent? That, I'll handle myself."
Moerde was an envoy of the Blood Peak Chief Deity. Gaining an audience with the Blood Peak Chief Deity would not be difficult. And if he delivered the news personally, there was no risk of it leaking to Lin Lei.
That very day, Moerde flew from his castle toward the Blood Peak Chief Deity's secret residence.
Blood Peak Continent. The Lianyun Mountain Range.
Deep within the Lianyun Mountain Range lay a lake stretching a thousand li across, its surface shrouded year-round in endless mist. Such scenery was common in Hell, and few people paid it any mind. But those who lived within the Lianyun Mountain Range knew that anyone who ventured deep enough into the center of the lake would lose themselves in the mist, only to stumble back to shore in a daze.
No one knew what lay at the center of the lake.
"Slosh, slosh~~~" The water gently rippled, lapping against the shore.
A figure plummeted from high above and landed at the lake's edge — it was Moerde. He stood at the shore for a moment, then shot forward into the endless mist.
At the center of the lake sat a small island, covered in all manner of beautiful flowers, with various birds living peacefully among them.
On the island stood a simple, cone-shaped great hall. Behind the hall, amid the flowers, sat a stone table with two men facing each other, their eyes fixed intently on the many game pieces spread across its surface. Behind the two men stood two maids, their faces bright with smiles.
One of the men had blood-red hair, with a curved crimson mark between his brows. At this moment he wore a wide smile, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the pieces on the table.
Across from him sat a silver-haired man with a hawk-like nose. This man's eyes were narrow and long, and occasionally the chill that leaked from his gaze was enough to make one's heart tremble.
"Teresia, haha, you've lost again!" the blood-haired man laughed heartily.
"Again, again! I just started playing this," the hawk-nosed man said quickly. "Pash, you've been playing for years."
"Fine, let's go again — you'll still lose," the blood-haired man chuckled.
This 256-piece military chess game appeared simple on the surface, but it contained countless strategies for deploying forces, and each move had to be adjusted according to the opponent's situation. The more powerful one's soul, the more complex the calculations, making the game all the more engaging. Moreover, one side had to have every single one of its pieces captured before the other could be declared the winner.