Chapter 757: Chapter 757
"You still dare deny it?"
Xiang Yi shouted angrily, his gaze cold as ice. "Cui Ji, do you think my blade is too slow, that I wouldn't dare kill? If you jeopardize the alliance's affairs, I’ll take your life first."
Sensing the heavy tension, the plump man quickly stepped between them and tried to smooth things over. "Daoist Xiang, please calm down. Daoist Cui must have been certain that it wouldn’t affect the mission, or he wouldn’t have acted. The ferocious beasts appeared so suddenly, and the situation was critical. You were still inside the stone hall, and there was no time to consult you..."
As he spoke, the plump man signaled at Cui Ji with his eyes.
"Daoist Cui, you were so eager to kill Daoist Qingfeng. I heard you’ve been stuck at a bottleneck for over ten years without any progress. Could it be that this man is your heart devil, and you’ve been unable to break through because of him?"
Cui Ji lowered his head to admit fault to Xiang Yi and shook it slowly. "This bottleneck has been unusually difficult. I’ve been worn down for years, nearly to the point of giving up. Then I heard there might be a rare spiritual herb in Seven-Kill Hall that could help me break through. I honestly don’t know if that heretic is my heart devil. Originally, I had no intention of killing him. The grudge from more than twenty years ago wasn’t something I couldn’t move past. But the moment I saw him on Desolate Island, I felt a surge of wicked fire that I couldn’t suppress. It likely does have an effect. Just in case, it was better to kill him than risk wasting the spiritual herb because of a heart devil."
The plump man nodded. "Daoist Xiang, both of us have followed orders and kept a close watch on the others. I even got close just now and quietly investigated. Apart from that cultivator surnamed Pan, the others appear clean. You said six people would be enough to break the array. Daoist Cui may have been impulsive, but luckily he didn’t interfere with the mission."
Seeing Xiang Yi’s expression ease a little, both the plump man and Cui Ji let out a soft sigh.
The plump man pointed at the half-destroyed corpse on the ground and asked, "Daoist Xiang, are you sure of his identity?"
"Earth-Breaking Sect."
Xiang Yi kicked the corpse of a giant beast. "See this Earth-Breaking Lizard? It’s a ferocious creature. In the cultivation world, only the Earth-Breaking Sect has the secret art to tame one. This lizard possessed strength at the late stage of the Demonic Core Realm, which is rare even within that sect. That alone proves this man held a high status. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel⁂fire.net
"Moreover, he was hiding his strength. His cultivation was only slightly lower than mine. If not for the Divine Water-Wind Thunder bestowed by the alliance leader, I might not have been able to stop him."
"Divine Water-Wind Thunder? No wonder the explosion was so violent. I’ve heard this is a water-based astra that only Spiritual Infant grandmasters who cultivate arts like the Divine Water-Wind Art can refine. It takes a long time to form, and the power is incredible."
The plump man looked down at the cultivator surnamed Pan and clicked his tongue. "Earth-Breaking Sect? Is he from the devilish path? Unbelievable. Looks like the devilish sects have started targeting the alliance."
Xiang Yi nodded slightly.
"What’s so surprising? The three major alliances have always been seen as thorns in the side of both the righteous and devilish factions. If we hadn’t remained united and conducted ourselves cautiously without showing ambition, we might have been wiped out already.
"In the Demonic Sea, many cultivators from both paths have been recruited by the various merchant guilds, but only as guests. For someone to infiltrate the core man, he must have had a larger plan.
"He must have acted this time because of the mission assigned by the alliance leader, and revealed himself in order to seize control.
"Whether this was ordered by the devilish sects or done on his own is unknown.
"The Earth-Breaking Lizard is skilled in Earth Evasion. He probably released it inside the canyon. With his strength, it wouldn’t have been difficult to avoid detection. Then he used the lizard to stir chaos and lure in the Purple Star Eagles so he could act in the confusion."
The plump man chuckled. "He certainly was cunning, but still no match for Daoist Xiang. He never would have guessed we were already prepared for something . The true mission is still ahead. This stone hall is just the first phase. With just a small maneuver, you managed to force him out. However..."
His tone shifted slightly, and a look of confusion appeared on his face. "From what you said earlier, the mission doesn’t seem very difficult. The alliance even sent a Spiritual Infant grandmaster. If it’s that easy to complete, why go to such trouble and still allow a devilish sect's spy to slip in?"
Xiang Yi glanced at him. "How do you know whether a Spiritual Infant grandmaster has entered?"
Cui Ji and the plump man exchanged looks of shock.
"The three alliances are constantly watched by the righteous and devilish factions. We don’t easily deploy Spiritual Infant grandmasters. Those seniors each have their own tasks. And it’s inevitable that spies will slip in. Unlike sects, the alliances don't enforce military-like discipline. Each merchant guild has its own authority. The alliance leader cannot monopolize the quotas, so we must stay vigilant and expose the spies ourselves."
Xiang Yi turned toward the battlefield. "Enough delays. Let’s go save Daoist Liu and the others before they’re killed by the beasts. As for what just happened, I’ll let it slide. But if anyone dares disobey again, don’t blame me for being ruthless."
The plump man smiled. "Daoist Xiang, we’re grateful for your trust. We will carry out the mission diligently. Besides, I still need your help retrieving the treasure. How could I dare be careless?"
Cui Ji quickly nodded in agreement.
Xiang Yi led the charge toward the battlefield, then suddenly turned back and asked, "Are you certain Daoist Qingfeng is dead?"
Cui Ji patted his chest. "Rest assured. I was fully prepared. I left him severely wounded and saw with my own eyes the poisonous mist enter his body. He was engulfed by the beast horde. He’s dead for certain and won’t cause you any trouble."
While they went to rescue their companions, Qin Sang’s figure silently appeared at the edge of the crater.
The truth was very different from what he had imagined.
Xiang Yi had been fishing from the start, and the plump man and Cui Ji had long been under his command.
In hindsight, Cui Ji’s ambush hadn’t been a bad thing. Otherwise, Qin Sang might have faced all three of them later on, which would have been far more dangerous.
If Cui Ji was a venomous snake, then the plump man was a tiger, and Xiang Yi was even worse.
There had been no grudge between them. Just moments ago, they were chatting as if nothing were wrong, yet Xiang Yi had agreed without hesitation to help Cui Ji kill him.
Qin Sang lowered his gaze to the Pan-surnamed cultivator and the Earth-Breaking Lizard.
Back when the sudden change occurred, they had been thrown off by the lizard and couldn’t see clearly. So it hadn’t been a ferocious beast from the forbidden ground, but a spirit beast belonging to that cultivator.
"Earth-Breaking Sect... Devilish path..."
Qin Sang had overheard their conversation.
He had heard of the Earth-Breaking Sect before. It was said to be one of the major sects of the devilish path.
Qin Sang had been active mostly in the Demonic Sea and only had limited understanding of the Inner Sea.
From what he knew, the Inner Sea was dominated by the human race. The righteous and devilish factions constantly clashed, while the three major alliances rose to prominence amidst the conflict. Many smaller factions and rogue cultivators either remained secluded or chose neutrality.
Adding to the complexity was the ever-watchful witch race. The entire landscape was a tangled web.
Opening the route through the Demonic Sea had clearly eased tensions in the Inner Sea. Otherwise, full-scale war might have already erupted.