Betrayal

"Could this be a trap?" Bai was equally astonished upon reading the contents of the jade slip, finding it hard to believe. No wonder Qin Sang called him a lucky star. Only ten days had passed since Bai arrived at the front lines, yet completely without warning, utter turmoil had erupted in Yucheng, ostensibly caused by infighting within Sin Abyss. Back when the war had been going smoothly and they were on the verge of taking Tianxing City, Sin Abyss had not torn itself apart over dividing the spoils. Now, their defeat was all but sealed, and a single misstep could lead to utter ruin. To descend into factional strife at a time like this—wouldn't that just hand the Two Domains Alliance an easy victory on a silver platter? Could Sin Abyss truly be that foolish? Who were the two sides clashing? What had sparked it? Qin Sang was pondering the exact same questions. "Daoist Zhenyi summoned every Nascent Soul cultivator with his transmission. He must have a solid grasp of the situation; he wouldn't shoot without an aim. Senior Sister and Jingyu are already on their way. Once we see the old Daoist, we'll know what really happened." A single incense stick's time later, two streaks of light came flying over the city—Qingjun and Jingyu. Sensing the fluctuations of their auras, Qin Sang stepped out of the stone chamber. Li Yufu and the others were waiting outside. "Martial Uncle, everyone has gathered." Just moments ago, Qin Sang had abruptly changed their orders. The cultivators had been meditating, only to be roused and placed on high alert. Qin Sang surveyed the crowd and said in a grave voice, "Yufu, set out immediately without delay. Make haste for Caishi City at your absolute fastest speed!" Caishi City was one of the largest cities on the plains and had already been captured; Daoist Zhenyi was currently inside. Li Yufu was startled. "Martial Uncle, what happened?" "Don't worry, it's good news!" With a light tap of his foot, Qin Sang transformed into a long rainbow, piercing the sky to rendezvous with Qingjun and Jingyu. The three of them, along with Bai hidden inside the corpse puppet bag, flew without stopping toward Caishi City. Just as they reached the city gates, several streaks of light converged from another direction and landed beside them—Demon Monarch Tongyou, Dongyang Bo, and others. Harboring their own thoughts, the cultivators exchanged brief nods before hurrying into the city, eager to get answers from Daoist Zhenyi. Inside Caishi City. The city's former overlord had been a clan of cultivators that had retreated alongside the army of Sin Abyss. This clan had occupied the very heart of Caishi City. In the midst of a desolate plain, this estate was filled with singing birds, fragrant flowers, and serene waters mirroring verdant hills. It resembled the lush Jiangnan region transplanted beyond the northern frontier—an idyllic retreat that rivaled any prominent sect, embodying the elegance of a hidden recluse amidst the bustle of a city. Qin Sang and the others entered the main hall at the summit and saw Daoist Zhenyi, noting that a few figures had already arrived. "Fellow Daoists, you have arrived." Daoist Zhenyi rose to greet them with a welcoming smile and a nod. "We happened to cross paths outside the city," Demon Monarch Tongyou said, striding in briskly. He fixed his gaze on the old Daoist's eyes and cut straight to the chase: "Old Daoist, is what that urgent dispatch claimed true or false?" Evidently, Demon Monarch Tongyou also doubted the report's authenticity. It was simply too bizarre and defied all common sense! With a calm smile, Daoist Zhenyi gestured for him to take a seat. "Fellow Daoist, please be patient. A few others will be arriving shortly. Once everyone is present, I will reveal all the details, and we can assess the truth together." ... Qin Sang and Qingjun found seats and exchanged brief thoughts via secret voice transmissions. Soon, more cultivators arrived one after another, while the various armies also converged toward Caishi City. Before long, the final cultivator arrived, and every Nascent Soul expert deployed to the front lines was present. At that moment, Daoist Zhenyi cleared his throat, surveyed the assembly, and gave a slight bow. "I know every one of you is skeptical. To tell you the truth, when I first received word of this, I was stunned as well. I feared it was a plot—and not a particularly clever trap at that. However, I can assure you that the source of this intelligence is extremely reliable. While I dare not call it infallible, I am at least ninety-nine percent certain of its truth!" His voice rang out with utter conviction. Swayed by his confidence, several cultivators began to believe seventy to eighty percent of it. Yet others remained vigilant, even beginning to suspect the old Daoist's ulterior motives—especially those from the Xiaohan Realm. As the war's outcome grew clearer, internal frictions within the alliance had begun resurfacing. Particularly after witnessing the abundant resources on the plains, the various factions from both domains maintained a veneer of harmony on the surface, but covert maneuvering was inevitable. Fortunately, the Two Domains Alliance had anticipated this long ago and agreed by consensus that all spoils would be distributed fairly based on contribution once the war concluded. Otherwise, infighting would have broken out among them already. The gathered experts exchanged glances, their expressions varied. It was well known that the Two Domains Alliance and Sin Abyss had engaged in endless conflict over the plains, a feud stretching back centuries. Throughout that time, mutual espionage had been commonplace. Daoist Zhenyi undoubtedly possessed a deeply embedded informant whom he trusted implicitly. As everyone was lost in thought, Daoist Zhenyi continued, "While summoning all of you here, I received two more intelligence dispatches that provide further details." He paused briefly. "First, the root cause of the chaos in Yucheng is the betrayal of Old Demon Ye. Second, almost all of Sin Abyss's Nascent Soul experts were stationed in Yucheng. Caught completely off guard, they were massacred by Old Demon Ye alone, suffering catastrophic losses!" An uproar immediately erupted. "What?" "How is that possible! Has Old Demon Ye lost his mind?" "Old Demon Ye slaughtered the other Nascent Soul cultivators all by himself?" ... Every person in the hall was a seasoned Nascent Soul cultivator who had weathered countless storms. They had long learned to keep their composure, and ordinary matters could rarely ripple the waters of their emotions. Yet at this moment, their faces were filled with sheer shock, and several even gasped aloud. They had expected Daoist Zhenyi to present hard evidence, not to announce something so preposterous. "Old Demon Ye betrayed them? Half of Sin Abyss belongs to him! If he betrayed Sin Abyss, to whom could he possibly defect? Who could ever persuade him to surrender, or offer him greater benefits?" someone questioned, striking at the very heart of the matter. Qin Sang couldn't help recalling an old saying: *Why does Your Majesty rebel?* Even more unbelievable was that Old Demon Ye had slaughtered Sin Abyss's Nascent Soul cultivators single-handedly. "Even if those old bastards were incompetent, they still had the Nether Crystal Pagodas in their hands! When they join forces, not even a late Nascent Soul expert could gain an advantage in Yucheng. Since when has Old Demon Ye possessed such terrifying strength?" Yet Daoist Zhenyi replied with absolute certainty, "It was indeed a massacre. Those who perished couldn't even manage to let their Nascent Souls escape, and several others were grievously wounded! As for the Nether Crystal Pagodas, Old Demon Ye destroyed them in secret beforehand. By the time the others realized something was amiss, it was already far too late." "He even destroyed the Nether Crystal Pagodas..." Everyone was stunned. Each successive revelation was more shocking than the last. The Nether Crystal Pagodas had mysterious origins and were among Sin Abyss's greatest assets—capable of both offense and defense, versatile, and exceedingly difficult to counter. The moment they appeared on the battlefield, they had caused endless headaches for the Two Domains Alliance. Had it not been for those pagodas, the alliance would never have had to fight such an agonizing campaign. "Regardless of what Old Demon Ye's intentions are, what became of him in the end? What is the current situation inside Yucheng, and how did this internal strife conclude?" Qingjun fired off several questions in rapid succession. Throughout these revelations, her expression had remained remarkably calm. Her head had been slightly bowed as she pondered in silence, speaking only now.