Chapter 1299: Betrayal

"Is it a trap?" After seeing the contents of the jade slip, Bai was equally astonished and found it hard to believe.

No wonder Qin Sang had called him a bringer of fortune. Bai had only arrived at the front line ten days ago, yet Yu City had suddenly fallen into chaos without the slightest warning. It seemed internal strife had broken out within Sin Abyss.

When the war had been going smoothly and Sin Abyss had nearly fought its way to Tianxing City, they had not turned on one another over uneven spoils.

Now that defeat was all but certain, and one misstep could doom them forever, internal conflict at such a moment would only hand the Two-Domain Alliance an opportunity to reap the benefits. Could Sin Abyss really be that foolish?

Who were the two sides in this internal conflict? What had caused it?

Qin Sang was thinking about the same questions.

"Daoist Master Zhenyi sent a message summoning all the Spiritual Infant cultivators. He must have at least some confidence in this news and would not make baseless claims. Senior Sister and Jingyu are already on their way. Once we meet Daoist Master Zhenyi, we will know what actually happened."

After the time it took an incense stick to burn, two streams of light sped over the city. They were Qingjun and Jingyu.

Sensing their aura fluctuations, Qin Sang stepped out of the stone chamber.

Li Yufu and the others were already waiting outside. "Senior Uncle, everyone is here."

A moment ago, Qin Sang had suddenly changed his orders. The others had all been meditating, only to be called up and put on full alert.

Qin Sang swept his gaze over the crowd and said in a deep voice, "Yufu, depart at once. Do not delay on the road. Head for Caishi City as fast as possible!"

Caishi City was one of the largest cities on the plain and had already fallen. Daoist Master Zhenyi was currently there.

Li Yufu was startled. "Senior Uncle, what happened?"

"Don't worry. It's good news!" Qin Sang tapped the ground with his foot and transformed into a streak of rainbow, shooting through the sky to join Qingjun and Jingyu.

The three of them, together with Bai hidden inside the Corpse Puppet Pouch, did not stop for even a moment and flew straight to Caishi City.

As soon as they reached the city gate, several streaks of evasion light flew in from another direction and landed beside them. They were Devil Lord Tongyou, Dongyang Bo, and the others.

Each of them harbored thoughts of his own. They merely nodded to one another in greeting, then hurried into the city, eager to find Daoist Master Zhenyi and get a clear answer.

The original ruler of Caishi City had been a cultivation family, but they had already withdrawn together with the Sin Abyss army. That family had occupied the most central part of the city.

In the midst of the desolate plain, this place alone was filled with birdsong, flowers, lakes, and hills, like a paradise. The scenery was delightful, no less impressive than a cultivation sect, and it carried the vibe of great recluses hidden within the city.[1]

Qin Sang and the others entered the main hall at the mountain summit and met Daoist Master Zhenyi, only to find that several others were already present inside.

"So, you have all arrived." Daoist Master Zhenyi rose to greet them with a smile and a nod.

"We happened to run into each other outside the city," Devil Lord Tongyou said as he strode into the hall. Staring directly into Daoist Master Zhenyi’s eyes, he got straight to the point. "Old Daoist, is the urgent report true or false?"

Devil Lord Tongyou clearly doubted the authenticity of the news as well. It was too absurd, too unreasonable!

Zhenyi smiled and gestured inward. "Please be patient, Daoist. A few more Daoists will arrive shortly. Once they do, I will reveal all the information so we may judge its validity together."

***

Qin Sang and Qingjun found seats and sat down, quietly exchanging voice transmissions.

More people arrived one after another, and the various armies were also converging on Caishi City. Soon, the last person arrived, and every Spiritual Infant cultivator at the front line was present.

Zhenyi gave a light cough, looked around the room, and bowed slightly. "I know all of you have doubts. To be honest, I was also startled when I received this news and feared it was a scheme, perhaps not even a particularly clever trap. But I can guarantee that the source of this information is highly reliable. I dare not say it is foolproof, but I am at least ninety-nine percent certain!"

Zhenyi spoke with firm conviction and great confidence.

Some were influenced by his tone and believed seven or eight parts out of ten. Others remained wary throughout and had even begun suspecting Zhenyi’s motives, especially those from Small Cold Domain.

As the situation gradually became clearer, contradictions within the alliance began surfacing again.

Especially after seeing the abundant resources on the plain, the various factions of the two domains had maintained superficial harmony, but hidden struggles had inevitably appeared.

Fortunately, the Two-Domain Alliance had recognized this issue long ago and already reached a public agreement. All resources would be distributed fairly after the war according to contribution. Otherwise, internal fighting would have erupted long ago.

The crowd exchanged glances, each wearing a different expression.

Everyone knew that the Two-Domain Alliance and Sin Abyss had long been fighting over control of the plain, and the grievances between them stretched back many years.

During that time, infiltration on both sides had been commonplace. Zhenyi must have had an extremely deeply hidden line of intelligence, and one he trusted completely!

While the crowd’s thoughts churned, Zhenyi continued, "After summoning you all, I received two more reports, both more specific."

He paused slightly. "First, the cause of the chaos in Yu City was Old Devil Ye’s betrayal. Second, nearly all of Sin Abyss’s Spiritual Infant cultivators were in Yu City. Caught completely off guard, they were slaughtered by Old Devil Ye alone, and Sin Abyss suffered catastrophic losses!"

The moment those words fell, the hall erupted.

"What?"

"How is that possible? Has Old Devil Ye gone mad?"

"Old Devil Ye slaughtered the other Spiritual Infant cultivators by himself?"

Everyone in the hall had cultivated to the Spiritual Infant Realm. They were all old monsters who had weathered countless storms and long since learned to remain unshaken. Ordinary matters rarely stirred their emotions.

Yet now every face was filled with shock, and a few cries of alarm even rang out.

They had thought Zhenyi would present some ironclad evidence. Instead, they had heard something even more absurd.

"Old Devil Ye betrayed Sin Abyss? Half of Sin Abyss is already his. If he betrayed Sin Abyss, then where would he defect to? Who could possibly persuade him to surrender by offering greater benefits?" someone demanded, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

Qin Sang could not help but think of a single phrase. Why would His Majesty rebel?

Even more unbelievable was the claim that Old Devil Ye alone had slaughtered Sin Abyss’s Spiritual Infant cultivators.

"No matter how incompetent those old bastards are, they still had the Nether Crystal Tower in hand. If they joined forces, even a late-stage Spiritual Infant expert would gain no advantage in Yu City. Since when did Old Devil Ye possess such terrifying strength?"

Zhenyi, however, said with certainty, "It really was a slaughter. Those who were killed could not even escape with their Spiritual Infants, and others were gravely injured as well! As for the Nether Crystal Tower, Old Devil Ye had secretly destroyed it. By the time the others realized something was wrong, it was already too late."

"Even the Nether Crystal Tower was destroyed by Old Devil Ye..." Everyone froze.

One explosive revelation followed another.

The Nether Crystal Tower had mysterious origins and was one of Sin Abyss’s greatest trump cards. It could attack and defend, adapt freely, and was extremely difficult to deal with. The moment it had appeared on the battlefield, it had thrown the Two-Domain Alliance into utter distress.

Without the Nether Crystal Tower, the Two-Domain Alliance would not have fought such a difficult war.

"Leaving aside Old Devil Ye’s intentions, what was his final outcome? What is the situation in Yu City now? What was the result of this internal conflict?" Qingjun fired off several questions in rapid succession.

Throughout these revelations, her expression had remained calm. With her head slightly lowered, she had been quietly pondering something and had not spoken until now.

1. "Great recluses hidden within the city" is a Chinese saying that means that the real recluses can even keep calm in a noisy city." ☜

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