Yan Zhen’s words stirred up massive waves in the hearts of everyone in the hall.
One of the three Demon Exterminator Envoys was a Gu Insect Puppet controlled by the Heavenly Gu Elder?
Forget the Cloud Heaven Palace higher-ups—even Yun Xiu and Cai Lian, both reincarnators, were taken aback.
Elder Bai and his two subordinates froze for a moment. Then the two young men flushed bright red and erupted in outrage on the spot.
“Kid, do you have any idea what you’re saying? Slandering a Demon Exterminator Envoy is a capital offense—no one can save you!”
“I bet you’re a Demon Domain hidden agent! With scum like you around, Cloud Heaven Palace really is a den of filth and corruption!”
Elder Bai raised a hand to silence his furious subordinates. He spoke coldly.
“You’re Yan Zhen? You’re saying one of us three is a Demon Domain mole, right? Name the culprit and give your reasons. Otherwise, you’ll pay a heavy price for your ravings!”
The old coot’s pretty level-headed, Yan Zhen muttered inwardly. Too bad he’s only second-in-command in the Demon Slaying Squad—the top dog is a Mystic Venerable.
Out loud, however, Yan Zhen replied, “Think about it carefully. How did you learn that the Heavenly Gu Elder had shown up at Cloud Heaven Palace? Your two subordinates told you, didn’t they? The one wearing glasses.”
Lin He’s expression tightened. He glared daggers at Yan Zhen, as if holding back a torrent of rage.
“So what if they did?” Elder Bai remained unmoved. Compared to subordinates who’d followed him for years, Yan Zhen had zero credibility in his eyes. “His name is Lin He. Like this old man, he’s from the Black Horn Empire—a genius who rose through the ranks from Mystic Academy. His background is spotless, his record clean. No issues whatsoever!”
“That’s the problem,” Yan Zhen said leisurely, comfortably seated on Cai Lian’s lap. “You’re based in the Black Horn Empire. Without an official report, how could you learn of the Heavenly Gu Elder’s arrival at Cloud Heaven Palace right away?”
According to the script’s description, there was a Gu Insect Puppet of the Heavenly Gu Elder embedded in the Demon Slaying Squad stationed in the Black Horn Empire. It was just hard to pin down whether they’d fallen to the demonic path by now.
But there was corroborating evidence: They’d shown up ahead of any report, which meant they’d received direct word from the Heavenly Gu Elder.
The charge of “colluding with demons” was grave—equivalent to treason. With the right maneuvering, Cloud Heaven Palace might end up disbanded, just like in his previous life.
By leveraging that leverage, then dangling the promise of breaking through to Mystic Ancestor, the Heavenly Gu Elder planned to bend Cloud Heaven Palace to his will. That was his backup plan.
These remote sects weren’t direct subordinates of the Jialan Holy Land. Their loyalty was weak, and a mix of threats and bribes could easily flip them to the Demon Domain’s side.
That was why the Heavenly Gu Elder had his Demon Exterminator Envoy pawn rush over with reinforcements—to catch Cloud Heaven Palace off guard and achieve his goal.
“Is that all?” Elder Bai scoffed in disdain. “I just asked the Garo Kingdom Lord. It was his people who reported it—a suspected Demon Domain evil cultivator had appeared at Cloud Heaven Palace, consorting with the higher-ups. They even provided a Reflecting Light Mirror as evidence.”
With that, Elder Bai produced the “evidence” from his storage ring.
“I’ve reviewed the footage in this Reflecting Light Mirror and gotten a general sense of the incident. By the way, you’re the one who fought the Cloud Heaven Palace Young Sect Master, right? After you beat his fiancée, the Cloud Heaven Palace Second Palace Lord refused to accept the loss and sent that Yun Du—who was really Wolf Poison—to fight you. You defeated him with some bizarre Mystic Artifact, forcing Wolf Poison to summon the divine soul avatar the Heavenly Gu Elder had left in him. Clearly, the Cloud Heaven Palace Second Palace Lord was on very familiar terms with that Wolf Poison. In fact, Wolf Poison hid in Cloud Heaven Palace for refuge precisely because the Second Palace Lord had his back!”
Yan Zhen waved this off.
“Put that aside for now. The point is, one of you three is a Demon Domain mole. The Reflecting Light Mirror is genuine, but it hadn’t reached your hands yet, had it?”
Elder Bai snorted.
“I only heard the news by word of mouth.”
Yan Zhen turned to the Garo Kingdom Lord.
“Then let me ask you, Garo Kingdom Lord. The incident happened at noon the day before yesterday. When exactly did you report it?”
Doubt filled the Garo Kingdom Lord’s eyes. He’d thought the Demon Exterminator Envoys had arrived too quickly himself, but it had never occurred to him that one of them might be a Demon Domain hidden agent!
His original plan had been to kick Cloud Heaven Palace while it was down—when its vitality was sapped—to crush it beyond recovery. That way, the Garo Kingdom’s royal family could dominate unchallenged and truly rule the nation. But the situation had spiraled far beyond his expectations.
The Garo Kingdom Lord subtly put some distance between himself and the glasses-wearing Lin He before answering, “The day before yesterday.”
“Be specific.”
“The evening of the day before yesterday.”
Yan Zhen nodded and turned back to Elder Bai.
“You arrived before noon, didn’t you? From that evening until this dusk, that’s nearly three days. Even taking a private flying boat from the Black Horn Empire would take close to three days—cutting it way too close. I don’t buy that the Garo Kingdom Lord’s report went through so smoothly and reached you instantly. In other words, you mobilized before he even sent it.”
Elder Bai’s expression faltered. He didn’t even need Yan Zhen’s deduction—he clearly remembered Lin He telling him the news in the afternoon of the day before yesterday.
The Hedgehog Head Youth was stunned too. He recalled they’d set off that very afternoon, in a huge rush, and hadn’t rested even now.
Sweat beaded on Lin He’s forehead, color draining from his face. He’d never imagined anyone would dare accuse a Demon Exterminator Envoy of being a Demon Domain mole—or even probe into their travel timeline.
The Garo Kingdom Lord had found their speed odd too, but he’d kept quiet. Demon Exterminator Envoys inspired fear by default; fewer words meant fewer handles to be used against you, less needless trouble.
Most people from the sects he’d dealt with acted the same way. The rare few who didn’t were just chatterboxes who loved to yap—but even they never pried into Demon Exterminator business.
This kid!
Elder Bai said suspiciously, “What’s going on here? Explain yourself, Lin He.”
Lin He forced calm into his voice.
“I… I got the news from another source…”
“What source? From the Heavenly Gu Elder himself?” Elder Bai roared in fury. “Lin He, explain yourself to this old man!”
“Elder Bai, I had no choice!” Lin He dropped to his knees with a thud and clutched at Elder Bai’s leg. “I was infected with the Heavenly Gu Elder’s Gu Worm. If I don’t obey him, the worm eats my heart and kills me. What else could I do?”
“You—you! You’ve enraged this old man! I’ve always despised Demon Domain lackeys the most!”
“Elder Bai, I had my reasons. I didn’t want this—I just—”
Lin He’s face suddenly twisted into a savage snarl.
Pfft.
A pitch-black dagger plunged into Elder Bai’s abdomen. Gu poison from the blade seeped into the wound, instantly stiffening his body and clogging his mystic power so he could barely mobilize it.
“What?”
The sudden turn of events made everyone’s faces tighten.
Yan Zhen reacted first. Before Lin He could strike again, he leaped forward on ripples of starlight and unleashed a fist blazing with Great Crimson Heaven Flame, sending Lin He flying.
Lin He used the momentum to widen the gap, then bolted straight for the hall doors.
