Volume 2, Chapter 121 – Could He Really Be a Traitor?

“Kill them?”

Senior Brother Zhang was startled and rebuked in a trembling voice, “Pan Shang, have you lost your mind? Guardian Guo only ordered us to keep an eye on these villagers!”

“What’s there to fear?” Pan Shang boldly proposed. “Guardian Guo and the others have already gone to search for the snake nest. We can quietly deal with these villagers and just tell them later that they were killed by evil spirits.”

Senior Brother Zhang hesitated, glancing around. He noticed that the other junior brothers all wore expressions of anticipation, and his resolve wavered.

“I think Junior Brother Pan’s suggestion isn’t entirely wrong,” someone chimed in. “These villagers are going to die sooner or later anyway. Why not get rid of them now so they don’t slow us down?”

“Exactly!” another added. “Twenty or thirty of us have been unlucky enough to be stuck babysitting these country bumpkins while the other disciples roam freely. Why should we suffer? Once these villagers are gone, we’ll be free!”

“We’ve already been stuck here for half a month. Over a dozen of our brothers have died in that time. If we don’t do something soon, we’ll all be wiped out!”

Voices in support of Pan Shang rose one after another.

Emboldened, Pan Shang stood up and declared passionately, “Then let’s go in together, brothers, and—”

Before he could finish, something flashed before his eyes. He barely had time to wonder what it was when a cold sensation spread across his neck. His vision spun uncontrollably as his head toppled from his shoulders, blood gushing like a fountain.

The disciples, who had been ready to raise their banners in revolt, were instantly petrified. Their faces turned deathly pale as they stumbled backward in horror.

“Yes, these villagers will indeed die,” a cold, middle-aged voice rang out. “But how they die is not for you to decide.”

The disciples turned toward the voice and saw a tall, gaunt man with a grim expression stepping out of the darkness, a sword in hand.

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“Let me make this clear once more,” the man said icily. “Your only duty is to guard this place. If anyone dares to disobey orders again, this will be your fate.” He sheathed his sword.

“Y-yes, Guardian Guo!” The terrified disciples bowed their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

On the third morning, the upper echelons of the Honghua Sect hastily assembled their disciples for departure. Most had no idea where they were going, only that they were to collect horses and supplies before setting out.

Once outside the sect gates, Cheng Hongling was nowhere to be seen—only her doppelgänger accompanied the group.

The elders were unsurprised. This had been their plan: publicly announce that Qi Huang was in seclusion while secretly slipping away to prevent any opportunists from taking advantage of the sect’s weakened state.

Qi Huang had gone ahead to wait at the foot of the mountain, discreetly trailing the group and periodically reporting back to her main body.

Thus, the Honghua Sect’s forces rode swiftly toward Panshan Village, all dressed in plain clothes to avoid drawing attention.

Back at the sect, only two elders and the “secluded” Cheng Hongling remained.

By noon on the third day, they arrived at the county town nearest to Panshan Village. After a brief resupply, they entered the mountains.

With He Yong as their guide, navigation wasn’t an issue—the real threats were the ghosts, demons, and snakes lurking along the way.

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“Snakes? Are there many here?” Ruan Lingyu couldn’t help but ask.

“Yes, countless small snakes hide in these woods,” He Yong explained. “Their venom is deadly. If bitten, you’ll die within two or three hours. Over the years, many from our village have perished this way. The Heyi Sect told us these snakes were all spawned by that giant serpent that can ascend to the heavens.”

The female disciples paled at his words. Though cultivators, they were still women.

“A serpent that can ascend to the heavens… That must be the Incarnation Realm demon snake,” Ruan Lingyu murmured to her fellow disciples.

“Little brother, I’ve heard that snake is enormous. Is that true?” she pressed.

“Yes! Unbelievably huge!” He Yong’s face twisted with fear. “Even coiled in the clouds, it looks like a small mountain. Its eyes glow blue, like giant lanterns, and they roll like millstones!”

The women turned ashen.

“Junior Sisters, don’t listen to his nonsense,” Wang Zong, who was nearby, interjected reassuringly. “There’s no snake in this world that big.”

“I’m not lying! I’ve seen it with my own eyes!” He Yong protested, casting a nervous glance at Cheng Hongling, afraid the ethereal beauty would doubt him.

“If it were truly that massive, the Heyi Sect would’ve found it by now, wouldn’t they?” Xu Mei speculated.

“No, they’ve been searching for years but still haven’t located it,” He Yong admitted.

“Strange… A snake that size shouldn’t be able to hide easily,” Xu Mei mused.

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As they ventured deeper, Qi Huang took the lead, flying fifty zhang above the ground, her divine sense sweeping the forest below for threats. She relayed any dangers immediately to her main body.

Fifty zhang was deliberate—it was just beyond the maximum detection range of a Unity Realm expert (forty zhang), ensuring she could spot them first.

Meanwhile, Cheng Hongling led the main group, her high cultivation allowing her to clear obstacles ahead.

Along the way, they encountered scattered wandering ghosts and, most frequently, venomous snakes.

These snakes were ice-blue, ranging in size from slender threads to as thick as a bowl’s mouth. The elders quickly identified them as juvenile Blue-Scaled King Snakes.

“If we captured all these Blue-Scaled King Snakes and let them loose in the Honghua Sect, wouldn’t we have an endless supply of Blue Scale Stones?” Shen Yuan fantasized aloud.

“You’re too naïve,” Qin Quan chuckled. “Only Blue-Scaled King Snakes at the Unity Realm or above secrete that special fluid. These little ones are useless.”

“Silly girl,” Xu Mei scolded. “If Blue Scale Stones were so easy to obtain, why would they be so precious? Are you looking down on your master?”

Shen Yuan flushed with embarrassment and fell silent.

Qi Huang continued scouting ahead. Following her main body’s directions, she soon reached Panshan Village and scanned it with her divine sense.

What she found was both infuriating and laughable.

Infuriating, because the village was indeed as He Yong had described—only twenty or thirty elderly, sick, and weak remained, barely clinging to life.

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Laughable, because the Heyi Sect disciples were utterly inept. Aside from the twenty or so decoys at the village entrance, the rest were all ambushed outside, completely unaware they had already been detected.

Of course, the Heyi Sect wasn’t stupid—they simply hadn’t anticipated that the Honghua Sect had someone whose divine sense had reached the Incarnation Realm.

‘What’s going on? Did they know in advance that someone was coming to rescue these villagers?’

Qi Huang frowned. After some thought, only one possibility made sense—there was a traitor in their midst.

Her mind raced through the faces of their companions, eliminating them one by one until only one suspect remained: He Yong.

Why?

Because his appearance was too suspicious. The Heyi Sect had the village locked down tight. How could an ordinary boy slip out unnoticed? And even if he had, how had he survived the journey? She had seen the dangers along the path herself.

Still, suspicion wasn’t proof. It was too soon to conclude anything.

The immediate priority was to halt the group’s advance—otherwise, they’d walk right into a trap.

She immediately sent a mental message to her main body, urging the group to stop and briefly explaining the situation in Panshan Village.

‘Could He Yong really be a traitor?’

Cheng Hongling hadn’t expected this outcome either. She swept her divine sense over He Yong once more, reassessing him with cold suspicion.