550 A Traitor?
The white-robed king stared at the tear-streaked Yue Yang before he grabbed him off the ground.
“Although Kong Binghuang is strong, both you and Zhou Chuanyong shouldn’t have met your end even if defeated… So why is he the one who perished while you survived?”
The white-robed king’s voice was steady, but the potent killing intent within his words was near its breaking point. Every martial artist within the pavilion shivered involuntarily. Some even lost their footing and collapsed on the ground.
“It’s the Kun Peng clan causing trouble! Kong Binghuang and Tang Pi joined forces, taking us by surprise.” Yue Yang’s tears streamed down his face unabated.
The sight of a two-hundred-year-old visceral prefecture realm expert weeping so bitterly made several Sacred Heart Sect martial artists scoff. However, the white-robed king was indifferent. He didn’t address this matter but kept his gaze on Yue Yang.
“Why didn’t the elders under your command anticipate the danger immediately? As I recall, you guys were fairly skilled in such calculations. Wuji Mountain is just a hundred miles from the Thousand Divination Tower. If we had detected the danger sooner… with my speed, I might have made it in time, right?” The white-robed king’s words carried an underlying significance.
“I… I don’t know either.” Yue Yang’s face was streaked with tears, his expression filled with confusion. “I’m aware of these things. I’ve entrusted them to the elders.”
The white-robed king signaled to a person standing beside him, who understood and promptly rushed towards a small building not far from the pavilion. The original occupants of the pavilion had relocated due to the arrival of the Sacred Heart Sect.
No sooner had the man left than a hunchbacked elder began ascending the stairs. The elder’s complexion was ashen, and he trembled as he moved. He gazed at Yue Yang, suspended in mid-air by the white-robed king, and looked momentarily taken aback. He then regained his composure.
“Cheng Li pays his respects to the tower lord and the white-robed king!” Cheng Li bowed deferentially towards the two figures, then handed over a yellow paper with shaking hands.
The white-robed king paused before accepting the note from the elder. Reading the contents, he let out a chuckle. The note warned of imminent danger at Wuji Mountain, predicting death.
The next moment, his eyes were alight with killing intent. The grip on Yue Yang’s neck tightened.
“King, I’m innocent…” Yue Yang’s face started to turn purple, his breath becoming increasingly shallow.
“Innocent? Zhou Chuanyong is dead, and your men only now deliver this note. What do you take that to mean?” The white-robed king’s ominous smile widened. “Don’t tell me that this wasn’t your doing!”
“Master… This servant truly didn’t know…”
Suddenly, there was a flurry of footsteps from the top of the stairs. The Sacred Heart Sect martial artist, whom the white-robed king had previously dispatched, returned from the small building and rushed to the white-robed king’s side.
“Four elders from the Heart Eye Pavilion have exhausted their lifespans and died. Furthermore, several others exude a weak aura, clearly having expended a great deal of energy…” The Sacred Heart Sect’s martial artist recounted the unfortunate state of the pavilion’s elders to the white-robed king.
Hearing this grim report, Yue Yang, held in the white-robe king’s grasp, found his breathing eased significantly. With a thud, he dropped heavily onto the ground. He promptly knelt before the white-robed king and bowed deeply.
“Heaven and earth are my witnesses! I am wholly loyal to the king and the Sacred Heart Sect! I beseech Your Excellency to understand!”
The white-robe king gazed at the kneeling Yue Yang, digesting his subordinate’s report on the pavilion’s condition.
“Such a heavy price… This isn’t the work of some lucky person. There’s a deliberate hand behind this.” The white-robed king, after a moment of silence, shared his conclusion.
“Indeed! By your description, even if the sect leader of the True Path Sect arrived in person, we wouldn’t have lost so many pillars of my pavilion. I fear someone employed a treasure capable of concealing fate. No, it’s more likely some form of divine ability or array!” Yue Yang asserted confidently. “That’s why we paid such a heavy price to predict information that was already outdated.”
“Do you have any leads, Lord Yue?” the white-robed king inquired.
Yue Yang shook his head. “I don’t know who specifically, but they must be associated with Wuji Mountain. Perhaps the Kun Peng clan has a hidden trump card?”
Yue Yang added, “In the past, the eight royal families entered the underworld to contend for supremacy, aided by an innate spiritual object that could confound celestial calculations, leading to several human defeats.”
The white-robed king’s eyes sparked with surprise. “Lord Yue, you’re aware of this too?”
“Over thousands of years, the Thousand Divination Tower has amassed an extensive database. Naturally, we can discover certain secrets,” Yue Yang replied modestly.
“Of course, we can’t rule out that the True Path Sect has meddled in this matter. After all, Kong Binghuang holds the additional identity of a Dao Child candidate. His competitor for that position is the current master of the True Path Sect, so we need to stay vigilant against this person.” Yue Yang’s words were loaded with implications.
The white-robed king moved slowly to Yue Yang’s side, then gently helped him to his feet. As he brushed the dust from Yue Yang’s body, his eyes seemed somewhat more at ease.
“With Zhou Chuanyong gone, you’re my only capable assistant, Lord Yue. Do not let me down.”
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