Chapter 2592: Chapter 2592
Upon discovering the issue, the doppelganger chose not to alert the Zhou Tribe. Instead, he donned his cloak of invisibility and slipped into their world.
Without a credible identity to expose the alien infiltrators to the Zhou Tribe, he decided to eliminate them covertly before negotiating with the tribal chief.
Most of the corrupted warriors were concentrated in the tribe’s central district, making them easy to locate.
As the doppelganger scouted for his first target, a martial cultivator with a tainted golden core emerged from the tribe, his face twisted into a sinister grin—clearly up to no good.
Fortunately, this cultivator wasn’t particularly strong, merely at the first level of the Heavenly Realm.
Ye Liuyun trailed behind him, curious about his intentions.
After leaving the tribal settlement, the cultivator trekked a long distance until he reached a dense forest. There stood a modest house with a small courtyard.
Inside, an elderly man was chopping firewood while a young boy gathered the scattered pieces.
Without hesitation, the cultivator kicked the flimsy wooden gate off its hinges, sending it crashing into the old man. The impact knocked him to the ground, blood spilling from his lips as the terrified boy rushed to his side, crying, "Grandpa!"
The child then spread his arms protectively in front of his grandfather, glaring defiantly at the menacing intruder.
Through his golden pupils, Ye Liuyun could see that neither the old man nor the boy were cultivators—just ordinary civilians, completely devoid of any cultivation base.
Sensing no one else nearby, he stealthily closed the distance. With his current strength, he could stand right behind the cultivator without being detected.
"Pathetic old fool," the cultivator sneered, looming over the injured man. "Time to send you to your grave."
A flicker of despair crossed the old man’s eyes. "Kill me if you must," he pleaded hoarsely, "but the boy is innocent. He knows nothing. Spare him, I beg you—for the sake of the lives I once saved in your family."
"My orders are clear—root out the entire line," the cultivator scoffed, unmoved. "Save your breath."
With that, he stepped forward, ready to strike without a shred of mercy.
"Don’t you dare hurt my grandpa, you traitorous scum! I’ll fight you to the death!" The little boy refused to back down, grabbing a thin wooden stick from the ground and brandishing it wildly.
The old man struggled to prop himself up, shouting hoarsely, "Ping’er, don’t worry about me! Run!"
Hearing the boy’s defiant words, the martial cultivator’s eyes flashed with cruelty. He raised his palm, ready to strike the child down.
Yet his hand froze midair, as if an invisible force had paralyzed him. His entire body became rigid like a statue. At that moment, the doppelganger removed his cloak of invisibility, revealing himself.
The terrified boy covered his eyes with one hand while wildly swinging the stick with the other. The old man simply closed his eyes and let out a resigned sigh.
Ye Liuyun approached the elder, offering him a drop of life-giving spring water before helping him sit up. "You’ll be fine now. Just rest for a while," Ye Liuyun reassured him.
Seeing it wasn’t the martial cultivator, the old man looked momentarily startled before realizing he’d been saved. The boy watched Ye Liuyun warily, still gripping his stick tightly, uncertain whether this newcomer was friend or foe.
The elder repeatedly thanked the doppelganger.
The immobilized martial cultivator finally grasped that Ye Liuyun far surpassed him in power. Though he didn’t recognize Ye Liuyun, he blustered, "Where did you pop up from, brat? I’m a tribal guard! These two wretched peasants committed treason against our tribe. I’m carrying out the chieftain’s orders to purge traitors. Release me at once!"
Ye Liuyun’s response was immediate—he initiated a soul search.
The old man was named Luan Feng’an, formerly a servant in the Jin clan leader’s household. Before the Jin tribe’s extermination, the chieftain had discovered foreign spies among them.
He’d secretly informed his trusted servants, ordering them to flee and spread the warning. Though merely a lowly servant, Luan Feng’an learned the truth—not only had the Jin clan been infiltrated, but the Zhou clan harbored numerous traitors as well.
After the entire Jin Clan’s leadership was slaughtered, the Zhou Tribe unified both tribes and had been relentlessly hunting down their former subordinates. It was only because Luan Feng’an had no cultivation realm and thus drew no attention that it took so long for them to track him down.
They had assumed Luan Feng’an was powerless—someone a mere guard could easily dispatch. Little did they expect to encounter Ye Liuyun’s avatar.
The avatar probed the guard’s memories to uncover who among them had defected to the alien race. But the moment it searched, it was startled.
From the man’s consciousness, it learned there were at least dozens of traitors who had sided with the invaders. And that was just within the Jin Clan, where he had once served.
From what he knew, the Zhou Tribe had many as well. However, those within his reach were all low-level figures—he had no knowledge of higher-ranking conspirators.
After sifting through the memories, Ye Liuyun pondered how to deal with this warrior.
By now, Luan Feng’an had mostly recovered. Mistaking Ye Liuyun’s hesitation for reluctance to spare the warrior, he immediately pulled his young grandson down to kneel before him.
"I don’t know which tribe you belong to," Luan Feng’an pleaded, voice trembling, "but the words our clan leader spoke before his death were true—many among the Jin and Zhou Tribes are spies for the alien race.
"I may not be a cultivator, but I swear on my life I’m not lying. If you have the power, please spread this truth. Save our people from tearing each other apart while the invaders profit.
"If you must kill me, I won’t resist. But I beg you—spare my grandson. His name is Luan Ping. His parents... they died covering our escape.
"He’s just a child. Even if he spoke of this, no one would believe him. Please... have mercy."
Without a word, Ye Liuyun drew his Demon-Slaying Blade and, in one swift motion, beheaded the warrior before storing the corpse away.
He helped the stunned old man and his grandson to their feet.
"Don’t worry," he assured them. "I’ve seen the truth now—both tribes are indeed riddled with traitors. That man was one of them. I’ll root them out, one by one."
Tears streamed down Luan Feng’an’s weathered face as he muttered prayers of gratitude, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Your location has been exposed," Ye Liuyun warned. "The Zhou Tribe won’t let this go. You must leave—now."
Neither grandfather nor grandson were cultivators. Even the weakest warrior could slaughter them without effort.
The old man nodded fervently but then hesitated. "We... we have no cultivation. We can’t travel far. If we relocate, it would have to be closer to the tribes..."
