Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1617: Chapter 1613: Traitor

Seeing his expression, Huang Zhengyang’s own expression grew heavier: ”Brother Chu, my plan didn’t go smoothly?”

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

”Something went wrong?” Huang Zhengyang said.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”They broke this secret technique. It’s rather troublesome.”

Huang Zhengyang wore a look of asking for guidance.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”After breaking this secret technique, they didn’t expose it directly. Instead they went along with it, found someone to draw the Evil Extermination Department’s attention, and then took the chance to slip into the Evil Extermination Department.”

Huang Zhengyang’s face changed slightly.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Killing with a borrowed knife, using the hand of Evil Demons to deal a heavy blow to the Evil Extermination Department.”

Huang Zhengyang’s face sank.

Chu Zhiyuan let out a wry laugh: ”This Heavenly Shadow Sect, we really did underestimate them.”

Huang Zhengyang paced back and forth in the courtyard, his expression shifting.

Chu Zhiyuan watched him with a smile.

Huang Zhengyang paced while muttering under his breath: ”Broke the secret technique... killing with a borrowed knife...”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Even without using the secret technique, they would still move against the Evil Extermination Department.”

Huang Zhengyang looked at Chu Zhiyuan and said helplessly, ”Brother Chu, you saw this coming ahead of time, didn’t you?”

He had shifted Heavenly Shadow Sect’s opponent from the Four Great Sects onto the Evil Extermination Department.

This was very likely already within Chu Zhiyuan’s expectations, perhaps even done on purpose.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head with a faint smile: ”My secret technique isn’t that divine. Some branches of possibility I can’t see that clearly.”

Huang Zhengyang sighed: ”Looks like we’ve brought trouble down on the Evil Extermination Department.”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Heavenly Shadow Sect was originally the target of the Evil Extermination Department. Let the Evil Sect deal with them.”

Huang Zhengyang said, ”This time we’ve taken the arrow for the Four Great Sects.”

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled: ”Sooner or later we’d clash with them. Sooner is no worse than later.”

Huang Zhengyang shook his head and sighed: ”Ai...”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Then change the move, or use some other secret technique.”

”Secret technique...” Huang Zhengyang frowned. ”Looks like planting a mark on them will be hard to pull off. They must have their own Secret Technique.”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”They spend all day burrowing into other people’s places. Naturally they’re on guard against others using this trick on them.”

”Let me think...” Huang Zhengyang pondered, pacing again.

Chu Zhiyuan watched him with a smile.

After several turns, Huang Zhengyang suddenly stopped and said in a deep voice, ”There’s an Exotic Beast with an astonishing sense of smell that can detect a unique scent within a hundred miles.”

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Huang Zhengyang said, ”As long as they’re tainted with this scent, the moment they appear they’ll be sniffed out by the Exotic Beast.”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Then there are many of these Exotic Beasts?”

Huang Zhengyang shook his head: ”Only three.”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Then how can you determine where they descend?”

”One guards the Capital City, the other two guard two Far Borders. That should be enough,” Huang Zhengyang said.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Under normal circumstances it would be enough. His eyes turned hollow again.

A moment later, he returned to normal and shook his head: ”It didn’t work. They weren’t found.”

”Strange...” Huang Zhengyang frowned. ”They actually cracked that too?”

Chu Zhiyuan surveyed the surroundings.

Huang Zhengyang looked at him in puzzlement.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Brother Huang, have you ever considered one thing?”

”What?”

”Is this Heavenly Shadow Sect’s first time coming to our Biyuan Heaven?”

”Definitely not,” Huang Zhengyang said. ”For them to find the Four Great Sects, there’s no way they just arrived or that this is their first time here.”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”They want to deal with the Four Great Sects, to infiltrate within the sect, sow discord. Then what about the Evil Extermination Department?”

Huang Zhengyang’s face changed slightly; he said in a deep voice, ”They’ve already entered our Evil Extermination Department?”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”The secret technique being broken may be because some clue was spotted. The Exotic Beast’s scent also being cracked—could that really be coincidence?”

Huang Zhengyang said in a deep voice, ”They’ve already blended into the Evil Extermination Department, and their status isn’t low?”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Is there such a possibility?”

Huang Zhengyang slowly nodded: ”If they’ve been scheming for a long time, it’s very possible!”

Chu Zhiyuan sighed: ”I’ve thought of another possibility.”

”What?”

”Is Heavenly Shadow Sect only doing this in our Biyuan Heaven? What about other worlds?”

”For them to enter our Biyuan Heaven, they must be relying on Spiritual Artifacts, right? There shouldn’t be many such Spiritual Artifacts. Otherwise Heavenly Shadow Sect would’ve long become famous in the world, like your Heaven-Reaching Sect.”

”That’s true,” Chu Zhiyuan nodded slightly. ”To handle Heavenly Shadow Sect, you should first purge the inside of your Evil Extermination Department.”

”Ai—!”

Huang Zhengyang gave a bitter smile.

Purging internal traitors from the Evil Extermination Department is far from easy.

The Evil Extermination Department isn’t a dozen or a few dozen people, nor a single Sect, but a massive organization.

Every purge causes enormous upheaval.

Only when things are extremely serious do they launch a cleansing operation.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head: ”I’m afraid I can’t help much with that. But we can think of a way to fish them out.”

”Fish them out?” Huang Zhengyang pondered. ”Our current advantage is that they don’t know we’ve discovered their presence.”

Chu Zhiyuan nodded: ”But we must be careful. There may not be only one who slipped in.”

Huang Zhengyang said, ”Then we’ll fish them out wave after wave, clean them out thoroughly!”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Use the ones you’ve already caught as bait and see if you can lure them out.”

As he spoke, his eyes went vacant again.

Huang Zhengyang watched him intently.

A moment later, Chu Zhiyuan’s eyes cleared, with a thoughtful look.

Huang Zhengyang hurriedly asked, ”Well?”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”We couldn’t lure them out... This is a bit odd.”

Huang Zhengyang was puzzled: ”So there aren’t any?”

Chu Zhiyuan frowned: ”I’m suspecting that as well. Either they’ve already seen through it, or there is no internal traitor.”

He shook his head: ”If that’s the case, then it’s troublesome.”

Huang Zhengyang also frowned, deep in thought.

The small courtyard fell silent at once.

In the emptiness, the two men’s thoughts whirled like lightning.

Chu Zhiyuan felt helpless inwardly.

This was why the Donghuan Saint Technique was not omnipotent; it had its limits.

He sighed: ”Let’s do this. I’ll see whether there are any Heavenly Shadow Sect experts in the Capital.”

Huang Zhengyang’s spirits lifted; he quickly said, ”Brother Chu, you can see them?”

”I’ll try to employ a secret technique and see if it works,” Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. ”I’m not certain.”

Huang Zhengyang smiled: ”Then Brother Chu, give it a try.”

He knew that when Chu Zhiyuan said he wasn’t certain, it meant he didn’t have ten-tenths certainty; eight or nine-tenths he usually did.

And eight or nine-tenths certainty was often more than enough.

Chu Zhiyuan’s eyes suddenly turned clear and bright.

Huang Zhengyang only felt his breathing become difficult, as an invisible force instantly surged over and trapped him so he couldn’t move.

He struggled to regulate his breathing, urged his True Yuan, and his face quickly flushed red.

But his True Yuan was almost stagnant; even his blood ceased flowing, and his heartbeat stopped as well.

He felt every second stretch unbearably slow, as though he might die at any moment.

The next instant, the pressure around him loosened.

His vision went dark in waves, his body so weak he almost collapsed.

Staggering once, he forced his True Yuan to stabilize his body and quickly asked, ”Well?”

Chu Zhiyuan nodded: ”There are two fellows.”

He brought his fingers together like a sword and lightly tapped toward Huang Zhengyang.

Huang Zhengyang didn’t dodge, letting the fingertip touch the center of his brow.

A moment later, two middle-aged men appeared before his eyes.

His eyes widened sharply: ”Those two? Impossible!”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Their mental method is unique. There’s no mistake.”

”It’s actually those two...” Huang Zhengyang could hardly believe it.

They were both old-timers of many years, who’d even joined the Evil Extermination Department earlier than he had.

Both held high office and were quite respected.

And these two high-ranking figures of the Evil Extermination Department were actually Heavenly Shadow Sect disciples?

Chu Zhiyuan sighed: ”I’d guess they don’t even need to personally contact Heavenly Shadow Sect disciples to have long since guessed at your methods.”

Huang Zhengyang silently nodded.