"Eldest Senior Brother, I heard Master and our martial uncles have laid all sorts of traps outside the Shadow Prison on Pill Peak, just waiting to catch the Demon Clan spies hiding in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect one by one?"
Li Mo lowered his voice as he looked at Xiao Jixue.
The latter nodded, his expression calm and composed.
"Yes. They finished setting them up yesterday. We don't know how effective they'll be yet, but Master and our martial uncles are very confident. I imagine they'll catch at least a few spies."
Xiao Jixue paused, casting an unobtrusive glance at Tang Yan.
Then he continued,
"There's a Demonic Cultivator surnamed Jiang locked in Martial Uncle Xu's Blood Prison. She's Xu Zhenzhen's birth mother. Martial Uncle Xu learned quite a bit of useful information from her."
Of course, that supposed information hadn't come from Jiang Liu'er at all, but from Tang Yan.
Xi Tong had warned them not to let Tang Yan pick up on any clues that they could hear his thoughts.
That was why Xiao Jixue had told that little lie.
Feng Sheng picked up the conversation. "I wonder just how many Demon Clan spies are hiding in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. I've lived and cultivated here for over a decade, and this is the first I've heard of them."
Tang Yan rubbed his chin, his face betraying nothing even as his thoughts stirred.
[Loads. At least twenty or so, in both the outer and inner sects. Some supervising elders and Golden Core disciples have already fallen victim and had their bodies taken over.]
Hearing this, Xiao Jixue and the other two breathed inward sighs of relief.
They were finally making progress on the task their master had assigned them.
They had deliberately discussed the Demon Clan spies in front of Tang Yan just now, hoping to glean as much information from him as possible.
[Those demons are crafty, too. They won't even bother with anyone of mediocre talent. They specifically possess people with decent talent and some influence in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.]
[Eldest Senior Brother manages Master's Sect Leader Peak very well, so the Demon Clan spies haven't found an opening there yet. There aren't any on Martial Uncle Nangong's Ten Thousand Swords Peak, either.]
[As for the other peaks...]
Tang Yan carefully recalled the original novel's plot and finally dug up three people he knew for certain were Demon Clan spies.
[Ding Liyun of Pill Peak, Chai Rong of Talisman Peak, and Lin Feng of Artifact Peak.]
Those three supervising elders helped Xu Zhenzhen commit plenty of atrocities later on. Not only did they secretly harm a great many exceptionally talented direct disciples, but they were also the three traitors who urged Xu Zhenzhen to extract the Ten Thousand Swords Sect's spiritual vein.
Those three were like turtles that had spent ten thousand years mastering the art of lying low. They hid themselves incredibly well.
If they hadn't defected from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect on the eve of the Immortal-Demon War, no one in the entire sect would have known.
*Especially Chai Rong. He nearly got promoted to Deputy Peak Master of Talisman Peak.]*
[I think they turned their disciples, too. Every last one became a traitor.]
Hearing Tang Yan say that those three would commit so many atrocities against the Ten Thousand Swords Sect in the future,
Xiao Jixue's eyes turned frosty, and he silently committed their names to memory.
The other disciples were deeply shocked. Their expressions abruptly grew solemn, all their earlier delight in watching the drama gone.
The disciples from Pill Peak, Talisman Peak, and Artifact Peak all knew the three supervising elders Tang Yan had named.
What shocked them was that, as far as they could see, none of the three looked remotely like a Demon Clan spy.
On the contrary, they were kind and approachable, refined and gentle. Whenever disciples ran into trouble, they always handled it properly.
A great many disciples liked them.
After finishing his recollections, Tang Yan said to Xiao Jixue,
"Senior Brother, I think any demon remnants trying to infiltrate the Ten Thousand Swords Sect would choose people with influence in the sect and reasonably good talent.
The outer sect is just as important to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. It needs to be investigated carefully, too."
Xiao Jixue nodded in agreement. "You're right, Yan. I'll relay all of that to Master."
Tang Yan smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Catching sight of Wei Lianyi in her white robes in the arena out of the corner of his eye, he thought again.
[Actually, there's an even simpler and more effective way to identify Demon Clan spies. The answer lies with the female lead.]
Wei Lianyi was bewildered. "?"
Using the gaps in the match as an excuse, the others openly turned their gazes toward Wei Lianyi's face.
Just as everyone was wondering what he meant, Tang Yan leisurely supplied the answer.
[As the incarnation of this world's Heavenly Way and the embodiment of justice, the female lead has a heart that couldn't be more righteous. She shoulders the burden of saving the world—the Cultivation World is what she saves, and the Demon Clan heretics are what she destroys.]
[That's why she has an innate, intense aversion to demons and evil cultivators. Whenever she sees a demon, an evil cultivator, or someone with wicked intentions, she feels uneasy.]
[Just station the female lead there. Whoever makes her feel disgusted and repulsed is a worthless little traitor.]
[But if I told Master and our martial uncles something this bizarre, never mind whether they'd believe me—they might think there's something wrong with my head and that I'm a total lunatic. Sigh.]
Everyone keeping a close eye on the matter of the Demon Clan spies nearly had their jaws drop at Tang Yan's thoughts.
Countless wide eyes kept staring at Wei Lianyi as everyone exclaimed inwardly.
Holy shit! Who knew Junior Sister Wei had such an amazing use!
Even Wei Lianyi herself was stunned by the contents of Tang Yan's thoughts.
But a moment later, she recalled seeing that woman outside Pill Peak's Shadow Prison, waiting for a chance to rescue Xu Zhenzhen.
Back then, looking at that woman really had made her feel deeply uneasy and repulsed.
She hadn't understood why at the time. So it turned out she actually had such an utterly absurd special ability?
Before you continue