Swallowed Star: Chapter 970 - Taking on Disciples and Getting a Thousandfold Return
" City Lord Qin, why did the concealment formation of the cave suddenly disappear?"
" City Lord Qin, has something happened?"
"But was it sabotaged by spies from the Netherworld Sect?"
One message after another was transmitted into the Communication Token of the Lihuo City Lord.
The City Lord of Qin Chuan did not explain, but looked at Lu Qingshan and Fire Saint. He was also curious about how these two disciples of the sect found the spies hidden in Lihuo City.
After all, he was once an inner disciple of the Flame Ruins Sect, so Qin Chuan was quite aware of the value of a sect's direct disciples. As fellow Eternal True God, it was as easy for a direct disciple to kill another Eternal True God as to slaughter a chicken or a dog. Direct disciples were also likely to possess some special skills.
" Xue You, are you confident?"
"Fire Saint asked," he replied.
"As long as he's still in Lihuo City, he won't escape my eyes." Lu Qingshan turned to Qin Chuan: "The City Lord's Mansion should be the highest point in Lihuo City, right?"
"Indeed, standing atop the City Lord's Mansion, one can have a complete view of the entire Lihuo City."
Qin Chuan quickly replied.
"Let's go over there then."
Lu Qingshan took a step forward, and the next second he transformed into a streak of blood-red light and vanished instantly.
By the time Fire Saint and Qin Chuan arrived, Lu Qingshan was already standing at the highest point of the City Lord's Mansion, overlooking the entire city.
Because the concealment formation was lost, it was very easy for Lu Qingshan to observe others; under the Eye of Wisdom, all secrets vanished.
The spy lurking in the city must be Eternal True God. Finding him would be simple; all that's needed is to find an unfamiliar Eternal True God. This spy might be hiding as Void True God or True God at this moment, but to Lu Qingshan, all such hiding is a joke.
Lu Qingshan looked in a certain direction, and it was as if a ripple of water entered that place, bringing all the energy in that area into his perception.
One, two, three, four----
One by one, Eternal True God are being discovered.
Their auras and appearances matched those of the original Eternal True God of Lihuo City perfectly.
In less than half a day, Lu Qingshan had observed the entire Lihuo City.
"How?"
Seeing that Lu Qingshan seemed to have withdrawn his senses, the City Lord of Qin Chuan immediately asked.
"I sensed a total of one hundred and thirty-seven auras of the Eternal True God."
Lu Qingshan said slowly.
137?
The city lord of Qin Chuan's expression changed slightly. He said, "This is the number of Eternal True Eternal True God in our Lihuo City. There were 138 before, but after Master Yu's fall, there are only 137 left. This matches the number of Eternal True God in the city."
If they match, it means there is no unfamiliar, Eternal True God.
That spy----
"Could the spies be among these familiar, Eternal True God?"
The Fire Saint immediately spoke.
"These Eternal True God all came to Lihuo City a long time ago. I am familiar with their abilities, but—we cannot rule out the possibility that the Netherworld Sect made arrangements in advance—"
" The Netherworld Sect has long coveted the Scarlet Fire Chaos Prefecture, which is itself a controversial area. Since they intend to invade, it's normal for them to make preparations in advance. Tell me the true strength of these Eternal True God and other information—"
Lu Qingshan asked again.
He was confident that his perception was correct. The Eye of Wisdom was a treasure of the Hunyuan level. If an Eternal True God could evade the observation of the Eye of Wisdom, that would be too exaggerated. Even Luo Feng was at the Eternal True God stage, might not be able to do it.
The Perfect Divine Body Perfect Divine Body indeed powerful, but it is still within the framework of the Source World, while the Eye of Wisdom is a treasure that transcends the Source World.
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Lu Qingshan believed that the spies from the Netherworld Sect who killed Master Yu must be lurking among these originally well-known Eternal True God.
" Divine Lord Xue You, I have sent you all the information about these Eternal True God."
Qin Chuan quickly sent the compiled information to Lu Qingshan using the sect token.
Lu Qingshan checked everyone's information one by one.
The Eye of Wisdom is clearly capable of sensing more than just auras; it can also roughly estimate the strength of Eternal True God. Lu Qingshan had tested this before, and it was quite accurate.
Now, looking at these messages from the Eternal True God.
Most of them match.
However, a small portion of them don't match.
Some differences are small, while others are large.
It's normal for the gap to be small. After all, every Eternal True God has their own trump card, and they wouldn't be willing to reveal it unless they were forced to the brink of life and death.
However, the gap is too large, and there are very few Eternal True God who possess the ability to kill Master Yu in one move.
Lu Qingshan quickly identified one.
" Zhou Heng!"
Lu Qingshan uttered the name casually.
City Lord Qin Chuan's expression changed slightly. He said, "How could it be him? Zhou Heng is one of the most senior Eternal True God in Lihuo City. He was here before I even came to Lihuo City, and we have a good relationship. His Zhou Family is also in Lihuo City."
His seniority is considerable, and his family has lived in Lihuo City for generations, indicating that the probability of him being trained by the Netherworld Sect is very small. Moreover, since his entire family is here, it means that he has a weakness. How could an Eternal True God with a weakness act as an internal traitor without any scruples and even kill Master Yu within the city?
If they are discovered, the Zhou Family will surely be wiped out!
"Perhaps the Netherworld Sect offered him some benefits he couldn't refuse, so he defected. We can find out if it's him or not by testing him."
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How to test the waters?
Qin Chuan asked.
"Let him come to the meeting."
Lu Qingshan smiled slightly.
Throughout history, the most unsolvable tactic has been holding meetings. Even the military genius Han Xin fell victim to this tactic. If you don't come, it means you have something to hide; if you do come, then you'll be physically dealt with.
"However, we still need to keep an eye on him. My dispelling of the concealment array earlier already aroused suspicion among many people. If he is truly a traitor, he might run away when summoned now—"
Qin Chuan reminded him.
If Zhou Heng is indeed a spy, then his strength is clearly not as simple as it appears. He is currently injured and needs the help of two True Immortals Xue You and Fire Saint.
"I'll keep an eye on him; he won't get away."
Lu Qingshan said calmly.
That's good.
Immediately afterwards, the City Lord of Qin Chuan sent a message to all the Eternal True God within Lihuo City.
They said the formation had previously malfunctioned because of sabotage by an internal traitor from the Netherworld Sect, but it had now been restored. They were summoning all the Eternal True God of Lihuo City to the City Lord's Mansion for a meeting, ostensibly to discuss a plan to deal with the Netherworld Sect.
Lihuo City was on the front lines of the war, and every Eternal True God needed to be on standby at any time. At this moment, none of them were in seclusion for cultivation. After receiving the news, they rushed to the City Lord's Mansion from all over Lihuo City.
Zhou Heng was among them.
He was a kind-faced old man, wearing a slightly yellowed robe. He had a peaceful demeanor and a friendly attitude, and seemed harmless.
Among these hundreds of Eternal True God, his ranking is not low, and his seat is also very high.
Upon Zhou Heng's arrival, Qin Chuan didn't even glance at him, but instead addressed the other Eternal True God, saying, "The reason I have summoned you all here today is..."
There is something I need to announce.
"Lord of the city, what is it?"
A female Eternal True God spoke.
" Divine Lord He, this is good news."
The City Lord of Qin Chuan smiled slightly and looked out from behind the curtain as Lu Qingshan and Fire Saint walked out at the same time.
Qin Chuan said, "Ever since the Netherworld Sect invaded, our Scarlet Fire Chaos Prefecture has been at a disadvantage. I reported to the Great Sage Scarlet Fire and asked the sect for help. Now the sect has finally sent two of its disciples to assist us. This is Divine Lord Xue You, and this is Divine Lord Fire Saint —their strength is far beyond what I can compare to. From now on, dealing with the Netherworld Sect will be much simpler, and we will launch a counterattack to drive the Netherworld Sect out of this place."
Upon hearing this, the gazes of all the Eternal True God fell upon Lu Qingshan and the Fire Saint.
Living within the territory of the Flame Ruins Sect, even those who weren't disciples of the Flame Ruins Sect understood what a direct disciple of the Flame Ruins Sect represented.
That is the ultimate form of the Eternal True God.
Each of them is incredibly powerful, far beyond what they can compare to. The current battle situation is worrying, yet the Flame Ruins Sect has sent two of its personal disciples here, which shows the sect's determination to guard the Scarlet Fire Chaos Prefecture.
"I have met the Divine Lord Xue You, and I have met the Divine Lord Fire Saint ----"
All the Eternal True God bowed in reverence.
The arrival of their two trusted disciples brought a sigh of relief to most of them.
Lu Qingshan slightly raised his hand and continued, "We came here naturally to deal with the Netherworld Sect, but before that, we need to investigate the traitors within. As everyone knows, a few days ago, Master Yu, the most famous array master in Lihuo City, was killed. It was the work of a traitor within the Netherworld Sect. Compared to the enemies of the Netherworld Sect, the traitors are even more unpleasant—"
Investigate the mole?
The other Eternal True God present nodded in agreement. They were well aware of the traitor within Lihuo City and had been deeply troubled by it. Several Eternal True God had already fallen at the hands of the traitor, and even Master Yu had been killed. No one knew who would be next.
They weren't worried because they weren't traitors—the direct disciples of the Flame Ruins Sect wouldn't easily frame an Eternal True God.
Zhou Heng's expression remained unchanged as he expressed his agreement, though he felt a little flustered inside. He hadn't even passed on the news of the arrival of the two disciples of the Flame Ruins Sect, and now they were already investigating the traitors.
Moreover, the word "traitor" is quite interesting; it seems to imply that the person in question is among them.
Could it be that I accidentally revealed something?
Zhou Heng carefully recalled his actions. He had been extremely careful each time, disguising his identity, so there was no way he could have run into any problems.
Moreover, he was the most senior member of Lihuo City, and his family was all in Lihuo City. He was the least likely person to be a traitor. Logically speaking, even if there was suspicion, it wouldn't fall on him.
However, he was still overthinking it.
Zhou Heng was unaware that the momentary panic in his mind had been captured by Lu Qingshan's Eye of Wisdom. A series of coincidences had already convinced him that the mole was Zhou Heng.
After all, it's not you, so why are you panicking? Besides, Zhou Heng has been hiding a lot of his strength, and he's probably not much different from City Lord Qin Chuan. He also knows Master Yu Master Yu very well, which is why he had the opportunity to kill his opponent with one blow.
However, Lu Qingshan did not act immediately, but instead handed it over to Fire Saint.
Fire Saint took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before finally settling on Zhou Heng.
Compared to this old fellow, Fire Saint naturally trusted Xue You, who was also a direct disciple of the Flame Ruins Sect.
He spoke slowly.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou Heng."
Fire Saint said casually, "I've heard that you are the most senior person in Lihuo City and know everything about the Lihuo City. I wonder if you could assist us in investigating any suspicious individuals who have recently appeared in the city?"
"Of course I would."
Zhou Heng stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and looked calm.
Fire Saint took a step forward and stood in front of Zhou Heng. Suddenly, he unleashed the pressure of Peak Eternal True God, which pressed down like a mountain.
boom!!
Zhou Heng paused slightly, then quickly took a few steps back, his face pale.
" Divine Lord Fire Saint, didn't you ask me to cooperate in investigating the mole? What does this mean?"
What do you mean?
The Fire Saint snorted coldly, and with a grab in the air, a crimson spear appeared in his hand.
"Don't you think your reaction was a bit excessive? Did you really think I couldn't see through your act? Zhou Heng, so you're the mole in Lihuo City. You've been hiding it well enough!"
Having said that, Fire Saint gave the other party no time to explain and immediately attacked, aiming his spear at Zhou Heng's True God Heart.
If this spear had struck, Zhou Heng would have been certain to die.
Zhou Heng's expression finally changed.
Although he didn't know what had happened, he realized at that moment that he had been exposed.
He knew this wasn't a test. If he still didn't resist, he might be killed outright. Even if the other side wasn't entirely sure he was the traitor, they were a direct disciple of the Flame Ruins Sect, so killing a rogue cultivator like himself with no background would come at no cost.
But he couldn't afford to gamble.
In an instant, Zhou Heng's aura surged dramatically, almost indistinguishable from the aura previously displayed by the Fire Saint. He immediately retreated, dodging the Fire Saint's spear.
"You two disciples of the Flame Ruins Sect, you have some discernment."
Zhou Heng's gaze turned cold, and his expression was no longer friendly. "But do you think the two of you can keep me here?"
"Foolish. You know nothing about the sect's direct disciples!"
The Fire Saint let out a cold shout.
The crimson spear, like a falling meteor, pierced through once more.
Zhou Heng used his bone spurs to defend himself.
In the blink of an eye, the two sides had exchanged several blows.
The Eternal True God around them all stepped aside, watching the two fighting in astonishment.
"I never expected that old bastard Zhou Heng to be the mole?"
"When did Zhou Heng become so powerful?"
"No wonder Master Yu, who was proficient in formations, was killed. With Zhou Heng's abilities, how many people in the entire Lihuo City, apart from the city lord, could withstand him?"
"Damn it, this guy is really strong. I'm afraid he's hiding something from the Netherworld Sect."
At this moment, Zhou Heng's strength surpassed that of most of the inner disciples of the Flame Ruins Sect. Although Fire Saint was a direct disciple, he had only been cultivating for a short time. Although he had been suppressing his opponent, he was unable to break through his defenses and quickly defeat him.
"Should I make a move?"
Lu Qingshan asked telepathically.
"No----"
However, before he could finish speaking, a gray blade of light grazed the Fire Saint's body and struck Zhou Heng.
Zhou Heng's senses were extremely sharp. Sensing danger, he immediately raised the bone spur in his hand to resist, but it was all in vain.
With a cracking sound.
The bone spurs on Zhou Heng's hand broke off almost without any resistance. The blade's edge remained undiminished, piercing through the weapon's obstruction and slashing fiercely at Zhou Heng's body.
Zhou Heng's divine body froze.
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
He looked down at the white blade flashing against his chest, his eyes filled with fear and shock.
"What... secret is this...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Heng's body was split in two, and his True God Heart was also annihilated by this strike.