Exposed: Three Traitors

For the next two days, the entire righteous camp remained calm and peaceful.

Everyone was diligently preparing for their respective tasks, and the camp was bustling with activity.

Meanwhile, everyone's eyes were secretly observing the demon camp on the opposite bank.

Waiting for the moment when the traitor slips up.

Late the next night, at the bottom of the Chaos Abyss, in the western demon camp.

Devil General Blood Baleful Intent hurriedly entered the Devil Palace Hall, his expression grave. "Your Majesty, there's been some movement from the righteous path."

Three secret reports have been received in succession, stating that the Zhengdao forces will launch a surprise attack on our rear three days from three directions: the eastern rift valley, the western underground river, and the top cliff.

Yan Tianjin sat on the throne, tapping his fingers on the armrest, lost in thought and silent.

"Three directions?" He sneered. "When did Zhang Jianchen become so stupid? Dividing his forces into three groups? Isn't he afraid of being defeated one by one?"

The Old Devil Bone Spirit stepped forward, his body hunched over. "Your Majesty, could this be a feint by the righteous path? Deliberately spreading false information to mislead us?"

"There's truth to it, and falsehood to it," Yan Tianjin said calmly. "Of the three directions, one is definitely real, and two are fake. Zhang Jianchen is playing a game of deception."

He stood up and walked to the sand table.

"The rift valley on the east side is narrow and easy to defend, making it suitable for surprise attacks, but difficult to retreat from."

The underground river on the west side has a rapid current, and few people can cross it, so it can't become a significant force.

A sheer cliff at the top... that could be a surprising tactic, but parachuting in would be too risky.

"Your Majesty, how should we deploy our defenses?" Blood Baleful Intent asked.

"Defend from all three directions," the Demon Emperor decisively ordered. "In the eastern rift valley, send in two thousand more demon soldiers and set up the Blood Baleful Intent Formation."

The underground river to the west is riddled with corpse poison mines.

The cliff top is a formidable barrier, a trap set in stone; we'd rather expend more effort than let the righteous path succeed.

"As you command!"

Blood Baleful Intent accepted the order and immediately arranged for defenses to be deployed.

Overnight, the defenses of the demonic path in all three directions were strengthened several times over.

Swords and spears stood in a dense array, and formations were densely packed, as if facing a formidable enemy.

All of this was clearly seen by the righteous scouts.

As soon as it was light, the news reached the central command tent.

"Alliance Leader! We've found out!" The scout commander rushed into the tent and knelt on one knee. "The Demonic Path urgently mobilized troops last night, focusing on strengthening the defenses of the eastern rift valley, the western underground river, and the cliff at the top! Blood Baleful Intent Formation has been set up on the east side, water mines have been buried on the west side, and a Heavenly Net has been laid at the top!"

"Bang!"

Zhang Jianchen slammed his hand on the table, his eyes flashing with cold light.

"There really was a traitor!"

The expressions on everyone's faces inside the tent changed.

The fact that all three locations have been reinforced with defenses suggests... there are at least three traitors?

"The rift valley on the east side was a message to Sect Leader Zhou, the underground river on the west side was a message to Sect Leader Ling, and the cliff at the top was a message to Sect Leader Ge," Wang Heng said in a deep voice. "These three have all come true. Could it be... that all three of them are traitors?"

"Impossible." Zhang Jianchen shook his head. "Although Zhou Ziyang and Ling Yue have conflicts, it is absolutely impossible for them to be connected with demons."

It's even less likely that Ge Changyun was involved; the problem lies with his subordinates.

He paused, then continued, "Although the plan was only told to the sect leader, they will inevitably leak it to the core elders and trusted disciples before they can carry it out. The traitor is hidden among these people."

"Pass on the order," Zhang Jianchen commanded, "Narrow down the scope and release another round of false information targeting the core members of these three sects."

This time, everyone's information is different. I refuse to believe we can't find the truth!

"Yes, sir!"

The second round of probing was more precise.

For those from the Purple Yang Sect involved in the plan, different attack times were given; for those from the Heavenly Sword Sect, different attack signals were given; and for those from the Pill Cauldron Sect, different poisoning locations were given.

A day later, the demonic path's reaction was reported back again.

This time, it matched three people precisely.

Wu Changgou of the Purple Yang Sect, Zhao Ruoxu of the Heavenly Sword Sect, and Qian Fu of the Pill Cauldron Sect.

Three people, three traitors.

"Grasp!"

At Zhang Jianchen's command, the Law Enforcement Hall mobilized in the dead of night, splitting into three groups to capture all three simultaneously.

The perpetrator was caught red-handed.

In the three men's residences, demonic communication talismans and undestroyed secret letters were found.

The evidence is conclusive and there is no way to deny it.

When the three were brought to the central command tent, their faces were ashen.

Zhou Ziyang was so angry that he trembled all over and was about to draw his sword to kill Wu Changgou, but was stopped by the crowd.

"You scoundrel! I've treated you well, yet you've turned to demonic possession!"

Wu Changgou knelt on the ground, his face ashen, and remained silent.

Ling Yue's expression was also extremely grim.

The Heavenly Sword Sect has been traitorized, and it's even one of his trusted stewards—it's a slap in the face for him.

Ge Changyun was so angry he almost fainted.

The Pill Cauldron Sect was already troubled by rumors, and now that there is indeed an internal traitor, they are truly in a situation where they can't clear their name no matter what.

"Alliance Leader, it is my fault for not managing my subordinates properly. I beg for forgiveness!" Ge Changyun bowed and apologized, his old face flushed.

"Sect Leader Ge, there's no need to blame yourself." Zhang Jianchen helped him up. "The demonic path meticulously planted its pawns; it was impossible to guard against them all. The fault doesn't lie with you."

He looked at the three traitors below the steps, his eyes cold. "All three are at the Void Refinement Realm, they've been hiding their true strength well."

Tell me, are there any accomplices? Who is your superior?

The three of them gritted their teeth and refused to utter a word.

"Not going to talk?" Zhang Jianchen sneered. "Elder Bai, take him away and interrogate him thoroughly. Dig three feet into the ground to find his accomplices."

"Yes, sir!"

The three were dragged away.

Inside the main tent, the atmosphere remained heavy.

The sudden exposure of three traitors within the Void Refinement Realm should have been a cause for celebration, but instead, everyone felt a heavy weight in their hearts.

Does anyone know if there are any left?

"Alliance Leader, what's next?" Zhou Ziyang asked in a deep voice. "Could there be even bigger fish out there?"

Zhang Jianchen didn't answer, but instead looked at Lu Tianji: "Elder Lu, what do you think?"

All eyes were on Lu Tianji.

In these two rounds of probing, the demonic path remained completely silent, except for the direction of the northern maze.

Logically speaking, Elder Lu Tianji was also summoned separately and received the top-secret plan.

However, the demonic path was completely unprepared for the northern maze.

What does this tell us?

Either Lu Tianji didn't leak the secret and is innocent.

Either he saw through the plan and deliberately didn't send a message.

Lu Tianji remained calm, stepped forward, and bowed. "Reporting to the Alliance Leader, in my humble opinion, there should still be traitors within."

But after these two rounds of cleansing, what remains will inevitably hide even deeper and will not easily show itself.

The most urgent task is to stabilize morale. The fact that we've already achieved a major victory by identifying the three traitors is a significant step forward. The right thing to do is to seize this opportunity to enforce discipline and boost morale.

His words were impartial and reasonable.

Zhang Jianchen stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled, "The elder is right."

He turned to face the crowd. "Issue the order to publicly execute the three traitors and display them at the gate. Inform the entire army that the traitors have been eliminated. All sects should reorganize their ranks, train their troops, and await the ripening of their Dao Fruit to fight the demonic path to the death!"

"As the Alliance Leader commands!"

The crowd responded in unison, their morale soaring.

At noon that day, the three traitors were escorted to the gate and beheaded in public.

The severed head was hung high on the flagpole as a warning to the entire army.

The news spread, and the entire righteous camp was in an uproar.

"The traitor has been caught! It turns out there were three traitors!"

"Great! The truth has finally come out!"

"The alliance leader is brilliant! He's exposed three traitors in one fell swoop!"

"Hmph, the demonic path's scheme to sow discord has failed! Let's see what tricks they have up their sleeves now!"