Chapter 281: Who Is the Traitor

After careful consideration, Xu Jin decided to go alone to hunt.

The reason was simple: before obtaining the Heavenly Authority of the Lingwu Star Domain, even with his invisibility, its effect was extremely limited.

As long as Xu Jin approached any alien from the Lingwu Star Domain, even if unseen, these aliens would instinctively grow wary.

But after acquiring two-tenths of the Heavenly Authority, Xu Jin had become one of Lingwu Star Domain's own—truly native.

Combined with invisibility, it became extraordinarily effective.

Not to mention that native aliens could not detect him.

With the Heavenly Authority, Xu Jin could approach a target rejected by the Heavenly Will by mere meters, and the target would still remain unaware.

It was practically a perfect assassination tool.

If Dong Zhao and others accompanied Xu Jin, they would only slow him down.

Xu Jin did not tell Dong Zhao directly about invisibility; instead, he said he had gained the Lingwu Star Domain's Heavenly Authority and could now conceal his aura better.

Under these circumstances, even reinforcements arriving to aid Liu Meng, even if carrying sixth-rank badges, would struggle to function effectively.

Dong Zhao considered briefly, then agreed with Xu Jin's plan.

As for Xu Jin's strength, it had already been proven in previous battles.

Frankly speaking, even Dong Zhao himself had little chance of winning if he fought Xu Jin directly.

Since less than ten hours remained until the end of the Li Gong battle and the Star Gate closed, they could not arrive at the Star Gate at the last moment.

What if something went wrong?

After discussion, they set the final operation time to seven hours, reserving three hours to reach the temporary Star Gate to ensure safe withdrawal.

Otherwise, once the temporary Star Gate closed, even if Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao paid a heavy price to have Dai Guanwen reopen it, they'd still need to send several people inside to locate them and deliver the Star Gate's position.

Within this fifth-rank star domain, the territory was vast and perilous; finding someone was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

With slightly worse luck, who knew how long Xu Jin's group would be trapped here?

Thus, time was extremely tight.

Xu Jin would go out to hunt reinforcements, while Dong Zhao, Liu Qingzhu, and the other three would head toward Huoniu Wangcheng to see if they could infiltrate it within the final seven hours and kill Xueshenzi to eliminate the threat permanently.

As for the Wanshui Lingdan they had obtained earlier, though it could instantly propel Dong Zhao to breakthrough, he could not use it.

If he broke through, he could not return.

As for Liu Qingzhu, the main reason she could not break through was her Divine Soul, so she too was temporarily unable.

"Master, use this to contact us—if there's an emergency or change, I can notify you anytime."

Before departing, Xu Jin handed the Chilin Heart Armor to Dong Zhao and the others.

This was a major tool for communication within the star domain.

With it, the five could coordinate their actions.

Half a quarter-hour later, the five parted ways; Master Dong Zhao and the others flew toward Huoniu Jincheng.

It was foreseeable that along the way, they would face multiple ambushes.

They had not assimilated the Heavenly Will and were still naturally rejected by this realm's Heavenly Will.

Xu Jin, however, shot straight upward and flew toward the nearest target, only seven hundred li away.

When he neared a hundred li, he landed on the ground, gliding low while concealing his aura; when he reached fifty li, he activated invisibility entirely.

A few dozen breaths later, Xu Jin spotted his target.

Three fifth-rank cultivators.

Two fifth-rank mid-stage Jin She aliens, and one fifth-rank ninth-layer human from the Present Era.

These two fifth-rank mid-stage Jin She aliens had likely been ordered to escort outlying aliens and were still unaware that Jin She Wangcheng had fallen.

In the next instant, Xu Jin, still invisible, subtly activated the newly acquired Heavenly Authority of the Lingwu Star Domain.

The Heavenly Authority combined with invisibility was a perfect match.

Two breaths later, Xu Jin passed five meters from the two fifth-rank mid-stage Jin She aliens, and neither sensed a thing.

Before acquiring the Heavenly Authority, even at a hundred meters, Xu Jin's passage would have triggered instant alertness.

That alertness was like a beast's innate instinct—when a predator neared, even from afar, it would sense danger.

As for the fifth-rank ninth-layer human from the Present Era, he was even worse.

Under invisibility and the Heavenly Authority, Xu Jin trailed him five meters behind for two breaths, and the man sensed nothing.

In the next instant, a torrent of Divine Soul energy and violet flame erupted without warning.

Instantly, the fifth-rank ninth-layer human spewed blood from all seven orifices; then, the violet flame condensed into a single thread and, with no defense, exploded his skull.

The two Jin She aliens, who had been sent to escort, stared in shock at Xu Jin's sudden appearance and the slain escort target.

For a moment, they could not react.

One breath later, both were obliterated!

One kill!

Under the combination of Heavenly Authority and invisibility, this fifth-rank ninth-layer human from the Present Era did not even have time to activate his badge—let alone react—before dying without understanding why.

Afterwards, Xu Jin looked at the badges he had retrieved, his expression grim.

This fifth-rank ninth-layer human from the Present Era carried nine badges.

One of them was unmistakably a sixth-rank badge, and two were fifth-rank badges.

The other six, besides two low-grade Star Healing badges, were all fourth-rank badges—worthless.

It seemed Xu Jin's strategy was entirely correct.

If he had been given even a moment to prepare, and had decided to unleash all three badges, Xu Jin, Dong Zhao, Liu Qingzhu, Tang Hui, and Han Qing would all have been hit.

Xu Jin and Dong Zhao might have had a chance to survive, but Liu Qingzhu, Tang Hui, and Han Qing would have died for sure.

Then, Xu Jin sank his mind into the Lingwu Star Domain's Heavenly Authority, sensed briefly, and flew toward another direction.

Five hundred li away—not far.

But to Xu Jin's surprise, this fifth-rank ninth-layer human from the Present Era was alone—he had not yet been met by any aliens.

This gave Xu Jin ample room to maneuver.

One breath later, under the perfect synergy of Heavenly Authority and invisibility, Xu Jin unleashed a Divine Soul strike, then sent the Gaiyue Sword flying to sever all four limbs, and smashed his Middle Star Palace with a palm strike—captured alive!

After capture came Wen Meng's interrogation.

This time, drawing on his experience interrogating Liu Meng, Xu Jin did not ask directly but circled around the questions.

"How many of you came?"

"Five."

"Who is the leader or commander?"

"Zhang Yucheng."

"Where is Zhang Yucheng's hometown?"

"It was probably Dahan Le Shan County."

"Where does he currently reside?"

"I'm not sure."

"Where did Zhang Yucheng cultivate?"

"Is"

Boom!

While interrogating, the captive's head suddenly exploded like a watermelon.

Xu Jin looked frustrated.

This Divine Soul prohibition was truly effective—he guessed the captive was about to utter "Tianyang Star Temple," which triggered a key piece of information and activated the Divine Soul prohibition immediately.

This Divine Soul prohibition was indeed formidable.

Xu Jin's chance of obtaining evidence was virtually gone.

But he had now definitively confirmed: Liu Meng and this Zhang Yucheng group were all sent by the Tianyang Star Temple.

Their sole purpose: to kill Xu Jin—priority one—and Dong Zhao and the others were merely collateral.

Xu Jin suspected the Tianyang Star Temple had somehow verified his identity, which led to this arrangement.

Five fifth-rank ninth-layer cultivators, each carrying at least one sixth-rank badge; their leader, Zhang Yucheng, carried two. Their orders were: if they spotted Xu Jin, immediately unleash the sixth-rank badges.

This was truly a ruthless move.

Honestly, the chance of success was very high.

If Xu Jin had encountered an unknown human cultivator, even if he was cautious, he couldn't have stopped the man from instantly unleashing a sixth-rank badge without warning.

Fortunately, Xu Jin had acquired two-tenths of the Heavenly Authority; otherwise, it would not have gone so smoothly.

From the captive, Xu Jin obtained another sixth-rank badge, one fifth-rank badge, two low-grade Star Healing badges, and several vials of pills—all other fourth-rank badges and elixirs were negligible.

But in the future, if he had time, he could nurture them and use them as gifts.

Two quarter-hours later, Xu Jin eliminated the third fifth-rank ninth-layer expert sent by the Tianyang Star Temple.

He gained one sixth-rank badge, two fifth-rank badges, two low-grade Star Healing badges, and several vials of pills.

A quarter-hour later, Xu Jin found another Tianyang Star Temple expert; after a brief comparison, he realized this man was none other than Zhang Yucheng, the team leader sent by the Tianyang Star Temple.

With Zhang Yucheng were two fifth-rank low-stage aliens, who had already been picked up.

Xu Jin used the same method.

But it was not as smooth as before.

Zhang Yucheng was extremely cautious; even under Xu Jin's invisible ambush, he instantly shattered a fifth-rank defensive badge, forcing Xu Jin to expend extra effort.

Yet under the combined assault of Divine Soul and Xuanzi Tianhuo, nothing unexpected occurred.

The original plan had been to capture Zhang Yucheng alive, but in the end, they could only opt for a rapid chain of kills.

They couldn't let him get the chance to activate his sixth-rank rune seal.

Otherwise, if two sixth-rank rune seals detonated, Xu Jin was finished.

A few breaths later, Xu Jin searched Zhang Yucheng's corpse and retrieved two sixth-rank rune seals, two fifth-rank rune seals, one mid-rank Star Healing Rune, four low-rank Star Healing Runes, a pile of elixirs, and several fourth-rank rune seals.

The harvest was immense.

The two sixth-rank rune seals and the two fifth-rank rune seals need not be mentioned.

The mid-rank Star Healing Rune was, in fact, a fourth-rank Star Healing Rune.

But because of its rarity, most people referred to it as the mid-rank Star Healing Rune.

At auction, two mid-rank Star Healing Runes could be exchanged for a single mid-to-lower-grade sixth-rank rune seal.

No other reason—it could save your life in a critical moment.

What followed held no uncertainty.

A thousand li from Fire Ox King City, Xu Jin found the fifth fifth-rank ninth-layer cultivator of the Sun Yang Star Temple; this one had been located by a Fire Ox clan elder.

The coordination efficiency was so poor that Xu Jin concluded the Fire Ox King had acquired no more than two-tenths of the Heavenly and Celestial Star Will.

As for the final fifth-rank ninth-layer expert sent by the Sun Yang Star Temple, there was no doubt—he was eliminated by Xu Jin.

Thus, all six of the Sun Yang Star Temple's assassins sent to kill Xu Jin—including Liu Meng—had been wiped out.

When Xu Jin first learned of this from Liu Meng, he had been furious.

The Sun Yang Star Temple was utterly despicable.

They cheated in the Lou Gong battle and then sent so many experts to kill him.

But now, Xu Jin was delighted.

He even hoped the Sun Yang Star Temple would send another wave.

That way, Xu Jin could reap a double harvest.

After this clean sweep, Xu Jin had collected eight sixth-rank rune seals!

What did that mean?

It meant he had gathered more than what Kou Jing, the Grand Academician, produced in an entire year.

He also had twelve fifth-rank rune seals, one mid-rank Star Healing Rune, twelve low-rank Star Healing Runes, and a variety of other elixirs and fourth-rank rune seals—whose total value was still considerable, though Xu Jin no longer cared.

Calculating it all, Xu Jin had profited from this incursion into the fifth-rank Spirit Martial Star Zone, even after accounting for consumed rune seals.

And he had profited greatly.

Of course, that assumed the cultivation was complete.

Indeed: killing men and burning houses brings a golden belt!

Yet Xu Jin had always been puzzled: this fifth-rank Spirit Martial Star Zone had been personally selected by the Grand Master, and not only the specific zone but even its name was classified.

Yet the Sun Yang Star Temple not only knew the name of the star zone, but had sent Liu Meng in to mobilize barbarian forces to encircle and annihilate Dong Zhao and the others.

More importantly, Xu Jin had only entered the fifth-rank Spirit Martial Star Zone half a day ago.

Yet according to interrogated intelligence, Zhang Yucheng and the others from the Sun Yang Star Temple had been dispatched almost immediately after Xu Jin entered the Spirit Martial Star Zone.

The intelligence speed was too high.

Who was the traitor?

At that moment, only three people knew Xu Jin had entered the fifth-rank Spirit Martial Star Zone: Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao, Chief Instructor Yu Da, and possibly Left Sacrificial Officer Meng Yanhui.

But Yu Da and Meng Yanhui, trusted by the Grand Master, were unlikely to be traitors.

Then how had the Sun Yang Star Temple learned of Xu Jin's entry into the fifth-rank Spirit Martial Star Zone so instantly?

Had the Sun Yang Star Temple implanted a tracking method on him?

That shouldn't be possible.

Xu Jin had never faced off against any Sun Yang Star Temple expert, and he had the Mingji Star.

Suddenly, Xu Jin froze.

No—

There was one more person!

The Fourth Young Master of the Sumeru Palace, Dai Guanwen!

The Fourth Young Master of the Sumeru Palace knew Xu Jin's real-time information completely.

If anyone had betrayed Xu Jin's location, this Fourth Young Master of the Sumeru Palace was highly likely.

Only he could have known precisely which fifth-rank star zone it was.

Moreover, he had the means—because his Star-Picking Token was unsealed!

Meaning, this Fourth Young Master had the ability to transmit intelligence outward!

Xu Jin's expression instantly darkened.

If it truly was Dai Guanwen, then—

After returning, Xu Jin would have to verify this thoroughly.

If true, then Dai Guanwen was the true murderer who had killed Shen Wei, the Deputy Academician.

He had nearly killed Xu Jin as well.

That would have to be settled properly.

The next instant, Xu Jin's mind sank again into the Authority of Heaven and Earth, sensing the energy signatures.

Six energy signatures still lingered in the direction of Fire Ox King City.

It seemed the Blood God Cult's members were still all inside Fire Ox King City.

Suddenly, Xu Jin realized something was wrong.

Six?

According to prior intelligence, there should have been the Blood God's Disciple, the Blood God's Envoy, and four Blood Robe Golden Giants.

That made seven.

Why was one missing?

Xu Jin carefully recalled—he remembered that when he had sensed the intruders' energy signatures, excluding Dong Zhao and his three companions, there had been eleven.

Thus, the number of energy signatures inside Fire Ox King City had always been six.

One member of the Blood God Cult was missing!

If they had simply left, it wouldn't matter.

But if the Blood God's Disciple had obtained the Heavenly and Earthly Authority and merged his energy signature into this realm, Xu Jin would have to tread carefully!

Moreover, the Blood God's Disciple might have obtained the Heavenly and Celestial Star Will.

For he stood on equal footing with the Fire Ox King within the Fire Ox clan!

He was a Divine Master!

After a few breaths of contemplation, Xu Jin shot skyward and raced toward Dong Zhao's position to rendezvous with him and the others, hoping to storm Fire Ox King City within the final hours of the Lou Gong battle and eliminate the Blood God's Disciple.

(End of Chapter)