Chapter 513: Traitor and Seizing Military Authority

The dossier was recorded on a jade tablet; Xu Jin sank his mind into it, and within a few breaths, he understood everything.

The case indeed falls within the scope of Blood Vulture—catching a traitor!

In short, the Blood God Sect had discovered a traitor within its ranks, and this traitor's rank was likely high, possibly even mid-to-high level.

The clues were few, mostly mere speculation.

In the case examples previously told to Xu Jin by Blood Vulture's Grand Commander Zhong Ji, human teams carrying out missions for the Blood God Sect had been repeatedly ambushed with pinpoint accuracy by alien races from the Eight Wilderness Continent, causing some of the seven- and six-rank alien creatures under their control to escape!

And in every case, the victims were dead, leaving no evidence.

The Blood God Sect's high command suspected a traitor inside and ordered the Punishment Hall to investigate swiftly.

Originally, there had been no direction, but the dossier's final section clearly pointed to several investigative paths.

Blood God Guard, Blood Moon Army, Blood Cloud Army, Iron Blood Army.

Just these four directions.

According to related intelligence, the traitor was among these four units.

If Xu Jin had not previously spoken with Blood Vulture's Grand Commander Zhong Ji about the Blood God Sect's internal situation, he would have been completely in the dark and truly believed this was just a traitor-capture mission.

But now, combining this with prior information, Xu Jin immediately understood: catching the traitor would be hard, but this mission was easy to handle.

The old man's intent lay elsewhere.

The traitor-capture mission was real.

But the true objective lay within these four armies.

On the way here, Zhong Ji had roughly explained to Xu Jin the current internal situation—or rather, the power structure—of the Blood God Sect.

Fundamentally, the most important powers of any faction were four: personnel authority, financial authority, military authority, and judicial authority.

The Blood God Sect's organizational structure was vast, but no matter how complex, it could be divided into these four powers.

Currently, financial authority and part of the judicial authority were held by the Deputy Sect Master, also known as Grand Hong Emperor.

In personnel authority, high-level appointments were controlled by the Blood God Sect's Sect Master, whose whereabouts were elusive, while mid- and low-level appointments were divided between the Left and Right Protectors.

Military authority was also held by the Left and Right Protectors.

Currently, the Blood God Sect's organized military power resided entirely within these four forces: Blood God Guard, Blood Moon Army, Blood Cloud Army, and Iron Blood Army.

And the suspects listed in the dossier included all four of these military units.

Thus, the Punishment Hall's mission objective was now clear: use the traitor-capture operation to gain influence over the Blood God Sect's military authority.

In an instant, Xu Jin realized this was likely a strategy personally arranged by Grand Hong Emperor.

Then why assign such an important task to a nobody like him?

Others didn't know Xu Jin's true identity, but Grand Hong Emperor surely did!

The chance of coincidence was extremely low.

Knife.

As he pondered, Xu Jin grasped the key point.

Using a knife to kill.

To seize partial military authority, even with a legitimate excuse, would inevitably spark conflict.

Thus, Xu Jin became Grand Hong Emperor's knife—his superior combat power was likely what they intended to exploit.

Similarly, when the conflict reached its peak, Grand Hong Emperor might just push Xu Jin, this nobody, out to take the blade!

Perfectly using the Left and Right Protectors' knives to kill Xu Jin!

All of this occurred to Xu Jin after reading the dossier.

But the reality was certainly more complex than this.

For now, he could only respond and take one step at a time.

But one thing was advantageous.

The intelligence he had received from Blood Son Hong Hong Daze previously indicated that his Master Qi Qi Shanye and his Uncle Mo Ji, due to their formidable Soul Spirit cultivation, had been prioritized for training, had their Soul Spirits controlled, and were then sent into the military as officers.

Therefore, Master Qi Qi Shanye and Uncle Mo Ji must be among these four armies.

This was a good opportunity.

It would make it convenient for Xu Jin to locate his Master and Uncle and then rescue them at the right moment!

This was luck.

Grand Hong Emperor probably hadn't anticipated that Xu Jin was here to find people within the Blood God Sect's armies.

Good.

"How's it going? Do you have confidence?" asked the tall, thin Elder Mu, his narrow eyes squinting down at Xu Jin.

"Elder, I'm new here and still unfamiliar with many things—I can only do my best," Xu Jin replied.

"Doing your best isn't enough!"

"You have only half a month," Elder Mu said.

"Half a month?" Xu Jin was stunned. "Elder, this case has few clues—half a month is truly…"

In the next instant, Elder Mu waved his hand, rudely cutting Xu Jin off. "Understand this: I'm not negotiating with you—I'm giving an order!

This order isn't mine.

It comes from the Two Protectors.

Do you understand?

Report your results to me in fifteen days.

If you fail, the entire Blood Vulture unit will be held accountable," Elder Mu barked.

Xu Jin frowned slightly, then immediately agreed.

Fifteen days? Fine.

Fifteen days was enough for him to locate his Master's whereabouts.

Moreover, Xu Jin believed Grand Hong Emperor had arranged this to seize power, not to make things difficult for him.

There was no need.

If Grand Hong Emperor truly wanted to kill Xu Jin, he could simply dispatch troops to ambush him in secret.

No excuse needed.

Seeing Xu Jin agree, Elder Mu added, "This case has some confidential details I can't disclose publicly—I'll brief Zhong Ji. He'll help you with your investigation."

"Alright, you may go."

Xu Jin naturally took his leave, but glanced at Zhong Ji.

"Go wait outside," Zhong Ji told Xu Jin, then turned to Elder Mu. "He just arrived—he doesn't even know where our Blood Vulture base is."

Elder Mu waved him off.

Clearly, something important was to be told to Zhong Ji.

After leaving the Punishment Hall's main chamber, Xu Jin waited outside and quietly activated the Mingji Star Pattern, trying to eavesdrop.

But instantly, starlight infused with Soul Spirit power rose and expanded, completely blocking Xu Jin's perception.

Left him helpless.

They spoke at length—fully fifteen minutes—before Zhong Ji emerged from the Punishment Hall with a beaming smile.

His earlier worries had vanished.

Probably, Elder Mu had promised him something regarding the killing of the Purple Wing royal clan.

"Come on, Brother, I've arranged a welcome feast—your comrades are all waiting," Zhong Ji said.

Xu Jin knew Blood Moon City had all the amenities.

But when Zhong Ji led him into Qingfeng Tower, a relatively upscale brothel, and saw the hundred or so girls lining the path to welcome them, he was still taken aback.

Clearly, the number of ordinary people and cultivators within the Blood God Sect was immense.

For this welcome feast, all mid- and high-level officers of the Blood Vulture were present.

There were three other Deputy Commanders, like Xu Jin—but all three were seventh-rank.

In addition, there was a Blood Vulture squad leader and deputy leader, both at sixth-rank ninth-layer peak or late sixth-rank.

Of the ten direct squads, squads one through six were under the command of the three Deputy Commanders; squads seven through ten were under Grand Commander Zhong Ji's direct command, each fully staffed with ten members ranging from fifth to sixth rank.

Theoretically, Xu Jin, as Deputy Commander, should also command two direct squads.

But neither Grand Commander nor Deputy Commander was willing—or able—to relinquish control of their forces.

According to Zhong Ji's words, they could only temporarily assign Xu Jin one Blood Vulture squad—composed of the new recruits just brought in, still undermanned.

Only six men!

Still, Zhong Ji personally promised that more personnel would gradually arrive from various star regions, and suitable ones would be assigned to Xu Jin immediately.

Xu Jin smiled and agreed.

It didn't matter.

He had no intention of staying long-term in the Blood God Sect.

At the start of the welcome feast, the atmosphere wasn't good.

Mainly because the three Deputy Commanders held some hostility toward Xu Jin.

And the other Blood Vulture squad leaders looked at him with resentment.

Many of them were also at sixth-rank ninth-layer peak—why could Xu Jin, with the same cultivation, become Deputy Commander while they remained squad leaders?

But they could only be squad leaders?

The change began with drinking.

The first cup of wine was raised by Zhong Ji to Xu Jin.

But as soon as the wine touched his lips, sour and bitter, Xu Jin spat it out immediately.

You could say today's vinegar tastes better than this wine.

Zhong Ji's face darkened instantly as he offered the toast.

Even past life-or-death friendship couldn't excuse losing face in public. "Grand Commander, is the wine always like this here?" Xu Jin asked, stunned after spitting it out.

"This is considered rare fine wine!" Deputy Commander Chen Ming grumbled, his cultivation at Seventh Tier, Fourth Layer.

"Grand Commander, I truly didn't know! If I had, I'd have brought it out long ago!"

As he spoke, Xu Jin waved his hand and produced three large jars of fine wine; the moment he broke the clay seals, the aroma flooded the air.

"Come, Grand Commander, try this fine wine I brought from the mortal world," Xu Jin said, first offering it to Zhong Ji.

Zhong Ji sniffed it, took a small sip, then drained the entire cup in one gulp. He exhaled deeply, sighing, "Excellent wine—this is wine!" Then his expression softened with memory. "The last time I drank something this good was a year ago, when we completed the founding of Blood Moon City—the two Protectors gifted us only two bowls!"

All other deputy commanders looked envious; many squad leaders even drooled.

It wasn't their fault.

True, things could be transported from the mortal world, but only critical supplies.

Items like wine and delicacies? They'd never waste precious transport resources on them—everything here is locally produced.

Of course, the Blood God Sect had brought a few winemakers, but output was limited and skill was poor.

Even the high-ups don't have enough real wine.

Let alone them.

In an instant, Xu Jin filled every cup in the room. Deputy Commander He Fei sighed bitterly, "After drinking such fine wine, how can I ever swallow this local swill again?"

In an instant, it stirred everyone's homesickness!

After years of struggle in the Blood God Sect, they'd gained wealth and status—but little enjoyment.

Supplies were still scarce!

Especially those suited to mortal human tastes!

"Don't worry—I brought wine as gifts for all of you!"

"Everyone gets some!"

"Everyone gets some!"

"Grand Commander, when I came, I specifically brought fine wine to offer you!" With a wave of his hand, twenty jars appeared before them.

"Grand Commander, these are all for you!"

"So much?" Zhong Ji was stunned—the total amount of mortal-world wine used in a single banquet by the Blood God Sect's Left and Right Protectors hadn't been this much.

Each jar weighed thirty catties; twenty jars would nearly exhaust his Void Space, wouldn't they?

That's what made it truly valuable.

"For my elder brother, I'd never have enough," Xu Jin smiled.

"Hahaha! Since it's from my brother, I'll accept it." With a wave, the twenty jars vanished; Zhong Ji's Void Space was nearly full, and his expression turned radiant with joy!

"Brothers, I still have one more jar—when you leave, each of you take a little. Sorry, I can only spare a limited amount!" Xu Jin pulled out another jar.

Seeing this, Zhong Ji grew even more satisfied with Xu Jin as a brother.

He knew to give the biggest share to him.

And there was a stark contrast.

The more he looked at Xu Jin, the more he liked him.

The banquet lasted a full hour; the two jars Xu Jin had first brought were entirely consumed.

Even Zhong Ji was visibly drunk.

"Brothers, keep drinking—I'll take a short rest."

"Elder brother, let me help you!"

"Good, good, good!" Zhong Ji, extremely pleased with Xu Jin, agreed without hesitation.

The squad leaders and deputy commanders in the room now looked at Xu Jin differently.

To be publicly called a brother by the Grand Commander wasn't simple.

This, however, was merely a side goal for Xu Jin.

His real goal was to escort Zhong Ji.

As Xu Jin helped Zhong Ji out of the room and toward the back courtyard, he pressed his palm against Zhong Ji's back and unleashed a Soul Wave.

The Star Art: Dream Soothe activated instantly!

In an instant, Zhong Ji fell into deep sleep.

Xu Jin finally exhaled in relief.

Along the way back with Zhong Ji, Xu Jin sensed—Zhong Ji had forged a Soul Spirit.

Xu Jin's own Soul cultivation had already reached the peak of Soul Spirit, and was still growing.

For those who hadn't forged a Soul Spirit, he could use Dream Soothe remotely to pull them into dreams.

But for those who had forged one, it wouldn't work.

He couldn't pull them in remotely.

The Soul Spirit protected itself with its Soul Light.

Remote use of Dream Soothe would only wake them.

But with direct physical contact, it was different.

It was nearly like injecting Dream Soothe directly into their body—no defense possible.

All Xu Jin's preparation had been waiting for this moment!

And how to use Dream Soothe to extract help from Zhong Ji—he'd already planned it on the way to Blood Moon City.

Now, he simply followed the script within the dream.

Zhong Ji's soul was controlled—either by Elder Mu or Great Hong Emperor—and his position as Grand Commander of the Blood Vultures was extremely critical; he likely had soul seals.

So Xu Jin dared not ask random questions.

Too many questions might cause Zhong Ji's soul to explode—killing him instantly—and Xu Jin would be in deep trouble.

He focused only on matters directly related to himself.

"What instructions did the Deputy Sect Master give regarding Xu Jin?" This was what Xu Jin most wanted to know.

And this question was safe.

Great Hong Emperor had soul-sealing techniques, but he hadn't met Zhong Ji recently—so he couldn't have activated any seal!

Quickly, Xu Jin received his answer.

Great Hong Emperor instructed Zhong Ji to treat Xu Jin with utmost importance: every action, big or small, every person he met, every detail—must be reported daily to the Chief Administrator.

Elder Mu also gave Zhong Ji special orders: Xu Jin's identity was unusual; he must be watched closely, and any actions, contacts, or inquiries must be reported to him immediately, to prevent surprises!

This information allowed Xu Jin to deduce that Elder Mu of the Punishment Hall likely knew his true identity.

If Great Hong Emperor ever moved against Xu Jin, it would almost certainly be orchestrated by Elder Mu.

As he carried Zhong Ji along, using Dream Soothe to question him, they soon reached the courtyard. A girl sent by Qingfeng Pavilion arrived to take Zhong Ji from Xu Jin—but Xu Jin merely glanced at her, and she collapsed instantly.

Xu Jin thought for a moment, then placed Zhong Ji by the door and used Dream Soothe to weave dream after dream, implanting certain ideas into Zhong Ji's mind.

For instance: Xu Jin was his sworn brother!

The one person he trusted most.

And so on.

He repeated this dream scenario over a dozen times with Dream Soothe before stopping.

Just as he finished, Xu Jin suddenly remembered something he'd been pondering.

Normally, only Ninth Tier could oppose Ninth Tier.

So as the Sect Master neared Ninth Tier breakthrough, why was the Deputy Sect Master attempting to seize power? What was his leverage?

"I heard the Deputy Sect Master is about to break into Ninth Tier—is that true?" Xu Jin asked within the dream.

This question wouldn't trigger any soul seal.

In the dream, Zhong Ji blinked dully. "I don't know. But Elder Mu said the Deputy Sect Master is preparing for a breakthrough—he told us below not to worry. But I don't know the details."

As expected!

The internal politics of the Blood God Sect were even more complex than Xu Jin had imagined.

In an instant, Xu Jin stirred his mind—the girl who had fainted moments ago suddenly woke up. "Huh? What happened to me?"

"Quickly, help support my Commander!" Xu Jin commanded softly, while activating his soul aura to awaken Zhong Ji from the dream and hand him over to the girl.

He then stepped back.

In an instant, voices rose from the room; Xu Jin turned and left.

His heart was now at ease.

He understood the basic situation.

Tomorrow, he could begin investigating the Blood God Sect's traitor case.

For the Punishment Hall, who the traitor was didn't matter—only executing the Hall's true objective did.

Xu Jin had already extracted part of the Punishment Hall's true objective from Zhong Ji.

His judgment was correct.

The true objective—the Punishment Hall's real goal—was to seize military authority.

But this process of seizing military authority was complex.

It wasn't like the mortal world, where promoting one's own officer could control the army.

Because within the Blood God Cult, from top to bottom—including within the military—both human and non-human races are cross-controlled through soul manipulation.

Implementing it is quite complex.

Therefore, the Punishment Hall needs a knife.

A very sharp knife!

Just at the right moment, Grand Emperor Hong placed Xu Jin as that knife!

What followed was simple for Xu Jin!

The mole doesn't matter; being the knife is irrelevant.

The key is to find, in the shortest time possible, the whereabouts of Master Qi Qi Shanye and Master Mo Ji, and make contact with them!

(End of Chapter)