Chapter 716 - 647: A Traitor Among Us, Ruins in the Demon Cave

"Lord Quasi-Saint Son, Xu Yuan and the others at the Spirit Medicine Tower... their mission has failed!"

An Elder, a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster, came to the place where Quasi-Saint Son Gongye Zhe was cultivating to report on the situation at the Spirit Medicine Tower. After Gongye Zhe had decided to make his move, he had put this Elder in charge of the matter.

The Elder just hadn’t expected that the mission would fail the moment the arrangements were complete.

"Elder Zhao Zizhen, did something unexpected happen? How could it have failed so quickly?"

"How did it fail?"

Confusion crossed Gongye Zhe’s face. To ensure the mission’s success, he had assigned more than just one person. He’d even included several individuals who, on the surface, had no connection to him. Logically speaking, the mission should still be ongoing; it couldn’t have failed this fast.

Gongye Zhe couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

The question immediately sprang to his mind.

’Could it be that they all acted at once, were discovered by Yang Chan’s people, and got wiped out in one fell swoop?’

"This morning, the Spirit Medicine Tower started dismissing people again. They let go of more than a dozen, and every single person we had arranged was on that list!"

"All of them. Not a single one was spared."

Zhao Zizhen also wore a strange expression. It all felt too coincidental.

It was as if Yang Chan had started dismissing people the moment they finished their arrangements, which made him suspect there was a traitor among them.

However, only a handful of people knew about the plan, and he couldn’t identify a single suspect among them.

"A mole?"

Gongye Zhe’s reaction was swift. He looked at the Elder, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"That’s a possibility we can’t rule out. However, I’ve been observing the people responsible for this, and I haven’t seen anything suspicious yet."

"Or perhaps the mole is hidden very deep."

"Still, considering Yang Chan hasn’t been in the Merak Sacred Land for very long, he shouldn’t have been able to plant his own agents."

A shadow passed over Zhao Zizhen’s eyes. He had been put in charge of this, and its failure put him in a very awkward position.

If he could expose a mole, his own share of the blame would be reduced.

Although he was also a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster, his potential was leagues below Gongye Zhe’s.

Being a Quasi-Saint Son of the Merak Sacred Land meant one had the potential to advance to become a Blood Exchange Martial Saint. Without that potential, one could never hold such a title.

For example, if something were to happen to the current Saint Son, he, as the Quasi-Saint Son, would take his place and become the new leader of the Merak Sacred Land. This fact alone spoke volumes.

Therefore, even though their Cultivation levels were similar, his attitude toward Gongye Zhe was far more deferential.

Within the Merak Sacred Land, the difference between an Elder with true authority and one with a nominal position was vast, encompassing a huge gap in both influence and strength.

And he was one of the latter, an Elder with a nominal position. His strength was only at the Initial Stage of a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster, which wasn’t considered particularly powerful within that realm.

"Yang Chan himself doesn’t have the capability, and Chiyu Peak behind him lacks the power. The Merak Saintess, on the other hand, is a different matter."

"Even when Baili Xi was at his most domineering, that woman managed to hold her ground. She even used the circumstances to force him into seclusion for a period. She is no simple character."

"With her methods, it’s possible she planted a mole, or perhaps she simply uncovered our plans."

Gongye Zhe said, his brow furrowing slightly.

He wasn’t particularly concerned about Yang Chan, or even Chiyu Peak for that matter.

For one, Chiyu Peak was newly established. For another, its Peak Master, Liu Xuan, was only an Initial Stage Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster. Gongye Zhe didn’t give that level of strength a second thought.

They were inferior to him in both power and influence, so he naturally paid them little mind. But the involvement of the Merak Saintess was a different story, one that made him extremely wary.

Among all his competitors within the Merak Sacred Land, the Merak Saint Son and the Merak Saintess were the two he feared the most. Of course, his attention was currently focused more on the Merak Saint Son, who was a direct obstacle in his path. But that didn’t mean he could afford to ignore the Merak Saintess.

In the final struggle for the position of Saint Master, they were all prime contenders.

He was also keeping an eye on the Quasi-Saintess, Gongsun Qiu, though he paid her less attention than the other two. Sometimes, he even considered her a potential partner for cooperation.

Ultimately, they were in a similar boat. Their titles all began with "Quasi," marking them as successors-in-waiting. They had already fought their way through crowds of contenders just to earn that prefix.

"Investigate this thoroughly. If you find a mole, eliminate them immediately!"

"A mole is far more despicable than Yang Chan. They could even compromise our future plans!"

A cold light flickered in Gongye Zhe’s eyes. His attitude toward such traitors was utterly decisive.

It could be summed up in a single word: kill!

Keeping such a person alive was a liability.

"Elder Zhao, I’m still leaving this matter to you. Investigate everyone with knowledge of this plan. Don’t stop until you find the mole!"

"As for Yang Chan, leave him be for now. We can find trouble for him later, when we’re free."

Gongye Zhe glanced toward the Pill Pavilion. At the moment, he had no good way of dealing with Yang Chan.

There were certain tactics he couldn’t employ within the Merak Sacred Land, especially not in a place like the Pill Pavilion, where his influence didn’t fully extend. On top of that, with the Merak Saintess providing such staunch protection, he simply couldn’t find a good opening.

The main issue was that he had been focused on the Saint Son, Baili Xi, this whole time. Baili Xi had gone straight to the Demon Cave after ending his seclusion. Such a move was highly unusual, and it convinced Gongye Zhe that something big was afoot.

Therefore, he had people keeping a constant watch on Baili Xi. The moment Baili Xi made a move, he would personally intervene.

If there was some prize to be had, he absolutely would not stand by and watch Baili Xi snatch it up. Watching his rival grow steadily stronger would be more agonizing than death itself.