First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2440 – Who’s a Traitor?

But Su Yi’s next words left his friends stunned. “Stay here. I’ll be enough on my own.”

“By yourself?” Wen Qingfeng seemed to find this hard to accept. “Daoist Brother Fuyou, we’re no burdens. Now that the progenitors are dead, with our strength, dealing with the remaining Demon Emperors is absolutely within the realm of possibility!”

Su Yi laughed. “I understand, but in this case, it’s best if I go alone.”

Wen Qingfeng was about to object when Luo Yao pulled him back. “It’s not like you don’t understand how Daoist Brother Fuyou does things. He’s made his decision, so he’s not going to change it.”

Wen Qingfeng sighed, obviously unwilling to accept this.

Su Yi said warmly, “I’m going to go test their mettle and see what kind of countermeasures Ol’ Man Heart Demon prepared. Once I’ve gotten a feel for things, I’ll come back and lead you all into battle.”

Wen Qingfeng’s eyes lit up. “So you’re saying that you’re not going out there to settle things with the Outsider Celestial Demons all at once?”

Su Yi shook his head. “You have to eat your meals one bite at a time. Even though Ol’ Man Heart Demon’s gone, added up, the Outsider Celestial Demons still number in the millions, with at least one hundred Demon Emperors. Short of drawing on the hidden cards I keep in reserve, I have no means of slaughtering them all at once.”

He paused, then said, “This time, I plan to act as an assassination and engage in guerilla warfare. I’ll try to kill my targets in one shot, and if I fail, I’ll extricate myself immediately.

“My first step is to create upheaval in their ranks. Once they’re all afraid and too on edge to eat or sleep in peace, they’re likely to seek retribution of their own accord.

“And that will make things much simpler.”

Luo Yao and Wen Qingfeng couldn’t help but nod to themselves.

If Su Yi went out and fought no holds barred, he’d naturally risk getting surrounded and trapped.

But given his strength, using ambushes to sow discord in the enemies’ ranks wouldn’t be difficult.

Before long, Su Yi set off on his own.

Wen Qingfeng watched him fade over the horizon before sighing, “It’s getting harder and harder to see through Brother Fuyou. In this lifetime, he’s… obviously a bit different than he was back then.”

Luo Yao said softly, “If he remained the same, why bother reincarnating?”

Wen Qingfeng mulled that over briefly, then nodded in understanding. “True enough. It’s good that he’s changed!”

“I just hope that nothing happens in Dao-Seeking City in his absence,” Luo Yao said suddenly.

Wen Qingfeng was stunned. He chuckled, “The three progenitors are dead. Even if the Outsider Celestial Demons dare to attack us, what do we have to be afraid of?“

Unfortunately, not even Wen Qingfeng could have guessed that Luo Yao was right on the mark!

A vast army of demons silently appeared that very evening, sweeping toward the city in a boundless tide!

“We’re under attack——!” Shouts arose from within the city.

Luo Yao, Wen Qingfeng, and the others immediately gathered on the walls.

“They really did show up…!” exclaimed Wen Qingfeng.

“I’ve already noticed ten Demon Emperors in their ranks!” someone said softly, his expression grim.

“Strange. How did they manage to show up almost as soon as Brother Fuyou left?” Wen Qingfeng asked in confusion.

Luo Yao sighed. “You still don’t get it? Someone must have leaked word to our enemies.”

One sentence, and everyone present looked stricken.

“Who?” said Wen Qingfeng, seething with murderous intent. He swept his gaze across the group.

Luo Yao turned to look at him. “You.”

Wen Qingfeng stiffened, then said in astonishment, “Me?”

Luo Yao had a complicated look on her face. “At this point, is there really any need to keep up the act?”

Off in the distance, the vast Outsider Celestial Demon army marched upon the city, their collective murderous intent rising into the heavens. Their numbers were so enormous as to make the defenders’ hearts quake.

But Luo Yao didn’t care about any of that right now. She just looked at Wen Qingfeng and said, “The day Daoist Brother Fuyou returned to Dao-Seeking City, you acted strangely. You threw yourself to the ground and wept as you honored our fallen brothers-in-arms.

“At the time, I found it strange. How could someone with your disposition and firm Dao Heart possibly lose control and weep like that?

“But now, it all makes sense. It’s because you had a guilty conscience. You knew that Daoist Brother Fuyou would return and get even. You… were afraid!”

Wen Qingfeng roared, “Luo Yao, what are you talking about?”

Luo Yao’s gaze silently frosted over. “If that were the extent of it, I wouldn’t have suspected you, but you shouldn’t have informed our enemies when we left Dao-Seeking City.

“If you hadn’t done that, how could Demon Emperor Lie Yun possibly have rushed over in time to intercept us? And how could they have figured out that we were headed to the Thousand Deaths Mountains and changed course so quickly?”

Wen Qingfeng’s expression was unsightly, and his whole body quivered with anger. “Luo Yao, have you gone insane? Why do you think I’m a traitor? Do you… have any kind of proof?”

Luo Yao opened her hand, and a jade slip floated into the air, reflecting a curtain of light. The curtain of light depicted Wen Qingfeng in his room crushing a blood-red talisman.

Wen Qingfeng looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. His eyes widened. “No, no, that’s impossible! That wasn’t me! That never happened!”

He said frantically, “Everyone, whatever you do, don’t fall for it! That’s fake!”

But when he looked around, he saw his brothers-in-arms looking at him cautiously, as if he were their enemy!

“That blood-red talisman is called a Spirit Blood Celestial Demon Talisman. It’s the work of an Emperor-Level Deathless Body Demon, and it can silently transmit information,” Luo Yao said icily. “Are you still going to pretend to be innocent even after seeing it?”

The war drums beat outside the city, and the sound of horns shook the heavens. The army of over a million demons, led by ten Demon Emperors, had begun attacking the city!

Kaboom!

Heaven and earth shook, and divine flames swept outward. The formation surrounding Dao-Seeking City shook beneath this terrifying onslaught.

Wen Qingfeng’s eyes were red and bloodshot as he roared, “I swear by my Dao Heart that I did nothing of the sort! This has to be some sort of scheme! Our enemies are attacking the city as we speak. No matter what, we have to kill them before we do anything else!”

He spoke with staunch conviction, but Luo Yao wasn’t moved. “I can give you a chance to prove your innocence, on the condition that you surrender and come quietly!”

“I…” Wen Qingfeng’s eyes bulged as if they were about to pop. “I swore on my Dao Heart, but you still want to arrest me?”

Luo Yao said coldly, “Attack!”

The others took action without hesitation, all of them charging Wen Qingfeng at once.

“You!” Wen Qingfeng was overcome with fury, and he struggled with all his might. “You believe Luo Yao’s one-sided accusations too?”

Kaboom!

The commotion of the Outsider Celestial Demon Army drowned out his hysterical roars.

The layers of the formation covering the city exploded.

Within just a few breaths of time, Wen Qingfeng was badly injured and covered in blood. He hissed, “When Brother Fuyou gets back, he won’t let you off lightly.”

Luo Yao said icily, “How dare you even speak of him?”

Bang!

She waved her sleeve, and countless arcs of divine light exploded into being, piercing Wen Qingfeng’s body and forcing him to the ground.

Kaboom!

Practically simultaneously, Dao-Seeking City shook, and the last remaining layer of the formation broke.

Everyone looked stricken, and all of them were frantic with concern.

“We can no longer hold the city. Kill the traitor, then let’s break free of their encirclement. “ Luo Yao sighed and raised her jade-like hand to strike Wen Qingfeng dead.

Wen Qingfeng’s face filled with grief and fury. He gnashed his teeth and roared, “I’m not a traitor, dammit!”

Boom!

Luo Yao attacked.

But then, a streak of sword qi exploded into being and blocked her strike.

Practically simultaneously, a tall, upright figure appeared in front of Wen Qingfeng.

“Brother Fuyou?” Luo Yao looked stunned.

Everyone else was stunned, too.

Wen Qingfeng, who’d thought he was doomed beyond a doubt, gaped. His eyes widened in disbelief.

None of them had anticipated that Su Yi, who’d only just left the city that morning, would show up again now.

Much less that he’d save Wen Qingfeng!

“A’Yao, even if he is a traitor, we ought to give him a chance to explain himself, right?” Su Yi sighed, then gazed into the dome of heaven. “Fortunately, I didn’t really leave this time. Otherwise… it might have led to irreparable tragedy.”

Boom!

Blood-red tribulation clouds gathered beneath the dome of heaven.

The Tribulation of the Five Witherings!

Everyone in the army attacking the city was startled, and all of them stopped what they were doing.

“How is this happening?”

“Dammit! Su Yi didn’t really leave! He was hiding in the city this entire time!”

“We’ve been tricked!”

“Hurry up and retreat——!“

Enraged, startled cries rang out as the massive army’s will to fight crumbled. All of its soldiers dashed off in a mad panic, even the Demon Emperors.

But they were ultimately one step too late. This time, there was no Well of Turbulent Daos to protect them, so the Tribulation of the Five Witherings descended, like the rivers of heaven bursting through a dam and pouring onto the world below.

Blood-red tribulation light enveloped the entire boundless landscape. The distant, fleeing army was cut down like grass. Most perished in the blink of an eye.

Some of the Demon Emperors struggled like mad, but it was useless. Before long, they too perished on the battlefield.

It was just too terrifying. The sky was thrown into disarray. The ground, no, the entire area seemed to sink into oblivion. The fearsome tribulation would soon eradicate it completely.

Dao-Seeking City suffered the terrifying impact, too. The city collapsed, its buildings vanishing completely.

Only the area around the city gate remained, as it was enveloped in divine chaos flames that neutralized the Tribulation of the Five Withering’s power.

Su Yi and the others were safe and sound inside. His allies sighed in relief, but at the same time, they couldn’t help but find it astonishing.

But Su Yi acted as if he’d done nothing at all. He just casually helped Wen Qingfeng to his feet.

Before Su Yi could say anything, Wen Qingfeng said frantically, “Brother Fuyou, I’m no traitor! I…”

“Calm down,” said Su Yi. “Now that I’m here, I’ll make sure no one is falsely accused.”

His calm voice instantly soothed Wen Qingfeng’s enraged, grief-stricken heart.

The others, however, were instantly uncertain. It seemed that Su Yi didn’t think Wen Qingfeng had betrayed them, but Luo Yao had just taken out irrefutable evidence.

So… what exactly was going on here?

Su Yi, meanwhile, turned his attention toward Luo Yao. “A’Yao, is there anything you’d like to say to me?”