Chapter 263: Investigation [2]

Inside the secluded jade chamber of the Emerald Purity Sect, a heavy silence descended upon the four grand elders sitting around the round spirit-wood table.

The proposal to interrogate the four outer disciples hung in the air, weighted with grave implications.

Skipping an entire cultivation realm overnight was not merely a miracle; in a realm on the precipice of continental war, it was a terrifying anomaly.

Elder Soul Cleansing Buddha, acting as the leading authority in the council, slowly let his wooden prayer beads come to a complete halt between his fingers.

His placid, monk-like demeanor settled into an icy, unyielding calm as he looked across at the three elders.

“I agree with the suggestion,” Soul Cleansing Buddha spoke, his low voice echoing off the smooth jade walls with heavy finality. “The four outer disciples—Naen and his companions—must be summoned separately. They are to be brought to the disciplinary halls before dawn and subjected to a thorough spiritual investigation.”

The Undisputed Fist Elder leaned his massive frame back into his chair, his thick arms crossing over his broad chest.

A sharp, cynical glint flickered within his dark eyes.

“And if our suspicions prove correct?” the Fist Elder asked, his voice a low, rumbling grumble.

“If these boys have allied themselves with an outside force… if the four outer disciples are traitors to the Emerald Purity Sect, what should we do with them?”

A subtle, cold smirk slowly curled across Soul Cleansing Buddha’s lips—a stark, terrifying contrast to his usual benevolent aura.

“Then we kill the traitors,” Soul Cleansing Buddha answered smoothly, without a single trace of hesitation. “No internal disease shall be permitted to fester while war looms at our gates.”

The remaining three elders nodded in silent, grim agreement.

The decree was set.

***

Far away from the high-level elder pavilions, deep within the intricate hierarchy of the Emerald Purity Sect, a very different play was quietly unfolding.

During the chaotic period of disciple admissions months ago, the dedicated high-ranking followers of the God of Beast had successfully infiltrated the sect.

Moving with consummate stealth and leveraging their vast, hidden expertise, they had secured positions for themselves as respected inner disciples, blending effortlessly into the bustling background of the grand sect.

Among them were Pope Croak, Grand Chancellor Manuses, Duchess Alisa, and Duchess Eurenia.

Under normal circumstances, such powerful figures would have already begun laying the groundwork for a grand takeover.

However, having received no explicit divine orders from their master to make an overt move, they had remained completely dormant, maintaining their flawless covers as disciplined, ordinary inner disciples.

Yet, despite their forced restraint, news moved fast among those bound by the same divine thread.

Duchess Eurenia had wasted no time in secretly transmitting word to her comrades regarding the newest converts in the sect.

The four outer disciples who had recently encountered their god in the lower valleys.

This revelation had immediately prompted Duchess Alisa to direct her sharp, watchful eyes toward the outer disciple housing district, closely observing Naen and his three companions who had returned as sudden Martial Masters.

Naen, now acting as the unofficial leader of the new group of four, had already secretly informed his companions of the divine revelations and instructions left behind by the God of Beast.

They knew they were the bait, the spark meant to draw out the sect’s upper management.

Meanwhile, Pope Croak and Grand Chancellor Manuses deliberately maintained a strict, safe distance from the four outer disciples.

They refrained from making any direct physical contact or sending obvious spiritual transmissions, ensuring that if the sect’s protective arrays or grand elders grew suspicious of the outer disciples, their own high-level covers would remain entirely uncompromised.

However, as the sun began its golden descent behind the western peaks of the Emerald Purity Sect, painting the sky in deep shades of violet and orange, the time for passive watching came to an end.

A hidden, highly encrypted divine signal was subtly broadcast through the soul sea.

As twilight settled over the mountain, four figures moved separately through the shadows of the sect, utilizing forgotten mountain paths, abandoned bamboo groves, and hidden formations to avoid the patrol sweeps of the core law-enforcement disciples.

Deep beneath the roots of an ancient, thousand-year-old pine tree located near the edge of a jagged cliff, a small, ward-sealed subterranean cavern sat in absolute darkness.

One by one, the four dedicated followers arrived.

Grand Chancellor Manuses stepped out from the shadows first, his dark, elegant robes rustling faintly.

Seconds later, Pope Croak materialized beside him, his gaze sharp and heavy with ancient authority.

Duchess Eurenia glided into the cavern shortly after, her face serene, her eyes glowing with subtle spiritual energy.

Finally, Duchess Alisa stepped into the center of the chamber, her hand already forming a complex sequence of hand seals to lock the cavern’s internal boundary array.

BZZZZT.

A translucent, noise-canceling barrier snap-fitted against the dirt walls, completely isolating the small space from the outside world.

“Everyone is here,” Alisa spoke softly, turning her gaze toward the three figures standing before her.

Her voice was quiet, but it carried an urgent, serious weight that immediately caught their attention.

“You called for an emergency gathering, Alisa,” Grand Chancellor Manuses remarked, his arms folded neatly inside his long sleeves.

“It is dangerous for all four of us to assemble in one place like this. If the core elders’ spiritual sweeps detect a concentrated cluster of high-tier aura, our months of careful concealment will be ruined.”

“I am well aware of the risks, Manuses,” Alisa replied calmly, her sharp eyes flickering with intense gravity. “I would not have summoned us all if the matter was not of absolute, critical importance to our master’s grand design.”

Pope Croak stepped forward, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at her. “Does this concern the four outer disciples? The ones Naen is leading?”

“It does, but it goes far beyond their sudden breakthrough into the Martial Master realm,” Alisa revealed, leaning in slightly as the dim glow of her sealing array illuminated her face.

“My shadows have been monitoring the high-tier communications coming out of the Jade Peak Council Chamber. The grand elders have just concluded a private meeting regarding the Hashian continental war—and their attention has officially turned downward.”

Eurenia’s eyebrows raised slightly. “They noticed the anomaly?”

“More than just noticed,” Alisa said coldly.

“Elder Soul Cleansing Buddha and the inner council have issued a secret order. Before the sun rises tomorrow, Naen and his three companions will be forcibly summoned and separated for an intensive spiritual interrogation. The elders suspect treason and foreign infiltration.”

“So, the bait has worked exactly as our Master intended,” Manuses observed, a small, dark smile touching his lips.

“The sect elders are biting and our great religion will spread beyond their control”

“Yes, but that is only half of what I summoned you to hear,” Alisa continued, her tone dropping into a deadly, hushed whisper that made the air in the small cavern turn instantly freezing cold.

“While intercepting their council’s spiritual residual waves, I picked up a secondary piece of intelligence—something that directly affects the entire timeline of the upcoming conflict in the Southern Hashian Mountains.”

Pope Croak’s eyes flashed with a dangerous, golden-crimson light.

“Speak, Alisa. What did you find?”