Betrayal?

Could it be?

Lü Zhong recalled the Daoist Oath he’d signed upon joining the Sect. Two of its clauses explicitly forbade betraying the Sect or colluding with outside enemies. Violating them would surely trigger a backlash from one’s Heart Demon.

At this thought, he couldn’t help but be on his guard.

A sidelong glance revealed the others wore expressions much like his own.

’If I use Scene Replay, I can... Huh?!’

Lü Zhong was using Scene Replay to constantly observe Yuo Qing when a sudden flash of inspiration struck. He discovered that not only could the ability replay the scene of his arrival at the Central Control Room, but it could even rewind time much further back.

This was very likely a change brought about by his increased cultivation, or perhaps by the birth of his Divine Sense.

With no time to dwell on it, he focused on the replay.

His Spiritual Power drained rapidly as the scene rewound to the previous evening.

Inside the Central Control Room, Lin Nan and Yuo Qing were in a standoff.

The tension was palpable, both poised for a life-or-death battle.

Lin Nan stared at Yuo Qing, his face a mask of confusion and disbelief. Sword in hand, he demanded, "Senior Sister Yuo, you... Why have you betrayed the Sect?"

"Heh heh heh..." Yuo Qing coughed out, a strange smile twisting her lips. "Betrayal? So what if I betrayed the Sect? I know you’ve always been in love with me..."

As she spoke, she began to remove her clothes.

"That’s not true!" Lin Nan shouted, cutting her off. He took a deep breath, his eyes slightly bloodshot. "Since you’ve betrayed the Sect, then I, Lin Nan, am your sworn enemy! Yuo Qing, die!"

A tempest raged in Lü Zhong’s heart as he watched them fight.

’So Yuo Qing was the real traitor?’

But the same logic still applied. Yuo Qing had no reason to betray the Sect. After all, once the Daoist Oath was signed, betraying the Sect or colluding with outside enemies was a surefire way to suffer a backlash from one’s Heart Demon.

Given the nature of a cultivator, it was impossible that she would willingly seek her own death.

’What in the world happened here?’

As he continued to watch, he witnessed a battle between Foundation Establishment Cultivators for the first time.

Both wielded Spiritual Artifacts, and their duel within the cramped Central Control Room was a masterclass in confined combat, perfectly showcasing the fluid, responsive control they had over their weapons. A band of green light and a band of red intertwined, clashing repeatedly with the sharp ring of striking steel.

The Spiritual Artifacts clashed so fiercely that the shockwaves carved gouges into the floor.

After several exchanges, a splash of scarlet blood flew through the air.

To Lü Zhong’s surprise, it was Lin Nan who had claimed victory.

With a THUD, Yuo Qing collapsed to her knees, a sword run through her heart. Moments later, she went still.

Lin Nan recalled his sword and walked slowly toward her.

Lü Zhong watched with rapt attention. He knew that in the present, Yuo Qing was alive while Lin Nan had vanished. Something else must have happened after Lin Nan defeated her.

"Senior Sister..." Lin Nan’s voice was heavy with sorrow.

He stood blankly in the spreading pool of blood, his expression indescribably complex.

After a long moment, he magically retrieved the clothes from the floor, intending to dress Yuo Qing’s body.

Just then, the unthinkable happened.

A Blood Shadow suddenly burst from the wound in Yuo Qing’s chest, its gaping, bloody maw snapping open wide.

With a single bite, all that was left of Lin Nan was the lower half of his body.

’What?!’ Lü Zhong’s eyes bulged; he had not foreseen this at all.

The Blood Shadow, still attached to Yuo Qing’s body, chewed for a moment and let out a sound of immense satisfaction. It then proceeded to swallow the rest of Lin Nan’s body, chewing again before spitting out his blood-soaked clothes and Storage Bag.

Having done this, the Blood Shadow churned and solidified into a human shape.

"Kekeke..." A strange laugh escaped the humanoid figure.

Lü Zhong’s heart leaped with surprise once more as he watched.

Because he had seen this person before.

On a previous Sect mission, Lü Zhong had killed a Demon Cultivator in Yizhou City.

The blood-red figure from that time was the exact same Demon Cultivator he was seeing now!

’The methods of the Demon Dao are truly unfathomable...’

Lü Zhong muttered to himself as he watched the Blood Shadow transform into a bewitching woman and begin to tidy up the chaotic Central Control Room.

In no time at all, the room was restored to its original state.

He then watched her scatter a large amount of powder, which completely eliminated the stench of blood without affecting any other scents in the room.

After finishing, the woman suddenly burst into a fit of laughter for no apparent reason.

As she laughed, her entire body writhed and squirmed, as if she were about to lose control.

In the end, however, she managed to stabilize herself.

’What a pity,’ Lü Zhong sighed to himself.

’It would have been so much better if she’d lost control.’

He watched the entity re-enter Yuo Qing’s body before finally ending the Scene Replay.

Back in the present, Yuo Qing was issuing commands.

Cultivators from the Golden Rainbow Sect and the Luoyun Sect had suddenly appeared and were launching an unprecedentedly fierce assault on the Earth Eight Directions Array, just as Yuo Qing had hinted they would.

Xiao Changyuan and the others were sent out one by one, until at last, only Lü Zhong and Yuo Qing remained in the Central Control Room.

A sense of unprecedented crisis washed over Lü Zhong.

And yet, he couldn’t let on that he knew a thing. If the Demon Cultivator possessing Yuo Qing’s body sensed that something was wrong, it would surely rush over to silence him permanently.

But now... it seemed his time was almost up anyway.

He suspected Yuo Qing had kept him here precisely to take revenge for her disciple.

’Sigh...’ An image of his nominal master flashed through Lü Zhong’s mind, and he wondered if Shuini would avenge him.

’Probably not,’ he thought.

"Kek... kekeke..."

The sound of a suppressed laugh, mixed with a cough, reached him.

Lü Zhong looked up to see Yuo Qing laughing inexplicably. Through his Qi Observation Skill, he could tell that her aura was extremely unstable, as if she might lose control at any moment.

For a moment, he was overcome with the urge to launch a preemptive strike.

But in the end, he restrained himself.

The laughter did not last long. Soon, Yuo Qing’s expression returned to normal.