345: Chapter 345 Why Did You Betray Me?

"Crazy? I'm not crazy." Shen Hu stopped smiling, his expression turning serious as his gaze swept across the crowd, and he spoke slowly. "Think about it carefully. Nowadays, the talents of Human Race Cultivators are dwindling. For thousands of years, not even a single Golden Core Cultivator of red core quality has appeared, let alone one of Purple Core quality!"

He paused and continued, his tone becoming increasingly rapid and confident: "Furthermore, the spiritual materials required for a Purple Core to advance to a Golden Core are extremely demanding. Every single one is an exceptionally rare spiritual material. The Human Race Cultivators have always been lacking in resources, so trying to gather all these spiritual materials is as difficult as climbing to heaven!"

"Moreover, the Human Race's lifespan is naturally short; they cannot burn it many times before they die!"

At this point, Shen Hu continued: "By taking these Jade Slips out for trade, we can not only cheat the Human Race out of a large amount of Spirit Stones and resolve our Yao Race's Spirit Stone crisis, but we can also make those greedy Human Race Cultivators exhaust themselves and waste a massive amount of manpower and resources to gather the spiritual materials and Cultivate the secret methods, thereby weakening their strength. Why not carry out such a strategy that offers multiple benefits?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell into silence. The voices of opposition gradually faded, replaced by contemplation and agreement.

After thinking it over carefully, Shen Hu's words indeed made sense.

It wasn't just the Human Race Cultivators; even among their Yao Race Cultivators, no Golden Core of Purple Core quality had appeared for thousands of years.

Furthermore, the difficulty of upgrading a Purple Core to a Golden Core was immense.

Not only were the spiritual material requirements vast, but there was also a very high demand for talent.

Human Race Cultivators neither had the talent to nurture a Purple Core nor could they gather the necessary spiritual materials, and their lifespans were even more insufficient. To them, these two Jade Slips were but empty promises that could not be fulfilled, while the Yao Race could use these checks to exchange for a large amount of Spirit Stones and deplete the Human Race. It was indeed a plan with multiple benefits.

Sitting in the main seat, Shen Guhong's expression gradually became composed after listening to Shen Hu's words, and a hint of approval flashed in his eyes.

He pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded and said with a certain tone: "Shen Hu has a point; this plan is feasible."

As Shen Guhong's voice fell, the group of Yao Race experts echoed their agreement, and not a single person opposed it anymore.

"Shen Hu, go to the secret vault to take the secret methods and some treasures, then head to the Azure Cloud Sect's Golden Core Trade Fair!" Shen Guhong continued.

"As you command!" Shen Hu cupped his hands.

As Shen Hu left, Shen Guhong's gaze fell upon Wang Cheng.

The moment he saw Wang Cheng, a trace of doubt flashed in Shen Guhong's eyes.

Three years ago, Wang Cheng had committed a great error. Although Shen Guhong appeared to forgive him on the surface, he had always remained wary.

Ultimately, he had specifically made Wang Cheng consume a puppet pill.

The puppet pill was a secret concoction of the Yao Race. After consuming it, a Cultivator would be surrounded by a faint black Qi, and their face would gradually turn black. No matter how their cultivation improved in the future, this abnormality could not be eliminated. It also allowed Shen Guhong to sense Wang Cheng's whereabouts at any time and control his life and death.

But now, three years had passed, and Wang Cheng just stood there quietly in Yao Race attire with a respectful expression, yet his face was still fair. There was no trace of black Qi around him at all, making him no different from an ordinary Cultivator, as if he had never consumed the puppet pill.

This bizarre scene caused the clouds of doubt in Shen Guhong's heart to grow heavier.

Most importantly, those few Low Grade Heaven-Sword Magical Artifacts had been introduced by Wang Cheng.

Shen Guhong pondered for a moment and decided to get rid of Wang Cheng: "Wang Cheng, how long has it been since you joined our Yao Race?"

Wang Cheng, who was standing to the side with his head bowed, seemingly listening respectfully to the discussion, was slightly startled upon hearing Shen Guhong's question: "Reporting to Revered Master, it has been nearly ten years since this Disciple joined the Yao Race."

"Ten years?" Shen Guhong repeated in a low voice. The doubt in his eyes did not dissipate; instead, it gained a deeper meaning. He slowly nodded, his gaze still fixed on Wang Cheng as if trying to find some flaw on his face. "In the blink of an eye, it has actually been ten years."

As his voice fell, Shen Guhong raised his hand and said deeply toward the outside of the hall: "Someone, bring wine!"

A moment later, a grey-clothed Yao servant carrying a pot of spiritual wine that emitted a dense Spiritual Qi quickly entered the hall. He bowed and placed the spiritual wine on the table in front of Shen Guhong, then respectfully retreated to the side, standing with his head bowed, not daring to say a word.

This spiritual wine was a unique spiritual wine of the Yao Race.

Shen Guhong picked up the wine pot and applied a slight force. Crystal-clear liquid slowly flowed out of the pot. He first poured a cup for himself; the liquid shimmered with a faint purple light, and Spiritual Qi overflowed.

Then, he picked up another wine cup, turned the wine pot slightly, and then slowly poured a cup for Wang Cheng. The liquid was equally clear, emitting a rich aroma of wine and Demonic Qi.

He raised the wine cup in his hand and looked at Wang Cheng: "Wang Cheng, over these ten years, you have been diligent and conscientious in the Yao Race, which has been hard work. Come, Revered Master shall toast you a cup!"

Far away in the small courtyard, Qin Changsheng had been paying attention to Wang Cheng's movements.

His Divine Sense also saw Shen Guhong's actions.

At this moment, he also knew that Shen Guhong had become suspicious and wanted to kill Wang Cheng.

Qin Changsheng pondered for a moment and decided to abandon the identity of Wang Cheng.

He would then join the Yao Race with a new identity.

After all, he had just obtained the Golden Trait: Disguise.

He believed that with this Golden Trait, he could definitely make Shen Guhong, Shen Bing, and the others lower their guard.

This would allow him to come into contact with the core of the Yao Race.

And then uncover many of the Yao Race's secrets.

"Thank you, Revered Master!" Wang Cheng did not suspect anything and directly took the wine cup, drinking it all in one gulp.

Looking at Wang Cheng who had drunk the wine, Shen Guhong's eyes were filled with joy.

Although he knew that Wang Cheng had many secrets on him,

It was no longer important now.

Because what Wang Cheng had drunk was the Yao Race's Sealing Wine.

Once consumed, one would be unable to use any Magic Power or Spiritual Qi.

"Hahahaha... Wang Cheng, over these years, how has Revered Master treated you?" Shen Guhong's eyes were filled with coldness.

"Revered Master has treated this Disciple with benevolence as heavy as a mountain, not only accepting me but also granting me resources for Cultivation!" Wang Cheng replied.

"Very good?" Upon hearing this, Shen Guhong suddenly let out a cold laugh, his voice filled with disdain and fury: "Since Revered Master has treated you so well, why did you betray me?"

"Betray?" Wang Cheng was shaken and hurriedly raised his head: "Revered Master, please judge clearly! This Disciple has not betrayed you! Over these ten years, I have been diligent, conscientious, and loyal, never having any disloyalty!"

"Heh?" Shen Guhong let out another cold laugh, the mockery in his eyes even greater. He didn't bother to waste more words with Wang Cheng and moved his hand slightly. A pitch-black rope suddenly appeared out of thin air. The rope was covered with dense runes, emitting a thick Demonic Qi and sharp Pressure.

In the next instant, the demon-binding lock whistled toward Wang Cheng as if it had a spirit of its own. Before Wang Cheng could react, it tightly coiled around his limbs and torso. The rope tightened further and further, the sharp runes piercing into his skin and suppressing the spiritual power within his body, leaving him unable to circulate even a shred of it.

Wang Cheng let out a muffled groan, his face turning flush red as he struggled desperately, his hands clutching the demon-binding lock in an attempt to break free. But the strength of the demon-binding lock was immense, like cast steel; no matter how much force he used, it did not budge an inch, and instead, the tighter it bound him, the more painful it became.

Shen Guhong slowly stood up and walked toward Wang Cheng step by step: "There is no need to struggle. Do you know what this is? This is the demon-binding lock, an earth grade high-rank Magical Artifact specifically designed to restrain Cultivators and the Yao Race. Even a Golden Core Peak Cultivator would need at least fifteen minutes to break free!"

Wang Cheng stopped struggling and spoke: "Revered Master, this Disciple truly has not betrayed you!"

"No?" Shen Guhong stopped in his tracks and stared down at Wang Cheng from above: "If there was no betrayal, why did all the missions This Seat assigned to you fail?"

"How did those Spirit Stones in our Yao Race treasury go missing?"

"How could that puppet pill lose its effect?"

"And what exactly is the deal with that Low Grade Heaven-Grade Magical Artifact?"

Shen Guhong had already begun to suspect Wang Cheng long ago.

After all, whenever Spirit Stones went missing from their treasury, Wang Cheng had been there.

Furthermore, among those people, Wang Cheng was the only one who was not a member of the Yao Race.