133: Chapter 133 Secretly Informing the Master, Pointing the Sword at the Traitor

"Good! Good! Good!"

The Managing Elder repeatedly uttered three words of approval, his face flushed with extreme excitement: "Zhao Ruoan! You have rendered a great service to the Sect! This old man will definitely report this to the Sect Master and request a commendation for you!"

With a grand wave of his hand, he immediately multiplied the reward for this mission tenfold and bestowed it all upon Zhao Ruoan.

Zhao Ruoan put away the rewards, cupped his hands slightly, and said no more.

This was the effect he wanted.

Without exposing his own trump cards and secrets, only by displaying sufficient value and potential could he firmly establish himself in the Sect and seize more resources and right to speak.

Bringing Qiuyin and Xiamo with him, he turned and left amidst the awe-filled gazes of the entire hall.

The news swept through like a raging wind, instantly spreading across the inner and outer gates of the Qingxuan Sect.

"Have you heard? Zhao Ruoan single-handedly uprooted the Blood Fiend Sect's stronghold in the Black Wind Mountain Range!"

"Good heavens! How long has it been since he entered the Sect, how can he be strong to this extent?"

"It is absolute truth! Dozens of people witnessed it with their own eyes. He brought back dozens of Blood Fiend Sect tokens, there is no falsehood at all!"

"This is simply not a Genius, this is a monster!"

For a time, Zhao Ruoan once again climbed to the peak of the Sect's heated discussions.

No one dared to question his strength anymore. The mockery of being a "newcomer who lucked out" was entirely transformed into the respectful titles of "Senior Brother Zhao" and "Senior Brother Ruoan".

The strong, no matter where they are, will ultimately win everyone's respect.

And Zhao Ruoan, who was now famous throughout the entire Sect, had already quietly returned to the cold and serene Qinghan Peak.

Qinghan Peak was wreathed in clouds and mist, rarely visited by people, remaining as aloof and otherworldly as ever.

Zhao Ruoan let Qiuyin and Xiamo return to their quarters first to rest, while he walked straight towards the palace hidden in the clouds at the peak.

The matter of the Sect's internal traitor was of great importance and had to be reported to Revered Master at the first instance.

Standing before the palace gates, he straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and bowed as he spoke: "Disciple Zhao Ruoan seeks an audience with Revered Master."

The stone doors of the grand hall opened silently, and a wisp of cold sandalwood fragrance wafted towards him, refreshing his heart and mind.

Zhao Ruoan stepped inside.

The hall was spacious and elegant, without excessive furnishings. Only Yun Qinghan, dressed in a plain white long dress, sat cross-legged atop the cold jade bed.

Her appearance was as cold and clear as the moon, unsullied by the mortal world, peerlessly otherworldly.

The moment she slowly opened her eyes, a pair of clear eyes containing the stars and the sea gently fell upon Zhao Ruoan.

"You've returned."

Her voice was cold and serene, yet Zhao Ruoan could hear a hint of imperceptible concern within it.

"Disciple pays respects to Revered Master."

Zhao Ruoan respectfully bowed, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Aside from the fact that Revered Master was an Immortal Emperor in Reincarnation and his biggest backing, deep down in his heart, he had long truly respected this cold and transcendent Revered Master.

"Judging by your Qi, you have gained a lot from this trip."

Yun Qinghan's gaze calmly swept across his entire body. With her Realm, she could tell at a glance that Zhao Ruoan's Qi had become increasingly refined, surrounded by the pure Dao rhythm of thunder, and both his cultivation and Heart-Nature had progressed.

"Thanks to Revered Master's blessings, this Disciple was fortunate enough to obtain a little Opportunity."

Zhao Ruoan did not conceal the Opportunity of the Tianlei Cave Mansion. Excluding the secrets of the System and the Great Dao Scripture, he recounted every single experience of his trip to the Black Wind Mountain Range in detail.

From discovering the corpses of the Golden Hammer Chamber of Commerce, tracking the traces of the Blood Fiend Sect, to being the oriole behind and frustrating Li Jiuyou's scheme, seizing the Legacy of Master Tianlei, and finally slaying Li Jiuyou and purging the remnants of the Demonic Path, he reported the entire process in meticulous detail.

His words were calm, as if he were recounting an insignificant trifle.

Yet when Yun Qinghan heard the whole story, ripples still appeared in her ancient, waveless eyes.

Especially upon hearing how he precisely shattered the energy nodes of the myriad soul banner and reversed the battle situation with the minimum cost, the corners of her cold lips imperceptibly curved upward, hinting at approval.

After his voice fell, Yun Qinghan calmly gave a two-word review: "Not bad."

"Knowing how to assess the situation and break the deadlock with wisdom rather than fighting with brute force. Descending the mountain this time, your Heart-Nature has already matured quite a bit."

Receiving a word of recognition from Revered Master made Zhao Ruoan happier than any Heaven And Earth Treasure.

But in a flash, Yun Qinghan's tone shifted slightly: "However, what you did is still not perfect enough."

Zhao Ruoan was slightly startled and bowed to ask for guidance: "Please instruct me, Revered Master."

"There is nothing wrong with you slaying Li Jiuyou, but you shouldn't have completely obliterated his Divine Soul."

Yun Qinghan slowly said: "The Divine Soul of the Blood Fiend Sect's Young Sect Master is far more valuable than his Physical Body and storage treasures. If he had been captured and imprisoned alive, you could endlessly extract secrets from the Blood Fiend Sect, or even refine him into a Puppet and plant him back into the Blood Fiend Sect, making him infinitely useful."

Zhao Ruoan's heart shuddered, inwardly exclaiming that ginger is indeed hotter the older it gets.

He only sought to eradicate the roots and silence the opponent, but Revered Master had long since thought out a long-term layout, squeezing the opponent's value to the absolute limit. Her scheming and strategy far surpassed his own.

"The situation was urgent at the time, and this Disciple feared lingering complications, so I directly took action to eradicate him without thinking much."

Zhao Ruoan explained with a hint of embarrassment, naturally not daring to confess that when he first executed the Soul Searching Technique, he accidentally shattered the opponent's Divine Soul.

"It's fine."

Yun Qinghan waved her hand without any blame: "For your first time dealing with such conflicts, being able to reach this extent already far exceeds this Revered Master's expectations."

Her gaze narrowed slightly as she looked directly at Zhao Ruoan: "You used the Soul Searching Technique on him, didn't you?"

Zhao Ruoan's heart skipped a beat; as expected, nothing could be hidden from Revered Master.

He stopped quibbling and nodded candidly: "Yes."

To his surprise, Yun Qinghan's expression was calm, without the slightest reprimand.

"Although the Soul Searching Technique is listed as a forbidden art of the Demonic Path, arts have no inherent righteousness or evil. Used righteously, it is righteous; used evilly, it is evil. Dealing with Demonic Paths and evil Sects like the Blood Fiend Sect by resorting to extraordinary measures is entirely acceptable."

"But remember, let this be an exception. Aside from the two of us, absolutely no third person must know, otherwise it will surely bring endless disasters."

"Disciple will firmly remember Revered Master's teachings!"

Zhao Ruoan hurriedly acknowledged, the heavy stone in his heart completely dropping.

Revered Master was transparent, open-minded, and the most reasonable person.

"What did you discover from his Divine Soul memories?"

Yun Qinghan went straight to the point; this was what she cared about the most.

Zhao Ruoan did not dare to neglect and recounted all the secrets in full.

He detailed the Blood Fiend Sect's crazy plans to plot against the three earthly vein nodes of Cang Prefecture, set up a blood sacrifice grand array, try to awaken the ancient great demon of the Burial Demon Valley, attempt to subvert Cang Prefecture, and bring chaos to the common people, along with the secret that there was an internal traitor hidden within the Sect.

"Inside the Sect, there is an internal traitor leaking secrets. The whereabouts of the five Senior Brothers were reported to the Blood Fiend Sect by this person, which brought about their fatal disaster."

"This person's code name is 'Shadow'. This Disciple has not yet found their true identity, but there is one key clue: the communication jade talisman they used for contact is made of ice marrow jade, which is a specialty of the Northern Domain's cold streams."

The moment these words fell, the temperature in the grand hall plummeted sharply, and a piercing chill arose abruptly.

Yun Qinghan's clear eyes were instantly covered in bone-chilling ice, and a trace of imperceptible terrifying coercion flashed and vanished, causing Zhao Ruoan's Divine Soul to tremble slightly.

This was the majestic aura of an Immortal Emperor's wrath; even a tiny fraction leaking out would be enough to shake heaven and earth.

In a flash, she reined in all her fierce aura, her voice remaining cold yet carrying a freezing undertone: "Continue."

"Ice marrow jade is extremely yin and cold, capable of isolating most Divine Sense detection. It is an excellent material for encrypted communication."

Yun Qinghan's gaze pondered, "But this item is extremely rare, with only a few in the entire Cang Prefecture."

"Someone who can hold ice marrow jade in their hands, occupy a high position in the Sect, and is able to investigate the patrol routes of Inner Sect Disciple and access the Sect's core information..."

She rapidly screened candidates within the Sect in her mind, and several names surfaced instantly.

A moment later, Yun Qinghan raised her eyes and asked calmly: "Ruoan, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

She did not directly voice her suspicions, intending to test her Disciple's Heart-Nature and strategy.

Zhao Ruoan pondered slightly and replied calmly: "This Disciple believes that this matter must absolute not be made public. We have no substantive ironclad evidence in our hands, and acting rashly will only startle the snake, causing the internal traitor to hide completely or even turn the tables on us."

"In this Disciple's view, we should use their own trick against them and lure the snake out of its hole."

"Oh? Tell me about your strategy."

A flash of approval crossed the depths of Yun Qinghan's eyes.

"We can create a huge bait, an illusion of an Opportunity that neither 'Shadow' nor the Blood Fiend Sect can refuse, set up a inescapable net, and wait quietly for them to expose themselves actively."

"Very good."

Yun Qinghan finally revealed a genuine smile, "It coincides with what this Revered Master thought."

"Then what do you think would be the safest bait to use?"

Zhao Ruoan's gaze flickered as he said with certainty: "The Blood Fiend Sect covets the Opportunity of ancient Secret Realms, so we will recreate an 'ancient Secret Realm'."

"Revered Master can quietly leak the news, saying that this Disciple, besides taking revenge during this trip to the Black Wind Mountain Range, accidentally obtained an incomplete ancient treasure map pointing to an ancient Secret Realm whose Opportunity far surpasses the Tianlei Cave Mansion."

"Upon hearing this, the internal traitor 'Shadow' will definitely not be able to sit still. They will either personally make a move to seize the map or send a message to the Blood Fiend Sect to borrow a knife to kill someone. As long as they move, they will inevitably show flaws!"