84: Chapter 84 Kill Li Gui, Sacrifice the Flag!

Inside Qian Kun's attic tower, the atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.

As soon as Li Gui stepped inside, he sensed that something was wrong.

Elder Qian, who was usually amiable and warm, wore a stern, deadpan expression today, his eyes sharp as knives. Meanwhile, Zhao Ruoan, the newly arrived Personal Disciple, sat casually to the side, examining him as if looking at a dead man.

"Disciple Li Gui greets Elder Qian and Uncle-Master Zhao." Li Gui's heart sank, but he maintained a respectful demeanor on the surface as he bowed deeply in greeting.

"Li Gui," Qian Kun spoke slowly, his voice deep and low. "I called you here to ask you about something."

"Please speak, Elder. Disciple will answer everything he knows." Li Gui kept his head bowed, maintaining a humble posture.

"Three days ago, you brought Junior Fellow Apprentice Ruoan to the Chuanxun Cliff. Is this true?"

"That is indeed true."

"Was that transmitting spirit bird released by your own hands?"

"It was indeed released by my own hands, Disciple." Li Gui felt increasingly uneasy, wondering why the Elder was asking this.

"Good." Qian Kun nodded, then shifted the topic. "Did you touch Junior Fellow Apprentice Ruoan's Jade Slip before it was handed over to the spirit bird?"

Li Gui's heart sank violently.

Here it comes! As expected, it was about this matter!

He had guessed long ago that Zhao Ruoan's sudden request for him specifically to lead the way boded no good. Fortunately, he had been cautious enough at the time and hadn't left behind any evidence.

"In reply to Elder, Disciple would not dare!" Li Gui immediately cried out his innocence. "A Personal Disciple's message Jade Slip bears the Restriction placed by the Peak Master. Even if I were given a hundred times more courage, I wouldn't dare pry! Uncle-Master Zhao was right next to me at the time and can testify to the entire process!"

As he spoke, he surreptitiously glanced at Zhao Ruoan out of the corner of his eye.

He saw Zhao Ruoan pick up his teacup and take a leisurely sip, looking as though none of this had anything to do with him.

This indifference made Li Gui even more flustered.

"Is that so?" Qian Kun humphed coldly, unreservedly releasing his Divine Soul Realm pressure to envelop Li Gui.

Li Gui felt as though two grand mountains were pressing down on his shoulders; his legs buckled, and he nearly fell to his knees.

"Elder... Elder, please see clearly! Disciple is fiercely loyal to the Sect and harbors no double-dealing!" Sweat poured off him as he defended himself loudly.

"Fiercely loyal?" Zhao Ruoan set down his teacup at this moment and let out a soft laugh. "Is your so-called loyalty toward the Qingxuan Sect, or toward the Nether Cult?"

Boom!

These words exploded in Li Gui's mind like a bolt out of the blue.

How... how could he know about the Nether Cult?

Li Gui's pupils shrank violently, and the blood drained from his face. Yet his reaction was lightning-fast, and he immediately put on a facade of grief and indignation.

"Uncle-Master Zhao! You can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want! I, Li Gui, have worked conscientiously in the mining area for over a decade, and I dare say I have never wronged the Sect in the slightest! Why must you slander me like this? Just because you are a Personal Disciple, do you get to frame me as a mole whenever you like? I refuse to accept this!"

Tears streaming down his face, his acting was genuinely moving and heartfelt.

If Zhao Ruoan hadn't possessed the System, he might really have been fooled by this act.

"A fine performance," Zhao Ruoan clapped his hands. "Unfortunately, it's useless against me."

He stood up, walked over to Li Gui, and looked down at him.

"Do you need me to continue? For example, the Nether Cult's secret technique, 'Soul Planting'? Planting a soul fragment into another person's Sea of Consciousness, usurping their identity and replacing them. Am I right, Wang Wu?"

When the name "Wang Wu" left Zhao Ruoan's mouth, Li Gui's body shuddered violently.

That was his real name.

Ever since he had undergone "Soul Planting," he had never used this name again.

What kind of monster was this Zhao Ruoan? How could he know all this so clearly?

Li Gui's mental defenses completely collapsed at this moment.

He knew he had been exposed; continuing to pretend was meaningless.

In an instant, the grief and resentment on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by venomous madness.

"You forced my hand!"

Li Gui let out an unhuman roar as the Devilish Qi hidden within his body burst forth with a crash!

Like a powder keg set ablaze, he lunged recklessly toward Qian Kun, who was closest to him!

His mind was crystal clear: as long as he could take Qian Kun hostage or severely wound this Divine Soul Realm Elder, he might still have a sliver of hope to survive!

"Watch out!"

Qian Kun hadn't expected Li Gui to strike without warning, nor that the power bursting from him far exceeded the bounds of the Spirit Sea Realm. In his haste, he only had time to set up a spiritual energy shield in front of himself.

However, Zhao Ruoan had long been waiting for this moment.

The moment Li Gui made his move, Zhao Ruoan moved as well.

"I was prepared for this move of yours all along!"

Fifth-Order Sword Intent condensed into tangible substance!

A sword ray of ultimate speed struck second but arrived first, piercing with absolute precision into Li Gui's Dantian Qi Sea.

*Pfft!*

The sword ray passed clean through his body, instantly shattering his spiritual energy core.

Li Gui's forward-charging body froze abruptly, the frantic expression on his face locking in place. He looked down at the bowl-sized bloody hole in his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"You..."

He managed to utter only that single word before his body went limp, his life force extinguished.

Even in death, he couldn't comprehend how someone in the Pulse Condensation Realm could instantly kill him.

Looking at the corpse collapsed at his feet, Qian Kun broke out in a cold sweat from the shock.

In that instant just now, he had genuinely felt the threat of death. Had Zhao Ruoan not intervened, even if he managed to block the attack, he would have undoubtedly been injured.

He looked at Zhao Ruoan, his gaze completely changed.

Shock, lingering fear, and... relief.

He felt relieved that he had ultimately chosen to trust this young man.

"Junior Fellow Apprentice Ruoan, this time... it's all thanks to you," Qian Kun said with lingering fear.

"You are too polite, Elder; it was my duty." Zhao Ruoan withdrew his Sword Intent, his expression calm. "Now, do you believe what I said?"

"I believe it; I fully believe it now!" Qian Kun nodded repeatedly.

The facts were laid bare before his eyes, leaving him no choice but to believe.

He stepped forward to inspect Li Gui's corpse, and sure enough, deep within his Sea of Consciousness, he discovered a lingering, dissipating strand of sinister Soul Power that did not belong to Li Gui himself.

It really was "Soul Planting"!

"This beast!" Qian Kun trembled with rage. "He was lurking among us for so many years, and we didn't suspect a thing!"

"He is only one of them," Zhao Ruoan reminded him. "We must act immediately to pull out all the remaining nails! Otherwise, when the enemy's army arrives at our borders and they cause chaos from within, we will die miserable deaths."

"You're right!" Qian Kun's eyes turned fierce. "We can no longer soft-hearted! Junior Fellow Apprentice Ruoan, do you know the names of the other moles?"

"I know a few," Zhao Ruoan nodded. "However, now is not the time to arrest them one by one. Making too much noise will alert the enemy. I have a way to catch them all in one haul."

"What way?"

"Hold a meeting." A cold smile curled at the corner of Zhao Ruoan's lips. "In your name, summon all stewards of Deacon rank and above in the mining area to the Council Hall for an emergency meeting. Claim that... a new rich ore vein was discovered, and we need to discuss mining operations."

Qian Kun's eyes lit up, immediately grasping Zhao Ruoan's intention.

"You want to... catch them all in one net?"

"Precisely," Zhao Ruoan nodded. "The Council Hall has Restrictions laid down by the Sect. Once activated, not a single person inside will escape. When the time comes, behind closed doors, whether they are human or ghosts, we'll make them reveal their true forms!"

"A brilliant plan!" Qian Kun slapped his thigh. "We'll do just that!"

He glanced at Li Gui's corpse on the ground.

"And what about him..."

"Drag him out and hang him right at the entrance of the Council Hall," Zhao Ruoan said coldly. "To make an example of him. I want everyone with ill intentions to see the fate of those who betray the Sect!"

This was his pledge of allegiance to Qian Kun!

It was also his very first challenge issued to all the enemies lurking in the shadows!