85: Chapter 85 The entire mining area is infiltrated by traitors.

Qian Kun moved quickly.

He immediately summoned several of his most trusted confidants and briefly explained that Li Gui was a traitor who had already been executed.

Upon hearing this, the confidants' expressions changed drastically, and the way they looked at Zhao Ruoan was filled with awe and reverence.

This newly arrived Junior Martial Uncle had quietly accomplished something massive!

"Elder, what should we do now?" a burly deacon asked.

"According to Junior Fellow Apprentice Ruoan's plan." At this point, Qian Kun completely relied on Zhao Ruoan as his main pillar. "Go and immediately notify all steward-level Disciples in the mining area to gather in the council hall for a meeting in fifteen minutes. Remember, tell them a massive rich ore vein was discovered and that it is of utmost importance, so no one is allowed to be absent!"

"Yes!" The confidants acknowledged the order and departed.

Afterward, Qian Kun instructed his men to hang Li Gui's corpse high from the council hall's doorbeam using iron chains.

The corpse, whose eyes remained wide open in death, swayed gently in the wind, the gruesome bloody hole in his chest silently telling the fate of a traitor.

Only after finishing all this did Qian Kun wipe the sweat from his forehead and say to Zhao Ruoan, "Junior Fellow Apprentice Ruoan, what happens next is up to you. That list of traitors you mentioned..."

Zhao Ruoan took out a blank Jade Slip from his sumeru ring, immersed his Divine Sense into it, and rapidly began engraving the information.

He did not write down every single traitor he had detected.

Those small fry from the Black Wind Fortress and Blood Blade Sect were still useful if left alive.

He only recorded the core Nether Cult traitors who had been subjected to "Soul Planting," along with a few spies from the Blood Sea Sect he had detected.

A total of thirteen people.

These thirteen individuals were not low-ranking; there were squad leaders in charge of patrols, stewards responsible for mine shaft security, and even two deacons like Wu Yong who managed logistical supplies.

One could say this list encompassed almost the entire mid-level management of the mining area.

When Qian Kun took the Jade Slip and scanned it with his Divine Sense, seeing those familiar names one after another, his hands began to tremble.

"How... how is this possible? Zhang Quan... Commander Wang Mang... They are veterans who have been with me for over ten years, how could they be traitors?" Qian Kun's face turned deathly pale, his lips quivering, unable to accept this reality.

Half of these thirteen people were personally promoted by him.

He had always thought these people were his right-hand men and the pillars of the mining area.

But now, Zhao Ruoan was telling him that all of these people were blades planted by the enemy!

This feeling of being deceived and betrayed made his heart ache as if it were being torn apart.

"Elder, I know this is hard to accept," Zhao Ruoan's voice was calm. "But the more you trust someone, the easier it is for the enemy to exploit them. Because they are the least likely to arouse suspicion."

Qian Kun closed his eyes and let out a long, painful sigh.

When he opened them again, the pain and reluctance in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a cold, deadly intent.

"It was my poor judgment that nearly caused a catastrophe!" he gritted his teeth and said. "Today, I will personally purge these traitors!"

Zhao Ruoan nodded.

This attitude was exactly what he wanted from Qian Kun.

Only when Qian Kun made up his mind could the upcoming purge proceed smoothly.

Soon, fifteen minutes had passed.

One after another, stewards arrived from various parts of the mining area.

As soon as they reached the entrance of the council hall, they saw Li Gui's corpse hanging high above, leaving everyone terrified and murmuring among themselves.

"What happened? How did Li Gui die?"

"Look at that wound, killed in a single strike! Who has such nerve to commit murder in the mining area?"

"Look, Elder Qian and that new Uncle-Master Zhao are inside, looking terrible..."

In the crowd, the expressions of several individuals turned extremely unnatural the instant they saw Li Gui's corpse.

They exchanged glances, each seeing a trace of panic in the other's eyes.

But since things had come to this, they did not dare not enter. They could only brace themselves and walk into the council hall.

Once everyone had arrived, the stone doors of the council hall slammed shut with a heavy rumble.

At the same time, runes lit up on the walls all around the hall, and the powerful force of a Restriction instantly enveloped the entire space.

"Elder Qian, what is the meaning of this?" a steward asked in panic.

The stewards present also fell into commotion.

Qian Kun stood on the high platform with the cold-faced Zhao Ruoan beside him.

He looked around at the dozens of stewards below and spoke slowly, his voice lacking any emotion.

"It means nothing much. I just wanted to invite everyone to watch a good show."

Saying so, he held up high the Jade Slip given to him by Zhao Ruoan.

"On this slip are thirteen names. These thirteen people are traitors lurking in our mining area, dogs of the Nether Cult and the Blood Sea Sect!"

As soon as his words fell, the entire hall instantly erupted into uproar.

"What? There are thirteen traitors?"

"Who are they? Announce the list quickly!"

Those stewards with clear consciences were filled with righteous indignation.

Meanwhile, the thirteen who knew they were named turned ashen-faced, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Exposed!

Completely exposed!

They did not know where the leak had come from, but they knew that today, things would likely not end peacefully.

"Zhang Quan, Commander Wang Mang, Wu Yong..." Qian Kun read off the names one by one.

With every name read, another person's face grew paler.

When all thirteen names had been read, Qian Kun abruptly crushed the Jade Slip.

"What else do you have to say for yourselves?" he roared, his Divine Soul Realm pressure sweeping through the entire hall like a storm.

Among those thirteen people, some collapsed on the spot and fell to their knees begging for mercy.

"Elder, spare my life! I was forced into this!"

"I didn't want to do it! The Nether Cult threatened me with my family!"

But even more of them, after a brief moment of panic, revealed a fierce glare in their eyes.

The deacon leading them was none other than Zhang Quan from Zhao Ruoan's list. He sneered and cast off his disguise.

"Hahaha, Qian Kun, I didn't expect an old fool like you to actually find us out. But so what if you discovered us? Today, not a single one of you will leave through these doors alive!"

The moment his words fell, powerful Devilish Qi burst forth from all thirteen traitors simultaneously!

Their auras surged rapidly, turning out to be significantly higher than the cultivation levels they usually displayed!

Especially Zhang Quan, who shockingly possessed a cultivation level at the Great Perfection of the Spirit Sea Realm, just one step away from stepping into the Spirit Pill Realm!

"Attack! Kill them!"

At Zhang Quan's command, the thirteen traitors struck at once, swinging their deadly weapons toward their fellow Disciples beside them who had not yet reacted!

A bloody purge thus kicked off!