Chapter 1296: Rebellion

The Human World

"Could it be a trap?"

Bai was utterly surprised and found it hard to believe the contents of the jade slip. No wonder Qin Sang called him a lucky general. He had only been on the front line for ten days when Yu City, without any warning, suddenly erupted in chaos, suspected to be caused by internal conflict within Sin Abyss.

During a period when the war was going smoothly and they were close to assaulting Tianxing City, Sin Abyss had not engaged in internal strife over uneven distribution of spoils. Now, with defeat a certainty and a single misstep potentially leading to eternal damnation, wouldn't internal conflict at this moment simply hand the Two Realms Alliance the opportunity to reap benefits from their struggle? Could Sin Abyss be that foolish?

Who were the factions involved in this internal strife? What was its cause? Qin Sang was also pondering these questions.

"True One Elder's message, summoning all Nascent Soul cultivators, must be based on a certain degree of certainty about this news; he wouldn't act without reason. Senior Sister and Jingyu are on their way. Once we meet True One Elder, we'll know exactly what happened."

A short while later, two streaks of light soared above the city: Qing Jun and Jingyu. Sensing their aura fluctuations, Qin Sang stepped out of the stone house.

Li Yufu and others were waiting outside. "Martial Uncle, everyone has arrived." Just moments before, Qin Sang had suddenly changed his orders, waking everyone from meditation and putting them on high alert.

Qin Sang surveyed the group and stated in a deep voice, "Yufu, you all depart immediately. Do not delay on the way. Head to Caishi City at the fastest possible speed!"

Caishi City, one of the largest cities on the plain, had already been captured. True One Elder was currently within the city.

Li Yufu was startled. "Martial Uncle, what has happened?"

"Don't worry, it's good news!"

Qin Sang tapped his foot, transforming into a streak of light that shot into the sky to rendezvous with Qing Jun and Jingyu. The three of them, along with Bai, who had entered the corpse puppet bag, traveled non-stop, flying directly to Caishi City.

They had just reached the city gate when several other streaks of light arrived from a different direction, landing beside them. These were Demon Lord Tongyou, Earl Dongyang, and others. Each with their own thoughts, they exchanged nods, hurried into the city, and eagerly sought out True One Elder for a clear explanation.

Inside Caishi City.

Caishi City's original overlord was an immortal cultivator family, which had now evacuated with the Sin Abyss army. This family had occupied the most central location in Caishi City. In the desolate plain, this particular spot was filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, with lakes and mountains reflecting each other. It was a picturesque oasis, resembling a Jiangnan region beyond the Great Wall, its beauty not at all inferior to an immortal cultivation sect, truly a secluded paradise hidden within a bustling city.

Qin Sang and the others entered the main hall at the mountain peak, where they found True One Elder and noticed several other figures already present.

"Several fellow Daoists have arrived," True One Elder greeted them, rising and nodding with a smile.

"We just happened to meet outside the city," Demon Lord Tongyou said, striding in. He stared into True One Elder's eyes, getting straight to the point. "Old Daoist, was what the urgent report said earlier truly genuine?" Demon Lord Tongyou was clearly also doubting the authenticity of this news. It was too unbelievable, too illogical!

Daoist True One, still smiling, gestured inward. "Fellow Daoist, please don't be impatient. A few more fellow Daoists will arrive shortly. At that time, this humble Daoist will announce all the information, and we can all verify its authenticity together."

Qin Sang and Qing Jun found seats and sat down, secretly exchanging messages. More people arrived consecutively, and various armies were also gathering towards Caishi City. Soon, the last person arrived, and all Nascent Soul cultivators on the front line were present.

At this moment, True One Elder lightly coughed, looked around at everyone, and bowed slightly. "I know all fellow Daoists are skeptical. To be frank, this humble Daoist was also startled after receiving the news, worried it was a conspiracy, and not a very clever trap. But I can guarantee that the source of the news is very reliable; I dare not say it's foolproof, but there's at least a 99% certainty!"

True One Elder spoke with conviction and extreme confidence. Some were influenced by his tone and were largely convinced. Others remained vigilant, even beginning to doubt True One Elder's intentions, especially those from the Minor Cold Domain. As the situation gradually became clear, internal conflicts within the alliance began to surface again. Especially after seeing the abundant resources on the plain, the various forces from the two domains maintained a superficial harmony, but overt and covert conflicts were inevitable. Fortunately, the Two Realms Alliance had anticipated this and had already agreed that all resources would be fairly distributed according to contribution after the war; otherwise, internal strife would have erupted long ago.

Everyone looked at each other, their expressions varied. It was well known that the Two Realms Alliance and Sin Abyss had been constantly fighting over the plain, with grievances between them stretching back a long time. During this period, mutual infiltration was common. True One Elder must have a very deeply hidden secret channel, and he trusted it implicitly!

As everyone was lost in thought, True One Elder continued, "When I summoned all fellow Daoists, this humble Daoist received two more intelligence reports, which are more specific." True One Elder paused slightly. "Firstly, the cause of the chaos in Yu City is the betrayal of Old Demon Ye. Secondly, the Nascent Soul cultivators of Sin Abyss were mostly in Yu City, and caught off guard, they were slaughtered by Old Demon Ye alone, suffering heavy losses!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar. "What?" "How is that possible! Is Old Demon Ye crazy?" "Old Demon Ye, alone, slaughtered other Nascent Soul cultivators?" The hall was filled with seasoned cultivators who had reached the Nascent Soul realm, having experienced countless upheavals. They were long accustomed to handling matters calmly, and ordinary events rarely caused their emotions to fluctuate. Yet, at this moment, all were visibly shocked, with a few gasps of surprise even heard. They had expected True One Elder to present some irrefutable evidence, but instead, they heard something even more absurd.

"Old Demon Ye betrayed? Half of Sin Abyss belongs to him. If he betrays Sin Abyss, where would he go? Who has the ability to persuade him to surrender and offer him more benefits?" someone questioned, directly hitting the core issue. Qin Sang couldn't help but recall a saying: "Why would His Majesty rebel?" Even more incredible was Old Demon Ye slaughtering all the Nascent Soul cultivators of Sin Abyss by himself.

"Even if those old fogies weren't very capable, they still had the Gloom Crystal Tower. United, even a late-stage Nascent Soul expert couldn't gain an advantage in Yu City. When did Old Demon Ye acquire such terrifying power?"

True One Elder, however, said with certainty, "It was indeed a massacre. Those killed couldn't even escape with their Nascent Souls, and others were severely injured! As for the Gloom Crystal Tower, it was secretly destroyed by Old Demon Ye. By the time others realized something was wrong, it was already too late."

"The Gloom Crystal Tower was destroyed by Old Demon Ye..." Everyone was stunned. One piece of news after another, each more shocking than the last. The Gloom Crystal Tower had a mysterious origin and was one of Sin Abyss's greatest relies. It could attack and defend, was flexible and changeable, and very difficult to deal with. As soon as it appeared on the battlefield, it caused the Two Realms Alliance a great deal of trouble. If not for the Gloom Crystal Tower, the Two Realms Alliance's fight wouldn't have been so difficult.

"Regardless of Old Demon Ye's intentions, what was his final fate? What's the situation like in Yu City now, and what was the outcome of this internal strife?" Qing Jun, whose expression had remained calm throughout this news, kept her head slightly lowered, pondering silently, and only spoke at this moment, firing off a series of questions.