"Boss, just now, why exactly did we retreat so suddenly, when our plan was about to succeed and not one of those Qingxuan Sect bastards could have escaped? Why did we suddenly pull back?"
In the decrepit temple, Liu Zhu looked at the old man with a crutch in front of him and asked with immense confusion in his heart.
However, Liu Zhu hadn’t even finished speaking when he saw the old man with a crutch slowly turn around, a layer of golden light emerging on his body. Then, the Mystic Robe on his body slowly cracked and fell to the ground in pieces.
"Boss, your Mystic Robe is destroyed, could it be because of that sudden strike earlier?"
Liu Zhu looked at the tattered Mystic Robe on the old man with a crutch, and was incredibly shocked.
He knew very well the value of the old man with a crutch’s Mystic Robe; it was a Profound Middle Grade Defensive Magical Instrument, and he hadn’t expected it to be ruined just like that.
However, just as Liu Zhu’s words fell, the old man with a crutch suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
The assassins of the Moon Shadow Pavilion were instantly alarmed; they had followed the boss for many years, and this was the first time they had seen the old man with a crutch vomit blood.
"Hmph, do you think that if I had not resisted that strike with all my power, any of you would have had a way to survive?"
"The person who executed that strike just now is definitely more powerful than I am. Fortunately, I reacted quickly and told you all to flee fast; otherwise, we would probably have all remained there today," said the old man with a crutch, his heart still trembling with fear as he recalled the aftermath of that strike.
Hearing this, Liu Zhu and the other assassins felt an even greater shock in their hearts.
"What on earth is going on? Who is the person who came to the rescue of Qingxuan Sect, and how did they know about our whereabouts?"
Unable to help himself, Liu Zhu asked, then cast a wary gaze upon Lin Chen.
"You ask me, but who should I ask?"
The old man with a crutch’s magic treasure was damaged, and their plan had again failed; he was already in a bad mood. Liu Zhu kept questioning him repeatedly, which only added to his irritation.
After being rebuked by the old man with a crutch, Liu Zhu finally shut his mouth, his suppressed rage finding no outlet. Suddenly, he turned his gaze toward Lin Chen.
Liu Zhu drew the sharp sword in his hand, pointing it at Lin Chen.
"It’s you; our plans have never gone wrong before you joined us."
"It must have been you who leaked our information, causing the death of so many of our brothers."
Liu Zhu’s eyes glared fixedly at Lin Chen, his anger completely vented onto him.
Lin Chen looked at Liu Zhu and directly cursed at him in rage.
Although he did indeed warn the people from Qingxuan Sect, they simply didn’t listen to him and continued on the same path.
As for the appearance of Zhao Yijing, Lin Chen was completely unaware of it.
"For all our brothers you’ve implicated, you are going to pay with your life."
Liu Zhu’s inner rage had nowhere to be vented, and Lin Chen even dared to talk back at him, which his fiery temper could no longer tolerate. He immediately drew his sharp sword and slashed at Lin Chen.
"You think I’m really afraid of you? You’re acting like a mad dog, biting wildly."
Lin Chen was very displeased with Liu Zhu’s behavior and immediately clenched his fist, directly throwing a punch at Liu Zhu’s sharp sword. Follow current novels on ɴovelfire.net
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lin Chen’s punch directly shattered Liu Zhu’s sharp sword and, at the same time, the powerful force blasted toward Liu Zhu’s body, sending him flying ten zhang away.
Whether it was the old man with the cane or the other assassins from Moon Shadow Pavilion who were around, seeing Lin Chen’s punch not only smash Liu Zhu’s weapon but also send him flying with such formidable combat strength left them incredibly shocked.
One must know that Lin Chen was merely at the Eighth Layer of the Spirit Gathering Realm, and to be able to battle a Ninth Layer Martial Artist was already quite impressive.
Yet Liu Zhu was a warrior of the Third Layer of the Melding Earth Realm, and Lin Chen’s combat power had completely overwhelmed him.
Liu Zhu wanted to say something else, but the old man with the cane stepped forward to stop him.
"Enough, young friend Lin Chen simply does not know of our plan, and we did not inform him of the ambush site, so how could he possibly betray us? Furthermore, if it wasn’t for young friend Lin Chen blocking some of that sword’s power earlier, I am afraid I would not be able to stand here now."
The old man with the cane was very aware that when Zhao Yijing’s sword strike came down in the valley, Lin Chen had indeed resisted it a bit.
However, his subordinates had failed to perceive the strength of that sword.
Thus, in a way, Lin Chen could be credited with saving everyone’s lives.
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhu clenched his fists tightly and said nothing more, but his eyes were filled with defiance.
"Liu Zhu has always been hot-tempered, young friend Lin Chen, please do not take it to heart," said the old man with the cane, as he looked at Lin Chen indifferently.
At this moment, the old man with the cane was actually very shocked, because he had not expected Lin Chen’s strength to be so formidable. Apart from himself, Lin Chen was probably the strongest here, and even Liu Zhu, from the Melding Earth Realm, would not be a match for Lin Chen in a real confrontation.
Now that their plan had failed, it was a time when they needed more hands, and he did not want to offend Lin Chen.
Furthermore, in the heart of the old man with the cane, he did not believe that Lin Chen had betrayed them, since none of their plans had been shared with Lin Chen. In their opinion, even if Lin Chen wanted to betray them, there would be no way to accomplish it.
"No harm done, but there is one thing I do not understand. According to what you’ve said, only your people knew of the plan, so why did it fail?"
"The one who struck that sword earlier possesses immense strength; such a person cannot possibly appear by coincidence."
"As Liu Zhu said, there is a traitor among you. Then is it possible... that the traitor is Liu Zhu!"
Lin Chen’s gaze turned icy as he looked toward Liu Zhu.
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhu glanced at the old man with the cane in a panic, not because he truly had betrayed them, but because he feared that their leader would suspect him rashly.
"You... your slanderous accusations—leader, you mustn’t believe him, I have followed you for so long, how could I possibly commit such a betrayal? Besides, if I betrayed everyone, there would be no benefit for me at all," Liu Zhu said, looking at the old man with the cane in utter panic, fearing that his leader would believe Lin Chen’s words.
Upon hearing Lin Chen’s statement, the old man with the cane’s expression indeed changed as he looked at Liu Zhu.
Seeing the old man with the cane’s somewhat doubtful gaze, Liu Zhu knew that Lin Chen’s words had had some effect.
After all, this incident had made it clear that there was definitely a spy among them; their leader was naturally suspicious by nature. Since Lin Chen was unaware of their plan, if it was not Lin Chen, their leader would undoubtedly suspect others.
And he, Liu Zhu, had become the scapegoat.
"Alright, I thought there was a big deal to make, but it turns out nothing was gained at all. I exhausted all my cultivation resources after making a breakthrough in cultivation in the last few days. I need to find another place to earn money."
"I shall not accompany you any longer, I take my leave first!"