Chapter 1338: News Leak

Chapter 1338: Chapter 1338: News Leak

Situ Maocai’s words left Pei Yan momentarily unsure of how to respond, and he lowered his head in silence. These matters seemed distant to him, and if that day truly arrived, would he also do something reckless to save everything?

Just as Pei Yan was lost in thought, the sounds of shouting and killing from below dragged him back to reality. Liu Xuanji and the others clearly didn’t have the leisure of Pei Yan’s reflections on life. After confirming that the direct disciples of White Deer Institute couldn’t gather more people, these elders took action to reduce the casualties of their disciples.

This battle was really nothing to admire. The other four sects were overwhelmingly superior in numbers, strength, and morale, while the panicked and chaotic White Deer Institute disciples were entirely unable to organize an effective assault, relying solely on spellcasting to inflict damage on such supreme figures of the Heavenly Dao. What followed was these few individuals cutting through the crowd like tigers among sheep, casually harvesting lives with every gesture. Among them, Liu Xuanji and Wan Qianli were the most ruthless, creating a blood-soaked scene full of mournful cries, venting the accumulated hatred in their hearts over this period.

Under such an onslaught, the White Deer Institute disciples quickly fell into disarray. Ironically, because these direct disciples and inner sect disciples needed to be captured alive for interrogation and further disposition, although their fate was inevitably death, at this moment, those who struck managed their blows, subduing them without immediate killing. On the contrary, those outer sect disciples who stirred unnecessary action faced countless deaths and injuries, filling rivers with blood.

This battle concluded without Pei Yan lifting a finger. Once the leaders were subdued, the already fragile resistance shattered instantly. Having engaged, other sect disciples treated the White Deer Institute disciples, who surrendered again under pressure, with little kindness. Amidst shouts and insults, the panicked, uneasy disciples were pushed over, their meridians restrained and ropes applied. Those who resisted slightly were killed on the spot, making the rest fearful even of breathing loudly. At this point, Pei Yan realized why Liu Xuanji and others didn’t want the Divine Martial Guard to intervene in this matter.

Initially, he genuinely thought the attitude of handling this internally by the Immortal Palace was for appearances. Until he saw disciples from the various sects beginning to strip the White Deer Institute disciples of their storage magical artifacts, Pei Yan understood the saying ’keep resources within the family.’ The White Deer Institute was destined not to rise again. Even if some survived, they would be eternally banished from the cultivation realm. Their magical artifacts and cultivation techniques were no longer useful to them, but to the sects, they represented additional income.

Seeing the elders turn a blind eye, and the sect disciples methodically dividing the spoils without arguing, even thoughtfully giving a portion to Celestial Sword Manor, which had no disciples present but would be part of the Immortal Palace in the future, it seemed they were well-practiced in this matter, needing no instruction.

Pei Yan looked down a bit on such minor interests and didn’t have the compassion to intervene. Instead, he turned his head, taking out the cultivation technique given by Liu Xuanji and began reading, waiting for Wangchaizong to complete their preparations before moving to the next battlefield.

He had just finished the first page, and without fully digesting the content, his peripheral vision caught General Shi Taichu from the Divine Martial Guard rushing over urgently. Seeing this, Pei Yan closed the book and returned it to his pouch. In the blink of an eye, Shi Taichu stood before everyone, bowed, and said, "Elder of the sects, Mr. Pei, Supreme General has ordered everyone to quickly go to the teleportation array and teleport to the outskirts of White Deer Institute. Everything is prepared there, and Supreme General Wangchaizong has already taken the lead with the army."

"Hmm? Wasn’t it agreed we’d depart together? Wangchaizong seems overly eager for achievement," Situ Maocai commented in dissatisfaction upon hearing this. Yet, despite the statements, being an order from His Majesty the Spirit Emperor, none dared delay, promptly heading towards the teleportation array.

"Circumstances have changed, and Supreme General had to set off first. White Deer Institute made a move!" Shi Taichu urged his pace, barely keeping up with the group, defending the Six Guards from behind.

"What?" Upon hearing this, the rushing individuals stopped in their tracks simultaneously. Pei Yan turned to look at the perspiring Shi Taichu, who had caught up, and asked, "Moved? When did this happen?"

"Just recently, Right Weiwei stationed near White Deer Institute received orders from Supreme General and moved the troops secretly towards the outskirts of White Deer Institute. However, upon arrival, they found something amiss. Reports indicated that Right Weiwei soldiers were supposed to cooperate with the Embroidered Robe Envoy to oversee the main hall of White Deer Institute, as per orders given after the incident in the former Celestial Palace by the Spirit Lord, with similar arrangements outside each sect. But these people were nowhere to be found at present. Right Weiwei Grand General Cheng Junsheng sent scouts for reconnaissance, but none returned. Sensing something wrong, Cheng Junsheng sent the news to Six Guards and personally led a team to investigate. He found that although arrays concealed the vicinity of White Deer Institute, intense space fluctuations still emanated from the location. Cheng Junsheng speculated that preparations were being made to open a large-scale space passage to another dimension. Without delay, he ordered his men to enter White Deer Institute under the pretense of inquiring about the troops’ whereabouts for inspection. The other side didn’t bother to argue and launched an attack right away. Now Right Weiwei has engaged with White Deer Institute, but with experts numerous and backed by arrays, Right Weiwei faces heavy casualties, prompting Supreme General Wangchaizong to lead the Six Guards elite swiftly for support."

"The other side caught on!" After Shi Taichu recounted the events in one breath, Pei Yan frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "When did the word get out? The reaction from White Deer Institute seems well-prepared, not a hasty response."

"Pei Yan, don’t overthink it. These occurrences are inevitable. Each sect has its own secret means of transmitting information. During the Beast Taming Institute siege yesterday, something might have escaped our notice, causing White Deer Institute to detect it, which isn’t surprising!" Liu Xuanji worried Pei Yan would spiral into anxious thoughts again and hurriedly advised.

This time, Pei Yan hadn’t really considered the possibility of a traitor, as these few people had been acting alongside him since yesterday night, making it unlikely to have leaked from them. With little choice, Pei Yan nodded regrettably and remarked, "Still underestimated the opponent and got careless! After confirming the hidden identities at Beast Taming Institute last night, we should’ve gone straight to capture the main hall of White Deer Institute first, and then dealt with Su Fengchen afterward. It only took a few hours for such a significant change to occur."

"Things in this world rarely go as desired. Now isn’t the time for regret; the urgency is getting to White Deer Institute as quickly as possible!" Feng Tianhe intervened to advise.

"Alright!"

Everyone echoed in agreement, immediately moving towards the Immortal Palace transmission array, already linked to the teleportation array directly to the outskirts of White Deer Institute. Pei Yan and the others swiftly entered the teleportation array, and as their bodies shook amid the dispersing soft light, before Pei Yan could see the scenery around them, the deafening sounds of shouting and killing reached his ears.