At the moment Li Tan was betrayed by You Kuang, he developed an intense hatred towards the word “betrayal.” Now, watching fifty people die at the mouths of monstrous beasts because of betrayal, if the culprit wasn’t brought to justice, the anger in his heart would have nowhere to vent, and the injustice done to the deceased would never be redressed.
Therefore, Li Tan carefully packed his belongings and rushed back to Tianlang Sect as quickly as possible.
The Tianlang Sect that day appeared no different from usual. At the mountain gate, Su Zhengyi saw Li Tan leaping through the woods like a dragonfly skimming water, and he felt puzzled. This was only the second day of the three-day training exercise—why had Li Tan returned so soon?
But as soon as he thought of the previous events, he instinctively turned his head away, too afraid to look directly at Li Tan.
From the foot of the mountain to the mid-section and then to the inner sect, Li Tan didn’t waste any time. He went straight into Zhang Zhi’s study without delay.
“Li Tan, young friend, why have you returned already?”
Zhang Zhi had been slightly annoyed by the abrupt entry without a knock, but when he looked up and saw it was Li Tan, he suppressed his irritation and instead expressed confusion. “Although you had the map drawn by the Judicial Department, it’s still a place in the domain of fallen immortals. If there was only one elder accompanying you, wouldn’t that be dangerous?” At the mention of the map, Li Tan felt a surge of anger. He sneered but did not directly expose the truth. “I’m not needed there anymore.”
“How could you not be needed?
Could it be that Elder Sima sent you back? That’s outrageous!”
Zhang Zhi feigned anger and slammed the table. “He’s always been arrogant. He must have thought that his presence alone was sufficient to take care of those brats. Don’t be angry, young friend. I’ll make sure to teach him a lesson!”
Li Tan shook his head lightly. “It’s true Elder Sima doesn’t favor juniors, but he didn’t send me away.”
“Then why did you—” Sima Luo was initially quite angry, thinking Li Tan was being unreasonable by returning early, but after a moment’s thought, he realized Li Tan wasn’t the kind of self-centered person he might seem, so his temper cooled.
Li Tan lowered his head slightly, his eyes hidden in shadow, and slowly said, “They… are all dead.”
Sima Luo’s expression froze. “Wh-what?”
Li Tan repeated, “Dead. All of them. That’s why I came back now.”
Sima Luo abruptly stood up, staring at Li Tan with wide eyes. After a silence lasting nearly half an incense stick’s time, he finally forced out through clenched teeth, “What exactly happened?”
“Last night, we were ambushed by monstrous beasts.”
“Monstrous beasts! How could there be monstrous beasts? Didn’t you pay attention to the Judicial Department’s markings?”
“The campsite was chosen deliberately after careful selection.”
Li Tan emphasized the words “careful selection” as he spoke.
Indeed, it had been carefully selected. After all, they had ensured the map looked natural and normal, while also making sure that Sima Luo would set up camp in the “correct” location for that creature to be used.
Zhang Zhi placed both hands on the table, clenching his fists tightly, trying his best to appear calm. “Tell me everything you encountered.” Li Tan recounted all the events of the past two days, though he focused only on the key points—how Elder Sima firmly believed the map was correct, while he himself had noticed many inconsistencies, and finally, the uncharacteristically bloodless massacre last night.
After listening, Sima Luo sank back into his chair, speechless for a long time.
Li Tan stood silently to the side, doing nothing.
“So what you’re saying is that the Judicial Department’s map was problematic?”
Li Tan nodded.
“It seems the map was switched by someone with ill intent. There must be a spy within the Tianlang Sect.”
It was true that there was a spy in the Tianlang Sect, but Li Tan couldn’t quite agree that the map had been switched. However, he could understand why Zhang Zhi thought that way. After all, as the sect leader, Zhang naturally wouldn’t believe that someone high up in the sect would betray him.
To be honest, before learning about the existence of the Black Robe Organization, Li Tan himself hadn’t believed such things either. Someone like Zheng Kaishan, whose status was practically on par with the sect leader, what benefit would there be in betraying?
Indeed, under normal circumstances, there was absolutely no reason to betray, because there was no benefit. However, if the Black Robe Organization was involved, then there was a reason. Li Tan had no doubt that with the Black Robe Organization’s power, even the most extreme desires could be fulfilled as much as possible.
After thinking it through, Li Tan decided not to directly expose the truth yet, choosing silence instead. As he remained silent, Zhang Zhi assumed he agreed with the idea of the map being switched. Looking out the window at an old pine tree, Zhang sighed deeply.
With what needed to be said already said, Li Tan left on his own. He didn’t have his own quarters within the inner sect yet; he had always stayed in the martial arts training hall. At present, he had no mood for cultivation, so he simply found a quiet place to sit and think about what to do next.
The issue with the Black Robe Organization was already troubling enough, and now this new major event had arisen. If not handled properly, it would definitely affect his future cultivation. At its worst, it might even give rise to a heart demon.
But fortunately, the culprit behind this, Zheng Kaishan, was already someone Li Tan would eventually have to deal with. Now, it was simply a matter of bringing their conflict forward.
For both himself and those who had died, Li Tan would never let Zheng Kaishan go, but what was the best way to proceed?
After much deliberation, Li Tan decided to wait and see, to deal with whatever came his way.
His current strength was limited; being too conspicuous would only draw unwanted attention. The attention he feared wasn’t from ordinary people—it was from the members of the Black Robe Organization, who would pay even closer attention to him. Besides, this was still the Tianlang Sect, and he couldn’t directly go after Zheng Kaishan here.
In the end, all these concerns boiled down to a single word: power. If Li Tan were already a Zongshi master rather than merely a Xiantian cultivator, would he still need to worry about such matters?
Not at all. He could directly capture Zheng Kaishan and Liu Yong and interrogate them under torture before dealing with anything else.
Throughout his life, both before and after his rebirth, whenever he encountered a crisis, it always came back to the issue of strength.
Li Tan clenched his fists slightly, turned his head eastward, and let out a helpless sigh.
Strength, strength. If only he had greater strength right now, then Tang Leyin wouldn’t have to continue living as a wandering swordsman, wandering from place to place without a home.
As for those who had once bullied her, he could track them down one by one and settle the score.
But all of this was merely an illusion. At present, he was just a low-level innate cultivator. Even within a minor sect like the Tianlang Sect, he had to tread carefully and remain restrained. How could he possibly create even the slightest ripple?
Bringing his thoughts back, Li Tan felt bitter inside. He straightened his posture, and in the corner of his vision, a familiar figure appeared. Looking closely, he saw Liu Yong approaching.
“Do you have something to say?”
Seeing Liu Yong stop in front of him, Li Tan coldly asked.
“Of course I have nothing to do. But I wonder if Elder Li does?”
Liu Yong replied mockingly.
Li Tan glanced at him disdainfully and asked without interest, “Are you here to provoke me?”
“Provoke?
Do I look like someone with that much free time?
I’m just here to give Elder Li a little reminder.”
Liu Yong said smugly.
“If you have something to say, say it quickly. Don’t drag it out.”
“Elder Li really is in a hurry. Originally, I did want to say it quickly, because looking at your face makes me sick. But now I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to sit down and take my time.”
So saying, Liu Yong really did plop down beside Li Tan, crossing his legs and assuming an arrogant posture.
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