And then, the blade cut through nothing but air.

In that instant, State Preceptor Yun had just been teleported away by the small Mountain-Moving Array, with only his lingering words echoing in the hall: “I return the traitor to you, no thanks needed.”

Departing with him were sixty-five Wei Kingdom cultivators.

Mo Tizhun had no outlet for his rage and slammed his fist violently against the wall. With a “crack,” the wall split, and the entire hall trembled.

Zhao Ru Shan rushed in next, exclaiming: “Couldn’t stop him?” This was terrible!

Mo Tizhun stared intently at the small Mountain-Moving Array on the ground, studying it for several breaths before responding: “This appears to head westward. Their destination is not the ancestral temple.”

Only then did Zhao Ru Shan let out a long sigh of relief.

Princess Han Yue walked in surrounded by a crowd, viciously kicked Zuo Qiu Yuan who lay on the ground, and spat on him: “This is the fate of a running dog!” When the Wei people raided the palace, she had been hiding at the bottom of the lake with her child, naturally unaware that Zuo Qiu Yuan had helped erase the traces of her escape, preventing the Wei people from tracking her. Princess Han Yue only hated him for aiding the enemy, helping the Wei people cross the Flowing Sand Array, and assassinating the old King of Yao, causing her husband’s eventual death and leaving the entire Kingdom of Yao in peril!

“He can’t be saved,” Mo Tizhun could tell from Zuo Qiu Yuan’s complexion that the violent poison had entered his heart and brain; he was beyond hope. Besides, the Yao people must hate him to the bone—how could they possibly save him?

Blood flowing from his seven apertures, the muscles in Zuo Qiu Yuan’s throat had already atrophied, yet he managed to raise his head, using all his remaining strength to say: “He wants the sacred artifact… give it to him, save Yao…”

Before he could finish, his head drooped, and he breathed his last.

What did he mean? Those present looked at each other in confusion. The elder officials who had followed in, witnessing this scene, cursed repeatedly: “Can we believe a single word from this traitor?” They stepped forward and viciously trampled his body.

But regardless, the ancestral temple and foundation stone were safe for now.

The Yao people truly despised Zuo Qiu Yuan. The royal court ordered his body to be hung outside the South Gate for three days of public exposure, followed by the five-horse dismemberment punishment. They had intended to file down his bones and scatter the ashes afterward, but when collecting the body, they discovered that many parts were missing—commoners had stolen them to eat.

The common people wished to flay the skin, devour the flesh, and suck the blood of the Zuo family.

Naturally, few were willing to deeply contemplate the words Zuo Qiu Yuan had spoken before his death.

Forty li away, in Wulin Town.

Yun Ya teleported here, first changed his appearance to that of an ordinary man with thin eyebrows and narrow eyes, changed into coarse cloth short garments, then rented a donkey cart and unhurriedly headed southeast.

He still carried serious injuries and should not have been jolting about like this. After traveling more than ten li on mountain roads, blood again seeped through the back of his garment.

Yun Ya paid it no mind, covering it with his robe, and continued for another ten-plus li before entering a town called Dihua. He sold the donkey cart, modified his appearance again, and then pushed open the gate of a commoner’s dwelling and walked in.

He had teleported to Wulin Town, and Mo Tizhun could determine his approximate location from the remnants of the small Mountain-Moving Array on the ground. Therefore, even though Yun Ya had left Yinzi City, he still had to be extremely cautious.

Sure enough, half a day later, Yao soldiers were stationed in seven or eight towns, including Wulin, conducting investigations and focusing on searching for foreign visitors, especially those with injuries.

By the time they searched Dihua Town, not only were the inns checked, but the town residents were also questioned. However, no suspicious individuals appeared there, and the officials found no useful clues.

Soon, they moved on to search other places.

The young man who went to answer the door had a baby face. If Feng Miao Jun were here, she would recognize him as Lu Ming.

With the crisis past, Yun Ya also emerged from the small bottle. His split wounds had been properly treated again and were no longer bleeding. However, he was already severely injured from the previous battle and had forced himself to travel over twenty li of mountain road. Now his face was as pale as paper, and his form was unsteady.

After drinking blood tree flower honey wine, he simply wiped his face and lay down to sleep.

This sleep lasted exactly twenty-two hours.

The entire city of Yinzi was in chaos, while the instigator slept soundly.

When Yun Ya awoke again, his spirit had recovered considerably. He could eat half a jin of beef and six large yellow steamed buns in one sitting. With the country at war, it wasn’t easy for Lu Ming to buy luxurious food in this small town, but he had also brought back two apples.

While peeling an apple, he asked Yun Ya: “My lord, what was Zuo Qiu Yuan’s true intention?” Zuo Qiu Yuan had indeed led the Wei army through the three-hundred-li Flowing Sand Array at Miansha Ridge, guided them with his knowledge of Yao’s geography, helped the Wei army advance eastward triumphantly, and even personally killed the King of Yao… Such a person, who had cut off all his retreat paths, why did he suddenly turn around and betray Wei?

Lu Ming couldn’t understand.

“Siao Jing ordered the execution of his entire family, so Zuo Qiu Yuan hated the King of Yao, and only the King of Yao.” Yun Ya took a sip of clear water. “But he still considered himself a Yao person, and didn’t even hate Siao Feng Xian.”

“This means…” It sounded complicated, and Lu Ming hesitated slightly. “He only wanted to avenge himself against the King of Yao?”

“But he couldn’t accomplish it with his power alone.” Yun Ya sighed, a rare sight. “With Zuo Qiu Yuan’s abilities, it wouldn’t have been difficult for him to hide his identity and build a new life, but his mind was solely focused on revenge, so he could only turn to us. His devoted performance in the capital and during the eastern expedition was merely to gain our trust.” He laughed coldly. “Perhaps his most perfect plan was to kill the King of Yao with our help, then turn around and sell us out to Siao Feng Xian.”

That’s why Zuo Qiu Yuan wanted to kill the King of Yao in front of all the Yao people, including Siao Feng Xian. This directly removed Yun Ya’s trump card eliminated the Wei people’s greatest leverage and also relieved Siao Feng Xian from having to choose between his father and his kingdom, allowing him to attack directly.

“If we had been defeated, wouldn’t he have suffered along with us?” This was what Lu Ming couldn’t understand.

“He led us across the Flowing Sand Array on our eastern expedition and personally killed the King of Yao, placing his desires above the welfare of all people. He is Yao’s eternal criminal.” Yun Ya said with amusement. “Do you think he didn’t know he deserved to die? He came only for revenge and probably never planned to return alive.”

“He harmed the Kingdom of Yao, felt guilty about it, and wanted to hand us over to Siao Feng Xian as the first achievement of the new king’s coronation. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as smoothly as he imagined.” Yun Ya picked up a slice of apple and chewed it slowly. “Siao Feng Xian’s death isn’t it because of him… pah, so sour!” He glared at Lu Ming.

Lu Ming laughed awkwardly: “These are already the most expensive apples in town.” In a small place like this, the State Preceptor shouldn’t expect too much. He quickly changed the subject. “From what you’ve said, if we had teleported to the ancestral temple, we probably wouldn’t have fared well. Zuo Qiu Yuan saw this clearly and wanted us to teleport there?”