Chapter 177: I Don ‘t Need Evidence To Kill You

The next day, Jiang Hao didn’t receive any clear information or instructions. Perhaps the seniors were uncertain themselves, or maybe they were waiting for reinforcements.

Since there was no news, Jiang Hao could only investigate on his own. Every morning, he observed his surroundings for clues.

After three days, there was no progress. The only thing they could do was work on their cultivation and be patient.

This time, Jiang Hao focused more on the Light and Dust technique and studied the third form of the Heavenly Blade.

He couldn’t learn the fourth form yet. Currently, the fastest attack technique was the third form: The Meteor.

If the demons had transformed from prey to hunters, the Meteor technique would be effective against them.

But there was one thing that made him curious. How were the demons able to form traps?

The demons only acted on impulse. They weren’t intelligent lifeforms. They didn’t have the intelligence to plan traps for their enemies.

‘Are there people helping them, or are the demons really capable of higher intelligence?’

Jiang Hao felt that the latter was more likely. When it came to spirit beasts, the powerful once possessed some form of intelligence. Perhaps demons were the same…

Five days later, there was an eruption outside.

Jiang Hao walked out of his makeshift cabin and saw two disgruntled Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.

“What exactly is going on? Are we going to be trapped here as prey to the demons?” one of them shouted.

“If that’s the case, we might as well leave now,” the other added.

The words of the two people puzzled the other disciples. Jiang Hao looked around and realized that none of them knew about the current situation. They seemed to be hearing the news for the first time.

“What are you talking about?” someone asked.

“Don’t you know?” one of the two men said. ‘We heard the demons are somehow different from before. They plan elaborate traps to ensnare us!”

“What?”

“Is this true?” They were unaware of the whole situation.

Jiang Hao lowered his head. It seemed the wise choice to make right now would be to leave this place. However, this was a sect mission. They couldn’t just leave!

Everyone waited for the seniors in Golden Core Realm to arrive and explain everything to them.

‘How will they explain, tough?’ thought Jiang Hao. Will they tell the truth?’

Jiang Hao wasn’t as anxious as the others. He was just waiting and observing the situation to make the best choice.

“Silence!” A loud voice boomed from above.

Yi Ji stood high above and looked at everyone. Finally, her gaze fell on the two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators who caused the commotion.

One was tall and the other looked fierce. Neither of them seemed like easy opponents.

“Senior Sister Ye Ji, everyone wants to know the truth. Are we going to be trapped here?” asked the tall disciple.

Ye Ji flew down. She stared at the two people calmly. “Where did you hear about this?”

“We heard it from someone,” said the fiercer one of the two.

“Who did you hear it from?” Ye Ji asked.

“We can’t tell you. We just want to know if it’s the truth,” said the tall disciple.

Ye Ji remained calm. “People who know about this matter have been with us for the past few days. Nobody else knows about this unless… you are traitors colluding with the demons.”

The sudden accusation shocked the two disciples.

Before they could respond, Ye Ji made a move. There was a golden burst of power. Ye Ji reached out from a distance and strangled the fierce disciple.

Blood spurted out. His body twisted. There was a loud bang, and he died on the spot.

“You…” The tall disciple was trembling in fear. “What evidence do you have to accuse us? Aren’t you afraid of the consequences of killing disciples on a hunch?”

“Evidence?” Ye Ji smiled. “Look around. This is neither the sect nor the Law Enforcement Hall. Being suspicious is enough to get you killed here.”

She gathered a powerful force in her hand and threw it.

Boom!

The tall disciple was instantly obliterated. The other people were so frightened that they didn’t dare to make a sound.

Jiang Hao was also quite surprised that Ye Ji had killed them on the spot. ‘If no one knew about the information, could the two really have been traitors?’

If it wasn’t true, would they have challenged a Golden Core Realm cultivator?

Jiang Hao decided to examine the corpses. He activated the Daily Appraisal.

[Corpse of Gao Hu: Inner Sect disciple of the Flowing Waterfall. In the late stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. He had multiple forceful breakthroughs without caring about his body. He suffered many hidden and internal injuries in the process. He was under the demon’s influence. He wanted to get stronger and undermine the Heavenly Note Sect.]

‘So, they really were traitors!’

Jiang Hao was surprised. He wondered if Ye Ji had actually known it, or if she had just acted on a hunch and killed them.

“Well… you know about it now. What they said is true. But we haven’t received orders to evacuate. You can choose to retreat at your own risk or go solo to fulfill the missions… or stay here quietly and wait for further instructions,” said Ye Ji. She turned around and left.

Her words left the others astonished. The disciples looked at each other. Most chose to stay where they were.

Evacuating without orders was a serious offense. Nobody dared to do it.

Going solo to fulfill the mission would be suicidal if this was a trap. It was better to stay put and wait for further instructions.

Jiang Hao returned to his wooden cabin.

In the following days, there were no more internal investigations after the initial exploration of the surroundings. It seemed that being trapped here had become an inevitable situation.

The demons hadn’t launched an attack so far, though.

“It’s been too quiet.” Jiang Hao walked out of his cabin, feeling uneasy.

The others were feeling the same. They were bored and scared. They were also becoming impatient.

Jiang Hao was uneasy because the Golden Core Realm cultivators hadn’t contacted the sect yet. There had been no news. So far.

The Devil’s Den was within the sect. It wouldn’t take long to send a message to the sect and to get a response. But there was nothing!

Jiang Hao flew out on his sword. Their campsite wasn’t very far away from the outside.

He frowned. There was a presence in front of him. He sensed a faint spiritual energy. He increased his speed.

Finally, he arrived at the edge of the forest. The faint energy was still there. Jiang Hao raised his hand and gently touched the faint energy fluctuation.

Whoosh!

An invisible ripple blocked his hand.

Jiang Hao withdrew his hand and sighed. ‘So… we have lost contact with the outside. That was why the sect was being so quiet.’

As he turned back, he saw Ye Ji approach..