The Fifth Realm is truly difficult to deal with.

It was hard to blame Chu Liang.

His first reaction upon hearing this was: *There are clearly three undercover agents here, yet you claim there is only one. Could the other two be your own plants?*

A second thought told him this was impossible. Both Luo Yao and Pushan had distinct lineages and verifiable identities, leaving virtually no room for impostors. The Earth Fiend Envoy must have discovered only one, which explained his phrasing.

"There is a traitor among us."

"I am currently using sound transmission to speak with the two of you. The moment I make a move, you must immediately join me in attacking Number Sixty. I am concerned she possesses a means of communicating with the outside world, so we must obliterate her in a single, instantaneous strike."

Thus spoke the Earth Fiend Envoy.

Only then did Chu Liang understand. The envoy must have been stationed relatively close to Luo Yao earlier, or perhaps he had interacted with "Sixty" in the past and knew that his abilities did not match the current display.

This was why he had concluded that this "Sixty" was a fake.

As for why he had not exposed this matter to the main force, a brief moment of reflection made it clear. The Southern Route Guides attached immense importance to this operation. If a traitor had infiltrated one of the Earth Fiend Envoys' subordinates and caused the mission to fail, the blame would inevitably fall squarely on his shoulders.

That was why he wanted to lure "Sixty" away from the group, eliminate him quietly, and pretend nothing had happened.

It was a classic psychological reaction of covering up a mistake to escape accountability.

Yet he had no idea what a catastrophic price he was about to pay for this wishful thinking...

Pushan also received the Earth Fiend Envoy's transmission. Hearing it, he nodded slightly, then immediately shouted at the top of his lungs: "Attack!"

"What?" The other three were startled.

The Earth Fiend Envoy was struck with a mix of shock and fury. *I merely told you to assist me! When is it your turn to issue commands? If this sudden move startles the prey, I will surely punish you for your insolence!*

Before his anger could fully flare, however, he realized that the three opposite him had launched a coordinated assault with absolute synchronicity.

At the sound of the shout, Luo Yao instantly deployed her Forbidden Domain. The tactical maneuver devised specifically to counter experts of the Netherworld Sect was finally being tested on a genuine demonic cultivator of the Netherworld Sect.

In an instant, the shackles of the forbidden zone descended once more.

Chu Liang had long since grown accustomed to this. Relying on his close proximity, he immediately produced half a golden brick and closed the distance using the Backflow Movement Technique, smashing the brick straight toward the Earth Fiend Envoy!

At the same time, Pushan erupted with dazzling, multicolored radiance that shimmered like glazed glass—he had activated the Myriad Dharma Glazed Body! Immediately following this, an ultra-powerful divine ability was unleashed.

Boom—

A towering phantom of a Buddha materialized behind him, and the massive deity thrust forward with a gigantic palm!

The Majestic Sun Tathagata!

In the blink of an eye, the three of them struck simultaneously.

The Earth Fiend Envoy was nearly caught off guard. His attention had been entirely focused on "Sixty," and he had been on the verge of losing his temper when "Fifty-nine" preemptively shouted the attack order. Only now did he understand.

*Ah.*

*The attack was meant for me?*

This chained combo was the ultimate fatal trap the three of them had formulated beforehand. Even an expert of the Fifth Realm would find it difficult to escape!

Faced with such a spectacle, the Earth Fiend Envoy showed no trace of panic. He simply crossed his arms, moving first to block Chu Liang's incoming brick.

Bang—

The ten-tiger strength behind the brick clearly exceeded his expectations. A sharp cracking of bone echoed through the air, but the impact also sent his body flying backward, utilizing the force to retreat!

He offered no resistance, choosing instead to take the blow head-on in order to break away! He had gambled that this single strike could not kill him!

And so it proved. He had already reached the third tier of the Fifth Realm, having undergone two rounds of refinement in Metal and Wood, which undoubtedly tempered his physical body during the previous ascensions.

Chu Liang's full-strength brick had only managed to fracture the bones in both of his forearms. The moment the domain restriction was lifted, such superficial injuries could be healed instantly!

Yet right behind it came a giant palm descending from the skies. Pushan's strike was unquestionably a hundred times more ferocious than Chu Liang's brick!

As the shadow of the giant palm engulfed the Earth Fiend Envoy, he slammed his hands against his own chest with all his might. "Ptuu—"

Spurred by this self-inflicted blow, he spewed a plume of blood mist that rapidly tangled itself in mid-air to form a barrier, shielding him from the front.

He had even refined his own blood!

Every drop of blood he spat out possessed immensely potent spiritual energy, transcending the boundaries of ordinary techniques. The emergence of this blood wall instantly intercepted Pushan's Buddha palm.

Bang!

Though teetering on the verge of collapse, it managed to hold firm.

Yet following these two blows, Luo Yao's figure trembled, and the Forbidden Domain could no longer maintain itself, shattering with a loud crash.

After all, she was merely a Fourth Realm cultivator. Being able to use a witchcraft technique like the Forbidden Domain to cross realms was already an extraordinary feat; naturally, it could not be sustained for long.

Having weathered both attacks, the Earth Fiend Envoy looked somewhat battered, but his core remained unbroken. The tenacity of a Fifth Realm cultivator was displayed in its full glory within that fleeting moment.

As the Forbidden Domain vanished, his full cultivation returned, instantly bolstering his courage. With a sweep of his arms, his shattered bones rapidly reset.

"So the three of you are all traitors!" His voice overflowed with rage. "Die, all of you!"

If uncovering a single traitor could be considered his oversight, discovering that his entire team consisted of traitors was nothing short of an unforgivable humiliation. The realization that the Soul-Detention Token he held had turned into a gathering of frauds besides himself filled him with boundless fury.

Throwing wide his arms, hundreds upon hundreds of black phantoms surged out from behind him—every single one of them a vengeful ghost he had cultivated over the years.

With a sweep of his palm, a procession of a hundred ghosts walked the night!

Liberated at the exact same moment, Luo Yao did not hold back. Facing a formidable enemy, the young girl wore an icy expression as she formed a hand seal, causing three arms to instantly sprout from her back!

Each of these three arms held aloft a paper umbrella: one black, one white, one crimson!

Boom—

As the sea of ghosts came crushing down from the opposite side, the opening of Luo Yao's three paper umbrellas unleashed rays of black, white, and red light simultaneously.

"Ahhh—"

The ghosts on the opposite side let out uniform shrieks of agony, seemingly gripped by a profound terror of the three spirits accompanying Luo Yao.

Luo Yao's figure flickered. The black-robed ghost wrapped its arms around her waist, granting her teleportation-like speed; the white-robed ghost orbited her, shielding her from all harm; while the crimson-robed ghost followed close behind, radiating unmatched slaughter!

Seeing her charge forward, the Earth Fiend Envoy felt a flicker of alarm. He stamped his right foot heavily onto the ground and barked, "Freeze!"

Swish—

In an instant, several black thorns burst from the earth, spreading with terrifying speed to bind Luo Yao tightly, as sharp as swords and spears. Even the protective barrier of the white-robed ghost could not entirely block them, for these thorns targeted the soul directly!

Whether it was the three ghosts or Luo Yao herself, once pierced by the thicket of thorns, they were rendered utterly incapable of movement!

Chu Liang had previously witnessed the Soul-Piercing Nails deployed by the Soul-Detention Envoy; these thorn bushes were clearly an advanced evolution of those nails, impossible to deflect!

Fortunately, Pushan stepped in at that moment, pointing from afar. "Reverse!"

Reversing the Heavens and Earth!

Bang.

The immortal art resurfaced, reversing the extremes. In a flash, the tables turned, leaving the Earth Fiend Envoy unable to move.

Meanwhile, the thorns binding Luo Yao instantly dissolved. In the very next second, her figure materialized directly before the rigid Earth Fiend Envoy, her scythe raised high!

"Die!" The Earth Fiend Envoy suddenly let out a premature cry of agony as an arrow of blood violently erupted from his chest! At such close range, Luo Yao was unable to dodge, and the arrow struck the barrier of the white-robed ghost dead-on.

Swish—

"Ah—" The white-robed ghost let out a cry of pure anguish resembling a mournful wail. The blood arrow possessed immense destructive power, piercing halfway through her body in an instant. Yet, seemingly determined to protect Luo Yao, she continued to resist stubbornly.

At the exact moment the blood arrow struck, Luo Yao tumbled to the ground, narrowly evading the brunt of the attack. In essence, she had used the white-robed ghost as a shield.

The crimson-robed child following closely behind did not immediately pursue the Earth Fiend Envoy. Instead, it screamed, "Mother!", and lunged forward, shattering the blood arrow that had pierced the white-robed ghost's torso.

Yet with the release of that blood arrow, the paralysis afflicting the Earth Fiend Envoy was broken. He finally seemed to comprehend the nature of the three adversaries before him.

No, "Fifty-eight" was merely an ant of the Third Realm... To be precise, "Fifty-nine" and "Sixty" were both prodigies of the Fourth Realm, whose abilities and cultivation could not be taken lightly. If he continued to entangle himself with them here, he would undoubtedly perish on the spot!

The thought had barely formed when his body was already sent flying backward by several zhang, powerful waves of blood mist exploding from his physique. It was a self-sacrificial technique used to trade his own vitality for a burst of speed, and he was clearly preparing to plunge into the mist and escape.

At that moment, Luo Yao and Pushan were caught in the cooldown phase of their divine abilities, unable to bridge the gap for another attack. They were right in the middle of an opening! Even as geniuses, trying to cross realms to kill a versatile Fifth Realm expert was simply too difficult!

"Sigh."

At that very moment, Chu Liang let out a soft sigh.

It seemed he had to make a move after all.

The long-suppressed Scarlet-Slashing Sword was drawn, humming with a piercing shriek that made it clear the blade had been itching for action. Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Liang raised his hand and cast three Wind Runes in rapid succession.

His sole objective was speed!

Swish, swish, swish—

Sword light flashed. Enhanced by the triple Wind Runes, the talismanic sword art moved with the velocity of a gale, sweeping forward like a roaring dragon and instantly swallowing the Earth Fiend Envoy's form.

Mighty and overwhelming!

Boom—

An explosive kill!

This single sword strike even scattered the surrounding, otherwise unyielding fog, creating a brief vacuum. The sheer destructive power caused both Luo Yao and Pushan to dilate their pupils in sheer astonishment.

A sword-qi tornado!

Rumble, rumble, rumble—

After engulfing the Earth Fiend Envoy, the storm persisted for quite some time before gradually dissipating, allowing the mist to roll back in and fill the void.

Before the fog could completely close the gap, Chu Liang recalled the Scarlet-Slashing Sword and stowed it away.

When he turned back to look at Luo Yao and Pushan, the two of them were unsurprisingly staring at him with profound shock, their faces etched with utter disbelief.

If Chu Liang had given them the impression of an expert from the start, they would not have been so astonished. Yet everything Chu Liang had demonstrated previously made him look like a mere parasite tagging along, only for him to suddenly leap forward and annihilate a formidable enemy in a single blow.

The contrast was simply too jarring.

Faced with their shock, Chu Liang merely offered a light, nonchalant smile, and gestured casually toward the direction where the Earth Fiend Envoy had been obliterated.

"The Fifth Realm is quite tricky to deal with, isn't it?"