For a lot of things, it was impossible to think about before they happened. However, when it happened, it was not a surprise when thought from another angle.
The golden core was broken and Yuanying was out… wasn't this just a normal thing to happen for Wang Lu?
He had been at the peak Jindan Stage for some time. For ordinary cultivators, this period was very short, far from enough to complete the bottleneck breakthrough accumulation. However, for Wang Lu who had the Void Spirit Root, how could there be so many troublesome bottlenecks?
Moreover, Wang Lu was the lead disciple of Spirit Sword Sect and the senior leader of the organizing committee. He had so many resources at hand that many large immortal cultivation sects felt sincere envy. And with such a large amount of resources, how could the Yuanying accumulation breakthrough not possible?
Wang Lu had long been able to achieve Yuanying Stage. He stayed at the peak Jindan Stage just to cope with the Grand Competition. Under the special competition system, Jindan was more useful than Yuanying.
Right now, although the Grand Competition appeared to be still alive, it was actually already over. Wang Lu hence had no need to suppress his cultivation. Thus, when the golden core was broken and Yuanying came out, everything was logical. At the same time, Wang Lu also took this opportunity to plot against Senior Gem Emperor.
"It really opened my eyes."
Senior Gem Emperor also expressed her sincere admiration.
Strictly speaking, even though she was not a loser, and on the contrary, it would've been really a problem for Wang Lu to send out the Yuanying sword in Jindan Stage competition, but was Senior Gem Emperor a person who fussed over minor matters? Wang Lu didn't mention the matter of suppressing the stage in the competition. It was her own initiative to restrain herself. It was Wang Lu's own ability to breakthrough the stage on the spot. In particular, she, who had the magical ability of Calculation Immortal, couldn't feel anything unusual before the fight, which could even be said as remarkable.
Therefore, when the purple sword qi touched her forehead, Senior Gem Emperor was willing to concede. As an Emperor, she was willing to accept defeat.
Wang Lu smiled and said, "In fact, this is not worth mentioning. But I think this sword strike is enough to prove one thing: You are not as omniscient and omnipotent as you think. Your mind has a dead angle, so in the face of the Fallen Immortals, you will definitely need other people's help."
Senior Gem Emperor was silent for a while, obviously thinking about it. After a while, she looked at Wang Lu and said, "Can I trust you?"
Wang Lu replied, "At a time like this, no need to ask such useless topic, right?"
"Hahaha, well said. But you better think about it, my trust is very heavy."
Wang Lu took a deep breath and said, "No matter."
"Good, you have guts." Senior Gem Emperor smiled and nodded. She closed her eyes and pondered for a long time. When she spoke again, Wang Lu appeared solemn and frowning.
"There are indeed traitors in the Earth Immortal camp, but I can't pinpoint them at all. In fact, the banishment of Xuan Mo and the others or the blatant show off of my cards in the City of Immortals are just ways for me to try to muddy the water and lead the snake out of the hole."
"In other words, you're basically just groping in the dark?" Wang Lu shook his head. The situation was worse than what he expected at first. "How about the number?" Wang Lu added.
Senior Gem Emperor said, "Still not certain, maybe one, maybe more."
"... Nothing is certain. How can you be sure that there is really a traitor?"
"These were his last words to me. I don't think it's going to be wrong."
Wang Lu's heart moved. Did 'he' in the words of Senior Gem Emperor mean the legendary former leader of the Earth Immortals who fought against the Fallen Immortals in the front line?
... Frankly speaking, his existence was indeed like a legend. Because up to now, Wang Lu still didn't know the real name of the leader. Every time he heard Xuan Mo and the others mention him, they were always in awe of him, such that they didn't even dare to mention his name at will.
Even now when Senior Gem Emperor talked about that man, although there was no humility in her tone, she was full of respect and even vaguely put him above herself.
This was really strange. An Emperor should put oneself above anyone, yet Senior Gem Emperor was willing to put herself under other people?
After thinking about it, Wang Lu took over the conversation from Senior Gem Emperor, saying, "Was it the last words left more than ten thousand years ago? And you haven't found the traitor yet?"
Senior Gem Emperor said, "Then, it was too late. He also made that judgment right before he went to sleep. I thought I would keep the secret forever in the dark, but fortunately, I woke up and obtained the opportunity to investigate it."
The more Wang Lu heard it, the more suspicious he felt, especially the first sentence. He said, "Before he went to sleep? Did he not disappear in the battle against the Fallen Immortal?"
Senior Gem Emperor glanced at Wang Lu. His clear eyes made her realize that the water in it was deeper than what she thought.
In other words, it might be speculated that the leader of the Earth Immortals did not die in the decisive battle. The news of his death was either a rumor deliberately released or a misunderstanding by Xuan Mo and the others. In short, their leader actually entered the Tomb of Immortals with them and fell into a permanent sleep, but before he slept, he made a judgment that there were traitors among them. Unfortunately, Senior Gem Emperor did not have time to find those traitors… until more than ten thousand years later when she unexpectedly awakened.
However, therein lay a question: Why did he not tell anyone else about this matter, but only Senior Gem Emperor?
"Forgive me for being bold, but this is an important question, and I have to confirm it. What was your relationship with him?"
Senior Gem Emperor smiled gently and said, "Sun Buping was my Daoist Companion."
"..." Wang Lu was silent for a while, feeling that this answer was not that unexpected.
Especially considering the strange attitude of Xuan Mo when she talked about the relationship between Senior Gem Emperor and that man… As a matter of fact, he should have guessed it through some clues. Only this answer could perfectly explain all the characteristics of Senior Gem Emperor.
Moreover, the name Sun Buping, if chewed carefully, one would find it fascinating.
In just those few words, Wang Lu could already see the below scenario:
He was the leader of the Earth Immortals, the most outstanding cultivator of that era. Although he stayed in the Nine Regions, he possessed strength of an inferior True Immortal. However, this true Earth Immortal never chose to ascend to the world of immortals. Instead, he stayed on the Nine Regions and declared war on a group of Fallen Immortals in order to protect all living beings
This was, of course, a war without a chance. Any one of the opponents was a strong presence that surpassed any power in Nine Regions. The desire to soar to immortality of the hundreds of millions of cultivators in Nine Regions was just the starting point of being a True Immortal. Both sides were fundamentally of different worlds.
But Sun Buping still chose to stand on the side of Nine Regions.
Because of the injustice, he took out his sword to follow his heart. Even though there were thorns everywhere, he bravely went forward.
Senior Gem Emperor found a good companion.
Gently shaking his head, Wang Lu recovered his thoughts and asked, "Have you inherited his inheritance?"
Senior Gem Emperor snorted, "Why should I inherit anyone's inheritance? It's just that he entrusted the burden on his shoulders to me before he fell asleep. We were once a couple, so I'll do this one last thing for him. When this matter is over, I will have nothing to do with Sun Buping."
Wang Lu was momentarily stumped for words. "..."
"The dead has already gone. Although I was very happy in my time together with Sun Buping, since he's basically gone, I will never be trapped in his shadow." Senior Gem Emperor said with a smile, "Speaking of which, shouldn't you give me the answer about marriage?"
Wang Lu suddenly coughed. "Well, I'm afraid it needs to be considered again."
"Considered?" Senior Gem Emperor asked, "Do you think you still have room for deliberation now? After knowing so many secrets, you should already consider it for you own safety, right?"
Wang Lu's heart immediately sank. Was that a naked threat? He thought.
In truth, he had expected that knowing too much would not lead to a good end. However, the secrets mentioned by Senior Gem Emperor just now was something that he could not help but hear.
As a result, it was indeed a self-doomed sin; a moment of gossip; lying on the bed of Earth Immortal… Although Senior Gem Emperor was indeed an amazing figure, Wang Lu also quite agreed with her, and even had a deep impression of her, but he would never marry her!
In a flash, Wang Lu began to think of a way to reject this absurd marriage.
"... Well, it's actually okay with me, but you ought to seriously think it over… you marrying a Yuanying Stage cultivator is too absurd. The disparity between Earth Immortal and Yuanying is even greater than the difference between humans and dogs. If we get married, it would be like ****. I'm afraid even the universe would not allow it."
Senior Gem Emperor was on the contrary, "I have seen a lot of examples of the union between cultivators and spiritual beasts. What about ***? Don't you have two spirit dogs on Spirit Sword Mountain? And when you were attracted to the spirit of Grand Cloud Mountain around twenty years ago, did you ever consider the difference between the two of you?"
"F*ck, you've even dug out that kind of private matter?"
Senior Gem Emperor said, "Xuan Mo and others had always attached great importance on you, and they had made quite in-depth excavation of you. As a result, they hold you in very high regard. I was skeptical about this, but now I do believe that you are not completely a person of Nine Regions."
"..." Wang Lu's heart thumped. "I don't belong to Nine Regions? Could it be that you want to send me away to the Western Continent?"
"Western Continent? I'm afraid you're from a place farther away than that…" Senior Gem Emperor then seriously said, "Everyone has his or her own secret, and I won't delve further into it. I want to believe in you, but I also hope that you can bear my trust."
"Senior Gem Emperor, you are a good person, but…"
Senior Gem Emperor could not help but laugh, "Stop it, don't think I don't know the meaning of 'good person'. After waking up, I have observed the current situation in Nine Regions for a long time, so I know about your popular cultural references. Since you don't agree to it, I won't force you. But you better think about it carefully and don't regret it later."
"... In the future, it would be too late to regret. The meaning of this sentence is indeed rich. In any case, I'll think about it. Now let's get back to the main point. What else do you know about the traitors hiding in the Earth Immortal camp? Let's compare it to what I know and analyze them together to see if we can lock them more clearly."
Senior Gem Emperor nodded and said, "At present, there are five people with the highest suspicion: Black, Xuan Mo, Bai Ze, Luo Xue… as well as Bai Xiaoxing."
Wang Lu frowned. The first three were his old acquaintances. Luo Xue, on the other hand, was proficient in all kinds of arts, and she had won many times in the Grand Competition with crushing victories. But, who in the world was Bai Xiaoxing?
"I borrowed Bai Xiaoxing's magical ability to win your knowledge test." Senior Gem Emperor lightly explained, "In terms of the amount of knowledge that one has, he is comparable to your Union of Ten Thousand Immortal's Heavenly Policy."
"... Comparable to the Heavenly Policy? Indeed worthy of being an Earth Immortal. But how could he stay low-key previously?"
Senior Gem Emperor said, "That's the reason why I suspect him. But relatively speaking, he is the least likely. At present, the person I suspect the most is still Black."(Buping in Sun Buping means injustice; grievance; unfairness)