Every single person who had gone to Pingsha Island had been held by the Ten Great Ancestors — none had been released. All of them remained with the main force.
After a series of battles and such a long, grueling march, everyone's minds had been consumed with worry over the safety of their respective Sacred Lands.
Then came the final confrontation with Old Man Guangdu, and after that brutal clash, everyone was mentally and physically exhausted — they had nearly forgotten about the traitor altogether.
When Jiang Chen brought it up, it snapped everyone back to awareness.
"That's right. The traitor must be rooted out."
"Exactly. Back on Pingsha Island, without collusion from within, the enemy couldn't have exposed us so thoroughly. There's no way they could have laid out their plans so calmly."
"There must have been an insider feeding them information — relaying everything that happened inside, point by point — and that's how the battle at Pingsha Island was orchestrated against us from start to finish."
The Ten Great Ancestors were no pushovers, and the feeling of being played for fools did not sit well with any of them.
So when Jiang Chen raised the matter of the traitor, their simmering fury was instantly reignited.
Without a traitor, would the Ten Great Sacred Lands have suffered so badly?
Without a traitor covering for Old Man Guangdu and his forces, would Guangdu have ever grown so powerful?
"We must investigate! No one gets a pass!"
"Young friend Jiang Chen, do you have any suggestions?"
Jiang Chen smiled. "My guess is that Old Man Guangdu's foundations were unstable. He couldn't have recruited too many traitors — he hadn't reached the stage of widespread infiltration yet. To play it safe, he wouldn't have cast too wide a net either. So my estimation is that the traitor faction shouldn't be too large. One or two families, maybe two or three, three or four at most."
This assessment of Jiang Chen's was fairly sound.
If Guangdu had tried to recruit too broadly, he would have easily exposed himself.
At that moment, a Divine Dao cultivator who had surrendered on the battlefield stepped forward from the crowd. He cupped his fists toward Jiang Chen and said, "Young Master, it's true that certain forces on Myriad Abyss Island colluded with Old Man Guangdu. However, Guangdu always sent his two great protectors to handle those matters."
"So you're saying only the two protectors know who the traitors are?" Jiang Chen asked in a low voice.
"Not necessarily!" The man shook his head. "Back in Guangdu's lair, there are still remnants left behind. The two protectors had their own trusted aides — subordinates at the half-step Divine level. If those people are still around, they would certainly know. After all, the left and right protectors couldn't handle every detail personally. Some tasks were delegated to their subordinates. Those half-step Divine cultivators were quite capable when it came to carrying out orders."
When it came to dealing with the Ten Great Sacred Lands, half-step Divine cultivators were far from sufficient. But when it came to dealing with second- or third-rate factions, even a half-step Divine cultivator was more than enough.
The information this man provided was extremely useful to Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen exchanged a glance with the Ten Great Ancestors, then transmitted his voice to them: "Esteemed Ancestors, this matter of Myriad Abyss Island should be jointly overseen by the Ten Great Sacred Lands. The traitors must be found, but we can't let it spiral into mass panic. Do any of you have a sound approach?"
The Ten Great Ancestors deliberated briefly, and they reached a unanimous consensus. The traitors had to be investigated, but there was no need to blow the matter out of proportion.
The Eternal Sacred Ancestor then spoke: "Old Man Guangdu has already been destroyed. Every one of you here knows perfectly well whether you or your people had any dealings with him. Now, the Ten Great Sacred Lands are willing to offer one chance — for those involved to step forward voluntarily. No matter who colluded with Old Man Guangdu, we will punish only the ringleaders and not implicate the innocent. But if you choose to remain obstinate and refuse to confess, then you will face the full fury of the Ten Great Sacred Lands — and bear the consequences yourselves."
There was comfort in those words, and temptation, and a veiled threat.
Come forward, admit your wrongs, and only the ringleaders would be executed. Resist to the bitter end, and your entire clan would be wiped out.
In an instant, the second- and third-rate factions were thrown into a state of barely concealed panic.
Clearly, no one could be certain whether their own sect's higher-ups had been exchanging furtive glances with Old Man Guangdu — whether there had been secret dealings behind the scenes.