C9 This Was Exposed

Ye Chen slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering something he'd overlooked. "I forgot to ask about that person's origins. How did he manage to infiltrate the Imperial Ancestral Temple so stealthily?"

While Ye Chen had no regrets about dispatching the devil's follower, he was intensely curious about the intruder's background and how he had managed to slip into the Imperial Ancestral Temple unnoticed. If only he had that information, he could have relayed it through other means to the Polaris elders or the Pontifex, ensuring they could seal any breach and prevent future incidents.

What struck Ye Chen most was the ease with which the intruder had navigated from the distant foothills straight to the temple, as if he lived in the vicinity. Ye Chen was convinced that without a spy relaying insider information, such a feat would have been impossible.

Understanding the full situation and unmasking the spy was crucial for true peace of mind. After all, Ye Chen was responsible for guarding this place. Today's intruder was merely in the early period of Soul Nurturing, and he could handle that, but what if a more formidable opponent appeared next time?

Ye Chen yearned for a life of safety, not one filled with unexpected and treacherous surprises. He had already discerned the intruder's goal: to sabotage the nexus node of the Imperial Mausoleum.

He speculated that such a bold incursion into the Polaris Holy Land, aiming to disrupt the Imperial Ancestral Temple's nexus node and aid the Fellbeasts within the Tower of Binding to break free, was not the work of a mere Soul Nurturing practitioner. Undoubtedly, a significant force must be orchestrating these events from the shadows.

Moreover, Ye Chen had read extensively about powerful beings and knew that cultivators had their enigmatic ways. For instance, if you killed one here, their allies might instantly learn of their demise and even identify their slayer.

If his impulsive actions drew the attention of those behind the scenes, what then? But, he reassured himself, it likely wouldn't matter. Even if they were aware, confronting him would mean contending with the might of the Polaris Holy Land, with its thousands of disciples, elders, and the Pontifex, not to mention a venerable senior in seclusion. With such formidable support, why worry excessively?

However, the immediate priority was to handle the corpse. After a moment's thought, Ye Chen channeled his mana to erase any signs of the recent skirmish. He then disposed of the body near the Tower of Binding, knowing that elders routinely checked the Binding Circle there. The discovery of a devil cultivator's corpse at such a significant location within the Polaris Holy Land would surely send shockwaves through the ranks of the Holy Land's leadership, prompting a thorough investigation.

The ensuing increase in security measures would make Mount Polaris—and by extension, Ye Chen's living environment—much safer. His actions also served as a subtle warning to the Polaris leadership to remain vigilant. With the situation now out of his hands, Ye Chen felt no need for further concern.

Confident that no suspicion would fall on him—a mere Body Tempering cultivator, hardly recognized as a true cultivator—he returned to his stone house, content that the death of a Soul Nurturing cultivator would not be traced back to him.

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Ye Chen emerged from his cultivation practice and stepped out of his stone house, ready to begin his work in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. As he approached the entrance, he noticed Zi Yuan, his expression grave as he observed the tablets within. Ye Chen's mind raced to the possibility that the previous day's slaying of the devil had come to light.

"Greetings, Elder Zi Yuan," he said calmly, approaching Zi Yuan and bowing as he always did.

"Ye Chen has arrived," Zi Yuan acknowledged with a slight nod, instructing him to hold off on his cleaning duties. "There's been an incident inside the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The Pontifex and several elders are inside investigating. Wait until they've finished before you start cleaning," Zi Yuan briefly explained.

An incident? Ye Chen instantly understood the gravity of the situation.

It must have been because the corpse I left in the Tower of Binding was discovered yesterday, leading the sage of Polaris to trace their way to the Imperial Mausoleum.

As expected, the body was found, but Ye Chen hadn't anticipated that the experts from Polaris would manage to locate the actual scene of the incident.

This development caused Ye Chen a fair amount of anxiety.

"Reverend, did anything unusual occur yesterday?" Ye Chen inquired with a hint of tension in his voice.

Zi Yuan glanced at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, pondered for a moment, and then decided to reveal what had happened.

"Yesterday, an individual from the devil sect breached our gates. Though he met his end at the Tower of Binding, the clues suggest he actually died deep within the Imperial Mausoleum. He managed to infiltrate the Imperial Ancestral Temple without triggering any wards or alerting anyone. The Pontifex and several elders are quite incensed and are intent on conducting a thorough investigation."

"Fortunately, the intruder is dead, but it's unclear who dealt the fatal blow. If not for that, I'd be facing serious repercussions for failing to safeguard the Imperial Ancestral Temple," Zi Yuan explained with a sigh.

Perhaps because Ye Chen, like himself, was a tomb watcher responsible for guarding the Imperial Ancestral Temple and thus connected to the incident, Zi Yuan chose to share the information with him.

Could it really be because of this?

Ye Chen smirked inwardly; it wasn't true that no one had been alerted—after all, he knew what had happened because he was the one behind it.

However, outwardly, Ye Chen maintained a facade of concern, saying with a grave look, "This is quite baffling. Zi Yuan, are we truly at risk of being penalized for negligence?"

Zi Yuan shook his head reassuringly, "Rest easy. If there was any negligence, the responsibility lies with me, not you."

Just then, the Pontifex and the elders emerged from the Imperial Mausoleum after concluding their investigation inside the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

"Zi Yuan, due to the breach under your watch, even though the intruder's skills were exceptional, you are still accountable. You are hereby fined three months' salary," the Pontifex declared in his resonant voice.

"Understood, Pontifex," Zi Yuan responded, bowing respectfully. To him, the loss of three months' salary was trivial.

Zi Yuan regarded the Pontifex with a puzzled expression. "I'm uncertain about the origins of this devil and who it was that struck him down in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Has the Pontifex uncovered anything?"

After a moment of contemplation, the Pontifex glanced at Ye Chen before turning back to Zi Yuan with a solemn nod. "Indeed, we have thoroughly examined the residual traces and aura left behind. We have ascertained the identity of the individual who dispatched this malevolent being."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen felt a twitch in his eyelid. Had the Pontifex noticed him earlier? Was his involvement about to be revealed?