Former Interstellar Mercenary In Urban Cultivation World-Chapter 1358: Conspiracy

Hearing this, the Toyun Kangmin nearly struck him on the spot. "What else are they saying?"

"They say that when the previous leader of the Fire Vein Tribe discovered the devil’s passageway, it had already been open for some time, and the devils had secretly infiltrated the Oryeong Mountains. By the time we found out, the devils had already infected some of the human tribes. Later, when the previous leader of the Fire Vein Tribe planned to seal the passage and eradicate the devils in the Oryeong Mountains, the devils— in order to disrupt this plan— they... they..." The subordinate anxiously observed the Chieftain’s expression and noticed that his face had turned so dark it seemed to drip blood. freeweɓnovel.cøm

He immediately lowered his head.

"They what?! Continue!" The Toyun Kangmin roared.

"They incited conflict, manipulating the other tribes to attack the previous leader of the Fire Vein Tribe. And they succeeded. No one ever suspected the true identity of the instigator. The rumor also says that devils are still lurking among us, and no one knows who will be the next to be infected." The subordinate spoke quickly and then shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.

A heavy, oppressive atmosphere filled the hall.

Toyun Kangmin, who had been blinded by rage moments ago, suddenly felt eerily clear-headed.

Doubt and horror flickered in his eyes.

Similar conversations took place in the other three tribes.

Suddenly, fear and paranoia spread among the tribes, as people worried that they might be infected by devils.

Even amongst friends and family, trust began to waver.

Toyun Kangmin pondered all night.

The more he thought about it, the more things felt wrong.

Before, when no one questioned the events, everything seemed logical.

But now that doubts had been raised and the more he reflected on it, the more inconsistencies he found.

The person who originally proposed the plan to ambush the previous leader of the Fire Vein Tribe had seemed perfectly normal.

Because he specifically targeted the Fire Vein Tribe, so no one ever questioned his motives.

But now, as he thought back on it, the Toyun Kangmin realized he had been too trusting.

By morning, he could no longer ignore his unease and secretly contacted the other two tribes.

That night, the three Chieftains met in secret.

"You’ve heard the rumor?" Toyun Kangmin broke the silence first.

"I heard it long ago," the leader of the Wood Vein Tribe, Namgu Jaeun, hesitated. "Could this be the Fire Vein Tribe deliberately spreading false information?"

The leader of the Metal Vein Tribe, Geumho Seungjae looked conflicted. "It’s not impossible... but if we truly believed that, we wouldn’t be here right now."

Indeed, the fact that they had gathered here proved that they were at least 30% convinced by the rumors.

If they had dismissed it outright, they wouldn’t have bothered to meet.

But deep down, they all understood the truth.

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Toyun Kangmin’s face was grim, struggling internally. "But... the Water Vein Tribe and the Fire Vein Tribe have always been at odds. Didn’t we assume back then that his motives were personal revenge?"

Namgu Jaeun said, "What if he used that as an excuse to gain our trust?"

They had all assumed the Water Vein Tribe’s hostility toward the Fire Vein Tribe was natural.

That assumption had made them easy to be deceived.

And at the time, blinded by their own self-interest, they hadn’t questioned the plan carefully before agreeing to it.

Now that they were reconsidering everything, they realized the leader of the Water Vein Tribe’s words back then had too many flaws.

"That Ryusoo Yin, though often at odds with Yeom Hwatian, was never careless in major matters. Killing the leader of the Fire Vein Tribe and allowing devils to invade the Oryeong Mountains brought him no benefit. Even then, I found it odd... looking back, he was probably already under the devils’ control." Geumho Seungjae sighed.

"We were all deceived." Namgu Jaeun’s expression darkened.

Toyun Kangmin thought of how frequently he had interacted with the Water Vein Tribe recently, and his face grew even grimmer.

"Then... Yeom Hwatian was right to be concerned. Perhaps Ryusoo Yin realized that Yeom Hwatian suspected him, so he struck first— fooling us into believing that he was plotting against us."

Geumho Seungjae nodded. "Yes. Back then, Ryusoo Yintold us that devils had only infiltrated in small numbers, and that Yeom Hwatian was lying about a major devil invasion just to use it as an excuse to take over all the tribes. And we believed him."

Namgu Jaeun glanced at him but said nothing.

Did they really believe him?

Not necessarily.

More likely, they had chosen to believe him.

Because each of them secretly harbored ambitions to unify the Oryeong Mountains, and the Fire Vein Tribe as the strongest of the five tribes— was their greatest obstacle.

That was why they had accepted the Ryusoo Yin’s plan so easily and conspired to murder Yeom Hwatian.

"Now that we know the truth, what do we do?" Toyun Kangmin looked at the other two.

Geumho Seungjae pondered for a moment. "Since we’re now certain that Ryusoo Yin is most likely a devil, we have no choice. We can’t allow him to continue lurking among us. If we do, it’s only a matter of time before we’re all infected or controlled."

Namgu Jaeun sighed. "It’s already been a year since Ryusoo Yin’s death. In that time, we never suspected Ryusoo Yin. We have no idea how bad the situation is now or how many people in our tribes have already been infected."

Geumho Seungjae and Toyun Kangmins’ expressions grew even darker.

Toyun Kangmin said, "I suggest we confront Ryusoo Yin and force him to prove he isn’t a devil. If he is, we kill him together and then root out any other devils hiding in our tribes."

Geumho Seungjae and Namgu Jaeun agreed.

Then he asked, "Should we inform the Fire Vein Tribe?"