Ye Bufan never expected to make such a significant discovery. He wanted to delve deeper, to see if there were any other findings.
"Buzz—"
Just then, Ye Bufan felt his entire sea of consciousness tremble. Within the depths of this soul, a faint rune appeared.
"Mental imprint!" Ye Bufan was greatly alarmed.
The next second, Ye Bufan's spiritual power instantly withdrew from the Sakura Island individual. The soul then dissipated on the spot.
"What's going on?" Bai Zizhen and the others quickly surrounded him.
"It seems the people from Sakura Island were fully prepared. I discovered some spies from other sects in his memories. Just as I was about to investigate further, I found a mental imprint deep within his soul," Ye Bufan exclaimed. "That mental imprint suddenly resisted, and I was almost ensnared."
"Are you alright?" Song Mingqin asked with concern.
"I'm fine. I withdrew my spiritual power the moment I discovered it," Ye Bufan replied. "Regardless, this trip wasn't without its rewards. We can basically identify which sects have spies and who they are."
"Elder Bai, what should we do next?" Yan Se asked.
Everyone turned to look at Bai Zizhen, who stroked his white beard.
"Ye Bufan, how much information about spies have you uncovered?" Bai Zizhen inquired.
"Information on seven spies. Some are living puppets, and others are turncoats," Ye Bufan said. "Excluding Thunder Valley, there's one from Crimson Sword Sect, two from Overlord Saber Sect, two from Celestial Star Sect, and this person from Bright Palace. Lastly, one from Celestial Origin Sect."
"As expected!" Song Mingqin exclaimed. "It seems our precautions with Ye Bufan and Xinghai were correct."
"Precautions?" Qu Fei looked at Song Mingqin. "So, you and Ye Bufan already knew that there might be spies from Sakura Island within our various sects?"
Song Mingqin nodded and explained their original plan to everyone.
"We initially intended to lure out the spies with irrefutable evidence to persuade you all, as you wouldn't believe us otherwise. We never expected that the incident at Thunder Valley would lead the Bright Palace to find a spy, and from that spy, we discovered information about others," Song Mingqin explained.
"Song Mingqin's actions were very wise," Bai Zizhen said. "Currently, we cannot remove these spies so quickly. We are not yet certain if there are other spies besides these."
"So, Elder Bai intends to use these individuals to try and lure out the spies we are unaware of?" Yan Yuzhu asked.
"Young Yan, you are very clever. I strongly approve of your master appointing you to take over as the Palace Master of Bright Palace," Bai Zizhen chuckled.
"Tsk tsk tsk."
At this moment, a low voice penetrated the spiritual barrier and echoed in everyone's ears.
"I never imagined that the so-called righteous path would be sneaking around in the dead of night. Are you up to something shameful?" the voice spoke again.
"Rest assured, he cannot see what we are doing," Bai Zizhen said.
Yan Yuzhu then collected the corpse of the Bright Palace disciple. Only then did Bai Zizhen retract the spiritual barrier artifact.
Outside the spiritual barrier stood a person dressed in black, looking at Ye Bufan and the others with a calm expression.
As soon as the person appeared, the energy within Ye Bufan's Dragon Emperor Token became restless. The expression of the Living Yama also flickered slightly before returning to its calm demeanor.
"This Living Yama can forcibly sever the connection between Dragon Emperor Tokens?" Ye Bufan stared at the Living Yama in shock.
Bai Yanluo's gaze also fell upon Ye Bufan, filled with surprise.
"We are discussing matters between several sects, what business is it of yours?" Bai Zizhen said. "Living Yama, although your Demonic Cult has vast influence in the northwest, you are interfering too much."
"Hahahaha, what I do is none of your business," the Living Yama declared. "I am not interested in your affairs. I merely sensed a familiar aura and came to confirm its origin."
With that, the Living Yama's gaze settled on Ye Bufan.
Ye Bufan blinked slightly, realizing that Bai Yanluo had sensed the aura of the Dragon Emperor Token within him.
Song Mingqin turned to look at Ye Bufan, as if understanding something, and then stepped in front of him.
"Living Yama, I advise you not to act rashly," Song Mingqin said.
The Living Yama's eyes narrowed, and he couldn't help but chuckle. He spoke to Ye Bufan with a sound transmission, "Kid, once we enter the ancient immortal cultivation secret realm, you will eventually be alone. I hope you don't run into me then, or your Dragon Emperor Token will be mine."
Ye Bufan looked at the Living Yama calmly and then replied, "I hope you can still control your Dragon Emperor Token then, or your Dragon Emperor Token will be mine."
The Living Yama did not expect Ye Bufan to show no fear. He tilted his head, looking at Ye Bufan.
"Kid, you are the first to speak to me like this," the Living Yama said. "No one who coveted my Dragon Emperor Token has had a good end."
"Then I will be an exception," Ye Bufan said.
Ye Bufan had confidence and trump cards. According to Fa Yuan, the Dragon Emperor Token had already recognized its master, allowing Ye Bufan to mobilize its energy more easily without suffering backlash.
The Living Yama nodded and disappeared from the spot.
"It seems the Living Yama was targeting you," Song Mingqin remarked.
When Ye Bufan turned around, he saw Bai Zizhen, Yan Yuzhu, Yan Se, Qu Fei, and Ying Yao looking at him from behind.
"Kid, it seems you have many secrets, to have even the Living Yama coveting you," Qu Fei chuckled.
The leaders of the various sects present were all intelligent people. For the Living Yama to actively seek out a cultivator who was lower in cultivation than him could only mean one thing—the Dragon Emperor Token.
Bai Zizhen looked at Ye Bufan, his thoughts unknown.
Seeing that Bai Yanluo had left, Bai Zizhen also dismissed the crowd.
"Ye Bufan, when we enter the ancient immortal cultivation ruins, you will come with me. You are the disciple of Senior Lin Xiaoyao. I will not allow the Living Yama to harm you under any circumstances," Song Mingqin said to Ye Bufan.
"Thank you, Senior Song. I can handle myself," Ye Bufan replied.
"Hey! We are family, no need for pleasantries," Song Mingqin said to Ye Bufan very seriously. "I received guidance from Senior Lin. In a sense, I am also his disciple, your senior brother, and I have an obligation to protect you."
Ye Bufan was moved by his words.
They parted ways outside Song Mingqin's tent, and Ye Bufan returned to his own tent.
"Someone?" Ye Bufan's expression changed as he stood outside his tent.
But the next second, Ye Bufan's expression relaxed.