He had instructed the rest accordingly and delegated other tasks to them while he alone would stand vigil. He had done so because he was waiting for Jiang Ning.

He knew that the man would come again.

Keeping his eyes fixed on the altar, Elder Ting Feng did not turn around when he heard the sound of faint footsteps behind him.

"I had no choice. I hope you understand that. Not everyone can risk everything for justice. I know that you're not the murderer and that it's someone else. I even know who it is, but it's not someone that I or Buddha Sect can offend." He turned around and looked at Jiang Ning. "You should know this better than I do."

Jiang Ning nodded.

"I know. I'm here not to persuade or make demands of you. Buddha Sect will decide for itself how to deal with its own affairs. I simply wish to tell you something." He looked the elder in the eye. "You have a spy in your midst."

Something flickered across Elder Ting Feng's eyes. He seemed to have thought of something. His pupils contracted as he stared at Jiang Ning.

"Watch out for yourself."

Having said that, Jiang Ning turned and left without saying another word.

The sound of his footsteps faded as he disappeared into the distance. The look in Elder Ting Feng's eyes grew sharper as he knelt before the altar. There was a spy in their midst!

He had suspected that there was a spy in Buddha Sect quite some time ago. The route which they had travelled from the base back to Buddha Sect had been decided by Ting Chan the moment before they had left. They had not taken the main roads. No one should have realized where they had been.

There must have been a spy amongst them who had revealed their location, thus allowing the murderer the chance to make the necessary preparations.

That day, someone had attacked his disciples and lured him into coming to their rescue. He had fallen for the enemy's trap and that had led to Ting Chan's death.

He had been ridden with guilt ever since.

"The person who ambushed our disciples..." Elder Ting Feng clenched his jaw as his features contorted with murderous rage. "It's someone from Buddha Sect." That was the only possible explanation.

He took a deep breath, then stared at Ting Chan's tablet.

"Chief, tell me what I should do. You entrusted Buddha Sect to me. I can't risk everything to avenge your death."

His greatest duty now was to

protect Buddha Sect. Revenge? Of

course he wanted revenge. He wished desperately that he could fight the murderer to the death But what was going to happen to the seet then?

Elder Ting Feng continued kneeling there, sighing heavily as he struggled to decide what he should do.

The sky gradually brightened.

It had been a sleepless night for him.

The sect's disciples arrived early that morning to continue their prayers for Ting Chan.

"Elder Ting Feng, something terrible has happened!" A disciple dashed into the hall with a look of utter panic on his face. "Something bad has happened!"

The elder looked up to find anguish, panic and terror on the face of Ting Chan's principal disciple.

"What happened?"

"It's the other five major sects,

Elder... they're in trouble!" The

disciple fell onto his knees. His voice

shook as he spoke. "The sect

leaders and elders from the Qiankun

Sect, Longkongshan Sect, Bajian

Sect, Tianlian Sect and Heifeng Sect have been captured!"

"What did you just say?" Elder Ting Feng blurted out in shock. What was going on? "Tell me exactly what happened!" © 2024.

"The five sects were ambushed when they left Qingshan Sect. They were poisoned and couldn't fight back..."

Elder Ting Feng was stunned. Why would anyone do anything like that?

Was it that man? Perhaps Buddha Sect hadn't been his only target. He had intended to take down all six sects. Something wasn't right though.

"Something's not right!" Elder Ting Feng's face darkened. "Why would you know this when I know nothing about it..."

Before he was done speaking, a look of vicious savagery appeared on the face of the disciple kneeling before him. As the disciple raised his arm suddenly, a dagger

slipped out from his sleeve and into his hand. He tightened his grip around the dagger and thrusted it at Elder Ting Feng's gut.

Elder Ting Feng tried to dodge the attack to no avail and ended up with a cut on his stomach.

"You must be tired of living!" He thundered before smashing the Vajra Fist into the disciple's crown. "I can't believe you're the spy!"