Chapter 208: Envy's Sudden Awakening

'Has the Blood Clan already infiltrated the Empire's core?'

'Those damn trash actually dared to commit treason!'

He knew exactly what sort of scum those nobles were, but he never expected them to be this shortsighted. Becoming a Blood Clan meant being controlled by the Blood Moon Empire for all eternity. How was that any different from being a dog?

Did they really think becoming a Blood Clan made them one of their own? Over in the Blood Moon Empire, the massive Blood Clan population meant there weren't enough humans to go around. They were already eating each other in droves. If they treated their own people like that, how much worse would it be for these traitors?

He realized he had to survive. He needed to pass this intelligence to the Chiyan Imperial Family. He might be greedy, but he still understood that there were no intact eggs under an overturned nest.

With that thought, Sikong Zhen pulled a high-quality Rage Potion from his coat and downed it in one gulp. The capillaries beneath his skin ruptured instantly, vaporizing into wisps of bloody mist as he sprinted forward, his speed skyrocketing.

With the Rage Potion surging through his system, the image of Taoist Priest Xuanqing's old face flashed through his mind, making him grit his teeth in pure fury. If that old Daoist hadn't embezzled the Divine Healing Potion, he would never have ended up in such a miserable state!

As his speed surged, Xueyuan's furious roar echoed from a hundred meters away. "Sikong Zhen! You can't escape!"

That voice grew fainter and fainter until it completely vanished.

Sikong Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and kept sprinting madly without looking back.

Little did he know, the Xueyuan chasing him had already stopped dead in his tracks, his figure shattering inch by inch like a phantom bubble.

Indeed, this Xueyuan was a fake, and so was the voice. Su Mu had simulated both using Myriad Phenomena and Endless Demonic Sound. He had deliberately kept his distance to prevent Sikong Zhen from spotting the flaws.

Exhausted and heavily injured, Sikong Zhen noticed nothing wrong.

Su Mu's goal was precisely to let him escape so he could bring the news to the Chiyan Imperial Family and expose the Blood Clan hiding within the Empire!

Only by plunging the Chiyan Imperial Family into chaos, and perhaps even making them believe the Seven Deadly Sins were linked to the Blood Moon Empire, could he successfully divert their attention.

Although he had played a group of Gold powerhouses for fools this time, he didn't underestimate the Chiyan Imperial Family in the slightest. Underestimating the enemy was the most foolish thing anyone could do.

Just because the Chiyan Imperial Family had tracked down the Seven Deadly Sins through Taoist Priest Xuanqing's fortune-telling this time didn't mean they couldn't find other ways to track them down later.

It was mostly a stroke of luck this time. He had managed to subdue Taoist Priest Xuanqing, and since Jun Wushang was the future Lust, the old Daoist had kept his mouth shut about the Seven Deadly Sins. Otherwise, Su Mu could easily imagine himself already being a wanted criminal.

After finishing his setup for Sikong Zhen, Su Mu triggered his dream teleportation again and tracked down the equally exhausted Xueyuan.

His body battered, Xueyuan didn't dare remove the Envy Mask from his face. Having witnessed Gluttony's shadow ambush and the abrupt appearances of Lust and Pride, he was terrified another member of the Seven Deadly Sins might pop out and realize he wasn't Envy.

Keeping the mask and tailcoat on meant that if he bumped into a member of the Seven Deadly Sins, he could at least bluff his way through by claiming he had lost track of Sikong Zhen.

He could just make up some excuse about being badly wounded and let the other person chase Sikong Zhen instead.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Lust's figure materialized out of thin air right in front of him.

"Oh my, why did you chase him all the way out here? Sikong Zhen went in the exact opposite direction," Taoist Priest Xuanqing sighed.

Xueyuan jerked in surprise. "What? That damn Sikong Zhen! I'll go after him!"

He was just about to turn around when he suddenly let out a muffled groan and stopped dead, panting as if he couldn't catch his breath. "I can't. I'm hurt too badly."

"Are you alright?" Taoist Priest Xuanqing immediately asked with concern. "I have a bottle of Divine Healing Potion here. It should help with your injuries."

With that, Taoist Priest Xuanqing tossed a bottle of Divine Healing Potion toward Xueyuan.

Xueyuan was instantly overjoyed. As a Gold powerhouse, he had naturally heard of the Divine Healing Potion's fame. It was a treasure said to bring the dead back to life and put flesh on bones. With it, his chances of a successful escape would soar.

However, just as he caught the Divine Healing Potion—Bang!

The bottle abruptly exploded, transforming into a thick cloud of purple mist that swallowed Xueyuan whole.

"What?!" The corrosive poison gas crawled over his skin, hissing as it ate away at his flesh and blood.

"Heh heh, Envy, oh Envy, you really are naive. Did you actually think I'd help you? Do you have any idea how long you've pissed me off in the organization? If it weren't for you last time, Boss Pride never would've punished me. It's time to settle that debt today!"

Spouting whatever excuse came to mind, Taoist Priest Xuanqing drew his longsword and charged straight at Xueyuan.

Xueyuan paled in shock. He felt like he was cursed with eight lifetimes of terrible luck. He never expected the internal politics of the Seven Deadly Sins to be this chaotic! Even without his disguise being seen through, he was still in mortal danger?!

Already heavily injured and ambushed by poison, he hastily retaliated. A dense blood-red glow coated his hands as he met the oncoming blade.

After a few brief clashes, his movements grew increasingly sluggish. Finally, Taoist Priest Xuanqing's sword pierced clean through his chest.

A mere fatal wound was naturally harmless to the Blood Clan, but Taoist Priest Xuanqing immediately triggered his technique—Longevity Dao Art: Wither and Flourish of All Things!

Xueyuan felt the life force inside him being frantically siphoned away. His eyes splitting with rage, he panicked in his bid for survival, abandoned all pretense, ripped the Envy Mask off his face, and roared, "Look closely! I am not Envy!"

Taoist Priest Xuanqing looked at that pale, panicked face and smiled faintly. "No, you are!"

Xueyuan froze. In that moment, something finally clicked. All the previous inconsistencies flooded his mind, gradually connecting into a single clear line. But it was far too late.

"You knew I was a fake this whole time?!"

Taoist Priest Xuanqing just smiled and said nothing.

Everything made sense to Xueyuan now. He had been played! Where in the world were there so many coincidences? Envy just happened to share his build, and just happened to be a Blood Clan as well?!

It turned out that within the Seven Deadly Sins, only Lust and Gluttony were real! Both he and Greed were fakes! But they had each assumed the other was genuine. Terrified of being outnumbered, they had desperately hidden their identities, too scared to blow their covers.

'Dammit! If I had realized this earlier, I could have escaped with ease!'

In fact, this whole thing was a trap from the very beginning! He had only come to Lanshan because he was tracking Murong Mengli, and Murong Yun was the one who gave him the mask. Could it be Murong Yun?

No! That wasn't right. Murong Yun was already a Blood Clan; he couldn't possibly betray him. Just what the hell was going on?! Who exactly was the mastermind behind all this?

He suddenly thought of one person—a man who always stood high above, an elusive figure shrouded in absolute mystery: Pride!

Having realized the truth, Xueyuan no longer had the strength to expose it. His body collapsed limply, the light in his eyes slowly fading away.

"Don't kill him yet," Su Mu's voice suddenly rang out.