Jasper’s face was extremely solemn, a profound gravity flashing in his eyes. "Commander, this old man suspects that someone within the Alliance Army intentionally leaked your whereabouts, wanting to borrow Silver Willow’s hands to eliminate you."

Exhaling a heavy breath of foul air, Jasper continued, "Furthermore, Commander, this old man suspects the one who leaked your tracks is precisely the South-Subduing King."

"Uncle Jasper, speak cautiously!"

Oswin shouted lightly, though there was no tone of blame in his voice.

Seeing that Oswin did not believe him, Jasper’s tone grew heavier. "Commander, as the saying goes, one mountain cannot abide two tigers."

"Ever since forming the Alliance Army with the South-Subduing King, the rebel forces, under your leadership, have conquered dozens of cities in succession. The scale of the rebel army has expanded time and again, and your prestige grows higher by the day."

"Your achievements threaten to overshadow the master. Currently, many generals and soldiers only recognize you and do not acknowledge the South-Subduing King. How could the South-Subduing King tolerate this?"

"Furthermore, to ensure your safety, the details of this enemy-luring plan were only known to you, myself, the South-Subduing King, and Left Chancellor Elias."

"Left Chancellor Elias has always harbored criticisms of you, and he is the South-Subduing King’s teacher. If they had not leaked it, given how hidden your tracks were, how could the Silver Willow Royal Army have possibly found out?"

Hearing Jasper’s words, Oswin fell silent. In truth, ever since he was pursued by the Trap Camp, he had realized his whereabouts had highly likely been compromised.

He had suspected it in his heart but had never dared to confirm it. Even in the royal palace, he chose only to subtly intimidate the South-Subduing King, his instincts still harboring a sliver of disbelief.

But hearing Jasper’s words today, the South-Subduing King’s suspicion grew exponentially larger.

"Uncle Jasper, but what does this have to do with that Senior?" Oswin asked in confusion.

A look of excitement appeared on Jasper’s face. "Commander, I heard that the one who pursued you this time, aside from the Trap Camp, was a certain Eunuch Cliff, a Mortal Supreme!"

"Commander, there is something you do not know. That Eunuch Cliff is an existence who has taken the second step, the Entering the Dao realm. Aside from slumbering old monsters, hardly anyone in the entirety of Silver Willow could rival his cultivation."

"For the Senior you mentioned to easily kill this person, his cultivation must be heaven-shaking and earth-shattering."

"Commander, although our rebel army has massive momentum and its scale grows increasingly powerful, we have one fatal flaw: a lack of pinnacle combat power."

"Was this not exactly the reason I suggested forming an alliance with the South-Subduing King in the first place?"

"Although the various prominent families of the South have some slumbering ancestors, these ancestors will not awaken unless the Heaven and Earth Upheaval occurs."

"Commander, this old man suspects that to consolidate his own position, the South-Subduing King will definitely eliminate you before these ancestors awaken. Your upcoming situation will be even more perilous." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Pausing for a moment, Jasper continued, "Commander, the South-Subduing King is no benevolent ruler, he is no different from the current Emperor of Silver Willow."

"If he ascends to the throne, I fear the commoners will still remain in deep water and scorching fire."

"Commander, your talents and virtues far surpass his. Only if you become the supreme ruler of Silver Willow will the commoners finally see an end to these days of suffering."

"Although the South-Subduing King has experts as common as clouds under his command, and even quite a few Mortal Supremes, in this old man’s view, none of them can compare to this Senior."

"If you can obtain this Senior’s help, or take him under your command, how would the South-Subduing King dare harbor the slightest disloyal thought against you?"

Ever since forming the alliance, Oswin had gained some understanding of the South-Subduing King’s character.

Obstinate, self-opinionated, and narrow-minded. He was indeed no wise ruler. It was just that back then, Oswin only wanted to overthrow the Silver Willow Imperial Family so the common people could live in peace, so he turned a blind eye to these flaws.

Now that this incident had occurred, Oswin could not help but re-evaluate the South-Subduing King.

"Uncle Jasper, what you said is indeed very reasonable. However, I also met that Senior for the very first time."

"I do not know him at all. Obtaining his help is easier said than done, let alone taking him under my command."

Oswin shook his head, disagreeing with Jasper’s proposal.

Jasper’s face filled with astonishment. "Commander, how could you possibly not know that Senior?"

"Your operation was extremely secretive. If he did not know you, how could he have rescued you at exactly the right time? How could there be such a coincidence in this world?"

"Commander, you should think about it again."

Right! My tracks were so perfectly hidden. How did that Senior manage to rescue me at just the right moment? Could he really know me?

Oswin already had a trace of doubt in his heart, and Jasper’s words perfectly awakened him to the fact.

Oswin frowned deeply, after a long while, a look of clarity mixed with confusion appeared in his eyes. "Uncle Jasper, hearing you say that, I actually noticed a few clues."

"Oh? Commander, quickly, tell me. Perhaps I can deduce some leads and find some trail leading to this Senior."

"As long as we find him and secure his help, we only need to hold out a short while until the ancestors of our South families awaken from their slumber. Then, we will no longer fear the South-Subduing King."

"Uncle Jasper, these sword talismans were gifted to my good friend by an expert of the Sword Sect, and later my friend passed them on to me."

"However, my friend once mentioned that each of the three sword talismans contained a streak of sword qi comparable to a full-force strike of a Grandmaster."

Oswin frowned, a trace of doubt in his eyes. "But the power of these talismans completely contradicts what my friend said."

"Yesterday, when I crushed the sword talismans, three streaks of sword qi shot into the sky. Each streak was a hundred meters long and contained immense, divine might."