Qin Ping took a steadying breath and said calmly, "I've only met Yun Jin a few times. I planned to lead everyone to join the Wushuang Sect purely out of interest. Gathered by gain, we will scatter because of it too. Why would she step into such an obvious trap for my sake? Aren't you overestimating me?"
"Chen Chen" gave a light chuckle. "Sure, maybe it won't work. But what's the harm in trying? If just you aren't enough, then what about everyone behind you? And if that's still not enough, what about all the citizens in the capital? Millions of lives, stacked together with yours—is that enough to catch her attention?"
As "Chen Chen" spoke, a hint of madness crept into his voice.
Qin Ping's heart sank. "The people of the capital? What did you do?"
"Chen Chen" laughed softly. "Oh, nothing much. Just spent a few decades laying down a massive sacrificial formation beneath the entire capital. If she doesn't show up, I'll set it all ablaze and cook these millions alive."
He licked his lips slowly. "Most of them are just mortals, sure, but with enough numbers, they can still help me ascend to the next stage."
Qin Ping's entire body trembled.
Decades.
A formation spanning the entire capital's underground, and they had never sensed a thing?
In that moment, he realized who this "Chen Chen" really was.
Qin Ping spoke slowly and clearly, "Xue Daoren why not drop the act and show your true face?"
In the Canglan Kingdom, only one person could have this level of control and preparation—Xue Daoren.
His Blood Dao Sect had been operating in the Canglan Kingdom for a century. The Demon-Slaying Alliance had issued countless extermination orders against them. Outwardly, they seemed to keep a low profile.
But once he understood they could conceal their aura, Qin Ping saw the truth.
The Blood Dao Sect wasn't being low-key—they were hiding. Working in the shadows, infiltrating silently.
They were the hidden enemy, while the kingdom remained exposed. Most likely, the entire capital had already fallen under the sway of these cultists.
Exposed at last.
"Chen Chen" didn't bother denying it. He grinned, raised his hand, and brushed it over his face.
In the next instant, a deathly pale face was revealed.
Xue Daoren's features were striking, bordering on androgynous. His eyes glinted with a sickly murkiness that churned the stomach.
He looked like someone who hadn't seen daylight in years, his face so pale it was almost ghostly.
Xue Daoren spoke with a strangely seductive tone. "Qin Ping truly lives up to his name. Funny thing, before the Demon Sovereign even gave the order, I had already chosen the Canglan Kingdom as a key region. Not for any particular reason—just because it's remote enough to avoid the big players. Who would've thought all my decades of preparation would be used up today?"
Qin Ping responded coldly, "You should know better than anyone that to a cultivator, mortal lives are as fleeting as weeds. Even if you threatened billions of mortals, let alone millions, Yun Jin would never come. You're wasting your time."
"Hehehehe..." Xue Daoren giggled in a twisted, almost coy manner. "At first, I wasn't so sure either. But the more you say she won't come, the more convinced I become."
Qin Ping narrowed his eyes. "You're acting far too high-profile. The Demon-Slaying Alliance will surely take notice. Sect Master Ji has been operating near this area lately—aren't you afraid of his sword? Just for the sake of killing Yun Jin, you'd risk exposing decades of groundwork and even your own life. Is it really worth it?"
Xue Daoren's gaze flickered for a moment, a trace of unwillingness flashing in his eyes. But it passed quickly. He regained his composure and said, "The Sovereign's orders must be carried out, no matter what. Save your breath, Qin Ping."
Wary that Qin Ping might say more, Xue Daoren waved his hand.
Immediately, Qin Ping's mouth was sealed shut by spiritual force. He could no longer utter a word.
Xue Daoren gave a chilling command. "Use the torture techniques. Record everything. I want to see just how heartless this Yun Jin truly is."
Several subordinates stepped forward in response.
They walked toward Qin Ping and the others, clearly preparing to unleash brutal torture.
A few attendants attentively brought over a table and chair for Xue Daoren.
Xue Daoren sat back, sipping his tea as he watched the torment unfold.
But it wasn't long before he started to lose interest.
Qin Ping and the others had iron-hard wills. The methods used were already among the most brutal available, yet these cultivators would rather bite off their tongues than scream in pain.
Xue Daoren frowned in frustration.
This wasn't the performance he wanted.
"Master, should we... increase the intensity?" a subordinate asked cautiously.
"No need. Push any harder and they'll die. Qin Ping and the rest are just hoping for death at this point." Xue Daoren sneered. "Just record it as is. Their fierce defiance might tug at Yun Jin's heart even more."
As he spoke, he took another slow sip of tea, eyes gleaming with icy calculation. He had originally planned to claim the Canglan Kingdom, turning it into a base for the Blood Dao Sect. But that was meant to be a quiet, gradual infiltration. Not this—an abrupt, violent move that exposed everything at once.
But the Demon Sovereign had given his command: capture Qin Ping and the others, lure Yun Jin out, and kill her within the Canglan Kingdom.
Xue Daoren had no idea how Yun Jin had offended the Demon Sovereign.
What he did know was this:
The Demon Sovereign's hatred for Yun Jin had pierced the heavens.
The human cultivators didn't know it yet, but on the updated bounty list issued by the demon race—
The Demon Sovereign had forcefully pushed Ji Wusi, the former number one, down to second place.
The new number one—
Was Yun Jin.
A cultivator only at the Divine Transformation stage had become the demon race's top target.
It was absurd.
But the Demon Sovereign was still the Demon Sovereign. He had full authority to adjust the bounty list. Even if others disagreed, they'd have to wait until he returned to the demon realm to raise objections.
As of now—
Yun Jin remained at the top of the bounty list.
Which meant—
The Demon Sovereign was willing to mobilize the full might of the demon race to ensure her death.
No price would be too high.
Xue Daoren was currently just barely stable at the Mahayana stage. The only reason he'd successfully ambushed Qin Ping and the others was because of the trap he'd set in the palace, suppressing their strength beforehand. That surprise attack had earned him victory.
In a fair fight, he might not have stood a chance against Qin Ping.
But regardless—
He'd won.
And not just through strength, but through decades of careful planning.
This time—
He'd wagered everything for this result.
All just to kill a Divine Transformation stage cultivator.
Even Xue Daoren found it ridiculous when he thought about it.
But the Demon Sovereign had branded him with a secret art. If he disobeyed, the Demon Sovereign could claim his life from thousands of miles away.
He had no choice but to comply.
The Demon Sovereign had demanded a high-profile approach, to ensure Yun Jin would be drawn in.
But just as Qin Ping said—
Such high-profile actions were bound to draw the attention of the Demon-Slaying Alliance, maybe even that sword.
If Yun Jin died, Xue Daoren would likely die alongside her.
And that was not how he wanted to go.
The mission still had to be carried out—
But this time—
He had to find a way to leave himself a way out.
If the entire Blood Dao Sect had to be buried with Yun Jin, so be it.
But he himself—
He couldn't afford to die here.