"Sect Master Ji, one day, you will regret this." Lin Xiao's voice was low, shadowed with suppressed emotion.
Ji Wusi let out a cold laugh. "Sect Master Lin, I really don't understand you. A peerless genius has emerged from our human race, yet you seem quite displeased. Think about it carefully. There's something deeply wrong with how this situation played out. Sect Master Lin, perhaps you'd like to explain—why is it that the moment we began investigating the Immortal Artifact, Xue Daoren seemed to receive some kind of information and launched his plan immediately afterward? First capturing Qin Ping, then spreading rumors and using the common people as hostages—every step of this was clearly aimed at targeting Yun Jin. And what about Yuehua Sect? They supposedly came to capture Xue Daoren, but they ignored him entirely and instead attacked Yun Jin. I truly don't understand this behavior."
Ji Wusi paused, then looked at Lin Xiao with a blank expression. "Yuehua Sect operates under Qingxiao Pavilion's jurisdiction. Could it be that those individuals acted under your orders, Sect Master Lin?"
A flicker of unease crossed Lin Xiao's face. He replied righteously, "Ji Wusi, you wanted to investigate Qingxiao Pavilion—I let you. You wanted to examine the Immortal Artifact—I let you do that too. And now all the results clearly prove that the demons infiltrating Qingxiao Pavilion have been eliminated. The rest of us are clean. If you keep speaking in that sneering tone, don't think I'll just sit and take it."
Ji Wusi let out another cold laugh. "We discovered that the demons possess a strange liquid that completely masks their aura. No matter how we investigate, we can't detect it at all. The fact that we haven't found anything doesn't mean Qingxiao Pavilion is truly in the clear."
Lin Xiao's gaze flickered. "There's no such thing as that kind of liquid. Sect Master Ji, to slander me, you've clearly gone mad."
Ji Wusi was about to say more—when suddenly—
His communication talisman lit up.
Ji Wusi glanced at it and smiled. "It's Xiao Jin."
After reading the message quickly, the smile on his face deepened.
"Not only did Xiao Jin sever Xue Daoren's head, she also sealed his Primordial Soul. According to Zhao Wuji's confession, the source of that liquid lies with Xue Daoren As long as we search his Primordial Soul, we'll definitely uncover the truth. Yun Jin has already taken Xue Daoren's head to the capital to pay tribute to the fallen. I plan to head there immediately and examine the soul. Sect Master Lin, why don't you come along?"
Lin Xiao's expression shifted slightly but remained composed. "If such a strange liquid truly exists, of course we must trace it to the source. Let's go together, then."
The group left Qingxiao Pavilion and took flight once more.
This time, their destination was the capital of the Canglan Kingdom.
Lin Xiao kept his head lowered, hiding the darkness in his eyes.
That idiot, Xue Daoren.
He couldn't even handle something this simple.
If things were going south, why didn't he just self-destruct his Primordial Soul? How could he let Yun Jin capture him so easily?
Xue Daoren didn't know any of the true core secrets, but in order to completely control this region, Lin Xiao had quietly supported many demons and practitioners of forbidden paths behind the scenes.
Xue Daoren was one of the tools he selected to manipulate the Canglan Kingdom in secret.
Lin Xiao also knew Xue Daoren served that Demon Sovereign, but he didn't care. His goal was to gradually increase the strength of the demons, like slowly boiling a frog in warm water. Bit by bit, their influence would grow, until eventually, the entire human race could be overturned.
Only by destroying humanity first and allowing the demons to become the dominant force in this world would Lin Xiao have a chance to break through the world's barrier and find his way home.
That had been his plan—until now.
Now, he had learned about the existence of the Devourer Demon God's fragment. And that changed everything.
The terror of the Devourer Demon God was beyond the imagination of this world's cultivators. Even as a remnant soul, the knowledge it possessed and the techniques it mastered were far beyond Lin Xiao's reach.
All he needed to do was follow the guidance of that remnant soul, open the spatial barrier, and cling to the Devourer Demon God's true body. That would be enough.
Until then, he had to continue hiding, using the advantages of his current identity to help the remnant soul from within the system. Lin Xiao began to carefully retrace his steps, trying to recall whether Xue Daoren's Primordial Soul might contain anything that could implicate him.
After much thought, he felt he had kept things thoroughly concealed. Not even Xue Daoren himself knew who had supported him from the shadows—let alone anyone else.
The only possible leak... was this recent elaborate trap targeting Yun Jin. He had indeed helped stall Ji Wusi and the others. He wasn't sure whether Xue Daoren's soul contained that information.
If it did, things could get a little troublesome.
But not unmanageable.
Lin Xiao calculated silently, gradually regaining his composure.
As for that mysterious liquid...
Lin Xiao wasn't worried at all.
Even if they scoured Xue Daoren's soul clean, all they would find was an artifact that had already lost its function.
Beyond that, they would find nothing.
This time, they were destined to waste their efforts.
—
The Capital
Yun Jin, clad in bloodstained robes, stepped through the city gates one step at a time.
On either side of the gate, crowds of people had gathered.
They stared at the severed head in Yun Jin's hand, eyes blazing with hatred.
That demon...
Had nearly destroyed the entire capital.
If Yun Jin hadn't turned the tide, they would all have entered the cycle of reincarnation by now. Their hatred was for Xue Daoren. But when their eyes fell on Yun Jin's blood-drenched figure, that hatred turned into awe.
They already knew.
Yun Jin had pursued Xue Daoren across three thousand miles before finally slaying him. Along the way, she had destroyed countless bases of the demonic path. Now, the Canglan Kingdom was arguably the safest country in the entire world. And it was all thanks to one person—Yun Jin.
"Sect Master Yun!" someone called out, unable to hold back.
"Sect Master Yun!" The others followed in chorus.
Some were joyful, some grateful, others reverent.
After everything that had happened—
Yun Jin's reputation in the Canglan Kingdom had soared to terrifying heights. She could see it for herself in the skyrocketing growth of her Emotional Value. Thanks to word of mouth, her deeds had already become widely known throughout the kingdom.
Even though she had spent the past few days on the road and away from the public eye, her Emotional Value was still climbing at an alarming rate.
She figured it would only slow down once this wave of admiration had been fully harvested. The people cheered and shouted. Their emotions ran high, but no one blocked the main road. Instead, they tacitly made way, lining the sides in silent respect.
Following their guidance, Yun Jin walked all the way to the end of the road. There, Qin Ping and the others were already waiting. When Qin Ping saw the head in Yun Jin's hand, his eyes turned red with emotion.
After Yun Jin left, they had scoured the capital and finally found the king's corpse in a hidden location. Judging by the state of it, he had been dead for several days.
The disciple he had raised with such care—had still fallen victim to the demons.
But now—
Yun Jin had avenged him. She had avenged all the innocent people who had died.