Chapter 329

Chapter 329: Yes, I Am

Shen Sang Ruo sat cross legged and “bossed around” Little Black, making it purify Devil Qi so she could try cultivating with Devil Qi. When she sensed two unfamiliar auras, she tensed at once. She wanted to send a message to Immortal Maiden Azure Luan next door, but someone had set a barrier around Azure Luan’s room. She could not send a warning through Spiritual Power.

The place stayed very quiet. The intruders moved like ghosts without making a sound, and even Immortal Maiden Azure Luan noticed nothing. Their strength was clearly above Early Divine Transformation.

In the Conservative Faction, Devil Cultivators at that level were extremely busy lately. They would not have time to see her, and even if they did, they would not sneak around like this. Shang Qing and Shi Yi were unhappy with her, but with Immortal Maiden Azure Luan here, they did not dare touch her.

Putting the clues together, Shen Sang Ruo decided the intruders were not from the Conservative Faction. She was a bit surprised. The Radical Faction was bold enough to cross the line and infiltrate the Conservative Faction’s territory. Treating them with such contempt meant the Conservative Faction was in worse shape than she had thought. She wondered what kind of help the Radical Faction had gotten to break the balance the two sides had kept for years. [Could it be related to the System?]

She set those questions aside and prepared to deal with the two inside her room. She looked alone, but Kui Ox, Snake Maiden, and Dodder Flower Sprite were with her in the sea of consciousness, and Little Koi’s good luck could tip the scales as well. The Dodder Flower Sprite had been an off the books tagalong, but after she advanced to Mid Nascent Soul Stage, the sprite begged and rolled around on the ground until she officially accepted it as her Spirit Pact Demonic Beast.

If it came to a fight, she would not panic. Still, she did not want to show her cards too early. She planned to watch and figure out their goal first. For some reason, she felt the intruders might be Shi Mu and Wan Quan. They were the only Great Devils who had dealt with her, and Shi Mu had been waggling his brows at her for no reason. If it was them, she would soon know why he acted so strangely.

She sat cross legged, closed her eyes, and pretended she had noticed nothing, waiting for them to move first.

Shi Mu and Wan Quan tiptoed inside, thinking they were facing the Devil Lord Ya Lan from ten thousand years ago. They barely dared to breathe. The room was small; after a few steps, sweat beaded on their foreheads and palms. Their hearts were tense and thrilled. Afraid of offending their Devil Lord, they did not dare use Divine Sense to probe Shen Sang Ruo at all. They only sensed she still sat there, not even lifting an eyelid to glance at them.

That made them even more excited. This manner was so Devil Lord. Calm, unruffled, like she held the world in her hands. The Devil Lord was still the same powerful Devil Lord. Shi Mu clenched his fists and swore silently that he would follow the Devil Lord to the death.

A barrier wrapped the room, so they did not need to keep their voices down, but they still whispered for fear of making Shen Sang Ruo angry. Shen Sang Ruo felt them stop about one meter from her and guessed they were about to attack. She spoke to the beasts in her sea of consciousness and got ready for a fight.

What she did not expect came next. The two dropped to their knees with cupped fists. Their kneecaps hit the floor with a crisp sound that echoed through the room as they boomed in unison: “We pay respects to the Devil Lord! We welcome the Devil Lord’s return!”

Shen Sang Ruo blinked. [What in the world? Devil Lord?]

Silence hung for a breath. Before the awkward air could spread, she opened her eyes, keeping a straight face as she said with full seriousness: “Yes, I am.”

She recovered at once and understood what was going on. Little Black was far too lively. The black mist had formed arms that stood akimbo, looking all high and mighty. [This little guy is the remnant soul of Ya Lan after she was refined, isn’t it?] Clearly, someone had sensed Little Black and, naturally, mistaken her for Ya Lan.

It was a huge misunderstanding. If they learned that most of their Devil Lord’s soul had become her nourishment and the rest had been refined to do chores for her, their sky would fall. A plan flashed in her mind. She had been worrying about how to slip into the Radical Faction. Now she had become their boss, and every problem solved itself.

Luckily, she had seen Ya Lan before and could copy her manner. Realizing her first answer didn’t sound very Ya Lan, she added a disdainful eye roll and looked down on them with icy contempt.

Shi Mu’s last doubt vanished. The colder she acted, the more he believed. Little Black, now energetic, made its aura thicker and clearer, and Shi Mu felt it keenly.

He bowed deeper and gushed: “This subordinate knew that with the Devil Lord’s power, those cultivators could never do anything to you! All these years, this subordinate has been waiting for your return.”

Shen Sang Ruo only let out a soft laugh, full of scorn, and said nothing more.

Shi Mu was thrilled, as if he had returned to the days when he and Ya Lan threw the Cultivation World into chaos. He hurried to claim credit: “This subordinate recognized you the moment I saw you. We even exchanged eye signals. You must have received it, right? Knowing you had a greater plan, we fully cooperated with your disguise and waited a few days before visiting you in secret.”

He burned to become her first lapdog. In his heart, he marvelled that even after a thousand years, his tacit understanding with the Devil Lord had not faded.

Shen Sang Ruo kept her actor’s calm and said with a faint nod: “Mm. Well done.”

Shi Mu nearly burst with joy. He shot Wan Quan a look that said plainly: See? This is the Devil Lord.

Wan Quan bowed with respect: “Devil Lord, this subordinate is Wan Quan, now one of the Chiefs of the Radical Faction. I have long admired your name.” He paused, still cautious even as he believed: “I regret I never witnessed your glory back then. Would you show this subordinate a little, so I can experience your strength?”