Chapter 334

Chapter 334: Running into Qi Yan

Qi Yan did not like people talking about him, so in Shadowmist Ravine almost no one mentioned his name.

Ling Hu Min added a few more details about Qi Yan, then left to patrol and reinforce the defenses of the Conservative Faction.

Snake Maiden emerged from Shen Sang Ruo’s sea of consciousness: “So the Five Divine Beasts really exist.”

She had always thought they were only legends, or that they lived in the Upper Realm and would never appear in the Cultivation World.

Dodder Flower Sprite also came out and returned to its favorite place, hiding among Shen Sang Ruo’s hair, as it complained: “He could have stayed a noble Divine Beast, but he chose to be a Devil Beast, and he even stands with the Radical Faction’s Devil Cultivators. I look down on him.”

“Qi Yan is strange,” Shen Sang Ruo thought as interest flickered in her eyes. He was the key to solving the Conservative Faction’s current crisis, and if possible, she wanted to meet this living Divine Beast Qilin.

Since Qi Yan had ties with the Radical Faction, she might be able to use her identity as the Devil Lord to meet him. If she learned what terms the Radical Faction used to win him over, things might still turn around.

Several days passed.

Shi Mu and Wan Quan followed the plan and kidnapped Shen Sang Ruo, then swaggered off after leaving a few arrogant lines. Their meaning was simple: they wanted to prove that in the Conservative Faction’s territory, the Radical Faction could come and go as it pleased, and take whoever it wanted.

To make it look real, they even beat up Shang Qing and Shi Yi on purpose.

Pity those two. Their bodies already hurt from fighting each other, and then they took another harsh beating. Now they could not even walk.

Ling Hu Min was happy to see it, since it gave him a proper reason to cut their duties. But with Shen Sang Ruo taken away, a faint worry tugged at his heart. For some reason, he did not feel she was in danger. [She promised she would not harm the Conservative Faction. I should trust that for now.] Thinking of this, he forced himself to calm down.

Brought into the Radical Faction’s territory, Shen Sang Ruo was greeted at once by dozens of Devil Cultivators carrying the throne Ya Lan once used when he traveled.

A dark sea of Devil Cultivators knelt all around her. The display was grand and overwhelming.

When they saw her, many eyes widened. They were clearly shocked by their Devil Lord’s gender and appearance. But both Chiefs had already confirmed it was the Devil Lord. After one quick look, they lowered their heads fast, afraid to offend her.

Shi Mu cupped his fists, knelt, and led the shout: “Welcome back, Devil Lord! Please, Lord, take your seat!”

The other Devil Cultivators followed his lead and roared together. The sound almost tore the sky. If not for the Barrier Ward, the Conservative Faction might have heard it from across the land. A strange fever burned in their voices, and the crowd was wild with excitement.

Surrounded by Radical Faction Devil Cultivators, Shen Sang Ruo kept her calm. They had no idea their so called Devil Lord was actually a very proper Cultivator from the righteous side of the Cultivation World. They also could not imagine someone would dare impersonate Ya Lan and walk alone into the Radical Faction’s base. If she was exposed, it would mean doom without end.

Most people would tense up in a scene like this, afraid of making a mistake. But Shen Sang Ruo stayed steady and composed. Her mental strength was solid. She had fully stepped into Ya Lan’s role.

She gave Shi Mu a look. He understood at once and hurried forward. Using his body as a step, she moved at an unhurried pace and sat on the throne.

She looked down over the crowd with a gaze that ruled the world.

Any onlooker would think she was a villain soaked in Devil Qi.

Even the spirits in her sea of consciousness marveled at how real she seemed.

Little Black straightened up, formed two arms, and sat beside her Nascent Soul as if seated at her side, releasing the soul signature that belonged to Ya Lan and making the eyes of the Devil Cultivators burn even hotter.

She curved her lips into a small smile and gave a single order: “Return.”

To the Devil Cultivators, that one word meant more than going back to the Devil King’s Palace. It meant their Devil King had returned.

They shouted like waves pounding the shore: “Return! Return! Return!”

Shen Sang Ruo sat on the throne with lazy indifference while the Devil Cultivators carried her toward the Devil King’s Palace. [So this is one nice thing about being a demon boss. You do not even have to walk.] If not, she really would not know where the palace was, since she did not know the Radical Faction’s lands.

Dodder Flower Sprite whispered, half jealous and half amazed: “You look like you are enjoying the role.” It had once dreamed of being a boss who commanded everyone with a shout. After hiding for hundreds of years, it failed to become one and even got its head shaved. Shen Sang Ruo was only in her twenties and had already made it happen. [No comparison, no hurt.]

Shen Sang Ruo teased it with a laugh: “Do you want to act too? We can say Ya Lan possessed a Dodder Vine.”

Dodder Flower Sprite waved hard: “No, no.” It did not have Shen Sang Ruo’s steady face and smooth lies. If it tried, those Devil Cultivators would squeeze it into juice within half an hour.

Soon, the Devil Cultivators carried her to the Devil King’s Palace.

It was a gray, shadowed building covered in carved totems that told stories of blood and ambition.

Shi Mu stood tall before her and reported, “This was the Devil Lord’s palace. I have always kept people maintaining it and allowed no one to enter, waiting for the day the Devil Lord returned.” He raised his hand and removed the Barrier Ward outside the palace.

“Not bad,” she said lightly. That one praise made Shi Mu glow with pride.

At his clap, Devil Cultivators pushed open the grand doors.

In the center of the main hall stood another, even finer throne, forged from Ya Lan’s trophies and many rare treasures.

Shi Mu was about to invite Shen Sang Ruo to sit when he noticed a shadowy figure on the throne. His words stuck in his throat.

The Devil Cultivators saw who sat there and fell into a strange silence.

Shen Sang Ruo looked past the doors and the cold, empty hall and met the eyes of the one on the throne.

At once she noticed his unusual irises, a mix of green and gold.

He was tall, finely featured, and wore robes etched with secret, puzzling patterns. Black mist coiled around him, giving him a hazy air.

He held a faint smile and, with curious eyes, looked down at her as if he was testing her reaction. It felt like he was the true master of the Devil King’s Palace.

Shen Sang Ruo’s face did not change. She studied him, then raised one brow.

She no longer needed to search for Qi Yan. The man before her was Qi Yan.

Only Qi Yan could break through the wards Shi Mu had managed so carefully for Ya Lan’s palace and act like none of them mattered. He did not look like any proper person at all.