Chapter 336

Chapter 336: His goal has always been Ya Lan

Shi Mu and Wan Quan started to speak, but Shen Sang Ruo lifted a hand to stop them.

She rose slowly from the throne and stepped down to the floor. A just-right smile curved her lips; it was a smile, yet it felt cold and vicious. She played the role of Devil Lord Ya Lan to the fullest.

Facing Qi Yan, she spoke calmly: “This is my first time meeting Young Master Qi. It is normal for you to doubt my identity and have such concerns.”

She added with an easy tone: “Since Young Master Qi is now an ally of our Radical Faction, there is no need to make things ugly.”

“Devil Lord…” The Devil Cultivators could not believe it as they spoke in a low buzz; their Devil Lord was actually compromising. Shen Sang Ruo shot them an icy look, and the hall went silent at once. It was as if her eyes said: This is the ally you brought me? Clearly, she blamed them for doing a poor job and making her suffer this humiliation the moment she returned. Fear of her anger mixed with guilt, and the Devil Cultivators felt even more moved: for the grand plan of the Radical Faction, their Devil Lord chose to endure.

She turned back to Qi Yan and said without a hint of panic: “If a test will put Young Master Qi at ease so we can work with the Radical Faction, then why not test?”

So frank and steady; who would think she was in disguise? That steady calm made Qi Yan even more sure that she was the Devil Lord.

Qi Yan also walked down from the throne with an unreadable smile, his special eyes fixed on her like a hunter locking onto prey: “Very well, this Young Master will test you himself.”

His feet flashed, and a swirl of teal, gold, and black energy formed in his hand. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Shen Sang Ruo.

She watched his hand reach toward her and did not move, waiting for him to verify her. In her sea of consciousness, the Dodder Flower Sprite panicked and shouted: “We’re done for! He can really test us! We’re going to be exposed!”

But the next moment, Qi Yan’s hand stopped a palm’s width from her. The glowing sphere did not touch her. Just as she guessed, he had no way to truly verify her identity. She arched a brow and asked with a light tease: “What is it, Young Master Qi, not testing after all?”

He drew back with cool confidence and said: “No need. With a reaction like that, what else is there to test? You are the Devil Lord.” [Good, my read was right.]

Qi Yan’s trial, for now, was passed. Yet for some reason, she felt something off in his expression. [Why does his face look wrong?]

Qi Yan offered an apology and his hand: “I offended you earlier. Do not take it to heart, Devil Lord. Happy cooperation, Devil Lord.”

After a brief thought, Shen Sang Ruo also extended her hand: “Happy cooperation.”

At the instant their hands were about to meet, Qi Yan’s expression flipped. A wild smile cut across his lips, and the feelings he had suppressed finally surged in his eyes. He seized her wrist, Devil Qi rolling off him. Before anyone could react, he dragged her out of the palace and vanished from sight.

“Devil Lord!” The Devil Cultivators cried out. Shi Mu and Wan Quan rushed after them, then froze helplessly; they had no idea where the two had gone. No one expected Qi Yan to lay hands on Shen Sang Ruo. Shi Mu cursed and barked orders to the others to search; they could not let anything happen to their Devil Lord.

The sudden change shocked Shen Sang Ruo. She struggled with all her strength, but Qi Yan’s grip clamped down like iron. The power of one of the Five Divine Beasts was not something a Mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivator like her could resist. In that instant she understood: Qi Yan’s goal was never to prove she was not Ya Lan, but to prove that she was. Or rather, his target was Ya Lan. [So his target has always been Ya Lan.]

He mocked her in a cold voice as he sped through the air: “Aren’t you the Devil Lord? Is this all you’ve got? If that’s all, then give up struggling.”

He added with a grit of his teeth, a hint of hate seeping out: “Dying and reviving across ten thousand years must be agony, right? Don’t worry. This Young Master will make sure you die completely this time. No more painful revivals.”

Without giving Shen Sang Ruo a chance to speak, he raised a hand and summoned a Formation that dropped over her like a cage. Its light flickered on and off, casting moving shadows across her. She felt as if the light was scanning her over and over. Her mind raced: Qi Yan and Ya Lan never crossed paths. Why would he hate Ya Lan and attack her for pretending to be Ya Lan? Was it the duty of a Five Divine Beasts guardian awakening, some kind of righteous judgment? But he had been mixing with Devil Cultivators; he did not look like a proper guardian at all. Then where did this hatred come from? [Is this a judgment Formation?]

Certain in his heart and unwilling to wait for the verdict, Qi Yan let Devil Qi pour out and condensed a strike, hurling it at Shen Sang Ruo. The thought of her death made his face relax with a thrilled ease, like revenge complete.

She reacted fast, setting up the Sunset Glassfire Art to defend while calling out: “I am not Ya Lan!”

She knew she could not stop his attack; even with help from the Dodder Flower Sprite and the others, it would be the same. Things had come this far; she could not worry about hiding anything anymore.

Qi Yan’s face twisted with disbelief as he scoffed: “You’re not Ya Lan? Then who was it acting so calm just now? Who could be that steady except Ya Lan herself?”

He sneered with sharp certainty: “I tested you many times. I know exactly what you are. A grand Devil Lord, clinging to life like this… heh, you’ve even thrown away your dignity. This Young Master despises you.”

Shen Sang Ruo fell silent. She had not expected Qi Yan to believe in her Devil Lord identity so completely. [If I had known, I wouldn’t have acted it so well. Now everyone who should believe and shouldn’t believe all believe.] Trapped inside the Formation with no way out, she watched his attack roar closer. The storm of force sent her clothes whipping. Her face tightened; she bit down her panic and made a desperate bet. [Please don’t kill me.]

At the same time, the Spirit Pact Demonic Beasts in her sea of consciousness landed beside her to help resist. But Qi Yan barely spared them a glance. Even with them here, “Ya Lan” was as good as dead. Ya Lan, it turned out, was much easier to deal with than he had imagined. He still wondered where she had gotten these Contracted Beasts that looked so normal. The Devil Cultivators never said their Devil Lord contracted Demonic Beasts. Even so, he remained utterly sure of her identity.

Qi Yan stood amid Devil Qi with a curled lip, waiting for Ya Lan to vanish from the world.