Chapter 338

Chapter 338: Qi Yan’s Defenses Crumble

Qi Yan was unhappy that the fire had not touched him, and he pressed down his impatience as he asked Shen Sang Ruo: “Shouldn’t you tell this Young Master who you are, why you dared to impersonate Ya Lan, and what your goal is?”

A few traces of interest flickered in his eyes when he looked at her. He even admired her courage and acting. He had probed her again and again, yet she never slipped.

He felt a bit of regret too. If she were the real Ya Lan, he would have already spat out Baleful Miasma.

But he changed his mind as a new thought rose: he had just found something more important than killing Ya Lan. How could the matter of a mere Ya Lan compare to a matter about himself? Although the feeling was faint, he was sure of it. His special eyes brightened.

Shen Sang Ruo sensed that he seemed different from before. Earlier, Qi Yan had been shrouded in a dull, defeated air, like someone who had sunk into Devil Qi and become one with it. Now, he seemed to be struggling toward hope.

She met his gaze and spoke lightly: “Young Master Qi Yan, do not forget, right now you need my help.”

Qi Yan had long been used to swaggering about in Shadowmist Ravine, and this was the first time someone spoke to him like this. He narrowed his eyes and said coldly: “Need you? Heh, this is an order from this Young Master.” Then he let his voice turn icy as he added, “You do not understand your situation at all. Your life is in my hands.”

He had never imagined that one day he, Qi Yan, would have to beg someone to burn him. His pride could hardly accept it.

Shen Sang Ruo let out a soft question that carried a clear meaning: “Is that so?”

Her words made people think of what had just happened. Because of the restrictions of the Heavenly Dao, he could not kill her, and he could not control her either.

Qi Yan snorted and said: “Do not think I have no way to deal with you.” He lowered his voice and threatened, “I cannot kill you, but if those devil cultivators learn you are a fake, do you think they will even leave your bones?”

He thought he held the handle on her. Yet he did not see the panic he expected on Shen Sang Ruo’s face. The Snake Maiden by her side was calm as ever. Even the Little Koi in her sea of consciousness blew lazy bubbles.

The Dodder Flower Sprite, who had never seen anyone truly threaten Shen Sang Ruo, felt scorn for Qi Yan’s bluster. It thought back to its own past and felt he would soon end up like it. It even had the urge to advise Qi Yan to turn decent sooner rather than later. [Shen Sang Ruo’s methods are something it knows far too well.]

Shen Sang Ruo stayed very cool and said: “If I die, the goal you want to reach through me will fail. I believe Young Master Qi Yan can weigh what matters more.” She raised her brows and added, “My flame is very important to you, is it not?”

Otherwise, why would Qi Yan lower himself to ask someone else to burn him?

She studied him and continued without a ripple in her voice: “Young Master Qi Yan seems to hate Devil Qi, does he not?” Her words made Qi Yan’s heart jolt. Then she said, “Or is it that my flame has something to do with the Devil Qi on your body?”

Her bright eyes seemed to look straight through him. From the moment Qi Yan took her away, she had been thinking about his reason. He had teamed up with the Radical Faction to target the Conservative Faction, but his words and actions showed no respect for his supposed partners. He had even chosen the key moment of the Devil Lord’s return to stir trouble, clearly not wanting the Radical Faction to have it easy.

If he disliked every devil cultivator equally, the next step was simple: he must hate the Devil Qi on them. Or rather, he hated the Devil Qi on himself.

Living inside Devil Qi for a long time must have had a severe effect on him. It had made him deeply hate Devil Qi and even Shadowmist Ravine itself.

If her guess was right, then his purpose for standing with the Radical Faction was easy to see. He was bound by limits and could only use others to reach his end. He would stir conflict between the two sides, push it to explode, and destroy all of Shadowmist Ravine, this place he despised.

He had no personal grudge against Ya Lan, but because Ya Lan was a demon leader who had helped devil cultivators grow stronger, Qi Yan hated him too. That was why he had risked everything to kidnap her, the one disguised as Ya Lan.

She looked him in the eye and said calmly: “You have been in Shadowmist Ravine for years. You finally met someone who can solve your problem, so you would not want me to die so easily, right?” She paused, then spoke unhurriedly: “From your reaction, I should be the only remedy to your current plight.”

Her composure came from understanding the whole board.

Qi Yan’s face darkened as thick Devil Qi poured off him. He looked ready to explode, like she had just stabbed the place he least wanted touched. Rage filled his eyes as he roared at her: “Shut up! What right do you have to guess at my matters?”

He even forgot to call himself this Young Master, which showed how furious he was.

His voice shook with bitterness as he shouted: “You speak so lightly. Do you even know what I have endured all these years and how I kept going?”

“I am one of the Five Divine Beasts, yet I was born in Shadowmist Ravine. Because of that Devil Qi, I am neither righteous nor evil, and even my Divine Spark has been affected. The powers that belong to the Five Divine Beasts were restricted.”

“Now I only have judgment left as a special ability. How am I supposed not to hate this?”

Shen Sang Ruo blinked, surprised that Devil Qi had affected him so severely.

Qi Yan’s voice lowered, heavy with grievance: “I do not even know what I count as now. Am I one of the Five Divine Beasts, an evil Devil Beast, or a monster?”

Then he looked up, resentment boiling over: “If He did not want me to be one of the Five Divine Beasts, then He should have chosen someone else. Why did He make me be born here of all places?!”

Only then did Shen Sang Ruo realize that the “He” he spoke of was the Heavenly Dao. She could not help looking up at the sky. Everything was as usual, and the Heavenly Dao did not respond. Ever since Fang Yu cursed the Heavenly Dao out loud that one time, the image of a petty, small-minded Heavenly Dao had been stuck in her head. Now when someone scolded the Heavenly Dao, she always found herself glancing at the sky.

On the other side, the resentment Qi Yan had buried for years finally poured out: “He wants me to guard the Cultivation World, yet He lets Devil Qi taint my Divine Spark. Is He playing with me on purpose? To the abyss with Him!”

“These years, I did not even dare contact the other Five Divine Beasts. Looking like this, how do I have the face to meet anyone? I am just the shame of the Five Divine Beasts.”

He hated the Heavenly Dao so much that he chose to go against it. Since the Heavenly Dao wanted him to guard the Cultivation World, he refused. He would not care about anything at all.