Supreme Sword Exalt

The man’s pupils constricted. “Junior Sister, what do you mean?!”

“I want the profound yin qi.”

“Have you gone mad? That belongs to Master!”

A pink light burst forth from Hong Luan, her tone growing urgent. “Well, Master isn’t here. He’s so badly injured that he can’t even come here himself. He couldn’t possibly know what we’ve done or said here? This is a huge opportunity. We can split it in half. You’ve been stuck at the Ascension realm for so long, haven’t you? Here’s the solution!“

The man’s voice turned hoarse. “I’ll pretend I never heard what you just said!”

“You don’t dare?”

“You don’t understand. Master, he—”

Hong Luan refused to give up. “So what?! Without the profound yin qi, he may not even survive, let alone have the strength to deal with us. We can always leave and hide far, far away. Not just the profound yin qi, I’ll be yours too! Haven’t you wanted me for a long time?”

She took his hand and placed it on her chest. Her eyes blazed with pink light, her voice tantalizing and numbing like a feather, relentlessly stirring the man’s desires. “Feel me! My body, my heart, everything I have. I can give it all to you, everything!”

The man’s breathing grew a little ragged, and a flash of struggle appeared in his eyes.

Gu Han sneered. “So these are Ling Ya’s good disciples.”

Hong Luan stared at him and licked her lips. “Wait. As repayment for humiliating me, I’ll kill you bit by bit in front of Senior Sister Mo. But don’t worry, there won’t be any pain. You'll be overcome with bliss, as if lost in ecstasy. Consider it a gift to an ant like you!”

She shot a provocative look at the demoness. It seemed only by doing this could she salvage some of her dignity in front of the other woman.

The demoness’ tone held a hint of mockery. “You’re the one who’s going to die.”

Gu Han seemed to vaguely guess something. His heart sank. Just as he was about to speak, the demoness stopped him with a look, then glanced back at Hong Luan. “Besides, do you really think he dares to betray Ling Ya?”

Just then, clarity returned to the man’s eyes. He stared at Hong Luan with utter seriousness. “Junior Sister, Master treated me with great kindness. I simply don’t have it in me to betray him! I cannot agree to your request!”

Hong Luan couldn’t understand. “Why?! ‘Great kindness’? Spare me with your nonsense! You just don’t dare!”

“Fine, I don’t dare.”

As Hong Luan’s emotions spiraled out of control, she pointed at the demoness and shrieked, “I really don’t understand! The perfect opportunity is right before your eyes, so why don’t you dare take it? You could even do anything you wanted to her before killing her! Isn’t that what you’ve dreamed of day and night?!”

The man desperately suppressed his urges. “My loyalty to master is absolute—”

Hong Luan completely lost it. “If you don’t dare, then I will! After I take the profound yin qi, there’ll be no turning back for you—”

From the green jade talisman in the man’s hand, a green light flew out and landed between her brows. Hong Luan clutched her head and screamed. Her once charming face contorted, becoming hideous and terrifying. Fear and clarity flickered alternately in her eyes.

She begged for mercy without end, “M-Master... I... I wouldn’t dare—Aah!”

With another agonized scream, she trembled before finally ceasing her struggles.

A moment later, she had already calmed down, saying slowly, “Unworthy disciple.”

Even though it was still Hong Luan’s voice, her tone was indifferent, betraying neither joy nor anger. It was as if she had completely become someone else entirely.

All traces of her lasciviousness had been replaced by boundless ease and composure.

With a shudder, the man fell to his knees. “M-Master!”

He knew all too well that the jade talisman contained a wisp of Ling Ya’s split consciousness.

Ling Ya glanced at him indifferently. “Zhong Yu, why didn’t you listen to her just now?”

“You’ve treated me with great kindness. How could I dare to do something worse than an animal?”

“Enough. Get up!”

“Yes!”

Zhong Yu knew he had dodged a bullet. He breathed a secret sigh of relief, stood respectfully behind Ling Ya, and dared not look at the demoness again.

Even though Ling Ya's clone was only at the Saint realm, Zhong Yu didn't dare entertain any ill intentions. No one knew better than him just how terrifying and cruel his master’s methods truly were.

Ling Ya shifted his gaze to the demoness. “Chenyin, it’s been so many years since we’ve seen each other. Have you ever thought of me?”

The demoness smiled with boundless hatred. “Of course I have! Every year, every hour, every moment, I’ve wanted you dead!”

A glint of approval flashed in Ling Ya’s eyes. “Indeed, you are stubborn and unyielding. You are most suited to walk the path of the Heavenly Demon lineage. That is exactly what I appreciate most about you! But there is one matter I do not understand. You are a Heavenly Demon, you walk the path of ruthlessness.

“Added to your beauty, no one can resist your temptation. Had you devoted yourself to cultivation over the past thousand years, you could have become immensely powerful. So why are you so weak now? You’ve even lost a great deal of profound yin qi. Chenyin, you know full well that you can't fall in love, so why do you insist on walking this path?”

Zhong Yu’s heart shook violently. What?!

And here he thought the demoness was merely feigning illness!

She... really fell in love? Could it be... He glanced again at Gu Han with resentment. This mere mortal? Why?!

He had always seen the demoness as a flawless, pure existence. How could she have fallen for Gu Han? He refused to accept it!

The demoness stared at Ling Ya. “You think I still fear death?”

Ling Ya shook his head, then turned to look at Gu Han. “I suppose not. And who are you? What virtues or abilities do you have to make Chenyin fall for you?”

Gu Han remained impassive. “None of your business. Who are you? My father?”

Instead of getting angry, Ling Ya showed some approval. “How bold. You’re not afraid of death?”

Gu Han raised an eyebrow. “Of course I am. But I’ll still say it, go to hell!”

The approval in Ling Ya’s eyes grew stronger. “Not bad! From your defiance alone, I can see how you might have made Chenyin fall for you. I even find it a pity that a talent like yours is going to waste. Had you become my disciple, your future achievements would undoubtedly have dwarfed Zhong Yu's!”

Zhong Yu didn’t even dare to show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction.

Ling Ya changed tack. “What a pity! You shouldn’t have let Chenyin fall for you. There’s no fate between you and I.”

He then turned to the demoness again. “Chenyin, I’m very disappointed. The profound yin qi is the foundation of my recovery and breakthrough. How could you fail to cherish something so precious? Do you have any idea how much I went through searching for you?”

That old blind man’s strike was not easy to endure. Even a casual swing of his sword had still injured Ling Ya at his very core.

Over these years, he had tried every method, but to no avail. Instead of improving, his injuries only worsened. As a result, he became more and more desperate, leaving no stone unturned to find the demoness. However, when he returned to that void, he could no longer sense the location of this continent no matter what.

Left with no other choice, he could only tend to his injuries while sending people to monitor the movements of the void. Then, some time ago, the ancient path of this continent finally opened once more.

Though he had intended to come in person, his injuries were too severe. He also couldn’t act rashly due to some unique circumstances. In the end, he had no choice but to send down a wisp of his split consciousness and dispatch Zhong Yu.

He pondered for a moment before saying, “This bit of profound yin qi isn’t enough for me. So here’s what I’ll do, how about I make a deal with you?”