Chapter 464 - 231: Ambitious Woman (Part 2)
Qingqing was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly remembered her mother’s earnest instructions from back in the day:
"...If you easily surrender your body, you’re done for. He’ll quickly tire of you and move on to the next woman, so you must remain unattainable."
Qingqing merely pursed her lips, retorting somewhat stubbornly, "I don’t regret it."
Yao Yufei shook her head without saying more, then looked at Chu Xuan, "It’s been a while, Young Master Chu. I assume you’re not here just to return Qingqing, are you?"
Chu Xuan calmly replied, "Indeed, I wish to discuss some matters with Madam Duanmu. Are you interested?"
Not "Sect Leader Yao," but "Madam Duanmu"? Yao Yufei became even more certain of her suspicions.
"Of course." She walked to the main seat and sat down. During this time, Li’an Hall was sealed to ensure no one would overhear their conversation. As for the little girl, she was simply ignored.
Qingqing remained beside her mother, preparing to assist Chu Xuan at crucial moments, even if her mother signaled her to leave, she feigned ignorance.
Yao Yufei began bluntly, "What can Young Master Chu offer me?"
Chu Xuan shook his head, "You should ask what qualifications you and the Li’an Demon Sect have to obtain anything from me?"
"Interesting. Young Master Chu seems to have forgotten you’re being hunted by everyone right now, and judging by your current state, you don’t seem confident enough to make such bold claims, do you?"
After knocking down Chu Xuan’s "arrogance," Yao Yufei smiled and said:
"Why don’t I offer you a suggestion? Join the Li’an Demon Sect."
"Let’s let bygones be bygones. As long as you agree to marry Qingqing, you’ll become the Sect Leader of the Demon Sect, and our strength will be at your disposal. I’ll fully support you both."
"How about it? Am I not sincere enough?"
Qingqing was initially incredulous, but then she was delighted. If Chu Xuan agreed, it would be the best possible solution for her, even if it meant going against the whole world; she had the courage to fight.
Chu Xuan remained silent with his hands behind his back, looking at Yao Yufei with cold eyes.
Meanwhile, he exuded a powerful, bloody, brutal, and murderous aura, as if an endless mountain of corpses and a sea of blood were sweeping in, plunging the entire hall into a stifling atmosphere. His blood-red robe appeared even more vibrant.
Yao Yufei’s expression changed, and the demon dragon seemed to sense the threat, growling softly as it circled around Qingqing.
Undoubtedly, this was the power of the Life and Death Three Profound Realms, and the nature of this power...
Yao Yufei furrowed her brow slightly, saying word by word, "Blood God Power?"
Chu Xuan nodded slightly, "Please, Madam Duanmu, don’t play such tricks. I believe this negotiation is on equal terms, and the forces you can muster are far less than mine."
"Now it should be you seeking me, not trying to manipulate me as a puppet, using my name, hollowing me out, and ultimately becoming the true master of the Demon Sect."
Qingqing’s face turned slightly pale, realizing she was still a bit naive.
Yao Yufei replied unhurriedly, "Young Master Chu, I admit you have some ability, but have you not heard, ’A dragon in shallow waters is played by a shrimp; a tiger in flatland is bullied by dogs’?"
"You are no longer the former Celestial Evil Demon Venerable. Before discussing how much power you can muster, why should a homeless fugitive like you not be seeking me, while I, the esteemed Sect Leader of the Demon Sect, am supposed to seek you?"
Chu Xuan wasn’t angered, "Yao Yufei, from the first moment I saw you, I knew you were an ambitious woman, always striving to climb higher at any cost."
"Even if you completely controlled a trivial Li’an Demon Sect, it couldn’t quench your desires."
"You’ve orchestrated a conspiracy spanning decades, even using your own daughter. Once you finally grasp it, do you not feel even more empty?"
"And now, I can offer you a higher position, allowing you to continue climbing, while I don’t necessarily need you. Thus, it is you who should be seeking me."
Chu Xuan’s words were neither lofty nor passionate, yet they left Yao Yufei silent for a moment before she chuckled lightly, "Young Master Chu certainly holds me in high regard; even I wasn’t aware I possessed such strong ambition."
"Even if, hypothetically, you’re absolutely right, I still don’t necessarily need you."
Chu Xuan shook his head, "I am your best choice at the moment."
"You actually understand this yourself. Forget about Primordial Monarch Taixu; even Tianxu could never fall into my hands, nor be controlled by me, but Wu Gou Immortal will unquestionably follow my orders."
"Then there’s Blade Emperor Yu Zhanfeng. I am confident in commanding him too."
"Including Chen Yunqi and the entire Hehuan Sect—taking them down would be just a matter of words for me."
"Beyond that, I have more hidden cards..."
These were the "open cards" Yao Yufei was already aware of, so she wasn’t surprised. Instead, she provocatively remarked, "Oh, hidden cards?"
"Could it be the scattered Celestial Evil worshipers? Or the cultivators calling to return under the Demon Venerable’s command?"
"To tell you frankly, over the past decade, another faction has arisen in the cultivation world. They claim the name ’Blood-robed Sect’ and declare themselves your loyal followers, searching for you everywhere."
"Even more interesting, they’ve propped up a new ’Blood-robed Saintess,’ claiming she’s a descendant of yours and the former Saintess, using your name for deceitful exploits."
"If these are what Young Master Chu calls his ’hidden cards,’ then they are laughable indeed."
Chu Xuan shook his head, "Don’t try to provoke me; such tactics are too crude."
"As for this ’Blood-robed Sect,’ it’s likely something the Shangguan family concocted, or perhaps a product of other factions’ collaboration, waiting for me to go settle scores with them."
"I’m not afraid to tell you, there remains a mysterious organization secretly loyal to me, hiding in the shadows of history, waiting for my return; now is the time."
"Besides this organization, I can also summon two eighth-realm experts to serve me. Count for yourself—how many people do I have at the Three Profound Realms level?"
Upon hearing this, Yao Yufei instinctively calculated: Chu Xuan himself, Women’s Head, Su Mengqing, Yu Zhanfeng, Chen Yunqi, two eighth-realm figures—seven in total?! Counting Primordial Monarch Taixu, even eight.
To be honest, this was an extremely formidable force. Even a deeply-rooted righteous sect like Purple Heaven Jade Mansion might not gather so many late-stage experts.
Even if the so-called "two eighth-realm figures" were deceiving, Yao Yufei joining would still bring seven strong allies; not to mention that Li’an Demon Sect already had two late-stage experts on standby, albeit not easily deployed.
As for the mysterious organization... Yao Yufei thought for a moment and laughed, "Young Master Chu, do you really take me for a child? Where do you find this mysterious organization and eighth-realm experts, which you conveniently made up as bargaining chips?"
Chu Xuan remained calm, "You don’t really think I left myself without a backup plan, do you? Since I devised a way to resurrect six hundred years later, of course, I’ve considered my future."
Yao Yufei paused in silence after hearing this, seemingly weighing the credibility.
As for such a backup plan, from what Chu Xuan knew... there was truly none!
Because he never intended to become Demon Venerable again, nor to cultivate the "Celestial Water Returning Ruins Technique." He aimed to walk a righteous path in this life!
Even revealing the hidden identity of Celestial Evil would probably wait till the eighth or ninth realm.
Moreover, leaving behind a "protected force" was not an easy task. Leaving traces would create flaws and reveal to others that he wasn’t completely dead.
Considering Shangguan Yu’s cautious nature and the thorough sweep back then by the righteous side, any loyalty forces Chu Xuan left could easily be eradicated in their entirety.
Even if any survived, they couldn’t easily flourish nor last six to seven hundred years, continuing to swear loyalty to a long-dead figure.
Since that’s the case, Chu Xuan naturally wasn’t vested in such painstaking, high-risk ventures with potentially more costs than benefits.
However, regarding the two eighth-realm figures, he could indeed bring them out, though the matter was still pending resolution. In sum, he planned to personally visit the two, hoping everything would proceed smoothly.