Chu Xingchen stood in place, shaking his head gently:
"Go search the surrounding area immediately. If there are any of Xu Linglong's spies left, eliminate them all. Don't let my real condition reach Xu Linglong's ears."
"Elder Huang can stay with me here."
Yunxiao hesitated, not immediately agreeing.
Chu Xingchen waved his hand with difficulty: "With Elder Huang here, even if something goes wrong, it's my choice and has nothing to do with you. Right or wrong, it's on me. My actual condition absolutely cannot be known to Xu Linglong."
Hearing this, Yunxiao exchanged a glance with the Tribulation Transcendence cultivator from Xiaoyun Hall. The two then opened their spiritual senses wide, scanning the surroundings while activating their tokens. A number of Xiaoyun Hall elite disciples began assisting in the search.
The enemies Donggua had let go earlier were all being hunted down now, to ensure no one was left alive—better to kill the wrong person than let one escape.
Xu Jin watched Chu Xingchen's seemingly genuine expression. Though he knew the odds of it being an act were high, he was still somewhat worried and transmitted a voice query:
"Are you really okay?"
Chu Xingchen clutched his chest and shot Xu Jin a look.
Xu Jin, seeing that look, finally relaxed.
Chu Xingchen took two deep breaths, steadied himself, and began walking toward Donggua and the two Tianyan Sect disciples.
"Thank you both for your trouble. I'll make sure to report your contributions to Sect Master Lü when I return." Chu Xingchen gave a slight bow. "You've been through a lot. I'll handle things here from now on—you can head back to the sect and rest."
The two Tianyan Sect disciples immediately returned the bow:
"Grand-Uncle-Master Chu is too kind. This is simply our duty. If there's nothing more needed, we'll take Donggua and head back first."
Chu Xingchen shifted his gaze to Donggua, who stood rooted in place. After a moment he spoke:
"Donggua will stay behind. I'll look after her."
"Yes." The two Tianyan Sect disciples responded without hesitation, then bowed again. "Then we'll take our leave."
Only after Chu Xingchen nodded in confirmation did the two disciples transform into rainbow light and depart.
"Donggua?" Chu Xingchen stood before Donggua, whose expression had gone somewhat stiff. He studied her for a moment before speaking slowly: "This face… seems vaguely familiar. Have we met before?"
When Chu Xingchen had been pressuring and negotiating with Donggua, he'd been wearing Cui Hao's face.
It was perfectly normal to pretend not to know her now.
After all, Donggua's hatred for Cui Hao had already reached astronomical levels—a little more or less wouldn't change anything.
But his favorability rating was brand new. Maybe he could even farm some of it.
Donggua didn't know how to respond for a moment. She naturally recognized and had met Chu Xingchen.
After all, if she really thought back carefully, the first time she'd seen Chu Xingchen, he'd been wielding Wanban and nearly crushed her like a bug on a whim.
The only reason she hadn't been squashed was probably because this particular bug was so small it was almost annoying.
She couldn't very well answer—Oh, I was almost killed by your casual attack last time, but I got lucky. You were just passing through, cutting down my teammates, and glanced at me, so I vaguely remember.
But facing this kind of big shot—even a big shot who was severely injured—Donggua still didn't dare not respond.
After all, this big shot had even bigger shots standing behind him.
Donggua lowered her head slightly, her expression humble:
"Perhaps I just look a bit like someone you know…"
Chu Xingchen chuckled and nodded, his tone gentle:
"I've heard Cui Hao mention you."
Donggua's heart went cold. She didn't think Cui Hao would have anything nice to say about her to Chu Xingchen.
"Since ancient times, humans and demons have been opposed." Chu Xingchen sighed lightly and continued. "But if both sides could find common ground, it might not have come to this endless cycle of killing. It's just a shame we've already passed the point where everything could be salvaged."
"Hatred spreads. It leaves its mark."
"But if you're truly willing to abandon darkness for the light, this world is vast enough. There's always room for a demon who craves peace."
As he spoke, Chu Xingchen reached out and patted Donggua gently on the shoulder:
"I don't know if you'll actually do it, but I'm willing to trust you. This is… Tianyan Sect's promise to you."
"If you truly have nowhere left to turn, why not try walking a path you've never walked before?"
Donggua felt Chu Xingchen's hand touch her shoulder.
Two thoughts warred frantically in her mind.
Chu Xingchen was clearly still gravely injured. At this distance, if she could kill him…
She might not actually succeed, but this could be her greatest opportunity.
Even if she couldn't escape again, it would at least be a great service to her race.
As for the other option…
Naturally, it was to obey Chu Xingchen's words and choose to cling to life—whether that meant seeking another opportunity later or truly following what Chu Xingchen had said.
But after only a moment's deliberation, Donggua made her choice.
The sun was warm. She wanted to bask in it a while longer.
Xu Linglong probably wouldn't believe any intelligence she passed along. She truly had no way out—only the single path of survival Chu Xingchen had offered remained.
Donggua nodded gently: "I will."
Chu Xingchen showed a relieved smile and slowly removed his hand from Donggua's shoulder.
At this distance, releasing top-tier illusion techniques while overwhelming her cultivation realm—even if someone probed with spiritual consciousness, Donggua genuinely wouldn't react in time.
And sure enough, as expected, the flower Xu Linglong had planted in Donggua's sea of consciousness was still swaying—presumably enjoying the show.
This way, the effort of dragging Donggua all the way to Eastern Divine Continent hadn't been wasted.
Additionally, Donggua had shown enough sense of the situation—at least she hadn't taken this chance to actually strike him. She was still somewhat controllable.
Later he would properly convert Donggua, then entrust her with a matter of [utmost importance, life or death], and let her get to work.
Even if Xu Linglong didn't necessarily believe it, it would at least muddy the waters.
"Tianyan Sect has a natural aversion to demons because of certain matters. And I've heard Cui Hao hasn't exactly treated you well either." Chu Xingchen smiled. "Since you're willing, you can start by doing some things by my side. Consider it a break. As for Cui Hao, I'll put in a good word for you."
Donggua nodded again, then suddenly remembered something and pointed toward the remnants of the ritual array nearby:
"They're definitely planning to reconnect to the Heavenly Demon Realm. I recognize this ritual array."
"Good. But this matter doesn't require you to handle it personally." Chu Xingchen coughed twice, his voice slightly weaker. "Have them do the preparatory work—organize the texts, make comparisons, then give you the complete materials for verification."
"Your abilities are beyond what you imagine. Tedious work like this isn't worth wasting your time on."
"Come on. There's a bigger stage waiting for you."
Donggua was stunned, momentarily dazed.
Wait—what?
How had she suddenly gone from a constantly trampled waste… to something useful?
Chu Xingchen turned his gaze back:
"Let's start preparing for something big. Xu Linglong dared to cause us trouble…"
"Then it's our turn to cause her some real trouble."
[
Dear Readers,
I hope you are doing well. Things are genuinely tough right now, and I need your help to keep going.
My financial situation is the worst it has ever been. Despite this, I am still posting multiple high-quality, human-polished chapters every single day. I love doing this and do not want to stop, but I cannot do it alone for much longer.
If you enjoy the story, please consider supporting the release schedule to unlock massive advanced chapter buffers:
$6 Tier
* Read 20+ Chapters Ahead (High-speed daily updates!)
$8 Tier
* Read 40+ Chapters Ahead
* Access to exclusive character images
$10 Tier (Best Value)
* Read 60+ Chapters Ahead
* Access to exclusive character images
* Access to Patreon Community Chat
Special Note: Every tier receives 150 chapters across all fics per month! On top of that, these chapter counts are guaranteed minimums—because of my rapid update schedule, you will often get even more!
Important: If you are on iOS, please subscribe via your web browser (Safari/Chrome) instead of the Patreon App to avoid Apple's 30% fee and payment delays.
Even a small contribution or sharing my work makes a real difference. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for keeping these daily releases going!
Support Here: [patreon.com/Alex_Cruise]
]