Everyone held their breath, silently waiting for Heavenly Dao's judgment.
The next moment—
A single word appeared in the sky.
"Success."
Success!
Again, it succeeded!
The outcry was louder than ever before.
But this was a demonic cultivation manual!
The demonic race and the human race were fundamentally different. Over the years, various sects had seized a few demonic manuals, and the Demon-Slaying Alliance had poured countless efforts into studying them.
Yet even with the combined strength of the entire Demon-Slaying Alliance, they had never broken past the natural barrier to uncover the mysteries hidden within those manuals.
And now—
Yun Jin had taken only a few breaths' time. Not only had she deciphered a demonic manual, she had even completed an improvement upon it?
To accomplish such a thing…
Was Yun Jin truly still of the human race?
Lin Xiao's gaze grew dark and frigid. This outcome was completely beyond his expectations. But that did not matter. This only gave Yun Jin yet another path to her own destruction.
Here in Sky City, he could not openly kill her. But binding her first was still possible.
"This Yun Jin has actually improved upon a demonic cultivation method. She must have countless ties with the demonic race—she may even be the spy the demons placed within the human world! Everyone, join me in restraining her! All of her victories in the past have been tied to the demons. I suspect this has all been a grand scheme orchestrated by the demonic race. Yun Jin is nothing more than a piece on their chessboard!" Lin Xiao's voice rang cold.
The sect masters instantly surrounded Yun Jin. None dared strike immediately. The aura of Heavenly Dao still lingered, and the bet had not yet officially concluded.
Yun Jin swept her eyes across them and smiled. She looked at Lin Xiao. "Pavilion Master Lin, you lost this wager. Why have you still not apologized to me?"
Lin Xiao answered coldly. "A demonic spy like you dares to speak such arrogance?"
Yun Jin arched a brow. "Whether I am a demonic spy has yet to be decided. But that you lost this bet, Pavilion Master Lin—that much is already decided. Are you planning to renege? If you insist on denying it, I don't really care. Under Heavenly Dao's judgment, with your cultivation, the worst you'll suffer is some minor injuries."
Lin Xiao's face darkened.
Heavenly Dao would not expend great force on such a trivial matter. With his cultivation, he could indeed resist most of the backlash and perhaps come away with nothing more than slight injuries.
But—
Lin Xiao was of the outer-realm demonic race. How could he dare let Heavenly Dao's oath fall upon him?
Heavenly Dao was impartial to all beings of this world, human or demon.
But he was not of this world.
If Heavenly Dao noticed anything amiss, it might very well seize the chance to kill him outright.
"Pavilion Master Lin," Yun Jin said casually, "forcing someone of your standing, the master of a Holy Land, to apologize to a junior like me is indeed difficult for you. Why not simply forget it? At worst you'll just be injured a little."
Lin Xiao's cold gaze lingered on her.
It was as if Yun Jin was certain he dared not endure Heavenly Dao's punishment.
Could it be she knew?
No. Impossible.
His identity as an outer-realm demon was known only to himself and one other existence.
Suppressing his emotions, Lin Xiao spoke heavily. "Apologies."
So she wanted an apology? Then he would give it.
But once they left Sky City, Yun Jin would pay with her life.
He had already planned it out.
Yun Jin had just improved a demonic manual in front of everyone. He would have ample justification to detain her. If she happened to die in custody, that would merely be an accident. Even if Ji Wusi and the others sought him out afterward, that would be a problem for later. As long as Yun Jin was eliminated, it would be worth it. Lin Xiao prided himself on enduring humiliation.
Yun Jin, however, dug at her ear and looked puzzled. "What? I didn't hear that."
Lin Xiao: "???"
He immediately noticed the two tufts of cotton stuffed in Yun Jin's ears.
She had actually plugged her ears!
Shameless, utterly shameless—but indeed she had not heard him.
"Pavilion Master Lin, I didn't hear it. And your lips barely moved. Isn't such an apology rather lacking in sincerity?" Yun Jin said with a smiling squint.
"Yun Jin! Do not push your luck!" Lin Xiao roared.
Yun Jin promptly shifted closer to the place where Heavenly Dao's aura was strongest, then put on an aggrieved look. "Pavilion Master Lin, if this continues, I'll have to let Heavenly Dao judge between us. My penalty for losing was to abolish my cultivation, while yours is only to apologize. Which is heavier and which is lighter, that's plain enough. And now, not only do you refuse to put sincerity into your apology, you make me feel wronged. I'm upset. I'll complain to Heavenly Dao."
Many onlookers found it amusing. Heavenly Dao was fair and impartial, favoring no one. What good would it do for Yun Jin to complain?
But Lin Xiao's heart sank heavily.
His identity could never withstand scrutiny.
If Heavenly Dao so much as sensed an opening, it would undoubtedly lean toward Yun Jin.
And in that moment, it might discover the truth.
Lin Xiao ground his teeth. "What do you want?"
Yun Jin replied cheerfully, "My request isn't high. To show sincerity, at least eight hundred words. Pavilion Master Lin, just write an eight-hundred-word self-reflection, then read it aloud before everyone. That will about make up for my grievance."
Lin Xiao's face turned black.
An eight-hundred-word apology.
Where would he put his face after that?
"Heavenly Dao, I…" Yun Jin turned, as if ready to tattle immediately.
"Wait!" Lin Xiao snapped through clenched teeth. "Give me some time."
Yun Jin's smile widened. "Remember to be sincere."
Lin Xiao stood motionless for a long time before finally speaking, voice heavy. "I apologize for casting suspicion upon Yun Jin this time. It was my mistake…"
"More sincere. You should say it was because your knowledge is as shallow as a frog in a well, your vision too narrow to imagine that someone like Yun Jin could exist in this world. Thus you made the wrong judgment. Be detailed, understand? You're too old to still need me to teach you how to write an essay," Yun Jin instructed bluntly.
Her words were merciless.
The crowd's gazes shifted.
Such humiliation, if it were them, they could not endure. They would rather fight to the death with Yun Jin, even at the cost of being wounded by Heavenly Dao's backlash.
But against all expectations, Lin Xiao endured once more. Swallowing his rage, he repeated the apology according to Yun Jin's script.
Yun Jin then kept prodding him all the way through. By the time Lin Xiao finally finished, not even catching his breath, Yun Jin wrinkled her nose.
"You stammered too much. Say it again, smoothly this time."
A terrifying killing intent surged in Lin Xiao's eyes. Everyone thought he was about to erupt. But in the next instant, the murderous aura vanished, and he truly repeated the entire apology once more.
"This time should suffice?" Lin Xiao's voice was cold, his gaze like frost.
It was only a bit of lost dignity. To him, it was nothing.
But Yun Jin—he wanted her dead.
"Good, good." Yun Jin's eyes curved into crescents as she shook the recording stone in her hand. "Pavilion Master Lin's apology was very sincere, practically a model essay. I'll have it copied and broadcast for the whole world to hear."
A glacial light flickered in Lin Xiao's eyes. "The wager is finished now, yes?"
Heavenly Dao's will should be leaving by now.
"Almost, almost." Yun Jin grinned. "There's just one last thing left."