Lin Xiao stared at Ji Wusi in disbelief.
Even those words, he dared to say them out loud.
This Ji Wusi… was he even more insane than Heavenly Dao?
Lin Xiao could not help but turn to Xuan Feng and Sang Fan. "And you two? You are just going to let him act so recklessly?"
Xuan Feng smiled faintly. "Within the territory of the human race, could it be that Pavilion Master Lin cannot even protect a single human cultivator? If Yun Jin were to meet with harm, then Pavilion Master Lin's competence would truly be called into question."
Sang Fan added calmly, "My Beastmaster lineage has finally gained a perfect complementary cultivation method. If we were to lose this chance because of Pavilion Master Lin, then even I would not be able to restrain the disciples of Beastmaster Sect once they go mad."
Lin Xiao trembled with suppressed rage.
These three!
They were becoming more and more outrageous.
Were they openly threatening him in public?
Yet deep down, Lin Xiao also felt a flicker of panic.
Who could have predicted this?
That Yun Jin actually had the ability to improve cultivation manuals.
Who could have imagined Heavenly Dao itself would help her broadcast the matter immediately?
Now, Yun Jin's value had skyrocketed. The three Holy Lands would never allow her to come to harm. If he still made a move against Yun Jin, these people truly might go insane. Was he really unable to touch her anymore?
The thought nearly drove Lin Xiao mad. Forcing himself to calm down, he said stiffly, "I will do my best."
"It seems Pavilion Master Lin has finally realized Yun Jin's importance. But the matter of improved cultivation manuals cannot be hidden. Next, the entire Demon race will surely target Yun Jin directly. Pavilion Master Lin, you carry a great burden." Ji Wusi's voice was sharp.
"Pavilion Master Lin will surely accomplish it."
"Indeed. After all, this concerns the future of the human race."
One by one, their words pressed down on him, piling more weight upon his shoulders.
Lin Xiao could only maintain a hollow smile.
When the Holy Land meeting finally ended, Lin Xiao's Primordial Soul returned to his body. Spiritual power surged out, collapsing the entire chamber around him. He could no longer control the fury boiling inside.
Those three Holy Lands—this was simply humiliation pushed to the extreme. The next moment, the voice of the Devourer Demon Fragment echoed within his mind.
"Do your utmost to remove Yun Jin. When the Demon Sovereign emerges from seclusion, the human race will be annihilated. At this critical juncture of my retreat, do not disturb me unless necessary."
The fragment's words were brimming with confidence.
Lin Xiao had once shared that same confidence. Yun Jin, such a trivial figure, he could have crushed her with ease. But now, a bitter smile tugged at his lips.
To remove Yun Jin… how impossibly difficult.
The three Holy Lands were protecting her as though they had gone mad. If she really came to harm, they might storm Qingxiao Pavilion itself. Yet if Yun Jin continued like this, bolstering the strength of the human race, would the Demons still have any chance of victory?
Yun Jin must die.
But she could not die in the Qingxiao region.
Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes.
If Yun Jin fell elsewhere, no one could blame him.
Drawing a deep breath, he realized perhaps it was time to use his final trump card. But this trump card could be used only once. Once unleashed, it held the power to shatter heaven and earth.
Was it worth squandering on Yun Jin alone?
Lin Xiao pondered for a long time. The answer he reached was astonishingly simple: yes.
This Yun Jin was far too strange. If she was not eliminated early, in the future war between races the Demons might truly stand no chance.
In his hand appeared a withered branch. Though it looked dry and lifeless, the moment Lin Xiao infused it with spiritual power, the branch blossomed with verdant vitality.
He gazed at it, his heart aching. But soon, he hardened his resolve. His lips moved silently, as if communicating with an unseen being.
A long time passed before he finally exhaled, his eyes flashing with joy. With this branch of the Tree of Life, he had secured one strike from that great existence.
If that being acted, even if Ji Wusi and the others stood guard around Yun Jin, she would still perish without question. All he needed to do was set everything in place—make sure Yun Jin died at the right time, in the right place.
The bargain was struck. Lin Xiao no longer hesitated. With that being's hand ready, no one could save Yun Jin.
Her fate was sealed.
She had only three years of life left.
When the Four Great Cities gathered for the final battle, Yun Jin would die before everyone, leaving not even a corpse behind.
…
Unaware of Lin Xiao's plotting, Yun Jin was busy answering one communication after another from powerful figures.
Ji Wusi had even sent her all the Demon race's cultivation manuals confiscated by the Demon-Slaying Alliance.
There were over a hundred in total.
Many were completely different from human cultivation methods. If she could convert them into cultivation techniques for the human race, then the world of cultivation would undergo a revolution. And not just any revolution, but one toward a stronger, better path.
With Heavenly Dao assisting, Yun Jin's accumulated Emotional Value had already soared past the hundred-billion mark. Transforming Demon race manuals cost more Emotional Value than improving human ones.
But for Yun Jin now, it was no great obstacle. She chose to improve them all.
In the end, she obtained over a hundred newly refined manuals. Worried Ji Wusi might be too shocked, she waited until the next morning before sending the results back.
Ji Wusi looked at the densely packed words within the communication token.
His mind went blank. "???"
Yun Jin replied with equal confusion. "???"
"All of them… improved?" Ji Wusi could not help asking.
"The speed was a little slow, but I barely managed to finish," Yun Jin answered lightly.
[Emotional Value +500, combo triggered.]
Yun Jin clicked her tongue. She had never realized her Master was the real treasure trove of Emotional Value.
Ji Wusi, though stunned, refused to concede. "Yes, it was indeed a bit slow. Do better next time."
[Emotional Value +500, combo triggered.]
Yun Jin smiled. She could forgive her Master's stubborn denial.
Composing himself, Ji Wusi asked solemnly, "And these improved manuals? What do you intend to do with them?"
Without Yun Jin, there would have been no such improvements. Naturally, Ji Wusi intended to respect her wishes.
Yun Jin waved it off. "These manuals should be given to those most suited to cultivate them. Master, you can decide as you see fit."
Ji Wusi fell silent.
So many precious manuals, and she simply handed them over without hesitation?
But then Yun Jin dropped an even heavier revelation.
"I placed a hidden lock within these manuals. Anyone cultivating them, if they harbor demonic corruption within, will experience a backlash at higher stages and the corruption will reveal itself. If the infection is shallow, continuing to cultivate will gradually purify the demonic energy, restoring the person's clarity and reason."
The moment she finished, Ji Wusi instantly understood. These manuals could function not only as cultivation methods, but also as detectors and purifiers of demonic corruption. The implications were staggering—no less significant than the manuals themselves.
Ji Wusi spoke gravely, "This matter—Heaven knows, Earth knows, you and I know. No fourth soul must hear of it."
Such a secret could, if used correctly, wipe out all infiltrators of the Demon race in one sweep.
Absolute secrecy was paramount.
Yun Jin, of course, understood. She agreed without hesitation.
Ji Wusi immediately ended the communication and threw himself into urgent planning.
With Yun Jin's safeguards in place, these manuals must not be hoarded. The more cultivators practiced them, the more hidden Demons could be exposed.
As Ji Wusi busied himself, Yun Jin strolled leisurely to the battle arena.
Today was the final day of the team battles.