As the lingering effects subsided, Xu Lin quickly got up and, ignoring Xi Ranchen who had stepped aside, started tearing open his clothes himself.
He could feel that his body had been placed under some kind of restriction.
Sure enough, just as he thought, on his abdomen, a dark pattern slowly emerged, wrapped in cold demonic aura.
“This is the Demon Curse Forbidden Pattern of my Sunset Sect,” Xi Ranchen said calmly, but her pressure did not recede. “To put it bluntly, as long as I want, I can control your life and death, as well as your every move.”
“Is this how you Demon Sect people always do things?” Xu Lin tried to wipe it off but found that no matter what he did, it wouldn’t go away.
‘This isn’t a demon pattern, why does it look so much like that thing?’
Xi Ranchen laughed. It was the first time she found it amusing to tease a junior.
“From today onward, you will be the Saint of my Sunset Sect. Once Yao’er enters the Heavenly Firmament Realm, you will marry her.”
“You’re arranging a marriage too?”
Xu Lin felt that Xi Ranchen was getting more and more carried away; she was clearly a lunatic.
“Your life is in my hands now. You have no capital to refuse.”
Xi Ranchen looked at him seriously, raised her hand, and made a gesture as if to trigger the forbidden pattern’s demonic aura.
“Or do you want to try the power of the demon pattern now? The Senior Brother of Vast Dao Sect should know the methods of the Demon Sect.”
Xu Lin looked at Xi Ranchen, somewhat defiant but unable to do anything about her.
‘Good news: Xi Ranchen won’t kill me now.’
‘Bad news: She wants to toy with me to death.’
“Let me ask you something,” Xu Lin said, unable to fathom this lunatic’s reasoning.
“What exactly do you see in me?”
If it were anyone else, suddenly being made a Saint and marrying a Saintess, even the Demon Sect would be grateful.
This was a position second only to one person, above ten thousand others.
But Xi Ranchen’s thoughts were definitely not that simple.
Xi Ranchen walked to the side, lightly picked up the teacup, took a slow sip, and then said, “Tell me, if Wang Lingcang finds out that his valued disciple has become the Saint of my Sunset Sect, what would he think? And what would the outside world think of him and Vast Dao Sect?”
“You’re targeting Vast Dao Sect, but I’ve already left the sect. Using me like this won’t have any effect.”
“Who knows?” Xi Ranchen’s smile didn’t fade. “It all depends on effort. As long as I make it real enough, others have no choice but to believe.”
Xu Lin was a very interesting fellow; there were secrets that needed uncovering. That was good.
Using him to suppress Vast Dao Sect was also Xi Ranchen’s plan.
Even though Xu Lin had left the sect, he had once been the designated Peak Master—that fact would not change.
“You really are malicious… far-sighted,” Xu Lin changed his words midway.
Xi Ranchen really was a terrifying person.
“Rest assured, as the Saint of Sunset Sect, our sect will naturally treat you well, even better than at Vast Dao Sect. Perhaps you might sincerely submit to us in the future.”
Xu Lin opened his mouth to say something, even wanted to curse at Xi Ranchen, but in the end, he gave up.
He was afraid that if Xi Ranchen had a sudden impulse, she might find some other way to torment him.
After Xu Lin was led away, fuming with anger, Xi Ranchen spoke toward the darkness, “Yao’er, come out.”
Yang Yao slowly emerged from the shadows, her expression subtle.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
Xi Ranchen knew that given Yang Yao’s personality, she would definitely have thoughts about the conversation between her and Xu Lin just now.
“Master.”
Yang Yao was respectful to Xi Ranchen, but her face showed some discomfort.
“I don’t quite understand your arrangement.”
“Are you saying that you absolutely will not marry that kid?”
“Yes.” Yang Yao gritted her teeth. In front of her master, she had tried her best to restrain herself.
“You really haven’t learned a thing.”
Xi Ranchen shook her head and sighed. Her disciple was really a bit single-minded.
“Now, the demonic and righteous paths are at each other’s throats, and Vast Dao Sect is the leader of the righteous path. We need an opportunity to suppress Vast Dao Sect, to make other righteous sects suspicious of it, and thus disrupt the righteous path’s structure. That kid just now is a Trigger.”
“But Master, is it really necessary to go that far?”
To become Dao Partners with Xu Lin—how disgusting was that?
Xi Ranchen walked up to Yang Yao, her expression cold. “Why must a false play be acted for real? Once the righteous path’s situation is in chaos, after you enter the Heavenly Firmament Realm, you can kill him then.”
Yang Yao froze, her pupils contracting. What Xi Ranchen said about never intending to let Xu Lin live was not a lie after all.
“Like this, Yao’er, are you satisfied?”
“Satisfied.”
Yang Yao said firmly.
Seeing Yang Yao’s attitude, Xi Ranchen smiled contentedly.
She was paving the way for Yang Yao, for the future Sect Master of Sunset Sect.
Soon, at the center of the vast Sunset Sect, the sound of bells rang out, spreading far and wide, drawing the attention of all Sunset Sect disciples.
“Three Bell Rings… installing a Saintess and Saint?”
The number of bell rings represented different major sect events.
These three rings precisely signified the installation of a Saintess and a Saint.
As everyone knew, Yang Yao had been made the Saintess of Sunset Sect long ago. The only missing position was the Saint, who would become her Dao Partner.
What puzzled everyone was that this development came too suddenly. No one knew what was happening.
Who was this so-called Saint?
The entire Sunset Sect buzzed with discussion, people running about debating—this was no small matter.
Inside the small courtyard’s room, Jiang Luo also heard the bells, but she had no time to distinguish the number of rings. She had more urgent matters at hand.
She crept quietly into the room, looked around to make sure no one was there, then quickly walked to the bed, threw back the covers, and began feeling around carefully, searching for something.
But after searching for a while, the bed was clean and empty. She found nothing.
“How is it not here?”
Jiang Luo panicked.
“It can only have fallen here when I left in a hurry last night. Where else could it have dropped?”
After fleeing in haste last night, she had discovered that the Cold Jade she always carried with her was missing, and she couldn’t find it anywhere.
On reflection, it could only have been dropped here.
Without the Cold Jade to calm her mind, her cultivation would become even more troublesome.
“No.” Jiang Luo found a clue.
“This bedding seems different from yesterday’s.”
Before that guy came, this place had been her secret training spot.
When she was here yesterday, it didn’t seem to be this same set of bedding.
“Of course it isn’t.”
A voice came from behind, making Jiang Luo stiffen in fright. She turned around and saw Xu Lin standing at the door, looking at her with a meaningful gaze.
“You made such a mess of the bed. How could anyone sleep on it? I had to search through cabinets in the middle of the night to find another set of bedding.”
Jiang Luo pressed her lips together, her cheeks flushing, yet she still forced herself to stay calm. “You… nonsense. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
This was her secret—she absolutely could not let others know.