Chapter 742: Changing Plans

Chapter 742: Changing Plans

“When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.”

As Zhang Yuanxu watched Lin Nuo, Lin Nuo was watching him too.

Zhang Yuanxu thought everything was under his control, but little did he know there were others outside, more cunning than him.

After a round of testing, Zhang Yuanxu received a satisfying answer.

He had found a scapegoat—someone he wouldn’t hesitate to ruin Lin Nuo’s future to save his own.

After a moment of enlightenment, Lin Nuo also stepped off the spirit altar.

Damn, that light was blinding—like staring straight into the pure 24k limited edition villain gold eyes!

Zhang Yuanxu must have gotten the news by now. Great, time to provoke him—just like last time, he’d stumble in all confused, talking about training guidance, but really it was to swap out the Demon Spirit.

Just swap, escape—who needs Xuanyun Sect anymore?

Lin Nuo walked down, and Qin Shili noticed that there was no unusual activity from Master Zhao, realizing that Lin Nuo had managed to sneak past undetected.

She turned her gaze to Lin Nuo and signaled him with her eyes.

Lin Nuo nodded, indicating all was good.

With just a glance, it said everything—years of sleeping side by side had forged a strong bond.

Next up was Qin Shili.

She approached gracefully, completely calm, knowing that Lin Nuo would sort everything out for her.

Master Cong stared at Qin Shili, already suspicious she had touched the demonic realms. Last time at Ziyuan Mountain, with that heavy blizzard and the pervasive Demon Qi, it had a good chance of being linked to her.

Unfortunately, last time, he had planned to trace the source of the Demon Soul Power to her, but things got chaotic and he lost the opportunity.

Someone had clearly orchestrated this, and he had already informed his master Zhang Yuanxu to keep a close watch on Qin Shili. This round of testing had to yield results, and they must quickly suppress her—no time to give her a chance to react.

Master Cong waited patiently, hoping for the desired results.

Qin Shili was about to touch the demonic realm, and this Han Fairy couldn’t escape her involvement either.

For Zhang Yuanxu, the upcoming tests had little significance—who touched the demonic realm mattered not, as he had already found a vessel to transfer the Demon Spirit.

Still, he needed to stay put until this ritual was complete.

Qin Shili stood in the center of the spirit altar, surrounded by beams of spirit light for testing; after a long while, those beams finally vanished.

There were results.

No touch of the demonic realm, nothing sensed.

Qin Shili nonchalantly stepped down from the altar, deeply impressed by Lin Nuo’s ability to remain hidden.

All-powerful—people like him made her admire him even more. She really wanted to go down the mountain with him afterward and enjoy a few nights of bliss.

Lastly came Liu Shuqin, who calmly walked up the steps and eventually stopped at the center of the spirit altar.

The beams of spirit light shone on her, commencing the test.

Soon enough, Master Zhao received the results as well.

Naturally, there was no touch of the demonic realm; she was upright and righteous.

However, Zhang Yuanxu was shocked by another result.

He had found a new host! One capable of housing the Demon Spirit!

This host could withstand it and transfer the Demon Spirit without losing her life.

An even more important discovery was that she possessed the ability to annihilate the Demon Spirit!

This ability wasn’t like Su Kexin’s, which sent both the original and the Demon Spirit off to the heavens.

She had powerful self-defensive spiritual energy within her, capable of purging toxins and wiping out the Demon Spirit—a rarity indeed.

And she could destroy the Demon Spirit without affecting the original host!

What a groundbreaking discovery! This was a superb solution for dealing with the Demon Spirit!

Transfer it, and then rely on her ability to eliminate it—silent and without the sacrificial loss of anyone. Perfect!

In comparison, Zhang Yuanxu knew he had to change his plans.

Transferring it to Lin Nuo—a rising star like him—if the Demon Spirit were transferred to him and he couldn’t be killed, he might fall into demonic paths, which was extremely troublesome.

But transferring it to Liu Shuqin was different; she’d eliminate it, no future troubles.

Thus, it would be Liu Shuqin.

Moments later, Liu Shuqin stepped down from the spirit altar. The spirit light had shone for a while, showing no abnormalities, and returned to the side of Han Fairy and the others.

“This doesn’t seem like a talent test, Master.”

“Indeed. But the Master must have his reasons; we can just follow the order without questioning further.”

Han Fairy had her suspicions but kept quiet; ultimately, Master would reach a conclusion and make it known.

The testing was over, and fortunately, there were no demonic touches among the disciples of Xuanyun Sect, so Master Zhao could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Little did they know that three had indeed touched the demonic realm—all had transferred the danger to their chest, evading peril.

Master Zhao shared a few words, and then everyone dispersed; most had no idea what they’d been tested for—just another round of nothingness.

“Thankfully, none of the disciples have touched the demonic realm, but we must keep a close eye on them. A moment’s thought can lead one astray, and a mere temptation can cause one to fall.”

Master Zhao said to several elders. Soon after, he would announce the results, so the disciples would understand what testing they underwent, and he urged them to cultivate themselves, not to be seduced into the evil path of demons.

He also warned that anyone who came into contact with the demonic path, even if they were disciples of this sect, would be regarded as Demon Disciples and could be executed if necessary.

Lin Nuo listened, knowing he could testify to that; way back then, these folks wanted to kill him.

Too bad they missed!

But then there was Asu who killed him—how infuriating!

No worries, though; Asu wasn’t at her peak now, and he was gathering Demon Spirits, entering his own peak. If Asu tried to explode and kill him, he’d just accept his fate.

Lin Nuo found Mu Yiting, discussing matters regarding Zhang Yuanxu.

“If your master comes looking for me in the next couple of days, just send a white pigeon to signal me, and I’ll be there right away.”

“Huh? Why do you think he would look for you?”

“It’s normal for a recently returned elder to meet the junior generation, right? I’m saving him the trouble of searching; I’ll just go directly.”

“Got it; I’ll be on the lookout. But he isn’t part of my faction, and I rarely engage with him. If he were to seek you out, I probably wouldn’t be aware. But if I do find out, I’ll definitely let you know.”

“That would be ideal.”

Lin Nuo stated, scanning his surroundings as if feeling like they were sneaking around, worried about getting caught.

“I heard the news—you’re marrying Qin Shili?”

“Not yet.”

“Really not?”

“Do I look like someone who would get married?”

“Then have you been with her?” Mu Yiting pressed on.

“Absolutely not.”

Lin Nuo replied seriously, lying without flinching.

Would he share that sort of information? Absolutely not!

“Alright, as long as you haven’t, I’m still waiting for you.”

“Sure.”

Lin Nuo replied casually, brushing it off.

He was just waiting for Zhang Yuanxu to summon him.

In the end, all he got was crickets.