Chapter 821: A New Leader

Chapter 821: A New Leader

After Lin Nuo left with Ling Meng and Liu Shuqin, their next step was to meet with Ling Yuan at the designated location.

It was clear that Ling Yuan had already bolted; after all, Ling Meng took some time, and right now, the Demon Practitioners were in disarray. On one hand, there was severe infighting. On the other, the Dao Practitioners would exhaust every effort to wipe them out.

So, they couldn’t expose themselves for too long and had to keep shifting positions to avoid disappearing.

Then Lin Nuo utilized the Demon Spirit Bird to find Ling Yuan.

Currently, Ling Yuan was still dumbfounded, wondering why Lin Nuo had brought a female practitioner, and one from the Xuanyun Sect at that.

“Little brother Wu Ying Ge, what’s going on? Why bring a female practitioner here? Did you capture her to threaten the Xuanyun Sect?”

Ling Yuan questioned, but it hardly looked like a capture; Liu Shuqin was moving freely without any restraint.

“That’s not it. She has already left the Xuanyun Sect and now belongs to the Demon Path. We’re on the same team, and everyone has to help each other.”

Lin Nuo finally explained the situation to Ling Meng and the others, leaving them stunned.

What? Left the Xuanyun Sect and joined the Demon Path?

How bizarre! This was too unrealistic!

“Master, you’re not joking, are you? She’s a practitioner; what qualifications does she have to join our team? Moreover, can you guarantee she’s truly willing to align with the Demon Path?”

Ling Meng, feeling agitated, directly questioned him; it didn’t make sense at all.

“She has aligned with the Demon Path, there’s no doubt about that. She’s now harboring powerful Demon Soul Power, albeit currently concealed.”

Lin Nuo said seriously, then turned to Liu Shuqin, signaling her:

“You can show a bit of your Demon Soul Power. Just use Qi Gong on that rock over there.”

Lin Nuo instructed, and Liu Shuqin nodded. Since cultivating with Lin Nuo, she had reached a level where she could freely conceal and manipulate her Demon Soul Power. Moreover, unlike when she first accessed the Magic Spring, her body wouldn’t show signs of demonization upon using Demon Power.

Once she adjusted her Demon Soul Power, Liu Shuqin took a deep breath, opened her right palm, and aimed at the distant boulder.

She executed her move.

With a surge of intense Demon Soul Power, her Qi Gong rushed towards the rock.

Crack, crack, crack.

The Demon Path’s Qi Gong seeped into the rock, quickly shattering its outer layer.

Boom.

Down it went, the rock splintering into fragments, ultimately turning into a pile of rubble.

Then she drew back her hand and sighed; the Qi Gong had been successfully completed.

This Magic Spring combined with dual cultivation seemed to open her meridians, allowing her to grasp some Demon Path techniques on top of her existing skills, yielding excellent results.

If applied in actual combat, this Qi Gong would seep into an enemy’s body, destroying their spiritual veins, leading to a slow, torturous death.

Quite brutal, though she hadn’t done that; she could easily imagine how it would go.

She wouldn’t use it; if she had to face an enemy and it had to come to killing, she’d grant them a quick death, not torture them.

No compassion.

But many Demon Path techniques were like that; the method was cruel, and killing presupposed torturing first.

This warped many Demon Practitioners’ psyches, leading them to commit numerous crazed acts.

Since she found herself in the Demon Path, she ought to shoulder the responsibility to change this narrative.

As Liu Shuqin demonstrated her skills, Ling Meng and her father watched closely, noting the potent Demon Soul Power and outstanding Demon Path Qi Gong.

Indeed, she was deeply enchanted.

It was hard to imagine that a practitioner from the righteous Xuanyun Sect would tread the path of demons.

But it was true; she could harness Demon Soul Power and execute Demon techniques.

“So now you should believe, right? The fact is she truly has joined the Demon Path, and from now on, like you all, she will be a Demon Practitioner. The future belongs to the Demon Path, and you should help each other.”

Lin Nuo added, also painting a rosy future for the Demon Path.

While the fallen Demon Star gave them an opportunity, on the surface, the Demon Path did seem prevalent.

But that was just on the surface; Lin Nuo knew the underlying realities.

In any case, tough characters would appear in the future, not to mention Su Kexin, for starters, the protagonist—no matter how arrogant they acted, they would ultimately amount to nothing.

And there was also the female emperor Luo Xiaoxue, who had been quite formidable in her previous life—a standout among the Righteous Path; both legendary practitioners, Su Kexin from the Immortal Cultivation Sect and Luo Xiaoxue, Queen of the People, were forces to be reckoned with. Monsters and demons alike would find themselves at a disadvantage.

But that person was already gone; Luo Xiaoxue had been killed long ago.

Now, only the fake Luo Xiaoxue was left.

Luo Yi and Han Xiao, the duo leading the Royal Guard, were definitely solid.

“Hm…”

Ling Meng still found it hard to accept coexisting with Xuanyun Sect practitioners. It was very difficult.

Especially in the eyes of those like her from the Refining Demon Sect, they didn’t see her as a true Demon Practitioner; she wasn’t worthy to be among them.

However, since it was her master’s decree, she supposed she had to comply.

After all, since she was tagging along with them, she couldn’t exactly start as a leader, right? Ultimately, her master had intended for her to take the lead later on, which meant she could show Liu Shuqin a better face in the future.

Yes, giving her a good face, especially after how cocky she was in front of the auntie.

“This young lady, how did you step into the Demon Path? I’m rather curious, little brother?”

Ling Yuan inquired, and Lin Nuo replied:

“She contains a Demon Spirit derived from the forbidden technique of Xuanyun Sect’s respected Zhang Yuanxu, then when Zhang Yuanxu pursued her, she fell into the Magic Spring, and thus emerged as a Demon. Her ability to control that fierce Demon Spirit indicates her rare talent; she was merely on the wrong path before—at the Xuanyun Sect. Now she’s back on the right road; she’s fit for Demon cultivation and will undoubtedly be a pillar of support in the Demon Path’s future.”

“I see. Little brother, it’s not that I’m skeptical, but she knows Demon techniques, as we can all see. However, I’m worried she might be in the enemy’s camp at heart. Can she adapt to our Demon Practitioner lifestyle? And what about facing those savage Demon Beasts; would she be willing?”

“She will. You needn’t worry about that. I’m merely sharing this with you. There are arrangements in place for the future. Now, let’s head back.”

Very soon, they successfully returned to the mountains inhabited by Demon Beasts, where some fleeing Demon Practitioners also settled.

Lin Nuo first needed to verify their strength—how many Demon Beasts, how many Demon Practitioners, and their specific combat effectiveness—to get a general idea.

Then he created a distribution chart to assess the current situation and strategize based on the terrain and power distribution. A great antagonist wasn’t just about strength; one had to be sharp-witted too.

After preparing all that,

He decided.

He specially invited some of the leaders in the forest, along with Ling Meng and her father, of course, and Liu Shuqin, to gather for a meeting.

He didn’t waste time but went straight to the heart of the matter:

“I’ve invited everyone here today because there’s an important announcement. Given our rapidly growing strength, managing everything is becoming more challenging. Therefore, I’ve decided to add a new manager to distribute part of the power for oversight.”

Lin Nuo paused for emphasis, raising his voice to continue:

“This person will be Liu Shuqin.”

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