Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Insubordination

Yin Hanjiang gripped his sword tightly, determined not to let the blade his Venerable had forged with his own soul go to waste. He cupped his hands and said, "The sect array has been completely changed from before. This subordinate will break through and open a path for the Venerable!"

"That's not necessary," Wenren È said, holding back Yin Hanjiang's fighting intent. "I'd like to see what Shu Yanyan has gotten up to these days. If we barged in directly, someone as shrewd as her would surrender immediately, which wouldn't be fun."

Wenren È used an illusion to hide them both and after making a circuit around the barrier, found some people entering and leaving. They were all strangers, and who knew where they had come from.

Wenren È possessed one of them and entered with the group, quickly learning the new array password. He left that body without a trace and returned to the outside, where he opened a small entrance and beckoned Yin Hanjiang through.

Xuanyuan Sect had no restrictions forbidding flight or duels within its grounds. Everyone picked fights whenever they wanted, and whoever was stronger got their way. Wenren È and Yin Hanjiang went directly to Shu Yanyan's cultivation grounds, a mountain peak dense in spiritual energy on which she had built a palace resembling that of a mortal emperor. Its inside was filled with bedrooms, hot springs, grass fields, and so on, so Shu Yanyan could cultivate wherever she pleased.

When she wasn't carrying out orders or out looking for promising subordinates to raise, Shu Yanyan spent most of her time cultivating in her palace. But today, not only was she nowhere to be seen, but not many of her subordinates were around either.

Wenren È and Yin Hanjiang entered the palace and found most of the rooms were empty, with even the beds missing. Hearing someone approach, they both hid, and saw Shu Yanyan's most favored subordinate leading a few underlings with both middling cultivations and looks, directing them, "You two go to the Moon Embracing Hall, you three to the Star Plucking Hall, and put everything in storage bags. Make sure you're careful with the Right Protector's beds—you better not knock or bump them. If the Protector were to get injured in cultivation, the fault would be on your heads!"

He ordered everyone around left and right while sitting in the main hall like he owned the place, eating from a plate stacked with spiritual fruit.

Yin Hanjiang saw this clearly and knew there was only one tree in the sect that grew these spiritual fruit, the one in the Venerable's back garden.

He wanted to charge in, but was held back by Wenren È. While everyone else was busy moving furniture, Wenren È transformed into blood mist and entered the body of Shu Yanyan's subordinate. He said to Yin Hanjiang, "Disguise yourself, and let's go have a chat with the Right Protector."

Yin Hanjiang considered using a disguising technique, but Shu Yanyan was a high-level cultivator and would be able to see through it easily. He was worried he would ruin the Venerable's plan, and so took a black ghost mask from his storage bag and put it on.

Wenren È's heart skipped a beat when he saw that mask. He was about to ask when he saw several of the subordinates returning. "Master Helian," they said to him, "we've already cleared out everything."

Wenren È held back his questions and replied, "Follow me."

He glanced at the masked Yin Hanjiang and said, "You too."

Several of the men shot suspicious glances at Yin Hanjiang. Wenren È said in a harsher voice, "What are you looking at? The Protector's new disciple doesn't want to be seen. Keep your heads down."

There were some people who weren't willing to show their faces when Shu Yanyan first brought them in. The underlings didn't dare to question any further and hurried to follow "Master Helian" as they flew toward the main peak where Wenren È's residence was.