Terrifying

Rain pattered down steadily. After issuing his warning, Xu Yuan fetched several chronicles of anomalous events from the study and returned to reading while listening to the rain. Taking the initiative to issue this warning had been a perilous move, but he was virtually certain that Madame Wan would not dare to act rashly. From the information gathered so far, Xu Yuan was confident that Madame Wan harbored deep wariness toward him. A wariness directed specifically at him, not at Ran Qingmo or Bai Muxi. After all, Tianyan and Su Jinxuan had traveled together, yet only that pathetic succubus was left here alone, mind-controlled. As the heirloom scripture of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion—a sect that had reigned supreme over the world for tens of thousands of years—the Heaven-Deducing Art granted the Heavenly Yan divine soul, which directly nullified every soul-controlling secret art under heaven. Madame Wan's methods were almost certainly useless against Tianyan. In other words, before Xu Yuan arrived at this estate, Tianyan had most likely clashed with Madame Wan and suffered defeat without inflicting any injury upon her. Which meant Madame Wan possessed strength at least in the Transcendent Realm. Against someone of that caliber, let alone two peak Grandmasters, even if Ran Qingmo and Bai Muxi had both broken through to the Origin Realm, they would still be no match for that eerie Madame Wan. Yet in reality, she had gone to such great lengths to lay covert preparations. Ruling out the two women, and ruling out the already controlled succubus, who else remained in this entire estate as an outsider besides Xu Yuan? The reason Madame Wan feared him was not difficult to guess. It was because of his unique constitution, and because of this soul-shielding garment he wore that evaded all scrutiny. Together, the two cloaked him in a veil of mystery, keeping her from acting rashly. At this thought, Xu Yuan cut off his train of thought. He did not wish to dwell on Tianyan. The more he pondered the matter, the harder it became to suppress the killing intent churning within him. Ever since transmigrating into this world, Xu Yuan had grown angry over many things and harbored murderous intent toward many people. Yet all of those had gone no further than simply wanting them dead. The master of this estate, however, was the first—and the only one—whom Xu Yuan wanted to make beg for life and pray for death. Whenever he thought of that mistreated Saintess currently missing without a trace, an indescribable tightness weighed heavy in his chest. If something had truly happened to Tianyan here... Xu Yuan unconsciously tightened his grip on the ancient book. He would swallow his murderous urge, pampering Madame Wan with fine food and drink until she safely birthed her child, and then, he would let her thoroughly experience what true hell felt like! *Pitter-patter—* Time drifted by. The pattering drizzle seemed to wash away every speck of grime. His head buried in reading, Xu Yuan studied the ancient chronicle in his hand as the rain beyond the pavilion gradually subsided. Upon realizing this, Xu Yuan glanced out quietly toward the seemingly boundless curtain of mist and rain. *Not even half a ke has passed, and it's already stopped...* *She chose to compromise?* Once the rainfall diminished, it cleared up entirely within the span of a cup of tea, though the hazy mist enveloping the narrow canyon still lingered. Yet under the sweep of his spiritual vision, Xu Yuan's furrowed brow slowly smoothed out. The rain could cease abruptly, but the mist was dispersing at a slow, gradual rate. Only that aligned with the laws of nature. Madame Wan was offering both sides a graceful way out. With a soft snort, Xu Yuan put away the rocking chair and set off toward the reception hall in the third courtyard. Since she had compromised, it was time for him to go and demand compensation. To avoid giving away his true cultivation, he had to play the part of a figure on equal footing with Madame Wan. And as an equal, when your underhanded schemes were caught in the act, you naturally had to pay a price. Without the fine drizzle churning through it, the settling mist momentarily grew even thicker. Strolling through the dim fog, Xu Yuan's mind raced as he weighed his next moves. The threat of Ran Qingmo and Bai Muxi falling under mind control was temporarily defused; he probably would not need to spend mental energy and precious Source Qi giving both women a thorough full-body examination every night. Still, trouble remained. For Xu Yuan still had to find a way to rescue Su Jinxuan. That was a thorny task. Madame Wan had backed down after receiving his warning largely because the two sides had not escalated to a blood feud. Even though she had harbored foul intentions, her scheme had been uncovered before succeeding. Escalating into a fight to the death over this was a gamble for both parties; offering satisfactory compensation better served their mutual interests. Yet if Madame Wan discovered his connection to Su Jinxuan, the entire situation would instantly take on a completely different flavor. Therefore, awakening that pathetic succubus would have to be carried out covertly in the shadows. And this was precisely where the trickiest part lay. Though Bai Muxi's thoughts had been influenced that day, her mind had remained fundamentally intact, so she had obediently cooperated with him in purging those foreign impurities. Su Jinxuan, however, was already completely brainwashed and controlled by Madame Wan. Would she cooperate with him? Even if he managed to orchestrate a situation that allowed Ran Qingmo and Bai Muxi to gang up two-on-one in righteous fashion and successfully subdue the succubus, Xu Yuan would not dare pour his Source Qi into her body recklessly. Pathetic though she might be, Su Jinxuan's Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique was the real deal. If he channeled it into her willy-nilly, only to be controlled by Su Jinxuan instead of brainwashed by Madame Wan, that would be quite the joke. A tricky dilemma. *Phew.* Letting out a long exhale, Xu Yuan reined in his thoughts. He currently knew far too little about Madame Wan to construct a comprehensive plan. If all else failed, he would have to wait for people to arrive from Di'an before making a move. Just as the thought crossed his mind, out of the corner of his eye, Xu Yuan suddenly caught sight of a dark figure in the mist at the corner ahead. It appeared abruptly, yet gave the impression of having stood there all along. By the corner of the wall, short—only about a chi tall—resembling a child, yet grotesque and deformed in shape. From where its head ought to be, a pair of ghostly, chilling eyes stared out. Ah... *So that's how it is.* The moment he saw that thing, Xu Yuan suddenly understood everything. Why he had sensed a familiar aura from Madame Wan. Why he could advance his cultivation through Madame Wan's techniques. *Heh.* Along the narrow covered walkway, the tall, slender noble youth in brocade walked at an even pace. And it simply crouched there in utter silence, staring at him, its greedy gaze clinging tightly to his every step. Yet Xu Yuan proceeded as if oblivious, continuing forward at an unhurried stride. *Tap.* *Tap.* In the dim mist, virtually devoid of light, the entire world seemed reduced to nothing more than the occasional drip from the eaves plinking into a puddle. Until, just as he was about to brush past the dark figure, Xu Yuan came to an abrupt halt. Then, inch by inch, he turned his gaze toward this bizarre dark shape. His eyes were deep and dark. Parting his lips slightly, he revealed gleaming white teeth: "Little kid, can I help you?" "......" In a daze— amidst the mist— countless bizarre willow boughs abruptly hung down across the entire corridor, and beneath them dangled innumerable horrifying corpses, swaying faintly in the post-rain breeze...