Chapter 230: You're Afraid of Me, Aren't You?!

Ling Xiaoyou hadn’t run far before she heard the sound of fierce combat erupting behind her. Even the buildings trembled slightly under the clash, as if they might collapse at any moment.

She took a deep breath and didn’t look back to check on Bai Shuanglian. She was still within the range of the magic arts’ influence, and could only hear the sounds of battle behind her and feel the tremors around her.

Besides, Bai Shuanglian had said she would handle this enemy. Since that was the case, Ling Xiaoyou naturally chose to trust her. After all, Bai Shuanglian was incredibly strong—even if that enemy started burning their own life force, they still wouldn’t stand a chance against her.

‘With that thought in mind, she picked up her pace once more.’

Under her full-speed sprint, she quickly crossed the pitch-black corridor and saw light again.

Then, Ling Xiaoyou froze.

What lay before her was a space of seemingly immeasurable vastness—a space like a starry universe. Complex and profound runes and formation patterns formed spheres of light, both large and small, scattered throughout this space, shimmering like stars reflecting off one another.

And at the very center where all these stars converged, there was a dirt-yellow object shaped like a heart, pulsating ceaselessly.

The instant she laid eyes on it, a name instinctively surfaced in Ling Xiaoyou’s mind.

The Earth Vein Heart!

‘So the Earth Vein Heart really wasn’t misnamed—it really does look like a heart!’

Ling Xiaoyou marveled inwardly, quickly shaking herself out of the shock of seeing this space for the first time.

But suddenly, she noticed something troubling.

Although most of those light spheres remained bright, some had clearly dimmed considerably, as if they had reached the end of a star’s lifespan, no longer shining.

But before Ling Xiaoyou could ponder what this meant, she heard footsteps approaching from the side, accompanied by a somewhat gentle voice.

“Didn’t expect the Regulatory Division to have decent brains. Figuring out my goal this quickly.”

That gentle voice, paired with a mocking tone, struck Ling Xiaoyou as extremely dissonant.

Still, she reacted swiftly, assuming a combat stance. A longbow materialized in her hands, a pitch-black arrow nocked and ready on the string.

Then, she looked toward the source of the voice and saw a young man—no older than fifteen or sixteen—emerge from the dark space. His steps landed on the space itself, sending ripples spreading outward like water.

Glancing at the young man’s distinctly human appearance, then at his attire resembling medieval European nobility, Ling Xiaoyou furrowed her brows and asked:

“Are you human? Why are you here? Or… are you actually working with the devils?”

It wasn’t that Ling Xiaoyou hadn’t considered whether this young man was a devil in disguise.

But under normal circumstances, devils disguised as humans always had a subtle sense of wrongness—like a burly, hulking brute stuffed into a go-kart. At least every disguised devil Ling Xiaoyou had encountered gave off that kind of cramped, constrained feeling.

But this young man gave her no such impression at all.

Aside from his clothes being a bit odd—like a cosplayer who wandered out of a convention—he looked completely human. Even more human than Ling Xiaoyou herself, since she sometimes ended up in rather unsettling states due to her yin spirits, like her eyes glowing red.

“Me? Human?”

Noticing Ling Xiaoyou’s scrutinizing gaze, the young man couldn’t help but look down at his own body, then let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

“Heh. I guess I really have been mingling in the human world for too long—my speech habits have already merged with theirs. Now that I’m using a human-looking avatar, I’m being mistaken for a human entirely.”

Ling Xiaoyou’s expression shifted.

She realized she’d misjudged him.

He truly wasn’t human. And from his tone and words, he’d spent a long time in the human world and could even create avatars with considerable strength.

Although she couldn’t sense his exact cultivation realm, Ling Xiaoyou could intuitively tell that his strength far exceeded her own.

And yet, this level of power was only an avatar—and judging by his tone, not even an important one at that.

Just how strong was his true body?

Immense power, a long history in the human world, and a fondness for European noble attire…

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Ling Xiaoyou. A name almost escaped her lips.

Demon Grand Duke, Weisasi!

‘Yes! Who else would he trust to carry out a plan like this other than himself?’

‘That means the reason his true body attacked the Xuantian Martial Tournament was to hold back those mighty figures, so his avatar could accomplish the true goal here at the Earth Vein Heart—spreading the Bomb Virus throughout all of Eastern Radiance through it.’

“Oh? Looks like you’ve figured out my identity. You’re quite sharp. Could it be that the Regulatory Division never actually discovered my plan, and it was really you?”

Weisasi noticed the serious expression on Ling Xiaoyou’s face, raised an eyebrow with interest, and rubbed his chin as he spoke:

“In that case, I wasn’t wrong after all. The Regulatory Division and the Exorcists Association are about the same—one misuses its people, the other misjudges them. Quite a fitting match.”

Hearing the Demon Grand Duke’s nonchalant tone, Ling Xiaoyou’s heart grew even heavier.

The opponent standing before her now was Demon Grand Duke Weisasi.

Even if he was only an avatar, even if the restriction suppressed this avatar to no higher than the Yin General realm, she still lacked confidence.

After all, this was a devil among devils—a demon duke qualified to contend for the throne of the Lord of Hell.

Even if his power was suppressed to what might be his weakest state, the myriad magic arts and skills he commanded were still far beyond what a youngling like Ling Xiaoyou could handle!

“Scared?”

Weisasi was like an old man weathered by countless storms—his youthful appearance couldn’t hide his wisdom and insight.

“If you’re scared, then just leave. I don’t feel like attacking you right now. If you leave while I’m still in a good mood, I might just spare your life.”

Hearing Weisasi speak as if she weren’t even worth his attention, Ling Xiaoyou didn’t really get angry.

After all, he was a major figure in hell, and she was merely a small genius with some renown among her peers. It was only natural for him to look down on her.

But still…

Ling Xiaoyou met Weisasi’s gaze and spoke slowly, one word at a time:

“Scared? I’m not. Quite the opposite, actually.”

“I feel like… you’re the one who’s scared.”