Volume 1, Chapter 241 – Yue Xiuwen

Seeing the purple Demon-Suppressing Token at the newcomer’s waist, everyone from the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect changed expression. Even the gray-robed elder leading them did not dare say another word.

With a Demon-Suppressing Marshal standing right before them, if they dared speak rashly again or show the slightest disrespect toward the Demon-Suppressing Army, they could very well be killed on the spot.

A Demon-Suppressing Marshal was at the very least a Heaven-Man Realm existence above the fourth stage. He was simply no match.

More importantly, if he came into conflict with the Demon-Suppressing Army, the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect would absolutely not stand on his side.

“We have no objections. We will take our leave now. Let’s go.”

The gray-robed elder shook his head, cupped his hands in salute, gestured for Fang Chan to help Shi Feng up, then sent out a strand of the power of the laws to support everyone behind him and departed with them.

Their movements were nearly soundless, completely unlike the aggressive manner in which they had arrived.

Watching Shi Feng and the others leave, Shi Lan once again activated Heaven’s Eye Qi-Sight.

The chain between her and Shi Feng was already covered in cracks, tottering on the verge of collapse. It breaking apart was only a matter of time.

At least today had not been for nothing.

This confrontation could be counted as drawing a not entirely satisfactory close.

As for how Shi Feng’s attitude toward her would change afterward, Shi Lan did not want to dwell on it. Better to let things take their natural course.

After steadying her thoughts, Shi Lan stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said,

“Many thanks, Marshal, for resolving the situation.”

“There is no need to thank me. Those of the Demon-Suppressing Army may not all return safely from the battlefield, but at the very least, among our own human race, no one may bully them.”

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The Demon-Suppressing Marshal shook his head, looked around once, then lifted a finger. In an instant, space was cut off again, and another barrier spread open.

Everyone nearby was forced back once more, including Wu Lingkong.

In the blink of an eye, only Shi Lan and the Demon-Suppressing Marshal remained within the barrier.

Seeing this, Shi Lan understood that this suddenly arriving Demon-Suppressing Marshal had probably not just happened to be passing by. He had come with a purpose.

“Shi Lan, I have already looked into most of what you have experienced since joining the Demon-Suppressing Army. I came today because there are some things I want to ask you, and I hope you will answer truthfully.”

“Please ask, Marshal.”

Shi Lan gathered herself and listened attentively, though she could not help feeling a little uneasy.

“My surname is Yue, given name Xiuwen. I serve under General Yunchen. When you first joined the Demon-Suppressing Army, your direct superior was Centurion Huangfu Yun. By the chain of command, that makes you one of my direct subordinates as well.”

Hearing the familiar name Huangfu Yun once more, Shi Lan immediately felt a wave of complicated emotion. The memories of when she had first joined the Demon-Suppressing Army were not ones she liked to revisit.

That had been the first time since coming to the Lingyang Realm that she had truly understood what it felt like to lose someone.

Seeing the complicated look on Shi Lan’s face, Yue Xiuwen quickly moved past the subject and continued,

“There was nothing particularly unusual about your first year in the Demon-Suppressing Army. Though there was some suspicion of fearing demons and avoiding battle when you were evading the demon vanguard, given your circumstances at the time, that was understandable enough. But what happened afterward is much more interesting.”

Yue Xiuwen looked at Shi Lan meaningfully and said slowly, “After you were assigned under Bai Weiyang, you took part in that great battle a year ago, got caught in the spatial turbulence of the Shattering Void Jade, and then disappeared.”

Shi Lan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but for a moment she did not know where to begin.

“The day before yesterday, I used my authority as a Demon-Suppressing Marshal to investigate your movements during that time through the Human Race Chronicle.”

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Seeing the gradual changes in Shi Lan’s expression, a trace of interest flashed through Yue Xiuwen’s amber-clear eyes.

“Can you tell me how you managed to survive safely in the depths of the Boundless Demon Domain, and how you returned to the Vast Land of Shenzhou?”

“This…”

What Yue Xiuwen had asked instantly threw Shi Lan off balance. When she had returned from the Boundless Demon Domain, Bai Weiyang had not questioned her much at all. She had assumed the matter had simply been left at that.

Now it seemed she had been far too naive. The Demon-Suppressing Token could track her movements. There was no way to conceal that she had gone to the Boundless Demon Domain.

And although it had been a whim at the time, she had indeed founded the Lan Clan in the demon domain. Now she was still the leader of a clan that commanded hundreds of thousands of demons.

Shi Lan unconsciously raised her hand and covered her right arm, her palm pressing over the green lotus mark.

She definitely could not tell the truth. Whether it was the Lan Clan or the existence of Reincarnation, none of it could be exposed.

Once exposed, she would likely meet no good end.

Thoughts raced through Shi Lan’s mind. A few breaths later, she had settled on an answer and carefully told a partially true version of events.

After some embellishment, Shi Lan’s experiences in the Boundless Demon Domain became nothing more than an accident.

The turbulence from the Shattering Void Jade had swept her into the Boundless Demon Domain, and after struggling to survive there for more than half a year, she had happened to encounter the emergence of a human Sovereign Weapon. With that Sovereign Weapon’s aid, she had finally been able to return to the Vast Land of Shenzhou.

It sounded somewhat unreal, but in broad terms it was still a coherent explanation.

“A human Sovereign Weapon emerged in the Boundless Demon Domain?”

Shi Lan’s answer had clearly surprised Yue Xiuwen.

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“That’s right.”

Invoking Wu Xu was a move born of necessity. Aside from that, Shi Lan could think of no other reason to explain how she had returned safely to the Vast Land of Shenzhou.

“After that Sovereign Weapon emerged, where did it go?” Yue Xiuwen pressed with a frown.

“This… this subordinate does not know.”

Shi Lan was not lying. She truly had no idea where Wu Xu had gone after emerging.

Hearing that, Yue Xiuwen fell into thought for a moment.

In truth, Yue Xiuwen had not harbored much suspicion toward Shi Lan to begin with, because during the period she had been in the Boundless Demon Domain, her battle merits had still been increasing, and at a very rapid rate at that. It was obvious she had hunted down a great many demon beasts.

After hearing Shi Lan’s explanation, Yue Xiuwen had even fewer doubts. If one stayed in the Boundless Demon Domain for long enough, it was perfectly normal for some demonic qi to cling to the body.

What truly mattered was the emergence of this Sovereign Weapon. That was no trivial matter and had to be handled with great caution.

A Sovereign Weapon was no longer just a simple weapon. Bearing the lifelong Dao imprints of a Sovereign, if it were to unleash its full power, it would be almost equivalent to a Sovereign making a personal move. Its might simply could not be measured.

If that Sovereign Weapon was also in Chengtian Domain, then the current grim situation would effectively resolve itself.

With the aid of a Sovereign Weapon, the demon race currently ravaging Chengtian Domain would be crushed utterly, like dry leaves before a storm.

…

Seeing that Yue Xiuwen was no longer asking questions, Shi Lan gradually relaxed. It seemed she had managed to get through this test.

After a while, Yue Xiuwen came back to himself, flipped a hand, and took out a brocade pouch, handing it to Shi Lan.

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“The demonic qi clinging to you can easily lead others to misunderstand. This little thing can suppress that aura and spare you unnecessary trouble.”

If Shi Lan had not revealed that unusual aura in the Battle Merit Hall the day before yesterday, Yue Xiuwen would not have made this trip personally.

Shi Lan froze for a moment and raised a hand to accept it. She had not even known that she was carrying demonic qi on her.

But after a second thought, the root of the Lan Clan’s totem was branded onto her body itself. A bit of demonic qi on her was hardly surprising.

Once Shi Lan had accepted the brocade pouch, Yue Xiuwen raised a hand and undid the barrier around them. He said nothing further, opened a spatial passage, and left directly.

After glancing at the ruins around her, Shi Lan looked toward the distant main gate of the Shi Residence and let out a soft sigh. These people never came or went by the front gate. It was as if gates were merely decorations.

For those overwhelmingly powerful experts, let alone this little gate, even an active flight-restricting formation would be nothing but a joke.

The strong had never followed rules laid down by the weak. In the end, though, it was simply because her own strength was insufficient. She could blame no one else.

Shi Lan let out a light breath, and a changing light flickered in her clear eyes.

If one day she stood at the absolute peak of the world, she would definitely build a gate that no one could cross at will.

“Lan’er, what exactly happened here?”

Su Lanyue walked to Shi Lan’s side and carefully looked her over. Only after confirming that she showed no sign of injury did she finally relax.

Looking at Su Lanyue, Shi Lan suddenly felt a trace of worry. If Shi Feng were to tell Su Lanyue or Shi Tianlu the truth, would she lose this pure, untainted affection?