Hearing this, Wen Pinglan felt a stir in his heart, and he instinctively wanted to blurt out, “Very well.” However, Bai Xiao seemed to change his face entirely, saying, “I am sorry, I have changed my mind again.”
This sudden turn of events left everyone present stunned. With a glint of cunning in his eyes, Bai Xiao continued, “The Demon Lord’s spiritual power within you can only be exchanged for one person’s life. Which one do you want to save?”
When Mo Xian heard this, his heart shrank violently, and his breathing paused involuntarily for a moment. He subconsciously turned his gaze toward Wen Pinglan. At this moment, Wen Pinglan’s expression was grave, and he remained silent, seemingly caught in a difficult dilemma. Sensing his Master’s inner struggle, Mo Xian felt anxious and uneasy.
“Master, why not…” Mo Xian tried to summon the courage to speak, attempting to break the suffocating silence.
However, Wen Pinglan raised a hand to interrupt him, pointed at Ling Rong, and said, “I choose him.”
Ling Rong was stunned for a moment. As for Jiang Ruansheng, his eyes widened, shock and disappointment interweaving in his gaze. Jiang Ruansheng had always felt that he held a special place in his Master’s heart. After all, his Master had gifted him a beautiful jade pendant only yesterday, a privilege “Brother Gou Dan” did not share. He had naturally assumed that Brother Gou Dan had only been able to enter the immortal sect by riding on his coattails. But now, seeing his Master choose Brother Gou Dan without hesitation, his world collapsed.
“Master, why? Why did you not choose me…” Jiang Ruansheng’s voice trembled, and his eyes gradually reddened. “I do not want to die!” Jiang Ruansheng shouted, almost sobbing.
The next second, as if Bai Xiao had seen enough of this farce, a cold sneer curled his lips. He raised a hand to undo the iron chain wrapped around Jiang Ruansheng’s neck, then flicked his sleeve to break the restriction. Like tossing aside a useless object, he threw Jiang Ruansheng away. Before it could be blinked, Wen Pinglan flashed across the space, catching Jiang Ruansheng steadily and holding him in his arms.
This scene happened far too suddenly. Mo Xian was bewildered, and Ling Rong was panicked. Just as everyone was in a state of chaos, Bai Xiao stretched out his long arms, grabbed Ling Rong firmly, tipped his toes, and soared like a goshawk.
Suspended high in the air, he peered down at Wen Pinglan like he was looking at an ant. His face was full of triumph, believing he had checkmated Wen Pinglan.
“Wen Pinglan, listen well! Within three days, you must come to the Demon Realm alone to find me and personally transfer the Demon Lord’s spiritual power to me. If you dare to bring a single soldier, this little disciple will be decapitated!” Bai Xiao said.
Upon finishing, the demonic energy around his body surged, enveloping Ling Rong and instantly transforming into a thick streak of black light, which vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Mo Xian’s eyes burned with rage. Without a second thought, he raised his sword and flew forward, intent on chasing the villain to take Ling Rong back. However, he had barely darted a few paces before Wen Pinglan reached out and held him firmly back.
At this moment, Jiang Ruansheng’s face was as pale as paper, his body shivering uncontrollably as he clung tightly to Wen Pinglan, clearly terrified out of his wits by what had just occurred.
“Master, why do you stop me? How can I watch that demon kidnap a new disciple?” Mo Xian’s eyes were red.
Wen Pinglan’s expression remained grave as he said, “Mo Xian, you must remain calm. Bai Xiao is a man of many tricks, sinister and cunning. Since he dared to kidnap a new disciple in public, he must have made thorough preparations. If we chase blindly, we will not only fail to save the new disciple, but we will also place him in even greater danger.”
With that, he gently patted the back of Jiang Ruansheng, who was in his arms, and whispered comfortingly, “Do not be afraid, I am here.”
Hearing this, Mo Xian was stunned, as if he had detected something from his Master’s words and expression.
“Master, you… could it be that you anticipated that no matter whom you chose, that demon would take away whomever you selected?” Mo Xian asked in disbelief.
Wen Pinglan nodded slightly, his expression despondent, “That is why I said he is a man of deep machinations and unpredictable actions.”
Hearing this, a rush of blood surged in Mo Xian’s heart. He took a step back and said in a daze, “So… from the very beginning, you never intended to save the other disciple, did you?!”
Mo Xian finally understood. Wen Pinglan’s choice of Ling Rong was clearly intended to use him as a shield! It was evident that Wen Pinglan had mistaken Jiang Ruansheng for Ling Rong!
“Master, do you realize…” Mo Xian started to blurt out Ling Rong’s identity.
Wen Pinglan interrupted him, “Within three days, I shall go to the Demon Realm to keep the appointment and rescue that disciple.”
Inside the Demon Palace, the air was filled with a nauseating scent of blood and decay.
“Let me go!” Ling Rong yelled at the top of his lungs, struggling fiercely. Taking advantage of a moment of Bai Xiao’s negligence, he lowered his head and bit down hard on Bai Xiao’s hand.
“Ah! You wretched thing!” Bai Xiao felt the pain, a savage look flashing across his face. Enraged, he threw Ling Rong away. Ling Rong lost his balance and fell heavily onto the cold floor with a muffled groan.
Bai Xiao was embarrassed and angry, fierce malice appearing in his eyes. He raised his hand to channel his magic. Instantly, the black chain wrapped around Ling Rong’s neck tightened.
“Ugh.” Ling Rong struggled desperately, his hands pulling at the chain, his feet kicking on the ground, but the chain showed no signs of loosening. His face turned from red to purple, and his breathing became increasingly difficult, each gasp accompanied by a painful whimper.
Just as Ling Rong’s eyes rolled back and he was on the verge of suffocation, Bai Xiao suddenly stopped his magic, and the chain loosened instantly. Ling Rong gasped for air.
“Hmph, you little brat, this is the price for angering me! You are still too green to dare cross me!” Bai Xiao looked down at Ling Rong with a sneer.
Ling Rong, with teary eyes and his neck stiff, said fearlessly, “If you dare treat me like this, my parents will not let you off! My brother will also make you pay for your blood debts!”
Hearing this, Bai Xiao was stunned for a moment, then looked up and laughed aloud. “Hahahaha, you will not let me off? Relying on your wretched parents and brother? What can they do to me?”
Bai Xiao slowly squatted down, reached out, and gripped Ling Rong’s chin like an eagle’s claw, forcing him to lift his head so they could look each other in the eye. “Oh? Tell me, how are they going to not let me off?”
Although his chin was squeezed in pain, Ling Rong gritted his teeth and glared at Bai Xiao, his eyes showing no sign of backing down.
Suddenly, Bai Xiao seemed to notice something unusual, and a flash of suspicion crossed his eyes. “Yo, something is wrong. You actually have the aura of a disguise spell on you? It seems you little brat are not simple.”
“What disguise spell?” Ling Rong did not understand and struggled to twist his head to break free from Bai Xiao’s grip.
“Still pretending? Do not think I cannot see it,” Bai Xiao sneered, his eyes filled with contempt. He waved his hand, and a black light flashed, shooting straight toward Ling Rong.
In an instant, a strange light radiated from Ling Rong’s body. As the light gradually dissipated, his appearance began to change. When Ling Rong’s true face was completely revealed, Bai Xiao’s smile instantly froze on his face. He stood frozen for a moment, then suddenly crawled and scrambled backward several steps, screaming in absolute terror, “De- Demon Lord! It is actually, it is actually you!”