“Heh heh, if you want to know the truth behind the extermination of your entire family, why go through all that trouble?”
The raspy voice within his sea of consciousness carried a sinister, seductive undertone.
“As long as you sign a contract with me and grant me half of your body, this old man can get you into the forbidden grounds of the back mountain.”
“No, more than that; I can make you the peak power of the cultivation world within three years!”
The unremarkable jade pendant at Huo Yan’s waist flickered several times as a clump of pitch-black mist suddenly drifted before his eyes.
The black mist spoke eerily, “When your great vengeance is finally exacted, whatever you desire, whether it be power or beauties, they will be yours for the taking.”
“How many people in this world crave such a profitable bargain? It is just half a body; it will not cost your life. Why is young friend Huo so obstinate?”
Huo Yan sat in meditation with his eyes closed, offering no reaction.
Naturally, he would not believe the one-sided words of this remnant soul.
When Huo Yan first bought the jade pendant from an obscure roadside stall in the black market, the remnant soul inside had been gloating, thinking it had found the perfect vessel for resurrection.
Little did it know that Huo Yan had already awakened. Not only did he know its shameful identity as a member of the Demon Race, but he had even bought it intentionally.
Huo Yan intended to use it, feigning ignorance to make the entity believe he knew nothing.
He addressed it as “Senior” with every breath, acting respectfully and successfully lowering the remnant soul’s guard.
With just one look, the remnant soul knew this youth possessed Great Providence.
To better control Huo Yan, it had once proposed that Huo Yan take it as his master, only to be sternly rejected by Huo Yan on the grounds that he “already had a Master.”
Heh! The righteous sects were as stagnant and decadent as ever.
In the past, it was only marriage; now, even in apprenticeship, one could only have one master. They were not like the Demon Race, who acted according to their whims, free and unrestrained.
Though frustrated by the failed apprenticeship, the remnant soul still gave Huo Yan several opportunities and secret cultivation methods.
It had no choice. Currently, it was merely a parasitic fragment of a soul. It could do nothing without the consent of the body’s owner, and “Soul Possession” was a mere fantasy given its lack of strength.
Its current plan was to help Huo Yan grow stronger, recuperate, and then seek an opportunity to seize Huo Yan’s body in one fell swoop when he was off-guard.
Claiming it would only take “half” was nothing more than a ruse to coax Huo Yan. The moment the body was in its hands, it would kill the young man.
If this plan succeeded, it could smoothly unify the Three Realms and fulfill its lifelong ambition.
Huo Yan pretended to be oblivious to the remnant soul’s thoughts, though he sneered inwardly. One must realize that a true hunter often appears in the guise of prey.
While the remnant soul plotted how to seize his body and providence, Huo Yan was also extracting the remnant soul’s value step by step. Once the remnant soul became useless to him, nothing but cold-blooded eradication awaited it.
However, when the remnant soul suggested taking action against Xian Yuzhu, Huo Yan’s killing intent toward the soul rose to another level.
He cared for this Junior Brother a bit more than others, but not by much. Xian Yuzhu was like a smooth-furred, high-and-mighty young fox raised within the sect.
The fox was beautiful and cute, but had a foul temper. When in a good mood, he was willing to brush against you with his tail; when in a bad mood, he would claw at anyone passing by, and Huo Yan would get two vicious claws.
Huo Yan had been scratched several times, drawing blood every time. He would get angry, but he was not cruel enough to take the young fox’s life.
Moreover, this Junior Brother of his was an extremely interesting person, arguably one of the few sources of amusement in Huo Yan’s dark and damp life.
Yuzhu possessed a soul-snatching beauty but lacked any brains. Yet, he loved to provoke Huo Yan, jumping up and down in front of him with all his might.
He would cry when beaten or defeated. When he realized Huo Yan did not pity his tears, he would become sharp-tongued, biting, and heartless.
He never learned his lesson, never understood boundaries, and changed his face faster than turning the pages of a book.
This kind of stupid, beautiful, pitiful, naive, pampered, and unreasonable creature would be devoured whole within three days if he ever left the shelter of his sect and the protection of his elders.
The countless surrounding malice and covetousness, the endless teasing and toys, would cause this high-and-mighty, precious, and arrogant young master from the ivory tower to completely break down.
Xian Yuzhu would be terrified; he would be scared; he would weep. He looked beautiful when he shed tears, making one unable to resist the urge to control him, to bully him, and to see him cry even harder.
When that time comes, who could possibly save him?
Since Huo Yan had awakened, he knew the future trajectory of the cultivation world. Not long ago, the Sect Leader of the Yuxian Sect encountered an error in his cultivation, and heart demons entered his body. That great powerhouse seemed to know his days were numbered.
The Demon Realm was watching like a tiger stalking its prey, undercurrents were surging among the eight great sects, and the world was destined for chaos.
Yuzhu’s fate was like duckweed amidst giant waves. As a Sect Leader and a father, he hid his state from everyone and went into a rushed secluded cultivation, doing everything in his power to arrange everything for Yuzhu.
Even after making full preparations, he remained uneasy. He specifically entrusted his only son to his most upright and trustworthy Chief Disciple.
The future of the cultivation world belonged to the youth. No matter how capable the old fogies in the Yuxian Sect were, they could not protect Yuzhu for a lifetime. But Huo Yan could.
A Chief Disciple with Great Providence, the son of an old friend who repaid kindness, he was the guardian he had handpicked for Yuzhu.
It is said that human hearts are fickle. The Sect Leader of the Yuxian Sect did not force Huo Yan to protect his son in every minute detail; he merely requested him as a senior:
“A-Yan, Yuzhu has been spoiled by me. If he causes trouble in the future, or falls into danger, I hope you can, for the sake of our master-disciple relationship, discipline him more and lend a helping hand when necessary.”
The father knew clearly how many people coveted Xian Yuzhu. He also knew that once his protection was gone, the countless humans, demons, and monsters of the Three Realms would surely lose no time in reaching out their wicked hands toward Yuzhu.
He only hoped Huo Yan could help Yuzhu withstand a blow or two.
Huo Yan stared into the Sect Leader’s aged eyes and suddenly thought of his own deceased parents. He remained silent for a moment, then agreed.
The remnant soul was unaware of all this, so it did not understand why Huo Yan indulged Xian Yuzhu so much. Huo Yan would not let it touch Yuzhu, nor would he agree to sign the contract. With no progress in its grand plan, it could only snort in anger and retreat back into the jade pendant.
After an unknown amount of time, there was a rustle and a bustle. There was a movement outside the window, which quickly vanished.
Huo Yan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze deep and eerie. His strength was far beyond the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm he currently displayed; thus, his divine sense was incredibly vast.
Watching the several figures acting suspiciously at the gate of his courtyard, what else was there for Huo Yan to not understand? Yuzhu’s movements were faster than he had anticipated; it seemed the boy truly could not endure even a moment.
With no outsiders present, Huo Yan did not hide his true nature. Upon his handsome face with thick brows and deep eyes, there was an indescribable coldness and gloom.
He seemed to be anticipating, anticipating the pitiful look on a certain brainless fool’s face when he was caught after setting a trap.
“Xian Yuzhu,” Huo Yan murmured softly, the pleasant name rolling off his thin lips. He let out a soft, malicious chuckle. “All of this, you brought upon yourself.”
Inside the room, the man leaned against the window, watching expressionlessly as those disciples discussed outside the courtyard how to harm him and frame him. They even thoughtfully used a Recording Stone to document it.
Huo Yan knew these cultivators did not actually have a grudge against him; they were doing all this just to please Yuzhu.
Huo Yan did not care about the malice of others. However, as someone who usually lacked interest in anything, he actually felt a faint sense of anticipation for what would happen tomorrow.
At the thought of Xian Yuzhu standing before him with a face full of shock and misery after suffering a major blow, Huo Yan felt his desire for mischief and his innate wickedness completely satisfied.
“Yuzhu, do not let Senior Brother be disappointed in you.”
Huo Yan withdrew his gaze and closed the window tightly. Did Master not ask him to help look after this ignorant Junior Brother?
Coincidentally, his deeply hidden true nature needed someone to face it directly.
Yuzhu, Yuzhu. He was like his name: Fine Jade and Pearl. Both were treasures that needed polishing to shine brilliantly.
His naive, stupid, pampered, and beautiful Junior Brother; he would not let go, and he certainly would not soften his heart.
Yuzhu could only pray that Huo Yan would show some indulgence toward his actions.