019 Ye Yin Makes a Dazzling Entrance.
The Dipper Inn was located in the Demon Realm, a land inherently turbulent by nature. With the Devilfolk and demonic beasts possessing violent temperaments, coupled with the increasingly diverse crowd flowing through the Demon Realm Capital in recent years, occasional clashes with drawn swords and bared blades were commonplace, and the inn’s patrons had grown accustomed to such scenes.
But no one had ever witnessed a spectacle like this.
Six burly men dangled from the pillars of the Dipper Inn, their thick limbs stretched out and stiffly contorted into bizarre, grotesque poses.
Standing before them was a girl in purple robes, her appearance delicate and charming, her head tilted upward as she observed the oddly positioned brutes. The lanterns hanging from the rafters cast a glow in her eyes, making her gaze all the more lively.
Noticing something amiss, she frowned slightly—
“Who’s slacking off? First row, third from the left! Why have you stopped moving?”
…The image of a pure, sweet, fairy-like maiden instantly shattered.
Nan Yao brandished her sword like a city wall guard, patrolling from left to right and back again. Whenever she spotted someone idling, she’d lift her sword to lightly poke the sole of their foot. The offender would then scramble upward like a monkey climbing a tree, flustered and humiliated, forced into an even more awkward posture.
Perhaps tired from all the pacing, Nan Yao dragged a chair over and sat before the men. Cradling a cup brimming with Jade Nectar, she drank leisurely while earnestly admonishing them, “You must understand—this isn’t punishment. It’s an opportunity to guide your hearts toward the light. Don’t you agree?”
In such a predicament, who would dare disagree? They wailed in unison, “Yes!”
“Will you grope young girls again?”
“No!”
“Will you force their elder sisters to drink anymore?”
“No!”
“Do you truly mean these words?”
“We do!”
“Very well.” Nan Yao set her cup aside. “Come here, sign your confessions, and then write a letter of penitence to wear on your backs for three days without removing it. Then we’ll consider this matter closed.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the six burly men wriggled down from the pillars, meekly lining up before Nan Yao to receive brushes, ink, and paper. Then, bending over tables with their rear ends in the air, they began sniveling as they penned their confessions.
Spectacular.
Absolutely spectacular.
The rest of the onlookers in the Dipper Inn had even forgotten their meals. Some of the female servers, in particular, felt a surge of satisfaction. After all, these hardened Devilfolk veterans had long relied on their high cultivation and seniority in the Demon Realm to stir up trouble everywhere. Many women serving tea in the inn had suffered their harassment, not to mention ordinary Cultivators merely passing through.
But by doing this, Nan Yao had thoroughly humiliated these veterans.
Some fellow Devilfolk veterans, displeased by the scene, exchanged glances. Their eyes shifted shrewdly, hands stealthily reaching toward their waists as if preparing to strike from the shadows.
Butterfly Blades.
Nearly every veteran carried these concealed blades—standard-issue hidden weapons distributed by the Demonic Arms Division. Forged with the souls of Soul-Tethering Butterflies, they flew with the force of a gale, never missing their mark.
Those with substantial cultivation wouldn’t be gravely wounded by the blades themselves. But the edges were coated with a venom that, once it seeped into the marrow, would flay a victim alive even if it didn’t kill them.
As if sharing a single mind, the Devilfolk veterans slowly gripped the Butterfly Blades at their waists. Their cold, sinister gazes shifted toward Nan Yao, fingers tightening on the hilts as they drew the blades out inch by inch.
Suddenly, the surrounding air seemed to freeze for an instant.
Something was wrong!
The Devilfolk suddenly sensed something amiss. They glanced around warily, but before they could react, an invisible blade of energy sliced through the air with lightning speed, striking directly at their wrists.
In an instant, nearly ten Devilfolk surrounding Nan Yao had deep, bone-exposing wounds carved into their wrists. Blood gushed out immediately, and the Butterfly Blades at their waists fell to the ground, shattering into dust upon impact.
How could this be?
Who did this?
One of them endured the pain and looked toward Nan Yao’s direction.
Nan Yao was supervising the six Devilfolk who had violated masculine virtues, making them write letters of repentance.
It wasn’t her… then…
Their gazes slowly shifted to the man beside Nan Yao.
The man hadn’t intervened in the matters around him from the very beginning.
When the Devil General was getting handsy with Nan Yao, he was eating; when the Devil General was being beaten up by Nan Yao, he was drinking soup; when the Devil General was performing some inexplicable pole dance, he was cracking melon seeds. In summary, this man seemed completely indifferent to the girl.
But at some point, the man’s movements halted. He blew the melon seed crumbs off his sleeve, seemingly aware that someone was watching him, and raised his eyes to meet the Devil General’s gaze.
He didn’t flinch, appearing casual, yet his gaze was like icy rain, cold and piercing. Seeing the Devil General looking at him, he curled his lips into a smile and slowly raised his hand, giving them the middle finger.
“Did someone just try to ambush me?” Nan Yao asked, noticing that the group had nearly finished writing their confessions. She rubbed the back of her head in confusion. “Huh? I clearly sensed killing intent earlier. Why has no one made a move?”
…She had even planned to pretend to be injured later to extort more money.
Xie Diao withdrew his gaze and looked at Nan Yao with a smile. “Take a guess.”
Nan Yao: “…” I don’t want to guess. Don’t tell me you saved me. It should be a touching story, but why does my wallet feel a little terrified? You blocked my path to wealth. You ruined my chances of making money.
But whether she guessed or not, she had to face reality, because as soon as Nan Yao turned around, she saw a large group of miserable Devilfolk clutching their arms and wailing, desperately infusing Spiritual Power into their wounds to stop the bleeding.
Nan Yao crouched in front of them, carefully observing for a while, and noticed the dust of the Butterfly Blades on the ground.
This thing is poisonous.
She clutched her chest in belated fear and quickly waved to the Dipper Inn attendant. “Come here, come here!”
The attendant had already figured out who the most terrifying person in the entire inn was. He scurried over and respectfully asked, “What can I do for you, miss?”
“Bring me an abacus.”
“?”
Nan Yao: Money! It’s all about the money!
So Nan Yao crouched in front of the wailing, miserable Devilfolk, fiddling with the abacus and making random calculations. After a moment of thought, she stroked her chin and declared, “For ordinary malicious assault, I usually charge one thousand Spirit Stones per person. But your Butterfly Blades are poisonous, so this counts as a severe assault. The compensation should be doubled, right? So… three thousand Spirit Stones per person!”
Damn it.
Damn it, damn it, damn it.
The Devilfolk cried their hearts out.
We haven’t even made a move! We’re the ones lying on the ground!
As if hearing their thoughts, Nan Yao confidently added, “Attempted murder is still a crime.”
After completing all this, Nan Yao patted her skirt and stood up, returning to her seat. She glanced at Xie Diao beside her, who had been staring at her, then patted her chest with a righteous air: “Don’t worry, all the money I earn from them will go to you!”
Qi Guyuan and Yu Chichi were clearly accustomed to this.
They didn’t even hide in corners worrying and trembling like before, but instead very naturally continued sitting at the table eating and drinking.
Though while feasting, they felt a slight twinge of guilt.
Damn it, they had completely transformed into a villainous organization.
Tang Shaoling, hiding nearby, trembled as he sobbed into the Communication Talisman to Xiao Wuji: “Senior brother, save me… Th-the Demon Realm is going to be wiped out by them!”
Xiao Wuji: […]
Tang Shaoling wiped his tears and returned to his seat.
Nan Yao was counting money.
Xie Diao was watching Nan Yao count money.
The two hangers-on were feasting.
Everyone was harmonious, as if nothing had happened.
Just then, a bell rang from the top floor of Dipper Inn. The bell’s echo lingered, carrying a gentle yet abundant spiritual power within its sound.
The cranes resting by the lake took flight, surging toward the top level of Dipper Inn. Moments later, the cranes returned carrying red invitations in their beaks, dispersing to deliver the invitations to the guests within the inn. Some cranes flew away with invitations, heading to unknown destinations.
[Those who obtain this invitation are qualified to participate in the Spirit Fighting Competition. Please proceed to the Profound Darkness Hall in the Demon Realm Capital tomorrow at noon.]
*
Noon, Profound Darkness Hall.
“Welcome, Demon Lord.”
Ye Yin removed his blue wolf cloak and casually handed it to a nearby attendant. He glanced at the elderly man before him and reached out to help him up: “There’s no need for such courtesy, Xuanxu Zhanglao.”
The Profound Darkness Hall stood five stories tall.
The entire wall of the top floor was crafted from the God-Peering Mirror, capable of observing every change within Profound Darkness Hall.
According to Nan Yuqing, it was equivalent to 24-hour surveillance.
Every year, the human realm held two Spirit Fighting Competitions.
One in summer, one in winter.
Used to select the most outstanding among the younger generation across the three realms.
This year’s competition was being held in the Demon Realm, with representatives from all three realms serving as presiding elders. The presiding elders would strictly monitor the competition’s progress, ensuring fair scoring for each contestant.
For each competition, at least one of the three rulers must serve as presiding elder.
First, to guarantee the competition’s fairness and justice.
Second, to maintain order and prevent unexpected incidents.
Naturally, since this year’s Spirit Fighting Competition was in the Demon Realm Capital, the one taking this position would be Ye Yin.
Ye Yin seemed uninterested.
But this was normal. Although few in the three realms had truly seen Ye Yin’s actual appearance, everyone knew he had a violent and lazy temperament.
While Xuanxu Zhanglao enthusiastically introduced this year’s outstanding youths to him, he lounged on the Demon Lord’s soft couch yawning.
“Xiao Wuji from the Immortal Realm! This young man comes from a prestigious family, has won multiple championships in the Immortal Realm’s disciple competitions, embodies righteous principles, and has eliminated countless evil spirits. He’s the most promising candidate to obtain the Soulslay Blade this year.”
“He Jian from the Demon Realm! Might the Demon Lord have heard of him? A year ago, he consecutively defeated thirty-three Demonic Soldier Death Generals, becoming temporarily invincible and unmatched. But recently… well, never mind, it’s not worth mentioning.”
Xuanxu Zhanglao adjusted the God-Peering Mirror to focus on another person, zooming in further. “And her… Huh? Why is it Nan Yao?”
Ye Yin’s eyes snapped open.
Nan Yao?
Ignoring Xuanxu Zhanglao’s incessant muttering beside him, he rolled off the demonic couch and strode to the God-Peering Mirror in three quick steps.
Inside the mirror, Nan Yao was chatting with Yu Chichi. Hearing what seemed to be an amusing joke, she burst into laughter, her shoulders trembling slightly, appearing charming and adorable.
Ye Yin: …
Ye Yin: (Sobbing) My daughter, so cute, my daughter is adorable.
Ye Yin: My daughter came to participate in the Spirit Fighting Competition, my daughter is amazing, my daughter will take first place!
Ye Yin: …Wait, who’s that wild man next to my precious daughter?
Ye Yin: My precious daughter is smiling at him?
Ye Yin: I’ll kill him.
Author’s Note:
Ye Yin’s Scoring Manual:
Nan Yao: Beautiful name +100 points
Xie Diao: Is male -1000 points
PS: Given Ye Yin’s biased scoring, the executive elders have secretly decided to invalidate all his scores for this competition.
Next chapter VIP access: Watch Ye Yin serve as a fair and impartial judge. Red envelopes will be distributed within 24 hours for the first four chapters before VIP access.