You and your people are requisitioned.

In the city of Qulin.

The young man strode directly toward the fortune-selling Daoist, while the passersby instinctively made way for him. Yet their gazes never lingered on his solemn face, as if they were entirely unaware of his presence.

Pushing through the crowd, the young man stopped before Chu Xingchen. The people behind him showed only a fleeting expression of confusion at his sudden appearance before resuming their quiet stance in the distance.

Chu Xingchen regarded the young man with calm eyes, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"Didn’t you say yesterday that I could set up my stall here?"

Xie Lingyu frowned slightly, scrutinizing the young man before her. No matter how she looked, he bore no resemblance to a [Demon].

The young man mirrored the smile. "Naturally. But I’m here to sell fate. How much do you think mine is worth?"

Chu Xingchen didn’t answer immediately. After a pause, he finally spoke.

"Worthless."

The young man caught the implication—this man’s every move was being monitored. At the very least, those behind him could hear and communicate with the fortune-selling Daoist through some means.

But that was fine. It saved him the trouble of hunting down the mastermind.

He applied a subtle pressure. "You cultists should understand—making something succeed is hard, but making it fail is easy."

"So you’re challenging the Evil Spirit Sect’s bottom line?" Chu Xingchen’s smile didn’t waver as he replied coolly, "Our massacres spare not even ants. There’s no shortage of ways to ruin things. If you’re still here, it can’t just be for the sesame cakes, can it?"

"If we can’t handle things here, we’ll find another way—or another place. But if you fail, I imagine your life is forfeit. Some matters require negotiation… again and again."

The young man’s expression hardened instantly. "Are you threatening me?"

Chu Xingchen scoffed. "Do I sound like I’m begging for mercy?"

The young man narrowed his eyes. The air around him rippled with spiritual energy, infused with the power of wishes, as he snapped,

"A second-rate cult hunted by the Buddhist sects—I could wipe you out with a flick of my hand. Your threats are nothing but childish babble in the face of true strength."

Xie Lingyu raised a hand, effortlessly shielding Chu Xingchen from the oppressive aura.

The young man’s gaze swiftly shifted to her. To think this young Daoist girl was the true leader of the duo.

Her cultivation… was no trifling matter.

Xie Lingyu glanced at Chu Xingchen, her expression slightly odd, but her voice remained cold as she said,

"Who knew cultists these days acted so righteous, with such high standards? If we can’t afford to provoke the Buddhist sects—one of the Eighteen Immortal Sects—do you think you can? I’ll just send a report to the Taidao Sect later."

The young man’s attention shifted from the irrelevant Chu Xingchen to the real mastermind, Xie Lingyu. He let out a mocking laugh.

"A report? Do you think the Taidao Sect would care?"

"Then why do you think the Buddhist sects hunt us down at all costs?" Xie Lingyu’s lips curled slightly as she continued, "Out of the kindness of their hearts? No. It’s because we possess something they want. All we need is to make them suspect you have it too, and they’ll come for you with everything they’ve got."

"You know how it is—good deeds are hard, but spreading trouble takes only a word."

As she finished, Xie Lingyu stole another glance at Chu Xingchen, who stood there as if none of this concerned him.

Others might not know why the Buddhist sects pursued the Evil Spirit Sect, but how could she not?

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It was all because Chu Xingchen and Xu Jin had stirred up trouble at the Buddhist sects, invoking the Evil Spirit Sect’s name and drawing their relentless pursuit.

Now, Chu Xingchen had twisted the tale, making it seem as though the Evil Spirit Sect held some invaluable treasure or intelligence—something so significant that the Buddhist sects would stop at nothing to claim it.

But… it was undeniably effective.

Xie Lingyu watched as the young man’s face darkened, lost in thought—whether weighing the truth of her words or something else, she couldn’t tell.

After a tense silence, the young man finally relented, retrieving a blood-red jade pendant engraved with a black crow from his spatial ring and placing it on the table before Chu Xingchen.

Chu Xingchen stared at the pendant, momentarily stunned. He didn’t recognize it, so his questioning gaze shifted to Xie Lingyu.

She understood the silent inquiry in his eyes. Fortunately, she did recognize it and transmitted her voice to him:

"The Black Crow Blood Jade of the Evil Spirit Sect. This man holds at least the rank of deputy hall master—a high position."

Chu Xingchen’s eyes gleamed with realization. An unexpected windfall.

The young man watched their silent exchange impatiently.

"There are other matters being handled here. Take your people and leave."

Xie Lingyu glanced at Chu Xingchen, who seemed deep in thought. Before he could respond, she spoke up—knowing his gaps in common knowledge and his tendencies all too well.

"You and all your people are hereby requisitioned. This is the central command. Official orders will arrive shortly. We’re executing the sect’s highest-priority mission."

Chu Xingchen’s eyes flickered with surprise as he looked at Xie Lingyu.

The young man’s shock was even more pronounced. The Evil Spirit Sect, capable of establishing itself in the Central Continent, owed its survival not only to its ability to recruit but also to covert backing. Many of its key positions were filled by their people.

Apart from the faction under the Dark Crow Sect Leader, much of the sect’s operations were under their control.

They had infiltrated the organization precisely because its structure was practically nonexistent—members operated independently, with only a loose adherence to seniority.

Yet all their deeds were attributed to the Evil Spirit Sect, making it the perfect scapegoat.

There was only one exception—direct orders from the Dark Crow Sect Leader.

The message was clear: I’ll take the blame for your usual misdeeds, but when it counts, you follow my commands.

The young man hadn’t wanted to invoke his Evil Spirit Sect identity if possible.

It was a double-edged sword—especially under the Buddhist sects’ pursuit.

After all, the Evil Spirit Sect had no qualms about betraying its own.

The sect had conducted multiple internal investigations into the Buddhist sects’ relentless hunt, but nothing conclusive emerged. Only the Dark Crow Sect Leader remained silent, issuing no explanations—just an order to scatter the Central Continent forces before vanishing himself.

He had fled with astonishing speed.

Thus, the young man and his superiors could only speculate—the Dark Crow Sect Leader must possess some earth-shattering secret to warrant such pursuit.

Never had he imagined stumbling upon it here.

Whether this was fortune or misfortune, he couldn’t yet tell.

What could the Dark Crow Sect Leader possibly hold that would drive the Buddhist sects to such extremes?

The answer might be far more critical to his superiors than the mission at hand.

Moreover... if he could truly get involved, he might uncover what this group was really up to and whether it would interfere with his own plans.

The young man's heart was tangled with indecision.