A Combination of Punches

The Left Envoy rambled on for a long time, but none of it was particularly useful.

Even the most useful piece of information about Di Haoao was the news of the arranged marriage.

The Left Envoy spent more time talking about how the Heavenly Demon Sect had nurtured them with great effort, how this was their chance to shine, and how they should showcase the strength of the Heavenly Demon Sect...

A bunch of nonsense, in Su Luo's opinion. But the other demon disciples felt differently. The Left Envoy held a high position of authority, so they listened to his words with great seriousness.

Finally, the Left Envoy finished speaking and left.

Then, Su Luo found himself face-to-face with the other six.

Maintaining a harmonious relationship was no longer possible. Although there had been friction before, it had always been within tolerable limits.

But after the last incident, the relationship between Su Luo and the other seven had completely broken down.

"All of you are staring at me. Do you have a problem with me?"

Su Luo could see that they wanted to attack him but were holding back, and he couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for their frustration.

"What do you think? Of course, we do. If it weren't for the Demon Lord, hmph..." Situ Ye only dared to talk tough. He knew Su Luo wasn't someone to be trifled with, but he still couldn't bring himself to back down.

He would never back down, even if it killed him.

Qing Bukuang then said, "So, what do you think about this situation?"

He wasn't really asking for Su Luo's opinion; he just wanted to pick his brain and see if Su Luo's thoughts and actions could be of any use to him.

"Not much, no plans."

"With that attitude, it seems you don't want to cooperate with us. Fine, let's go our separate ways. You don't interfere with us, and we won't interfere with you." Qing Bukuang decisively gave up on Su Luo.

"Alright."

Su Luo turned and left, but he could still hear them discussing among themselves.

"Di Haoao is the son of the Emperor Heaven Sect's leader. He must have strong protectors around him."

"A direct assault would be difficult, but there might be a chance if we think of a clever plan. Let's brainstorm some strategies."

"First, let's gather more information. Honestly, I don't know much about Di Haoao."

......

After returning, Su Luo opened his diary and began to write.

[Di Haoao has headed south. Looks like there's another plotline unfolding.]

[His journey south has two purposes. The first is that he's being forced into an arranged marriage by his sect.]

[But this isn't your typical arranged marriage. His intended bride is Long Xinxin, and they're not strangers—they're childhood sweethearts.]

[When they were young, Di Haoao spent time at the Radiant Light Sect, and later, Long Xinxin went north as an exchange student of sorts, training at the Emperor Heaven Sect for a while.]

[They spent a lot of time together, and their feelings for each other are deep and mutual.]

[You could say that their marriage is something no demon or monster could oppose.]

[So why is it considered "forced"? Well, Di Haoao has a fear of marriage. He's already found excuses to delay the wedding several times.]

[It's not that he doesn't want to marry—in fact, he's been looking forward to it, wanting to give Long Xinxin a memorable wedding.]

[But he feels the time isn't right yet. He doesn't believe he's capable of making Long Xinxin happy at this point.]

[Although he's the son of the Emperor Heaven Sect's leader, he's far from matching his father's achievements. He's talented, but not exceptionally so.]

[You could say he's a case of "a tiger father and a dog son."]

[He's only at the Golden Core Perfection stage, and he's a bit older than Lin Xuan and Qing Bukuang. He's not exactly a prodigy.]

[Originally, he planned to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, achieve more accomplishments, and build up his reputation before marrying Long Xinxin in grand style.]

[But Long Xinxin couldn't wait any longer and started pushing for the marriage.]

[She had been discussing it with Di Haoao for a long time, but he kept delaying until the sect finally forced his hand.]

[Left with no choice, Di Haoao decided to go along with it for now, hoping to find a way to delay further.]

[He still feels like he has nothing to offer. If it weren't for his father, he believes he wouldn't be worthy of Long Xinxin at all.]

[This constant self-doubt has been eating away at him.]

[But there's one thing that could help him regain his confidence, and that brings us to the second reason for his journey south.]

[The South Continent is currently facing an invasion of demon beasts. Many of these beasts are rare in the region, and their characteristics and weaknesses are poorly understood, making them difficult to deal with.]

[Given his extensive experience in combating demon beast armies, Di Haoao was sent down to provide knowledge and support.]

[Di Haoao thought that even if he couldn't reach the Nascent Soul stage, he could at least make a name for himself here before marrying Long Xinxin.]

[It was a good plan, but then the seven of us stepped in, each using our own methods to sabotage the marriage.]

[Situ Ye and Xu Wuliang took the direct approach. They confronted Di Haoao and fought him, aiming to defeat him and shatter his confidence. The two of them succeeded in defeating him.]

[This also showed that Di Haoao's combat skills were indeed mediocre, which dealt another blow to his confidence.]

[Of course, killing Di Haoao was out of the question, but Situ Ye and Xu Wuliang had their ways of escaping afterward.]

[Shan Gui and Cui Baiquan spread rumors and hired people to slander Di Haoao. When Di Haoao heard how the South Continent was talking about him, he put on a brave face, but inside, he was deeply hurt.]

[Even though Long Xinxin kept comforting him, it didn't help much. He still cared too much about what others thought.]

[Qing Bukuang tried to seduce Long Xinxin, playing the role of a domineering CEO, but he failed. Long Xinxin was all about true love.]

[But when Di Haoao saw Long Xinxin laughing and chatting with someone else, he started doubting himself again, wondering if he could truly make her happy.]

[Liao Duci chose to wait and see. If everyone else failed, he planned to poison the wedding banquet and cause chaos. He was confident in his ability to pull it off.]

[As for me, I took a more unconventional approach. I pretended to be a married man and got close to Di Haoao. I kept complaining about how marriage had robbed me of my freedom, how my wife was controlling and constantly belittled me for lacking fame, treasures, and being a failure.]

[I shared all sorts of horror stories about married life, deepening Di Haoao's fear of marriage.]

[Surprisingly, it worked to some extent. Di Haoao started projecting himself into my stories.]

[Then, the demon beast army attacked. Di Haoao, who had been feeling down, suddenly felt like he had a purpose again.]

[He thought his extensive experience with demon beast armies would allow him to make a difference.]

[But this time, the demon beasts were unusually fierce, and there were even a few species he didn't recognize. These unfamiliar beasts caused many injuries.]

[In the end, his contribution was minimal.]

[It was Lin Xuan who stepped in at the critical moment and repelled the demon beast army.]

[Lin Xuan became the hero of the day, and who even remembered Di Haoao?]

[After this series of setbacks, Di Haoao's confidence was completely shattered.]

[He gave up, refusing to go through with the marriage and even going into hiding.]

[This made the seven of us quite pleased with ourselves. We thought we had succeeded.]

[But how could it be that simple? As the villains, how could we possibly succeed?]