What if I disagree

Upon hearing Nangong Xiyun's response, Su Luo was momentarily stunned.

It only then occurred to him that the East Extreme Demon Lord shouldn’t be dead at this point. Although the East Extreme Demon Lord didn’t have much screen time later, he still played a role.

Seeing Su Luo’s expression, Nangong Xiyun felt she had guessed correctly.

Su Luo asked, "Then why tell me?"

"Telling you is my sincerity. If you keep my secret, I won’t harm you."

This move left Su Luo baffled—what was the connection here?

Was Nangong Xiyun setting up some grand scheme, with him as a key piece?

Still, Nangong Xiyun’s proposal wasn’t bad. The East Extreme Demon Lord’s death was different from Luo Xinlan’s case. Luo Xinlan never appeared before the protagonist, but the East Extreme Demon Lord was supposed to later.

If he died now, it would inevitably disrupt the plot.

If Nangong Xiyun could fill that gap, it might work out well.

"What if I refuse?"

"Even if you refuse, I’ll still impersonate him. It’s just a matter of when you expose me."

"Do you really think you’re invincible?"

If exposed, the Left Envoy, the Right Envoy, and the other demon lords would surely gang up on her. Against such a lineup, even Nangong Xiyun wouldn’t survive.

"I just believe in you."

"Hmph."

Su Luo didn’t fully trust Nangong Xiyun’s words, but the proposal intrigued him.

"Fine. But for the next year, the East Extreme Demon Lord you impersonate must follow my lead." Su Luo almost laughed at his own words—since when did he have bargaining power?

But this was necessary. He needed to control Nangong Xiyun to prevent the plot from veering too far off course. Otherwise, he might as well impersonate the East Extreme Demon Lord himself.

"Agreed."

Nangong Xiyun accepted without hesitation. She understood Su Luo’s desire to preserve the storyline—this was her way of staying in the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Su Luo hadn’t expected her to agree so quickly. He thought it would take more persuasion.

"Alright, then."

Su Luo accepted. For now, Nangong Xiyun would play the East Extreme Demon Lord, keeping him "alive."

Once Su Luo grew stronger, if Nangong Xiyun broke their agreement, he could expose her and take over the role himself.

That was his contingency plan.

The matter was settled, but Su Luo couldn’t bring himself to feel happy.

"Little Yu, let’s go."

Su Luo took Little Yu’s hand and left for his quarters.

Little Yu squeezed his hand gently, trying to ease his mood. She knew the situation with "A-Yun" had upset him.

Su Luo assured her he was fine.

But Little Yu knew him too well. She understood he just needed time to process things, so she didn’t press further.

"Wait for me." Nangong Xiyun followed.

"Aren’t you supposed to be playing the East Extreme Demon Lord?"

"No rush. If I take over now, I’d have to shoulder the blame for the labyrinth incident. Better to wait until things cool down."

That made sense. If they couldn’t find the culprit now, they’d eventually give up. By then, she could return and spin any story she wanted—no one would be able to verify it.

Su Luo ignored her but didn’t stop her from tagging along.

"By the way, do you know much about the East Extreme Demon Lord? His habits, quirks—tell me."

"Later." Su Luo wasn’t in the mood to talk to her.

"Oh."

Nangong Xiyun could no longer return to being "A-Yun," at least not in Su Luo’s eyes.

Following behind him, she felt a pang of sadness knowing this.

......

In the days that followed, the Heavenly Demon Sect scoured every inch of their territory but found no trace of the intruder—nor of the East Extreme Demon Lord.

The investigation turned up nothing.

The Left Envoy was furious. The East Extreme Demon Lord was never around when needed, yet never did anything useful.

Wait—if the East Extreme Demon Lord was missing, did that mean the vote was back to a tie?

The Left Envoy saw an opportunity. Perhaps the East Extreme Demon Lord’s disappearance wasn’t such a bad thing.

Still, he needed to refine his plans to ensure everything went smoothly.

Meanwhile, Nangong Xiyun continued acting as Su Luo’s subordinate, behaving as usual. But Su Luo couldn’t treat her the same way.

"Don’t—such trivial matters shouldn’t trouble you."

"Can’t you speak normally? You’re a powerhouse—act with the pride you deserve."

"How could I dare? I respect you too much to order you around. Do whatever you like."

He was shutting her out completely, even resorting to sarcasm.

Nangong Xiyun hesitated, realizing Su Luo was genuinely upset. Anything she did now would seem like an act to him.

Sigh...

Little Yu, however, treated Nangong Xiyun as usual—as long as Nangong Xiyun didn’t mind the shift in dynamics.

Given Nangong Xiyun’s senior status, Little Yu would’ve adjusted if she objected. But since she didn’t, Little Yu saw no reason to change.

"Little Yu, what should I do?" Nangong Xiyun asked gloomily. She’d been trying to mend things with Su Luo, but he gave her no opening.

Worse, she didn’t even know how to bridge the gap.

"I’m not sure. But do you have a reason you absolutely must stay here?"

"Are you trying to chase me away too?"

"No, I’m just asking. Tell me."

"I have feelings too. At least as ‘A-Yun,’ I was happy with you all."

"Have you told Su Luo that directly?"

"He wouldn’t believe me."

"And you think I would?"

Why confide in her but not Su Luo?

"Little Yu, you’d believe me. You’re different from Su Luo. He’s proud—I deceived him for so long, and now he’s angry. Nothing I say will convince him."

"But I don’t think Su Luo is that angry."

"Little Yu, you’re still inexperienced. You wouldn’t understand."

Little Yu didn’t argue. She might lack experience, but she knew Su Luo. If he were truly furious, he’d either cut the problem at its root or simply disappear.

The fact that he still spoke to Nangong Xiyun meant things weren’t as dire as she thought.

Oh well. They’d have to work it out themselves.

Little Yu doubted Nangong Xiyun would believe her anyway.

Just then, Sect Master Jiang Ningshu arrived. The moment she entered, she sensed the unusual atmosphere.

"What’s going on? Why does it feel so tense here?" Jiang Ningshu asked Su Luo, who was lounging around.

"Nothing. Do you need something?"

There was no way Su Luo would tell the Sect Master about Nangong Xiyun.

"Not really. Just passing by."

After days of secluded cultivation, Jiang Ningshu had completed her second breakthrough, restoring her strength to the peak of the Cave Void Realm.

This peak was even stronger than before, as she had refined the power of the heavenly tribulation into her own.

"Alright, make yourself at home." Su Luo just wanted to laze around and not think about anything.