All of the protagonist's Daoist partners are mine!

"You really have no sense of vigilance at all. Aren't you worried about being overheard on someone else's turf?" After taking a walk around his own room, Xing Moxie naturally came over to Xiao Linglong's side.

Xiao Linglong felt that he was overly cautious despite being incredibly strong: "The Star Gazing Saintess has already checked it. No matter what, the Great Sun Immortal Sect wouldn't set up a listening device in the room, right?"

"Do you think that just one side of the story from the Star Gazing Saintess is enough to make Yan Lingyun completely relax?"

“Uh…it wouldn’t be surprising if that woman did something.” Xiao Linglong thought for a moment and couldn’t refute it.

She considered herself someone who wasn't bound by common sense, but in all her adventures over the years, Xiao Linglong still had enough of Yan Lingyun's wildly imaginative ideas.

Yan Lingyun never plays by the rules, often relying on intuition and flashes of inspiration to take unconventional approaches.

If she were just an intuitive woman, that would be one thing, but she also has a very sharp mind. One second an idea flashes into her mind, and the next she has a perfect execution plan.

This has caused great suffering to those who followed her in her reckless behavior.

After briefly inspecting the furnishings in the room, Xing Moxie lay down, resting his head on Xiao Linglong's slender waist, and began to organize his thoughts.

He underestimated the value of the Star Gazing Saintess; he hadn't expected the news of his survival to be exposed so quickly. He barely managed to get through this, but he couldn't always rely on Shangguan Yinyu to help protest, or on his head full of lewd nonsense to turn the tide.

"So, who are you going to deal with first?" Xiao Linglong propped herself up and turned her head to the back at a 45-degree angle.

Xing Moxie feigned ignorance: "What do you mean, who should we deal with first? You?"

Xiao Linglong grinned mischievously, her round face contorting into a comical expression: "Don't I know you? Are you really going to just sit by and watch Yan Lingyun and An Suxin continue their powerful alliance? You'll have to take care of at least one of them, won't you?"

That lecherous girl was right; their collaboration was far too dangerous. Now that we've finally gotten this close to them, we should cherish this opportunity.

Xing Moxie casually stroked her chin: "So, who do you think we should deal with first?"

Xiao Linglong thought for a moment and said, "An Suxin."

"The Stargazing Saintess? Why?"

“Didn’t you see how frail and sickly An Suxin is? It wouldn’t be surprising if she died suddenly any day. It would be easy to disguise her death as an accident. Besides, this is the Great Sun Immortal Sect, and it is very difficult to make a move against the Great Sun Saintess. On the other hand, An Suxin only has that guard named Zhu Heming by her side. If we let her return to Zhan Tian Pavilion, it will be as difficult as climbing to the sky to make a move against her again.”

Xiao Linglong's analysis clearly explained the advantages and disadvantages, making it easy for even a fool to understand—a truly insightful observation.

But Xing Moxie said after hearing this: "Hey, hey, hey, do you mean to kill them when you say 'get it' and 'solve it'? That's too extreme."

"Huh?" Xiao Linglong couldn't hold back anymore: "You're not going to start some kind of 'wash your hands of murder' thing, or 'turn over a new leaf' thing, are you? I'm warning you, don't be disgusting."

If the demon lord were to utter such a blasphemous statement as "murder is wrong," Xiao Linglong would definitely throw up her New Year's Eve dinner.

Such worries are unnecessary. Even if mountains crumble and the heavens and earth unite, Xing Moxie will never change his ways.

"Sigh, Linglong, cultivating immortality isn't just about fighting and killing; it's also about human relationships and worldly wisdom. If the Star Gazing Saintess were to die at this time, Yan Lingyun would definitely suspect that someone who knew the Demon Lord was alive was responsible. Wouldn't that just help them narrow down their search?"

Even if it's faked as an accidental death, it doesn't change the fact that the timing was too coincidental.

"If you don't intend to eliminate them completely, how will you break up their alliance? If you plan to deal with them with a scheme, you may easily make things worse when facing Yan Lingyun."

Xing Moxie rolled over and pressed down on her back, lifting her face: "Naturally, in a more 'loving' way. With my amazing patience, I'll bring them an unexpected surprise."

"Gueh."

"Why are you making that sound? It seems necessary to give you a refresher on how I blasted you down."

"Oh dear~"

……

After settling all the guests, Yan Lingyun walked quickly to the outside of Zhantian Pavilion's residence.

She had gone to great lengths to invite Young Master Xiao to the Great Sun Immortal Sect, and she had even taken care of all the accumulated matters a month in advance. If it weren't for this mess, Yan Lingyun would probably be happily shopping with Xiao Fan right now.

"Damn demon, couldn't you have died a little more completely?"

Muttering to herself, Yan Lingyun sent someone in to announce her arrival.

A moment later, the Stargazing Saintess, who had recovered somewhat, met with her, accompanied by the Broken Army Spear.

"Thank you for today's divination, Saintess An. I am so sorry to have to visit you when you are working so hard."

“Saintess Yan, you flatter me. This matter concerns all living beings, and it originated from my divination. I should take full responsibility.” An Suxin had now resumed wearing white gloves and a blindfold.

“I deeply admire Saintess An for her noble character and concern for the world. In that case, please allow me to ask a question.”

"Saintess Yan, you want to know the details of what just happened, right? As long as it doesn't violate the oath of Heaven, you may ask."

"Well, I only have one question. Are you absolutely certain that Xiao Linglong and Lu Renjia are unrelated to the demon's survival?"

"No," An Suxin shook her head. That was all she could say.

In a sense, she was glad she had made that oath to Heaven, otherwise she wouldn't know how to describe what she had seen to Yan Lingyun.

Yan Lingyun deduced something from her reaction: "It seems that due to some uncontrollable factor, Saintess An was unable to see the whole picture of cause and effect. In that case, I have a guess."

"Oh?" An Suxin perked up her ears.

She sought out Yan Lingyun immediately after observing that the Demon Star remained, because she believed that the Great Sun Saintess possessed truly extraordinary wisdom.

If there is anyone in the world who can find out the true identity of the demon through her interpretation, it can only be Yan Lingyun.

Yan Lingyun raised a finger and said seriously, "I think if the demon is still alive, then he must have possessed Xiao Linglong!"

Oh, what a pity. If you remove "的身", it will be all correct.

"What! The demon has possessed the Linglong Sword Immortal?" An Suxin swallowed hard. Although she was surprised, she still calmed down and listened to her analysis.

"I've also looked into the recent situation of the Xuantian Immortal Sect," Yan Lingyun continued. "Compared to the others, the one who has changed the most is Xiao Linglong. She would never have done something like becoming a Daoist partner with Lu Renjia before."

"Ha..." An Suxin found it hard to comment. In her opinion, the two were quite a good match, both being big perverts.

"Xiao Linglong has always admired and been infatuated with her sworn brother. It's hard to imagine what kind of mental trauma she suffered to change her mind in such a short time. But if she was possessed by a demon, then everything makes sense."

"How to say?"

"Given that fiend's character, it's impossible for him to continue pursuing Young Master Xiao just to conceal his identity. Besides, he's afraid of Young Master Xiao discovering his true identity, so he needs a reason to keep his distance from Young Master Xiao. Isn't falling for someone else a perfect excuse?"

“That does make a lot of sense…” An Suxin nodded, “But is that all there is to it?”

"Of course, that's not all." Yan Lingyun had other evidence: "In a previous sect life-or-death battle, Lu Renjia relied on the power of Xiao Linglong's natal flying sword to achieve an overwhelming victory."

"Is there such a thing?"

“Saintess An should also understand how important a natal flying sword is to a sword cultivator. It’s no exaggeration to say it’s half a life. In the cultivation world, even one’s parents or Daoist partner would never lend it out. Yet Xiao Linglong lent it to Lu Renjia.”

An Su-hsin said, "The fact that they can even borrow their natal flying sword proves even more that they are truly in love and deeply in love."

“Wrong.” Yan Lingyun shook her head: “This only proves that in Xiao Linglong’s eyes now, the Phoenix Feather Spirit Sword is not that important. The Phoenix Feather Spirit Sword is of a very high grade. Only a demon who once possessed countless divine weapons would not take such a treasure seriously.”

"!" An Suxin suddenly realized.

Chapter 99: 16 The Demon Lord was drenched in sweat.

"Not only that."

"There's more?" An Su was shocked. The Great Sun Saintess was indeed a person of extraordinary wisdom. Just how much information did she have?

Yan Lingyun continued, "Does Saintess An know what triggered the life-or-death battle we just discussed?"

"Ha... forgive my ignorance."

It would be a miracle if she knew. She wasn't familiar with Lu Renjia at all, and she only found out about the life-or-death battle and the use of the Phoenix Feather Spirit Sword a few seconds ago.

Yan Lingyun was merely throwing out an idea, a habit she'd unconsciously developed from years of dealing with those in power. She hadn't really expected her to answer.

"The specific details seem to involve factional relations within the Xuantian Immortal Sect, but the trigger was Lu Renjia's fruitful recruitment of students in the mortal realm on behalf of Qingxin Peak."

"What... does this mean?" An Suxin didn't quite understand.

Yan Lingyun took a sip of tea unhurriedly: "I know Lu Renjia's abilities very well. He can be delegated for small tasks, but he's not capable of handling important ones. It's absurd to expect him to excel in anything. Yet, he achieved remarkable results in his first sect mission after returning from the Demon Palace. There's definitely something wrong with him."

An Su thought for a moment, then asked, "So, shouldn't Lu Renjia be the more suspicious one?"

Compared to Xiao Linglong, whose feelings changed, Lu Renjia, whose personal abilities have undergone a qualitative leap, has clearly changed more.

Yan Lingyun shook her head: "Saintess An, you're thinking too simply."

"Please speak."

"What kind of person is that demon? A cunning monster, a strategist, and also very good at hiding his true intentions. The reason is that before he established his demon palace, we had hardly heard any rumors about him. How could such an old fox reveal his true colors when he needed to hide his identity the most?"

The Great Sun Maiden's analysis is very reasonable.

An Suxin said with a wry smile, "Is it possible that he's been scheming for most of his life, and now that he's living under a different identity, he just wants to indulge himself and have some fun... or something? I'm just making this up, haha."

"Sigh." Yan Lingyun sighed, "Saintess An, you still underestimate the severity of the cultivation world. Furthermore, assuming the demon possessed Lu Renjia, there are several things that are completely inexplicable."

"Wow, there are several? That many?"

"Firstly, after a soul possession, the demon will inevitably suffer heavy losses. How could a demon whose cultivation has plummeted possibly snatch the natal flying sword from Xiao Linglong's hands?"

"really."

"Secondly, becoming Xiao Linglong's Daoist partner would attract too much of Xiao Gongzi's hatred. There's no reason for the demon to push himself into a dangerous place."

"Yes, that's true."

“There are many other inconsistencies I can think of, but I won’t list them all.” Yan Lingyun took another sip of tea. “In short, the demon’s possession of Xiao Linglong’s body explains everything. Even the matter of Lu Renjia’s recruitment is said to have been handled by Xiao Linglong. Clearly, all of Lu Renjia’s recent achievements were arranged by Xiao Linglong… no, by the demon!”

Excellent reasoning made An Suxin's brain spin wildly.

An Suxin tried to follow her logic: "So, what is the reason that the Linglong Sword Immortal... no, the Demon Lord, made Lu Renjia shine?"

"The demon needs someone to use light to conceal its existence."

"Is the most dangerous place the safest place? But you just said that the demon wouldn't push himself into danger at a time like this."

Yan Lingyun put down her teacup: "The most dangerous place is the safest place. Saintess An's interpretation of this sentence doesn't seem to be thorough enough."

"How to say?"

"A dangerous place is dangerous because it is not safe."

“…” An Suxin froze for a few seconds, then tilted her head: “Nonsense literature?”

Yan Lingyun pursed her lips: "Can't you understand? What I mean is, there's a technique to putting yourself in a life-or-death situation; it's not about blindly rushing into dangerous places to be safe. If the demon is directly exposed to Young Master Xiao's attention, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for him. But if he can use the brilliance of others to overshadow himself and divert Young Master Xiao's attention, then being close to him is auspicious."

"It's a bit complicated." An Suxin could only understand about 30% of what she was saying.

"Well, that's what they call a game theory."

"Ha..." An Suxin could only laugh. In her heart, she sighed, "As expected of the Great Sun Saintess with extraordinary wisdom, her intelligence is truly exceptional."

In the corner of the room, the silver-robed young general and Zhu Heming, wielding the Broken Army Spear, leaned against the wall, watching them indifferently.

This conversation was highly confidential; even the two attendants who had been instructed to stay by the Stargazing Saintess's side were ordered to leave. Only Zhu Heming was allowed to remain.

He was not interested in whether the so-called Demon Lord lived or died; his only concern was the one he was protecting—the Stargazing Saintess.

After agreeing with her twice, An Suxin asked, "So, according to Saintess Yan's opinion, what should we do next?"

"If my guess is correct, Lu Renjia should also be aware of Xiao Linglong's current identity. He was probably threatened and forced to do a lot of unspeakable things for the devil."

“Then we must save him. Cough…” An Suxin coughed with excitement.

"Saintess An".

"I'm fine. Junior Brother Lu is clearly one of the heroes who fought against the demon, but he was oppressed and tormented by evil forces. It's so pitiful."

"..." Yan Lingyun did not answer, turning the cup as if she was considering something else.

"Saintess Yan?"

"Ah, sorry, sorry, I was a little distracted."

"You wouldn't be unwilling to lend a helping hand to Junior Brother Lu, would you?"

"Of course we have to stretch him out. But before we can get him out of the clutches of the demon, we need to make good use of his current delicate position and his status as the demon's henchman."

"What do you mean?"

Yan Lingyun already had a plan: "If Xiao Linglong is really the devil, then Lu Renjia is the person closest to the devil right now. Fortunately, he is an easy guy to control. As long as we use him to turn the devil's evil plans around, we can expose the devil completely."

"But wouldn't that put Lu Renjia in great danger?"

"The best way to save him is to defeat the demon completely this time! Moreover, he was one of the first to break into the demon palace, so he must have been prepared to sacrifice himself long ago."

That's the kind of polite thing to say.

In reality, Yan Lingyun knew perfectly well that Lu Renjia, that coward, had no courage to sacrifice himself for righteousness; otherwise, he wouldn't be being manipulated by the devil like this now.

When you try to persuade him to cooperate later, you'll probably have to use a strong approach.

“Since Saintess Yan thinks this is the best approach, then I have no objection,” An Suxin said softly. After all, it was a plan devised by the Great Sun Saintess, who possessed extraordinary wisdom, and she had no other alternatives to oppose.

Yan Lingyun smiled slightly and brought the teacup to her lips: "Hmph, that devil should be sweating buckets by now."