Chapter 477: Yin'er

"Who is this?" Guan Fangyi asked with a trace of uncertainty.

"Holy..." Niu Youdao started, then stopped. "Holy Rakshasa" was a name outsiders had given her after dividing Butterfly Rakshasas into ranks. Calling her a butterfly-demon king to her face did not seem appropriate either, while addressing her as Senior would only leave Guan Fangyi confused. Only now did he realize that what to call her was actually a problem.

He turned back to the Holy Rakshasa. "How about I give you a name, something we can call you?"

The Holy Rakshasa nodded vigorously. Guan Fangyi looked suspicious. She did not even know her own name and needed you to give her one? What did that mean?

Niu Youdao thought briefly. "Yin'er. From now on, we'll call you Yin'er."

The Holy Rakshasa nodded hard again, her smile radiant. Her voice was clear and pure. "Yin'er!"

Guan Fangyi could not help asking, "Master Dao, what's going on?"

Niu Youdao sighed. "I don't understand what's going on either."

Guan Fangyi did not believe him. "You don't even know who she is, yet you let her stay beside you tugging at your clothes and refusing to let go?"

Who was she? If he told her, he might scare her senseless.

Niu Youdao chuckled. "Of course I know who she is. She's the one who knocked you flat earlier. She turned into human form."

Guan Fangyi and Yuan Fang's eyes widened at once. Both stared at Yin'er, then simultaneously looked down at the hand gripping Niu Youdao's clothes. Disbelief filled their faces, and both instinctively edged one step backward.

They had already wondered why a woman had suddenly appeared in this godforsaken place. Seeing how close she seemed to Niu Youdao, they had assumed she was an acquaintance of his, perhaps even some rescuer he had found, and had wondered how she had managed to penetrate this deeply. So she was actually that terrifying Holy Rakshasa!

"This..." Guan Fangyi still had lingering fear from the Holy Rakshasa's terrifying blow. "Master Dao, you're not joking, are you?"

Niu Youdao spread both hands, looking helpless himself. He did not want a shadow like this clinging to him either. Whether this seemingly harmless Holy Rakshasa truly had become innocent or was merely pretending, who could possibly feel comfortable with such a terrifying demon king following at his heels every step of the way? Who knew when she might become unhappy? Once she did, the consequences would be severe.

This was not a companion he had picked up. This was an ancestor he had picked up—an ancestor who could slap him dead at any moment. Guan Fangyi and Yuan Fang turned toward Yuan Gang. They both knew that Yuan Gang either kept silent or, once he spoke, basically never lied.

Yuan Gang nodded.

Their hearts tightened.

No matter how pure and harmless Yin'er looked, both became uneasy. They almost felt as if they were standing before a sovereign and did not dare speak carelessly. They had wanted to ask what exactly had happened, but with Yin'er standing right there, neither dared continue questioning him.

Niu Youdao said, "Don't be nervous. It seems nothing will happen."

Seems?

Both looked at Yin'er.

When their lives were at stake and no one could read this demon king's temper, was "seems" really good enough?

Seeing Guan Fangyi's poor complexion, Niu Youdao asked, "Badly hurt?"

Guan Fangyi glanced at Yin'er. "I'm all right. I'll recover after some time recuperating."

At that, Yuan Fang could not help envying the healing spirit medicines she carried. She had been so badly injured that at first even moving had been difficult. Yet after swallowing a single spirit pill, her recovery had been astonishingly fast. Her injuries were nowhere near healed, but the effect was plain to see.

Guan Fangyi noticed the wound on Niu Youdao's hand and asked, "What about you? Are you all right?"

Niu Youdao smiled bitterly. "How could I be? Several bones in my chest are broken, but it's nothing serious."

Guan Fangyi then noticed the golden pearl in his hand. "She gave it to you?"

That was one thing Niu Youdao could not honestly claim. The Holy Rakshasa seemed to have forgotten the golden pearl entirely and had never said she was giving it to him. Yuan Gang had simply picked it up.

He smiled. "If it's in my hand, it's mine."

Guan Fangyi immediately held out a hand. "Give it to me!"

Niu Youdao looked puzzled. "You have some use for it?"

Guan Fangyi's face instantly filled with pain at the thought of her loss. "You can't possibly have forgotten how much a Heavenly Sword Talisman is worth. I suffered such a huge loss. Don't I deserve some compensation?"

Niu Youdao smiled and paid no mind to it. He casually tossed the pearl over. If he ever truly needed to use it, he naturally had ways to make Guan Fangyi hand it back. For now, he was merely letting the woman keep it for him. In matters like this, how could Guan Fangyi possibly outplay him?

Unaware of his thoughts, she believed she had profited. She caught the pearl, first glanced at Yin'er, and only after seeing no reaction from the demon king did she happily put it away. Her loss of the Heavenly Sword Talisman was immediately forgotten.

The inheritance token of Myriad Beasts Sect's Sect Leader, an object Yun Ji had risked so much to obtain—surely its value exceeded that of a single Heavenly Sword Talisman. Naturally Guan Fangyi believed she had come out ahead and no longer cared about the talisman's loss.

What a treasure!

Yuan Fang's eyes were full of envy. Unfortunately, he had no standing to say anything. As someone who ran the moment danger appeared, he felt guilty enough already and obediently kept to his place as a follower rather than asking for trouble.

After putting away the Myriad Beasts Spirit Pearl, Guan Fangyi remembered its previous owner and could not resist asking, "Yun Ji is dead?"

Niu Youdao glanced back at Yin'er. "She didn't say. Given that she went after Yun Ji, what good ending do you think Yun Ji could possibly have had?"

He sighed after speaking.

He did not know whether Hou Qingtian and the others knew Yun Ji had come looking for him. Once they left the illusory realm, he might have to face questions. That would be difficult to explain. All he could do was say he did not know. One could imagine that without Yun Ji holding Duyun Mountain together, life there would probably become difficult.

Since it was this demon king who refused to speak, Guan Fangyi could only give an "oh" and dared not ask further. Thinking about it, the conclusion seemed obvious. She had personally experienced the Holy Rakshasa's strength. Nine times out of ten, Yun Ji had met with disaster.

"Enough. We don't have much time left. Let's go!" Niu Youdao called.

"Yaa!"

From the palace wall, Yin'er released a long cry. The Butterfly Rakshasas gathered from every direction immediately scattered. Several Blood Rakshasas took flight, each carrying people beneath them as they swept toward the depths of the vast, fantastical forest.

The Blood Rakshasa carrying Niu Youdao probably had the hardest job. There was no helping it. Another person was still gripping Niu Youdao's clothes and refusing to let go, so the Blood Rakshasa above had to carry the extra weight. Yin'er herself could have grown wings and flown. Niu Youdao was the one who did not dare let her.

He had practically begged her not to unfold them. Tearing holes through her clothes would have been a small matter. The real problem was that the pair of silver-radiant wings was far too conspicuous, obviously different from those of every other Butterfly Rakshasa.

Partway through the journey, Guan Fangyi could not resist asking, "Master Dao, you're really taking her out of the illusory realm?"

The problem was obvious.

Taking this demon king outside could hardly be called a good thing. It was pure trouble brought upon themselves. Yin'er gave her the answer.

The instant she heard anything about being separated from Niu Youdao, Yin'er, still clutching his clothes, swept Guan Fangyi with a cold gaze. Her face clearly showed displeasure. She obviously did not like Guan Fangyi's suggestion and was angry. It was the first time even Niu Youdao had seen her become angry after taking human form. The atmosphere instantly turned heavy.

Guan Fangyi's heart trembled. She immediately drew her neck in and gave a dry laugh. "Joking. I was joking."

Then she turned her head away and pretended she had said nothing. She understood the answer now. If this demon king wanted to leave, Niu Youdao probably had no good way to refuse. The key was that she simply grabbed Niu Youdao and would not let go.

No scheme was useful against someone who stubbornly fixed on one thing like this. Even if you could think of a way to shake her off, where would you begin? If you had the ability, try using force.

The group did not dare return by the cliff they had used on the way in. Instead, they made a wide detour and landed only after reaching a place not far from the exit. After dismissing the Blood Rakshasas, Niu Youdao's party began splitting up as well.

He sent Yuan Gang, Guan Fangyi, and Yuan Fang ahead and told the three to leave through the illusory realm's exit separately rather than together. If anything unexpected happened, at least they would not all be caught in the same danger. As for Yin'er, there was no shaking her off. Niu Youdao could only take her with him. Chao Shenghuai, lying on the ground, slowly woke. The instant he opened his eyes and saw Niu Youdao, he recoiled in alarm, then quickly scrambled to his feet.

He glanced at the woman behind Niu Youdao who was still tugging at his clothes. He had no idea who she was.

Fearfully, he asked, "What exactly do you want?"

Niu Youdao replied, "Nothing. Naturally, I'm keeping my word and letting you go back."

Chao Shenghuai looked doubtful. "Really?"

Niu Youdao smiled and nodded.

Chao Shenghuai still felt the matter could not possibly be that simple. He tested him. "I'm a disciple of Myriad Beasts Sect. Aren't you afraid I'll take revenge after I get out?"

Niu Youdao said, "I've taught disciples of Tianhuo Sect a lesson before and I'm still living perfectly well. So what if you're from Myriad Beasts Sect? If you want revenge and have the ability, come. I'll be waiting."

Chao Shenghuai asked, "Who exactly are you?"

"Niu Youdao of Nanzhou in the State of Yan."

Chao Shenghuai's mouth opened slightly. "You're Niu Youdao?"

In today's cultivation world, Niu Youdao might not count as some towering figure, but he was certainly a known name. Anyone whose information was not too isolated had heard something about him.

Niu Youdao said, "Whether that's true or false isn't important. Remember this: Tianyun Inn in Myriad Forms City. Come contact me afterward."

"All right!" Chao Shenghuai agreed.

Only now did he begin to believe the other man truly intended to let him leave. Then he remembered what he had done.

His gaze shifted left and right. "Where is my senior brother He Youjian?"

Niu Youdao smiled. "You killed his full younger brother. I was worried he wouldn't let you go, so to prevent further conflict, I arranged for him to leave the illusory realm first."

"Don't worry. So long as you don't want him returning to Myriad Beasts Sect, he will never appear in Myriad Beasts Sect again."

"You're a clever man. You understand what I mean."

Chao Shenghuai realized something.

His heart grew heavy, his eyes filling with grief and anger. Given what he had done, he could not imagine the consequences if He Youjian returned to Myriad Beasts Sect. The rules of any sect were not empty decoration. Not even his grandfather could protect him.

Even if he exposed the man before him and claimed that everything had been done under coercion in an attempt to offset his crimes with merit, what future could someone who had slaughtered a fellow disciple merely to save his own life still have inside Myriad Beasts Sect? His grandfather was an elder.

Once his grandfather lost face because of him, not only would the old man refuse to shelter him, he might even punish Chao Shenghuai severely as an example for everyone else. Niu Youdao naturally understood all of that. Yuan Gang knew what Niu Youdao wanted. When he interrogated the three martial brothers, he had deliberately dug into exactly these points.

Niu Youdao stepped forward. "I'm not some powerless nobody anyone can squeeze as they please. If people from Myriad Beasts Sect refuse to follow the rules and I kill one or two in self-defense, then even if Myriad Beasts Sect learns about it, the sect can only swallow the result."

"Even if you report me, it won't have much effect on me. The only one who'll suffer is you."

"Don't make things difficult for your grandfather either. Even if you persuade him to eliminate me, it won't solve anything. Your grandfather cannot kill every person under me. In Nanzhou, I have plenty of people capable of contacting the upper ranks of Myriad Beasts Sect, and your grandfather cannot stop them."

"If this affair becomes a major scandal, your grandfather may not even keep his elder's seat. You'll be in even worse trouble."

"I don't mistreat my friends. Money is easy enough. I'll have people send you some regularly, so stop doing dangerous things like this."

"You can't afford to play this game."

Niu Youdao took out ten gold drafts, each worth ten thousand gold coins, and forcibly stuffed them into Chao Shenghuai's hand.

[End of Chapter 477]