Master Wei

"If there's a pattern... it should be that both of us have had contact with the sect leader."

Cang Yue smiled as she spoke.

Both women had made breakthroughs, and what they had in common was that their improvement had come after contact with the sect leader.

That was telling, and worth looking into.

"Not quite. It seems we both improved after being alone with the sect leader."

Xiao Mei had put her finger on the crucial point, and Cang Yue nodded in agreement.

The sect leader had come into contact with many people during this period, yet only the two of them had benefited. That could only mean there were other conditions involved.

For example, did they need to be alone with him?

Or did it require physical contact?

"Younger sister, you've touched the sect leader's body too, haven't you?"

Cang Yue asked calmly. Her voice sounded natural, but she concealed a trace of shyness extremely well.

Xiao Mei said nothing, instead falling into thought.

If anyone else had a chance to be alone with the sect leader, it was Su Ling'er.

"Have you noticed whether that girl has grown stronger?"

Xiao Mei looked at Cang Yue and asked thoughtfully.

"She hasn't changed much."

Cang Yue's voice was still gentle.

But immediately afterward, she added, "However, she didn't die in the heavenly lightning tribulation that night."

As soon as she said that,

Xiao Mei, too, was struck with alarm.

"That means our deduction wasn't wrong."

"It's precisely because we weren't wrong that I'm even more frightened."

Cang Yue smiled. She knew Su Ling'er's identity: the girl was the Thief God's successor. The girl was simple-minded, so naturally she couldn't hide it from Cang Yue.

But precisely because she knew, she was all the more shocked by the effect Chen Ning had.

A successor of the Heaven-Stealing Ghost Hand was certain to suffer heaven's punishment. With Su Ling'er's cultivation, there was no way she could have survived the heavenly lightning tribulation that night, yet she remained safe and sound.

The sect leader must have used the power of the secret treasure to help her escape the heavenly lightning tribulation.

It had to be so.

And after their conversation had provided further confirmation, she felt nothing but fear.

Fear of the power contained in the secret treasure.

Yet she also yearned for it beyond measure.

She was excited.

These feelings were contradictory.

But for women like her and Xiao Mei, the thrill these feelings brought only made them more eager to reach out and touch it.

"Thank you for your guidance, elder sister."

Xiao Mei gave a slight curtsy.

Though she had long had a faint suspicion, having it confirmed by Cang Yue today made her even more resolved in the decision she had made then.

As long as she could gain power and ascend to the highest position in the Devil Race,

she would do everything she could to help Chen Ning serve as sect leader.

As long as she could gain power, she would willingly follow this sect leader.

"You're closest to the sect leader, younger sister. Be sure to keep him safe."

"I understand."

Cang Yue didn't stay much longer. After leaving her with those words, she rose and returned to Verdant Peak.

The next day, Chen Ning decided to solve the little fellow's food problem, so he took the little black dragon to look around Vermilion Bird Peak's talisman room.

Chen Ning felt that inscribing talismans for the little black dragon to eat took too much effort. He would be better off finding some ready-made talismans in the sect, enough to fill him up.

"Sect leader, please choose whatever you like."

A plump man followed Chen Ning. He was the steward in charge of the talisman room.

"The talismans here are all too poor in quality. Do you have anything a little better?"

Chen Ning made a circuit of the room, but not a single talisman caught his eye.

The ones in the talisman room weren't even as good as the seven defective talismans he had inscribed on his first attempt.

They couldn't even compare to the two Cang Yue had casually produced.

It seemed Cang Yue hadn't been wrong. His talisman-inscribing skills really might be better than those of the people in the sect.

"Sect leader, this is our peak's entire stock. We really don't have anything better."

Steward Hong put on an ingratiating smile. When his plump face broke into a smile, his eyes disappeared entirely.

"I see..."

Chen Ning was somewhat disappointed. There was no way the little black dragon could stomach talismans of this quality.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he pointed at a wooden cabinet. "The few in there will do. I'll take those."

Steward Hong took a look and hurriedly blurted out, "Sect leader, those were inscribed by Master Wei. The talismans in there are all for the first elder. They can't be touched without Master Wei's permission."

"Not even by me?"

Chen Ning couldn't help smiling. "Don't worry. I'll leave you a seal. Just say I took them. I'll speak to the first elder."

Chen Ning took out the sect leader's seal, stamped it on a sheet of paper, and handed it to Steward Hong.

Only then did the stone weighing on Steward Hong's heart finally fall.

With a seal stamped by the sect leader himself, he would be able to explain himself.

Chen Ning took the talismans and prepared to return and feed the little black dragon. But the little black dragon was already too hungry to wait until they got back, so Chen Ning hurried into a room not far away.

He began feeding the dragon.

Chen Ning didn't think there was anything wrong with taking the first elder's talismans.

What was wrong with a master taking a few of his disciple's talismans?

Whenever he thought about how Cang Yue had become his disciple, he found it strange.

Meanwhile,

Master Wei strode into the talisman room. He first gave Steward Hong a disdainful glance, then walked straight over to a wooden cabinet. Inside were some talismans soon to be presented to the first elder.

But now, every talisman inside had vanished as if it had sprouted wings.

Master Wei flew into a rage and bellowed, "Hong! Where are they?"

"Master, the sect leader just came and took them. Here is the seal he left..."

Steward Hong was only halfway through his sentence when he found himself kicked in the stomach and sent flying backward.

He fell to the ground.

Master Wei lashed out with a fierce kick. The blow landed with tremendous force, and blood ran from the corner of Steward Hong's mouth as his plump body trembled incessantly.

"Master, spare me... This is the sect leader's seal."

Steward Hong held the paper high, wanting Master Wei to see clearly that it bore the genuine seal stamped by the sect leader.

But Master Wei acted as though he hadn't seen it. He planted a foot on Steward Hong's hand and ground it down hard.

"Ah!"

Steward Hong cried out in pain, cold sweat streaming down his face.

A savage grin spread across Master Wei's face. "Who gave you the guts to touch the talismans I inscribed, you dog?"

Steward Hong lay on the floor, his voice trembling. "I was wrong. I won't ever dare do it again..."

By now, he understood that Master Wei simply held the sect leader in no regard.

In the past, when the old sect leader took talismans, he only had to leave his seal.

But now, Master Wei completely disregarded it, as though he hadn't seen it.

Talisman masters held a fairly high position in the sect, and Master Wei was a high-rank talisman master who was accustomed to throwing his weight around.

Steward Hong understood that if he didn't beg for mercy now, given Master Wei's temperament, he might well be beaten to death.

"Do you know those talismans were meant to be presented to the first elder?"

Master Wei brought his face close to Steward Hong's and spoke darkly.

"I won't dare do it again. I won't ever dare do it again..."

Steward Hong was utterly helpless. He clutched the paper tightly in his hand, a clear seal stamped on it.

Master Wei snatched it away and examined it with a smile.

Then he tore it to shreds.

After that, he planted his foot on Steward Hong's head.