The dim hall fell silent once more. Darkness filled its every corner, and everything seemed cold and sinister.
Fang Yang sat on his throne while Ye Qinghong stood below him in the hall, master and disciple looking into each other's eyes.
It seemed so harmonious.
But Fang Yang knew perfectly well that this harmony was nothing but an illusion. Given the chance, his eldest disciple would kill him at any cost.
The hatred between them ran far too deep to ever be resolved.
After all...
The original owner of this body had done so many things that even beasts would balk at.
Yet to avoid exposing himself and maintain the original owner's identity, he had to go against his own conscience.
It was truly lamentable.
But now, saying anything more was useless. The crucial point was that he had not summoned his eldest disciple once since his return, which was completely at odds with the fiend's diary.
That could very well expose his identity, or even make others suspect that someone had possessed him.
They would keep testing him.
And he had only reached the third-rank expert realm.
He also had just one Demon Venerable Peak Experience Card left.
A couple of probing attempts would probably expose him outright.
So he had to sink his demonic claws into his eldest disciple.
Chapter 35: Please Punish Me, Master
Inside the dim hall, Fang Yang was lost in thought.
In that oppressive atmosphere.
Ye Qinghong stood for a moment, then prepared to leave.
From beginning to end, he had not even dared look Fang Yang directly in the eyes, afraid that the slightest ripple might stir in his heart.
And shatter his glazed sword heart.
It would affect his Sword Dao as well.
"Master, if there is nothing else, this disciple will take his leave."
He lowered his head and spoke coldly.
Having said that, he was about to leave.
A hoarse voice rang out behind him.
"Did I give you permission to leave?"
Ye Qinghong stiffened. Fang Yang had already risen from his throne and activated the Profound Heaven Strategy.
A terrifying pressure emanated from him, bearing down on Ye Qinghong.
As an expert in the great grandmaster realm, Ye Qinghong had no equal among the younger generation.
Yet beneath that pressure, his face grew somewhat pale. He even felt that this fiend's strength had increased dramatically since last time.
He was certainly no longer merely in the four-leaf dharmakaya realm.
Clatter!
An eerie wind blew.
Inside the hall, bells made from human heads gave off crisp chimes.
With a light glide, Fang Yang came to Ye Qinghong's side.
They were mere inches apart.
Ye Qinghong could even feel Fang Yang's faint breath.
Normally, it would not have stirred him in the slightest. He would only have stepped back and drawn his sword.
But now, when he saw the Demon Venerable's sharply defined face and deep eyes through the dim yellow light...
His heart inexplicably trembled.
He actually found the Demon Venerable especially captivating today. That allure even surpassed the Sword Dao he cherished most.
For a swordsman who regarded his sword as his life, this was simply inconceivable.
For a moment, he recalled those mortifying scenes again, and those strange, bizarre positions.
Blush after blush spread across his normally icy face, and he inexplicably began biting his lip.
But the next instant-clang!
A cold, sharp sword cry rang out.
He instantly came to his senses.
The heart demon!
The heart demon again!
He had nearly been devoured by his heart demon.
Fortunately, the Azure Shadow Sword had given him a warning.
Ye Qinghong breathed a small sigh of relief and was about to tap the Azure Shadow Sword in thanks.
Then, almost immediately...
Whoosh!
With a sharp sound as it cut through the air.
The Azure Shadow Sword traced an arc through the air and flew straight toward Fang Yang, looking positively impatient.
It soon reached Fang Yang's arms, its hilt repeatedly rubbing against his face while its tassel swayed gently.
It looked as though it were wheedling for affection.
Only after shamelessly fawning over him for a long while did it slip into Fang Yang's hand.
It wanted Fang Yang to do what he had done before.
To unleash the raging yang qi within his body, blast it into the sword, and execute a complete God-Shocking Sword.
Even if the surge knocked it unconscious again, that would be fine.
"Hum! Hum!"
"Hum! Hum!"
The sword cries came one after another as the Azure Shadow Sword kept wheedling for affection, while Ye Qinghong's expression grew colder and colder.
Waves of frost emanated from him as he stared fixedly at the Azure Shadow Sword!
This spineless thing!
Hadn't this fiend merely held it once?
And now it was behaving so shamelessly.
It was even more enthusiastic and eager to please in front of this fiend than it was with him.
It had thoroughly disgraced him. That alone might have been tolerable, but more importantly, the Azure Shadow Sword was bound to his life and cultivation, and had even absorbed a trace of his divine light.
Their emotions were linked to a certain extent.
Previously, when the fiend held the Azure Shadow Sword and poured vast amounts of spiritual qi into it, Ye Qinghong's mind and spirit had surged and rippled.
He had nearly broken down on the spot.
If it happened again, he probably would not be able to enter the glazed sword heart state for an entire month.
Perhaps sensing Ye Qinghong's intense anger, the Azure Shadow Sword faltered slightly, then dawdled its way back to him.
It looked very reluctant.
Fang Yang, too, was bewildered for a moment by the Azure Shadow Sword's inexplicable behavior. Once he recovered...
His expression turned stern, and he simply stared at Ye Qinghong.
"As my disciple and the hall master of the Sword Hall, you actually stood by and watched while those rebel traitors tried to kill me. What, do you want me dead as well?"
His indifferent voice echoed through the hall.
It sounded so cold.
Even Ye Qinghong's face grew a little pale.
But he still stood there stubbornly.
His long, dark hair was gathered into a single bundle.
Loose strands at his temples brushed against his cool, aloof face, lending him a swordlike sharpness.
"This disciple would not dare!"
"You would not dare? Is there anything in this world you would not dare do? The moment you heard I would be undertaking a month of seclusion with my life on the line, you hurried back to show your devotion. And this time, you stood to one side, waiting for someone else to kill me."
"My good disciple, tell me, should your master punish you or not?"
"..."
Ye Qinghong remained silent.
But when he heard the word "punish," he still could not help trembling.
Once again, he remembered the last time he had been in this dim hall.
He had suffered humiliation here.
Would it happen again this time?
For a moment, his expression grew complicated. He actually discovered that he no longer resisted the idea as strongly as before.
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