"Master, I simply thought you might not let me cultivate it."
Su Yu answered quite naturally, "I want to cultivate the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art."
At Su Yu's words, Liu Ziyan stopped playing with the water and turned to look at her.
Under Liu Ziyan's stare, Su Yu grew nervous.
Her little fists clenched tightly behind her back, and she dared not meet Liu Ziyan's eyes.
A long silence passed.
Only then did Liu Ziyan say, "Do not assume the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art is a good cultivation art. Naturally, I have my reasons for refusing to let you cultivate it."
"Master, what exactly are those reasons?" Su Yu still seemed unwilling to give up.
"You need not know. Just understand that I would never harm you."
"I also have the Ten Thousand Blood Pagoda Art. In terms of rank, it is only slightly inferior to the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art. Take it and cultivate it instead."
With a flick of Liu Ziyan's slender finger, an ancient, blood-colored parchment scroll landed in Su Yu's hands.
Yet Su Yu still looked aggrieved and said reluctantly, "Master, I still want to..."
Seeing that Su Yu still refused to give up,
Liu Ziyan's tone turned a few degrees colder. "I have already told you that the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art is no great cultivation art. Do not be fooled by the countless millions of evil cultivators who revere it. In truth, this art has serious drawbacks."
"If you truly wish to cultivate the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art, I will teach it to you once you have found a suitable Dao companion."
From Liu Ziyan's perspective, Su Yu would certainly be better off cultivating another profound art than starting the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art now.
She knew that once someone began cultivating the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art, without dual cultivation, it was inferior to the Ten Thousand Blood Pagoda Art.
Far inferior, at that!
Even if Su Yu had a dual cultivation partner, it would only put her on par with the Ten Thousand Blood Pagoda Art.
Unless her partner cultivated the Yang Volume of the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art.
Only then could the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art be considered one of the continent's finest evil cultivation arts.
"All right. I'll go back and cultivate, then, Master."
With Liu Ziyan having said so much, Su Yu could hardly argue further.
After Su Yu left, Liu Ziyan murmured to herself, "It is no good for young people to be too impetuous. I suffered for that myself back then..."
Back when she obtained the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art from an ancient ruin,
its resounding reputation across the entire continent had gone to her head, and she had recklessly abandoned her original cultivation art to practice it instead.
Otherwise, with her talent and comprehension, her cultivation should have been higher by now.
Not long after Su Yu left, a tall, white-haired fairy in red arrived, her bearing sinister and malevolent.
The red-robed fairy was named Hong Yue, and she was the grand elder of the First Saint Sect's Elder Council.
Covering her mouth with a chuckle, Hong Yue teased, "Oh my, why does this old woman think our esteemed sect leader looks so lonely? Could it be... you're longing for a man?"
Liu Ziyan glanced at her from the corner of her eye, then glared and said coldly, "Hong Yue, you had better have business here. Otherwise, I would not mind sending you back to lie in bed for another few years."
Hong Yue was not only the First Saint Sect's grand elder, but also Liu Ziyan's close friend.
Otherwise, her position as grand elder alone would never have given her the courage to tease Liu Ziyan so brazenly.
Had anyone else said those words, their head would likely have already parted from their body.
At this, Hong Yue instinctively rubbed her shapely rear.
Last time, she had made a teasing remark while Liu Ziyan was in a bad mood.
As a result, a single lash from Liu Ziyan had left her bedridden for several years before she recovered.
"All right, all right. You really ought to do something about that temper."
Hong Yue then sat down beside Liu Ziyan and handed her a Message Jade Slip. "These are all the sect's accounts from the past ten years. Have a look."
Rather than examining the accounts immediately, Liu Ziyan asked, "Has anything unusual happened in the sect lately?"
"Unusual? Nothing particularly unusual. Everything has been proceeding as normal, just like before. However..."
Hong Yue deliberately left her hanging.
"Three... two..." Liu Ziyan inexplicably began counting down.
"Oh, you really have no sense of humor."
Hong Yue hurriedly interrupted Liu Ziyan's countdown before continuing, "I'll get straight to the point. According to our latest intelligence, another spy has infiltrated our sect."
"And this person holds a fairly high position. He very likely has access to our core secrets, though we haven't been able to pinpoint him yet."
"What is his objective?" Liu Ziyan asked.
"We don't know yet."
Hong Yue said, "If we knew his objective, he would be much easier to pinpoint."
"You have three years to root him out."
Liu Ziyan issued an uncompromising order on the spot.
"I'll do my best. But if I can't find him, you can't blame me."
Liu Ziyan paid little mind to that remark.
She knew what Hong Yue was capable of.
Over the past hundred years, no fewer than twenty spies had infiltrated the First Saint Sect.
Hong Yue had rooted out the vast majority of them, and this time should be no exception.
She was only saying that to leave herself a way out.
"Enough. If there is nothing else, leave. I want some peace and quiet alone."
"Off I go, then. If you're longing for a man, remember to tell me. I'll help you find one."
Hum!
A death glare swept toward her, and Hong Yue fled the Purple Heaven Palace at a sprint.
Elsewhere.
After a soak in the Jade Purity Pool, Lin Mo felt refreshed from head to toe.
The thirty spirit stones had been worth spending.
By the time he returned to the Wooden Hut, night had fallen.
Brilliant stars hung high above, forming a dazzling, magnificent river of silver that stretched across the sky.
I still have to wait.
Lin Mo glanced at the gates of the Purple Heaven Palace and thought to himself.
Since it was not currently time to clean the Purple Heaven Palace, Lin Mo would have to wait for Liu Ziyan to summon him before he could collect those five thousand spirit stones.
Still, Lin Mo was in no hurry.
Someone of Liu Ziyan's standing was unlikely to go back on her word.
There was, however, one matter Lin Mo was still agonizing over.
The matter of Su Yu.
If he spoke up, Su Yu was, after all, the only disciple Liu Ziyan had taken after searching for hundreds of years.
Moreover, he lacked sufficient evidence to prove that there was definitely something wrong with Su Yu.
Had it been anyone else, that would have been one thing, but this time, it was Su Yu...
Without sufficient evidence, Lin Mo did not dare make sweeping claims in front of Liu Ziyan.
If he said nothing, though, he feared Su Yu might strike at him underhandedly at any moment.
Yet just as Lin Mo was wrestling with his dilemma, Liu Ziyan's telepathic voice rang out in his mind. "Get in here."
Lin Mo dared not delay. He immediately gathered his thoughts and hurried into the Purple Heaven Palace.
Before you continue