His Senior Sister was also dressed in the ornate shamanic robes, which accentuated her graceful figure. The mysterious and elegant mask she wore added an air of allure and mystique.
Her entire appearance exuded an ethereal and enigmatic beauty.
But even with such beauty before him, Chen Yin had no ti to admire it.
He quickly blended into the crowd, moving closer to Shen Shuanglian, and whispered through voice transmission:
“Senior Sister?! What are you doing here?”
Hearing his voice, Shen Shuanglian looked around frantically. Her eyes lit up with surprise when she saw Chen Yin beside her, his head lowered, his mask removed.
“You’re really here.”
“Didn’t I tell you this place is dangerous? Why didn’t you leave?”
“…I was worried about you.” She whispered.
Chen Yin sighed in frustration.
As expected.
He had thought she would listen to him. It seed he had overestimated her obedience.
“Sigh, can you please stop making worry?”
Shen Shuanglian bit her lip, her bright eyes flickering with a mix of emotions.
Chen Yin wanted to find a way to get Shen Shuanglian out of there, but they were already surrounded by the crowd, making it difficult to escape. They could only continue moving forward with the procession.
“Do you know where they’re going?”
“The main hall. That’s where the Nether Ritual will be held.”
As the long line of people slowly shuffled forward, Chen Yin repeatedly warned Shen Shuanglian:
“Stay close to and don’t wander off, understand?”
“The demonic path’s Dao Master is most likely a Grand Clarity Realm expert. If you’re discovered, it’ll be difficult for to save you.”
“I don’t need you to save . I can take care of myself.” Shen Shuanglian retorted, a hint of defiance in her voice.
“Must you always contradict ?”
Chen Yin sighed helplessly. Taking advantage of a mont when no one was looking, he reached out and pinched her waist.
“…Mmm!!”
Shen Shuanglian let out a muffled gasp, her face flushing crimson.
“Wh-what are you doing…” she asked, flustered.
“Punishnt for not listening.”
Chen Yin said playfully.
“You… why are you so childish?”
“You’re one to talk.”
They bickered quietly through voice transmission, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the entrance of the main hall.
The crowd stopped at the entrance and began chanting so kind of prayer towards the hall doors.
“…Um,” Shen Shuanglian, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
“Hmm?”
“When we enter the hall… please try not to be too shocked.”
After a long hesitation, Shen Shuanglian took a deep breath and decided to reveal the truth to Chen Yin:
“Actually, your Junior Sister… is the current Holy Maiden of the demonic path!”
She blurted it out in one breath, then waited nervously for his reaction.
But to her surprise, Chen Yin’s expression remained unchanged. He stared at her for a long ti before finally squeezing out a single word:
“…That’s it?”
Shen Shuanglian was stunned.
“Y-you’re not surprised?”
“You silly girl, you didn’t follow in here just because you were worried I’d be shocked and lose control after seeing my beloved Junior Sister as the demonic Holy Maiden, did you?”
Chen Yin sighed softly. “I’ve known for a while.”
“About Yin ngwan being my Junior Sister.”
“I’ve known for a long ti.”
Shen Shuanglian stared at him blankly for a long ti before finally lowering her eyes.
“So… you already knew when you intervened at the Fairy Conference.”
Her eyes were filled with a mixture of sadness and disappointnt.
All this ti, she had just been acting childishly and impulsively.
He didn’t need her help at all.
Seeing her expression, Chen Yin couldn’t bear to scold her. He said softly,
“But thank you anyway. I appreciate your concern.”
Shen Shuanglian didn’t answer. Her eyes shimred with unshed tears.
At that mont, the doors to the main hall creaked open, and the crowd surged forward.
“We’ll talk about that later.”
Chen Yin gently took Shen Shuanglian’s hand. “Stay close to , and don’t get lost.”
Shen Shuanglian felt the warmth and strength of his hand, a sense of comfort washing over her. She let him lead her forward.
The procession moved slower than expected.
The vast number of demonic cultivators slowly filed into the hall, then lined up on both sides in an orderly manner.
Chen Yin and Shen Shuanglian hid among the crowd, remaining silent and observing their surroundings discreetly.
At the front of the hall, Chen Yin noticed two figures.
One was Xiang’er, dressed in a simple white robe. She sat beside the throne, casually playing with a teacup, a bored expression on her face.
The other was a man sitting on the throne.
Even with a single glance, Chen Yin felt a deeply unsettling aura emanating from the man.
…A surging, bloody aura, as if countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood were hidden beneath his calm gaze.
Was he the Dao Master of the demonic path?
Chen Yin quickly averted his gaze, not wanting to attract attention at such a crucial mont.
Soon, as the procession took their positions, a figure dressed as a priest walked to the front of the hall and announced in a clear voice:
“One person suffers, a hundred ghosts are spared.”
“Let the Ten Thousand Nights Nether Ritual comnce!”
Dim candlelight illuminated the hall, and two rows of strangely dressed individuals walked to the front, performing a rhythmic dance with a peculiar charm.
The demonic cultivators on both sides began to chant in unison.
Chen Yin glanced around and realized they were surrounded by demonic cultivators. Moving now would be too conspicuous. So he decided to just sit back and observe this ritualistic dance, which resembled a religious ceremony.
The ritual was long and solemn. The rhythmic dance had a strange beauty, captivating to watch.
Chen Yin stared intently at the dancers.
Beside him, Shen Shuanglian had no interest in the srizing performance.
She lowered her head slightly, her gaze stealing glances at Chen Yin beside her.
They were surrounded by the low and solemn chants, both dressed in ornate ritual robes.
She suddenly found the scene beautiful.
It reminded her of watching TV shows as a child, those romantic scenes of brides in white wedding gowns exchanging vows in a church.
Back then, the innocent little girl would always be moved by the bride’s happy smile, imagining if one day she would also et soone who would hold her hand and lead her into this sacred place.
It must be the happiest thing in the world.
She tightened her grip on Chen Yin’s hand slightly.
“…What’s wrong?” Chen Yin whispered, turning to her with concern.
“…Nothing.”
Shen Shuanglian pursed her lips and smiled at him softly.
Chen Yin was taken aback. He rarely saw Shen Shuanglian smile.
In his mories, his Senior Sister was always a quiet and reserved girl, only speaking more freely when she was with him.
She was easily flustered by his teasing, but she rarely smiled.
But Shen Shuanglian’s smile was truly beautiful.
It was like a pavilion by the lake during the rainy season, a smile that could cleanse one’s soul.
He stared at her for a mont, then couldn’t resist pinching her cheek playfully.
“Mmm… what are you doing?”
“It’s a sha for you to hide such a beautiful smile, Senior Sister.”
Shen Shuanglian blushed and lowered her head, unable to et his gaze.
Ti passed slowly, and the dance and ceremony finally ca to an end.
After the dancers left the stage, the priest returned and announced in a clear voice:
“The eternal night is vast, and without the moon, it’s hard to see. Please, Dao Master, ignite the Nether Altar’s bonfire and bestow the only light upon this eternal night.”
The man sitting on the throne finally stood up.
He walked down the steps with steady strides, looking down at the demonic cultivators gathered in the hall, his gaze sharp and intense.
“The eternal night is vast, and without the moon, it’s hard to see.”
“One person suffers, a hundred ghosts are spared.”
“Our demonic path has been passed down through the ages, a lone candle fla in the endless night, a solitary moon in the darkness.”
“Heaven and earth are indifferent, treating all living beings as insignificant. In this world of suffering, who is willing to sacrifice their life to bring peace to a hundred ghosts?”
His words were cryptic and confusing. Chen Yin didn’t understand most of them, but he understood the last sentence.
…Could it be that this so-called Nether Ritual…
…was a human sacrifice?
The Dao Master’s hawk-like gaze swept across the crowd of demonic cultivators. His eyes narrowed, then slowly stopped at a certain spot.
“How about… we let the little rabbit who foolishly wandered into the tiger’s den—”
“—fulfill this sacred duty?”
Chen Yin’s pupils constricted.
As soon as the Dao Master finished speaking, the demonic cultivators surrounding Chen Yin and Shen Shuanglian stepped back in unison, creating a large empty space around them.
Shen Shuanglian looked around frantically, her grip tightening on Chen Yin’s hand.
“Don’t be afraid,” Chen Yin whispered reassuringly.
“You two, are you enjoying our Nether Ritual?” The Dao Master’s voice bood from the stage.
“Oh dear, it seems we’ve been discovered.”
Chen Yin sighed, then decided to drop the act. He slowly removed his mask.
“I didn’t expect the Dao Master of the demonic path to be so hospitable.”
“Then we… shall humbly accept your invitation.”
As the mask fell away, Yu Xiang, who was sitting on the stage, gasped and shot to her feet.
She couldn’t believe it. The face she had yearned for day and night, the face that haunted her dreams, was standing before her, amidst a sea of demonic cultivators, a calm smile on his lips.
It felt like a bolt from the blue.
“Se…” Her voice was stuck in her throat, unable to escape.
“Yo, Xiang’er, long ti no see. Did you miss your Senior Brother?”
Chen Yin waved at her with a smile, his voice gentle.
“Senior Brother is here…”
“…to take you ho.”
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