Wu Xin had thought she could exchange blows with Lin Yun at her limit, which is why she brazenly made her move.

To her surprise, when her Demonic Qi struck Lin Yun, a significant portion of it was actually absorbed into his body.

She knew Lin Yun had a means of purifying Demonic Qi, but that required him to cast a spell to be effective, and her sudden attack had not given Lin Yun a chance to react.

Knowing that Lin Yun’s physical body was formidable, Wu Xin had unleashed that move, attempting to use Demonic Qi to destroy Lin Yun’s body, yet those streams of Demonic Qi turned out to be nourishment for Lin Yun.

At this moment, not only had she failed to kill Lin Yun, but that drop of essence blood had thoroughly penetrated her, and now, the brand of master and servant taking effect with the master’s death, Wu Xin also felt as if her heart had died.

"Don’t think about forcing me to do anything, even in death, I will not submit to you," she said.

Wu Xin had already prepared herself for death, having lived for so many years, and although she had not achieved her lifelong wish, dying now did not seem like a loss to her, at least she had lived long enough.

Even in death, she would not become Lin Yun’s plaything. She’d rather die standing than live on her knees. Such was the spirit of the Demon Race!

When Wu Xin’s Demon Core was completely infiltrated by the Slave Mark, Lin Yun also sensed the change within it.

Now, Wu Xin’s life and death hung on his thoughts alone.

However, powerful though the Slave Mark was, it was limited to causing the servant pain and threatening her life. If someone truly resolved to die, Lin Yun could not force her to do anything.

If Wu Xin was not afraid to die, then threatening her with death and pain would not only be useless but would make her even more determined to die.

Lin Yun had guessed Wu Xin’s current state of mind; perhaps she thought being in his hands would be worse than death, or maybe it was because Wu Xin was too proud, unwilling to be enslaved.

Taming such a servant would be interesting!

"Why do you think so? I’m not some kind of devil, I won’t mistreat you. Look at Hu Yuling; though she recognized me as her master because of the Slave Mark, she’s very obedient now," he tried to reassure her.

Wu Xin: "..."

Was this meant to be comforting?

No, Wu Xin genuinely felt horrified.

Hu Yuling had been thoroughly loyal to the Demon Race, but once in Lin Yun’s hands, she even betrayed the interests of the Demon Race, and from her behavior, it seemed she had completely switched to Lin Yun’s side.

It was clear Hu Yuling had lost herself. Lin Yun’s ability was simply terrifying!

Thinking that she might comply with every action of Lin Yun’s and might even feel pleasure from doing things for Lin Yun from the bottom of her heart, Wu Xin shivered with fear.

Self-destruction now, she did not know if it would be too late.

Her thoughts of self-destruction were quickly noticed by Lin Yun.

Lin Yun touched his nose, no more joking around, he thought.

He was not bad at comforting others, it was just that sometimes he spontaneously felt like teasing. While overtly comforting, he actually irritated the person half to death.

Lin Yun dared not anger Wu Xin any longer; the initial pressure he gave Wu Xin was not beneficial to him either.

"You really don’t need to be so nervous, we can have a proper talk. You don’t have to die. You can help me discreetly, and I guarantee you, I absolutely won’t force you to do anything against your will. How does that sound?" he proposed.

Wu Xin had already decided on how to end her life, yet unexpectedly, Lin Yun made a concession.

This offer tempted Wu Xin.

If one could live, who would choose death?

Moreover, Wu Xin knew she was no ordinary demon. Perhaps, there was still a chance to turn the tables in the future.

"What exactly are you scheming?"

Wu Xin remained wary of Lin Yun, her lively eyes filled with suspicion, making Lin Yun feel like some kind of strange uncle.

"Nothing much, just thinking that after living for so long, it’s not easy, and while killing you would give me peace of mind, keeping you alive might be more useful."

Lin Yun knew that showing too much goodwill would only deepen Wu Xin’s suspicions. After promising to ease the pressure on Wu Xin, he also made a request.

"With the Central Plains in chaos, I intend to take advantage of these turbulent times to accomplish a great feat. Relying solely on my abilities is somewhat troublesome, thus I need some shortcuts to accumulate prestige faster. And what could bring greater prestige than defeating the Demon Race?" he said.

"You want me to betray my own kind?"

Wu Xin’s attitude was still firm, but in reality, it had softened a bit.

"In this world, our Demon Race is ostracized by your Human Race. Only among fellow demons is there mutual support. You want me to betray my kin for my own benefit?"

The phrasing sounded familiar, so Lin Yun immediately added, "I’ll pay you extra."

He should have never carved all that clutter into his DNA in the first place.

Nevertheless, his words still moved Wu Xin.

"What compensation?"

Lin Yun: "..."

He had been too hasty to praise the unity of the Demon Race.

"My blood, the Divine Artifact you desire, or perhaps, even more things. As long as you help me, I won’t let you be shortchanged," he offered.

When Lin Yun mentioned his blood, Wu Xin couldn’t help but produce some saliva in her mouth and instinctively swallowed it down.

It was a reflex, but seeing Lin Yun’s surprised expression, Wu Xin’s face burned with embarrassment.

In front of Lin Yun, she had behaved like a greedy little cat. How impolite!

The face of the Demon Clan Leader was completely lost by her.

"Agreed, but we need to get one thing straight first, you can’t force me to do anything, nor can you treat me lightly. Otherwise, even if it kills me, I won’t let you succeed!"

Lin Yun immediately felt insulted.

"Don’t smear my reputation out of thin air. With your puny appearance, who would treat you lightly?"

Wu Xin endured what she felt was the greatest humiliation of her life.

She knew she lacked something, which was why her true form never grew up. Although she could transform into any appearance, it couldn’t change the fact that her true form always looked like a child.

Still, she never doubted her own charm; after all, she was petite and cute. Her looks could mesmerize without the need for any transformation spells.

Yet, Lin Yun had dismissed her as a small fry, saying outright that he didn’t deem her worthy of being treated lightly.

A humiliation beyond words!

"I!"

Overwhelmed with anger, Wu Xin even thought about turning her back on Lin Yun, but then thought better of it—no need, no need, let’s not get angry with this bad guy.

"I will grow up!"

This staunch declaration was the last bit of Wu Xin’s defiance. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Lin Yun let out a slight smile, seemingly amused by her cuteness, which only fueled Wu Xin’s irritation further.

Lin Yun, as if appeasing a child, did not argue with her and said, "Then hurry up and grow."

"Hmph!"

Arrogantly, Wu Xin snorted as a sign of her disdain for Lin Yun, also using this attitude to express her unyielding spirit. But she hadn’t realized that the moment she started to negotiate with Lin Yun, she had lost her initial resolve to face death generously.

Boundaries were being crossed step by step, and Wu Xin was completely unaware that she had fallen into a trap laid out by Lin Yun.

Lin Yun only wanted to stabilize her, to use her, with no real intention of keeping her around.

He had spared Hu Yuling before because she had helped him at one time, and there was no deep-seated enmity between them.

But Wu Xin was different. Lin Yun had almost killed Wu Xin, and as the Demon Clan Leader, it was certain she wouldn’t settle down.

Moreover, the problems with Thousand Mechanism Valley didn’t start with the Demon Race, but the Demon Race played a crucial role in it. Hu Yuling was just a minor leader, and sparing her was one thing, but Wu Xin as the Demon Clan Leader—Flower Fairy might not be able to let her off so easily.

While conversing with Wu Xin, Lin Yun was already planning to kill her after he had used her up.

For now, his priority was to keep Wu Xin under control.

At this stage, Wu Xin was highly sensitive, and any carelessness that might lead her to take things the wrong way could push her to extremes. If a Great Demon from the Defiant Heavenly Realm self-destructed, Lin Yun didn’t know if he could withstand it.

"Right now, I have a mission for you to do."

"What is it?"

Wu Xin hadn’t expected Lin Yun to have a task for her so soon. In her mind, she calculated that if Lin Yun’s request was even slightly unreasonable, she would teach him a lesson, letting him know that even with a Slave Mark, their relationship was still equal. Otherwise, it would be a case of both the fish dying and the net splitting, and neither of them would benefit.

"Someone very important to me has gone missing in Mount Heavenly Dragon. Since you’re here, have you seen her?"

Lin Yun used the Water Mirror Technique, showing Wu Xin what Bai Jiaojiao looked like.

Wu Xin hadn’t expected Lin Yun’s request to be about finding someone.

With this, she couldn’t easily pick a fault. After looking carefully, Wu Xin, with her head held high, said, "If it’s a mortal, venturing recklessly on Mount Heavenly Dragon means their life or death is a matter of luck."

"She’s not human, she’s a dragon."

"A dragon?"

Wu Xin was surprised to hear this word.

A dragon in Shenzhou Land?

She had lived for over nine thousand years and had never seen a dragon, although there were many legends about them. Wu Xin believed that dragons must exist but never imagined that a True Dragon could still be present in this world.

"Is she a Sea Dragon, or a True Dragon?"

Wu Xin wanted to confirm again.

"A True Dragon."

Hearing Lin Yun say it with such certainty, Wu Xin was suddenly overcome with unease.

Though they had not fought yet, Wu Xin knew that if she really encountered a True Dragon, she would not stand a chance.

A True Dragon and a Great Demon were of the same realm, but in this world, a True Dragon had home-ground advantage, while a demon is on foreign territory.

"If she is a True Dragon, on Mount Heavenly Dragon, then you don’t need to look for her. Perhaps, she has already left safely. There’s a rumor that Mount Heavenly Dragon is a transformation of the Dragon King—being a dragon, they should be more friendly with their own kind."

"So it is, thank you for clarifying. I still need to find her. This is where we part ways. I’ll contact you if I need your help in the future."

As he spoke, Lin Yun cut his finger and flicked a drop of blood, then hurriedly left.

Wu Xin was taken aback—was she really getting rewarded for just saying a few words?

Lin Yun: To fish, one must first bait the hook, the basics must not be forgotten...