Chapter 36: The Identity of Senior Sister Zhen

"Since this is a transaction, the other party must naturally pay a price. That true disciple of the Saint Sect has been lurking in the herb garden for a long time; it is time for them to show some sincerity."

Beyond the seven great sacred lands, there is only one sect in all the world with the audacity to call itself the Saint Sect—the Heavenly Fiend Sect!

The Heavenly Fiend Sect is the most powerful of the four major evil factions, often referred to by the world as the Demon Sect.

Upon hearing the term "true disciple of the Saint Sect," a trace of fanaticism flickered in Feng Chuan’s eyes. While his heart belonged to Zi Ling, the grace and bearing of the Saint Sect’s true disciple were truly extraordinary, leaving an indelible impression. The charm she exuded in every gesture was enough to drive any man with a normal sexual orientation to madness. However, the mere thought of the horrific rumors surrounding the Heavenly Fiend Sect and the ruthless nature of its disciples forced him to suppress that impulse. Every time he encountered this true disciple, he had to struggle to restrain himself, a task that proved incredibly difficult. A true disciple of the Saint Sect was certainly not someone a minor disciple like him could ever hope to touch.

***

Meanwhile, in the outer sect's herb garden.

The sun had long since set behind the mountains, but Su Yi was in no rush to return to his quarters. Instead, he went back to the herb garden, drew water from the spiritual spring, and began to irrigate the spiritual herbs. Knowing that someone was watching from the shadows, he did not act out of the ordinary, tending to the fields as usual while secretly keeping a watch on the hidden observer.

However, the person was extremely cautious, leaving no trail for him to find, no matter how hard he tried to sense them. Su Yi understood that this person was a formidable expert, at the very least equal to, if not stronger than, himself. Being shadowed by such an individual was frustrating, yet he felt helpless. If the person was determined not to be discovered, there was little he could do unless he called for reinforcements from the Sacred Land. But under no circumstances could he leak his whereabouts to the people of the Sacred Land right now.

This troubled him, but what disturbed him even more was a faint, strange rhythm he had been sensing from deep beneath the earth for some time. The vibration came from underground, like a distant, weak call that was impossible to decipher. Had he not been using his spiritual senses to their fullest, he likely would have overlooked it entirely.

The sect’s grand competition was fast approaching. According to his plan, the mission came first, and he did not want any complications. But now, deep within the herb garden, he understood that a ten-thousand-year-old plant spirit was hidden beneath the soil, and he knew a sinister observer was watching him. He was already caught in the web; how could he stand aside? He was not accustomed to doing things without certainty, and now that the entire herb garden was shrouded in mystery, he could not see the truth. Without knowing the root of the situation, there was no talk of strategizing. He might crash and burn at any moment.

He despised matters outside his control, and therefore, he had to lift at least a corner of this mysterious veil. With that thought, he focused his mind and intensified his spiritual senses, attempting to discern the source of the subterranean call.

***

"Save... save me... please..."

A voice as delicate as a young child’s reached him. It was incredibly weak and intermittent, giving Su Yi a start. He quickly focused his spiritual senses to probe the source, but the voice did not reappear, as if the whole thing had been a hallucination.

Su Yi was unwilling to give up and concentrated again, but just then, a hand climbed onto his shoulder.

"Junior Brother Zhang, still watering the herbs this late?"

Su Yi turned his head and met the beautiful eyes of Zhen Yuyan. His inner alarm bells rang loudly.

"Reporting to Senior Sister, the Azure Leaf Grass hasn't been growing well these past two days. I thought I’d add more spiritual spring water to provide extra nutrients and save them, so as not to affect the sect's harvest."

Zhen Yuyan nodded noncommittally. "I see." A smile appeared on her face. "Junior Brother Zhang is truly meticulous. No wonder I value you so much..."

Su Yi quickly bowed. "It is only my duty, Senior Sister..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a flash of purple light flickered in Zhen Yuyan’s eyes. Su Yi felt his entire body go limp, his strength draining away. His hand twitched, and a moment later, his eyes became vacant and dull.

"While you were here just now, did you hear any other sounds?" Zhen Yuyan’s voice turned enchanting, carrying a magical power that made it impossible to refuse, as if one would gladly die at her command.

Su Yi opened his mouth. "What... sound? Junior brother... does not know... has not... heard anything."

The vigilance in Zhen Yuyan’s eyes diminished slightly. Looking at Su Yi in his current state, she suddenly commanded, "Break your own right hand."

Su Yi’s right hand stiffened and rose, reaching toward his left, but Zhen Yuyan spoke again. "Never mind, put your hand down."

Su Yi’s hand immediately dropped. "Go back and rest early. When you wake up, you will have completely forgotten that you met me tonight."

***

"Yes, understood."

Su Yi nodded with a vacant expression, then turned and left without looking back, though his gait remained stiff. It was only when he was far away from the herb garden that he finally breathed a sigh of relief, dropping his stiff facade and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

That had been truly heart-stopping. If he hadn't managed to deceive her, he would have had no choice but to fight, but doing so would have exposed his identity and derailed his mission. He had known this woman was not simple—she was actually from the Demon Sect!

"What a powerful Soul-Seizing Technique. If not for the magical treasure protecting my spirit, I would have truly fallen for her trap."

Su Yi felt a lingering fear regarding the power of that technique, his expression grave. A person from the Demon Sect! To think there was a member of the Demon Sect within the Xianxia Sect. As the Son of the Heavenly Origin, Su Yi was well aware of the enemies the Sacred Land faced; the four major Demon Sects were the primary adversaries of the seven Sacred Lands. And among those four, the Heavenly Fiend Sect was the most formidable, ranking first in strength.

The Heavenly Fiend Sect was known for its strict, cruel, and ruthless rules. Its disciples were masters of various treacherous and evil demonic arts, making them impossible to guard against, and their combat prowess was generally higher than that of ordinary cultivators. In order to gather intelligence on the Heavenly Fiend Sect and ensure victory through knowing both oneself and the enemy, the righteous path had sent many undercover agents, suffering countless losses.

The technique Zhen Yuyan had used on him was the Heavenly Fiend Sect’s classic manual: the *Divine Luo Illusionary Soul Grand Method*. Within the Heavenly Fiend Sect, only disciples at the level of a core true disciple were qualified to inherit this technique. Before this, Su Yi had never imagined that the seemingly mediocre Xianxia Sect was hiding an Essence Transformation stage true disciple from the Demon Sect.

The situation just now had been extremely dangerous; Zhen Yuyan had been so suspicious she had even ordered him to self-mutilate. Fortunately, his psychological fortitude and acting skills had held up, or it would have been a catastrophe. If he had exposed his identity as a Sacred Land Son in front of her, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Although Su Yi was confident he could escape, engaging in a fight would have made it impossible for him to complete the system’s subsequent tasks, which was something he could not accept.

"From the current look of things, this female disciple from the Heavenly Fiend Sect is clearly not here for me. She has been hiding her identity within the Xianxia Sect and going to great lengths to stay in the herb garden—perhaps her target is precisely that ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herb..."