Section 128 (Part I): If your heart isn't black, can you even be considered human?

Lin Qiye fixed his gaze on that extremely aged, high-ranking Two-Faced Demon whose strength had reached the peak of the Platinum tier.

"What did I just say?"

"Did I just say I happen to possess such a targeted, special pupil?"

As he spoke, Lin Qiye heavily emphasized the word "targeted."

The Two-Faced Demon froze, its expression stiffening.

"You... what are you talking about? I don't understand a single word!"

It forced an expression of complete calm.

To an outsider, this reaction might not have seemed particularly unusual.

But who was Lin Qiye? He was an insider.

Lin Qiye was fully aware of what was shocking the creature.

It was nothing other than the Skin-Disguising Demon.

This old demon definitely knew of the Skin-Disguising Demon's existence.

It was even possible that for this operation, this very demon was the executor responsible for liaising with the Skin-Disguising Demon.

That was why it was so shocked by Lin Qiye's pupil.

Therefore, while everyone else remained baffled, Lin Qiye stared intently at the aged demon and suddenly smiled.

At that moment, the scalp of the elderly Two-Faced Demon tinged with numbness.

Then, it saw Lin Qiye shift his gaze toward a figure it was intimately familiar with.

The pupils of the aged Two-Faced Demon constricted violently.

It's over!

Have they truly discovered the flaw?

Or was it... just a casual glance?

At a loss, the old demon felt its heart race frantically.

Meanwhile, the figure under Lin Qiye's gaze also took on a subtle expression.

What is happening?

Why is he suddenly looking at me?

Have I been exposed?

How could that be!

The Sacred Clan's concealment abilities had reached the absolute pinnacle; even Celestial Immortals and Sovereigns could not detect them.

How could a mere human before him spot any flaws?

Yet, Lin Qiye seemed to have found his target. Step by step, unhurriedly, he walked toward the peak Diamond-tier powerhouse.

Since Lin Qiye was taller than his target, he approached, towered over him, and looked down from above.

"May I ask what your honorable name is?"

"Song Wu, of the Seven-Family City Garrison, House of Song."

"Oh—"

Lin Qiye drew out the syllable long and slow.

"Lord Song Wu, your questioning of me just now was filled with such righteous indignation and hatred for evil. Would you care to offer me an apology?"

As soon as these words fell, the surrounding Diamond-tier powerhouses were left in utter astonishment.

"Is he really this petty? There were plenty of people questioning him just now; is he going to pick a fight with every single one of them?"

"Is he trying to extort Walker Points?"

"Knowing his personality, he probably just wants to squeeze some cash out of them!"

"Still, something feels terribly strange..."

"I have a vague feeling Lin Qiye is brewing something massive..."

The powerhouses murmured among themselves.

Song Wu frowned, then resumed his usual righteous and unyielding expression, speaking up:

"Earlier, I was acting for the sake of the greater good. There were simply too many suspicious points about you; how could anyone not be suspicious?"

Lin Qiye smiled and nodded.

"What you said is correct. If anyone else had said it, there would indeed be no problem. But as for you..."

At this point, he deliberately paused, his expression instantly turning frosty.

"Peak Diamond-tier cultivation, a high-ranking member of the Seven-Family City Garrison—Song Wu is actually a special demon, am I right? I am not framing you, right?"

Hearing Lin Qiye's abrupt declaration, Song Wu's heart plummeted like a stone into a deep abyss.

All around them, the Divine Transformation powerhouses from the Seven-Family City Garrison, the Light-Shadow Cult, the Technology Association, and Ideal Island instantly turned their gazes toward Song Wu.

Song Wu's face flushed a deep crimson, as if he had been profoundly violated.

"How dare you fabricate accusations and slander an innocent person! Just because I questioned you twice, must you exact such ruthless revenge?"

"Revenge?"

Lin Qiye let out a cold laugh.

"I know your true background. Are you going to reveal your true form yourself... or shall I use my methods to force it out of you?"

Song Wu protested, "What are you talking about? I don't understand at all. Everyone, judge for yourselves—what have I done wrong? Isn't questioning someone a normal human reaction? Why is that a crime? Why are you so dead set on claiming I am a demon? How am I a demon? If I were a demon, why didn't you put me on your list in the first place? If I wasn't on the list and yet you call me a demon, does that mean your purge was sloppy? That you still have countless demons left unmasked? How can we ever trust you after this?"

Song Wu possessed a sharp tongue. In just two or three sentences, he tossed a difficult dilemma right back at Lin Qiye.

Lin Qiye's expression remained completely calm.

"Who said there is only one kind of demon? The Two-Faced Demons and your kind are not of the same breed. Your breed is of a higher grade and harder to detect, though far fewer in number. I might not always be able to sense your kind, but you—you are definitely a demon!"

As he spoke, thunderous threads surged forth, weaving into a cage with mesh fine as a hair.

Simultaneously, the [Celestial Sense and Divine Soul] swept outward, carrying the resentment-infused power of the Celestial Pupils.

"Boom!"

Song Wu felt a bell tolling deep within his mind.

In the next instant, his head felt as though it were shattering, tens of trillions of corpses tearing wildly at his willpower and mental strength.

"You—"

Song Wu's expression shifted drastically as he hurriedly threw up every ounce of his strength to resist.

Yet, before he could spit out more than a single syllable, his mind completely collapsed.

Within an endless abyss, boundless resentful spirits surged toward Song Wu. The power of resentment, intertwined with lightning particles, instantly drowned his consciousness.

"This is impossible!"

"How could you possibly see through the disguise of the Sacred Clan!"

*Crack!*

A snapping sound echoed as Song Wu could no longer hold on, its mental fortitude completely shattering.

Driven into a state of frenzy, it grabbed its head and roared maniacally, having entirely lost its sanity.

At the same time, the skin across its entire body began to disintegrate and tear apart inch by inch.

Jet-black, viscous flesh burst through the skin, exposing itself to the air.

Evil, turbid energy spilled out instantly. Even the ground stained by that murky force began to corrode and cave inward.

The entire outer hall of the heavenly prison grew thick with an evil aura, polluting the spiritual energy in the vicinity.

"What a terrifyingly evil aura!"

"This isn't an ordinary demon! An aura of such utter evil—it's from the royal lineage of the Demon Clan!"

"A demon! Song Wu turned out to be a demon all along? How can this be? Can even peak Diamond-tier walkers be parasitized?!"

The Diamond-tier walkers present were utterly shocked.

Song Wu was one of the core members of the House of Song! With his strength reaching the peak of the Diamond tier, he had actually been parasitized by a demon?

This was simply too terrifying!

A peak Divine Transformation powerhouse, parasitized by a demon without a single soul noticing!

It was enough to make one's scalp crawl.

The powerhouses exchanged horrified glances.

Meanwhile, the head of the House of Song turned deathly pale. They only had two peak Diamond-tier powerhouses in their entire family, and now one of them had been usurped by a demon, which was equivalent to losing a vital pillar of strength. Such a loss was simply incalculable!

"No... how could this be? Why have I been exposed?!!"

The Skin-Disguising Demon was forced out of its original form.

*Hum—*

*Hum—*

*Hum—*

Deep within Song Wu's mind, the tolling bells echoed incessantly, driving it to the brink of collapse. Its eyes flashed with deep-seated hatred, desperate to tear Lin Qiye apart.

However, it lacked the strength to do so. It could only kneel on the ground, struggling futilely as it tried to crawl up.

"As everyone can see, this type of demon possesses concealment abilities far superior to the Two-Faced Demons, and their aura is remarkably pure. I presume none of you wish to leave it alive."

With a thought from Lin Qiye, his spiritual energy, carrying swirling lightning particles, completely obliterated Song Wu's physical body and soul into nothingness.

"Dead already? How utterly anticlimactic."

Watching the ashes scatter, Lin Qiye instantly lost interest.

Compared to the Sovereign-grade demons he encountered in his past life, this creature fell short by leaps and bounds. That had been a true Sovereign; this was nothing more than a minor lackey.

Of course, the Celestial Pupils were far from picky.

Shortly after Lin Qiye slew the Skin-Disguising Demon, an invisible surge of energy was absorbed by his eyes.

The energy tier of the Celestial Pupils improved noticeably, though their overall quality remained unchanged. After all, the Celestial Pupils were supreme treasures forged by a young Sovereign using his own Sovereign eyes, having already absorbed a Sovereign-grade Skin-Disguising Demon previously.

Therefore, wanting to further elevate the abilities of the Celestial Pupils would require far more than one or two mediocre Skin-Disguising Demons. Lin Qiye still had a long way to go!

"Th-this... what kind of demon is this?"

"It can even parasitize peak Diamond-tier walkers?"

"And without a single flaw! How many more such demons are lurking in Star City?"

"Too powerful."

The crowd marveled in awe, their view and attitude toward Lin Qiye soaring to new heights.

Feeling the wave of burning gazes fixed upon him, Lin Qiye turned to the head of the Liu family and said, "Send the corpses of the demons we killed today to my residence on Ideal Island. I want to take them back to study them thoroughly."

"Only by fully understanding them can we better counter them. When the time comes, I can provide intelligence to everyone free of charge!"

Hearing this, the crowd nodded repeatedly.

"We trust Mr. Lin. To think Mr. Lin also has the ability to research demons—no wonder he's so good at rooting them out!"

Inside the hall, the various magnates offered their praises before cupping their fists and taking their leave.

Only the powerhouses of the Liu family, along with Lin Qiye and Chen Fan, remained.

"The corpses of these demons are tainted with filth and pose a great hazard to others. For Mr. Lin to take them away so he can study them properly while eliminating hidden dangers—it is truly a win-win."

The head of the Liu family beamed with gratitude. He was immensely relieved that Lin Qiye was willing to handle the corpses, as their demonic miasma was far too potent. Left unattended in the heavenly prison, who knew what vile spawn they might breed?

Thus, the Liu family head promptly arranged vehicles to transport a few of the bodies, while the rest were destroyed on the spot by Lin Qiye.

...

Meanwhile.

Having completed another demon-clearing operation, Lin Qiye did not immediately rush off to purge the next faction. Instead, he returned directly to his villa on the suspended island.

Why do this?

Naturally, to earn more money.

"Lin Qiye is back..."

"He really isn't in a hurry at all!"

"Well, *we* are dying of anxiety!"

"What's the use of panicking? If Lin Qiye isn't willing to come, we can only wait!"

"Should we send some gifts?"

"Right, gifts! Lin Qiye loves wealth more than anything!"

The powerhouses of the major factions struck a chord instantly, frantically preparing gifts and dispatching them to the suspended island.

Their sole purpose was to entice Lin Qiye to visit their respective factions as soon as possible.

Every minute saved counted; every single second mattered.

"This time, we cannot afford the slightest negligence. We must ensure he comes to our place next!"

"Mobilize the reserves! He has to visit our territory next time!"

Within Star City, having witnessed the incident at the Liu family firsthand, the higher-ups of the major factions panicked.

None of them had imagined that even Diamond-tier walkers could be silently and imperceptibly corroded.

This was terrifying!

Especially to those in high positions, it was terrifying beyond measure.

After all, the higher one climbed, the more one feared death. Not a single person wanted to be infected by a demon and reduced to a puppet.

They hadn't enjoyed enough of this wonderful life yet.

...

Elsewhere.

At the suspended island villa, Lin Qiye took a nap, retreating into seclusion to summarize the traits of the Skin-Disguising Demons.

Upon coming out, he saw Chen Fan holding a ledger and handing it over.

"Brother Ye, you're finally out! My hands have gone soft from accepting gifts from those guys these past two days! I've meticulously recorded who sent what—take a look."

"Those guys were truly frightened out of their wits. Two days ago, they were reluctant to part with many Walker Points, but today, they immediately shipped over massive amounts of treasures and resources! Dozens of crates of spiritual food alone were delivered, and they even claimed 300 million Walker Points wouldn't be a problem at all."

Chen Fan reported the situation earnestly.

Lin Qiye nodded.

"Very well. These resources can be kept to help us establish our own faction."

Nodding slightly, Lin Qiye followed Chen Fan to inspect the warehouse.

The warehouse, roughly the size of four basketball courts, was piled high to the brim.

The value inside went without saying!

Lin Qiye swept his [Celestial Sense and Divine Soul] across the room.

"Not bad."

"Is that all you have to say, Brother Ye?"

"Dozens of huge crates are filled to the brim!"

"All kinds of treasures are fully stocked. It looks like the greatest fear these big shots have is being possessed by a demon. That's why they're willing to send more gifts and fork over more Walker Points just to get Brother Ye to help them out!"

"Look here, Brother Ye—these are pills, these are spiritual herbs, these are weapons, and these are spiritual jades..."

Chen Fan opened a row of wooden crates.

"Brother Ye, take a look at these! These spiritual foods actually require Walker Points to redeem! There are only two masters in the entire city capable of making spiritual food of this grade!"

"And these crates over here! They were sent by the Technology Association. I heard they brought these over from other cities; you won't find goods this fine anywhere in Star City!"

Chen Fan walked over to a stack of crates in the corner, introducing them like a man counting family heirlooms.

Lin Qiye glanced over.

Indeed, he found that those spiritual foods were out of the ordinary.

Every single portion was crafted from high-grade ingredients rich in spiritual energy, containing vast amounts of vital power. Long-term consumption would undoubtedly accelerate one's cultivation progress significantly.

"These items can definitely be used to build up our faction. Good job, you keep managing them. If it gets too heavy, you can hand it over to Uncle Song."

Lin Qiye's gaze lingered on the spiritual food for only a brief moment before being drawn to the supplies beside it.

"Are these all armor and weapons over here? Looks like they came from the Technology Association. But twenty-five sets of armor and weapons? Who are they trying to look down on?"

Lin Qiye curled his lip in mild disdain.

Chen Fan: "..."

"Brother Ye, there's more over here. Look at this chest."

Chen Fan quickly popped open a container, and waves of strange, razor-sharp aura instantly spilled out.

"A crate of Platinum-tier weapons? Fifty pieces. Quantity is mediocre, heh."

Lin Qiye shook his head.

Chen Fan wore a look of utter helplessness. "Brother Ye, these are all worth a fortune! Fifty pieces—that's already a massive profit! Aren't you being a bit too greedy?"

Lin Qiye retorted, "What do you mean by greedy? I'm saving their lives, saving their entire clans. What's wrong with collecting a little interest?"

"Aren't their lives worth something?"

"Heh, trying to hire me with just this little bit? Still lacks sincerity."

Lin Qiye chuckled lightly.

Opportunities to make a fortune like this probably only came around once every few years. If he didn't take the chance to milk it for all it was worth, was he even human?