Ye Yu read the letter carefully and instantly understood why Mo Geilian had cried so bitterly.
In this letter, A Rui had laid out everything.
It turned out he had never betrayed their friendship.
A few days after the three of them had left the Demon Kingâs Hall, the witch HĂłu MĂngjiĂ© had secretly approached him, offering â NĐŸvĐ”lŃgÒ»t â (Only on NĐŸvĐ”lŃgÒ»t) a fortune if he would steal the cultivation method
Mo Lintian
and hand it over to Demon Lord Bai Miaoxiang.
But A Rui had refused.
He knew full well that
Mo Lintian
was the sacred technique of Clan Chief Mo Geilian. How could he have the right to give it away?
Besides, Big Brother had said they could sell it at whatever price they liked, to let the value of
Mo Lintian
shine. A Rui truly hoped that such a formidable method would earn its true worth!
Still, the witch HĂłu MĂngjiĂ© never gave up, approaching A Rui again and again.
But he never budged.
When her patience finally ran out, she resorted to threats: âA wise man adapts to his times. What can you and Mo Geilian do against the Demon Lord? Do you really think you can stand against Her Excellency? Youâre cleverânext time we meet, I donât want to see the Flame Demon Hall in ruins and both of you cold corpses.â
A Ruiâs heart raced at her wordsâhe knew all too well it was possible. At that moment in the Flame Demon Hall, only he and Mo Geilian remained. If Bai Miaoxiang truly decided to strike, they would both die without a doubt.
He recognized this as HĂłu MĂngjiĂ©âs final ultimatum.
So he feigned fear and begged for one day to consider her offer. Naturally, she agreed.
Afterward, A Rui had more than once considered telling Mo Geilian everything, but each time he refrained. The reason was simple: Mo Geilianâs fiery temperament would not tolerate knowing that Bai Miaoxiang planned to strong-arm them. He would storm the Demon Lordâs Hall on the spotâand then Bai Miaoxiang would have every excuse to strike.
With Mo Geilianâs current Demon Monarch Realm cultivation, he stood no chance against Bai Miaoxiang, let alone the countless masters within her hall. They could simply wear him down like in the clan conference, one after another, until he fell.
Even if Mo Geilian had agreed to slip away with A Rui from Lotus State to avoid Bai Miaoxiangâs ire, it was impractical. Since HĂłu MĂngjiĂ© had laid her cards on the table, she would never allow them to leave with the true technique.
After much deliberation, a bold plan formed in A Ruiâs mind: he would play the villain to save his brother Mo Geilian and preserve the Flame Demon Hallâand, if possible, deal Bai Miaoxiang a fatal blow in the process. Let that bastard suffer his due punishment!
With that resolve, A Rui began drastically altering the
Mo Lintian
manual. His idea was simple: such a powerful method was not to be handed over intact. He would tweak it so that Bai Miaoxiang would fall into
demonic deviation
and ideally explode from her own power!
As a mind demon, A Rui understood the art of corruption. He left the opening sections untouchedâhe knew Bai Miaoxiang would insist on inspecting the techniqueâbut he cut and rearranged much of the latter part, even swapping the order of two critical circulation methods. Small changes like these were often the most lethal.
The next day, A Rui approached Witch Internal Affairs Officer HĂłu MĂngjiĂ© and declared, â
Mo Lintian
is unrivaled in the Demon Realm. I cannot hand it over lightly. I demand the position of Deputy Demon Lord of Lotus State, plus extensive cultivation resources for mind demons. If you refuse, I will end my own life right nowâbody and soulâand send word to Mo Geilian to destroy the manual so you can never obtain this body-refining art.â
HĂłu MĂngjiĂ©âs face darkened. She had not anticipated A Ruiâs exorbitant demands.
Little did she know it was exactly his intention: the more he asked, the greedier he seemed, solidifying Bai Miaoxiangâs trust.
Sure enough, after HĂłu MĂngjiĂ© reported through the commstone, Bai Miaoxiang agreed to every one of A Ruiâs demands.
They then traveled together to the Demon Lordâs Hall.
Before Bai Miaoxiang, A Rui feigned timidity as he presented the
Mo Lintian
manuscript, warning cautiously, âPlease make good on your promise!â
Bai Miaoxiang laughed at thatâand she did not renege. She granted him the Deputy Demon Lord title and lavish cultivation resources.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, A Rui wept profusely to allay any suspicions.
That same day, Mo Geilian arrived at the Demon Lordâs Hall seeking an explanation. Anticipating this, A Rui did not hideâhe stepped forward and spoke many disingenuous words.
Seeing the alternation of disappointment and pain in Mo Geilianâs eyes, A Rui could barely hold himself together. He so wanted to explain that he was not a traitorâbut in that environment he dared not. He could only assume an icy demeanor and drive Mo Geilian away.
Afterward, A Rui begged Bai Miaoxiang to spare Mo Geilian. On one hand, he feared that if Mo Geilian died, everyone would suspect them of lacking mercy. On the other, he truly felt guilty for what he had done to Mo Geilian regarding the manual.
Bai Miaoxiang did not refuse. Soon, she eagerly began her practice of
Mo Lintian
.
The following years were relatively calm.
With the aid of those cultivation resources, A Rui advanced swiftlyâhe entered the Earth Demon Realmâand during Bai Miaoxiangâs secluded cultivation, he seized control of most of the Demon Lordâs Hallâs power. He even arranged for HĂłu MĂngjiĂ© to die under mysterious circumstances while on an external mission. This was the first step of his revenge.
A Rui intended that all who threatened them would pay in blood.
To his delight, three months later Bai Miaoxiang emerged from seclusion. By then, she had become an eight-hundred-jin behemoth!
Seeing this, A Rui knew he had succeeded: he had sabotaged her practice of
Mo Lintian
.