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 King’s Hall, the witch Hóu Míngjié had secretly approached him, offering ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) 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 Hóu Míngjié never gave up, approaching A Rui again and again.
But he never budged.
When her patience finally ran out, she resorted to threats: “A 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? You’re clever—next time we meet, I don’t want to see the Flame Demon Hall in ruins and both of you cold corpses.”
A Rui’s heart raced at her words—he 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 Hóu Míngjié’s 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 Geilian’s fiery temperament would not tolerate knowing that Bai Miaoxiang planned to strong-arm them. He would storm the Demon Lord’s Hall on the spot—and then Bai Miaoxiang would have every excuse to strike.
With Mo Geilian’s 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 Miaoxiang’s ire, it was impractical. Since Hóu Míngjié 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 Rui’s mind: he would play the villain to save his brother Mo Geilian and preserve the Flame Demon Hall—and, 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 untouched—he knew Bai Miaoxiang would insist on inspecting the technique—but 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 Hóu Míngjié and declared, “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 now—body and soul—and send word to Mo Geilian to destroy the manual so you can never obtain this body-refining art.”
Hóu Míngjié’s face darkened. She had not anticipated A Rui’s exorbitant demands.
Little did she know it was exactly his intention: the more he asked, the greedier he seemed, solidifying Bai Miaoxiang’s trust.
Sure enough, after Hóu Míngjié reported through the commstone, Bai Miaoxiang agreed to every one of A Rui’s demands.
They then traveled together to the Demon Lord’s Hall.
Before Bai Miaoxiang, A Rui feigned timidity as he presented the Mo Lintian manuscript, warning cautiously, “Please make good on your promise!”
Bai Miaoxiang laughed at that—and 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 Lord’s Hall seeking an explanation. Anticipating this, A Rui did not hide—he stepped forward and spoke many disingenuous words.
Seeing the alternation of disappointment and pain in Mo Geilian’s eyes, A Rui could barely hold himself together. He so wanted to explain that he was not a traitor—but 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 swiftly—he entered the Earth Demon Realm—and during Bai Miaoxiang’s secluded cultivation, he seized control of most of the Demon Lord’s Hall’s power. He even arranged for Hóu Míngjié 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.
