Chapter 52 You Intend to Pledge Your Allegiance to Me As My Master

Inside the Department of Soul Reapers, Yan Wuji relayed the Underworld Sovereign's intentions to Wan Yi.

The more Wan Yi listened, the darker his expression became. After the other man finished speaking, he sneered mockingly, "Lord Yan, you've really opened my eyes today! I never expected that people from the Underworld could take back their words whenever it suits them. Does that mean you could also suck back whatever shit you've already excreted?!"

Yan Wuji's expression wasn't looking too good either. He knew he had gone back on his word, but he couldn't be entirely blamed for this! Looking at Wan Yi, who was currently flying into a rage at him, a splitting headache overcame him.

If it had been any other Foundation Establishment cultivator daring to speak to him with such disrespect, he would have slapped them across the face long ago. However, Wan Yi happened to be a special existence; he couldn't beat him, nor could he curse at him, leaving him with no choice but to try every possible means to appease the young man.

Glancing at Wan Yi's ashen face, Yan Wuji rubbed his hands together anxiously, smiling awkwardly and flatteringly, "Little brother, now that things have already happened, losing your temper won't fix anything. I'm just someone following orders; only the attitude of those at the top can dictate everything. It was my lack of foresight earlier that caused such a huge misunderstanding. But didn't I just secure a helper for you to make up for it?"

While speaking, Yan Wuji pulled Mo Ying, who was standing behind him, right in front of Wan Yi.

Having vented his frustration, Wan Yi calmed down a bit. In his heart, he couldn't help but feel a shred of admiration for the Underworld Sovereign whom he had never even met. This fellow had completely figured out his weaknesses. From the very moment he accepted the inheritance of the *Emperor Slaying Art*, he had already embarked on a path of no return.

Regardless of whether he had the Underworld's support or not, he had to walk this dark path to the very end. Therefore, if the Underworld helped him, it was a favor; if they didn't, it was justified. They simply didn't care whether he would flip out on them or not!

The Underworld Sovereign was right: when it came to assessing situations and measuring the stakes, Wan Yi still possessed a sense of proportion. Although he was deeply unhappy, this was not yet the time for him to break ties with the Department of Soul Reapers. First and foremost, solely because he hadn't yet obtained the Othershore Flower for the little girl, he could not allow himself to burn bridges.

After weighing the pros and cons, Wan Yi took a deep breath, suppressed the displeasure in his heart, and smiled bitterly while shaking his head at Yan Wuji, "Brother, I'm not directing this at you. Anyone placed in this situation would find it hard to accept."

Hearing this, Yan Wuji nodded repeatedly, "Understood! Understood! When all is said and done, it's still my lack of prior consideration that caused you to suffer a grievance."

As he spoke, he pushed Mo Ying forward toward Wan Yi once again, and continued, "Little brother, this Lady Mo Ying is a powerhouse at the very late stage of the Tribulation Crossing Realm. Once she transforms into her true form—the Ink Qilin—her combat prowess will likely be no less than that of an early-stage Emperor Realm expert. Having her by your side to protect you from now on will be worth more than a hundred ghost cultivators."

Mo Ying was somewhat displeased by Yan Wuji's actions. She was, after all, a mighty expert at the late Tribulation Crossing stage, yet here she was being peddled like mere merchandise. A trace of annoyance inevitably showed on her face.

Noticing this, Yan Wuji hurriedly transmitted his voice to her, "Do not be offended, Lady Mo Ying. Please don't forget the Underworld Sovereign's instructions."

Hearing the other party mention the Underworld Sovereign, Mo Ying reined in her displeasure. With a cold expression on her face, her beautiful eyes stared straight at Wan Yi, as if saying: "You brat, enough is enough. Don't be ungrateful!"

Observing every move of the two of them, Wan Yi sneered repeatedly and directly exposed them, "Brother, that Underworld Sovereign of yours has quite a scheme! Afraid that I'll bring trouble to the Underworld, he refuses to dispatch any ghost cultivators to my command, yet he finds an artifact cultivator for me instead. What is the meaning of this?"

Hearing this, Yan Wuji opened his mouth to explain, but Wan Yi didn't give him the chance and continued, "Is he trying to kill with a borrowed knife, stirring up conflict between the human race and the Emperor Realm of the demon race?"

Yan Wuji opened his mouth, just about to speak, when Wan Yi pressed on, "Not only can this move sow discord, but it also plants a spy right by my side to monitor my every move at all times. Truly hitting three birds with one stone—I have to hand it to him!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Yan Wuji's expression changed drastically: "Little brother, choose your words carefully! Walls have ears!"

At the same time, Mo Ying let out a soft cry of anger, "Audacious! How dare you show disrespect to the Underworld Sovereign?!"

Seeing this, Wan Yi let out a "heh heh" chuckle, pointed straight at Mo Ying, and said to Yan Wuji, "Look, look at that! She's getting upset!"

Yan Wuji smiled bitterly, "Little brother, why must you do this?"

Wan Yi's expression turned serious: "Why must I? Let me tell you, I won't have a subordinate like this! To put it nicely, she's here to protect me; to put it bluntly, isn't she here to monitor me and then find a way to control me? Do you guys really take me for a fool?!"

With that, he turned his gaze to Mo Ying, his tone dripping with mockery, "I know you're unhappy, but I'm even unhappier! If you want to protect your master, then go back to your Underworld Sovereign and protect him to your heart's content, and stay far away from me!"

Mo Ying was so infuriated that her face turned ashen, and her pearly teeth gnashed together with a *creaking* sound. If not for the Underworld Sovereign's prior instructions, she would have loved nothing more than to tear the fellow in front of her to pieces right then and there.

Yan Wuji's expression also turned unsightly. Staring at Wan Yi, he said in a deep voice, "Little brother, you've gone too far! Having Mo Ying stay by your side to protect you is a token of goodwill from the Underworld Sovereign. How could you..."

Before he could finish, Wan Yi waved a hand to interrupt him, "Fine, since it's a token of goodwill from the Underworld Sovereign, I won't make things difficult for you either. But I do have a condition!"

At this point, his tone shifted. He looked at Mo Ying with a grave expression and said in a low voice, "I'll give you two paths to choose from. First, you acknowledge me as your master. Because what I need is a fiercely loyal subordinate, not someone with a divided heart. Second, you go right back to wherever you came from!"

As soon as these words fell, Yan Wuji gasped sharply. He thought to himself, *Good grief, you really dare to think of anything, kid! After circling around for so long, this was the plot you were hatching all along! You, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, actually harbor the delusion of making a Tribulation Crossing stage demonic beast acknowledge you as its master. Aren't you afraid she'll fly into a rage and wipe you out?!*

Thinking of this, he looked toward Mo Ying with full alertness, terrified that she might act on impulse and strike down Wan Yi.

To their absolute shock, however, the very next scene unfolded in a way that completely dropped both their jaws. They saw Mo Ying staring coldly and indifferently at Wan Yi as she said, "Fine, I agree!"

While speaking, she actually took the initiative to conjure her master-servant contract straight out of her sea of consciousness. At this moment, as long as Wan Yi imprinted his spiritual sense upon it, the contract between them would be successfully forged.

Seeing this, both Yan Wuji and Wan Yi were left dumbfounded.

When Wan Yi had previously put forward this demand, he simply wanted to make her back down in the face of difficulty. After all, having an uncontrollable demonic beast by one's side would give anyone a headache. Aside from the *Emperor Slaying Art*, he harbored far too many other secrets. To be monitored by Mo Ying 24/7 with no blind spots—how would that be any different from running around naked?

Yet once the master-servant contract was established with the other party, it would be a completely different story. Once the contract was formed, her life and death would lie entirely within a single thought of his, and she would never harbor any treacherous intentions toward him.

At this moment, Mo Ying's actions left Wan Yi utterly bewildered.

Seeing Wan Yi staring blankly at the contract she had summoned, the corners of Mo Ying's lips curled up into a cold sneer, "What? Are you backing out now?!"

To be continued...