Hei Loulan's heart surged with a mix of shock and fury.
Ying Wuxie's sudden attack had put her in an extremely passive position.
Even though Hei Loulan didn't know that Ying Wuxie was one of the split souls of Demon Venerable Soulless, she had experienced the great battle at Yitian Mountain and knew full well that Ying Wuxie, the Shadow Sect, and Demon Venerable Soulless were all part of the same faction.
During the great battle at Yitian Mountain, Hei Loulan's elder aunt, Burning Heaven Devil Woman, and her younger aunt, Fairy Li Shan, had fallen one after the other.
These two were the only relatives Hei Loulan still cared about.
And since the Shadow Sect was responsible for their deaths, the enmity between Ying Wuxie and Hei Loulan was irreconcilable.
Ying Wuxie was well aware of this, but he didn't care. He came directly to her and forced her to submit.
Submit, or die!
Though Ying Wuxie had merely taken over Fang Yuan's body and was only a Sixth Transformation Immortal Zombie, at his side was the Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal Shi Nu, with full combat power. More importantly, there was the super Gu formation deployed here.
It could block the probing of powers like the Heavenly Court, fend off the fierce beasts of the Earth Abyss, and had protected Bo Qing's remnant soul for so many years — this Gu formation was naturally extraordinary.
This was Ying Wuxie's greatest trump card.
Though Ying Wuxie was merely a split soul, he had inherited Demon Venerable Soulless's ruthlessness and domineering nature.
Hei Loulan's face turned ashen, her eyes burning with intense hatred.
"Since Ying Wuxie is fearless enough to confront me head-on, he must have prepared thoroughly and is brimming with confidence. His depths are unfathomable, and his connection to Demon Venerable Soulless is impossibly close. If I resist to the bitter end now, my fate would likely be dire. I can only endure for the moment. Later, I'll look for another opportunity..."
Thinking this, Hei Loulan let out a cold snort and spoke: "Your Shadow Sect killed two of my loved ones, and yet you want me to join you. Aren't you afraid I'll turn on you someday?"
"Heh heh heh." Ying Wuxie's laughter came immediately. "What is there to be afraid of?"
After a brief pause, he continued: "First, I am strong and you are weak — nothing to fear. Second, I also have Path of Faith methods to bind you through an oath. Third, I know your character well enough. Your great仇 has not been avenged, Hei Cheng is still alive — would you be content to let it end here? Even if you killed Hei Cheng with your own hands, you would endure the humiliation, cultivate diligently, and wait for the chance to strike back."
Hei Loulan fell silent.
Hearing Ying Wuxie describe her so accurately, Hei Loulan's heart sank further.
Know your enemy, know yourself, and you need never fear a hundred battles. Hei Loulan hadn't expected Ying Wuxie to know her so well. In return, she knew virtually nothing about him!
This was actually thanks to Fang Yuan.
Previously, after the Shadow Sect's Inkstone Elder discovered Fang Yuan's anomalies, he had deployed Heavenly Secret Gu and other methods to carry out divination.
Hei Loulan, as a key figure around Fang Yuan, was naturally caught up in it. The Shadow Sect collected and deduced quite a bit of intelligence.
Ying Wuxie hadn't known any of this originally, but because of the Red Lotus True Inheritance within the River of Time, he had received guidance from Soulless's will within the inheritance, and so he understood a great deal about Hei Loulan.
Seeing Hei Loulan's silence, Ying Wuxie displayed excellent patience, making no attempt to rush her.
In this shabby room, only a sliver of light penetrated.
Hei Loulan was almost entirely shrouded in darkness.
After a long while, she finally spoke: "You want to recruit me. Who am I to fight? If you want me to storm the Heavenly Court directly, you might as well take my life right now."
"Hahaha." Ying Wuxie laughed. "You don't need to test me, Hei Loulan. Of course I want to recruit you to deal with Fang Yuan!"
A sharp gleam flickered through Hei Loulan's eyes, and her tone rose slightly: "Oh? So Fang Yuan really didn't die?"
"Not only did he not die, he gained enormously!" Ying Wuxie's voice could barely conceal his hatred.
"You want to use me to frame Fang Yuan and help you seize the Fox Immortal Blessed Land?" Hei Loulan pressed further.
"Hmph." Ying Wuxie sneered. "The Fox Immortal Blessed Land and the Starry Blessed Land that Fang Yuan controls should have already been emptied out. All the cultivation resources inside, including Dang Hun Mountain and Luo Po Valley, have been relocated to the Langya Blessed Land."
"The Langya Blessed Land?"
"Heh, it's the very place where you and Fairy Li Shan fought alongside Qin Baisheng, Hei Cheng, and Jiang Yu. What? Hasn't Fang Yuan told you about it yet?" Ying Wuxie said.
Hei Loulan said nothing.
Ying Wuxie continued: "The Langya Blessed Land was originally an Immortal Orifice left behind by Ancestor Long Hair. It was once a Cave Heaven, and though it has since fallen to a Blessed Land, its depth and richness make it arguably the foremost Blessed Land of the Five Regions. The Royal Court Blessed Land has already been destroyed, and it's unlikely any other Blessed Land can rival it."
"Not only has Fang Yuan moved all his resources into the Langya Blessed Land, he has also joined the Langya Sect, betraying humanity to become a lackey of the Mao people."
At this, Hei Loulan's gaze sharpened.
Ying Wuxie seemed to read her thoughts and continued with a smile: "You're thinking correctly. I still have my people inside the Langya Blessed Land. I know almost everything that happens there. Fang Yuan won't be able to run wild for much longer. Only by joining me do you have a path to survival."
A scene from Yitian Mountain surfaced in Hei Loulan's mind.
The colossal figure of Demon Venerable Soulless, towering between heaven and earth, was seared deep into her heart.
"Demon Venerable Soulless..." Hei Loulan murmured inwardly. Then she slowly closed her eyes and spoke in a heavy voice: "The situation leaves me no choice. I'll join you. But I must warn you — you want me to deal with Fang Yuan, yet I still have an oath with him."