Bai Fanlu was momentarily at a loss for words. He had temporarily concealed his spiritual energy, so it was normal for Wei Lin, who was originally a mortal before entering the demonic path, to not notice anything unusual. However, He Sang was not an ordinary person, so she might be able to see through it.

He Sang mentioned that Bai Junming and he looked alike but had different temperaments, likely because Bai Junming was a pure demon, while he was currently still in an immortal’s shell, with his demonic bloodline not fully awakened.

He had been careless earlier, focusing on persuading his opponent to surrender and forgetting his own stance.

He was supposed to be a demon, so why was he hypocritically advising others not to kill indiscriminately and to turn away from evil? No wonder they suspected he wasn’t a true demon.

“I am naturally like my uncle, born a demon, and that’s something that can’t be changed, just as you are a merfolk. But Lord Wei is different—he was originally an ordinary person. Demonic… is something everyone seeks to eliminate. It’s not a good path. There are thousands of paths to cultivation in this world, and he chose the worst one for himself.”

Bai Fanlu looked at He Sang, who seemed like a flower made of water. Her eyes shimmered as if in a clear stream, untouched by any filth or impurity.

Moved by the moment, Bai Fanlu said, “Because of you, I don’t want to see him end up like this.”

He Sang gazed at Bai Fanlu, her watery eyes glimmering.

Bai Fanlu knew his words had had an effect. Wearing the face of someone else’s benefactor and deliberately saying such emotional things to save his life was indeed a bit too manipulative. But the situation forced his hand—he had to gain some favor.

“If you get the chance, you should try to persuade Lord Wei again. If he stops now, there’s still room for redemption.”

If Yun Zhan arrived while they were still here, it would likely end in a fight to the death.

“I understand. Thank you, Brother Bai,” He Sang said. “I’m glad to hear these words from you.”

He Sang tightened her grip on the cane and turned around. “Let’s go back.”

When they returned to the lakeside pavilion, the maid did not come to greet them. Bai Fanlu looked around.

He Sang asked, “Brother, what are you looking for?”

“…” Bai Fanlu thought for a moment and then said, “My little monkey. He Sang, do you know where it is? It’s quite mischievous, and I’m worried it might cause trouble for Lord Wei.”

“When the Lord brings back something he likes, he usually places it in the Hundred Beasts Garden in the other courtyard, but that place… isn’t very nice,” He Sang hesitated.

“Not very nice?”

“Yes. If you trust me, Brother, I suggest not going there. It’s just a little monkey—it’s not worth it.” After speaking, He Sang walked inside slowly, leaning on her cane.

As she lifted the curtain, Bai Fanlu peeked inside, but he didn’t see the maid. Instead, a white rabbit hopped over, and He Sang bent down to reach out to it.

The curtain fell, blocking Bai Fanlu’s view. For a brief moment, he thought the rabbit’s eyes were incredibly bright, like blood-red rubies.

Bai Fanlu frowned, sensing that He Sang’s words carried hidden meaning.

And that maid, who was supposed to be attending to He Sang, had suddenly disappeared…

Could his intentions have been discovered? If so, the place He Sang mentioned was now somewhere he had to go.

The Hundred Beasts Garden was easy to find because, in the darkness, it was shrouded in an eerie red shadow. The closer Bai Fanlu got to it, the stronger his sense of unease grew.

As expected, Wei Lin was there.

He sat in his wheelchair, looking slightly upward, with his hand resting in a half-clenched position. When he heard footsteps behind him, his hand dropped naturally as he turned the wheelchair to look back.

“I didn’t expect Bai Gongzi to have such refined tastes.”

A hint of mockery played at the corners of his lips, his long eyes reflecting the red light.

That red light came from the neatly arranged iron cages in the garden ahead. Each cage contained an animal, ranging from bears and tigers to rabbits and turtles. They all seemed content within their cages, but their eyes were all blood-red.

Their chilling gazes were all uniformly fixed in this direction, and when Bai Fanlu first met their gaze, his heart raced in fear.

But as he mustered the courage to look again, he realized that although those blood-red eyes were terrifying, the emotions within them were not bloodthirsty or ferocious; instead, they seemed to be pleading for help.

Their eyes didn’t resemble those of beasts; they were more like those of humans.

Bai Fanlu walked until he was within arm’s reach of Wei Lin, and when he looked down, he saw the cage on Wei Lin’s lap.

Inside the cage, the little white monkey lay listlessly, its eyes half-open, looking very weak.

“Lord Wei, I apologize for disturbing you, but…” Bai Fanlu hesitated before continuing, “This little monkey has been with me since it was small, and I’m quite attached to it. Could you grant me this favor?”

“Oh? You’ve raised it since it was small?” Wei Lin hooked his finger around the cage door and opened it, reaching toward the monkey’s neck.

“Wait, Lord Wei!”

As soon as Bai Fanlu spoke, Wei Lin’s hand shifted, grabbing the back of the monkey’s neck and lifting it up. “Why are you so nervous? Since you asked, how could I refuse? Take it.”

He casually tossed the monkey as if discarding a piece of trash. Bai Fanlu quickly caught it mid-air. The little monkey lay limply in his arms, still breathing.

Upon closer inspection, Bai Fanlu noticed some unknown array inscribed on the monkey’s body, likely used to drain its life force. He quickly tapped a few points on the monkey’s body and secretly channeled a spiritual vein from the azure bracelet to its left forelimb to mitigate the array’s effects.

“Bai Gongzi’s actions continue to surprise me,” Wei Lin remarked.

“…Is that so?” Bai Fanlu, holding the monkey, subtly increased the distance between them. “In what way, Lord Wei?”

“As the son of the former Demon King and the future Demon King, you have the heart of a Bodhisattva, saving not only people but also animals… Such nobility leaves me at a loss for how to respond.”

Bai Fanlu was left speechless by this misinterpretation. If not for Xiao Liu, he wouldn’t have gotten involved in this mess.

But Wei Lin’s words revealed something else to Bai Fanlu. He calmly said, “Lord Wei seems to know a lot about the secrets of the Demon Realm…”

The relationship between Bai Junming and the former Demon King was something only a few in the Demon Realm knew about, which was why Bai Fanlu dared to claim Bai Junming as his uncle without revealing his true identity.

But it turned out that Wei Lin was not as simple as he appeared. He wasn’t guessing; he was certain.

“So, what was Lord Wei’s original plan?” Bai Fanlu asked.

“I initially thought that since I’ve walked the demonic path, I should naturally submit to you…”

Wei Lin frowned slightly, looking a bit troubled. He crossed his fingers over his abdomen, his posture relaxed and composed. “But you also know that demons don’t care much about loyalty or duty. It’s all about the survival of the fittest. If I kill you, then even ‘Young Master Ming’ would have to call me king one day.”

Bai Fanlu couldn’t help but laugh. He had long suspected this man harbored ambitions. He had almost been swayed by He Sang’s words into trying to persuade him to turn back.

“Lord Wei is quite straightforward,” Bai Fanlu said as he added another layer of protection to the little monkey. “May I ask what your current plan is?”

As he spoke, he glanced at the cages. If he was right, there were ninety-eight cages, the same number as the people taken during the street parade and sacrifice.

Considering the mansion filled with hollow bodies without souls, Bai Fanlu could deduce that the souls of those ninety-eight people were trapped in these animals, and he was the ninety-ninth soul Wei Lin wanted.

Tap, tap.

Wei Lin lightly tapped his fingers on the wheelchair. “Do you really want to know, Bai Gongzi?”

Bai Fanlu gritted his teeth, not answering immediately. It had been a few hours since the rift was sealed, and while he was confident he could defeat Wei Lin, he wasn’t sure if he could save the others.

The maid who had disappeared earlier had a puppet mechanism on her ankle. She was the only fake person in this mansion, serving as the array’s core and the key to saving those ninety-eight souls.

Damn it, where could she have gone?

But Wei Lin didn’t give him time to think. Smiling faintly, he said, “Why don’t you take a look at your little monkey, the one you raised?”

Hearing this, Bai Fanlu quickly looked down and saw that the little monkey had somehow opened its eyes, staring straight at him—and its eyes were red!

He was shocked and was about to throw the monkey away, but then he realized something was wrong. He recognized the monkey’s aura; it was real.

The wheelchair hadn’t moved, but Wei Lin was suddenly right in front of him. Bai Fanlu didn’t even see how he had gotten up from the wheelchair. In the blink of an eye, Wei Lin was standing before him

, his pale face twisted into a sinister smile.

“I wonder, how interesting would it be if the mighty young demon lord became a pawn in my hands?”

With a swish, the ground beneath Bai Fanlu lit up with a blood-red glow. He had no time to retreat as the soul-binding array activated, and Wei Lin’s skeletal hand gripped him tightly, its strength far exceeding what it seemed capable of.

Bai Fanlu couldn’t let go of the monkey, so he had to use his other hand to counter Wei Lin. His spiritual energy surged, and the fire spirit talisman struck Wei Lin directly, turning him into a massive fireball. Yet Wei Lin seemed unfazed, his face in the flames becoming even more grotesque.

Does he not feel pain?

Bai Fanlu’s consciousness began to slip away as if his soul was being forcibly torn from his body. He could almost see his own restrained form struggling helplessly…

But suddenly, Wei Lin released him, his eyes filled with disbelief. With a furious wave of his hand, he sent Bai Fanlu flying.

“Why isn’t it working?!”

Bai Fanlu flipped in mid-air and quickly regained his balance, setting the monkey down and summoning his spiritual sword.

He was about to attack when Wei Lin vanished. Bai Fanlu stopped in his tracks and turned to see Wei Lin reappear behind him, floating in mid-air, his gaze fixed on Bai Fanlu.

“I must have miscalculated,” Wei Lin sneered. “This little monkey has two souls within it—no wonder yours couldn’t enter.”

He said the monkey had two souls?

Bai Fanlu was also shocked. The monkey had another person’s soul? When did that happen?

But there was no time to think. Wei Lin had completely turned hostile, and a fight was inevitable.

Bai Fanlu hesitated no longer, directing his spiritual sword at Wei Lin. If Wei Lin was immune to fire, then he would use sword techniques. Wei Lin was skilled, not needing weapons, but his demonic energy was incredibly strong.

The two of them were evenly matched for a time, exchanging blows. However, due to the energy Wei Lin had expended on the soul-binding technique earlier, he eventually failed to dodge, and Bai Fanlu’s sword grazed his jaw, leaving a mark that didn’t bleed.

Wei Lin wore a mocking smile, but it quickly froze on his face. “You’re not a demon! You’re actually—”

Bai Fanlu, now hovering slightly above the ground, activated a spiritual incantation. He had just infused his sword with half of his celestial energy. Even a slight wound would allow him to use purification techniques to infuse celestial energy into Wei Lin’s body, gradually weakening him by cleansing his demonic energy. This technique was connected to the array used to seal the demonic rift.

He had initially thought to try it out based on the hints in the book, but it had actually worked!

But it wasn’t enough. Seizing the opportunity, Bai Fanlu lunged forward, and just as Wei Lin was about to speak again, he plunged his sword into Wei Lin’s chest. Black, viscous liquid oozed from the wound.

Bai Fanlu quickly retreated, eyes wide in shock as Wei Lin… shattered before him…

The blood-like, viscous liquid burst from Wei Lin’s tall figure, scattering him into pieces, leaving behind only a blackened humanoid puppet at the core.

Bai Fanlu was horrified. This Wei Lin…!

Something was very wrong!