Two days later, Rong Zhi and Lian Hua found themselves walking through a winding path, far from the Jaishin Lake.
They had deliberately taken this route, avoiding the one agreed upon by Aksai and Haitin. Lian had made her own decision—one that neither followed Aksai’s suggestion nor aligned with Lin Mei’s path back to Rai City.
Unbeknownst to Rong, Lian wasn’t just some regular cultivator with a relatively common background exploring the Wild Devil Lands. In reality, she was Lini Lowanfield, the direct disciple of Green Glory Palace’s Core Formation Lord.
Like Siya Solaris, who had hidden her true identity behind the name Lin Mei, Lini also masked her background to avoid becoming a pawn for the demonic forces.
Why would Lini hide her real identity?
It was common practice for those connected to powerful figures to use aliases to prevent being exploited, especially in dangerous places like the Wild Devil Lands. Still, if they wanted to improve quickly, they had to venture into these perilous regions, accepting the risks involved.
Siya’s disguise had already been exposed by Haitin, but Lini’s was much more convincing. Even Aksai, who prided himself on seeing through others, had no idea that two critical “chess pieces” were active in the Wild Devil Lands instead of one.
Lini, in her guise as Lian Hua, had her own plans.
As they trudged forward, the dense trees of the Duya Forest loomed in the distance, casting shadows over the landscape. Lini glanced at Rong from time to time, her thoughts racing.
She hadn’t expected him to follow her. She had wanted to take this path alone, reveal a fraction of her real strength to ensure her safety, and use a secret method to contact her Senior Brothers and Sisters from Green Glory Palace for extraction.
But with Rong by her side, maintaining her fake identity became somewhat essential. The last thing she needed was for Rong to discover who she really was. She would have to silence him if it came to that. Although Lini wouldn’t shy away from killing a problematic threat, she didn’t want to kill an innocent either.
‘Hmm… it’s really been two days without any problems. Just a few hours away from entering the Duya Forest. I think my decision is the most correct.’
She recalled why she hadn’t followed Aksai to Jaishin Lake. In truth, she agreed with his judgment.
Unlike Siya, Lini wasn’t delusional about Haan Di’s administration. She knew well that Haan Di would prioritize its own survival over the safety of a few nobodies.
However, the idea of facing Haitin directly didn’t sit well with her. While she had ways to protect herself—hidden artifacts, powerful pills, and secret techniques—Haitin’s cunning nature and influence posed a different kind of danger.
If she revealed her true identity and was captured, her sect would be drawn into the brewing conflict between Haan Di and the demonic factions. That was something she absolutely had to avoid.
Instead, she took a middle path. By avoiding both Aksai and Haan Di, she figured she could navigate the Wild Devil Lands safely. She trusted in her means and believed that if things went south, she could reveal her identity at the last moment, abandon Rong, and escape into the vast Duya Forest.
With its dense foliage and the presence of powerful demonic beasts, even Haitin’s forces wouldn’t dare chase her too far with reckless abandon. And once inside, she’d use her artifacts and knowledge of the terrain to hide until help arrived from her sect.
She glanced at Rong again, a hint of frustration crossing her features. His decision to follow her complicated things. She couldn’t act as freely with him around, and if push came to shove, she’d have to abandon him, something she wasn’t thrilled about.
But in the Wild Devil Lands, sentimentality had no place. It was a cruel place where survival mattered above all else.
‘If my guess is not wrong, then that Lin Mei is Siya Solaris. If I know Haan Di, they would probably use her to get Sun Ocean Society on its side. I don’t know how Haitin would react but if he doesn’t rescue her, Wild Devil Lands would become a battlefield between many major forces.
Then again Sun Ocean Society wouldn’t necessarily be deceived by Haan Di. if they hurt Siya Solaris, they would be doubtful of Haan Di as well.
But the thing is, the Sun Ocean Society’s Core Formation already has a conflict with the Blackblood clan. I’m afraid that lunatic Core Formation Lord would use Siya Solaris’s capture or death as a reason to launch a heavy strike on the Blackblood clan.
this … this is going to get messy. I guess my choice is the safest. Unlike that idiot girl’s.’
Lini felt confident. Unlike Siya Solaris, who had been exposed by Haitin, Lini had meticulously crafted her false identity.
Even Aksai, with all his instincts and intellect, hadn’t suspected anything. She’d played her role perfectly, making sure no one knew the truth about her heritage. But as she walked, a creeping unease settled in the pit of her stomach.
Haitin wasn’t the kind of man who let things slide. His influence in the Wild Devil Lands was vast, and his thirst for revenge, if provoked, was relentless.
She thought about the way Haitin had handled Aksai’s group so far—calculated, patient, and dangerous. She had planned for every possibility, but there was one thing she might have underestimated: Haitin’s reach.
***
As they neared the outskirts of the Duya Forest, Rong Zhi broke the silence. “Are you sure this is the right way? It’s… a bit too quiet, don’t you think?”
Lian—no, Lini—gave a nonchalant shrug. “It’s the Wild Devil Lands. Quiet is good. Let’s not jinx it.” She forced a small smile, though her mind was far from at ease.
Rong glanced around, still uneasy. “I just hope we made the right call. Aksai’s path seemed more… planned out.”
Lini’s eyes hardened slightly. “Aksai’s path leads straight to Haitin. Trust me, that’s not a meeting you want. This way, we control our own fate. If nothing else, you can rely on me.”
‘Rely on you? Who do you think you are?’
Rong hesitated but eventually nodded. “I suppose you’re right. We’ll just have to trust your instincts.”
As they ventured deeper into the forest, Lini couldn’t shake the feeling that things weren’t as under control as she hoped.
She’d chosen this path carefully, thought through every detail, and weighed the risks. But as the shadows of the trees closed in around them, she realized that in the Wild Devil Lands, even the most well-laid plans could crumble in an instant.
The Duya Forest loomed ahead, casting an eerie silence that only deepened Lini’s unease. Rong Zhi walked just behind her, his eyes scanning the path ahead, oblivious to the danger that was about to strike. For a moment, it felt like things might go smoothly—too smoothly.
And that’s when it happened.
From the thick underbrush on either side of the trail, shadowy figures emerged. Ten demonic cultivators, cloaked in dark robes, their auras flickering with malicious Spirit essence, surrounded Lini and Rong. There was no warning, no taunt—just the swift drawing of weapons as they lunged at the pair without hesitation.
Rong reacted first, unsheathing his sword and parrying the nearest attack. “Ambush!” he shouted, though it was obvious. He subconsciously wanted to mimic Aksai’s actions. That’s why he shouted the obvious. But unlike Aksai’s well-timed call, Rong’s was a bit misplaced.
Lini’s expression didn’t change, but inside, her mind raced. These weren’t top-tier enemies—just a bunch of small fries, sent to slow them down or soften them up. Still, she couldn’t afford to waste too much energy.
Moving with practiced precision, she dodged the first blow aimed at her, her fingers deftly summoning a series of glowing talismans from her sleeve. With a quick flick of her wrist, the talismans burst into a stream of fire, engulfing two of the attackers.
Rong, to his credit, was holding his own. His sword was a blur, cutting down one demonic cultivator after another. But as he finished off another foe, the weight of their situation started to sink in.
“These guys are weak,” Rong grunted, wiping blood from his blade, “but it feels like a distraction.”
Lini didn’t respond, but she agreed. At the same time, she also felt that the muscleheaded man following her wasn’t just all brawns. He had brains too.
Something about the attack was too… convenient.
As they finished off the last of the small-time cultivators, the air around them grew heavy. Two figures stepped forward, their presence immediately commanding attention. Both were clearly Foundation Building cultivators, their auras thick with power. One of them—a tall man with snake-like eyes and a cruel smile—let out a dark chuckle.
“Looks like the rats put up more of a fight than I expected,” he sneered, his gaze flicking between Lini and Rong. “Young Master Haitin could have asked us to kill you. But now he wants us to capture you guys. Perhaps, he has seen something we can’t.
Anyway, us old retainers won’t bother with the details and diplomatic mess. Now the real fun begins.”
Lini’s heart sank. This wasn’t part of the plan. Foundation Building experts of such strengths and aptitude weren’t something she could take lightly, especially not two at once.
She glanced at Rong, who was already breathing hard from the earlier fight. He wouldn’t last long against these two. He already had a pale face when he looked at the two Experts.
She had no choice. If she didn’t reveal her true strength now, they’d both be dead in moments.
With a deep breath, Lini let her disguise fall. Her aura shifted, growing more intense and refined. Gone was the guise of a regular cultivator, and in its place stood a mid-stage Foundation Building expert, her energy swirling around her in vibrant, emerald hues.
Rong’s eyes widened as he stumbled back, stunned by the sudden shift. “You…”
Lini cut him off, her voice cool and controlled. “Shut up. I didn’t plan on revealing this, but we’re out of options.”
The two demonic Foundation experts paused, momentarily taken aback by the sudden shift in her power. The man with the snake-like eyes narrowed his gaze.
“Interesting… Seems we’ve caught something more valuable than we thought. Young Master Haitin is really smarter than his father.”
Without further words, the fight began.
Lini moved with deadly grace, her hands forming complex seals as she summoned a barrage of attacks. Her talismans crackled with energy, her sword flashing as it clashed with her enemies.
Despite her power, the two demonic experts were relentless, their strikes heavy and coordinated. One sent a wave of black flames her way, forcing her to throw up a barrier. The other attacked from her flank, nearly landing a fatal blow.
It had to be said that neither Haitin nor Aksai expected Lian’s guise to be fake. As such, Haitin didn’t really send a top-notch cultivator to retrieve Lian’s two-person group. However, the dark star Haitin was cautious. He sent two demonic cultivators as a contingency plan. Who would have thought that these two cultivators would really find their match in Lini?
Rong tried to help, but he was quickly outclassed. A single strike from one of the Foundation experts sent him crashing into a tree, coughing up blood. He struggled to stand, but it was clear he was out of the fight.
Lini gritted her teeth, her mind racing for a way out. She unleashed a powerful technique, summoning a wave of green energy that momentarily pushed the demonic cultivators back. But it wasn’t enough. The two experts regrouped almost instantly, their attacks more precise and vicious than before.
Lini was a direct disciple of a Core Formation Lord. She was powerful, but they had the advantage—two against one, and both were more experienced than she was.
It didn’t take long before she found herself cornered, her defenses weakening with each passing moment. One well-placed strike from the snake-eyed cultivator sent her crashing to the ground, her body wracked with pain.
She could hear Rong groaning in the distance, struggling to stand but too weak to be of any help. Lini tried to rise, but her body betrayed her. She was out of tricks, out of options.
The snake-eyed man sauntered over, looking down at her with a smirk. “Mid-stage Foundation Building, huh? Not bad, but still not enough. You should’ve just stayed hidden.”
Lini glared up at him, her pride wounded more than her body. She had taken every precaution, played her part perfectly, and still, it hadn’t been enough. Now, like Siya, she had fallen into the enemy’s hands.
The other demonic expert walked over to Rong, kicking him down as he tried to crawl away. “This one’s barely worth the effort,” he muttered.
The snake-eyed man crouched down beside Lini, lifting her chin with a mocking grin. “Let’s see who you really are, little chess piece. I’m sure Haitin will be very interested in meeting you.”
Lini’s heart sank. She had done everything to avoid this fate, but now, captured and defeated, she was at the mercy of the very forces she had tried to escape.
And worse, she knew that once Haitin learned her real identity, things would only get more dangerous.