Chapter 179: I’ve Become a Tool
Returning to the campsite, Ye Ji walked ahead. She turned around with a smile. “You can find me anytime if you run into trouble, Junior Brother Jiang.” Jiang Hao nodded. He activated the Daily Appraisal on her.
[Ye Ji: Inner disciple of the Misty Cloud Peak. At the early stage of the Golden Core Realm. She used enchantment on you eighteen times as an attempt to capture your heart by making you infatuated with her beauty and personality so that you would willingly follow her to the core of the Devil’s Den. She wanted you to shield her from danger, even if it meant dying for her. You are a tool for her. She destroys the tool she can’t use.]
“Well, I intended to go into the core of the Devil’s Den anyway.”
He did want to go there. Once inside, he could face the dangers there alone. Without anyone else there, it would be easy to fight and survive until the reinforcements arrived.
He could even search for demons who were in the Primordial Spirit Realm or the Golden Core Realm. He might find more bubbles!
The only thing he needed to worry about was finding a way to escape attention.
“I’ll wait for your confirmation tomorrow,” said Ye Ji.
After bidding farewell to her, Jiang Hao returned to his cabin. Nothing was surprising about the appraisal result. The people in the demonic sect functioned that way. It was normal.
They used people for their own advantage and discarded them when they ran out of use.
The only thing that puzzled Jiang Hao was that she had used enchantments on him eighteen times! He hadn’t even felt anything.
‘It seems I need to do some research when it comes to charms and enchantments. I need to find something in the nameless manual that helps me detect it while being used on me. Maybe I can use it to my advantage someday.’
Jiang Hao rummaged through his storage treasure. He found three books on charms and bewitchment. He wanted to read them right away, but he noticed something on the stone tablet.
Messages appeared in the group. They were the same people as before.
However, there was an invitation. Someone was inviting him to join in on the conversation at midnight.
‘Maybe this is the person Hong Yuye is looking for!’
Jiang Hao hesitated and then decided to join in that night. He was an undercover agent, after all. He watched their conversation for a while.
It was a conversation between Gui and Xing.
[Gui: The giant python I’ve been chasing ran away. D*mn it! I was about to capture it. But it won’t escape from me. I cursed it! Its strength will weaken little by little. When I catch it, I’ll skin it! How dare that beast eat my things without my permission!]
[Xing: Even if it becomes weaker, you might not be able to find it. Didn’t you say it has the ability to conceal itself?]
[Gui: Just wait until I find it. I’ll crush it with my bare hands!]
It seemed Gui had something important taken away from her… by a python.
‘An ability to conceal itself?’ Jiang Hao was envious that a beast had such an ability.
After that, they started discussing the night’s gathering.
[Gui: Senior Dan Yuan will join us tonight. I wonder how many others will join the conversation.]
[Xing: I think many will drop in.]
[Gui: That newcomer is probably reading our conversation right now. I wonder if he’ll join in too.]
[Xing: He might join us. Otherwise, it’s useless to own a stone tablet.]
Jiang Hao watched for a while and then put away the stone tablet. His purpose was to go undercover. He needed to find out who was behind all the stone tablets.
If he wanted to do that, he needed to blend in with the group. Just watching their conversation might not be helpful.
‘Dan Yuan? Is that a name or a code for something?’
Jiang Hao thought about it but couldn’t figure it out. He might be able to find out tonight.
He read the books on charms and waited for midnight to arrive.
At the main defense line, in the camp of the Golden Core Realm cultivators, three people sat cross-legged on the ground.
Ye Ji sat on the left. A gloomy-faced man sat on the right. In the middle was a muscular man with a large shield by his side.
“You invited a late Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator?” asked Lan Feng, the gloomy-faced man. “He isn’t strong enough. He’ll just be a cannon fodder. What’s the use of taking him along?”
“What if he’s willing to sacrifice himself for me?” Ye Ji smiled. “He is very sharp. He detects danger and acts very efficiently. I already charmed him. If there is any danger, he’ll die saving me.”
“What was his name again? Jiang Hao of the Cliff of Broken Hearts?” asked Jin
Long, the muscular man. “He is still on the suspect list of the Law Enforcement Hall. You’d better be careful.’
“We aren’t going to do anything to him!” said Ye Ji.
“Jiang Hao from the Cliff of Broken Hearts… That name sounds familiar,” said Lan Feng.
“The demons have many treasures, but I’m not sure this place has any. If you want to go through with this, I won’t stop you. You’d better destroy anything that’s inside and succeed.’
“Of course!” said Ye Ji. “It will be a great achievement. I’ll be the last one standing.”
Lan Feng snorted.
“What’s so funny?” Ye Ji asked.
“Nothing,” said Lan Feng. “It’s not that I look down on people you recruit, but.. let’s talk about this Jiang Hao. He is just in the late stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. What can he do? I know a bit about him. I remember that he advanced through some lucky encounters on his journey. He hides in the Spirit Herb Garden and does nothing! But he might have some treasures or techniques on him…”
“If he dies… who would take his storage treasure?” asked Lan Feng. “I take 70%, and you take 30% of anything we find in his storage treasure,” said Ye Ji.
“60/40,” said Lan Feng.
“Then let’s do this. We rely on our own abilities,” said Ye Ji.
“Okay,” said Lan Feng.
Jin Long didn’t get involved. He would rely on his formation for defense. It was the safest.
He could hang on till the end. Since they were trapped, they needed to do everything they could to survive.
Jiang Hao closed the book on charms. He hadn’t read everything yet. From what he had understood so far, charms were activated through body language, eyes, and speech.
There was also an entry about its effect: making the other person feel infatuated with the spellcaster.
If one possessed natural charm, it was easier to cast the spells and bewitch others. Every word and movement intensified the enchantment. It could even make people fall irrevocably in love with the spellcaster.
‘It is no wonder so many people are willing to avenge Senior Sister Yun Ruo. They even throw away their own future and go undercover just to kill me, so they can avenge her!’
It was a given that some people went to the extreme to get what they want, but so many people refuse to let go even after all this time.
Jiang Hao sighed. ‘Senior Sister Ye Ji is trying to do the same to me. Thankfully, charms and bewitchments are useless against me because of the Heaven
Extinction Gu Poison.’
He didn’t know whether he was happy or sad about it.