Heavenly Demon Dijiang chuckled. “This kid’s been coddled too well, no experience in the ways of the world. Tricked so easily. Compared to his cunning father, he’s worlds apart.”
“What… what do you want with me?” Lin Yi’s face was ashen, his legs trembling.
“Relax, we won’t kill you. Your worthless life means nothing to us,” the Demon Marshal said in a chilling, raspy voice.
“Right, right, I’m just a nobody, no use to you at all. So let me go!” Lin Yi pleaded.
“Your life may be worthless, but your father’s life? That’s invaluable to us. That’s your only purpose, and why we went to such lengths to capture you,” the Demon Marshal said.
Lin Yi’s eyes widened as he grasped their intent.
“You… you want to use me to lure my father?” he gasped.
“Jie jie, you may be a spoiled brat, but you’re not entirely dim,” the Demon Marshal cackled eerily.
“I… I’ve already cut ties with my father! Using me to draw him out won’t work. You’d better give up on that idea!” Lin Yi said through gritted teeth.
“Give up? Jie jie, you’re Lin Yun’s own flesh and blood. I’ve heard he’s a man of deep loyalty and sentiment. That’s his weakness. I don’t believe he’d let his son die without lifting a finger,” the Demon Marshal said with a confident smirk.
“Dijiang, take him away and keep him under tight guard!” the Demon Marshal waved his hand.
“Yes.” Dijiang obeyed, escorting Lin Yi out of the hall.
The Demon Marshal rose slowly from his throne.
“Lin Yun, let’s see how you handle this one, jie jie!” he laughed sinisterly.
Since their last failed attempt to assassinate Lin Yun with a Sixth Realm Heavenly Demon, the Heavenly Demon had ordered the Demon Marshal to find another way to eliminate him.
But opportunities had been scarce. Lin Yun rarely left the Divine Capital lately.
Even when he visited the Kunlan Empire to meet the Kunlan Empress, he used the teleportation arrays outside the Divine Capital and the Kunlan capital. The Demon Marshal wouldn’t dare strike near a capital, where the Huoyun Emperor could arrive in an instant.
Planning another assassination was proving difficult, with no openings and the risk of losing more demon clan elites.
This had given the Demon Marshal a headache, especially with the Demon Lord’s orders to redeem his failure by killing Lin Yun.
Lin Yi’s departure from the Divine Capital had finally given the Demon Marshal a golden opportunity to strike at Lin Yun!
Knowing Lin Yun’s sense of loyalty, he was certain that using Lin Yi as bait would draw him out, giving them complete control.
—
In the Divine Capital, at the Lin residence, inside the One Thought Clarity Tower.
Lin Yun had been diligently studying formations.
He had made progress, but it was modest at best.
“Truly frustrating. I lack any real talent for formations,” Lin Yun said with a wry, helpless smile.
His progress wasn’t poor, but compared to the Human Emperor’s lofty standards, it fell far short.
It wasn’t that Lin Yun was incompetent; the Human Emperor’s requirements were simply outrageous!
Lin Yun had a sinking feeling that, at this rate, even a hundred years wouldn’t be enough to pass the Human Emperor’s trial.
Since delivering Qiankun Crystal Stones to the Huoyun Emperor last time, Lin Yun had made two more deliveries, totaling 280,000 stones.
Each time, the Emperor provided a batch of top-quality resources for Lin Yun to continue refining the stones.
The resources consumed in this process were staggering, sustainable only by the empire’s vast reserves. An ordinary Immortal couldn’t afford such expenditure!
But this refining couldn’t continue indefinitely. The continent’s resources were finite, and consuming so many high-grade materials was like killing the goose for its eggs, unsustainable in the long term.
A sudden, urgent knocking interrupted his thoughts.
Lin Yun left the tower’s space and returned to the training chamber.
“Lin Yun! Lin Yun!” Yun Shang’s frantic voice came from outside.
Lin Yun hurried to open the door.
“Lin Yun, something… something’s happened!” Yun Shang’s face was streaked with tears. She grabbed his arm as soon as he appeared.
Seeing her in such a state, Lin Yun’s heart sank. He rarely saw Yun Shang so distraught, and a sense of dread washed over him.
“Yun Shang, what’s happened?” he pressed.
“Yi’er… Yi’er’s been captured by the Demon Clan!” Yun Shang said, her voice quivering as she bit her lip.
“What!?” Lin Yun’s eyes widened in shock.
The news hit him like a thunderbolt, staggering him as if struck.
“This… this is a letter from the Demon Clan, just delivered to the residence.” Yun Shang, trembling, handed him an envelope.
Lin Yun snatched it and tore it open.
Inside were items belonging to his son, along with a letter.
“Lin Yun, your son is in the Demon Beast Mountain Range, in our Demon Clan’s hands. He’s safe for now. If you want him to live, come alone to the Demon Beast Mountain Range. We guarantee his release if you comply. You have one month. If you don’t show, you’ll receive your son’s head.”
The message was brief.
“Damn the Demon Clan! Damn them!” Lin Yun crushed the letter in his fist, his knuckles white, his eyes blazing with fury.
“Lin Yun, what does it say?” Yun Shang asked urgently.
“Yi’er’s alive, in their hands. They’re using him to force me to go alone to the Demon Beast Mountain Range,” Lin Yun said, his face pale.
“What!?” Yun Shang stumbled, nearly collapsing.
“Yun Shang!”
Lin Yun caught her arm, pulling her into an embrace.
“Lin Yun, what… what do we do now?” Yun Shang sobbed, overwhelmed with despair.
“With Yi’er in their hands, we have no choice but to follow their demands. I must go to the Demon Beast Mountain Range,” Lin Yun said, closing his eyes in resignation.
