Bai Fanlu was at a loss for the moment, since he had He concealed his spiritual powers and Wei Lin was basically a mortal who dabbled in demonic cultivation.

However, He Sang was different. He was not human, but that may not mean he could see through Bai Fanlu.

Yet, He Sang mentioned that Bai Junming looked similar to himself, but had a different aura. This was probably because Bai Junming was a pure demon, while he was still an immortal cultivator in disguise and his demonic blood had yet to be fully awakened.

Bai Fanlu felt that he was careless earlier by only persuading his opponent to surrender and forgot his own position.

He was a demon, so how can he be pretentious enough to persuade others not to kill innocents indiscriminately?
No wonder they all suspected that he was not an actual demon.

"Naturally, like my uncle, I was born a demon. Like you were born a merman, my roots are an irrefutable fact. But Governor Wei is different. He was born as a mortal, not a demon. Everyone has their path to take, and being a demonic cultivator isn’t ideal. There are hundreds of cultivation paths to choose from, but he picked the worst one for himself."

Bai Fanlu looked over at He Sang. This person was like a flower made of water. He had gleaming eyes, and his entire being was like a clear, shimmering river that was untouchable and could not be contaminated by any filthy impurities.
Feeling emotional, Bai Fanlu added, "Because of you, I don't wish to see him like this.”

He Sang stared at Bai Fanlu with the quivering pair of eyes the colour of the water. Bai Fanlu recognised that his words made an impact. After all, he bore the appearance of the man’s benefactor. Yet it was indeed a bit too mean to drum up this kind of sensationalism on purpose to save his skin. However, the current situation forced him into seizing more emotional points.

"When you have the opportunity, you'd better urge Governor Wei to call it quits while there's still room to turn back.”

If these two were still around when Yun Zhan arrived, they might not stand a chance of leaving.

"I see, thank you, Bai Dage.” He Sang continued, "I'm very glad to be able to hear that from you."

The hand holding the staff was slightly tightened, and He Sang had already turned around, "Let's head back.”

When they returned to the building in the heart of the lake, Bai Fanlu looked around and noticed that the servant girl did not greet them this time.

He Sang asked him, "What is Dage looking for?

"..." Bai Fanlu thought for a while, then turned, "My little monkey…He Sang, do you know where it is?
It is a stubborn one, and I am worried that something might happen to it if it annoys Governor Wei.”

"Usually, when the Lord brings back an object that he is fond of, he will bring it to the Garden of a Hundred Beasts of the Residence, but that place...is not too good," said He Sang hesitantly.

"Not too good?”

“En, if Dage is willing to heed my advice, please do not go over there. Since it is just a tiny monkey, it is not worth the trouble.”

After He Sang finished his words, he took one step after another supported by his staff.

When he lifted the curtain, Bai Fanlu peered in secretly. He didn't see the servant girl, but saw that white rabbit hopping over again. He Sang bent down and stretched out his hand towards it.

The curtain fell, cutting the merman from Bai Fanlu's line of sight. Bai Fanlu might have been mistaken, but he thought that the white rabbit's eyes appeared exceptionally bright, resembling a pair of blood-red rubies.

Bai Fanlu raised his eyebrows and recalled He Sang’s words, which seemed to carry another hidden message.
As for the servant girl, who should be staying close and serving He Sang, Bai Fanlu also pondered why she had suddenly vanished...

Oh crap, could his intention have been figured out?

If that was the case, he had no choice but to head to the place mentioned by He Sang.

It was easy to locate the Garden of a Hundred Beasts, because, in the darkness there was a strange red shadow in the sky above the place. The closer Bai Fanlu approached, the more intense his anxiety became.

As expected, Wei Lin was there.

Sitting in his wheelchair, the man tilted his head slightly and rested his hand, half-tightened into a fist, on the side. Noticing footsteps coming from behind him, Wei Lin dropped his hand onto the wheels and turned the wheelchair over.

"I didn't expect Young Master Bai to be in the mood to join me.”

The corners of his lips concealed a tease, and his narrow eyes reflected a red glow.

That red light came from large and small iron cages neatly lined up in the garden before them. Each cage contained an animal, from large ones like bears, tigers and jackals to smaller creatures such as rabbits, rats and tortoises. Each of their eyes shone red like blood.

Their eerie gazes darted straight in their direction. To encounter this scene caused Bai Fanlu’s heart to beat wildly out of fear.

But when he took a bolder look, those blood-red eyes were terrifying, but what they revealed was not bloodthirsty viciousness, it was as if they were asking for help.

Unlike the eyes of beasts, they appeared more like the gazes of humans.

Bai Fanlu walked to a position one arm away from Wei Lin, and he could see the cage on his knees when he lowered his head.

The little, white monkey in the cage was lying on his stomach listlessly, with slightly opened eyelids, looking very weak.

"Governor, I'm sorry to disturb you, but..." Bai Fanlu paused and said, "I raised this monkey since it was little, and I have a lot of affection for it. Can I ask the Governor to return it to me on my account?”

“Oh? Raised since it was little?”

Wei Lin hooked his finger on the cage door, opened the door, and stretched his hand to the monkey's neck.

"Governor, wait a minute!”

As soon as Bai Fanlu made a sound, Wei Lin's hand turned to caress the nape of its neck, and he squeezed it to lift it up, "What are you nervous about? Since Young Master Bai has spoken, I cannot be unreasonable.Take it!”

He casually tossed Zhixhi out like a rag. Bai Fanlu lunged forward to catch it, and the little monkey landed and nestled in his arms, limp, but still breathing.

Upon further examination, Zhizhi appeared to be under some kind of unspecified spell, the preliminary conjecture was that it was one used to rob vitality.

Bai Fanlu quickly tapped two fingers on Zhizhi's body, and secretly diverged Cang Jin from his spiritual vein and wrapped it around the monkey’s left upper limb, thereby alleviating the effects of the spell.

"Young Master Bai's behaviour has really surprised me again."

"...Oh really?”

Bai Fanlu hugged Zhizhi and put up his guard without a trace, putting distance between him and Wei Lin before replying, "Perhaps the Governor wishes to clarify your point?”

"As the son of the former Demon Lord and the future Demon Lord, you have the heart of a bodhisattva. Not only do you wish to save humans, you even go all out to rescue animals...This kind of benevolent nature is putting me at a loss.”

"..." The plot had distorted even more and Bai Fanlu was rendered speechless for a while. If it weren't for Xiao Liu, he wouldn't be dripping with this muddy water.

Nevertheless, Bai Fanlu could extract some other clues from Wei Lin’s words. He answered indifferently, "Governor, you seem to know a lot of secrets about the demon world..."

Those within the Demon Realm who knew about the relationship between Bai Junming and the former Demon Lord were far and few between. This was why Bai Fanlu brazenly acknowledged Bai Junming as his uncle. He merely wanted to use this blood tie without revealing his true identity.

Unexpectedly, Wei Lin was not as simple as he had presumed. This man’s tone did not carry a tinge of doubt. He was not guessing Bai Fanlu’s identity. He was sure of it.

"What does the Governor plan to do?” Bai Fanlu asked.

"I originally thought that since I am a demonic cultivator, I should submit to you..." Wei Lin frowned, looking slightly vexed, his fingers were clasped together and rested in front of his abdomen. The man’s posture was relaxed and calm as he spoke, "But you should also be aware that demons never regard loyalty to monarchs. The victor shall rule, right? If I kill you now, 'Young Master Ming' might have to acknowledge me as his Lord in the future.”

Bai Fanlu couldn't help smiling. He had anticipated this man's wolfish appetite for ambition. To think that he was almost moved by He Sang earlier, and wanted to persuade Wei Lin to turn back his ways.

"The Governor is quick to talk," Bai Fanlu covertly imbued a layer of protection on the little monkey, and spoke, "Then dare I ask the Governor, what are your plans now?”

As he questioned, Bai Fanlu raised his eyes and stared at the cages. If he guessed right, the cages that were neatly lined horizontally and vertically, ten by ten, had two missing at the corners. There were a total of 98 cages, which was the same number of people who were taken away from the parade of offerings.

Bai Fanlu then thought of the living dead lingering within the residence, those bearing human figures but possessed no souls, he could conclude at once that the souls of those ninety-eight people were imprisoned within in the bodies of these animals. He was ninety-ninth who Wei Lin intended to capture.

Tap, tap.

With a soft sound, Wei Lin rapped his finger twice on his wheelchair, "Young Master Bai really wishes to know?”

Bai Fanlu gritted his teeth and did not immediately answer. As of now, several hours had passed since the rift was sealed. Bai Fanlu was certain that he could defeat Wei Lin, but he was not sure if he could save the trapped people.

The servant girl of He Sang, who just disappeared, had a puppet switch on her ankle. She was the only dummy in the house. As the designated heart of the formation, she was also the key to saving these 98 people.

Damn it, where did she go?

But Wei Lin didn't give him a chance to think, and smiled lightly, "Young Master, why don’t you take a look at the monkey you raised since little?”

Bai Fanlu hurriedly lowered his head when he heard those words, and noticed that Zhizhi opened his eyes at some point, staring directly at him. However, those eyes turned out to be red!

He was horrified and was just about to shake the monkey out of his hand when he felt that something was not right. Bai Fanlu was familiar with Zhizhi’s aura and the little creature in his arms was indeed it!

The voice from the wheelchair did not sound again, but Wei Lin had already stealthily arrived before Bai Fanlu, but did not catch how the man got up and off his wheelchair.

As soon as Bai Fanlu looked over, he saw his opponent standing up bearing a strange and distorted smile on that pale face!
"I was just thinking if the esteemed Young Master of the Demon Race also becomes a chess piece in my hands, wouldn't that sound very interesting?”

With a brush, a blood-red glow lit at Bai Fanlu's feet. Before he could take a step back, he was restrained by a soul-binding formation circle. Wei Lin gripped him tightly. Although that man’s hand was thin as a piece of firewood, his strength was greater than the impact of a thousand pounds.

Bai Fanlu couldn’t free the hand that was holding onto Zhizhi, and could only use the other hand to deflect Wei Lin. The spiritual energy in his body was like a tide, and Wei Lin was directly struck by Bai Fanlu’s fire magic talisman. His entire body was engulfed and appeared like a massive fireball, but he seemed to feel no pain. On the contrary, his expression became increasingly hideous and vile.

Does this person...feel no pain?

Bai Fanlu's consciousness began to fade out, as if his soul was seized by a strong force. He could practically see his soul form being restrained and struggling to break free in vain...

But suddenly, Wei Lin let go of him, his eyes were full of disbelief as he waved his hand and threw Bai Fanlu out.
"How could this not work?!”

When Bai Fanlu flew out, he rolled over and swiftly regained his balance by pressing one palm on the ground. Then, he gently put Zhizhi down and called out his sword.

He was about to make a move, but Wei Lin disappeared into thin air. Bai Fanlu halted and turned around to see that the other party appeared from behind. He was floating in the air and staring at Bai Fanlu.

"It is my fault for overlooking one thing," Wei Lin snorted coldly. "This little monkey has two souls within his body. It is no wonder you can't get in.”

Did he just say that there are two souls residing in Zhizhi?

Bai Fanlu was also taken aback. If Zhizhi had a soul belonging to another person, then who could it be?
When did that soul fragment attach to the monkey?

But he didn't have time to think, for Wei Lin had torn away all his facade and they had gotten to a point of no return.

Today's battle was inevitable.

Bai Fanlu didn't hesitate, and controlled his spirit sword to stab at Wei Lin. Since that man was not afraid of fire, he would use the sword against him. Wei Lin had a certain level of cultivation, so even if he did not wield a weapon, the demonic energy that emanated from him was extremely powerful.

It was hard to distinguish who had the upper hand as they fought head-on for a few rounds. Due to the energy expenditure from casting the soul-binding technique, Wei Lin was unable to dodge a strike in time. Bai Fanlu’s blade came to his face and with a blue flash of light, a gash appeared on his face. But there was no blood.

Wei Lin showed a mocking smile but in the next moment, his expression suddenly solidified, "You are not a demon! You are—"

Bai Fanlu tapped on the ground with one foot, still half-floating, and activated a spiritual spell.

He imbued fifty percent of his spiritual energy into the sword, but if once he managed to cut the flesh on the man's body, he could infuse immortal energy along with a purification technique, causing Wei Lin to gradually lose his strength due to the negation of demonic energy.

This spell would then connect to the sealing formation of the Demonic Energy Rift.

He gave it a try according to the instructions in the book, but he didn't expect it to be a success!

Although it was still far from completely defeating Wei Lin, Bai Fanlu seized the opportunity and flew forward. Just when Wei Lin seemed to have something to say, the blade pierced through his chest, and a gurgling black liquid flowed out from the wound.

Puff!

Bai Fanlu hurriedly backed away, his eyes widened in surprise, Wei Lin unexpectedly...in front of him...

The thick liquid that resembled blood, but was not blood, poured out of Wei Lin's tall body. Until the end...Only a humanoid puppet dyed black fell from the core.

Bai Fanlu was shocked for this entity was the real Wei Lin!

Not good!