Chapter 223: The Purpose
by 夜阑妖歌Chapter 223: The Purpose
That very evening, Wu Shaluo went to look for Wen Ying.
Wen Ying was surprised when he opened the door and saw Wu Shaluo. Due to the incident in the amusement park, Wu Shaluo found him even more unpleasant than before, to the extent that he didn't want to spare Wen Ying a glance even though they were in the same class every day.
"Is there something important?" Wen Ying asked, gesturing for Wu Shaluo to come in as he moved aside.
Wu Shaluo answered coldly with a perfunctory response, which could be considered an answer. He walked in and casually glanced around the room without looking again.
Boros was sitting on the bed looking at his phone. He glanced at Wu Shaluo and then continued looking at his phone.
"What is he looking at?" Wu Shaluo asked Wen Ying, who had just closed the door. "I've never seen him so interested in his phone before."
As Wen Ying walked, he replied, "He's looking at tourist attractions."
Wu Shaluo was stunned. "Huh?" He looked at Boros in shock. Boros was interested in tourist attractions? Wu Shaluo's disbelief was almost written on his face.
Wen Ying explained, "To be precise, he's looking for places suitable for dates."
Wu Shaluo's lips twitched. "Let's not talk about that. I have something important to discuss today."
As he spoke, he casually sat down on the sofa.
Wen Ying sat down beside him on the sofa, displaying an attentive expression. "I'm very curious."
Wu Shaluo raised his hand, casting a soundproof barrier that enveloped the entire room.
"The Demon King asked us to investigate any secret connections between humans and the extremist faction. I've found my target," Wu Shaluo said. "The day before Mu family entered the Thrill Paradise, in the hotel at night, a masked human came to me, asking me to lead a magical beast to them."
"The contracted person I had chosen previously told me that the Mu family was interested in recruiting me and promised many benefits. That night, the masked person only came to me. This matter should be related to the Mu family."
Wen Ying replied, "They all seem suspicious to me. I've already instructed the local Judgment Bureau to clarify the power distribution within the Church. Let's not talk about foreign countries, but domestically, the Mu family holds the most power within the Church. Other families follow their lead."
Most of the families were part of the Church faction, while those in the Association faction were scarce.
Those ancient families were still quite feudal. Apart from other things, when it came to marriage, they generally looked inward for partners to maintain the purity of their bloodline.
Once a child was born, they would undergo various inspections. If their bloodline was unsatisfactory or their magical talent was low, their parents might even directly send them to the nursery run by the family for collective upbringing, then try to have another child.
In their family, the hierarchy was strictly enforced. The demons from the Judgment Bureau had even discovered that many families were secretly nurturing individuals they couldn't expose to the light.
If one truly became a demon, the world would be different. Last year, Wen Ying would never have imagined this world to be so "colorful," where reality actually contained loyal servants of death.
"When will we finally settle these matters and return to the Demon Realm?" Wu Shaluo leaned forward, his face close to Wen Ying's. "At the very least, we wouldn't have to endure this much if we can't go back."
Wen Ying thought seriously for a moment. He didn't feel oppressed, so he replied, "Soon."
Wu Shaluo sat back with a huff. "Soon, how soon? It looks like you haven't taken any action at all. The Devil King might have made a mistake entrusting this task to you."
"I know the longest possible time frame," Wen Ying said. "Once you come of age, you won't be able to stay in the human realm. You'll definitely have to return to the Demon Realm."
Wu Shaluo: "…"
Why did he have to wait until he came of age again? He had already waited for so long. Ever since he met Wen Ying, he had been waiting. Heaven knew how much he wished he could grow up right now.
"This country is on high alert against extremist factions. The factions themselves have to be cautious when operating here, let alone the humans who collaborate with them."
Wu Shaluo's brows furrowed impatiently. "Then why don't we leave? In those other countries, it's easy to find extremist factions. It wouldn't be difficult to track down the humans connected to them."
Wen Ying leaned against the sofa nonchalantly and said, "Because the ultimate goal of the Demon King is to invade the Human Realm, not to wipe out the Extreme Sect."
Wu Shaluo's brows knitted together as he rapidly pondered, his expression shifting multiple times.
When it came to major issues, he wouldn't focus solely on his own affairs.
"At present, we absolutely cannot leave this country. Once we step out of this nation that severely restricts the Extreme Sect, those sect members who desire to conquer the Human Realm through force would drag us down with them, blurring our identities and complicating the situation. They'll make humans believe that the Extreme Sect is merely a concept conjured by the Demon Realm, when in reality, the entire Demon Realm is the Extreme Sect."
Though the Demon King's intentions were also impure, it was just that one approach was gentle while the other was forceful, Wen Ying mused.
"Right now, the Extreme Sect has caused chaos abroad. The governments of some small countries have already crumbled, and many humans suffering from their actions believe that the Extreme Sect and the general demons of the Demon Realm are in cahoots. They strongly demand that all demons be expelled together," Wen Ying changed his sitting position and continued slowly, "At such a time, it's absolutely unacceptable for demons from the Demon Realm, especially non-Extreme Sect ones like us who come under the pretense of friendship, to appear abroad."
After learning about the advertisement in the Euphoric Paradise, Wen Ying had already prepared a righteous reason to dissuade his demon classmates from traveling overseas.
It was indeed chaotic outside, and Wen Ying's concern wasn't merely out of loyalty to the country that had raised him. Rather, given the current circumstances, it truly wasn't suitable for demons to leave this nation.
From the information provided by the Judgment Bureau, several small nations on the map were now mere shadows of their former selves, their top government officials largely controlled by the Extreme Sect, turning them into bases for the sect.
In Country A, the Judgment Bureau had discovered that a major biotech company was secretly collaborating with the Extreme Sect. They sought to research desired medications from the demonic potions and plants provided by the sect.
In R Country, it was rumored that some high-ranking officials had also fallen for the extremist party's bait.
Many countries had been bewitched or had collaborated with the enemy for personal gain. The list was endless.
Only in the Flower Planting Country did they have strict defenses. Even if someone was tempted to cooperate with the extremist party, they couldn't provide much assistance without drawing suspicion from their colleagues.
The Church, however, was not included in this.
The Archangel Church had been rooted in the world for thousands of years, a decadent giant. Unlike the equally ancient Exorcist Association, the Church had historically filtered out ordinary individuals and those with common bloodlines, resulting in a complex internal structure with various factions led by high-ranking officials, all acting solely for their own interests.
Wu Shaluo wasn't stupid; he understood the crux of the problem, and his expression turned grim. There seemed to be no hope at all.
Wen Ying pointed at Beros, who was looking at his phone nearby, "Beros is persevering."
Beros looked over at the sudden mention of his name, his gaze hardly amiable.
Wu Shaluo shrunk his neck. Wen Ying was really stirring up trouble for him, huh.
Wu Shaluo was so furious just looking at Wen Ying that he stood up and left the room, his resentment boiling over.
Wen Ying spoke as if addressing Bellerophon, yet also mumbling to himself, "Wu Shaluo did provide a clearer line of investigation."
They would start by probing the Mu family, putting aside all others for now.
Not only was Wen Ying secretly investigating, but other small groups of demons were also taking action. The seemingly official Judgement Bureau in the Human Realm had its fair share of secret maneuverings ever since the arrival of the First Squad's demons; each one of them had been quietly recruiting from within.
The tactics remained the same – offering resources, money, and promises.
Unlike Wen Ying, an old hand at slacking off with a half-undercover identity, Lan Jiaying moved swiftly. By now, he had already secretly dismantled three minor families connected to the Extreme Faction.
Lacking concrete evidence that could stand up in court, he still had enough to establish their ties with the Extreme Faction. As such, Lan Jiaying ordered his subordinates to deal with those individuals.
After settling the matter, they ransacked the opposing families' ancestral homes, uncovering crucial evidence that was later handed over to the responding officers.
This incident never made it to the news, having been suppressed.
Though Wu Fei was not personally invested, Lilith and Levimo were. With the assistance of the two demons, Wu Fei could now claim credit for assisting classmates in dismantling a small faction within a church.
Muershi had intended to invite Wen Ying along, but the latter politely declined, as his body in the academy was not his true form. Spending too much time with Muershi might expose the problem.
Wen Ying was aware that Muershi had employed a scheme to sow discord among two factions within the Church, causing them both to suffer significant losses. He had also obtained the identification of a young member from an influential family in the academy and pretended to be a caring and understanding online companion, extracting valuable intelligence from him. With this information, Wen Ying turned around and used it to strip that family of their power.
These updates were part of the progress report on the plan to eliminate the extremist faction in the human realm, sent to him by Kirishino.
Just the day before, Lan Jiaying had taunted him for being an idle occupier, wasting his position as an intern judge in the Court of Judgment. Despite being appointed by the Devil King, he had yet to accomplish anything, making him no better than trash and a waste of the Devil King's cultivation.
Yes, Lan Jiaying had specifically used the word "cultivation," his eyes filled with envy. At that moment, watching this spoilt devil, Wen Ying's skin had crawled with goosebumps.
Cultivation? More like exploitation.
Wen Ying still had a multitude of tasks to attend to. The Devil King would send messages every few days, altering his demands like an annoying client, wanting one thing one day and another the next.
The previous day, the Devil King had called to share his latest idea.
The more chaos abroad, the better. They could maintain a peaceful image in Huaxia while waiting for the barrier to weaken further. Then, the lower-ranking demons in the Devil Realm's army could infiltrate the human realm under the pretense of cleansing the extremist faction, seizing control of the small countries occupied by the extremists. Not only would they gain territory but also earn a favorable reputation.
The Devil King instructed them to focus solely on the extremist faction within Huaxia and demonstrate immediate action upon discovery, showcasing to the humans how the presence of the Devil Realm's official stance in Huaxia ensured peace and stability.
Wen Ying couldn't help but think that the Devil King was quite conceited. The current tranquility in Huaxia mainly resulted from the country's top leadership taking a firm stand against the extremist faction.
Given that foreign affairs had nothing to do with him, Wen Ying adhered to the principle of "better to save one's own skin than to perish together with a fellow daoist," flattering the devil as if flattery were free.
The main task at hand was still to build rapport. Displaying their efforts in eradicating extremist factions was also a way to gain favor with humans.
Wen Ying lounged on the sofa, letting his thoughts wander idly, gradually closing his eyes.
Boros suddenly said, "Let's go play on that luxury cruise in a few days."
Wen Ying snapped his eyes open and slowly sat up, asking, "Why mention that ship again? Didn't I tell you it's not suitable to travel abroad recently..."
Boros walked over and tossed his phone into Wen Ying's hands.
Skimming through the text at lightning speed, Wen Ying read, "Friendship match?"
Aside from the exorcist academy in Flower Country, there was another highly recognized and specialized academy for exorcists abroad, located at the headquarters of the Archangel Church, providing elite education to all its students.
Wen Ying knew about this because the article mentioned that the students from Asafa, who were coming to Flower Country for an amicable sparring match with the exorcist academy, would be arriving on a luxury cruise.
The report specifically stated that the luxury cruise would dock at Flower Country's port until the end of the friendship match, when the Asafa students would depart the country on it.
Wen Ying observed, muttering softly, "I think there might be half a million people who have reported this."
When Wen Ying refreshed the page again, it displayed a 404 error.
He felt regretful. It seemed that the official censors had discovered it ahead of time.
After the last advertising incident, the censorship within the country had become highly sensitive.
"Want to play?" Beros asked.
Wen Ying lifted his gaze. "Why are you so preoccupied with it?"
Beros corrected Wen Ying. "It's not that I'm preoccupied with it, but it seems like the most secure option, fulfilling all your requirements for a date by a hundred percent."
Wen Ying's face flushed slightly. He casually twirled the end of his hair with his index finger, mumbling vaguely, "You've learned how to coax people now."
Beros clearly didn't understand the sudden change in Wen Ying's demeanor. Their expressions seemed to belong to two different worlds.
Beros had taken him to heart, and the more Wen Ying thought about it, the more pleased and excited he became. He reached out and pulled Beros closer by the hand.
Boros braced himself with his knee on the edge of the sofa, only to have Wen Ying wrap his arms around his neck and press their lips together in the next moment. Boros opened his mouth to speak but was immediately silenced by the forceful kiss. He could sense Wen Ying's intense excitement, as the latter exerted an extraordinary amount of strength.
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