Chen Xuan watched Huo Ling’er’s departing figure with a bizarre expression.

Seeing his disciple constantly glancing back at him with a conflicted, reluctant look left him utterly speechless.

He couldn’t understand what she was so worried about.

Fortunately, though it took a lot of convincing, Huo Ling’er was forced to leave alongside Su Ying.

Soon, only he and Chi Yao remained, an awkward silence settling over the small hall.

Thankfully, Chen Xuan finally broke the quiet.

"Although we don’t know your exact Physique, its demonic nature was unmistakable during your awakening," he said, his divine sense diving into his spatial ring. "Since that’s the case, forcing you to cultivate orthodox, righteous methods will severely limit your future achievements."

A crimson-bound book appeared in one hand and a polished jade slip in the other.

Passing her the jade slip first, he explained patiently.

"This is the Nether Spirit Art from the Nether Spirit Sect. It can support your cultivation all the way to the Nascent Soul realm," he said, making sure to add:

"The technique is relatively straightforward and far less bloody than most demonic techniques. A cultivator simply needs to absorb the negative emotions emanating from others. It causes no harm to anyone."

"You don’t have to engage in slaughter, nor commit any acts that defy the Way of Heaven."

This was a technique Luan Yi had once gifted him. Chen Xuan had practiced briefly in the past before setting it aside to focus on the Yin Yang Technique.

Now that he had taken in a demonic disciple, the manual finally came in handy again.

In truth, the System’s reward—the Heaven-Swallowing Scripture—was an absolutely perfect fit for Chi Yao. It could guide a cultivator all the way to immortality, and its description made it seem faintly superior to even the complete legendary Jade Pure Sutra.

Unfortunately, Chen Xuan was deeply wary of the technique’s background.

It would have been fine to give it to someone like Huo Ling’er. However, Chi Yao was no ordinary girl. She possessed the memories of her past life.

If she recognized the scripture, she would immediately suspect he harbored some immense secret.

More importantly, the creator’s title sparked a terrifying suspicion in Chen Xuan’s mind.

’Heaven Swallowing Empress... Could this scripture have been created by Chi Yao herself in her previous life?’ he wondered, resolved to pay attention to her future actions to confirm his hunch.

Chen Xuan knew Chi Yao wasn’t inherently evil, especially since the System hadn’t issued a warning like it had when he first met Xiao Huo.

Even so, he had a duty as her Master to keep her on the right track.

If she were driven mad by her quest for vengeance and committed some unimaginable atrocity, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

Though countless thoughts raced through his mind, barely a moment had passed in reality.

Accepting the jade slip, Chi Yao was filled with contempt, but her outward demeanor remained perfectly submissive.

"Thank you, Master. I will use this technique to break through the Foundation Establishment realm as soon as possible and make you proud," she said, tears of gratitude welling up in her eyes.

Chen Xuan nodded, watching her store it away.

Then, he handed her the red book—by far the more valuable of the two items.

"I also wandered the world in my youth and had several encounters with the demonic path," he said with a straight face. "Seeing your situation, I spent the last few days compiling a collection of infamous demonic spells."

"Be careful," he warned solemnly, "Even Soul Transformation experts would covet this manual. Its value is easily on par with the heritages of the major sects."

Chi Yao’s lips twitched slightly.

She felt that if she had to listen to him boasting for another second, she might actually lose her mind and pummel him to death.

If she didn’t know any better, she would think she was listening to an Immortal Emperor.

She couldn’t help but wonder: how dare a puny Core Formation cultivator have the audacity to boast like this?

Catching the changes on her face, Chen Xuan realized he had overdone it.

He cursed his little habit internally. He had temporarily forgotten his new disciple’s true identity.

His earlier words might easily fool the naive Huo Ling’er or the trusting Su Ying, but they certainly wouldn’t work with the "Demon Empress".

’Of course, it doesn’t matter if she believes me right now,’ Chen Xuan mused, his lips curving upward. ’I’ll just wait to see the look on her face when she actually reads the Myriad Demons Art. The shock of the Demon Empress is bound to be infinitely more satisfying than that of an ordinary cultivator.’

Just as he was prepared to offer some final words of guidance and dismiss her, the silent, "obedient" Chi Yao suddenly spoke up.

"M—Master," she stammered, gritting her teeth as she forced herself to say these words against her conscience, "Do you happen to have any... spare magic weapons you don’t need?"

"As you know, all the treasures I owned were lost during the attack on my hometown. I don’t have a single magic weapon to protect myself," she pleaded, adopting a pitiful expression.

The faint greed in her eyes, combined with the rubbing of her hands, looked familiar to Chen Xuan.

It was like looking into a mirror. He had also pleaded like this to Mu Xuanyin in the past.

He could tell she wasn’t entirely acting either. She genuinely wanted his treasures.

In an instant, the majestic, terrifying image of a "Demon Empress" was shattered completely in his eyes.

’You’re supposed to be a supreme powerhouse, plunging the Immortal Realm into chaos! How can you be this shameless and greedy for a few low-level magic weapons?’

He hadn’t prepared anything of that sort.

Or rather, he had assumed that a reborn powerhouse wouldn’t care for his pitiful wealth.

Apparently, however, even a supreme existence would become destitute upon their rebirth. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

For a brief moment, he cast a look of pity toward this poor woman, much to Chi Yao’s confusion and instinctive annoyance.

"Cough, cough," he cleared his throat quickly to hide his thoughts, "You’re right. I almost overlooked that point. Naturally, I have already prepared a treasure for you," he lied without batting an eyelid.

Meanwhile, his divine sense frantically swept through his spatial ring, searching for anything suitable.

A few moments later, his eyes lit up. His gaze landed on a bloody-red weapon collecting dust in a far corner of his storage space.

’Perfect! This is the one!’ he thought, retrieving it immediately.