Dawnless Sovereign-Chapter 136 (3): Yan Nan’s Questioning

"I fully agree, Deputy Pope Yan! This is something that I sorely regret in hindsight. If I had known the consequences would be so severe, I would've never done it, but I had to make him pledge his loyalty to the church somehow..."

"And the Five Spirit Parasite isn't enough for that purpose?!"

It had occurred to Yan Nan that Yin Shengong was a very narrow-minded and paranoid man, so while he was useful, he couldn't be assigned any important responsibilities.

"Even though Night Demon has managed to successfully infiltrate the enemy ranks, he still requires further development for him to become useful to us. From now on, your job is to do everything in your power to help Night Demon progress up the ranks in the Hall of Protectionists. At the same time, eliminate everyone who is aware of what Night Demon did in Green Wave City, then arrange a perfect resume for him. Only then will he truly have a future behind enemy lines." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

After hearing all of Yin Shengong's stories, Yan Nan was now mostly convinced that Night Demon was a prospect worth investing in, but it was still yet to be seen how his future would pan out.

Yan Nan was eagerly awaiting the day when Night Demon would grow into his full potential. How would Dongfang Sansan feel once he found out that someone that he had placed so much trust and such high hopes in turned out to be an enemy?

Just the mere thought was enough to put an expectant smile on his face.

"From now on, you can report directly to me when it comes to developments concerning Night Demon, but make sure to keep it to only the truly important stuff. I don't want you contacting me over every little thing that he does."

"Yes, I understand!"

Yin Shengong was ecstatic! He had just been granted permission to report directly to Yan Nan!

It felt to him like his decision to invest in Night Demon was by far the best that he had ever made!Ever since he met Night Demon, everything had gone right for him! Who could've ever imagined that a mere Warrior from a little rural city would have such a significant and positive impact on his life?

Such was his excitement that he was barely able to keep his fingers from trembling as he added Yan Nan as a contact.

"How did that Sun Yuan die?" Yan Nan asked.

"I heard that he was killed by the Li Clan and the Wang Clan of the main church."

"Which Li Clan and Wang Clan?"

Yin Shengong told Yan Nan everything that he knew about the two clans to help the latter identify them.

"You mentioned that Night Demon has already killed the culprits, yes?"

"That's right."

"In that case, let that be the end of the vendetta. Tell Night Demon not to escalate the matter any further."

"I'm afraid that's no longer possible," Yin Shengong replied, sweating profusely with unease. "Night Demon has already sworn a vow to the Heavenly Centipede Deity that he's going to wipe out both clans and kill every single one of their members."

Yan Nan didn't know what to say. It seemed that Yin Shengong really hadn't been exaggerating about Night Demon's bloodlust.

"In that case, we'll just have to let him do as he pleases," Yan Nan sighed.

"There's something that I've always been quite hesitant about when it comes to Night Demon, and that's his clan," Yin Shengong said in a careful manner. "What should I do with them?"

Yan Nan considered the question for a moment, then replied, "If Night Demon is solely developing in our church, then his clansmen will only be a hindrance and weakness of his. However, his clansmen will be very useful to him in his role as a Protectionist. His clan will humanize him and make him appear more trustworthy.

"Furthermore, it'll look highly suspicious if his clan is suddenly wiped out out of the blue, so it's much better to keep them around than to get rid of them. His is just a small clan anyway, so it's not like they'll be able to cause much trouble for us even if they tried."

"I understand, Deputy Pope Yan. Also, another thing I have to report is that both Mistress Yan Beihan and Young Master Chen Yin have taken an interest in Night Demon, and Young Master Feng Xing has also taken an interest in Night Demon's other identity, Starlight."

It was not every day that Yin Shengong received the opportunity to meet with Yan Nan, and he was eager to report everything that he could.

"These little rascals are all pretty good at spotting talent," Yan Nan mused with a faint smile. "Unfortunately for them, Night Demon cannot fall under their control. They can be collaborators, but not master and subordinate. They're still too naive, and they would be completely crushed if they went up against Dongfang Sansan. Don't worry about them. Let them do as they please, but at the same time, let Night Demon know what has to be done."

"Yes, Deputy Pope Yan."

"When it comes to Night Demon's development, I want you to take a slow and steady approach. It doesn't matter if it takes some time, we have plenty of time on our hands. In fact, I can afford to wait for him for even centuries if that's what it takes. I will summon him to see me if and when he reaches the Sage Lord tier. Make sure to proceed with caution, and don't let anyone else get involved. You must ensure that as few people know about Night Demon's past as possible."

"Yes, Deputy Pope Yan."

"Dongfang Sansan proposed those friendly matches for the younger generation with the objective of killing Night Demon. Hence, you can send people from your One Heart Church to take part in the selection trials, but Night Demon and Starlight cannot participate."

Yin Shengong was still oblivious to the friendly matches that Dongfang Sansan had proposed, so he had no idea what Yan Nan was referring to, but he still hurriedly agreed.

"By withholding Night Demon from these friendly matches, we will be preventing Dongfang Sansan from achieving his primary objective, and very soon, everyone sent down to the southeast will be returning to the main church. However, I'm sure that won't be the end of the matter for Dongfang Sansan."

A faint smile appeared on Yan Nan's face as he spoke.

He felt like he could already predict the next step of Dongfang Sansan's plan, and he had come to discover that it wasn't actually all that difficult to deal with Dongfang Sansan.

As long as he was aware of Dongfang Sansan's true objective, it was easy to predict what he would do next.

"In order to find Night Demon, his next ploy will surely be to target your One Heart Church."

Yin Shengong was horrified to hear this.

"You are Night Demon's master. If he's unable to track down Night Demon, then it makes sense that he'll come after you instead. Hence, I suggest you brace yourself. Things are most likely going to be very difficult for you and the One Heart Church going forward."

"I'll do my best to weather the storm," Yin Shengong declared in a solemn manner.

"Also, I'm aware that some clans of the main church have set their sights on you with less than friendly intentions. I'll take care of them, so you don't have to worry about that."

Yan Nan decided that it was a good idea to give Yin Shengong some reassurance.

Of course, Yin Shengong wasn't important in the slightest, but his significance was greatly elevated by proxy of Night Demon, so Yan Nan had to look after him a little here and there to keep him content.

"Thank you, Deputy Pope Yan."

Right as the conversation was drawing to a close, Yin Shengong suddenly received a message from Night Demon, and a hesitant look appeared on his face.

"What is it?" Yan Nan asked.

"Night Demon has sent me a message."

"What's the message?"

"He says that he's been selected by the Hall of Protectionists to take part in the upcoming friendly matches, and he's asking me what he should do."

"Oh? Let me see," Yan Nan instructed with an intrigued expression.

Yin Shengong immediately instructed his Five Spirit Parasite to reveal the text on his communication jade, then cautiously offered it up to Yan Nan as he said, "Night Demon can be a little rash with his words sometimes, so please don't be offended if you see something unsavory."

Before Yin Shengong even had a chance to finish his sentence, Yan Nan had already seen Night Demon's previous message, the one about how he would vow to the Heavenly Centipede Deity to kill all of the clans of the main church if something were to happen to Yin Shengong.

A peculiar look appeared on Yan Nan's face, while Yin Shengong immediately began sweating profusely as he pleaded, "Please forgive him, Deputy Pope Yan. His personality is a little extreme, but he means well."

"He's certainly very devoted to you," Yan Nan remarked.

"Indeed. Night Demon's loyalty and devotion to me are unmatched."

From there, Yan Nan continued to scroll up through the previous messages, and a faint smile began to appear on his face.

Meanwhiple, Yin Shengong was sweating bullets, racking his brains to try and recall if there had been any inappropriate exchanges of past messages between himself and Night Demon.

Finally, Yan Nan turned his attention to Night Demon's latest message.

"Master, I have something to report. Apparently, the younger generation of our church and the Guardians are going to engage in a series of friendly sparring matches, and the Hall of Protectionists has chosen me to take part in the King tier selection trials. What should I do? If possible, I want to represent our church as Night Demon. Night Demon has been out of the public eye for far too long, I feel like everyone's beginning to forget about me!

"If I represent the Guardians, I fear that no one from our side will be able to oppose me. The prodigies of the main church may have access to more resources than me, but the Parasite Ascension Project has shown me that they're nothing special. I don't want to have to humiliate my peers, but I just don't think it would be avoidable."

Yan Nan turned to Yin Shengong with an exasperated expression as he asked, "Is this how he talks to you in person as well? What a cocky little bastard!"