After Yu Ye had absorbed every material Yan Zhaoge prepared beforehand, he nodded to Gao Qingxuan in affirmation.

Gao Qingxuan looked a little excited. He took a deep breath, reached out his hand, and lightly placed his index finger on Yu Ye’s forehead.

Having the sword intent of the same lineage alerted her, her body trembled slightly.

Yu Ye, who had passed out for many years, slowly opened her closed eyes.

After the initial confusion, her eyes suddenly became sharp and vigilant. It was like a sword unsheathe, leaking out murderous air in all directions.

Yan Zhaoge knew that this was because Yue Yue and Nie Jingshen were being chased by Zhang Buxu and the rest of the heretics before she passed out. She was in an alert state between life and death.

At this moment, she had just woken up. Her consciousness and memory were still retained at that life and death moment.

Sure enough, when she saw Yan Zhaoge, Gao Qingxuan, Long Xingquan, and others in front of her, the suffocating baleful air dissipated and her gaze became peaceful.

Yu Ye was a little overjoyed but also confused, “Grandpa, grandma, junior brother Yan, uncle… You all are here.”

She looked around subconsciously, “Jingshen… Where is Jingshen now? How is he?”

As she woke up safely, Yan Zhaoge and others were all relieved, with joy on their faces.

But hearing her question, everyone fell silent.

“Jingshen…” Yu Ye held her breath, staring at Yan Zhaoge and others.

“Little Ye, Jingshen… is still alive.” Long Xingquan said softly after being silent for a while.

Yan Zhaoge turned around silently and left the cave manor.

Behind him, Yu Ye’s voice came, “Is he okay?”

Although she seemed a little expressionless typically, she was keenly aware of the tone lay within Long Xingquan’s words.

He’s alive.

But that doesn’t mean he is okay.

“Jingshen has fallen into and become a Nine Underworlds’ devil…” Long Xingquan sighed, telling Yu Ye what happened.

He told her that she had been unconscious for nearly two hundred years.

She was also informed about what happened during the period she passed out.

Yan Zhaoge didn’t know how Long Xingquan talked about it. He had already left the cave manor, standing between the mountains of Green Duckweed Mountain and silently looking at the lonely world in front of him.

Feng Yunsheng came out with him, stood beside him, and asked softly, “Is there any way to make Senior Apprentice-sister Yu and Senior Brother Nie meet again?”

“Even if we are willing, the Nine Underworlds may not be happy to let that happen,” Yan Zhaoge gently rubbed his temples with his fingers.

Orthodox Daoism had stood upright and dignified in this world with the right to speak equally. As a result, the faction could compete with Western Pure Lands, Nine Underworlds, and other forces.

Strictly speaking, their situation was probably slightly better than the Nine Underworlds’ devil.

The Nine Underworlds was a public enemy after all. But, they could still survive because the bigwigs of each faction had plans to take something from them.

During the competition for the Sakyamuni Sarira this round, the demon races faction had invited Nine Underworlds to help them. With the help of the Nine Underworlds Abyss of Devilish Sea, they overcame the Green Lotus Treasured Flag of Western Pure Lands.

The demon races faction had cooperated with Nine Underworlds, but it was more so a trade for both sides to get what they needed. Theoretically, even Daoism people such as Yan Zhaoge could naturally do so.

The premise was that both factions had to offer bargaining chips that attracted each other’s interest.

For example, the person who the Nine Underworlds Devil that coveted the most from orthodox Daoism — Feng Yunsheng.

If Feng Yunsheng devoted herself to the devil dao, the Nine Underworlds would most likely be thrilled.

Of course, Yan Zhaoge wouldn’t want Feng Yunsheng to have fallen into a devil.

Also, it might undermine her authority passed down from the Doomsday Heavenly Devil.

Despite the dilemma, disaster and fortune coexisted with each other. This matter would implicate Yan Zhaoge too. Feng Yunsheng and others had to infiltrate the Nine Underworlds to figure out their next move.

In this regard, the Nine Underworlds must be wary of Yan Zhaoge while secretly harboring evil intentions.

In actual fact, if orthodox Daoism could strike a deal with the Nine Underworld Devils, Yan Zhaoge and the rest wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity. But, of course, there were risks.

That was another round of the political game.

Nine Underworlds also might not be willing to take the risk.

“If they don’t dare, it may not only be because they are worried that I will see their true intention, but the situation of Senior Brother Nie is indeed unstable. They are worried that Senior Brother Nie’s contact with Senior Apprentice-sister Yu will affect Senior Brother Nie.” Feng Yunsheng said, “We can come up with a deal to test their attitude.”

Yan Zhaoge nodded, “It’s worth a try, but to be safe, let’s look at the Senior Apprentice-sister Yu’s situation first.”

He sighed and said, “I hope Senior Apprentice-sister Yu doesn’t blame herself for what happened to Senior Brother Nie. But, if she becomes stubborn with this and lets the issue trouble her, we need to stop her from contacting any devil.”

Not only evil thoughts such as desire, greed, viciousness, hatred, etc., but even excessive obsession might also evolve into a devilish intent, which would eventually bring her into the devil dao.

Generally speaking, people with advanced cultivation realms had a solid mind and firmer will.

But conversely, they could also be said to be more stubborn and persistent. Once a particular belief was formed, it would be difficult to shake it off.

Though it didn’t mean that it was false to have obsessions, it would be terrible if destructive thoughts popped out.

In this situation, striking a balance was the actual test.

The “devil in the heart” was ubiquitous and always existing. In theory, it had nothing to do with cultivation level. At best, it was a matter of probability.

Otherwise, the Traveling Monk Sun’s devil hid in the heart wouldn’t have manifested the Six-Eared Macaque with the same cultivation strength as him, and Yellow Dragon Cultivated Deity wouldn’t have fallen into a Yellow Dragon Devil Lord.

These were the unfortunate examples.

Of course, there were examples in a positive light. The Three Clear Lineages’ descendants, who had experienced the darkest era after the Great Calamity, still retained their purest hearts in the face of challenge and almost desperate circumstances.

Orthodox Daoism was once brilliant but fell to the bottom. Such a significant shift would breed negative emotions such as self-pity, resentment, anger, numbness, and despair.

In fact, there were indeed many people back then who fell into the devil dao and became a part of the Nine Underworlds.

“I believe that Senior Apprentice-sister Yu wouldn’t,” said Feng Yunsheng.

Yan Zhaoge nodded, “Ya.”

“In the end, the Sakyamuni Sarira fell into the hands of the demon races’ faction.” Feng Yunsheng changed the subject, “Mahamayuri will probably help the demon races next.”

When Yan Zhaoge went to find Kui Mulang, the previous battle for Sakyamuni Sarira finally settled and spread to the rest of the world.

Roc of Ten Thousand Cloudy Miles used his speed to avoid the fight and managed to escape back to the Astro Mountains Starry Sea before Mahamayuri could take him.

Mahamayuri had no choice but to stop.

No matter how unwilling Kong Xuan was, he couldn’t snatch something in front of East Sovereign Taiyi.

Unless he explicitly switched to the demon races’ faction and had more contributions than he did in the Western Pure Lands, East Sovereign Taiyi might decide to give him that Sakyamuni Sarira.

Since he hadn’t succeeded, he could only wait for the opportunity in the future and continue to be the elite mercenary available in this age.