224: Chapter 224 is that simple?

"Qiming... is what the Phantom Demon said true?"

The Cult Leader's voice lowered significantly, as if he were evaluating something.

"..."

Xing Yaoyan did not speak, or rather, she felt that silence was her best response right now.

The others shouldn't know her background. Keeping an air of mystery was best; the more she spoke, the more likely she was to slip up...

However, her silence caused the other priests present to gasp in shock.

"Phantom Demon... Although I told you to find a new priest to fill the vacancy left by Thunder, it seems now... this Young Miss Qiming was not originally a member of our Star Cult..."

Hearing the Cult Leader's words, the other priests suddenly realized that it was common knowledge that no member of the Star Cult could suppress the Phantom Demon. Therefore, someone capable of performing such a miracle was definitely not a deacon promoted by the Phantom Demon!

Although recruiting outsiders to directly become priests was not unheard of, accidentally getting oneself ensnared during the recruitment process was truly a first...

Not to mention, she was the Phantom Demon...

"I remember when you recruited Thunder, you beat him half to death first and then forced him to accept the 'Purple Abyss', right? What happened this time?"

Xing Yaoyan's eyes narrowed. *So this purple light is called the 'Purple Abyss'...*

"Uh... actually, Qiming was very cooperative at the beginning... It's just that I got a bit carried away later and she found an opportunity... Heheh..."

Huan Wuxing scratched her head, her voice tinged with embarrassment.

"Wait, so... you are capable of breaking free from her control, but in order to avoid the mission I assigned you, you've allowed yourself to remain controlled by Qiming, correct?"

Within the abyss-like darkness beneath the Cult Leader's hood, two terrifying, heart-stopping gazes seemed to coalesce.

"Yes... No, no, no, Lord Cult Leader, I'm a veteran backbone of our Star Cult, how could I slack off? It's purely because Qiming's ability counters me too well. I really had no choice..."

Having almost blurted out her true thoughts, Huan Wuxing quickly corrected herself.

"Lord Cult Leader... Heh, which cult leader could ever control a fellow like you..."

The Star Cult Leader complained as if talking to himself, his tone laced with helplessness.

Xing Yaoyan, who was still closely observing from the side, raised her assessment of Huan Wuxing's danger level by another notch. This woman was an unpredictable time bomb; she had to find an opportunity to get rid of her as soon as possible...

Suddenly, she felt the atmosphere in the entire space change.

The way everyone looked at her shifted from wary apprehension to deep sympathy, mixed with a trace of subtle gratitude.

"Magneto... during the action just now, why did you choose to turn back halfway and fail to reach the planned location?"

Hearing the Cult Leader's words, Xing Yaoyan suddenly recalled the fleeting glimpse of the man in the distant sky at the end of the underground bar incident.

That's right... Why did he change direction back then? It was as if he was deliberately trying to avoid them...

"Replying to Cult Leader, it was due to personal reasons... My apologies..."

Magneto did not dodge the question, directly admitting his mistake.

Whoosh!

A hand shrouded in shadows suddenly emerged from the Cult Leader's wide black robe, making a gentle squeezing motion in Magneto's direction.

"Ah..."

A low growl filled with extreme agony escaped Magneto's mouth. The black silhouette representing him seemed to be squeezed from afar by some invisible force, distorting into a terrifying shape.

The others trembled slightly; they all seemed to harbor an extreme fear of this unknown technique.

Xing Yaoyan was relatively fine. After all, this was her first time attending the "Xingyao Meeting" and she had never experienced this technique before, but looking at Magneto and the others, she could feel his immense pain.

"Do not let this happen again..."

After a moment, the Cult Leader withdrew his hand into his black robe. Ignoring Magneto, who was leaning on the table and panting heavily, he proceeded to question the other priests about other matters.

Such as how this Star Cult operation in Kyoto was meant to cause chaos to cover the evacuation of some important items, and to find someone to test the effects of the Gene Potion; the traces of Star Beasts in the Land of Destruction; the recent movements of the Kingdom of Myriad Demons; and the research progress of the Gene Potion...

With Magneto's warning fresh in their minds, everyone answered with great respect and thoroughness. Even if some tasks were unfinished, they did their best to deflect responsibility; no one wanted to become the second Magneto.

Almost everyone hoped this Xingyao Meeting would end quickly... except for Huan Wuxing and Xing Yaoyan.

There was no need to say much about Huan Wuxing. It now seemed that this so-called First Seat possessed unfathomable strength, and it appeared no one in the entire Star Cult could keep her in check.

As for Xing Yaoyan...

She was probably the person in the room who least wanted the meeting to end.

In just this short amount of time, she had gathered countless pieces of crucial information that would have cost a fortune on the Dark Pavilion, or might not have been found at all.

Such as how there were actually spatial rifts deep within the Land of Destruction, how not all demons originated from the Kingdom of Myriad Demons, and how the Human Alliance apparently had only two leaders on the surface, but actually had four...

Xing Yaoyan felt that going undercover to join the Star Cult was probably one of the best decisions she had ever made.

Soon, the meeting drew to a close.

"Qiming..."

Xing Yaoyan was startled, wondering why the Cult Leader was calling her name at the very end.

"Every newly appointed priest in the Star Cult goes through a traditional segment, which is to tell everyone your wish after joining the Star Cult. You can make deals with other priests to help you achieve this wish."

"Then, before I speak, can I know everyone else's wishes first?"

"Of course, it is tradition..."

Huan Wuxing was the first to speak: "Sigh... what a pain. My wish is just to wait for that person. That's all."

Magneto said in a weak voice, "My wish is for world peace."

The Fear Demon's voice was as bold and hearty as ever: "My wish is to establish a sanctuary where the Star Beasts can live and work in peace..."

...

Everyone spoke in turn, stating their wishes in an incredibly devout tone.

Xing Yaoyan the more she listened, the more silent she became.

If she hadn't personally experienced the insanely cruel things the Star Cult did on the outside, she would have truly believed this was an advanced organization dedicated to changing the world and benefiting the people. She even felt that her own level of consciousness wasn't as high as theirs...

"My wish is simply to survive. Alright, it's your turn, Qiming," the Star Cult Leader said last.

"My wish..."

Having listened for so long, everyone's wishes were basically somewhat unrealistic, which made the Cult Leader's claim of fulfilling wishes through trade taste a bit like illusionary idealism.

But Xing Yaoyan had already made up her mind. In any case, the Star Cult was just a useful tool to her; she wouldn't give her heart to this place unconditionally.

Since it was a tool, wouldn't it be perfect for helping her deal with the thorn that had been festering in her heart?

"...My wish is to kill someone..."

Xing Yaoyan paused there. Seeing that the other priests showed no particular reaction, she continued.

"The mayor of Youfeng City, Leng You."

Hiss—

The successive gasps made her lose a bit of confidence. Could it be that Leng You was some hidden powerhouse? Did everyone find this name highly troublesome?

But then, a single sentence from the Fear Demon instantly dispelled her doubts.

"That simple?"