318: painting

He didn't know the woman's background or what she intended by coming to the Wang Clan, but she was definitely up to no good.

Zuoqiu Zhen scoffed, "Heh, I have no grudge against you, nor do I intend to steal your treasures, so what harm is there in meeting?"

"Uh... you know each other?" Wang Zixuan asked curiously.

Xu Sanyan nodded, "Yes, we've met once before."

"Met once? Hehehe..."

Zuoqiu Zhen's smile was mocking, her curled lips full of playfulness. He had seen everything of her, and yet he called it meeting once?

Xu Sanyan pretended not to notice; there hadn't been any substantial progress, so of course it was just meeting once.

He asked again, "What are you doing here?"

"The same as you."

"Hm?"

"Just hiding here."

She had forcibly taken over Zuoqiu Zhen's Physical Body and killed an Elder of the Zuoqiu Clan; the Zuoqiu Clan was likely searching the world for her right now.

"Best if that's the case..."

Xu Sanyan didn't want to say more to her; he knew Zuoqiu Zhen wasn't telling the truth.

Zuoqiu Zhen shook her head, "It's best if we don't disturb each other. You go your way, and I'll go mine. Let's not cause each other any trouble, how about that?"

"Yes, that works." Xu Sanyan agreed; this was exactly what he wanted.

The two passed each other, and Xu Sanyan whispered, "My name is Lin Fan."

Zuoqiu Zhen glanced back, her lips parting slightly, "Yushuchen."

Xu Sanyan chewed on those three words in his mind. Yushuchen... Zuoqiu Yu, Zuoqiu Shu, Zuoqiu Chen? Tsk...

Returning to Wang Zixuan's room, Xu Sanyan looked around curiously. The young woman's boudoir was filled with a faint, intoxicating fragrance.

Looking around, he suddenly frowned, cast his gaze toward the painting on the wall, and walked over to stand before it.

It was a very peculiar painting. Countless blurred figures twisted and struggled within gray mist, gaunt arms reaching out from the fog, and hideous faces appearing and disappearing.

The painting's color palette was extremely simple, only black, white, and gray, making one feel quite oppressed deep down.

Xu Sanyan felt uncomfortable and turned to ask, "Who painted this?"

Wang Zixuan came to the front of the painting, staring at it without saying a word. The color in her pupils gradually faded, as if her entire heart and body had been drawn into it.

Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes slightly and did not continue asking.

The scene before him was extremely eerie. When Wang Zixuan saw this painting, she seemed to lose her own consciousness, becoming a shell without a soul.

One had to know that a Demon Seed was planted in her Sea of Consciousness, and she almost always answered Xu Sanyan's questions, yet she had clearly heard him just now but hadn't replied.

This painting could restrict the Demon Seed!

Xu Sanyan did not disturb her, just stood to the side and waited quietly.

After a long while, Wang Zixuan shuddered and came back to her senses. Acting as if nothing had happened, she tugged on Xu Sanyan's arm, "Mr. Lin, you must be careful tomorrow. I'll wait for you to come back and marry me..."

Boom! Xu Sanyan's pupils dilated sharply, his mind feeling as if struck by heavenly lightning. He was stunned on the spot, his scalp tingling; he had never felt the young girl beside him so strange.

"You... what did you say?" Xu Sanyan asked with a hoarse throat.

"Hm? I said be careful, don't let anything happen. I'm still waiting for you to come back and marry me." Wang Zixuan tilted her head to look at Xu Sanyan, seemingly not understanding why he asked again.

"Mm..."

Wang Zixuan pressed her head against Xu Sanyan, "Mr. Lin, don't worry. The Grand Elder grew up with my father, and they have a good relationship; he will take care of you."

"Hehe, good."

Xu Sanyan didn't dare to ask. These words had already been said once, but Wang Zixuan seemed to have lost that memory and repeated it all over again.

Moreover... the connection to the Demon Seed had weakened!

To him, the Demon Seed was like a brand imprinted in his heart. When he cast the spell, the talismanic seal would condense in the Void Realm, drill into the recipient's mind, and come under his control.

When the recipient died, this talismanic seal would return to Xu Sanyan's body.

But at this moment, although the Demon Seed inside Wang Zixuan was still there, it was significantly weaker.

This would cause a consequence: the Demon Seed could not fully erode her mind, and she would no longer fully obey Xu Sanyan's orders!

This painting really had a suppressing effect on the Demon Seed!

Xu Sanyan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he circulated his Dharma power, sketching a new Demon Seed in the Void Realm and slowly imprinting it on her forehead.

He absolutely could not let her lose control. Once Wang Zixuan broke free from his control, she would tell her mother the whole story, and then Xu Sanyan would be in danger.

After all, what he had done was just a tiny bit dishonorable.

"Are there any more of these paintings in other rooms?" Xu Sanyan asked. He was worried about problems on Wang Qingyu's and Wang Ruixin's side.

"What painting?"

Wang Zixuan looked confused and glanced over there. Xu Sanyan saw in her reflected pupils that there was only a wall, empty!

Xu Sanyan swallowed hard and stopped asking. This damn place was truly sinister!

He guessed this might be some secret technique of the Wang family, but why could an outsider see it, while the Wang family members couldn't?

Did it specifically target their own people?

He didn't know if this painting was good or bad for the Wang family, but the feeling it gave him didn't seem like a good thing.

Xu Sanyan shook his head inwardly and forcefully pulled his arm from her embrace, "It's getting late. I'll return to my room first; you should rest early too."

Wang Zixuan was somewhat reluctant to part and said pitifully, "Mm... with Mr. Lin's cultivation, do you still need to rest?"

"Yes, I'm used to it."

"Alright then..."

Just as Xu Sanyan pushed open the door, he suddenly turned his head and asked, "Do you still remember what happened outside the city the other day?"

"I remember."

Wang Zixuan tilted her head and blinked in confusion, appearing extremely cute.

"Tell me." Xu Sanyan closed the door behind him.

"Oh my, what's there to talk about? It's just that I accidentally fell into the water, and Mr. Lin saved me. To express my gratitude, I..."

Wang Zixuan's pretty face flushed red, "I let Mr. Lin feel comfortable for a bit..."

Xu Sanyan nodded slowly; she hadn't remembered it wrong.

"Rest early."

After saying that, Xu Sanyan turned and left. His gaze subconsciously swept over the painting again, feeling that the people in the painting seemed to have undergone some subtle changes, but he couldn't say exactly what.

Such a strange painting...

Xu Sanyan returned to his room and took out a Soul Crystal from his Storage Pouch to absorb. Wisps of Soul Power, invisible to the naked eye, flowed into his body, bringing immense relaxation to his mind.

He currently had five Soul Crystals left in his hand. He estimated that after absorbing these five, another seven or eight should be enough to reach the middle stage of Soul Refining.

This was the benefit brought by the Nether Phoenix. Under the burning of the nether soul fire, the Impurities on his Divine Soul were being removed every moment. He didn't need to spend time refining it separately, which saved him a lot of effort.

Late at night, the Soul Crystal in his hand had exhausted its Soul Power and crumbled into residue, scattering on the floor.

Xu Sanyan opened his eyes. A gentle breeze rose beneath him, and he hovered in the air, arriving silently at the door.

He sensed someone outside the door; they were now separated by only a single door.