Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 520 Bargaining for his life

After wrapping up his explanation, Chong Sheng's eyes stayed locked on Bai Zihan for an extended period.

A thick silence stretched out between the pair.

(Why bring up Qin Lingxiao?)

She was indeed renowned throughout the world, yet he doubted news of her had reached even the Desolate Heaven Empire.

Besides, Bai Zihan's interest appeared deeper than just casual name recognition.

Gradually, his eyebrows furrowed.

A sudden realization hit him.

Then, he opened his mouth once more.

"Don't tell me..."

His tone turned grave.

"...you've actually encountered her?"

The query echoed in the air.

Bai Zihan offered no instant reply.

Yet this time, he showed no evasion.

He merely gave a nod.

"Yes!"

Chong Sheng went rigid.

"...You met her?"

His voice shifted entirely.

True astonishment filled it now.

Bai Zihan replied steadily.

"She's within the Desolate Heaven Empire."

Those words hit, and Chong Sheng's face twisted dramatically.

His pupils contracted a bit.

"What?"

The exclamation burst forth instinctively.

He fixed his stare on Bai Zihan.

As though verifying what he'd just heard.

"The Desolate Heaven Empire?"

A prolonged hush ensued.

Chong Sheng then let out a slow breath.

"...That signifies..."

His gaze grew shadowy.

"...the calamity is here."

The mood grew oppressively heavy at once.

Chong Sheng pondered briefly.

Numerous scenarios raced through his thoughts.

Qin Lingxiao's personal arrival in the Desolate Heaven Empire spelled a massive upheaval ahead.

No surprise Bai Zihan probed about the Western Region and her—it seemed the empire faced a dire target.

But soon, another idea struck.

This one even more startling.

Slowly, his eyes rose to meet Bai Zihan's.

"Wait a minute!"

His voice dropped.

"If you saw her..."

He pierced Bai Zihan's features with his look.

"...how are you still rational?"

The query held real bewilderment.

True puzzlement gripped him.

For that defied everything he knew.

Her allure wasn't hype—it could shatter any mind, particularly those shy of the Immortal Realm.

A frail cultivator beholding her visage...

Would plunge into obsessive love.

Her image would consume their every thought.

Other considerations would vanish.

They'd forsake cultivation—

Their clan.

Their kin.

Their prospects.

All of it.

Solely to win her favor.

Yet Bai Zihan stood there, utterly composed, pursuing actions that wouldn't woo Qin Lingxiao.

True encounter should have rendered that impossible.

Furthermore, despite his seclusion, word of Qin Lingxiao entering the Desolate Heaven Empire—

Would have reached him.

Nearby realms would gear up to greet and appease her.

But no such reports circulated.

No such stir.

(Is he deceiving me?)

He weighed that chance.

"She came disguised. Likely restraining her power on purpose, so I stayed unaffected."

Bai Zihan answered forthrightly.

Chong Sheng mulled it over briefly, then nodded in comprehension.

A disguise explained the lack of public buzz.

Though it sparked a new puzzle—how Bai Zihan pierced her cover.

But given he'd uncovered Chong Sheng's reincarnation as the old Demonic Emperor...

Chong Sheng knew Bai Zihan hid vast depths.

Unmasking disguised Qin Lingxiao could prove simpler than his own history.

"You're fortunate!"

Chong Sheng remarked.

(While I'm utterly cursed!)

He mused inwardly.

Without her suppression, Bai Zihan's glimpse of her real face...

Would have ensnared him utterly by now.

He'd pour every moment into claiming her affection.

Then, no pursuit or thrashing from Bai Zihan—he'd ignore Chong Sheng entirely.

Alas, fortune eluded him.

Bai Zihan remained still, face serene as always.

He'd gotten his answers.

The Western Region.

The Qin Clan!

Qin Lingxiao!

Chong Sheng had revealed it all.

Bai Zihan's eyes dwelled on Chong Sheng a bit longer.

(What to do with him next?)

The dilemma arose unbidden.

Chong Sheng differed from Lin Xuan.

No expectation of docility or allegiance like Lin Xuan's.

Plus, resentment from the shame burned deep in Chong Sheng.

Bai Zihan's look shadowed faintly.

(He's unreliable.)

Current compliance signified zilch.

Such types never yielded fully.

They bided time.

They lurked.

They hunted for revenge's moment.

Bai Zihan grasped that breed perfectly.

(Control him then?)

The notion surfaced.

The Heavenly Mandate Assimilation Art.

Theoretically, sufficient.

But Bai Zihan's eyes darkened, head shaking.

(No!)

He rejected it swiftly.

Chong Sheng wasn't typical.

Ex-Demonic Emperor.

Formation virtuoso. Fate-defier already.

Bai Zihan doubted eternal hold via any art.

(Perhaps short-term... maybe longer. But eventually?)

His eyes tightened.

With growth and scrutiny of the art...

Likely escape loomed.

Plus, Heaven Chosen status!

Who knew? One day he might grasp the full Heavenly Mandate Assimilation Art!

Effortless breakout followed.

Escape meant dire backlash.

Bai Zihan breathed out steadily.

(One path remains.)

The securest.

Absolute assurance Chong Sheng posed no future danger.

His gaze rose to pin Chong Sheng.

Subtle killing intent flickered in his eyes.

The instant it emerged—Chong Sheng sensed it.

His frame locked up tight.

Ice coursed his spine.

His eyes whipped to Bai Zihan.

And the sight—

Sank his heart deep.

That expression.

He recognized it well.

Seen it endless times.

"...You-"

Chong Sheng's words emerged hushed.

"You intend to slay me? After I answered all your queries."

Bai Zihan offered no denial.

No concealment even.

"No point in sparing you!" His tone stayed even.

Like declaring plain truth.

Chong Sheng's eyes shadowed.

"...I've shared all I know."

He uttered deliberately. "And cooperated fully."

A brief lull.

"Yet you still seek my death?"

Bai Zihan's face stayed unchanged.

"Exactly for that reason. Why spare a future foe like you? You'd act likewise, right?"

Chong Sheng paused a heartbeat.

True—

He would.

Really, he couldn't fault Bai Zihan's call.

Neutralizing threats was wisest.

"I see!"

A wry grin crept across his mouth.

"You're correct."

He murmured.

"Swapped places... I'd choose the same." Silence!

The tension thickened.

Storm clouds gathered.

Chong Sheng drew himself upright slowly.

True, he'd decide identically—

But that didn't mean yielding to demise tamely.

His gaze hardened.

Prior meekness evaporated.

Replaced by the icy schemer of the old Demonic Emperor. "...Wait."

His tone low, resolute.

Bai Zihan held position. No attack launched.

Chong Sheng seized it, pushing ahead.

"You seek my end as threat. Logical!"

A beat.

"But ponder..."

His stare bored into Bai Zihan.

"...the foe ahead?" Chong Sheng pressed, voice edging keen.

"Qin Lingxiao. You grasp her nature. Monster far beyond your reach." He advanced a pace.

"Think solo handling possible?"

Silence!

Bai Zihan stayed mute.

Chong Sheng forged on.

"If she targets the Desolate Heaven Empire..."

"Brute force won't cut it." Another stride.

"You're mighty. Maybe monstrous yourself. Against her though..."

His eyes slitted.

"Power alone fails."

Then the crux. "Need insight into minds like hers."

A lull.

"Like mine."

He drove home.

"Peaked at the top. Battled hordes of rivals. Handled plotters, betrayers, shadows."

"I master these intrigues."

Voice chilled further.

"Slay me, erase threat. Fair."

"But lose your edge over her too."

"...Spare me."

He whispered.

"I'll aid against Qin Lingxiao."

A halt.

"Or else,"

His look iced over.

"You endure today. Her? No."