The Ascension of Contracted Spirits

Chapter 1052 - 409: The Cockroach Emperor_3

"Ding!"

Ye Yin pressed a mechanism, and the loud chime of a bell echoed nine times, causing a small commotion in the distant corridors.

"The bell has tolled nine times... Has Yue Ying made all the necessary preparations to formally compete with Xinluo for the leadership position?"

"Can he really do it? Although he’s protected by the Holy Spirit and has impressive combat abilities, he still hasn’t achieved sainthood."

"Xinluo is much older than him and is a descendant of a deceased leader. In both strength and seniority, he holds the advantage. Where does Yue Ying stand a chance?"

Ye Hanjun, having left his secluded retreat, could clearly hear these whispered speculations.

He remained undisturbed and continued to follow Ye Yin to the fifth floor of the castle.

"Beep—"

The Cloud Ladder was fast, arriving in the blink of an eye.

The fifth floor, a thousand meters high, boasted an immense space.

Creatures continued to arrive, among them many demi-humans.

Some had leopard heads, pig tails, butterfly wings... all sorts of strange kinds Ye Hanjun was seeing for the first time.

"Yue Ying, are you really confident?"

A bald man hurried over, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he spoke anxiously,

"I heard Xinluo has recruited another Holy Saint Embryo."

"When it comes to the strength of those by your side, you are still comparatively equal."

"However, you’re at a disadvantage due to your age, having not reached Rank 9, those old stalwarts are really hard to convince of your legitimacy."

"Gray is here," Ye Yin said indifferently.

"Huh?" the bald man scratched his head, looking confused.

"Gray— from Gray Sun."

"My lost distant cousin, a direct descendant of the Gray Sun clan, he’s back."

Ye Yin switched his explanation, and the bald man’s eyes instantly widened, his gaze almost solidifying,

"Gray, Gray Sun? Isn’t that just a legend?"

"It’s not a legend, he’s a real person."

Ye Yin glanced at Ye Hanjun while still speaking to the bald man,

"Aren’t you always hesitating about whether or not to join my sect and become one of the followers?"

"Now that he’s personally come from the Cloud Sea, if you are sincere, you can directly swear allegiance under him, and you might gain more."

"Sss!" The bald man’s mouth hung open, at a loss for words.

Ye Hanjun looked inquiringly, and Ye Yin, smiling, introduced,

"Hong Zixun, one of the seven dark councilors."

"He is of the same rank as me, but I have saved his life, and we share a reasonably good friendship."

"In this matter of succession, he’s one of my supporters, not to be underestimated."

"Understood."

Ye Hanjun nodded, exchanging a look of understanding with the other.

"With Gray here, Xinluo isn’t worth mentioning."

Ye Yin dusted off his shoulder nonchalantly,

"After today, these issues will no longer trouble you."

"Still, I occasionally wonder how many among the Melancholic Roses firmly stand with Xinluo, and how many are indecisive and hesitant."

"That’s hard to say."

Hong Zixun chuckled dryly, his piercing gaze still sizing up Ye Hanjun for a while.

"Ouch, Brother Yue Ying, you are remarkably calm; these picturesque features of yours are simply enchanting."

A bizarre woman with a swaying skirt walked over, holding a scholar’s fan and confidently approached.

She deliberately moved close to Ye Yin, tiptoed slightly, and whispered into his ear as softly as a faint orchid’s breath:

"Brother Yue Ying, don’t worry."

"I am your person and will always stand by your side. Xinluo wants to succeed—maybe in his next life~"

"Who is this?"

Ye Liuying blinked, injecting a curious look typical of an observer.

GuaGua and her reacted the same, all attention focused, ears pricked up as if reaching for the sky.

"Don’t misunderstand, this woman keeps clinging to me, and it’s really troublesome."

Ye Yin rarely took a step back, concealing himself in his robe while cockroaches scurried across his skin like a set of black armor:

"Lu Yin, one of the seven major dark councilors."

"This woman insists on becoming my partner, talking about wandering the world and a life without regrets..."

"Sorry, my aspirations lie elsewhere, even if you ask a thousand times, ten thousand times, I will not agree."

Ye Yin slightly bowed his head, his tone decisively cutting as Ye Hanjun couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Rejected again, huh..."

"But it’s okay, little servant has a good mindset, I’ve set my heart on you in this life~~"

Lu Yin extended her fingers unhurriedly, nabbing a couple of the small cockroaches on Ye Yin’s chest, squeezing them in her hand as if they were walnuts to play with.

Simultaneously, her face showed a sense of melancholic longing, but her eyes were smiling joyfully, not wanting to shift her gaze from Ye Yin for even a second, her demeanor close to that of an obsessed woman.

"Ha ha ha, Yue Ying, I just asked around, and it seems you went out and brought back a man and a woman."

"So, are they your backbone, making you feel confident enough to arrange even the ’election’ ahead of time?"

A heavy iron door banged open, and a hulking bruiser strode in with eyes as sharp as knives, instantly focusing on Ye Yin.

"Lord Xinluo!"

On both sides, whether demi-humans, Executors, or even lower-level servants, everyone bowed.

Compared to the respectful looks directed at Ye Yin, their gaze towards Xinluo was tinged with a fear named ’dread,’ worried that any slight deviation in protocol might provoke his ire.

"You have no advantage over me in rank, go cultivate for a few more hundred years!"

"And regarding the power by your side, I boast that I wouldn’t lose to you, the only variables, I suppose, are these two people?"

Xinluo’s gaze, full of fierce ambition, swept past Ye Yin and then locked onto Ye Hanjun and Ye Liuying, his brazen laugh clear and conspicuous.