Even someone as intelligent as Fu Young felt a headache after hearing all this.

Why were relationships between women so complicated?

For the first time, the young man felt a bit overwhelmed by the mess his master had handed him.

He rubbed his brow and thought carefully before saying, "I do not understand Yu Lin well enough to think from her perspective, so I can only make a rough guess. She must have an extremely close connection with the Seven Deadly Sins, possibly something like a bound spirit pet."

"And her actions suggest two layers. On the surface, she spreads the Seven Deadly Sins across the northern seas. In secret, she disperses smaller amounts across remote regions of the mainland. This is likely to raise its level without interference. Low-level Seven Deadly Sins can still be temporarily blocked by barriers and has a time limit for activation, but once it evolves to a higher level, it may no longer be restricted to seven days."

"It could reach a stage where it can spread, hunt, and absorb at any time."

"As for attacking Jian Li and exposing his Vermilion Bird Flame, there are two possibilities. One is that love turned into hatred, and she wanted revenge, deliberately revealing his flame. In an emergency, the rulers of the seas might not care about his identity and forcibly take the flame to deal with the Seven Deadly Sins."

"If that happens, it would be equivalent to destroying half of his foundation."

Xiao Shou nodded as he followed the reasoning. "But Yu Lin is someone who values strategy and benefits above all. Her pursuit and affection would only exist if they brought her advantages. There is no real love involved."

Fu Young smiled slightly. "Then the second possibility is more likely. If Xiao Ran is strong in all aspects, then Yu Lin’s real target is probably her."

"Why do you think that?" Xiao Shou asked in surprise. "Though Xiao Ran is indeed outstanding in luck, combat strength, and talent."

Fu Young sighed helplessly.

It was unclear whether he was sighing at his master’s slow thinking or something else. "No matter which possibility it is, the outcome of her attack on Jian Li does not change. If his foundation is damaged, then Xiao Ran, as his lover, loses a powerful ally. Even if Xiao Ran is strong, under Yu Lin’s reckless method of advancing the Seven Deadly Sins, you can imagine what her situation will become."

"She went through all this just to deal with Xiao Ran?" Xiao Shou frowned. "Then what about all the countless innocent lives affected by the Seven Deadly Sins? And did she not plan to act only after neutralizing Xiao Ran’s overwhelming luck? Or does she already believe she has absolute certainty of victory?"

No matter how he thought about it, Xiao Shou could not understand Yu Lin’s reasoning.

Fu Young simply smiled. "Master, just wait and see. That Xiao Ran is definitely somewhere on the mainland right now."

"You figured it out again?" Xiao Shou rolled his eyes without hesitation.

Seeing his master roll his eyes at him while wearing the face of a middle aged male cultivator, Fu Young said with some difficulty, "Master, when are you going to remove your disguise? Calling you Master while looking at this face is quite stressful."

Though to be fair, the number of times his heart raced had greatly decreased.

Could it be that he was the type who cared more about appearance than substance?

At that thought, Fu Young suddenly felt uneasy.

He was still just a kid after all.

"Hehe, I actually think it is pretty good." Xiao Shou happily touched his face.

Seeing the complicated expression on his disciple’s face, he assumed Fu Young was worried about the Seven Deadly Sins.

So, he quickly reassured him, "Do not worry. I will head back soon. With the Terrestrial Fox Black Flame, the Seven Deadly Sins near Azure Origin City can be dealt with quickly."

I was not worried at all.

Fu Young wanted to say that, but he did not want his master to think he lacked compassion, so he reluctantly accepted it and changed the subject to stop him. "Master, you should stay on Yingzhou Celestial Isle for now. I am already on my way to find you. The sect has a mountain protection formation, and Azure Origin City also has a city defense formation. At the current level of the Seven Deadly Sins, it will not be able to break through them anytime soon."

"You know its level?" Xiao Shou asked expectantly.

Fu Young nodded. "Just a guess. Based on the scale of the outbreak, it should be around Tier 4 to Tier 5. In any case, I have already informed Venerable San Tu and the others. They will come up with a solution. Master does not need to worry too much. Wait until I arrive."

"Oh, alright," Xiao Shou replied.

But in his heart, he had already decided that he would go out and gather more of the Seven Deadly Sins to feed his little flame.

With that pleasant decision made, he closed the communication with his disciple and immediately ran out of the cave dwelling in high spirits.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped outside, he saw the landlord sitting at the counter with a miserable and despairing expression while sighing repeatedly.

Puzzled, Xiao Shou asked, "What is wrong? Did you not say you were going out to avoid the situation for a while?"

"Oh, it is you." The landlord was startled at first, then relaxed when he recognized him. He said stiffly, "You have not left yet? Sigh, people like us from Yingzhou cannot leave even if we want to. Independent cultivators like you, who can come and go freely, have it much easier."

"Cannot leave even if you want to?" Xiao Shou tilted his head.

The landlord nodded and sighed. "After the chaos broke out yesterday, everyone crowded at the island exits. Then the Emperor issued a decree that All citizens of the nation are forbidden to leave. He said the Vermilion Bird Sacred Flame has already been found and the Seven Deadly Sins can be resolved. The abbot of Fanghu Mystic Isle and the Penglai Immortal Isle Isle have also sent people to guard all exits. Now only foreign cultivators who pass inspection and are free of the Seven Deadly Sins can leave. I really envy you. You can come and go freely."