Western Regions.
Demon Court.
Exotic Flowers and Rare Herbs bloomed eternally, never fading.
Ancient Cypresses and Green Pines remained evergreen through countless generations.
The Demon Emperor leaned against an ancient tree.
Suddenly.
His brow twitched slightly.
A figure had appeared in the distance, he knew not when.
When he recognized the newcomer, a smile appeared on his pale face: "What a rare guest. How is it? The esteemed Former Emperor of Great Tang, a Human Race Supreme, actually has the leisure today to visit my Demon Court as a guest?"
"If this were to get out..."
The Demon Emperor clicked his tongue twice.
"How would the world view your Li Family's Imperial House then?"
The newcomer was dressed in a Dark Green Robe, with temples streaked with white, and a resolute face.
Only his eyes were unfathomably deep.
The newcomer stood with his hands behind his back, unmoved by the Demon Emperor's sarcasm.
He calmly shook his head: "Emperor... is merely a title. Now that I have relinquished my heavy burden and severed worldly ties, what do the rise and fall of Great Tang have to do with me?"
The Demon Emperor clapped his hands and laughed heartily upon hearing this.
"Brother Qianyuan, you are quite open-minded. Then, may I ask... what important matter brings Brother Qianyuan here, traveling thousands of miles with this crippled body across the Sands?"
Li Qianyuan was silent for a moment.
He did not answer directly.
He merely raised his hand, and within his palm, a wisp of black Qi faintly circulated.
Within it, the faint cries of an infant seemed to rise and fall.
"I want to ask you something."
The Demon Emperor's gaze fell upon the black Qi, his brow slightly raised.
"What is it?"
"Back then... what did you do when you performed the Demonic Fetus Art?"
The Demon Emperor was startled.
He clearly hadn't expected the other party to ask this.
He sat up straight, a hint of displeasure on his face.
"Brother Qianyuan, what are you talking about?"
"Though I am a demon, I always keep my word."
"Since you and I made an agreement back then, each taking what we needed, how could I tamper with that Cultivation Technique?"
"Moreover..."
The Demon Emperor pointed at the black Qi in Li Qianyuan's palm.
"Isn't that demonic fetus already formed? Although there was a slight mishap, it ultimately created an excellent Physical Body. Once its demonic nature is fully revealed, you can use the Immortal Burying Secret Art to completely possess it."
"Isn't that enough?"
"No, it's not."
Li Qianyuan shook his head.
He withdrew his hand, and the black Qi instantly dissipated.
"If it were just that, I wouldn't have come to you."
"But the strange thing is..."
"The child chosen as the vessel, although talented, was still within reason..."
"But another, who should have been a mortal Physical Body, had talent... hundreds of times greater than the demonic fetus?"
"Now, at merely seventeen or eighteen years old, he is already in the Lotus Seed Realm."
"…"
Upon hearing this, the Demon Emperor burst into laughter.
"Brother Qianyuan, you're just too close to the situation. The Human Race numbers in the billions, their proliferation far surpassing my Yao Race. Since your Li family controls this vast land, is mandated by Heaven, and gathers the Luck of an entire nation, what's so strange about an occasional astonishing Prodigy appearing?"
Li Qianyuan said indifferently: "If it were when Great Tang was first established, I naturally wouldn't find it strange."
"But you know."
"Grand Ancestor rose from obscurity; at Lingbi, nine Dragons emerged simultaneously, protecting his true body. Later, when Emperor Taizong succeeded to the throne, seven Dragons also coiled around the pillar."
"By my generation..."
"The Luck had already been largely depleted. Although I ascended to the great treasure, I barely managed to gather five Dragons... and even my own children only possessed two or three Dragon Qi..."
"Furthermore."
"Consort Ming came from humble origins, with no innate bone structure or cultivation foundation whatsoever."
"In such an era of declining Dragon Qi, and with such an ordinary and unremarkable mother..."
"How could my Li family, in its twilight years, be so blessed..."
"To give birth to such a Prodigy who can slay a Seed Lotus cultivator while in the Ink Dot Realm, and step into the Seed Lotus at seventeen?"
Under the ancient tree, a pin drop could be heard.
Only a few unknown demons in the distance let out low roars.
The Demon Emperor narrowed his long, slender eyes, observing the other party's expression.
After a long while.
"Tsk..."
"Brother Qianyuan."
"Are you... doubting me?"
Before Li Qianyuan could speak.
The Demon Emperor had already waved his large sleeve, an arrogant expression on his face.
"Don't forget."
"I am the Supreme of the Demon Court."
"This body of mine is a creation of heaven and earth. My Lifespan is as long as heaven and earth, and shines as brightly as the sun and moon."
He extended a long, slender finger, pointing eastward.
"Your Human Race has a Lifespan of merely a few centuries, and weak Physical Bodies. Even those so-called half-demon bodies..."
"In my eyes, they are nothing more than ants."
"I, who walk the great Dao of eternal life and vision, would covet your Human Race's short-lived skin?"
"Brother Qianyuan, you... underestimate me too much."
Li Qianyuan's expression froze upon hearing this.
This was indeed the truth.
The Yao Race had an incredibly long Lifespan, often counted in hundreds or thousands of years. They might indeed not care for the mere few centuries of the Human Race.
Moreover.
He had now staked everything.
He had abdicated the throne, severed worldly ties, and even colluded with the Demon Court, not caring about the infamy.
Wasn't it all for the sake of exchanging bodies, cultivating anew, living another life, and thus glimpsing the opportunity for Ascending the Tower?
If animosity arose at this point, ruining his grand plan for eternal life, it would be a true loss.
After much deliberation.
A smile appeared on Li Qianyuan's face.
He took two steps forward.
He reached out and gently patted the shoulder of the Demon Court Supreme.
"Demon Emperor, what are you saying? We have been acquainted for many years, how could I truly doubt you?"
"It's just that the matter is very important, so I asked an extra question."
"Don't take it to heart."
The Demon Emperor glanced at the hand on his shoulder but did not dodge.
He merely let out a soft snort and leaned back against the ancient tree.
"Since your doubts are dispelled."
"Does Brother Qianyuan have any other business for coming here this time?"
"If there's nothing else, my humble Demon Court probably doesn't have any good tea to offer."
Li Qianyuan withdrew his hand, placed it behind his back, and his gaze was profound.
"To be honest, I, Li, have one more request."
"What is it?"
"I want to change our agreement from back then... I want to switch people."
The Demon Emperor was startled.
"Switch to whom?"
Li Qianyuan turned around, his eyes burning: "Although my son is a demonic fetus, his talent is merely superior. Even if the Possession succeeds in the future, even with a half-demon's Lifespan, how far can he go with such innate bone structure?"
"But my daughter is different."
"To reach the Seed Lotus at such an age, this talent, this brilliance... if I could obtain this body, even with a Human Race Lifespan, with this talent, if I were to cultivate, I would surely be able to glimpse that higher level of scenery!"
"Perhaps even... break through Ascending the Tower and step into the Chess Player!"
Upon hearing this, the Demon Emperor's expression became extremely strange.
After a long while.
He shook his head and said: "This Immortal Burying Secret Art uses the guidance of Bloodline to achieve Possession."
"Your son has a demonic fetus planted within him, making him half a Yao Race member, and he is connected to you by Bloodline. Even if the secret art is performed, it can still be entrusted to your Spiritual Seal, and even a wisp of his remnant soul can be preserved."
"But if you switch to other children... there is only one way to perform Possession."
"That is to completely crush their Divine Soul, refining all their Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Spirits into nothingness."
"No Reincarnation, no next life."
"That is your own flesh and blood."
"You... are you truly willing?"
The wind rustled through the treetops.
The Ancient Cypresses and Green Pines let out waves of sound.
Li Qianyuan stood in the wind, his robes fluttering.
His expression was indifferent as he calmly retorted.
"So what?"