Atop the Sea of Clouds.
Li Qianyuan stood at the edge of the clouds with his hands behind his back, quietly gazing toward the south.
Even across thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, and through layers of cloud barriers.
He seemed to still be able to see the young girl's cold and aloof figure.
"Mountain Gazing... killing a Lamp Lighter..."
Even for him.
Even as the Former Emperor of the Great Tang, who once possessed tens of thousands of miles of land, read through all the world's dossiers, and knew countless secrets.
At this moment.
He also felt it was inconceivable.
Too fast.
It was simply too fast.
So fast that even he, the chess player, felt a flicker of terror from things spiraling out of control.
Even with extraordinary talent, even with great Luck.
But that was a Lamp Lighter.
That was a Saint who had lit a heart lamp, someone capable of seizing life from Heaven and reversing Karma.
Throughout hundreds of thousands of years from ancient times to the present.
Searching through historical records as vast as the sea.
When had such an absurd thing ever occurred?
Li Qianyuan's gaze was deep as he looked toward the direction of Chang'an.
"Back then, the Great Progenitor rose from humble beginnings, received the mandate from Heaven, was protected by nine dragons, and swept across the six directions... but even when the Great Progenitor was in the Mountain Gazing Realm... if he had faced a Lamp Lighting Demon Saint, he likely would have only been able to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack and plan slowly."
Li Qianyuan shook his head.
A flash of self-deprecation crossed his eyes.
"Prodigy..."
"Truly a Prodigy."
Looking at it this way.
The previous scheme would likely come to naught.
If she were given a little more time.
Never mind this half-dead remnant of a body.
Even if he borrowed his final trump card... could he really still suppress her?
Li Qianyuan slowly closed his eyes.
In his mind, countless thoughts flashed by like a revolving lantern.
From the initial amazement to the subsequent joy, and now to his current wariness.
Even.
There was a sliver of jealousy hidden deep in his heart that even he himself was unwilling to admit.
"Pitiful..."
"Lamentable..."
"Ancestors..."
"If back then... you were willing to leave a path for your descendants, if this method of Ascending the Tower still had traces to follow, if this Great Dao of Longevity had not been severed..."
"I... how would I have ended up like this?!"
"How would I have ended up committing the act of a tiger devouring its cub and bearing the infamy of ten thousand generations?!"
If there were a Righteous Path to take.
Who would want to enter the demonic path?
If one could ascend the tower in an upright manner.
Who would want to perform a Possession on their own flesh and blood?
Blame only... the unfairness of this Heavenly Dao!
The unkindness of the ancestors!
After a moment.
The sorrow in Li Qianyuan's eyes completely vanished.
Since things had already reached this point.
Then... he could wait no longer.
He had to strike before that girl truly gained momentum, before she truly crossed that threshold and lit her heart lamp!
...Western Regions.
Inside the main hall.
The Demon Emperor, who usually sat high upon the dais, now only dared to sit on the edge of his chair.
His back was ramrod straight, his hands were placed properly on his knees, and sweat slid down his sideburns, yet he did not dare to raise a hand to wipe it away.
Right across from him.
An aloeswood chair had been set up.
A woman sat upright upon it.
The woman wore a gold-woven cloud-brocade Phoenix-patterned robe, her hair was piled high in a bun, pinned with a withered wood hairpin of unknown material.
Her face was cold and elegant, and the corners of her eyes and brows carried a indifference born from long occupying a high position.
She simply sat there, yet she caused a chill to permeate the vast hall.
Below, a group of Great Demons shrunk their heads, stealing glances at this sudden, uninvited guest.
Just as their gazes touched the woman's profile.
"Wuu... Roar!"
Behind the woman, an Old Dog Demon suddenly raised its head.
This was an extremely, extremely old dog.
Its fur was withered, and its teeth had fallen out.
Even its eyes were incredibly cloudy.
But at the moment it raised its head.
A malevolent aura rushed toward them.
"Things that don't know whether they're dead or alive, you dare to look directly at Madam's face?"
How could the demons below dare to look even half a glance more?
One by one, they hurriedly lowered their heads, their bodies trembling.
They wished they could bury their heads in their crotches.
Watching this scene, the Demon Emperor's eyelids twitched wildly, and his heart was filled with bitterness.
He knew someone from Spirit Mountain would come.
But he hadn't expected it to be so fast.
Even less did he expect that the one coming would be this person.
The Demon Emperor took a deep breath, slowly stood up, made a deep bow, and said, "I did not know the Great Saint's carriage was arriving in person. This humble king has failed to welcome you from afar. I hope the Great Saint will forgive me. I only wonder if the Great Saint's visit this time is for..."
"For my son."
Nonsense!
I obviously know it's for your precious son.
If not for that little beast who doesn't know the height of the heavens, why would a great buddha like you condescend to come to my Demon Court?
The Demon Emperor was cursing in his heart, but he didn't dare show it in the slightest on his face.
His body trembled, and sorrow instantly flooded his already pale face.
Disregarding any dignity, he crawled forward on his knees for two steps and struck his head against the ground: "Great Saint! This humble king... is guilty!!"
"Ever since your son came to these Western Regions, this humble king has treated him like a treasure, fearing he would melt if held in the mouth or break if held in the hands. Normally, whatever your son wanted, this humble king would never dare to refuse. Even if he wanted this position of Demon Emperor, this humble king would..."
At this point, the Demon Emperor covered his face with his sleeve, sobbing uncontrollably.
"...would also readily agree, only hoping to form a good connection with Spirit Mountain..."
The woman on the seat interrupted expressionlessly: "Get to the point."
"..."
Seeing that the other party wasn't buying it, the Demon Emperor immediately pulled himself together, cleared his throat, and said, "The Great Saint may not know, but your son was heroic by nature and was on good terms with the White Flood Dragon Clan. Some days ago, a Prodigy appeared in the Great Tang who first killed two members of the White Flood Dragon Clan within the Great Tang's borders. Your son was already indignant, but only suppressed the anger in his heart due to this humble king's dissuasion..."
Hearing this.
The Flood Dragon Demon below felt its heart skip a beat.
But before it could react.
The Demon Emperor continued, "But who could have guessed that this White Flood Dragon Clan would be so reckless? They actually incited their clan elders to wail in your son's ear all day long, speaking of how the Human Race insulted the Yao Race and trampled on the Demon Court's dignity."
"Especially this Flood Dragon Demon!"
The Demon Emperor suddenly raised his hand, pointing directly at the white-haired old man below, and shouted sternly, "This old thing used his age as leverage, relying on his slight acquaintance with your son to actually beg him with his life!"
"What kind of Heart-Nature did your son have? In a moment of hot-bloodedness, he then... then went to the Great Tang alone behind this humble king's back!"
These words were spoken with great emotion.
It both praised the deceased Little Saint King for being loyal and righteous, and completely exonerated himself.
All the dirty water was splashed onto the White Flood Dragon Clan.
The crowd of demons below listened with racing hearts.
Yet not one dared to speak up.
The Flood Dragon Demon in the corner felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.
It widened its old eyes, looking at the Demon Emperor in disbelief.
It was clearly you who wanted to use a borrowed knife to kill, so how is it now... all this old man's fault?
The Flood Dragon Demon tremblingly extended a finger, its voice hoarse and strained: "Your Majesty! You... how can you spout such slander?!"
"It was clearly you..."
"Shut up!"
The Demon Emperor's expression changed abruptly as he roared sternly.
Demonic Qi surged around him, as he prepared to strike and suppress it.
"You old fool, you dare to falsely accuse me even when death is at hand?!"
However.
Before the Demon Emperor could act.
The woman on the high seat.
Lifted her eyelids.
Dense flashes of golden light passed by.
The voice of the Flood Dragon Demon, who was just about to defend itself, came to an abrupt halt.
Its entire body.
In this single instant.
Was completely strangled and obliterated.
The woman slowly withdrew her gaze and pulled a silk handkerchief from her sleeve.
"Since he was an accomplice who incited my son, killing him is enough."