nǎo hǎi zhōng niàn tou zhuǎn guò ， biǎo miàn shàng què fēn háo yì sè bù lù ， méi kàn chū shì huà shēn ， zhè yì diǎn què shí shì zì jǐ de shī cè ， bù guò zhè yì diǎn yě méi yǒu shén me hǎo ào nǎo de 。
脑海中念头转过，表面上却分毫异色不露，没看出是化身，这一点确实是自己的失策，不过这一点也没有什么好懊恼的。
Thoughts raced through Lin Xuan's mind, but his expression remained unchanged. This was indeed a mistake on his part, but there was no need to be overly remorseful about it.
zhì zhě qiān lǜ bì yǒu yī shī ， jiù suàn shì shén xiān ， yě nán miǎn fàn cuò 。
智者千虑必有一失，就算是神仙，也难免犯错。
After all, even wise men make mistakes; even deities are not immune to error.
bù guǎn rú hé ， zhè yī huí hé ， zì jǐ hái shì shèng lì zhě ， xiān shī zhǎn sōu hún zhī shù zài shuō 。
不管如何，这一回合，自己还是胜利者，先施展搜魂之术再说。
Regardless, in this round, he had emerged victorious. He decided to proceed with the soul-searching technique.
suī rán fēn shén suǒ chéng zài de qíng gǎn yǔ jì yì shì yǒu xiàn de ， bù xiàng dì èr yuán yīng nà yàng wán zhěng ， bù guò méi guān xì ， huò duō huò shǎo zǒng néng gòu dé dào yì diǎn duān ní 。
虽然分神所承载的情感与记忆是有限的，不像第二元婴那样完整，不过没关系，或多或少总能够得到一点端倪。
Although the fragmentary consciousness carried limited emotions and memories compared to a second heart, that didn't matter. There would be some clues, no matter how minor.
rán ér jiù zài cǐ kè ，“ hōng ” de yī shēng jù xiǎng chuán rù ěr duǒ 。
然而就在此刻，“轰”的一声巨响传入耳朵。
But just as he was about to act, a deafening explosion echoed in his ears.
“ bù hǎo ！”
“不好！”
"Bad luck!"
lín xuān sà rán tái qǐ tóu lú ， què yǐ rán wǎn le ， zhǐ jiàn mó qì fēng yōng ér chū ， tián xiǎo jiàn de nà jù shēn wài huà shēn jū rán zì bào diào le 。
林轩飒然抬起头颅，却已然晚了，只见魔气蜂拥而出，田小剑的那具身外化身居然自爆掉了。
Lin Xuan quickly raised his head, but it was too late. The demonic aura surged out, and Tianshao Jian's body-double had actually self-destructed.
lín xuān bó rán dà nù ， shà shí jiān ， liǎn sè yīn mái dé jiù fǎng fú yào xià yǔ le 。
林轩勃然大怒，霎时间，脸色阴霾得就仿佛要下雨了。
Lin Xuan erupted with anger. His face darkened as if a storm was about to break.
kě wù ， zì jǐ zěn me méi yǒu fáng zhe zhè yī chá ne ， tián xiǎo jiàn zhè gāi sǐ de jiā huo ， wèi miǎn yě tài jiān dìng guǒ jué le ， yí dàn luò rù dí shǒu ， lì kè xuǎn zé zì bào yī tú ， bàn diǎn yóu yù yě bù dài de 。
可恶，自己怎么没有防着这一茬呢，田小剑这该死的家伙，未免也太坚定果决了，一旦落入敌手，立刻选择自爆一途，半点犹豫也不带的。
How could he have failed to anticipate this? That damned Tianshao Jian was too resolute; once captured by the enemy, he immediately chose to self-destruct without any hesitation.
lín xuān mò rán bù yǔ ， zì jǐ ruò shì yǔ tā yì dì ér chǔ ， fǎn yìng yě bù wài rú cǐ le 。
林轩默然不语，自己若是与他易地而处，反应也不外如此了。
Silent for a moment, Lin Xuan thought that his reaction would be no different in such a situation.
“ jū rán nán chán dào rú cǐ dì bù ， bù kuì shì zì jǐ de ‘ hǎo xiōng dì ， lái zhe 。” lín xuān shēn shēn hū xī ， suí hòu liǎn sè yě píng jìng le xià qù ， zhú lán dá shuǐ bái xīn kǔ ， liǎng rén zuì hòu suàn shì dǎ le yí gè píng shǒu 。
“居然难缠到如此地步，不愧是自己的‘好兄弟，来着。”林轩深深呼吸，随后脸色也平静了下去，竹篮打水白辛苦，两人最后算是打了一个平手。
"Truly troublesome. No wonder you're my 'good brother,' " Lin Xuan took a deep breath and calmed down. The effort was futile; they had essentially tied the match.
bù guò méi guān xì ， lái rì fāng cháng ， xiào dào zuì hòu cái shì shèng lì zhě ， zì jǐ yǔ tián xiǎo jiàn de gù shì yuǎn méi yǒu jié shù ， xiàn zài yě bù bì wèi yī shí de dé shī qù jì jiào ào nǎo shén me 。
不过没关系，来日方长，笑到最后才是胜利者，自己与田小剑的故事远没有结束，现在也不必为一时的得失去计较懊恼什么。
But it didn't matter. Time would tell who the true victor would be. His story with Tianshao Jian was far from over, so there was no need to dwell on temporary gains or losses.
gāng fēng bìng wèi sàn chú ， yī jiù cháo zhe sì miàn bā fāng sì nüè zhe ， bù guò yǐ lín xuān shēn tǐ de qiáng hèng chéng dù ， zì rán shì fēn háo yǐng xiǎng yě bú huì yǒu ， shēn xíng yī shǎn ， lín xuān xiàng zhe zì bào de zhōng xīn fēi qù le 。
罡风并未散除，依旧朝着四面八方肆虐着，不过以林轩身体的强横程度，自然是分毫影响也不会有，身形一闪，林轩向着自爆的中心飞去了。
The gale-force winds still raged, but Lin Xuan's formidable physique made no difference. He flashed his figure towards the center of the explosion.
suī rán bō jí fàn wéi zhè me dà ， tián xiǎo jiàn bù tài kě néng zuò jiǎ ， rán ér duì zhè jiā huo ， lín xuān què fēn háo yě bù gǎn dà yì ， wàn yī duì fāng yòu xiū liàn le shén me bù kě sī yì de mì shù ， néng gòu mán tiān guò hǎi ne ……
虽然波及范围这么大，田小剑不太可能作假，然而对这家伙，林轩却分毫也不敢大意，万一对方又修炼了什么不可思议的秘术，能够瞒天过海呢……
Although the area affected was vast, it was unlikely that Tianshao Jian had faked his destruction. Still, Lin Xuan could not be too careless; what if he had mastered some incredible secret technique to evade detection?
suī rán zhè zhǒng kě néng xìng lián bǎi fēn zhī yī dōu bù zú ， bù guò lín xuān hái shì yào qīn zì què rèn yī xià 。
虽然这种可能性连百分之一都不足，不过林轩还是要亲自确认一下。
Though such a possibility was less than one percent, Lin Xuan still needed to confirm this personally.
tā jiāng shén shí fàng chū ， fāng yuán shù qiān lǐ dōu méi yǒu fā xiàn fēn háo bù tuǒ ， nà huà shēn de qì xī yǐ wán quán xiāo shī le 。
他将神识放出，方圆数千里都没有发现分毫不妥，那化身的气息已完全消失了。
He released his divine sense and found no discrepancies within several thousand miles. The aura of the body-double had completely vanished.
lín bài xiù páo yī fú ， jǐ dào qīng xiá fēi lüè ér chū ， zài fù jìn yī juàn yī guǒ ， hěn kuài ， yī xiē suì piàn jiù yìng rù dào le yǎn lián zhōng 。
林拜袖袍一拂，几道青霞飞掠而出，在附近一卷一裹，很快，一些碎片就映入到了眼帘中。
Lin Xuan waved his sleeves, and several streaks of green light shot out. They quickly gathered some fragments that caught his eye.
“ bù kuì shì hǎo xiōng dì ， zuò shì qíng hái zhēn gòu chè dǐ ， lián chǔ wù dài dōu kè yì huǐ qù ， bié shuō yǒu jià zhí zhī wù ， lián yī kuài mó shí dōu méi yǒu gěi zì jǐ liú xià lái 。
“不愧是好兄弟，做事情还真够彻底，连储物袋都刻意毁去，别说有价值之物，连一块魔石都没有给自己留下来。
"Truly a good brother. He did things thoroughly; even his storage bracelet was deliberately destroyed. Not only were there no valuable items left, but not even a single demon crystal remained for me."
lín xuān yáo tóu tàn le kǒu qì ， duì tián xiǎo jiàn de jì dàn zhī xīn ， bù yóu de duō le yī xiē ， dàn yě méi yǒu shén me hǎo wèi jù ， huà wèi yī dào jīng hóng ， xiàng yuǎn chù fēi qù ， hěn kuài ， jiù xiāo shī zài le yáo yuǎn de tiān jì 。
林轩摇头叹了口气，对田小剑的忌惮之心，不由得多了一些，但也没有什么好畏惧，化为一道惊虹，像远处飞去，很快，就消失在了遥远的天际。
Lin Xuan shook his head and sighed. His fear of Tianshao Jian increased slightly, but he wasn't overly concerned. He transformed into a streak of lightning and flew away towards the distant horizon.
yǔ cǐ tóng shí ， jù cǐ shù qiān wàn lǐ 。
与此同时，距此数千万里。
Meanwhile, several million miles away, on a towering mountain range, winding and extending who knew where, the air was thick with demonic aura.
zhè shì yī piàn wēi é de gāo shān ， qū zhé wān yán ， yě bù zhī dào jiū jìng yán shēn xiàng hé chù ， rán ér què qì shì páng bó ， zhōu wéi de mó qì yě shì fēi cháng nóng yù de 。
这是一片巍峨的高山，曲折蜿蜒，也不知道究竟延伸像何处，然而却气势磅礴，周围的魔气也是非常浓郁的。
In some unknown cave deep within the mountains, a painful voice echoed, and a figure sitting in meditation raised its head.
dà shān shēn chù ， mǒu gè bù wéi rén zhī de dòng fǔ 。
大山深处，某个不为人知的洞府。
Though no sunlight shone through, the light from embedded gems on the cave walls allowed clear visibility. It was a young, handsome man, one could say a graceful gentleman.
yī tòng kǔ de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， mǒu gè zhèng zài dǎ zuò de rén yǐng tái qǐ le tóu lú 。
一痛苦的声音传入耳朵，某个正在打坐的人影抬起了头颅。
Indeed, this was Tianshao Jian's secret lair.
jǐn guǎn méi yǒu yáng guāng sǎ luò ， rán ér jiè zhù dòng fǔ shí bì shàng xiāng qiàn de bǎo shí yī jiù kě yǐ kàn de qīng qīng chǔ chǔ ， zhè shì yī nián qīng yīng jùn de shuài gē ， kě yòng piān piān jiā gōng zi lái xíng róng 。
尽管没有阳光洒落，然而借助洞府石壁上镶嵌的宝石依旧可以看得清清楚楚，这是一年轻英俊的帅哥，可用翩翩佳公子来形容。
"Jian'er, what happened? Why are you in such pain?"
méi cuò ， zhè ér zhèng shì tián xiǎo jiàn de mì mì dòng fǔ 。
没错，这儿正是田小剑的秘密洞府。
A deep voice sounded, and without any warning, a tall ancient demon emerged from within Tianshao Jian’s body. No, that wasn't an ancient demon; it was just a bodiless shadow.
“ jiàn ér ， nǐ zěn me le ， wèi hé rú cǐ tòng kǔ ？”
“剑儿，你怎么了，为何如此痛苦？”
"My fragmentary consciousness has fallen," Tianshao Jian took a deep breath and quickly returned to his usual tone. His words seemed mundane, but the flicker of light in his eyes betrayed his true emotions.
yī dī chén de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， suí hòu sī háo zhēng zhào yě wú ， yī gāo dà de gǔ mó cóng tián xiǎo jiàn de shēn tǐ lǐ fú xiàn ér chū …”， bú duì ， nà bú shì gǔ mó ， jǐn jǐn shì yī méi yǒu shēn tǐ de xū yǐng bà le 。
一低沉的声音传入耳朵，随后丝毫征兆也无，一高大的古魔从田小剑的身体里浮现而出…”，不对，那不是古魔，仅仅是一没有身体的虚影罢了。
"Oh, this is not surprising. After all, word has already leaked out; there are others seeking that item. Your fragmentary consciousness was only at the stage of separation and combination, so it should have been destroyed by someone else," the shadow's dismissive voice echoed.
“ wǒ pài chū qù de fēn shén yǔn luò 。” tián xiǎo jiàn shēn shēn hū xī ， piàn kè jiān jiù yǐ huī fù le cháng sè ， píng dàn de yǔ qì chuán rù ěr duǒ ， fǎng fú zài xù shù yī jiàn wēi bù zú dào de shì qíng shì de ， rán ér yǎn zhōng yǒu yì máng shǎn guò ， què tòu lù chū tā de xīn qíng jué bú shì nà yàng píng jìng de 。
“我派出去的分神陨落。”田小剑深深呼吸，片刻间就已恢复了常色，平淡的语气传入耳朵，仿佛在叙述一件微不足道的事情似的，然而眼中有异芒闪过，却透露出他的心情绝不是那样平静的。
"Perhaps, but my fragmentary consciousness did not fall to an enemy; it self-destructed."
“ ó ， zhè yě bù chū qí ， bì jìng xiāo xī yǐ jīng zǒu lòu chū qù ， xún zhǎo nà dōng xī de rén bìng fēi zhǐ yǒu nǐ yí gè ， nǐ de fēn shén bù guò lí hé ， yīng gāi shì bèi qí tā de rén gěi miè le 。” nà xū yǐng bù yǐ wéi rán de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ 。
“哦，这也不出奇，毕竟消息已经走漏出去，寻找那东西的人并非只有你一个，你的分神不过离合，应该是被其他的人给灭了。”那虚影不以为然的声音传入耳朵。
"Self-destruct?" The shadow was surprised, then placed a hand on its forehead. "That does sound interesting. The body-double I taught you comes from the True Demon of Nine Evils and is vastly different from ordinary ones. If it ended in self-destruction, it should have transmitted some information back to you. What is it?"
“ yě xǔ ba ， bù guò wǒ de fēn shén bìng fēi sǐ yú dí shǒu ， zuì hòu shì zì bào 。”
“也许吧，不过我的分神并非死于敌手，最后是自爆。”
"The father said correctly; unfortunately, the returned message was too brief. All I know is that this person seems familiar," Tianshao Jian said with a strange tone.
“ zì bào ？” nà xū yǐng yī è ， suí hòu yǐ shǒu fǔ é ：“ zhè dào yǒu nà me yì diǎn yì si le ， wǒ jiāo gěi nǐ de shēn wài huà shēn zhī ， nǎi shì chū zì 《 jiǔ shā zhēn mó 》， yǔ pǔ tōng de shēn wài huà shēn dà bù xiāng tóng ， xī zuì hòu de jié guǒ jì shì zì bào ， yīng gāi néng gòu gěi nǐ chuán huí lái yī xiē xiāo xī de ， shì shén me ？”
“自爆？”那虚影一愕，随后以手抚额：“这倒有那么一点意思了，我教给你的身外化身之，乃是出自《九煞真魔》，与普通的身外化身大不相同，牺最后的结果既是自爆，应该能够给你传回来一些消息的，是什么？”
"Familiar?"
“ yì fù suǒ yán bù cuò ， kě xī chuán huí lái de dōng xī shí zài tài shǎo le ， zhǐ zhī dào nà rén sì hū shì yǔ wǒ rèn shí de 。” tián xiǎo jiàn yǒu diǎn gǔ guài de shuō 。
“义父所言不错，可惜传回来的东西实在太少了，只知道那人似乎是与我认识的。”田小剑有点古怪的说。
"Yes."
“ yǔ nǐ rèn shí ？”
“与你认识？”
"This is indeed peculiar. But it doesn't matter. After all, we only lost one fragmentary consciousness. You have many more body-doubles; you can send another one out."
“ bù cuò 。”
“不错。”
"Send another body-double?"
“ zhè wǔ zhēn yǒu xiē qí guài le ， bù guò méi yǒu guān xì ， fǎn zhèng yě bù guò sǔn shī le yī lǚ fēn shén ér yǐ ， nǐ suǒ liàn zhì de shēn wài huà shēn ， yuǎn bù zhǐ zhè yī jù ， zài pài chū qù yí gè jiù shì 。”
“这伍真有些奇怪了，不过没有关系，反正也不过损失了一缕分神而已，你所炼制的身外化身，远不止这一具，再派出去一个就是。”
"Why not? Jian'er, do you have any objections to this?"
“ hái pài huà shēn ？”
“还派化身？”
"Father, I feel that something about this is not as simple as it seems. I want to go and investigate personally," Tianshao Jian hesitated before speaking.
“ zěn me ， jiàn ér ， mò fēi nǐ yǒu shén me yì jiàn me ？”
“怎么，剑儿，莫非你有什么意见么？”
"You wish to leave the seclusion; absolutely no way." The shadow frowned, its voice resolute.
“ yì fù ， bù zhī wèi hé ， wǒ zǒng jué de zhè jiàn shì qíng bù xiàng biǎo miàn shàng zhè me jiǎn dān de ， wǒ xiǎng qīn zì qù 。” tián xiǎo jiàn lüè yī chí yí ， huǎn huǎn de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ lǐ 。
“义父，不知为何，我总觉得这件事情不像表面上这么简单的，我想亲自去。”田小剑略一迟疑，缓缓的声音传入耳朵里。
"Why? I know I've reached the peak of Profound Knowledge stage, just a step away from the later stages. Even if I leave now, it will only delay my breakthrough by a few years. But that item is too important to be lost."
“ nǐ xiǎng yào chū guān ， zhè jué duì bù xíng 。” nà xū yǐng méi tou yí zhòu ， shēng yīn jiān jué yì cháng de kāi kǒu 。
“你想要出关，这绝对不行。”那虚影眉头一皱，声音坚决异常的开口。
"Jian'er, you and me are in this together; our fates are intertwined. If you can achieve ascension, my essence will recover, making me the Grand Leader of the Demon Clan. How could I harm you? In just over a thousand years, you've reached the peak of Profound Knowledge stage. Your talent is no less than mine. Truly, you are the True Demon's body. But your True Demon body refers to your talent, not an actual True Demon."
“ wèi hé ， wǒ zhī dào zì jǐ xiū liàn dào dòng xuán zhōng qī de dǐng fēng le ， jù lí hòu qī tū pò ， zhǐ shèng xià yí gè guān kǒu ， dàn nà yòu rú hé ， jí shǐ rú jīn chū guān ， yě bù guò wǎn jǐ nián tū pò ， ér nà jiàn dōng xī ， què shì jué bù róng yǒu shī de 。”
“为何，我知道自己修炼到洞玄中期的顶峰了，距离后期突破，只剩下一个关口，但那又如何，即使如今出关，也不过晚几年突破，而那件东西，却是绝不容有失的。”
"Then what is a true True Demon?" Tianshao Jian frowned.
“ jiàn ér ， yì fù rú jīn yǔ nǐ shì yī róng jù róng ， yī sǔn jù sǔn ， nǐ ruò néng gòu jǔ xiá fēi shēng ， wǒ de yuán shén yě jiù kě yǐ huī fù ， chéng wéi mó zú dà tǒng lǐng ， wèi fù yòu zěn me kě néng hài nǐ ， nǐ néng gòu zài duǎn duǎn de qiān yú nián lǐ ， jiù xiū liàn dào dòng xuán zhōng qī dǐng fēng ， zī zhì zhī qiáng ， bǐ qǐ wèi fù yě bù céng duō ràng ， bù kuì shì zhēn mó zhī tǐ ， bù guò nǐ zhè zhēn mó zhī tǐ ， shí jì zhǐ de shì zī zhì ， ér fēi zhēn zhèng de zhēn mó 。”
“剑儿，义父如今与你是一荣俱荣，一损俱损，你若能够举霞飞升，我的元神也就可以恢复，成为魔族大统领，为父又怎么可能害你，你能够在短短的千余年里，就修炼到洞玄中期顶峰，资质之强，比起为父也不曾多让，不愧是真魔之体，不过你这真魔之体，实际指的是资质，而非真正的真魔。”
"A true True Demon can withstand fire and water; it cannot be harmed by weapons or magic. It achieves dual cultivation, existing between the three realms. At my peak, I was a True Demon," the shadow explained.
“ zhēn zhèng de zhēn mó ， nà shì shén me ？” tián xiǎo jiàn méi tou yí zhòu de shuō 。
“真正的真魔，那是什么？”田小剑眉头一皱的说。
"So that's why this has anything to do with me leaving seclusion?"
“ zhēn zhèng de zhēn mó ， néng gòu shuǐ huǒ bù qīn ， dāo qiāng bù rù ， tǐ shuāng xiū ， yóu lí yú sān jiè zhī zhōng ， wèi fù dāng nián quán shèng zhī shí ， jiù shì zhēn mó zhī shēn 。”
“真正的真魔，能够水火不侵，刀枪不入，体双修，游离于三界之中，为父当年全盛之时，就是真魔之身。”
"Of course, as you progress, you are also refining your True Demon body. If it fails, it would be like adding impurities during alchemy; it would harm your True Demon body."
“ yuán lái rú cǐ ， zhè yǔ wǒ chū guān yòu yǒu shén me guān xì ？”
“原来如此，这与我出关又有什么关系？”
"I see. No wonder Father always made me fully prepared for each progression—no room for failure."
“ dāng rán yǒu guān xì ， nǐ zài jìn jiē de tóng shí ， yě shì duì zhēn mó zhī shēn de chuí liàn ， ruò shì shī bài ， jiù fǎng fú liàn dān zhī shí ， jiā rù le zá zhì yì bān ， duì zhēn mó zhī shēn dà yǒu fáng hài 。” nà xū yǐng huǎn huǎn de shuō 。
“当然有关系，你在进阶的同时，也是对真魔之身的锤炼，若是失败，就仿佛炼丹之时，加入了杂质一般，对真魔之身大有妨害。”那虚影缓缓的说。
"Mmm, the True Demon of Nine Evils is immensely powerful, but its sole drawback is that with every failed advancement, the final True Demon body will be slightly weaker. Back then, I failed twice as I progressed from Profound Cultivation to Transcending Tribulation, which left flaws in my True Demon body. Otherwise, how could my strength fall short of a True Immortal? Even the Arrogant King might have been defeated by me," Tianshao Jian said with a hint of pride.
Thoughts raced through Lin Xuan's mind, but his expression remained unchanged. This was indeed a mistake on his part, but there was no need to be overly remorseful about it.
After all, even wise men make mistakes; even deities are not immune to error.
Regardless, in this round, he had emerged victorious. He decided to proceed with the soul-searching technique.
Although the fragmentary consciousness carried limited emotions and memories compared to a second heart, that didn't matter. There would be some clues, no matter how minor.
But just as he was about to act, a deafening explosion echoed in his ears.
"Bad luck!"
Lin Xuan quickly raised his head, but it was too late. The demonic aura surged out, and Tianshao Jian's body-double had actually self-destructed.
A mistake!
Lin Xuan erupted with anger. His face darkened as if a storm was about to break.
How could he have failed to anticipate this? That damned Tianshao Jian was too resolute; once captured by the enemy, he immediately chose to self-destruct without any hesitation.
Silent for a moment, Lin Xuan thought that his reaction would be no different in such a situation.
"Truly troublesome. No wonder you're my 'good brother,' " Lin Xuan took a deep breath and calmed down. The effort was futile; they had essentially tied the match.
But it didn't matter. Time would tell who the true victor would be. His story with Tianshao Jian was far from over, so there was no need to dwell on temporary gains or losses.
The gale-force winds still raged, but Lin Xuan's formidable physique made no difference. He flashed his figure towards the center of the explosion.
Although the area affected was vast, it was unlikely that Tianshao Jian had faked his destruction. Still, Lin Xuan could not be too careless; what if he had mastered some incredible secret technique to evade detection?
Though such a possibility was less than one percent, Lin Xuan still needed to confirm this personally.
He released his divine sense and found no discrepancies within several thousand miles. The aura of the body-double had completely vanished.
Lin Xuan waved his sleeves, and several streaks of green light shot out. They quickly gathered some fragments that caught his eye.
"Truly a good brother. He did things thoroughly; even his storage bracelet was deliberately destroyed. Not only were there no valuable items left, but not even a single demon crystal remained for me."
Lin Xuan shook his head and sighed. His fear of Tianshao Jian increased slightly, but he wasn't overly concerned. He transformed into a streak of lightning and flew away towards the distant horizon.
Meanwhile, several million miles away, on a towering mountain range, winding and extending who knew where, the air was thick with demonic aura.
In some unknown cave deep within the mountains, a painful voice echoed, and a figure sitting in meditation raised its head.
Though no sunlight shone through, the light from embedded gems on the cave walls allowed clear visibility. It was a young, handsome man, one could say a graceful gentleman.
Indeed, this was Tianshao Jian's secret lair.
"Jian'er, what happened? Why are you in such pain?"
A deep voice sounded, and without any warning, a tall ancient demon emerged from within Tianshao Jian’s body. No, that wasn't an ancient demon; it was just a bodiless shadow.
"My fragmentary consciousness has fallen," Tianshao Jian took a deep breath and quickly returned to his usual tone. His words seemed mundane, but the flicker of light in his eyes betrayed his true emotions.
"Oh, this is not surprising. After all, word has already leaked out; there are others seeking that item. Your fragmentary consciousness was only at the stage of separation and combination, so it should have been destroyed by someone else," the shadow's dismissive voice echoed.
"Perhaps, but my fragmentary consciousness did not fall to an enemy; it self-destructed."
"Self-destruct?" The shadow was surprised, then placed a hand on its forehead. "That does sound interesting. The body-double I taught you comes from the True Demon of Nine Evils and is vastly different from ordinary ones. If it ended in self-destruction, it should have transmitted some information back to you. What is it?"
"The father said correctly; unfortunately, the returned message was too brief. All I know is that this person seems familiar," Tianshao Jian said with a strange tone.
"Familiar?"
"Yes."
"This is indeed peculiar. But it doesn't matter. After all, we only lost one fragmentary consciousness. You have many more body-doubles; you can send another one out."
"Send another body-double?"
"Why not? Jian'er, do you have any objections to this?"
"Father, I feel that something about this is not as simple as it seems. I want to go and investigate personally," Tianshao Jian hesitated before speaking.
"You wish to leave the seclusion; absolutely no way." The shadow frowned, its voice resolute.
"Why? I know I've reached the peak of Profound Knowledge stage, just a step away from the later stages. Even if I leave now, it will only delay my breakthrough by a few years. But that item is too important to be lost."
"Jian'er, you and me are in this together; our fates are intertwined. If you can achieve ascension, my essence will recover, making me the Grand Leader of the Demon Clan. How could I harm you? In just over a thousand years, you've reached the peak of Profound Knowledge stage. Your talent is no less than mine. Truly, you are the True Demon's body. But your True Demon body refers to your talent, not an actual True Demon."
"Then what is a true True Demon?" Tianshao Jian frowned.
"A true True Demon can withstand fire and water; it cannot be harmed by weapons or magic. It achieves dual cultivation, existing between the three realms. At my peak, I was a True Demon," the shadow explained.
"So that's why this has anything to do with me leaving seclusion?"
"Of course, as you progress, you are also refining your True Demon body. If it fails, it would be like adding impurities during alchemy; it would harm your True Demon body."
"I see. No wonder Father always made me fully prepared for each progression—no room for failure."
"Mmm, the True Demon of Nine Evils is immensely powerful, but its sole drawback is that with every failed advancement, the final True Demon body will be slightly weaker. Back then, I failed twice as I progressed from Profound Cultivation to Transcending Tribulation, which left flaws in my True Demon body. Otherwise, how could my strength fall short of a True Immortal? Even the Arrogant King might have been defeated by me," Tianshao Jian said with a hint of pride.