Chapter 282: The Peerless Demon

That jump seemed to yank at Li Yunxin's heart, pulling it fiercely—the True Dragon heard that sentence?!

He can actually hear?!

Li Yunxin took a deep breath, trying to suppress the turbulent waves in his heart.

However, he was not yet very certain whether this was a coincidence.

If the Dragon's Sons did not know, but the True Dragon did, it meant that the True Dragon most likely knew the method of taking over a body (body-snatching).

But if the True Dragon knew the method of taking over a body—what use was he to him?

He needed... to confirm it again.

Thus, he stared straight at Young Master Nine—only by doing so could he prevent the shock in his heart from showing on his face. Then he sighed, "You can't hear, can you?"

Young Master Nine frowned in anger and grief: "Can't hear what?!"

Li Yunxin was silent for a moment. Then, he made a bold decision.

He looked at Young Master Nine: "I said—White Yama King taught me the method of taking over a body. You can't hear, can you?"

As he spoke, he used the shadow on his face to conceal his eyes, staring intently at the bright spot on the fan that represented the True Dragon.

And then...

The bright spot jumped again!

The True Dragon could indeed hear!

The True Dragon knew about taking over a body—perhaps he knew it before and was surprised that Li Yunxin also knew. Perhaps he didn't know it before—and Li Yunxin's words just now informed him of such a method.

But regardless, the fact was established, and Li Yunxin had to make a decision that would likely plunge him into immense difficulty—to reveal the White Yama King.

Because... if the True Dragon genuinely wanted the method of "taking over a body" from Li Yunxin, and genuinely harbored ill will toward him—a great demon in the Supreme Realm (Taishang Realm) has ten thousand ways to extract what he wants from his mouth!

He had made a mistake before—mentioning body-snatching in front of the True Dragon, which put him in danger.

So he had to make a second mistake—to let the True Dragon know that his method came from the Yama King. Whether he believed it or not... it would cause some apprehension.

But as for how long this apprehension could last, or whether the White Yama King would go mad upon learning of this... he could no longer worry about it.

Damn it.

What is going on?

How could he hear?!

If he could hear, how could he not know?!

—Li Yunxin had never missed the White Yama King as much as he did at this moment. He decided that the next time they met, he would somehow have to arrange a method with that Yama King—so that he could also find him.

But Young Master Nine ignored this sentence again. He felt he was being tricked once more. Consequently, the anger in his heart, which had been slowly receding, began to burn.

He staggered to his feet from the ground and roared at him: "Speak up!"

Flames spat out from his nose and mouth, and he manifested his God-Demon Body. The golden scales on his body began to shine, enveloped by a reddish mist, and his body was recovering at a terrifying speed.

This Young Master Nine, driven by a simple yet intense emotion, was like a child—he was immersed in his own world, his own sadness and pain—unaware that everyone else had far more complex and profound thoughts. This made Li Yunxin feel...

"I truly envy you," Li Yunxin stood up from the battlements and sighed softly.

Young Master Nine's eyes widened, perplexed. But Li Yunxin shook his head again and smiled: "You are of the Dragon Clan, with a noble identity. Although your cultivation is not high, you are protected by the might of the Divine Dragon. And you live by Dongting and are protected by your father."

"Now you've died and run into your second brother's body—using his body for reckless revenge."

"...A truly innocent heart (Chizi zhi xin) must be like this. Living within your own world and emotions, with absolutely no need to consider the feelings of others—for example, you just tried desperately to kill me. If I hadn't been thinking about other things, not only would your mortal body be gone, but your second brother's mortal body would be gone too. Now you want to try again... I say, have you not considered your second brother's feelings?"

Young Master Nine's eyes were completely red: "I am just me! What do others have to do with me?!"

Li Yunxin sighed again: "So you see, you don't care about your second brother's feelings, and you never cared about mine before. You were originally an elegant and charming villain, but now you're acting all wronged and sad, completely losing your elegance. I don't know if your other brothers are like you. If so... I truly feel sorry for the Divine Dragon."

But after saying these words, he found that Young Master Nine was stunned—it seemed that his rage-filled mind suddenly halted, and after struggling to think for a long time, he suddenly frowned and interrupted Li Yunxin: "What did you just say?! My father protects me!?"

"Your father, the Lord of Dongting," Li Yunxin looked at him. "Otherwise, why do you think a Profound Realm demon gets along with you unharmed?"

Young Master Nine was stunned for a moment, then shouted: "Because I am a Dragon's Son!!"

"Because you are also his son," Li Yunxin looked at him. "The Lord of Dongting must guard the Dragon Soul in Dongting, and thus resides here permanently. Also, because of this, he cannot let you know your identity. So think again—"

"Think about... whether even your father felt he couldn't entrust any secret or heavy responsibility to you?" Li Yunxin sneered. "But he told me all these things—everything. Didn't you realize? Everyone else besides you has things they must do, responsibilities they must bear. But only you... are still immersed in your own petty emotions."

"No wonder you were banished to the Wei River."

"No wonder you couldn't even guard one Wei River."

"No wonder you... could be killed by a mere Manifestation Realm Human Cultivator like me."

Young Master Nine stood still, his eyes wide, speechless.

Originally, sparks were spewing from his nose and mouth, and reddish mist was swirling around him. But now the mist around him slowly faded, and the golden light on his body receded. The scales and mane gradually shed, and his body slowly shrank.

After a quarter of an hour (15 minutes), he returned to his human form.

Then, this Young Master Nine, possessing Yazi's body, looked at Li Yunxin and opened his mouth—seeming to want to say something but unable to.

Li Yunxin looked at him with pity: "Now you are calm. Do you want to have a proper talk?"

Young Master Nine stood silently in the firelight. He thought for a very long time, then looked up at Li Yunxin: "Talk about what?"

His voice was completely calm now.

Li Yunxin pointed into the distance: "Let's talk about what's happening here. The Wei River was supposed to be your fiefdom, but it was occupied by a group of demons, big and small."

"Yesterday you went to Trapped Sky Mountain for a deadly fight and cleared out most of the nearby demon kings—that is your achievement. Now the Ninth Dragon's Son is me, and Chiwen is also me. Logically, I should take over the Wei River."

"But if you are willing..." Li Yunxin slowed his speech and gently waved the Folding Fan in his hand, "We can share these mountains and rivers."

Young Master Nine looked at him with cold, cold eyes and sneered: "Share. How do we share?"

"I will get you a body," Li Yunxin said seriously. "It may not be the appearance you like, and it may not be stronger than your previous body, but at least it will free you from having to reside in someone else's body."

The bright spot on the fan... slightly jumped.

Young Master Nine looked at him suspiciously: "By you?"

"The last time you thought that, I killed you," Li Yunxin smiled. "If I can find a body for myself, I can find a body for you. Then we will jointly manage this Wei River and recover the lost territory, how about that?"

Young Master Nine continued to stare at him, not speaking immediately. After a good while, he said: "How do I know this isn't another trick of yours?"

Li Yunxin looked at him: "I'm not without a tiny bit of guilt in my heart."

The Profound Realm demon paced a few steps on the spot. He left footprints on the mirror-smooth magic formations outside the city—each step almost melted the mirror surface. After walking for a short while, he looked up again: "Tell me about the Lord of Dongting."

"You have the bloodline of the Divine Dragon and the Lord of Dongting. Your strength should have been even greater. But some of your power was sealed in Dongting and became part of the Dongting Restriction—and this Dongting Restriction is to guard the part of the Dragon Soul in the lake," Li Yunxin confessed everything he knew, holding nothing back. "The Lord of Dongting guards the Dragon Soul in the lake. You are his son, so he does not harm you. But you... think he does so out of fear of the Divine Dragon's majesty, right?"

Young Master Nine listened silently, his thoughts unclear.

After a while, he asked again: "Tell me about the current affairs."

Li Yunxin paused slightly, knowing what he meant.

So he continued: "Daoist Orthodoxy wants to wage war with the demons, so they decided to start with you. Killing a Dragon's Son causes unrest, and then they pretend to seize the Dragon Soul. They probably plan to strike after the demons gather in Dongting—intending to annihilate them all in one blow. So, whether I was involved or not, it would have been difficult for you to survive."

"But I think the True Dragon had the same intention—the same idea as the Daoist Orthodoxy. To let the Taoist priests gather in Dongting, and then he would gather and eliminate them."

"But neither side had the chance to strike, and the situation was somewhat disrupted by me. Actually, it wasn't just me, but an organization called the Mutual Aid Society—do you know them?"

Young Master Nine gritted his teeth and shook his head.

Li Yunxin continued: "The Mutual Aid Society wanted to fish in troubled waters, but I exposed them. Daoist Orthodoxy knew that the Mutual Aid Society might be lurking among them, so they changed their plan and went back to investigate themselves—and the Dragon Soul was taken away by Golden Peng's goddaughter, Bai Yunxin, and I couldn't stop her. This is what happened since I arrived in Weicheng."

Young Master Nine let out a long breath: "You mean, you stopped the war between the demons and the Daoist Orthodoxy."

Li Yunxin smiled: "I just did a little, insignificant work."

"It turns out I truly knew nothing," Young Master Nine muttered. "I thought... I was banished to a remote and dangerous place—"

"But it was actually the core of everything," Li Yunxin gently patted the battlement beside him. "If you ask me, the True Dragon still values you. Because you are the only Dragon's Son who doesn't fall asleep every now and then."

But his comfort seemed to have little effect. Young Master Nine sighed again: "But you have been me for just over a month... and you already know so much."

He looked up: "Li Yunxin, who exactly are you?"

He asked a good question. Li Yunxin slightly narrowed his eyes and cast his gaze into the distance. Others seeing him like this would think he was lost in thought, even with a hint of melancholy. He bit his lip just right, which made him look like the type of person who, "though burdened by deep-seated hatred, has put the past behind him."

Then he said in a low voice: "I am irreconcilable with the Mutual Aid Society. I don't have a good impression of the Daoist Orthodoxy either. I just unfortunately was born human, but I don't want to be human. Now that I have become a demon, it is my best destination. So... I sincerely hope we can bury the hatchet (Hua gēnwéi yùbó)."

"I am a very good Painting Daoist—likely the most brilliant existing Painting Daoist in this world, bar none. If you want a body, I can procure one for you."

Young Master Nine was silent again for a while, then smiled: "What kind of body can you procure for me?"

"It depends on whether you like handsome or robust. Liking a girl is also possible, and the skin tone can be customized," Li Yunxin said seriously. "I can satisfy you. I am very strong."

"Heh..." Young Master Nine shook his head. "You no longer owe this young master anything."

He looked up again at Li Yunxin—Li Yunxin felt that light was gradually appearing in his eyes, unlike before when they were clouded by hatred and anger.

"This young master... will not accept your charity," he looked at Li Yunxin seriously. "I am the Wei River Dragon King, a peerless demon. Now, I am merely entrusting my Cultivation Place (Daochang) to you temporarily."

"Listen well."

"Since you said you want to reclaim the Wei River, you must accomplish this task. If you manage it poorly and it is taken away by some miscellaneous things, damaging this young master's reputation, I will return to settle accounts with you."

Li Yunxin opened his mouth, was silent for a moment. But in the end, he managed a smile: "Good. My reputation, and your reputation."

"Show me my God-Demon Body," Young Master Nine said.

Li Yunxin stood up from the city wall, jumped down, and landed lightly on the ground.

Then he manifested the God-Demon Body of Chiwen, with its azure-blue scales, bright red antlers, and snow-white mane.

Young Master Nine... stared at Li Yunxin very seriously and meticulously for a long, long time. Then he let out a low sigh of admiration—

"Truly... beautiful."

Then he fiercely flicked his sleeve, and a thick cloud of fire wrapped around his body. The great Profound Realm demon shot up toward the sky with a boom and fled into the distance!

Li Yunxin stood silently in the blazing firelight of Weicheng for a long time, not speaking.

After two quarters of an hour (30 minutes), he let out a light breath and returned to his human form. With his hands behind his back, he began to slowly walk along the wall of Weicheng—as if taking a solitary stroll in the night. The surrounding air was still hot and filled with the heavy smell of sulfur. But at this moment, he felt cool. Because his heart had slowly cooled down.

Before, many things had weighed on his mind, preventing him from finding peace. Some concerned his own life, and some concerned future choices. He had previously uncovered the conspiracy of the Mutual Aid Society, and had Kun Wuzi take the two captives to the Daoist Orthodoxy, which resolved his life-threatening danger.

Then he skillfully cleared out the demons, big and small, entrenched in the nearby Wei River, granting himself a sanctuary.

Yet... even after solving these matters, his heart remained troubled.

Now, he had resolved the issue with Young Master Nine. Compared to the previous two, this was actually a "small matter."

But it was at this moment, after this "small matter" was lifted from his heart...

He finally felt a sense of "release" and "joy."

Li Yunxin walked halfway around the city in the night.

Then he stretched.