The youth in crimson robes radiated calm and serenity. A gentle smile played at the corner of his lips. His very presence exuded warmth, gratitude, and friendliness—an aura that unconsciously invited trust.
Yet Yi Tianxing's expression turned grave.
"The Demon Ancestor, Luohu (罗睺)!"
He uttered the name slowly, weightily.
The red-robed youth turned and offered a faint smile.
"As expected of the Lord of the Great Yi Holy Court—Saint King Yi. Your insight is remarkable. To recognize my true identity and even wait here for me… I must ask—how did you uncover the truth? I made no mistakes."
There was genuine curiosity in his voice.He seemed unsurprised that Yi Tianxing had deduced his identity, even quietly acknowledging Yi's background.
Yi Tianxing replied calmly:
"I wasn't certain. I merely had suspicions.It wasn't until I refined the secret realm and the Land God's body crumbled…that I truly confirmed your presence."
"This realm wasn't just formed by demonic forces and the ancestral vein's true spirit, but also from a shard of your own soul—Demon Ancestor Luohu's spiritual fragment."
He explained:
The demonic aura created the corrupted environment.
The ancestral vein spirit birthed spiritual meridians.
Luohu, masquerading as the Land God, governed the land and was bound within the realm.
"The realm was a prison forged by a triad: demon, spirit, and you.A three-way deadlock, like a mythical Three Kingdoms war.None could dominate; none could escape."
He'd sensed something wrong with the Land God early on—his subtle resistance to the purifying divine light, his unease, his quiet pride in the face of stronger powers. And when he considered the ancestral vein's destruction in the previous era, linked to the hunt for Luohu, the final pieces fell into place.
So—he chose to devour the realm, betting everything on this single decision.
Sending the others away was merely to stage a private encounter.
"You are indeed formidable, Saint King Yi,"Luohu admitted with a smile."It's no wonder you've carved out such a legacy this era."
"Yes—I am Luohu, the Demon Ancestor."
He spoke without pride, but with conviction.
"You've done me a great favor by releasing me.And though I am a demon—I repay debts."
"People fear me, despise me… but they don't understand.
Demon or not—love exists.
Emotions exist.
Desire exists.
And we, too, can love all beings."
Yi Tianxing remained composed.
"This isn't your true body, is it?"
Though Luohu had once contended with Dao Ancestor Hongjun, and reached unfathomable power, Yi Tianxing showed no fear—only a level gaze. Only truly unpredictable beings, like the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Demons, still stirred his caution.
"In the last era," Luohu recalled,"I fought Hongjun for dominance.In the end—the Dao prevailed. Not because I lacked strength, but because fate favored him."
"Half of me was sealed in the West; the other half became the Great Self-Demon (大自在天魔).From this, the Demonic Path was born."
"I failed to return last era…But now—reborn—I shall rule the Demonic Path."
Yi Tianxing responded meaningfully:
"The Demonic Path already has a master—Demon Heaven Dao Sovereign (魔天道尊)."
Luohu chuckled.
"Isn't that why you released me?"
The implication was clear—Luohu understood that Yi Tianxing had made this choice deliberately, perhaps as a move against Demon Heaven Dao Sovereign himself.
"Then I wish you success,"Yi said with a slight smile.
Neither confirming nor denying his intentions.
"We'll meet again,"Luohu said.
And then—He vanished, as if melting into the void itself.
For he was Luohu, the Demon Ancestor,the Great Self-Demon,and the world itself could not bind him.
Yi Tianxing stood alone in the Sea of Void.
A gleam passed through his eyes—penetrating time itself.
"Interesting. Truly… this is interesting now.
Luohu has returned.
Demon Heaven Dao Sovereign, can you still hold the reins of the Demonic Path?"
"You tried to make trouble for me.Now it's my turn."
"Think I'm just a soft target, easy to push around?This gift... I hope it gives you a proper surprise."
Releasing Luohu had been his decision from the beginning.
Even the Land God's subtle abnormalities had been part of Luohu's silent plea.Each party had acted without words—but in perfect mutual understanding.
And the rewards?
Enormous.
The secret realm was a complete, fully mature Middle Thousand World (中千世界)—now fully absorbed into the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower.
A massive boon to the tower's foundation.
The creatures of the realm were dispersed into the tower's many inner worlds.The spiritual meridians embedded into all 44 sub-worlds within the tower.
Even the realm itself, once devoured, dissolved into pure origin energy.
Each world within the tower rapidly expanded:
50,000 miles…
100,000 miles…
200,000 miles!
A Middle Thousand World typically spanned 30 million miles.Even divided across 44 worlds, it multiplied their scale significantly.
"Two million miles per world… incredible harvest,"Yi Tianxing mused.
"As expected—devouring and plundering is the fastest path to power."
But such feasts were rare.
He would still need to rely on absorbing Chaos Qi, and harvesting Nightmare Power from the Dream Butterfly World, to sustain long-term growth.
"Time to return."
With a final look around the void, he vanished.
Brush—
He reappeared in Ruyi True Immortal's domain.
The others were already there.
Yi Tianxing turned to the monkey.
"Monkey… who are you?"
Something had clearly changed.The monkey's aura had deepened—not just in cultivation, but in pride and clarity.
"I am Yuan Gang, and also Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.I am who I am."
His eyes burned with golden fire.
Yi Tianxing smiled:
"To forge the True Spirit, is to find oneself.Whether from past life or reincarnation—it all becomes one."
"There is no 'you' or 'me'—only I."
Indeed, now that he had regained his true self,even his original battle techniques had returned.His combat power had undergone a complete rebirth.
Sun Wukong nodded:
"You speak the truth, Dao Friend Yi.At the dawn of this era, I returned to origin.But beforehand, I left behind a failsafe."
"Unlike others who cast off clones or reincarnated directly,I had Goddess Nuwa scatter 108,000 strands of my life-hair into the cycle of reincarnation."
"Only a few could awaken. Most were lost."
"But now—finally—one has awakened."
He smiled wistfully.