"Master, you don't recognize me anymore? If I'm not your disciple, then who else could I be?" Chen Chen smiled softly.
The aura.
The face.
They were exactly the same.
But Qin Ping knew—this was not Chen Chen.
If the child he had raised with his own hands ended up like this, then everything he had stood for all these years would be nothing but a colossal joke.
Chen Chen's smile grew brighter. "Master, what nonsense are you spouting? People change. Haven't you realized that by now?"
Qin Ping trembled slightly. His voice lowered into a hush. "So… is he still alive?"
Chen Chen's gaze settled on him. The smile faded from his lips.
He spoke without a trace of emotion. "It seems that living long really does make a difference. You're sharper than I expected."
Qin Ping only repeated the question. "Is he… still alive?"
Chen Chen let out a chuckle. "Of course he is."
But Qin Ping didn't look relieved. His eyes never left this "Chen Chen."
In situations like this, being alive could be far crueler than death.
"Chen Chen" smiled gently. "To perfectly mimic him, I need to regularly consume his soul essence. Don't worry, I won't let him die before our business is done. Though, with too much soul essence drained, he might go insane. Or end up a vegetable. That part doesn't concern me."
His voice twisted unnaturally, as though he wanted to provoke Qin Ping on purpose.
Qin Ping took a deep breath and said slowly, "So what is it you people are really after? If you make a move this bold, the Demon-Slaying Alliance won't sit back and watch. Sooner or later, it will be your end."
At the mention of the Demon-Slaying Alliance, a flicker passed through "Chen Chen's" face. He sneered. "The Demon Sovereign has already returned. Do you really think we fear the Demon-Slaying Alliance? Just wait. You humans who don't know what's good for you will soon be nothing more than food for the demon race."
Qin Ping narrowed his eyes. His expression darkened.
The Demon Sovereign… had returned?
Back then, it had taken the full might of all four Holy Lands just to trap him. Though he escaped in the end, he had suffered grave injuries. He should have gone into hiding to recuperate.
How had he returned so quickly?
Could the Demon Sovereign's power really have reached such terrifying levels?
Seeing Qin Ping hesitate, "Chen Chen" looked satisfied. His voice turned strange again, layered and indistinct. "Truth is, this disaster was bound to happen. Originally, we didn't plan to strike so soon. A few more years of staying hidden and our power would've grown enough to crush you effortlessly. But then the Demon Sovereign gave the order."
Qin Ping's face changed slightly. "What does the Demon Sovereign want? Canglan Kingdom is nothing more than a small nation. Why waste his attention on us?"
"Canglan Kingdom is small, true. But who told you backwater places can't produce extraordinary people?" As he spoke, the demon's voice laced his words with ridicule. "I'll just tell you outright. You know the one he's after. She offended the Demon Sovereign. Now, he wants her dead."
Qin Ping's pupils contracted sharply.
A name flashed across his mind in that instant.
Their target… was her?
A dagger suddenly appeared in Qin Ping's hand, its blade gleaming coldly.
"Chen Chen" laughed. "Oh? So you came prepared, hiding a weapon on you this whole time? What now, planning to kill me?"
His gaze was full of contempt.
Even without binding his spiritual power, Qin Ping had already been seriously wounded from the earlier ambush. What could he possibly do?
Just as those words fell, "Chen Chen's" expression abruptly shifted.
Qin Ping hadn't lunged at him at all.
Instead, he plunged the dagger straight into his own dantian!
"National Teacher!"
A chorus of shocked voices rang out.
"Chen Chen" looked stunned. His expression twisted in disbelief.
Had Qin Ping lost his mind?
In the middle of a conversation—he suddenly tried to take his own life?
"Chen Chen" let out a cold snort. With a flick of spiritual energy, he pried open Qin Ping's mouth and forced a pill into it.
Qin Ping's face changed. He struggled to spit it out.
But under the manipulation of "Chen Chen's" power, he was made to swallow it.
Within moments, Qin Ping's wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
But rather than relief, fury lit up his face. He reached for the dagger once again.
This time, though, "Chen Chen" was ready. A thread of spiritual force yanked the blade from his grip.
Looking down at Qin Ping, "Chen Chen" let out a low laugh. "Qin Ping, you'll only die when I say so. And right now, I don't want you dead."
Qin Ping's face darkened. Then, he erupted into furious curses.
"You demons may wear human skin, but you're beasts without humanity. You claim intelligence, yet lack reason. Compared to mindless animals, you're even more contemptible. And you dare to dream of enslaving the human race? Truly laughable…"
His voice thundered with scorn.
"Chen Chen" faltered for a moment, but quickly masked it with a smirk. "You want me to kill you? Don't dream, Qin Ping. Like I said, I won't let you die yet."
Qin Ping clenched his jaw tightly.
"Chen Chen" chuckled again. "Clever as always, Qin Ping. You've probably already guessed. The one the Demon Sovereign wants dead… is Yun Jin."
Qin Ping said nothing.
But "Chen Chen" grew more animated the more he spoke. "Lately, you've been tirelessly persuading the Imperial cultivators to join the Wushuang Sect. I'm guessing Yun Jin offered you no small reward for that?"
Qin Ping merely scoffed, face filled with disdain.
Unfazed, "Chen Chen" continued, "Wushuang Sect once stood at the pinnacle, but now it's just a shell of its former self. If Yun Jin wants to revive it quickly, she'll need help. The cultivators from the Imperial realm—long marginalized by the sects—are her best bet."
He paced slowly as he spoke. "Which means, you're valuable to her. I've heard the entrance to Wushuang Sect is well-hidden. Unless you're a member, there's no way to enter. Even if you force your way in, Yun Jin could eject you with just a thought. As long as she stays inside, she's nearly untouchable. If she gains full control of the Wushuang Sect's inheritance, a thousand years from now, the human race may birth another unmatched powerhouse. But… what if we could lure her out?"
Qin Ping said coldly, "Yun Jin is no fool. Why would she leave the Wushuang Sect without reason?"
"Chen Chen" smiled. "The Demon Sovereign gave the order—Yun Jin must die. Though he hasn't arrived personally, we, his subordinates, will carry out his command. The Sovereign says Yun Jin may appear arrogant and wild, but in truth, she values relationships and lives by her principles. Tell me, now that you and the others behind you have fallen into my hands because of her, do you think she'll come to save you?"
Qin Ping's expression shifted slightly.
He had already guessed why "Chen Chen" kept him alive, but hearing it confirmed still made his heart jolt.
A trace of worry surfaced in his eyes.
The trap had been set.
Yun Jin must not come.
Their deaths didn't matter.
But the threads of fate whispered to him—Yun Jin carried the future of this entire world.
If something happened to her, no punishment in this life or the next would be enough to redeem his failure.