When Han Li heard these words, a surge of joy welled up in his heart. His earlier question had been nothing more than an idle remark — he hadn't truly expected the other party to offer any real insight. Yet it seemed that this old man genuinely knew something.
It appeared that Che Qigong's claim to be one of the Holy Ancestors with the longest lifespan in the Demon Realm was no empty boast.
While Han Li gazed at the elder and waited in silence, Che Qigong alternated between raising his head to stare skyward, his gaze flickering ceaselessly, and bowing his head in contemplation, his expression shifting unpredictably. Occasionally he would murmur a few words in a voice so low they were utterly inaudible.
Upon seeing this, Han Li's mind stirred.
"I remember now. Our Demon Realm does indeed possess an ancient forbidden technique that can supposedly accomplish such a thing. But this forbidden art has been lost for many years, and once cultivated, the risks are enormous with endless consequences. Even in ancient times, very few Holy Ancestors ever dared to cultivate this forbidden art. Now, those in the Demon Realm who even know of its existence — myself included — can be counted on one hand. Where did that little brat Blood Light obtain the cultivation method for this forbidden art?" At last, Che Qigong spoke, his brows tightly furrowed.
"A forbidden technique? Could Senior elaborate further?" Han Li asked with some surprise.
"This forbidden art is called the 'Primordial Division Severing Corpse Technique.' It is said to be a secret method that completely splits apart one's Primordial Spirit. Each divided strand of spiritual consciousness possesses independent intellect and can command a portion of one's Magical Power, but the personality becomes extremely one-sided, posing grave dangers. Moreover, the splitting process itself, if one is not careful, can easily cause irreparable damage to the Primordial Spirit. However, the divided strands of consciousness don't exactly qualify as avatars — each one can be considered the true body of the caster, with no absolute hierarchy among them. As for more detailed information, even I am not entirely clear. The power of the divided clones produced by this technique depends primarily on how much of the Primordial Spirit is split off. That said, since he is projecting across realms into the Spirit Realm, it stands to reason that the clones sent over cannot be too powerful. But even so, they would still be far stronger than the ordinary spiritual consciousness avatars other Holy Ancestors typically project." The elder spoke slowly, even as his thoughts churned.
"Does this technique have any exploitable weaknesses?" Han Li's expression darkened after listening.
"This forbidden art naturally has glaring flaws, but those are problems for later. In actual combat, there are no obvious vulnerabilities to speak of." The elder looked somewhat resigned.
"If that's the case, then never mind. I'll play it by ear when the time comes. Originally, I only intended to shake off these avatars in the first place." Han Li nodded, apparently deciding not to press the matter any further.
He gave the elder a slight bow, and after a flash of black light across his body surface, he instantly transformed into a wisp of black mist and vanished on the spot.
Che Qigong stared at the place where Han Li had disappeared, all traces of his earlier expression fading away as his face turned utterly blank. He simply floated motionless above the grasslands.
"You've been watching for quite some time now — surely you've seen enough. Why continue hiding?" The elder suddenly spoke, his voice calm and flat.
"As expected, I can't hide anything from Brother Che's keen senses. In that case, it makes no difference whether I reveal myself or not." A cold laugh rang out, and another man's voice abruptly echoed from the surrounding void — it too carried the weight of ages.
"If I can break through the seals to reach this level, then naturally you can do the same. The last time I met with this human cultivator, you were following behind, weren't you?" Che Qigong's expression darkened, his tone turning unfriendly.
"If Brother Che already knows, why bother asking? Or do you intend to hold me accountable?" The unknown man paused briefly before replying in an indifferent tone.
"Hmph — if I could deal with you, do you really think I wouldn't have done so already?" Che Qigong's voice sharpened.
"Brother Che has always been the most ruthless among us all. If Blood Light hadn't announced he was striking against everyone back then, I suspect you would have made your move against us eventually as well." Hearing this, the unknown man's voice turned equally frigid.
"Why play the innocent? Back then, every last one of us harbored our own ulterior motives. The past is the past, but this time, that human brat represents my only chance of escaping this prison. If you dare ruin my plans, don't blame me for turning truly merciless." A cold gleam flashed in Che Qigong's eyes as he spoke, enunciating every single word.
"Fine. As long as you split half of the Chaos Qi obtained from that human brat with me, not only will I refrain from interfering with your plans, but I'll also help you deal with Blood Light once we're free." The unknown man stated his terms without the slightest courtesy.
"It seems that if I refuse your conditions, you certainly won't let the matter rest. Giving you half of the Chaos Qi is out of the question — I can offer you a quarter. Take it or leave it." Che Qigong's eyes flickered several times before he spoke with absolute composure.
"A quarter. Heh, that's more than enough for me to protect myself and break free. Very well — I agree." The unknown man accepted without a moment's hesitation.
"Good. Then once we get out of here and refine this Demon-Subduing Lock to restore our former cultivation, we can seek out Blood Light and settle old scores. He's currently walking the same path we once took, which means he's at his weakest right now." Che Qigong's expression relaxed somewhat.
"That is rather curious. Blood Light has personally experienced the dangers of this technique before — how could he dare cultivate it again? Is he not afraid of repeating our fate?" The unknown man also seemed genuinely puzzled.
"Hmph, who knows what Blood Light is thinking. Perhaps he's already found a way to circumvent the technique's risks, or perhaps there are other reasons that forced him to cultivate it again. But regardless of the reason, his cultivation is undoubtedly greatly diminished right now — the perfect opportunity for revenge." A venomous glint flickered through Che Qigong's eyes as he replied.
"The first possibility seems highly unlikely. As for the other reasons, we'll know soon enough once we see Blood Light in person." The unknown man's voice also took on an ominous edge, making it clear that his hatred for that Holy Ancestor ran just as deep.
"When Blood Light sees the two of us, his expression will certainly be quite the sight. But if we truly wish to witness that moment, this Han brat still needs to get past the immediate crisis first. If he fails to escape Blood Light's avatars and the Demon-Subduing Lock falls back into Blood Light's hands, you and I may not be in much danger hidden within it — but the hope of ever breaking free again would be utterly dashed." Che Qigong's expression grew solemn.