"So while they're called restrictions, they aren't exactly restrictions. It's just that the demonic cultivation technique I practice happens to be the very unique art she personally created, so naturally she left countermeasures built into it. Unless my cultivation surpasses that of this Ancestor herself, the moment she forms even a single thought, all of my Magical Power will be completely controlled by her — there's no way to resist at all. Besides, she had already made it clear beforehand that the whole matter of the spare avatar was something I chose of my own free will. There's really no basis for me to blame her too much. And before all of that, she had already shown me great kindness. If she hadn't stepped in to help back then, how could I ever have had the chance to ascend? I would have long since turned to a pile of yellow dust beneath the Nine Springs, trapped in the mortal realm." Zi Ling sighed softly, but spoke with a measure of acceptance.
"What exactly happened to you back in the mortal realm? How did this Ancestor Liu Ji manage to help you ascend?" Han Li's thoughts raced as he asked with a grave expression.
"Actually, there's not much to it. Back then, limited by my aptitude, although I managed to condense a Nascent Soul, I could never take the step into Deity Transformation. With that level of cultivation, even if I risked entering a spatial node, there would have been virtually no chance of survival. I had no choice but to look outward for help, so I spent years traveling to every hidden corner of the mortal realm, hoping to find some useful spiritual herbs to refine pills that might help me break through my bottleneck. In the worst case, I figured if I could find some powerful protective treasures, I would at least dare to make one desperate gamble through a spatial node before my lifespan ran out. But I never imagined that after spending several centuries searching without finding any suitable herbs or treasures, I instead stumbled upon an ancient altar left behind by the ancient demons — and I accidentally activated it." Zi Ling paused here with a helpless smile.
"So you used that altar to contact Ancestor Liu Ji?" Han Li's expression cleared with sudden realization.
"The process was rather complex — it wasn't as simple as all that — but the end result was roughly the same. A sliver of Ancestor Liu Ji's spiritual consciousness did indeed descend through the altar from across the void. I don't need to go into all the details after that. Under the persuasion of that fragment of Liu Ji's consciousness, I ultimately underwent demonic qi infusion using some residual True Demon Qi that remained in that hidden location. I switched to cultivating her demonic art and advanced to the Deity Transformation stage practically overnight. The speed and ease of that cultivation was beyond anything I could have imagined. According to Liu Ji, I possess the rare Innate Yin Body of the Charming Maiden — cultivating demonic arts is twice as effective with half the effort for someone like me, as if I was simply born to walk the path of demonic cultivation. That was precisely why she took the initiative to help me ascend to the Demon Realm. Had it been some ordinary mortal cultivator, even if they had somehow contacted her, she would never have bothered with such a thing. And only after I ascended to the Demon Realm and met Liu Ji in person did I truly understand that her help had been motivated solely by the desire to prepare one more candidate body for her avatars." Zi Ling spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Since you already knew her intentions, there was no need to agree to become her disciple. As for the debt of helping you ascend, you could have found another way to repay it later." Han Li's face darkened immediately.
"It wasn't that simple. Liu Ji did give me a choice at the time. Either she would immediately reclaim the True Demon Qi she had granted me and destroy the unique demonic art she had taught me, sending me plummeting back to the level of a low-tier cultivator — or I could become her seventh disciple, serving as a candidate body for her avatar. She made it very clear that due to the limitations of the art, she could only maintain six avatars at most, including her true body. If her existing avatars remained safe, there would obviously be no need to use us disciples as replacements. And given Liu Ji's status as an Ancestor, even her avatars were not easily placed in danger. So it was quite likely that we could simply continue serving as her disciples indefinitely. Her eldest disciple had long since advanced to the late-stage Integration realm and had been living freely for tens of thousands of years without incident. Moreover, Liu Ji promised that if she ever reached the point of undergoing Tribulation and ascending, she would no longer need any avatars, and we would truly be granted our freedom. And in the meantime, all cultivation resources we disciples needed would be supplied without limit — unlike other demon clansfolk who had to scour the land through untold hardships to gather what they needed. As far as I know, the dangers of the Demon Realm are incomparable to even your Spirit Realm. Every year, countless high-ranking demon clansmen perish in various treacherous lands and power struggles. Under those circumstances, Brother Han, what choice would you have made?" Zi Ling rattled off this torrent of words in a single breath, then finished with a somber counter-question.
"I...?"
Han Li's expression shifted subtly, and he tilted his head to gaze at the sky, murmuring to himself.
"Brother Han, your extraordinary willpower is something I have always deeply admired. Perhaps if it had been you, you truly would have made a different choice. But for me, the choice was between having my cultivation plunge drastically while taking enormous risks to survive in desperate struggle throughout the Demon Realm, never knowing when I might be cut down at any moment — or being almost guaranteed to live safely for tens of thousands of years, perhaps even longer, without ever having to worry about cultivation resources. The temptation of the latter was simply something I, a young woman who had just ascended to the Demon Realm, had no power to resist. So I naturally became Liu Ji's seventh disciple, and I've even gained some small measure of fame in the Demon Realm, along with a contingent of followers." Zi Ling let out another wistful sigh.
"No wonder you made that choice. Had I been in your position back then, I would have had no choice but to bow my head as well. But having your fate controlled by someone else is no long-term solution — haven't you ever thought of a way to break free?" Han Li took a deep breath and asked, able to imagine all too clearly the helplessness Zi Ling must have felt when she agreed.
"If there were a way to break free from Liu Ji's control, then the six disciples above me — all of whom are high-ranking demon clansmen who have advanced to the Integration realm — would hardly have remained so obediently under Liu Ji's banner for all these years. Liu Ji herself is a Demon Ancestor, and she has numerous avatars and countless subordinates at her command. Even if I somehow managed to slip free of her grasp for a time, how long could I truly hide? The only option would be to flee to some other plane of existence. But once I left a place with such abundant demonic qi as the Demon Realm, my entire cultivation would be rendered useless. Not only would I lose all hope of further advancement, but my power would very likely deteriorate drastically." Zi Ling's face was etched with bitterness — it was clear she had mulled over this question countless times before.
"That is indeed a thorny problem! But if one were willing to take some risks, it's not entirely without a solution." After hearing her out, Han Li's expression shifted slightly, and his eyes began to flicker with thought.
"What — Brother Han, you have a solution? Forget it. Even if you're quite powerful now, you're still no match for a being like Liu Ji. The risk in my case is far too great — I'd rather not drag you into it as well." Zi Ling started in surprise, but quickly remembered something and shook her head repeatedly with concern.
"With my current strength, confronting an Ancestor like Liu Ji is indeed out of the question. But my cultivation isn't going to stagnate either. Given a little more time, I have a fair degree of confidence in advancing to the Mahayana stage. When that time comes, even if I'm no match for Liu Ji, I won't be so far behind. At that point, I'll at least have standing to negotiate with her." Han Li's eyes flashed, and he spoke with a cold laugh.
"You have confidence in reaching Mahayana?!" Even though Zi Ling had already rated Han Li's strength very highly, hearing him say this outright still made her cry out in shock, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
"Rest assured — if I dare say it, I naturally have genuine reason to be confident." Han Li smiled faintly, the very picture of composure.
Zi Ling stared blankly at Han Li's confident face, and something stirred faintly in her heart. After a long moment, she finally replied in a soft voice: "If you say so, then naturally I believe you. Very well — let us table this matter until you've actually reached the Mahayana stage. Once you truly possess the powers of a Mahayana cultivator, I imagine tearing open space and returning to the Demon Realm should be no great difficulty."
"That works. Your cultivation isn't quite high enough yet, so even if Liu Ji has truly lost an avatar, it will take some time before she traces it back to you. You should endure a while longer for now." Han Li pondered for a moment, knowing full well that this was not something that could be resolved on the spur of the moment, and forcibly suppressed his worry before slowly nodding his head.
"Alright then — we've been talking about my affairs this whole time. Why don't you tell me about your own experiences, Brother Han? You've advanced to late-stage Integration in such a short time — your journey in the Spirit Realm must have been far more thrilling than mine." As if trying to ease Han Li's mind, Zi Ling's eyes glimmered with a playful light as she abruptly changed the subject.