I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Malbaz stood in front of him, pinched his chin, and lifted up the face that resembled his own.

"Brother, do you know how many opportunities you missed during your years as the Demon King?"

His voice was filled with suppressed anger. "When the human kingdoms were in turmoil, you said the time wasn't right; when the elven court was weakened by the change of crown prince, you said war shouldn't be started lightly. You've trapped the demons in this barren land, and you still talk about 'peaceful coexistence'?"

The person hanging there did not react.

He lowered his hand, flicked his sleeve, and walked toward the door, his tone impassioned.

"The demon race is the most superior race in the world. We possess the strongest warriors, the oldest civilization, and the purest bloodline—why should we cower in this barren land? We deserve to conquer everything! Humans, elves, dwarves, dragons—everything! You are not only unworthy to be a demon king, you don't even deserve to be a demon!"

He paused slightly, then continued, "Now, I will lead them to true glory! And you, after the hero unleashes the holy sword, will shield me from the attack."

The iron gate closed.

The dungeon returned to silence.

The person hanging slowly raised their head, a faint light flashing in their unfocused purple pupils.

His lips moved, but he said nothing, only letting out a barely audible sigh.

……

"Master, I don't feel well."

Lilith put down her fork, and a few strands of her long, silvery-white hair slipped from the edge of her hood and hung over the rim of her bowl.

In front of her was a half-eaten plate of sausage and fried eggs, a half-finished cup of hot milk, and two slices of toast with only scraps left.

She had been eating with gusto just moments before, but now it felt like something was choking her, and she couldn't swallow the food she was chewing for a long time.

Ji Tian sat opposite her, holding a cup of tea that had gone cold, his gaze fixed on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it." Lilith frowned, rubbing her chest with the heel of her hand, a thin mist clouding her purple eyes. "It's just that I suddenly feel panicked, like something bad is about to happen, but I don't know what it is."

She paused, then added, "It's not a stomachache, nor a headache, it's just... a little heartache."

Ji Tian remained silent for a moment, then put down his teacup.

"Disorder of Qi circulation".

"……ha?"

"Your Qi." Ji Tian pointed to his chest with his index finger. "Cultivators value the smooth flow of Qi. If the Qi is not flowing smoothly, the mind will be restless. Although you have not yet embarked on the path of immortality, the circulation of demonic power within your body is also affected by your emotions."

Lilith blinked. "So I'm not sick? I'm just... feeling irritable?"

"Um."

"So what should we do? Drink more hot water? Or keep taking deep breaths?"

Ji Tian did not answer the question.

He reached out and placed his hand on Lilith's head.

The palm was warm, neither too light nor too heavy, like a stone that had been warmed by the sun.

Lilith paused for a moment, her body instinctively stiffening for a split second before slowly relaxing.

"Master?"

"To help you catch your breath."

Ji Tian's hand lingered above her head for a moment before slowly withdrawing.

"And now?"

Lilith checked herself. "...It seems a little better, but still a tiny bit."

"That means it's not ready yet."

"What should we do then? Touch it a little longer?"

"I'm not touching it anymore."

Why?

"This only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. The root of the disordered Qi lies not in the Qi itself, but in the mind."

Lilith opened her mouth, wanting to say, "My heart is fine," but swallowed the words back.

Because she wasn't sure if there was anything wrong with her heart.

Ji Tian looked at her, without asking any questions or offering any comfort. He simply took out about ten copper coins from his pocket, placed them on the table, and then stood up.

"I'm gone."

"Where are we going?" Lilith quickly stood up and hurriedly grabbed her cloak to put it on.

"West Ridge Mountains, and while you're at it, say hello to Red Dragon."

"Still hunting monsters?"

"Okay, let's go hunt monsters."

"Am I also going to hunt monsters?" Lilith noticed that her master emphasized the word "we".

"right."

Ji Tian had already walked towards the door, his steps unhurried, his white robes fluttering gently in the morning light.

Lilith jogged after her, her cloak's ties still untied, leaving two long trails behind her.

"Master, I don't understand! Why won't you let me rest, and instead take me to fight monsters? What kind of logic is that?"

"Refine your mind through battle."

"What?"

"In the cultivation world, there is a cultivation method called 'refining the mind through battle.' When the mind is unstable and the energy is disordered, it is better to engage in battle than to sit idly and daydream. In the midst of fighting, the mind becomes clearer."

Lilith ran while tying the ribbons: "...Where did you read that in a book?"

"It's not something I read, it's something I summarized."

"Summarize? How many times have you summarized?"

Ji Tian thought for a moment. "Many times."

"So you get into fights every time you're unhappy?"

"Um."

"Is it all over after the fight?"

"It'll be fine once the fight is over."

Lilith was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Fine, I don't have any other choice anyway. Then... let's go fight the monsters."

Ji Tian grasped Lilith's wrist.

"Close your eyes, 3, 2, 1, go."

"Wait a minute again—"

The scene before her eyes instantly distorted, folded, and rearranged. The wind howled, and light and shadow flashed by. By the time Lilith's feet touched solid ground, her stomach was still stuck in place.

The smell of pine resin and decaying leaves wafted over me.

Xiling Mountains.

Lilith opened her eyes, and before she could even complain, she saw a huge, dark red creature crouching not far ahead.

The red dragon was licking the scales on its front paws, like a giant cat.

It raised its head, its golden-red vertical pupils sweeping over the newcomer, and exhaled two streams of air carrying sparks from its nostrils.

"here we go again."

"Hmm." Ji Tian released Lilith's wrist. "Just passing by, need a place to practice with my apprentice."

The red dragon's gaze shifted to Lilith, lingered for a moment, and then looked away.

"what ever."

It lowered its head again and continued licking its paws, its tail lazily sweeping across the ground and breaking a few small trees.

Lilith lowered her voice: "Master, you call this 'greeting'?"

"I hit him."

"...Where did you get hit?"

"I said 'Hmm,' and it said 'Whatever.' Very efficient."

Lilith took a deep breath and swallowed back the words, "What you call greeting is like talking to a brick wall."

Ji Tian looked around and spread his divine sense, quickly locking onto a valley where demons were gathered.

He pointed in a direction.

"Over there, about three hundred paces away, there's a nest of rotten wood spiders. A dozen or so small ones, and three large ones. Go there."

Lilith paused for a moment, then asked, "Me alone?"

"Um."

"Master, aren't you going to help me?"

"I won't help."

"What if I'm in danger?"

"I'll be watching."

Lilith stared at him for three seconds to make sure he wasn't joking, then sighed, tightened her cloak, and picked up a thick branch from the ground.

"Fine, let's fight then."

She took a deep breath and started walking in that direction. After a few steps, she turned back: "Master, if I can't beat them, I'll call for help, and you'd better come quickly."

"Um."

"Should you shout 'Master, save me!' or just yell 'Help!' directly? Which one will make you react faster?"

"Shut up and go now."

Lilith pouted and turned to disappear into the dense forest.

Ji Tian leaned against an old pine tree, arms crossed, his consciousness locked onto the silver-white figure.

In the distance, the red dragon raised its head, glanced at Ji Tian, ​​then at the direction where Lilith had disappeared, and let out a low breath, whether mocking or sighing, it was hard to tell.

"Human, your apprentice doesn't seem to be very bright."

"Smarter than you."

The red dragon was momentarily speechless. Unable to defeat the dragon in a fight, it could only turn its head to the other side and remain silent.

After a long while, the red dragon asked Ji Tian:

"Why do you seem so much more dazed than when we fought yesterday?"

Ji Tian did not respond, but used his divine sense to watch the furtive figure preparing to strike the lone spider with a club.

She had just knocked down a lone little spider and was now looking up with her hands on her hips, appearing very happy.

……

In the evening, as dusk approached in Kolde, a faint reddish light lingered on the western horizon.

The Adventurers' Guild's second floor, the hero's team's private room.

Alex stood by the window, watching the flags on the distant city walls gradually fade into the twilight.

Mason dozed off on the table, his long, fiery red hair spread out on the surface like a quietly burning fire.

Bruno sat leaning against the wall, his greatsword across his lap, his eyes closed, his breathing heavy as a bellows.

Anna sat in the corner, holding the holy book in her hands, her lips moving slightly in silent prayer.

Legolas wasn't there; he was still resting, and the fatigue from reconnaissance couldn't be recovered from in just a few hours of sleep.

Footsteps came from outside the door.

Each step was precise to the millimeter, the soles of the boots stomping on the wooden floor with a dull, even sound, like the rhythm of some ancient ritual.

Alex turned around.

A knock sounded at the door, and the voice outside was low and emotionless:

"Your Excellency, I am an A-rank artifact researcher, number 1342. The Grand Patriarch has ordered me to deliver the 'Sage's Crown'."

"Please come in."

The door was pushed open.

The person who entered was wearing the standard robes of church clergy, but unlike the white robes of ordinary clergy, these robes were dark gray, with fine dark silver stripes on the collar and cuffs.

A black leather belt was tied around his waist, from which hung a string of silver keys that made a soft clinking sound as he walked.

His face was mostly covered by a hood, revealing only a thin chin and a pair of deep-set eyes.

Those eyes were gray, almost transparent, like two pieces of thinned glass, revealing the bones and hollows behind them.

He held a black box in both hands.

The box was small, about the length of an adult's forearm, and was entirely black with no decorations on the surface except for a few dark silver metal strips inlaid along the edges, which gleamed coldly in the candlelight.

The box itself has an indescribable sense of oppression; its presence is too strong, like someone lighting a lamp in the dark, making it impossible to ignore.

Inside is the Church's Class A sacred relic—the Sage's Crown.