I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Lilith looked up, her purple eyes still veiled with a thin layer of mist. She looked at him, as if confirming something.

"Will you always be a human?"

Ji Tian thought for a moment and said, "Yes."

Why?

"Because it's nice to be human." His gaze fell on Lilith's face, on her swollen eyes, the tear stains on the tip of her nose, and the white dress that was wrinkled and stained with tears and snot.

"I used to think that being 'human' was a burden. Emotions were distractions, and attachments were weaknesses. All I needed to remember was that I was once a human being. On the path of the Great Way, everything that can be severed must be severed."

He looked down at his hands.

"Later I realized that if you try to cut something that can't be cut off, you'll only hurt yourself."

Lilith didn't speak. She just looked at him quietly, waiting for him to continue.

"The Nascent Soul stage is about understanding one's true nature." Ji Tian's voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself. "It's not about severing emotions, but about knowing where they come from and where they are going. And then carrying them with you as you move forward."

He looked up at the sky outside the window, which was gradually darkening.

"So, I will be a person. I will always be one."

Lilith opened her mouth, as if she wanted to ask something else.

A very clear "gurgle" came from her stomach.

Lilith's face flushed red instantly, from the base of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears.

"That's..." she stammered, "That's... my stomach clapping for me... celebrating Master's successful tribulation..."

Ji Tian looked down at her, his lips twitching slightly, but he still praised her in the end:

"Yes, the drums are very loud."

Lilith wanted to bury her face in the blankets, blushing as she replied, "...Master, please don't tell anyone..."

Ji Tian stood up, casually stuck the rootless sapling into the water glass on the table, and turned to walk towards the door.

"Let's go eat. Your stomach has already made its opinion very clear."

"...Master, could you please rephrase that?"

"You're hungry."

"...That's even worse! It makes it sound like all I know is how to eat!"

Ji Tian stood at the door, glanced at her sideways, his tone still calm, but with a faint smile in his eyes: "So, what can you do?"

Lilith thought for a long time and realized that she didn't seem to know how to do anything else besides eating.

She was even more frustrated.

"Hey, wait for me..."

………………

Demon King's Castle, Abyss Palace.

The ghostly flames danced on either side of the throne, casting long and short shadows on the reliefs in the hall, as if countless restless souls were imprisoned on the walls.

Marbaz sat on the throne, his chin resting on one hand, his crimson eyes half-closed, as if he were dozing or waiting.

Your Highness, the grey-robed priest clasped his hands in front of him, the black bone ring on his thumb gleaming coldly in the ghostly fire.

Although his white eyes were empty, they were always fixed on the direction of the palace gate, as if he were looking through the wall to see a path.

"There's still no news from the Shadow Guards," the priest said, his voice hoarse like dried bones.

"I know," Malbazz said without opening his eyes, "divination."

The priest bowed slightly, took out several black bone fragments from his sleeve, and scattered them on the ground.

The bone fragments fell to the ground, making a crisp clanging sound that echoed in the empty hall.

They spun and bounced, finally coming to rest in a strange posture—some facing up, some facing down, some leaning against another, as if deliberately placed by an invisible hand.

The priest crouched down, a glint of ghostly light flashing in his cloudy white eyes.

"The Shadow Guard's mission... has been successful." His voice was flat. "The Third Legion's mage corps no longer exists, and the only survivor will perish completely tonight."

Malbaz opened his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips, a smile as fleeting as a flicker of ghostly fire.

"Not a single one survived," Malbazz said with a hint of amusement. "And what about the men we sent out?"

The priest's fingers stopped on a leaning bone fragment, and his pupils contracted slightly.

"Twelve people... three are already dead. Nine remain, but they won't live much longer. His lifeline has been severed, with only a thin thread still connecting him."

Malbaz showed no regret or anger, simply saying, "If they can come back, they can; if they can't, it doesn't matter. They've completed their mission, and the demons will take good care of their families."

The priest put the bone fragments away and clasped his hands together again.

"Your Majesty, shall we continue the divination?"

"Continue." Malbaz straightened up from his throne. "With the vanguard army pressing in, can we capture Kolde City?"

The priest's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He closed his eyes, and the bone ring on his thumb began to glow, dark purple patterns spreading from the ring to the back of his hand like writhing veins.

The ghostly flames in the main hall began to flicker, as if disturbed by some unseen force.

The priest's lips moved as he chanted ancient prophetic incantations in a low, rapid voice, as if arguing with some unseen being.

The light from the bone ring grew brighter and brighter, until it made his entire hand transparent.

Then--

The light went out.

The priest suddenly opened his eyes, his face even paler than before, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Your Majesty..." His voice was hoarse, "I can't see clearly."

"Can't see clearly?" Malbazz frowned.

"The future of Kolde City... is blocked by a light." For the first time, a sense of confusion appeared in the priest's voice. "That light illuminated the entire prophetic scene, so blinding that I cannot see through it to see what lies behind it."

"Light? What light?"

"The Holy Sword." The priest closed his eyes, as if recalling that scene. "It was most likely the hero who unleashed the Holy Sword. That light... it only emanates when the Holy Sword is fully awakened. It obscured everything, preventing me from seeing the outcome of the siege."

Malbaz was silent for a moment, then finally let out a heartfelt laugh.

"You mean, the hero will unleash the Holy Sword near the city of Kold?"

"The prophecy shows it to be so."

"That means—the hero himself has arrived in Kolde City and intends to sacrifice himself for those ants within the city." Malbaz rose from his throne, his long robes cascading down like a black waterfall. He walked to the center of the hall and looked up at the relief on the dome depicting the first Demon King's conquest of the human world.

"When a hero unleashes the Holy Sword, it means he's giving it his all. A hero who gives it his all will either die in battle or be drained of his life by the Holy Sword if he can't kill me." He turned around, his scarlet eyes burning with a ghostly light. "Either way, he will die. Trading a vanguard army for a hero is a fair deal for me."

In this world, miracles come at a price.

Indeed, a hero can unleash tremendous power while reminiscing about friendships and bonds, killing the Demon King in no time.

But these are merely appearances.

The truth is that the hero unleashed the Holy Sword, using his magic, memories, life force, and desire to kill the Demon King as bargaining chips to gain immense power.

Only by killing the Demon King can this process be ended.

If the hero fails to kill the Demon King before his power is exhausted, he will burn everything to ashes, leaving only a broken holy sword.

The priest bowed his head: "Congratulations, Your Majesty..."

"Alright, stop with the useless flattery," Malbazz interrupted him. "Pass down the order to prepare for full-scale war mobilization."

He walked back to the throne, sat down, placed his hands on the armrests, and gently tapped the cold black stone with his fingertips.

"Once the hero is dead and the glory of the holy sword fades, we will launch our final assault." His voice was filled with undisguised joy and excitement. "Kolde will be the first cornerstone we use to crush the human kingdoms."

The priest bowed and retreated into the shadows.

Inside the hall, the eerie fire still flickered.

Demon King Malbaz leaned back on his throne, closed his eyes, and the smile on his lips lingered for a long time.

He had been waiting for a long time, preparing for a long time, even before he usurped the throne.

Now, perhaps we can start earlier.