Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

After a moment's thought, Yu Chifeng took out a magical artifact and tossed it gently. Instantly, it transformed into a three-foot-tall bronze bell, which hovered above Li Yuan's head, casting down golden rune-like light curtains that enveloped Li Yuan.

"This is the Soul-Suppressing Bell, which can temporarily protect his heart meridian. You should immediately set off back to the capital and ask the Imperial Preceptor to personally assist you."

Inside the Soul-Suppressing Bell, the violent aura emanating from Li Yuan was indeed suppressed, but his eyes remained empty, as if his soul had already left his body.

"Yes," Chen Shuo replied immediately.

"Feng Wuhen has already gone to Suspension Pass. I'm going to Wushaoling immediately. Chu Jinghong, you stay here and guard the area to prevent the demons from launching a counterattack."

Yu Chifeng looked at Chu Jinghong, who had just arrived, and gave him instructions. He then turned to look at Li Yuan and sighed softly.

"Kid, hang in there," Yu Chifeng said in a low voice. "I'm still waiting for the day you grow up and fight alongside me. Don't let me down."

After saying that, his figure transformed into a bolt of lightning and sped off towards Wushaoling.

Chen Shuo and Chu Jinghong exchanged a glance, and could only carefully lead Li Yuan into the pass.

Within the Milky Way, Li Yuan's consciousness continued to drift.

He had forgotten everything, his consciousness drifting aimlessly in the boundless galaxy.

A violent impulse was growing wildly in his heart.

He wanted to kill, to destroy, to tear everything in front of him to pieces!

Just as his consciousness was about to completely sink, a light suddenly appeared before his eyes.

The light was as faint as a firefly, flickering uncertainly in the boundless Milky Way, but it was this light that caused his almost completely dissipated consciousness to tremble slightly.

The light felt extremely familiar to Li Yuan, and he instinctively wanted to get closer, so he reached out his hand involuntarily.

Deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, behind the gates of the bronze palace, in the center of that swirling galaxy, an extremely tiny golden dot of light was slowly taking shape.

Within the specks of light, one can vaguely see a small figure sitting cross-legged.

That figure looked exactly like Li Yuan.

That night, the atmosphere in Tiger Wolf Gorge was tense.

The demons outside have dispersed, but Wushaoling and Xuansuo Pass are both in dire straits, with large numbers of demons attacking the passes and the formations on the verge of collapse.

General Hu's injuries had largely healed, and he immediately organized men to reinforce the city's defenses and repair the formations. Chu Jinghong and Steward Luo led the cultivators recruited from various sects, rushing to Suspended Pass without stopping.

The battle at Suspension Pass is at a stalemate. Although Feng Wuhen has arrived, there are many powerful demon kings who are launching fierce attacks, and a master is urgently needed to oversee the situation.

With Yuchi Peak guarding the Wushaoling direction, there's no immediate concern.

The following morning, a carriage quietly drove out of Tiger Wolf Gorge, and Chen Shuo and his party disappeared into the sandstorm as discreetly as they had arrived.

Meanwhile, Chu Jinghong's secret report had already been sent to Chang'an as quickly as possible through the channels of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

This secret report was sent directly to Luo Tian, ​​the commander of the Demon Suppression Division. The matter was of great importance, and he dared not delay. He immediately went to the palace and presented it to the emperor.

Inside the Imperial Study, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Emperor Li Yan sat behind his dragon desk, put down the secret report in his hand, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly spoke.

"Otomo, what do you think?"

An old eunuch slowly emerged from the shadows of the imperial study. He was thin and gaunt, looking like an old man on his deathbed.

This man was Wang Xian, the emperor's most trusted eunuch and his personal eunuch who had served him for over a decade.

Wang Xian bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this old servant believes that this Li Yuan is quite suspicious."

"Oh?" The emperor raised an eyebrow. "Tell me about it."

Wang Xian took out a prepared dossier from his sleeve and presented it with both hands: "Your Majesty, please take a look. This is what this old servant ordered someone to investigate secretly. The person who reported Li Chongwen for embezzlement was none other than Li Yuan himself."

"Oh? Is that so?"

The emperor raised an eyebrow in surprise, took the dossier, opened it, and his gaze sharpened slightly.

"At that time, Li Yuan was only fifteen years old, had not yet awakened his talent, and had not yet entered the Divine Martial Academy. For a fifteen-year-old boy to be able to collect evidence of his father's embezzlement and find the right opportunity to report him is truly extraordinary."

The emperor tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, as if deep in thought. "When he was found to have a level nine talent, Su Wenyuan tested him with the True Word Technique and said that this boy had the heart of a child."

Wang Xian continued, "Li Chongwen divorced his wife and remarried, abandoning Li Yuan and his mother, causing Li Yuan's mother to freeze and starve to death. Afterwards, he also allowed Wang to abuse him."

"Are you saying this boy is cunning and scheming, harboring resentment and plotting revenge against his own father?"

Li Yan frowned. Li Chongwen was indeed guilty of heinous crimes, but Li Yuan was his own son. If he disregarded human relations so much, how could he have any sense of loyalty to his father and ruler?

Wei Xian did not respond, but took out another file from his sleeve: "Your Majesty, please take a look at this. This is an old file that I transferred from Qingyang County. According to the records, Li Yuan was weak and sickly in his childhood, timid and cowardly, and of mediocre talent, without any outstanding qualities."

"But when he was fourteen, he fell seriously ill with a high fever that lasted for three days and almost died. After recovering, he gradually became a different person, with a calm and decisive personality, and he became twice as good at studying and practicing martial arts."

He turned to a page in the file and pointed to a line of small print, saying, "According to the doctor who treated him at the time, after Li Yuan recovered from his illness, there was a period of time when his words and actions were unusual... Although several years have passed, if you look closely, there are still clues to be found."

The emperor put down the scroll, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze deep and unfathomable: "Does the Grand Eunuch mean that Li Yuan has been possessed?"

"This old servant dares not make a hasty judgment." Wang Xian bowed. "However, there are many suspicious points about this boy. His reporting of his biological father is extremely unfilial, and his drastic change in temperament is highly suspicious."

"Now that he has been targeted by the demon race and trapped in their lair, yet has returned safely, it is all very strange. This old servant truly cannot understand it."

The emperor remained silent for a long time.

In the imperial study, only the fragrance of sandalwood rose gently.

After a long silence, the emperor finally spoke slowly, "This matter need not be publicized for now. I will decide what to do after Li Yuan returns to the capital."

"Your Majesty is wise," Wang Xian replied, bowing, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.

The emperor sat alone behind his dragon desk, picked up the file about Li Yuan, read it again, then closed it and put it into a hidden compartment.

His gaze drifted to the darkening sky outside the window, lost in thought.

"Possession?" he muttered to himself, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. "Interesting. I'd like to see just who you really are."

In the far west, in the city of the Heavenly Demon.

In the dead of night, the Heavenly Demon City was shrouded in a dark demonic aura. Inside the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons, only a few eerie green demonic flames burned, casting shadowy light throughout the hall.

A beam of starlight silently fell into the hall, transforming into the figure of the Chen Su Demon Emperor. He still wore that dark gold mask, but his aura had been greatly reduced.

Deep within the main hall, on the dark purple throne, the Xuan Tian Demon Emperor still leaned back lazily, as if he had been waiting for his arrival.

"You're back?" the Xuan Tian Demon Emperor spoke lazily, a hint of amusement in his voice. "How did things go?"

"It went fairly smoothly." The Demon Emperor Chen Su walked to the foot of the throne, stood with his hands behind his back, and made no attempt to bow.