He was quite self-aware.
With only his Transformation Realm cultivation, if judged by the standards of the Minor Heavens, he was merely a Grandmaster, and just barely at the entry level.
His Greater Subduing Demon Seal was only at the initial stage, not yet reaching the level of divine skill.
His most presentable skill was the Great Radiance Fist.
But the Great Radiance Fist alone couldn't give him enough security.
Relying on his performance against that pale and handsome youth last time was not a reliable strategy.
For the sake of caution, he still needed to find a helper, and Chu Honglin was the best choice.
This clone of the Ninth Prince was still extremely useful, greatly helping the original body, and couldn't be easily abandoned.
"Don't act rashly after finding it."
"Fifteenth Uncle, I feel it's quite effective."
"You've discovered something?" Chu Honglin nodded.
He had already noticed Chu Zhiyuan's sharpness.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to associate the Heavenly Demon Soul Orb with the Heavenly Demon from Jade Scenery Cave Heaven at first glance.
Chu Zhiyuan nodded: "I remember now, I really did encounter one."
Chu Honglin's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light, like two swords piercing out.
His face tightened instantly, and he glared coldly at Chu Zhiyuan: "Where?"
Chu Zhiyuan thought for a moment: "It seemed to be at a snack stall."
"...Then let's go to the city tonight!" Chu Honglin said in a deep voice.
Chu Zhiyuan said: "Fifteenth Uncle, can't we use this Heavenly Demon to find more Heavenly Demons?"
"No," Chu Honglin shook his head: "They don't contact each other."
"Then they must transmit the news back, right?"
"This Heavenly Demon Soul Orb is mysterious," Chu Honglin said in a deep voice: "They can communicate with each other telepathically through this orb."
Chu Zhiyuan frowned.
"That's why they are troublesome, obtaining information extremely quickly and being very well-informed."
"Don't we have similar treasures?"
"We do," Chu Honglin said: "But they only have the ability to transmit messages, called Telepathy Orbs, which are transformed from Soul Orbs by Spirit Venerables through secret methods. However, because they are rare, they are only in the hands of military generals and Spirit Guard generals."
"Do you have one, Fifteenth Uncle?"
"I don't."
Chu Zhiyuan was surprised.
"I'm not an officer in the Spirit Guards, just an ordinary Spirit Guard."
Chu Zhiyuan was even more surprised.
"Within the Spirit Guards, one is promoted based on merit. My cultivation is not high, and my merits are still few, not enough to be promoted."
Chu Honglin turned his gaze to the distance, his expression lost.
His eyes held longing, nostalgia, sadness, and resentment.
Chu Zhiyuan knew that he must have had extremely rich experiences and encountered major setbacks on the Extraterritorial Battlefield.
Chu Zhiyuan didn't want him to continue to sink into pain, so he changed the subject: "Fifteenth Uncle, does that mean that these Heavenly Demons lurking in our imperial city must have Soul Orbs?"
"Not all Heavenly Demons can possess others; only Greater Heavenly Demons can."
"It takes a Greater Heavenly Demon?"
"The Demon Clan's cultivation system is similar to ours. Greater Heavenly Demons are similar to our Venerables, and the highest rank is Supreme Heavenly Demon, similar to our Spirit Venerables. The souls of Greater Heavenly Demons are powerful and can exist independently, unharmed by heaven and earth."
"We don't have that many Transformation Realm experts; do they have a lot of Greater Heavenly Demons?"
"There are many Greater Heavenly Demons, but not that many Greater Heavenly Demons whose lifespans are nearing their end, so there aren't that many possessions either."
"Then what happens after possession?" Chu Zhiyuan asked: "Are they still Demon Clan members?"
"After being possessed by a Greater Heavenly Demon, they will slowly demonize and eventually turn into a Nether Demon Clan member. They will start cultivating from the Nether Demon Clan, step by step evolving, their bloodline transforming, and eventually becoming a Greater Heavenly Demon again, or even entering the Supreme Heavenly Demon realm."
"I thought these Demon Clan members were born that way; I didn't know they could transform into each other."
"Among the Nine-Rank Demon Clan, the other Eight-Rank Demon Clan members, as long as they cultivate to the Transformation Realm, can begin to transform their bloodline and eventually become a Heavenly Demon."
"What if they fail to become a Heavenly Demon halfway through?"
"After death, their souls will enter the Demon Spirit Realm and then be reincarnated as a Nether Demon, step by step moving up. As long as they become a Greater Heavenly Demon, they can recover the memories of their previous life as a Greater Heavenly Demon."
"If they can recover their previous life's memories," Chu Zhiyuan said: "Wouldn't the relationships between them be a complete mess?"
If they recovered their previous life's memories and were still in the Demon Clan, the current son might be the previous life's father or grandfather, or even the ancestor of the previous life.
The seniority would be messed up, and there would be various husband-wife relationships, sibling relationships, and so on.
If it were just one or two like that, it would be fine, but if many people were like that, one could imagine how chaotic it would be.
The husband and wife of the previous life might only be siblings, or aunt and nephew, etc., in this life.
If one could look at it rationally, treating it as just a memory, it would be fine, but one would be afraid of being too attached.
Chu Honglin snorted: "The state of chaos is jaw-dropping, a mess beyond our imagination!"
He shook his head with a look of disdain: "Extremely perverse and unbearable to witness."
Chu Zhiyuan said: "Aren't these Demon Clan members immortal?"
This was a bit similar to the Eternal Spirit Church.
Chu Honglin's face darkened: "The Demon Clan is undying; that's how they got it. However, it's not that they can't be killed completely. The key is to destroy their souls."
"Our Great Radiance Fist should be able to do it, right?"
Chu Honglin said proudly: "A Spirit-Level Great Radiance Fist can destroy the souls of Heavenly Demons below the Greater Heavenly Demon level,
causing them to die completely."
Chu Zhiyuan's expression became serious: "What about other martial arts?"
"All First-Grade Spirit-Level martial arts can destroy their souls."
"What about the souls of Greater Heavenly Demons?"
"The souls of Greater Heavenly Demons require a Void-Level First-Grade martial art to destroy them."
"It actually requires a Void Level—... Then what about after possession? After possession, their souls should be damaged, making them easier to destroy, right?"
"It's the same after possession."
Chu Zhiyuan's expression was serious: "Void Level—..."
He felt that practicing the Great Radiance Fist to the Spirit Transformation Level was already his limit.
Now, reaching the Void Level was far out of reach.
That meant that even if he encountered a possessed Greater Heavenly Demon, he wouldn't be able to destroy it.
Chu Honglin saw his expression and knew what he was thinking, so he said: "The strength of a Greater Heavenly Demon after possession is not strong; it's not a true Greater Heavenly Demon. It's just that its soul is easier to escape. It doesn't matter if you can't destroy it; being able to force it back to the Demon Spirit Realm is enough."
Only then did Chu Zhiyuan breathe a sigh of relief.
He said with a solemn expression: "Fifteenth Uncle, then let's give it a try."
"Yes, let's try," Chu Honglin said solemnly.
Twilight enveloped the imperial city.
The lights began to shine.
The imperial city became even more prosperous and lively.
People returning home from work took their wives and children out of their homes, completely relaxing themselves by buying some snacks and small toys.
Children going to private schools or martial arts schools ran around with complete abandon.
It was the happiest time of the day.
Chu Zhiyuan and Chu Honglin didn't want guards and disguised themselves as two ordinary city guards.
Wearing waist tags, pressing their long sabers, and wearing city guard uniforms, they walked on the streets of the imperial city.
Around them were bustling crowds, carriages and horses, and a constant flow of people.
Mischievous children drilled through the crowds, eliciting shouts and scoldings.
The two of them looked high-spirited, naturally revealing the arrogance of the city guards. Wherever they passed, people made way for them.
"Almost there?" Chu Honglin was disguised as a middle-aged city guard.
Chu Zhiyuan, disguised as a young city guard, nodded: "We'll be there after turning into another alley. It's a wonton seller."
"These Greater Heavenly Demons are becoming more and more troublesome," Chu Honglin shook his head.
This was an identity that Greater Heavenly Demons would have disdained in the past.
