"Under heaven, all are ants." Tang Chen said meaningfully, releasing the hand that covered Tang Sui's small mouth. Light surged in his blood-red eyes, with wisps of dim emotions flowing.
Tang Sui's fingers, hanging by her side, twitched slightly. A bold guess surfaced in her heart.
"But, you should be able to abandon this body, right?"
She remained silent for a few seconds, then uttered this sentence under Tang Chen's gaze.
Tang Chen, his secret exposed, showed no anger but instead a trace of relief.
"Very good, worthy of being our demon race's cub. You should have completely adapted to your current self."
"It seems you've felt it these past few days as well. This body I'm in is human."
Tang Sui nodded. Tang Chen extended a finger and tapped her brow. "And your body is a bit different; it's a mixed-blood. You have the bloodlines of humans, soul beasts, and demons."
Tang Sui paused, blinking slowly. "Soul beast... do you mean I'm a ten-thousand-year soul beast who transformed into human, and then a mixed-blood born from a union with a human, or rather, a half-demon?"
"That I don't know," Tang Chen raised an eyebrow slightly. "I only know that this body of mine shares a faint blood relation with you. And this guy's predecessor was from the Clear Sky School, one of the Seven Great Sects on the Douluo Continent, the one I showed you before, or you could say, the former head of the Clear Sky School."
He did not hide the fact that he was not the original owner of this body, and even told Tang Sui about the origin of this body's true Tang Chen.
"Do you know why this guy came here?"
Tang Sui shook her head. The man chuckled, his voice laced with an unidentifiable meaning, perhaps sarcasm, perhaps self-mockery and hatred.
"Because he accepted a trial from a deity."
As soon as he finished speaking, an inexplicable pressure suddenly enveloped his soul, or rather, "it."
Tang Chen paused, clicking his tongue. "This won't do either." Under the expectant gaze of the little cub, he blurred the words in the middle, only saying, "But something unexpected happened, and this guy's consciousness fell asleep. I appeared, and by chance, we are now both undergoing this trial."
Of course, the entity's trial for it was to not let Tang Chen succeed.
Their goals were not only contradictory but also diametrically opposed.
However, it was impossible for him to give up this body and be discovered by the laws and perish.
It still had an unfulfilled obsession, so how could it die here first?
Therefore, it remained silent in this body, and later, it chanced upon the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Snake.
They exchanged information using the unique language and communication methods of the demon race, becoming friends and existing within the Slaughter City.
"What are the consequences of failing the trial?" Tang Sui asked abruptly.
Tang Chen's expression did not change. From his lips came the word that made people's faces turn ashen: "Death."
Tang Sui lowered her eyes. Beneath her childish appearance, as she gradually adapted to the current situation, her mind seemed to have returned to her pre-amnesia state.
She did not blame Tang Chen for piquing her curiosity and then not finishing the story.
Since she knew who had trapped them here, and even cautiously refrained from mentioning the name, it meant that the other party was constantly "watching" them.
That entity was observing its every move because they were both undergoing the trial.
A strange glint flashed in Tang Sui's eyes, and she asked again, "What is the reward for a deity's trial?"
Sensing something unusual, Tang Chen's eyes flashed, and he answered truthfully, "If the trial is successfully passed, that person will become a god."
He deliberately emphasized the word "person."
Tang Sui's eyelashes trembled slightly. She lowered her gaze, hiding the flickering light in her eyes. An idea took root in her heart and began to sprout at an astonishing speed.
He did not include himself.
This meant... the person undergoing the god's trial was Tang Chen himself, not the one before her.
His trial was merely imposed, with no reward, only the punishment for failure awaiting him.
A dark red color flashed through the slightly open slit of Tang Sui's eyes. Her tranquil demeanor wavered, and for that instant, she seemed to become somewhat profound, causing a flicker of thoughtful expression to appear on Tang Chen's face.
Why... could the demon race not undergo a deity's trial... No, why should they actively seek out deities?
Suddenly realizing her flawed thinking, Tang Sui paused. The sprouting seed rapidly grew, as if revitalized, ushering in a transformation.
They were demons, but no one said that demons could only be demons and never become gods.
Ten-thousand-year soul beasts, after several transformations, could also become existences comparable to gods, but they still lacked the most crucial element of being a "god."
That most crucial element...
In just over ten seconds, a grand blueprint for a plan had formed in her mind.
Tang Sui raised her head again. Her eyes had returned to their original clarity, but the indifference was gone, replaced by earnestness and determination. "I want to... reform the Slaughter City."
Even though she didn't know how to describe the relationship between the person before her and herself, it was filled with a gentle warmth and indulgence, like that of a father and daughter, yet with an added layer of friendship.
But one thing was certain: whether it was the person before her or the "Uncle Snake" underground, they treated her with sincerity.
They were the only beings she had encountered since "waking up" in this unfamiliar world.
She cared for them and wanted to do something for them.
Perceiving the resolve in Tang Sui's eyes, Tang Chen narrowed his own. He did not blindly agree like a foolish father but retorted, "How would you, in this cesspool full of garbage and stench, bring about reform?"
"Your strength is only at the Soul King level, and your demonic power is far inferior to ours. How can you, before me, the King of Slaughter, speak of reform?"
A chilling killing intent condensed, directed at Tang Sui.
The air seemed to freeze, and wisps of malevolence erupted from the King of Slaughter before her, surging towards Tang Sui without the slightest mercy!
—Author's Notes—
Lying here like a salted fish, a fish with no will to live today.
Spent the entire afternoon discussing the outline with a friend but got no results. Mo Li's procrastination with writing has struck again.
Today's Mo Li is letting herself be carved (peacefully).