"The Azure Emperor must be wondering why I didn't die, right?" the Central Great Emperor said with a laugh.
"I am indeed a little puzzled." Li Zhōujūn nodded.
The Central Great Emperor smiled bitterly. "I did die, but I also lived.
"My cultivation method allowed me to transform into two bodies: one was my former body, and the other is my current body.
"Both bodies are my true body, not clones.
"My former body traveled outside and ruled over everything in the Central Imperial Dynasty.
"My current body cultivated in secret.
"However, that Mo Xuan was truly formidable. He seized the weakness of my former body and killed it with a single strike.
"He certainly showed me what it meant when experts exchanged blows—the difference between life and death lay in a single instant.
"But it was just as well that my former body died. I had wanted to abdicate anyway, and this gave me the perfect opportunity to purge the restless elements throughout the Central Imperial Dynasty and pave the way for my daughter Shuzhu."
"As expected of the Central Great Emperor—what a masterful scheme." Li Zhōujūn chuckled. "Mo Xuan was slain by an old senior. I brought you the head of your former body, so I'll return it to its rightful owner."
As he spoke, Li Zhōujūn returned the head of the Central Great Emperor's former body to him.
The Central Great Emperor looked at the head of his former body in his hands, a trace of emotion crossing his face. With a wave of his hand, the head dissolved into green smoke.
"Thank you, Azure Emperor," the Central Great Emperor said to Li Zhōujūn.
"There's no need to thank me, Central Great Emperor." Li Zhōujūn smiled and shook his head. "After all, you and I have some