As Ghost Demon Venerable spoke, the Sea of Consciousness fell instantly silent—so deathly quiet it seemed almost lifeless.
For the first time, Huo Yuhao felt the pressure Ghost Demon Venerable brought to bear on him so intensely. It was as if a towering wave, carrying an irresistible force of crushing destruction, were rushing toward him,
leaving him nowhere to run and making it hard to breathe.
His head felt like it was about to explode. Eyes wide, he stood there in a daze, unable to react for a moment.
His mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of disbelief.
How did he know?!!
When did he find out?!!
How long had he known??
What else did he know??!!
No!!!
Was he bluffing me???
Damn!!
Ghost Demon Venerable's sudden confession caught Huo Yuhao completely off guard. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
Huo Yuhao screamed inwardly.
You old geezer!! You're not playing by the rules!!
Aren't we supposed to test each other a little at a time, taking turns probing one another??!!
Who plays like this?!
I just put down a pair of threes, and you hit me with a freaking rocket!!
Shit!!
You can't stand losing, can you!!!!
Huo Yuhao was practically on the verge of tears, and he even felt a little regret.
Maybe we could still talk this over.
I won't have the little girl take revenge on you. Why don't you just go back, old man?
Nobody had told him that going head-to-head with Ghost Demon Venerable would be this stressful.
He was about to burst from the pressure!!
But at the same time, he knew that what had happened couldn't be undone. This wasn't child's play, where you could simply take back what you'd said.
Given the situation, even if he knelt down and kowtowed to Ghost Demon Venerable twice right now, it wouldn't help.
He had never expected Ghost Demon Venerable to react this way. His mind had short-circuited in that moment, and he had hesitated for several seconds.
And those few seconds of hesitation were precisely what proved Ghost Demon Venerable's guess correct.
If he truly weren't a Demon from Beyond, he would only have been confused by Ghost Demon Venerable's words, rather than reacting with shock and hesitation as he had.
Before saying those words, Ghost Demon Venerable might not have been entirely sure whether Huo Yuhao was a Demon from Beyond.
But after seeing Huo Yuhao's reaction, Ghost Demon Venerable could be one hundred percent certain.
His well-behaved disciple standing before him wasn't originally of this world, either. For some unknown reason, he had come here from another world, just like Ghost Demon Venerable himself.
In other words... he was a Demon from Beyond.
"Surprised?"
Looking at the boy who was his disciple in name, Ghost Demon Venerable continued to pressure him, forcing him to answer.
"..."
"How did you figure it out?"
Since Ghost Demon Venerable had said this much, Huo Yuhao could only let out a heavy sigh and stop denying it.
There was no point in saying anything now. Since Ghost Demon Venerable dared to say it, continuing to make excuses would be meaningless.
When Ghost Demon Venerable heard Huo Yuhao stop playing dumb, he nodded in satisfaction and continued.
"Although you hid it well—even fooling this big-mouthed insect."
"But unfortunately, back in my homeland, I've seen far too many Demons from Beyond like you and me..."
He looked at Huo Yuhao, his gaze distant.
"Far too many."
Every word Ghost Demon Venerable spoke was like a heavy hammer, pounding into Huo Yuhao's heart again and again.
With every word, Huo Yuhao's heart sank a little further.
Had he really been exposed from the very beginning?
There was only one thing he wanted to know now.
When exactly had Ghost Demon Venerable found out?
If his identity had been discovered from the start, hadn't everything he'd done over the past few days made him look like a clown?
Facing Ghost Demon Venerable's undisguised gaze, Huo Yuhao chose to remain silent.
His thoughts were in complete disarray.
From the very beginning of this confrontation, Huo Yuhao had lost all initiative, letting Ghost Demon Venerable lead him by the nose.
In this state, the more he said, the more information Ghost Demon Venerable could glean from him.
Huo Yuhao needed a moment to catch his breath and think through his next move.
"I told you, communication between us could be much simpler and more efficient."
Ghost Demon Venerable had naturally seen through Huo Yuhao's little ploy to buy time, but he didn't care.
Instead, he leisurely turned and walked over to the frozen Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. With his hands clasped behind his back, he carefully examined the details of this creature, reputed to have lived for a million years. He looked so relaxed that he even began explaining things to Huo Yuhao.
"Demons from Beyond take all kinds of forms. Some, like you, have had complete bodies from the start and lived another kind of life."
"Others, like me, appear midway and cling to someone else's body, struggling to survive."
"But no matter what form we take, Demons from Beyond are ultimately different from ordinary people. Though our appearances are usually unremarkable, you can always spot the signs in the details."
At that, Huo Yuhao thought he detected a trace of mocking laughter in Ghost Demon Venerable's voice.
"No matter how well you act on the surface, you can't fool someone about your instinctive reactions."
"I saw that you were different from the very beginning."
As Ghost Demon Venerable continued speaking, Huo Yuhao fell increasingly silent. Ghost Demon Venerable didn't mind and went on talking to himself.
"You were too perfect. You didn't even make mistakes."
"Even when you deliberately avoided doing anything suspicious, you forgot that for someone your age, never making a mistake is the biggest mistake of all."
"What's more, you always managed to nudge things toward the outcome most favorable to you without drawing attention."
"Even when you made seemingly astonishing moves, you always managed to make them seem perfectly reasonable to the people around you, who accepted them willingly."
Huo Yuhao was about to speak, but Ghost Demon Venerable cut him off.
"You could say you're naturally clever, as cunning as a fox. But there are some things you can never fake."
Huo Yuhao let out a heavy sigh. At last, he gave up struggling and dropped his disguise. His eyes grew calm again as he looked at Ghost Demon Venerable coolly and asked first,
"What is it?"
"Your eyes, right now."
Hearing Huo Yuhao's voice, Ghost Demon Venerable turned around and looked him straight in the eyes for the first time. He pointed at Huo Yuhao's eyes, his voice filled with approval.
"You and I are the same."
"We're both lonely souls who don't belong in this world. Ever since coming here, we've felt a natural distance from it, unable to truly fit in."
"That's just you."
Huo Yuhao's gaze grew colder, his manner distant and unwelcoming as he replied firmly,
"Hahahahahaha!!"
Ghost Demon Venerable acted as though he'd just heard a ridiculous joke. He covered his face with one hand and laughed toward the sky, then abruptly stopped, answering in a dark voice,
"No! You and I are the same."
"Stop trying to run away! Face your true self!!"
"We're both Demons from Beyond. Only you and I can understand each other!!"
"Just like what you did a moment ago."
"Everyone tried to talk you out of it, but you insisted on killing her. Why?!!"
"Even ordinary mortals know to avoid harm and seek gain. So why would you do something that brought you no benefit at all?!"
"Did you not know what would happen if you killed her??!"
"Did you not know how severe the punishment you'd face would be??!"
"No, you knew. You understood it better than anyone."
"And yet you still did it. Why?"
"Why was that?"
After all those questions, Huo Yuhao was utterly speechless.
Looking at Huo Yuhao, Ghost Demon Venerable's eyes held undisguised admiration as he continued.
"The reason is simple."
"Because you're a Demon from Beyond."
"Everything in this world looks like a game to you."
"Because you aren't bound by this world's rules like its creatures are, because you're nobler than those mortals!!"
"Nothing matters. No one can compare to you!"
Under Huo Yuhao's increasingly heavy gaze, Ghost Demon Venerable spread his arms as if embracing the whole world, his eyes filled with madness.
"Even if you shatter this world!"
"Even if you slaughter every living thing!!"
"It doesn't matter!!"
"After all..."
Ghost Demon Venerable paused and looked at Huo Yuhao, speaking with a sneer.
"You don't care."
Before you continue