Huo Yuhao: You've come at the perfect time

"You want me?"

Huo Yuhao laughed in sheer anger; at this moment, he didn't feel a shred of fear.

Commonly known as breaking the pot to mend it, he just didn't care anymore.

He retorted without a hint of politeness.

"Do you think that's possible?"

"Impossible."

Ghost Demon Venerable's answer once again caught Huo Yuhao off guard, leaving him full of question marks.

If you know it's impossible, why even say it??!!

Huo Yuhao finally realized that he couldn't keep up with this person's train of thought at all.

Or rather, he couldn't guess what Ghost Demon Venerable was thinking in the slightest.

Forget it.

I'm tired.

Just let it all end.

Huo Yuhao found it hard to describe the bitterness he felt right now.

He reckoned there was no other transmigrator under as much pressure as he was.

Seeing that Huo Yuhao seemed to be leaning toward giving up, Ghost Demon Venerable looked at him with interest and spoke slowly.

"I truly appreciate you."

"In fact, sometimes I can see the shadow of my younger self in you."

"Back then, I was just like you, filled with hatred and burning with passion."

"It's just that I wasn't as lucky as you are."

"The laws of survival in the world I came from were far more cruel than they are here."

Ghost Demon Venerable's words were filled with genuine sincerity, coming straight from the heart.

Huo Yuhao's life experience was truly similar to his own.

In the beginning, he wasn't the Ghost Demon Venerable who made all the immortals of the Gu World tremble in fear.

At first, he was just Ming You, who once had a happy childhood and the care of his parents.

But unfortunately, in the Gu World, in that place called Southern Border where he was born, family affection was nothing but a joke.

He witnessed his grandfather force his father to kill his mother for the sake of family interests during his childhood, and watched his grandfather kill his father during his youth.

In the end, he finally realized something.

Propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame, or moral laws—none of it mattered.

Everything was simple.

Only slaughter remained.

So, he killed his grandfather with his own hands and slaughtered his entire clan; from then on, even if he were to massacre all living beings, his heart would never ripple again.

Now Ming You is dead, and only the ghost remains.

Ghost Demon Venerable looked at the youth before him, whose experiences were so similar to his own, and was very curious about how far he could go.

As for how he knew all this?

Huo Yuhao hadn't tried to hide anything in that regard, and Ghost Demon Venerable could guess seven or eight parts of it based on his behavior over these past few days.

When he first taught Huo Yuhao the Slaughter Path, it was with this exact thought in mind.

According to Ghost Demon Venerable's existing memories, if he were to choose a successor, Huo Yuhao was indeed the best candidate to inherit his mantle.

It was just a pity.

The timing was wrong.

Now he is the ghost, not Ming You.

There is only himself in his heart.

Hearing Ghost Demon Venerable's words, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but roll his eyes at him internally.

What are you putting on an act for?

Playing the emotional card now.

If he didn't know what kind of person the other party was, he might have actually been fooled.

But this was fine; it seemed Ghost Demon Venerable still had some reservations and wouldn't take action against him directly for the time being.

There was still a chance.

He could still struggle!!

Upon hearing the explanation from Ghost Demon Venerable, Huo Yuhao's expression seemed to soften slightly, no longer as guarded as before.

"That is still no excuse for you to use killing intent to manipulate me!"

Clearly, Huo Yuhao was still brooding over the backlash of his own killing intent from earlier.

No one likes the feeling of being unable to control their own actions, even if Huo Yuhao had intended to do so in the first place.

Ghost Demon Venerable seemed to have anticipated this, responding quite bluntly.

"In reality, I am helping you."

"That little bug, and that so-called powerhouse of this world from before, neither of them understands."

"Since you have chosen my Slaughter Path, how could it be possible to kill no one at all?"

"If you do not kill a single person, how could you possibly cultivate my Ghost Killing Art to its zenith?"

"The method of cultivating the Slaughter Path is very simple, yet also very difficult."

"It is simply to kill."

"It sounds simple, but it is not easy to put into practice."

"Because the vast majority of people cannot cross the hurdle within their own hearts."

"Be it etiquette and morality, or blood ties and family affection."

"But in reality, none of that is important."

"There is no one who cannot be killed."

"And there is no one who will not die."

"Since you have inherited my Slaughter Path, you should have understood this long ago."

Having said this, Ghost Demon Venerable looked at Huo Yuhao with a very serious expression.

"I have told you so much only because I want you to know."

"You and I are the only ones on the same path; only I can truly understand your thoughts and desires."

"So, there is no need for you to keep guarding against me."

Huo Yuhao remained silent, merely sneering.

The meaning could not have been clearer.

What reason do I have not to guard against you?

Especially after you have explicitly stated your intention to replace me.

Ghost Demon Venerable shook his head and continued.

"If you and I continue to guard against each other, it will only result in mutual destruction. Only through cooperation can we have the possibility of further progress."

"After all, you also need my power to do things you otherwise could not, do you not?"

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao's expression shifted slightly. He could not be certain if Ghost Demon Venerable was hinting at something specific.

Does he know about God King Tang?

That is impossible.

Ghost Demon Venerable currently has no way to read his thoughts.

Is it about his revenge, then?

Thinking of this, in order to ascertain Ghost Demon Venerable's true intentions, Huo Yuhao asked directly.

"How do you want to cooperate?"

Seeing that Huo Yuhao had finally relented, Ghost Demon Venerable responded with a solemn expression.

"We shall each take a step back."

"Since you harbor an obsession in your heart, I will use my power to help you fulfill it."

"Whether it is revenge or something else, I do not care."

"I will even stop coveting your body."

Liar!!

The old thing is trying to deceive me again!!

The moment Ghost Demon Venerable's words left his lips, Huo Yuhao could immediately conclude that he was lying.

Perhaps he would truly help him achieve his revenge, but he would absolutely never give up on replacing him.

Huo Yuhao could already guess what Ghost Demon Venerable was thinking.

When the time comes, he will surely say, "Is it not the same if I use your body to help you achieve your revenge?"

Bah!

Disgusting!

Although he felt deep disdain in his heart, Huo Yuhao still listened obediently.

Because he was also very curious about what Ghost Demon Venerable was actually planning after such a long-winded preamble.

He listened as Ghost Demon Venerable continued.

"But the prerequisite is that you must promise me."

"When you truly stand at the pinnacle of this world."

"You must find a way for me to return to my original world."

Ghost Demon Venerable finally revealed his true objective.

An excuse!

A lie!

Even if this statement were true, it would be the most insignificant of Ghost Demon Venerable's many motives.

It was meant to confuse him and make him lower his guard.

Huo Yuhao made a quick judgment.

The most difficult lies to discern are always nine parts truth and one part falsehood.

Ghost Demon Venerable might indeed want to go back, to return to the Gu World.

After all, based on his understanding of Ghost Demon Venerable, the figure before him was very likely not the main body.

Wanting to return to find the main body was only natural.

Though even if it wasn't the main body, it was still more than enough to give him a headache.

But this was definitely not all he was thinking.

Nor would it be his ultimate goal.

It could basically be concluded that this was a smokescreen Ghost Demon Venerable had deliberately released to mislead him.

Thus, Huo Yuhao gave it some rare, serious consideration.

Of course, it was only for show.

He would never believe the ghost stories coming out of Ghost Demon Venerable's mouth.

However, given the current situation, there was no harm in agreeing.

He wouldn't actually fulfill this promise anyway.

Huo Yuhao believed that Ghost Demon Venerable felt the same way.

If the opportunity arose, Huo Yuhao would definitely stab him in the back and decisively finish Ghost Demon Venerable off.

Without leaving even a scrap behind!

The priority of this matter was even higher than taking down God King Tang.

But for now, he didn't have that opportunity.

So, facing the stepping stone Ghost Demon Venerable had proactively offered, Huo Yuhao felt he could step onto it.

At the very least, before they completely tore off the masks, he needed to secure enough time to develop.

Thus, Huo Yuhao nodded and responded to Ghost Demon Venerable.

"Fine, I agree to this condition."

"But I have my conditions as well."

"Oh? Let's hear them."

Ghost Demon Venerable narrowed his eyes, asking with some curiosity.

"That is, you must guarantee that today's events will not happen a second time."

"If I sense that my emotions or any physical actions are being manipulated by you from behind the scenes, I will take you down with me."

"Before you can possess this body, I will destroy it."

The threatening tone in Huo Yuhao's words could not have been more obvious.

I won't plot against you, and you had better not plot against me.

If it comes to it, we can both stop playing.

After hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Ghost Demon Venerable stood there, silently.

Huo Yuhao knew that his words wouldn't have any real effect.

Just as he would absolutely backstab Ghost Demon Venerable no matter what.

As long as Ghost Demon Venerable was still alive, he remained his greatest hidden danger.

In other words, If Ghost Demon Venerable doesn't die, Huo Yuhao can't sleep in peace!!

The reverse was equally true.

If he were careless enough to let him seize an opening, Ghost Demon Venerable would never abandon the attempt to possess his body just because of a few words.

The words he was saying to Ghost Demon Venerable now were just as laughable as that line Yu Xiaogang once said to Bibi Dong: "If anything happens to Xiao San, I will destroy Martial Soul Hall at any cost."

But there was no choice; he had to take this stance.

Otherwise, Ghost Demon Venerable would only become even more unbridled.

Huo Yuhao suddenly understood Yu Xiaogang.

Had he already realized this ten thousand years ago?

Huo Yuhao was instantly filled with respect for Yu Xiaogang.

Gangzi! So you were the true Grandmaster all along!

Just as Huo Yuhao was busy insulting Gang in his heart as part of his daily routine, Ghost Demon Venerable nodded and agreed.

"Very well, I agree."

Huo Yuhao feigned a sigh of relief, cupped his hands, and bowed respectfully toward Ghost Demon Venerable.

"Then I ask that Master please withdraw your divine power."

He was naturally referring to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who was still in a state of suspended animation, and the entire Sea of Consciousness.

Ghost Demon Venerable nodded, and the entire Sea of Consciousness began to flow once more.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm also recovered from its frozen state.

Looking at the strange man who had suddenly appeared and the exhausted-looking Huo Yuhao, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm blinked its small eyes and asked with some uncertainty.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Huo Yuhao wanted to fiercely curse this useless fellow, but considering Ghost Demon Venerable was still here, he could only sigh wearily and say with a hint of helplessness.

"No."

"You arrived at the perfect time."