The old demon was clearly unwilling to leave Pang Bo's body.
The reason was plain enough.
A body that had consumed a divine fruit, with the blood of a demon god awakening within it, was a treasure body scarcely found in this world to him. It could be said to be more precious than anything else.
Now that someone wanted him to surrender this body, he naturally refused.
"Did you think I was negotiating with you?"
Chen Yu smiled, his face all smiles, yet his tone carried a hint of killing intent. "Dare refuse, and see if I won't cut you down."
"If you cut me down, this man will die as well."
The old demon gritted his teeth and spoke firmly. "Unless you find me a suitable body, there's nothing to discuss."
For him, now almost a lamp running out of oil, this body was exceedingly important. He absolutely could not afford to lose it.
Thus, even at the risk of offending Chen Yu, he was unwilling to surrender Pang Bo's body.
Seeing that neither side could reach an agreement, the atmosphere immediately grew tense again.
At that moment, Yan Ruyu stepped forward once more.
"We're all on the same side. Why make things so strained?"
She secretly exchanged a glance with Chen Yu, then stepped forward of her own accord. "This body is indeed a rare treasure body, but it is no longer of much use to you, Granduncle."
The old demon clung to Pang Bo's body simply because he had his eye on its potential. He wanted to try using it to advance further and prolong his life.
But possessing a body did not, in itself, help extend his lifespan at all.
After all, in the Shrouding the Heavens World, prolonging one's life through possession was not a thing.
Even possessing a heavenly genius might not bring much benefit.
Without being the original owner, even if one possessed another's body, there would be restriction upon restriction, making it impossible to bring out the body's original capabilities.
This was perfectly reasonable.
After all, if possessing someone's body allowed one to inherit their physique and talent, then this world's so-called special physiques, imperial sons and daughters, and the like would no longer be highly sought-after heavenly geniuses. They would instead be excellent treasure bodies that everyone fought to possess.
Precisely because physiques and lifespans could not be seized, few people throughout the entire Shrouding the Heavens World had ever considered possessing others.
The old demon before them was no different.
The only reason he stubbornly refused to leave Pang Bo's body was that his lifespan was almost over, his lamp nearly out of oil. He wanted to stake everything on Pang Bo's treasure body and see whether he could advance to a higher realm, thereby extending his life.
But to Chen Yu and Yan Ruyu, this problem did not need to be so troublesome in the first place.
"How about this?"
Yan Ruyu spoke again. "Granduncle, leave this man's body, and I will find a precious medicinal herb in the Azure Emperor Lineage's treasury to extend your life."
"Wouldn't that leave everyone happy?"
Hearing Yan Ruyu's words, the old demon inwardly frowned.
He had noticed that Yan Ruyu's attitude was rather subtle.
As a fellow member of the Azure Emperor Lineage, she should, by rights, have stood on his side. Yet judging by the situation before him, between him and Chen Yu opposite him, she actually leaned more toward Chen Yu?
The Azure Emperor Weapon has only just been welcomed back, and you already think I'm in the way?
He sneered inwardly.
As an old demon of many years, he naturally understood Yan Ruyu's thinking.
Before he had escaped his confinement, Yan Ruyu and Chen Yu had been cooperating well, and everything had been quite pleasant.
Then he, the Azure Emperor's nineteenth-generation descendant, had appeared, and a subtle change had occurred, bringing with it an entirely new problem.
Namely, whom the Azure Emperor Lineage should honor as its leader.
By bloodline and talent, Yan Ruyu should naturally lead, but by cultivation and seniority, the old demon should naturally be in charge.
This was a division between factions.
Before the Emperor Weapon returned, this question had been meaningless. But now that the Emperor Weapon and the Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart had returned, who led the Azure Emperor Lineage would directly concern ownership and control of the Emperor Weapon.
Judging by the current situation, Yan Ruyu clearly had no intention of obediently bowing her head. She even intended to borrow Chen Yu's influence to contend with him.
So be it.
Many thoughts ran through the old demon's mind before he spoke. "If there is something that can extend my life, then naturally I can agree. But such precious life-extending medicines are rare. Are you certain you still have any?"
He, too, had once headed the Azure Emperor Lineage, and he knew its reserves all too well.
If the Azure Emperor Lineage's treasury had held any precious life-extending medicines, he would have used them up back then. How could any have remained until now?
Yan Ruyu was just about to speak, but Chen Yu shook his head. "Since this concerns a friend of mine, I should naturally provide the precious medicine."
He extended his hand, and something flew out of his Bitter Sea and landed in his palm, releasing wafts of an unusual fragrance.
That unusual fragrance was miraculous. A mere whiff left one feeling refreshed in mind and spirit, with an indescribable sensation.
"This is..."
As expected, the moment the object appeared, it immediately drew the eyes of everyone present.
"A Human Origin Fruit, enough to extend a Mighty Figure's life by a hundred years?"
Looking at the object in Chen Yu's hand, the old demon immediately grew excited. "You actually have such a divine treasure?"
With something like this in your hands, why didn't you say so sooner?
Could a mere treasure body compare to a Human Origin Fruit capable of extending one's life by a hundred years?
Compared with this divine medicine, a mere body was nothing at all.
After all, even if he successfully seized Pang Bo's body, he had no confidence in how many more years he could extend his life with it.
With a Human Origin Fruit, however, a hundred-year extension was assured. There would be no problems whatsoever.
Is this the true foundation of an Imperial Clan?
He marveled inwardly, unable to help feeling puzzled.
He did not think Chen Yu and Pang Bo were particularly close. After all, judging from Pang Bo's memories, they had not spent much time together in total.
Their so-called bond as fellow countrymen amounted to no more than having ridden the Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin to the Big Dipper together.
Strictly speaking, it was Chen Yu who had shown Pang Bo more kindness. As for Pang Bo himself? He was merely a mortal of little use.
For such a mortal, the other party was actually willing to use a divine treasure like the Human Origin Fruit to save him?
Wasn't that a little too generous?
Still, this was a good thing for him.
"Give me the Human Origin Fruit, and I'll leave immediately."
He took the Human Origin Fruit from Chen Yu's hand, then, without hesitation, withdrew directly from Pang Bo's body and entered another body that had been prepared in advance.
"You were far too generous, Daoist Brother..."
Having witnessed the entire process from the side, Yan Ruyu could not help shaking her head. "What a precious divine treasure that Human Origin Fruit was, yet you simply handed it over, Daoist Brother."
Her original plan had never been to exchange a divine treasure like the Human Origin Fruit.
Under the circumstances, even casually offering some inferior precious medicine, the sort that could extend his life by a dozen or so years, would surely have been acceptable to the old demon.
Offering a Human Origin Fruit right away was a little too outrageous.