Taking His Place

"Is this the passage that took me there?"

"You can think of it as an aid that propels you through the journey; with the support of conviction, it can stabilize your soul, thus preventing injury!"

What's going on with that chair?!

"That's the bridge connecting the passageways; only with its help can we make the transfer!"

Zhang Xuezhou had seen cell towers before, but he had never seen one this tall.

If we consider his three souls and seven spirits as a special signal, then the black stone pillar is the transmitter that amplifies the signal, and this great hall is the control center.

Compared to the many dead souls who were in a daze and who could only barely communicate, the Demon Thought Duck could communicate normally.

Zhang Xuezhou was astonished that the Demon Thought Duck was indeed a demonic bird, and the duck was clearly astonished that Zhang Xuezhou had managed to find this place.

Through a brief conversation, Zhang Xuezhou learned some basic information.

Of course, the Demon Thought Duck's knowledge is also limited; it is not omniscient and cannot answer all of Zhang Xuezhou's questions.

"Put them down!"

After a brief inquiry and some pleasantries, Zhang Xuezhou pointed to Ren Anran and Xu Lu, who were bound by red chains.

"It's rare to see two sentient beings capable of communication..."

The Demon Thought duck quacked twice in resentment before cursing the group of red-skinned dead souls dressed in wide robes.

The monotonous chanting temporarily stopped, and the red chains retracted one by one.

"As long as the void remains, I shall endure forever!"

"Those who believe in me will have eternal life!"

Ren Anran and Xu Lu, who were bound, were clearly severely affected; as they floated to the ground, they were still chanting prayers as if in a daze.

"This is a ritual for converting believers," the Demon Thought duck quacked. "Are you sure you don't want to leave them here?"

"I'm more curious about why you're here in the first place than about leaving them here?"

Zhang Xuezhou glanced around but did not approach Ren Anran and the others. After all, it would be of no use for him to get close, and he could not use the Highest Clarity Technique to help Ren Anran regain her senses.

His attention was mostly focused on the Demon Thought duck.

The other party had appeared in many places, including his sea of consciousness, as well as in the mental war against Huang, and also in the void and darkness he traversed.

Zhang Xuezhou once believed that the other party was the result of the sins he had committed with the Golden Toad Dharma King in his early years, which led to his mental confusion and the creation of this thing. Now it seems that there were other factors involved as well.

"Why am I here? You're actually asking me why I'm here?"

When Zhang Xuezhou asked this question, Demon Thought Nianya was a little agitated.

"Have you forgotten what scriptures you recited when I was weak?" the Demon Thought duck shouted. "You and a monk ganged up on me. He squeezed in and I was squeezed out. If it weren't for my master's mercy, I would have been killed by your mess!"

"You really are that green-headed duck Demon Thought?" Zhang Xuezhou said incredulously.

"To be precise, I should be the part of my consciousness that you severed," the Demon Thought duck corrected. "I was like a tumor that hadn't even grown up, and then you ruthlessly abandoned me!"

"It seems this is a good thing for me," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"This is not good news for me!"

The Demon Thought duck flapped its wings and flew through the dark red hall. After circling around once, it finally landed on the blood-stained, withered wooden throne.

"I'm trapped here," said the Demon Thought duck. "This isn't the world I long for to fly in; it's so boring here!"

Why don't you leave?

Zhang Xuezhou's question made Demon Thought Nianya roll her eyes before she gave a serious answer.

"Compared to freedom, I value life more," the Demon Thought duck quacked a few times, then turned its head to Zhang Xuezhou and asked, "Is my desire to survive the same as yours?"

"Same!"

Zhang Xuezhou pursed his lips.

If it weren't for the form of a large green bird, Zhang Xuezhou would have thought that another version of himself was standing on the withered wooden throne.

He and the green-feathered bird share many similarities; the other is like an earlier version of himself. Zhang Xuezhou can even see traces of his past in the Demon Thought duck.

Tell me about your master!

Zhang Xuezhou gestured with his hand.

This question lingered in his mind for a long time until Ren Anran and Xu Lu were freed from their restraints, and he subtly inquired about the information he wanted before finally asking the question.

"What's there to say?" the Demon Thought duck retorted. "You just want to get information from me and then try to defeat him, but you standing in front of him is like me standing in front of you right now—you have absolutely no chance of winning!"

"Why does he need to travel between different worlds? Why does he need two bodies?" Zhang Xuezhou asked. "When does he intend to erase me?"

I can't answer your first two questions, but I can tell you the answer to the last one.

"Oh?"

"When you have no value, he will replace you!"

The answer given by the Demon Thought duck was very realistic: Zhang Xuezhou's existence was valuable to the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, which is why they have been able to coexist peacefully until now.

Zhang Xuezhou's value seems to be limited to his growing strength, since his body has already reached full physical development.

Zhang Xuezhou was very dissatisfied with this answer, but he had to admit it.

If there is no value, even former friends will gradually drift apart. Zhang Xuezhou's relationships with many people are based on mutual benefit, and this also applies to his relationship with the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon.

"You've observed me for so long, you should know me well enough," Zhang Xuezhou said. "You should also know that you need to give me a satisfactory answer!"

After taking a few steps, a purple light appeared in Zhang Xuezhou's hand, and the female ghost that was following not far behind Zhang Xuezhou quickly raised its head.

A faint chanting sound drifted through the hall, and then a second dead soul appeared, followed by a third...

"You want to destroy this place?"

The Demon Thought duck quacked loudly, its cacophony clearly indicating a headache.

"Do you also want to kill me?"

"You're right. When you can't provide value, the outcome is already decided!"

Zhang Xuezhou gave a simple, repetitive reply. He then saw the red-skinned dead souls in the hall, dressed in wide robes and sleeves, turn around and face him, before shaking their heads.

"I don't know how strong these dead souls are, but I know how weak you are," Zhang Xuezhou said. "The dead souls outside are endless. If just two or three of them pass through your body, you'll be done for!"

"You can't be so heartless!" the Demon Thought duck cried out. "I don't want to become one of those mindless soul-devouring beings, then be trapped in the Soul-Locking Pillar, endlessly repeating the process of life and death!"

"Soul-devouring body?"

Zhang Xuezhou murmured something, and the Yin Entity Tracking Technique in his hand shone even brighter.

"As long as the void remains, I shall endure forever!"

"Those who believe in me will have eternal life!"

He chanted several times, and the number of dead souls gathering around him increased, causing the Demon Thought duck to panic.

"I'm going to die! I'm going to die! You actually took over the command of these Soul Devourers from your master!"

The Demon Thought duck quacked loudly.

Before the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon could replace Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Xuezhou entered this place through special means and had already begun to assume the identity of the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon.