Chapter 151: Concern

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lu Fang sneered, fixing the Spirit with a cold gaze. "I'm actually curious how you managed to escape from the Upper Realm without anyone noticing."

The Spirit smiled faintly, not pressing Lu Fang on his denial, and said, "Lord Wenguan, I sincerely wish to ally with you."

"Alliance?"

Lu Fang looked puzzled.

The Spirit grew serious. "Yes, alliance. We both know we're destined to become towering figures who suppress entire regions. Why shouldn't this world be ruled by you and me?"

"Your ambition is quite large."

Lu Fang frowned.

The Spirit spoke openly: "Our strength is destined to be immense—why shouldn't our ambition be greater? Haven't your human histories recorded countless kings who slaughtered entire families out of fear that powerful ministers would rebel?"

"Aren't you afraid of that?"

"Or one day, when the Son of Heaven decides to eliminate you—will you just surrender? Why should you?"

"If we join forces, we have a chance to seize the world. Then we divide it—each ruling our own territory. Isn't that better?"

Lu Fang fell silent, his eyes half-lidded as he studied the Spirit.

The Demon Heart spoke with rising excitement: "I can feel you dislike him—but what he says is true. You're a once-in-ten-thousand-years prodigy. Why submit to others?"

Seeing Lu Fang give no reply, the Spirit didn't lose heart; instead, he smiled confidently.

"You don't need to give me an answer now. We're both too weak. Focus on growing stronger. When we meet again at the peak, I'll use every ounce of my power to aid you."

"When the time is ripe, we can formally join forces and seize the world."

"This world is long overdue for a new ruler!"

Lu Fang still said nothing. Had it not been for his wariness of the Demon Heart, he wouldn't have wasted a single word on the Spirit.

Seize the world?

How casually he speaks.

Changing the world isn't so simple—it requires countless deaths.

As for the old fear of powerful ministers threatening the throne—he did harbor caution, but he'd handle it his own way.

Lu Fang suspected the Spirit wasn't speaking to him at all, but to the Demon Heart within his body. The Spirit seemed certain the Demon Heart would eventually replace him.

This made him even more wary of the Demon Heart.

If he could, he'd never use the Demon Heart inside him—and if he ever got the chance, he'd destroy it first.

Didn't the Great Zhou possess a sacred artifact capable of purification? Perhaps it could rid him of the Demon Heart.

The Demon Heart, unaware of Lu Fang's thoughts, chuckled upon hearing the Spirit's words: "I find this fellow isn't so unpleasant after all. Don't you admire his ambition? Accept his offer. Ally with him."

Lu Fang glanced at the Spirit, then turned and vanished into the distance.

Without understanding the Demon Heart's true nature, he didn't want to provoke conflict—lest he be forced to use it, or let it slip in.

As for the Spirit's proposal—he didn't take it seriously at all.

"Could your existence be detected by some method?" Lu Fang asked.

The Demon Heart mocked: "Scared? Don't worry—only you can sense me. No one else can perceive me."

Lu Fang was satisfied with this answer. Once back in the Great Zhou, he planned to speak with his Third Master about the Spirit's possession. After all, if he didn't act, the Spirit would.

If possible, he wanted to kill the Spirit.

"How was the Punishment Ground broken? Did Liu Yifeng and Zhao Qingzhu both escape unharmed?"

Lu Fang asked.

The Demon Heart: "All those inside the Punishment Ground were teleported out. As for how it was broken—just as that man said, it was governed by a law. Break the law, and the place collapses."

Lu Fang pressed further: "What was that law? Do you know?"

The Demon Heart replied swiftly: "There are several laws. One is three tears falling upon the other, followed by suicide out of love—or killing the other out of love…"

After hearing this, Lu Fang understood the Demon Heart better—it possessed some awareness, otherwise it wouldn't know such details.

Having asked about what interested him, he began searching for Liu Yifeng and Zhao Qingzhu. Since they'd been teleported from the same place, they were nearby—and soon they met.

"Are you alright?"

Lu Fang spoke first.

Liu Yifeng had resumed his human form and looked weak—likely from heavy injuries sustained in the Punishment Ground.

He'd been their enemy moments ago; now he was their ally. Lu Fang still felt uneasy. After all, these two were Lu Ling's biological parents—his elders.

Liu Yifeng didn't overthink it. He smiled and nodded at Lu Fang. "Zhao Qingzhu already told me about you and Ling'er. Thank you sincerely—if not for you, we might never have escaped that place."

During the fifteen years in the Punishment Ground, Liu Yifeng's consciousness was rarely awake. He knew Zhao Qingzhu was there—and feared her. In his unconscious state, he'd harmed her.

Over time, his feelings for her deepened. He longed to speak to her, to hold her tightly.

Lu Fang's arrival freed him from that torment. He was truly grateful.

Lu Fang waved his hand with a smile, pulling out several elixirs from his storage pouch. "It was nothing. Here—some healing elixirs. Take them and rest."

Zhao Qingzhu, having already interacted with Lu Fang for some time, didn't refuse. She took the elixirs and had Liu Yifeng swallow them.

Lu Fang studied the two visibly changed people. "Are you alright?"

Zhao Qingzhu brushed her fingers along Liu Yifeng's temple, where white hair had sprouted. "We're fine. It must be because of that special space—time leaves no mark there. Once we stepped out, we aged rapidly."

After taking the healing elixirs, Liu Yifeng's complexion visibly improved. He nodded. "The passage of time in that place felt nonexistent. If it were a country, it'd be perfect."

"No demons. No slaughter. It truly would be a good place."

"To spend a lifetime together there… might not be so bad."

Lu Fang suddenly asked: "I heard Liu Bofu was killed by Wan Juan. How did you end up there? And how did you become a Horned Red-Eyed Demon?"

He still harbored concerns about Liu Yifeng's identity.

After all, Zhao Qingzhu had told him Liu Yifeng was slain by Wan Juan—she'd witnessed it with her own eyes. They'd even deduced the Horned Red-Eyed Demon was Wan Juan.