At this moment, what did Lanling want?
Of course, power, incomparably powerful power!
With power, he could defeat Du Yan. With power, he could lead the brothers of the foreign army towards independence and establish their own tribe. With power, he could build an empire in the barbaric world, and lead millions of troops back to the human kingdom.
And now, this Demon God relic before him actually said it could satisfy any of Lanling’s wishes.
Moreover, the origin of the Dragon Emperor’s power was actually right here!
It was this Demon God relic before him that actually said the Dragon Emperor’s power was bestowed by it.
Lanling said, “If I make a wish, and you fulfil it, what do I need to pay?”
The Demon God relic, the Eye of Light and Shadow, said, “You need to make a spiritual contract with me.”
Lanling said, “What spiritual contract?”
The Demon God relic said, “Four hundred years from now, your soul must come to serve me!”
Lanling said in astonishment, “Then the previous person, did he complete his contract?”
The Demon God relic shook its head and said, “He did not come to fulfil the contract, but this was not his original intention. It was because he could no longer come.”
Lanling immediately thought that perhaps the Dragon Emperor had already been imprisoned by the Divine Dragon Temple.
The Demon God relic said, “Using your future freedom in exchange for four hundred years of power, four hundred years of commanding the wind and summoning the rain, this is very normal, and also very worthwhile.”
Normal? Worthwhile?
If Lanling were a noble and pure person, of course he would feel it was not worthwhile. Life is precious, love is of higher value, but for the sake of freedom, both can be cast aside.
But for the current Lanling, let alone four hundred years of power, even one hundred years would be enough.
Now, all his goals were one: destroy the Divine Dragon Temple, rescue his family.
Revenge, revenge, revenge!
So, the only thing Lanling wanted was power, strength!
The Demon God relic slowly said, “Very well, speak your wish. I will certainly satisfy you.”
The flame at the centre of its Eye of Light and Shadow shrank once more, yet became even brighter, burning even more fiercely.
Lanling knew that when a person is nervous and excited, their pupils instinctively contract.
Then, what was the Demon God relic excited about? What was it nervous about?
Lanling had never believed in things like pies falling from the sky.
And more importantly, the steps of this pyramid were around seventy-five thousand.
Was there a problem with this number?
There was no problem, precisely because it was too much without a problem.
Because Lanling had calculated that the circular diameter of the pyramid’s triangular base was fifty kilometres, that is, about fifty thousand metres.
Thus, Lanling deduced that the height of this pyramid was probably between twenty to thirty thousand metres, so the final number of steps was seventy-five thousand.
And when he climbed up, it was exactly this number.
Not only that, but there were also four gates of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
The gate of summer, Lanling felt should be terrifyingly high temperatures, and indeed it was terrifyingly high temperatures.
The gate of winter, Lanling felt should be terrifyingly severe cold, and indeed it was.
The gate of autumn, Lanling felt should be heavy fruits, so it was doubled gravity, and indeed it was doubled gravity.
Whatever Lanling thought, that was what happened, and exactly as he had imagined.
Was he that powerful? Could he guess every single thing so accurately?
Of course not, there was another reason.
Also, Lanling asked who was the previous person to climb to the pyramid’s peak and face the Demon God relic? At that time, the Dragon Emperor appeared in his mind.
Then, the Demon God relic said it did not know who that person was, but said they came over three thousand years ago.
And not only that, when speaking of the Dragon Emperor at first, there was no gender at all. And in the Demon God relic’s description, it also avoided the gender of this first person to come before it.
And when Lanling used “he,” the Demon God relic also used “he.”
Of course, the pronunciation of “she” and “he” was the same, but Lanling and the Demon God relic were communicating entirely through spirit, so the distinction between “he” and “she” could be clearly made.
Every time, it was always Lanling who thought of it first in his mind, and then the Demon God relic spoke it.
Taking all of the above into account, Lanling arrived at a conclusion.
Everything before him was fake!
This pyramid of tens of thousands of metres was fake, the four gates of spring, summer, autumn, and winter were all fake.
The seventy thousand plus steps were fake, the heat of the summer gate, the severe cold of the winter gate, the decay of the spring gate, the doubled gravity of the autumn gate.
All of this was fake.
Including that the first person to appear before this Demon God relic was the Dragon Emperor, that was also fake.
Of course, this Demon God relic said that as long as Lanling told it a wish, whether it was overwhelming power or incomparably powerful strength, it could all be fulfilled. And the condition was that four hundred years later, he would sell his soul to it.
Regarding this, there was truth, and there was falsehood!
First, once Lanling opened his mouth and said, I want power to move mountains and overturn seas, I want power surpassing the Dragon Emperor.
Next, Lanling could truly feel that power. Perhaps through what appeared to be arduous cultivation on the surface, or perhaps achieved in one step. In any case, it could truly make Lanling feel the energy to move mountains and fill seas, to destroy heaven and earth.
However, all of this would only happen inside Lanling’s mind, merely an illusion.
And the so-called four hundred years, four hundred years in the spiritual illusion, in reality would only be an instant.
Then, Lanling would completely become a slave of this Demon God relic, losing his freedom forever.
So this was merely a trap of the Demon God relic!
Everything Lanling saw was an illusion!
…
Lanling had not yet spoken.
The Demon God relic before him, the Eye of Light and Shadow, fell into trembling.
It truly felt fear and nervousness.
Because this was its plane, so whatever Lanling thought, it could know.
Lanling sneered, “Everything I just experienced was an illusion, correct?”
The moment these words were spoken!
Instantly, the surrounding world shattered like a glass mirror.
The magnificent and spectacular pyramid was gone, the huge high-altitude platform was also gone.
At this moment, Lanling was on a desolate stone mountain peak.
Moreover, he was no longer a spirit of light and shadow, but a real, physical body.
Everything just now was an illusion, so things like soul departure were also merely Lanling’s fantasies.
And that huge Eye of Light and Shadow was also gone. What Lanling was now in was a ruined temple on the mountaintop.
As for the Demon God relic from before, it was a majestic Eye of Light and Shadow of flame, dozens of metres tall.
And now, in the centre of the ruined temple, Lanling only saw a tiny green flame, extremely weak, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.
This was the true face of the Demon God relic?
Lanling asked, “Is it you?”
“It is me.” That tiny green flame flickered gently, its voice ringing in Lanling’s ear.
Lanling said, “Just what are you?”
“I am a demon flame.” The Demon God relic said.
“Demon flame?” Lanling said in astonishment, “The pyramid just now, the gates of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, were all illusions you created, correct?”
“Correct!” The demon flame said, “To be precise, illusions created according to the imaginations in your mind.”
Lanling said, “Countless people entered this ghost domain before, where did they go?”
The demon flame said, “They all died, all tortured to death by the illusions imagined by their minds. In these three thousand years, you are the only one to survive, and also the only one to see through my illusion.”
Lanling said, “Do you know what I came here to do?”
The demon flame said, “I know, you came to devour me.”
Lanling said, “Then do you have anything to say? For example, after I devour you, my body will be reduced to ashes and smoke?”
The demon flame shook its head and said, “Of course not, because all my power is supporting this protective shield, I am already powerless to resist your devouring. For you to devour me would be effortless.”
“What do you mean?” Lanling said.
The demon flame shook its head and said, “Look down, look out.”
Lanling was now on a mountaintop, and indeed discovered a huge energy shield, a hemisphere about one hundred li in diameter, like a dome.
The world inside the dome shield was rotten, dark, and destroyed.
The world outside the shield was lush and green, full of vibrant life.
Lanling said, “If I devour you, what will be the result?”
The demon flame said, “Losing the protective shield, the rot and darkness inside will spread, and will devour the vibrant world outside. Eventually, thousands of li, tens of thousands of li will be polluted, becoming a dead land.”
Lanling said, “That is to say, the entire barbaric world could be polluted and completely destroyed?”
The demon flame said, “It should be so.”
Lanling said, “Then may I ask, what is the root of the rot and darkness of this land?”
The demon flame said, “Death, curse! The great battle that once took place here, millions of demon race died, and they died from betrayal, filled with resentment.”
Lanling said, “So, this region is called the ghost domain?”
“Yes.” The demon flame said.
Lanling said, “Looking at this place from the outside, every day is a season, the changes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter every day, this is also your masterpiece?”
The demon flame said, “Yes, this is also a good wish. I hope this land can eventually be restored to life!”
Then, after hesitating for a moment, the demon flame said, “Also, you are indeed the second person to appear before me. Over three thousand years ago, another person appeared before me, that was true.”
“The Dragon Emperor?” Lanling said.
“I do not know, perhaps!” The demon flame said, “I do not know this person’s gender, because their entire body was shrouded in a black robe, because their voice could not distinguish male from female. But they truly came, they could have devoured me, but in the end they did not, and left directly.”
Lanling said, “Then when they left, did they say anything to you?”
The demon flame said, “They said, decay is the most disgusting thing in this world, and then they left.”
Decay is the most disgusting thing in this world. This sentence made Lanling’s heart skip a beat, and he quickly cast aside all his thoughts.
Lanling said, “If I had spoken my wish just now, what would have happened?”
The demon flame said, “I would have satisfied your wish in the spiritual illusion, whether it was energy to destroy heaven and earth, or power of the king of ten thousand kings, you would all be able to feel it in the spiritual world, incomparably real, just like a dream. Then, you would fall into my spiritual trap, never to be reborn.”
Lanling said, “Then what do you want me to do now?”
The demon flame said, “Leave here, act as if nothing happened.”
Then, Lanling saw an opening appear in the dome shield of the ghost domain world, leading directly to the outside world.
Inside the dome, rotten, disgusting, dark, and withered.
Outside the opening, lush and green, full of vibrant life.
One glance made people feel that this dome shield should always exist, that the darkness and corruption inside must not be allowed to pollute the land outside, that the entire barbaric world must not be completely destroyed.
Moreover, seeing the contrast between the inside and outside worlds made people even more filled with the desire and impulse to directly rush out from this exit.
Also, the Dragon Emperor back then chose to leave, not devouring this demon flame.
So Lanling now faced a choice. Should he devour this demon flame to raise his cultivation, or should he leave directly?
If he devoured this demon flame, this ghost domain world would lose its dome shield, and the death, darkness, and rot inside would begin to spread, devouring the outside world.
The Chimera tribe, the Anka tribe, the Wild Horse tribe would all be devoured.
Thousands of li, tens of thousands of li of land in the barbaric world would all be devoured.
Countless people would be left homeless, dead without a burial place, including the foreign army, including Suomo, Dina, the little girl.
So, Lanling’s correct course of action was very simple: leave here, act as if nothing happened, leave through the exit opened by the demon flame, and return to the outside world.
…
However…
Lanling sneered coldly and said, “Demon flame, you are still deceiving and blackmailing me. This opening of yours does not lead to the outside, but to your spiritual prison. Once I listen to you and pass through this exit, I will fall into your spiritual prison forever, never to be reborn.”
Instantly, this tiny green demon flame shuddered violently.
“And not only that…” Lanling said, “What dome shield, what ghost domain world cursed by death, what you are protecting this world, what devouring you will cause the rot and death of this cursed land to spread and devour the outside world, everything is a lie!”
“What are you saying… you are talking nonsense.” The demon flame hissed.
Lanling said, “Over these thousands of years, the area of the ghost domain world has become smaller and smaller, this energy shield has also become smaller and smaller, which represents that your energy is weakening. If what you said were true, the death and rot inside should be spreading and growing larger, but the result is exactly the opposite, so you are lying! The true fact is, you are the Demon God relic, your energy is insufficient, but you want to live, so you must constantly devour life and energy. Thus, you created a beautiful illusion. Looking at the world inside from the outside, every day is a season, which makes people feel incomparably mysterious and profound. So, over thousands of years, people have continuously entered here. And every person who entered here was devoured by you, becoming your energy supply, correct?”
The moment these words were spoken…
“Crack crack crack…” The world around Lanling once again shattered like a glass mirror, annihilated!
The world Lanling saw changed once more.
He was still on a high mountaintop, but this mountain was no different from any other mountain, everywhere covered with lush green forests.
An invisible energy shield enveloped the entire mountain, constructing the ghost domain as this spiritual illusion.
As for the Demon God relic!
The first time it appeared before Lanling, it was a huge Eye of Light and Shadow of flame.
The second time, it was a tiny green bean flame, called the demon flame.
And the third time, it was a mirror, a mirror polished from unknown metal.
Although this mirror had not rusted, it was already somewhat dim and unclear.
Inside the mirror, there was a faint light and shadow, its shape no longer distinguishable.
This was the true body of the Demon God relic.
The gaze of the ancient demon king had once stared into this mirror.
Over time, this mirror became a Demon God relic, possessing powerful energy, possessing perception.
People continuously entered this region, and from the minds of these people, it learned greed, cunning.
Thus, it set up a beautiful spiritual trap, attracting countless people to rush forward and die, becoming its energy nourishment.
So, this Demon God relic was a complex energy body.
First, its true body was a mirror, then the gaze and shadow of the demon king, then mixed with the greed and evil of the barbarian race, ultimately condensing into this Demon God relic.
The first time, the second time, it had both tried to devour Lanling’s soul and spirit, but it had failed both times!
It had no martial power of its own, no attack ability of its own. Its only weapon was to create illusions, using people’s imaginations, using people’s greed to create spiritual traps, and then completely devour!
“If you have the guts, come devour me, come devour me…” this Demon God relic hissed and roared, “I am inside the mirror, come devour me? I guarantee that once you enter, you will never be able to leave again, gaga gaga…”
Lanling sneered, “Correct, I am coming to devour you.”
Then, Lanling released incomparably powerful spiritual power, making his shadow appear inside this mirror.
Condensing powerful spiritual power, condensing, condensing.
Finally, surging violently into this mirror, beginning to devour madly!