Feng Miaojun infiltrated his sea of consciousness, rescuing his divine soul from the hands of the Celestial Demon. He was naturally moved but simultaneously realized that this girl’s soul cultivation was far superior to his. The advancement of one’s divine soul progressed much slower than other cultivation practices, with no shortcuts available. How had she accomplished this?

Seeing him smile casually, Feng Miaojun became cautious. “You’ve studied the Celestial Demon Secret Techniques too, haven’t you?”

“I’ve dabbled a bit, but my talent is far inferior to yours,” he admitted honestly. “Do you think anyone who obtains the Celestial Demon Secret Techniques can master them? Even in Fu Lingchuan’s possession, they were merely decorative.”

Indeed, both volumes of the Celestial Demon Secret Techniques were obtained from Fu Lingchuan, but apart from some refinement of his divine soul, he hadn’t mastered many of the mysterious abilities recorded within. Otherwise, she would have had a massive headache during the siblings’ power struggle. As for herself, her soul had traversed to this realm; she suspected certain unusual events might have occurred during that process.

Feng Miaojun finally rolled her eyes at him. “I’ve tried to put myself in the Yan King’s position and consider his troubles, but I have no leads. Human lifespan is limited by the laws of heaven and earth. Without the power to break these rules, he cannot extend his life beyond two hundred and one years.”

Only deities could break the rules. Even ancient immortals dared not hope for such power; at most, they could only utilize the rules or make minor alterations. Today’s cultivators should not even dream of such things.

Yun Ya pondered, “I’ve wondered, what if he escaped the shackles of his physical body?”

“Body snatching?” Nowadays, whether mortal or cultivator, when the body’s vitality perishes, death follows, as the soul is quickly summoned to the underworld. However, cultivators with powerful divine souls, like the Yan King, naturally possessed the ability to snatch bodies.

Body snatching meant seizing another’s body to house one’s divine soul, like a cuckoo occupying a magpie’s nest. She had previously considered that human lifespan was far shorter than that of demons; if the Yan King could snatch a demon’s body, he could easily live for several hundred more years.

But judging from the Yan King’s current state, things weren’t so simple.

“A snatched body doesn’t align with one’s divine soul. Even if usable, there’s a disconnect, and both soul strength and bodily functions rapidly deteriorate.” Simply put, incompatibility occurs easily. Coming from another world, she naturally understood that the original parts worked best. “Moreover, body snatching is merely relocating the divine soul; the cultivation painstakingly acquired over a hundred years would be completely lost.”

She shrugged. “Of course, if the natal charts are compatible and one possesses the same bloodline, the rate of bodily deterioration and soul weakening might slow somewhat. I imagine the Yan King wouldn’t choose such a desperate measure unless he had no other options. After all, the laws of heaven and earth remain absolute—except for Celestial Demons, anyone’s divine soul will eventually perish if separated from its original body for too long.”

Looking at the Yan King’s pursuit of immortality, the optimal choice would be gathering all altar fragments to summon the Realm Deity and reopen the path to ascension. Those who entered the Longevity Realm could break the two-hundred-year limit, and as the opener of the heavens, would surely receive great rewards.

However, with Wei Kingdom and Yun Ya blocking his path, this superior strategy was no longer feasible. The Yan King might seek alternatives—finding or releasing Celestial Demons to bargain with them for longevity.

If this method also failed, the Yan King would consider snatching another’s body. In doing so, nearly two hundred years of cultivation would vanish like bubbles; he would have to start from scratch while enduring various side effects of spiritual and physical incompatibility.

Most terrifying of all, Death waited in the distance—he might arrive late, but would never be absent.

This would merely be clinging to life.

Yun Ya contemplated longer before asking her, “Do you believe Celestial Demons can truly help extend his lifespan?”

“Extending lifespan is impossible,” Feng Miaojun traced circles on his chest with her finger. “But they might be able to manipulate his divine soul.”

He immediately perked up. “How so?”

“Do you remember the testament Cao Budao left for us?”

Yun Ya nodded.

“Cao Budao knew his wife’s predestined lifespan had ended and her soul should return to the underworld, yet he made a deal with a Celestial Demon to forcibly keep her soul in the mortal realm.” Feng Miaojun bit her lip. “What the Celestial Demon did was confuse the heavenly mechanism by secretly altering her soul registry. If it’s willing to perform the same technique for the Yan King, perhaps he could remain in the mortal world.”

She paused before continuing, “We both know that Celestial Demons exist as soul entities because the battle of gods caused chaos in the laws of heaven and earth. Many beings lost their soul registries upon death, thus escaping the constraints of the six realms, with the underworld losing control over them. If Celestial Demons help the Yan King using this principle, success might be possible. After all, countless people are born and die every moment; the Yan King would be just one small variable. If they act discreetly enough, the Heavenly Dao might not notice.”

“My dear Anan is truly remarkable.” Yun Ya kissed Feng Miaojun before saying, “This suggests he’s seeking ways to find a Celestial Demon.”

After some hesitation, Feng Miaojun recounted how the Yan King had privately sought to trade with her through the Water Moon Mirror a year ago.

She fixed her gaze on Yun Ya’s expression, not blinking once.

This matter needed to be discussed face-to-face, observing his reactions, rather than through the red parrot’s transmission.

However, Yun Ya remained composed, showing little fluctuation from beginning to end. Finally, he simply nodded. “I see. Since he has ulterior motives, you must remain vigilant.”

A question had lingered in her heart for a long time; after careful consideration, she finally asked, “The Yan King is convinced that I am a Celestial Demon. What about… you?”

Yun Ya smiled. “His reasoning makes sense. He has encountered Celestial Demons before; his understanding far exceeds ordinary cultivators.”

Feng Miaojun’s heart skipped a beat. “Is that what you believe too?” If so, why hadn’t he moved against her all this time?

“I’ve considered it. After all, not everyone can master the Celestial Demon Secret Techniques.” Yun Ya smiled, kissing her hand. “But Celestial Demons would want me dead, not care deeply for my life like you do, repeatedly sacrificing yourself to save me.”

Yes, Celestial Demons would want him dead, but she desired more than anyone for him to live well. However, she had a private reason she couldn’t voice.

Feng Miaojun buried her head against his chest, tightly closing her eyes, suddenly feeling words were inadequate.

After a long while, she finally collected her thoughts and asked listlessly, “If the Yan King isn’t one either, then where are the active Celestial Demons hiding?”

To her, Celestial Demons were merely legends, existing only in history and others’ accounts. She had never witnessed one in person, only seeing a projection in Yun Ya’s sea of consciousness.

The longer she studied the Celestial Demon Secret Techniques, the more curious she became about these extraordinary beings.

“I don’t know,” Yun Ya shrugged, seemingly accustomed to the mystery. “They prefer lurking in the darkness, destroying everything. Typically, only when all is revealed will you glimpse their true face.”