The King of Yan raised his eyebrows, not concealing his surprise. He hadn’t expected that the person waiting in the mirror would be Yun Ya rather than Feng Miaojun. However, given how close Feng Miaojun had been with the State Preceptor of Wei before her personality changed drastically, it wasn’t surprising that Yun Ya had obtained the Water Moon Mirror from her.

Naturally, he didn’t know that Yun Ya had taken it while she was sound asleep.

The two men connected through the Water Moon Mirror across thousands of miles, examining each other without speaking.

Both were weighed down by heavy thoughts.

After a while, the King of Yan finally snorted through his nose: “What brings you here?”

The two were too familiar with each other. Not long ago, they had fought at Lanxiang River. Yun Ya was unwilling to let him escape, while the King of Yan was dissatisfied that his opponent had used superior numbers against him, chasing him like a stray dog. At this moment, they didn’t even bother with formalities.

“What happened in the Dream City?” Yun Ya asked calmly. “After the Queen of New Xia awoke, her temperament changed dramatically.” The situation was full of suspicions; ever since Feng Miaojun regained consciousness, circumstances had deteriorated rapidly, beyond his imagination.

The King of Yan scoffed: “You two were so close. How could you not know what happened to her?”

“She has become the Demon King.” Yun Ya didn’t beat around the bush but stated directly, “I want to know the cause.”

The King of Yan raised the golden cup beside him and took a light sip of fine wine: “Why should I tell you?”

This fellow has finally come to ask for my help! This feeling of being in the superior position felt truly satisfying.

“Since she is the Demon King, she won’t sit by and watch as the two of us summon the Realm God to reopen the Celestial Realm.” Yun Ya said flatly, “Or have you made another deal with her?”

The King of Yan shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

“Those who make deals with the Demon King never end well. Do you remember Cao Budao? He also wanted to defy the power of reincarnation to keep his wife by his side.” Yun Ya recounted Cao Budao’s fate, then continued, “The power of natural law, no one in the world can twist or avoid it. Even if the Demon King can help you temporarily, how do you know you won’t eventually reap what you sow?”

“That’s my concern.” A flash of viciousness appeared in the King of Yan’s eyes, followed immediately by, “But I’m in a good mood today, so there’s no harm in telling you.” He then proceeded to recount all the bizarre events in the Dream City one by one.

Yun Ya listened without missing a word, not interrupting in between. Only at the end did he ask: “You’re saying that the ring containing the Demon King’s cultivation showed no abnormality in your hands, but changed form when she touched it?”

“Correct. I struck it with the Celestial Moon Blade, and it remained intact. However, when handed to the Queen of New Xia, it immediately disintegrated, transforming into red smoke that enveloped her entire body.” The King of Yan raised his cup for another sip. “When the red smoke dissipated, the person I saw was no longer the Queen of New Xia, but another woman. She had absorbed all the Demon King’s power.”

Yun Ya was prepared and casually held up a portrait: “Does she look like this?”

In the painting was a beautiful woman. The artistic skill was so exquisite that even through the Water Moon Mirror, the King of Yan felt that the woman’s eyes in the painting were fixed on him—beautiful to the point of being heart-stopping, and also eerily bewitching to the point of being heart-stopping.

“Yes, that’s her!” That face, those eyes had left an indelible impression on him the moment the red smoke receded. “This woman’s soul power is unparalleled. She told me that the original agreement was still valid, and as long as we escaped back to the mortal world, we could work together.”

Even the King of Yan had to admit that in terms of soul power, he was no match for her. In the dream world, the strength of one’s soul represented everything.

“As expected.” Yun Ya slowly closed his eyes. “No wonder An’an fell into her hands.” From the King of Yan’s narrative, it was clear that among the many Demon Kings who had been to the Realm of Reality and Illusion, with countless ones possessing powerful souls, it was particularly she who had condensed all her cultivation into a ring and left it in that space!

“She is the leader of the Demon King tribe.”

The King of Yan’s expression changed: “Was she the one who escaped into the human realm?” In the past, when the Demon King made a deal with him, she was possessing someone else’s body. He was young then, with shallow cultivation, and had never seen her true face or known her real background.

Yun Ya nodded his face grave: “In the past three hundred years, even without her cultivation, she managed to turn the two continents upside down. Now that she has regained her power, the mortal world is in danger!” He changed the subject, “What deal did you make with the Demon King?”

The King of Yan raised an eyebrow, with no intention of answering the question.

Yun Ya didn’t pursue it further: “Never mind, I understand even without you saying it—it’s about immortality.”

Just immortality? The King of Yan’s face darkened. How could this monster with his long lifespan understand his desperate desire to borrow another five hundred years from heaven?

Easy for him to say when he’s not in the same position.

But Yun Ya said: “That being the case, shall we also make a deal?”

The King of Yan frowned, somewhat surprised: “You?” Was he going to imitate the Demon King’s methods?

“The methods taught by the Demon King are like pulling chestnuts out of the fire. Even if successful, they bring endless troubles.” Under his unwavering gaze, Yun Ya smiled, like a clear breeze and a bright moon. “Why not try my method?”

His voice was full of persuasion.

The King of Yan let out a “hmph,” finding it extremely amusing. This man had opposed the Demon King all his life, yet his actions were increasingly resembling those of his archenemy.

But deep down, he was curious. Yun Ya never spoke without purpose: “Interesting. Let’s hear it.”

And so, the two archenemies shut themselves in for a private discussion.

This conversation continued until dawn before finally concluding.

The King of Yan’s expression was indescribable.

He had been at odds with Yun Ya for over a hundred years and thought he understood the man before him, only to find today’s revelations beyond belief.

Before closing the Water Moon Mirror, he suddenly said: “Come to think of it, when the Queen of New Xia was possessed by the red ring, her expression was both surprised and angry, not like someone who had meticulously plotted to get this object.”

Yun Ya remained silent, but the fist hidden in his sleeve had already clenched tight. Only after hearing the King of Yan recount the encounter in Dream City today did he understand why An’an had suddenly turned into the Demon King. She wanted to use the Demon King’s soul power to break out of the Realm of Reality and Illusion. Since the King of Yan had been holding the ring safely all along, she felt confident in touching this object but ended up being possessed.

Thinking of this, he finally understood how profound the Demon King leader’s plans had been years ago. She must have anticipated that one day she would return to rescue her kind, which is why she had made every effort to leave the ring in the Realm of Reality and Illusion, rather than being sent back to the stone chamber with the other Demon Kings.

She only needed to bring down the Hao Li Empire, and the barrier of the Realm of Reality and Illusion would certainly weaken with the decline of national fortune. In the future, when she returns to this place to reclaim her cultivation, she could lead her people to break through the barrier and return to the human world.

That being said, she must have been confident that her soul power could not be used by others, not even other Demon Kings.

Just as Yun Ya was thinking this, the King of Yan also changed the subject: “But the ring only affected her. No matter how innocent she appeared, it only proved that she was originally a Demon King. You…”

Yun Ya cut him off directly: “Enough talk. Are you in or not?”