"I don't think you can't get it," Li Jinglong supported himself against the wall, adjusted his inner breath, stood up with difficulty and faced Yang Guozhong.
"Can't get it means can't get it," Yang Guozhong spread his hands and said, "I tried once before and failed. Now it's sealed by your Mind's Lamp, unless Hongjun is willing to turn into a demon, there's no other way. But I already have three demon seeds, I don't need to rely on Mahamayuri's Celestial Demon Unity to become a demon. What's the harm in telling you the truth? "
"Two," Li Jinglong said in a low voice.
"That's right." Yang Guozhong's face changed, and said coldly, "You destroyed my Mind's Devil in Dunhuang, I haven't settled the score with you yet."
Li Jinglong laughed and said, "Yang Xiangguo, or should I say … Your Majesty Demon King, this is interesting. I didn't look for you, but you're blaming me?"
Yang Guozhong flicked his sleeve and said, "How about I give all three Mind's Devil to this little friend beside you for free and help him become a demon, how about it?"
Li Jinglong's face changed immediately. Yang Guozhong said, "With your strength, you're lucky to be able to seal the Three Thousand Worlds Nightmare. In another moment, your Mind's Lamp would be completely destroyed. Young man, it's good to have confidence in yourself, but don't be too arrogant."
Li Jinglong said in a low voice, "The soul released can't be taken back one day. What kind of deal do you want to make?"
Yang Guozhong was silent for a long time, sizing up Li Jinglong. After a long time, there was some appreciation in his eyes, and he said in a low voice, "Marquis Yadan, you're much smarter than I thought."
"The second Mind's Devil is in your body," Li Jinglong said lightly, "Am I right?"
Yang Guozhong didn't answer. Hongjun nimbly cut to a point and said in a low voice, "Lu Xu once had the Three Thousand Worlds Nightmare on his body. Then, what's on your body?"
Yang Guozhong's expression changed in an instant. Li Jinglong knew that Hongjun's question had hit the nail on the head. The three souls of Hei Jiao, Xie Yu, and Xie Yu each turned into a Heart Demon. The first one borrowed Lu Xu's White Deer's spirit to absorb the world's nightmare. The second one was in his own body. The resentment and pain he absorbed from the world must have a source.
As for the third one, if he wasn't wrong, it was in An Lushan's possession!
Yang Guozhong naturally wouldn't discuss how to refine the Heart Demon with him. He only said, "Go and retrieve the third Heart Demon for me."
"On An Lushan's body?" Li Jinglong said slowly, thinking that he had finally grasped Yang Guozhong's weakness.
"Exactly." Yang Guozhong nodded courteously and answered, "Ten years ago, I used three souls to turn into three Heart Demons. One of them was given to this guy. In the end, I didn't expect that An Lushan would use a magic treasure to cut off the connection between me and the third soul. He absorbed the world for his own use. As time passed, it became more and more uncontrollable. I need someone to kill him and release the Heart Demon trapped in An Lushan's body."
Li Jinglong glanced at Hongjun. Hongjun only felt that this situation was simply absurd. He had clearly come to kill Xie Yu. It was fine if he failed, but now Xie Yu was still asking them to do something?
Li Jinglong said, "To the Exorcism Division, you should know that whether it's Tianma or Xie Yu, you are all targets to be eradicated. Minister Yang, where did you get the confidence to think that I would do this business with you?"
Yang Guozhong smiled and said, "Marquis Yadan, forgive me for being blunt. This time, I was also forced by you to the point that I had no choice but to come forward. If not for your unreasonable pestering in the Imperial Mausoleum Case, would I be in such danger?"
Li Jinglong said seriously, "You think too highly of me. An Lushan wants to find a reason to deal with you. What does it have to do with the Exorcism Division?"
"That day, when I came to see you personally, I originally thought that you would understand." Yang Guozhong said coldly, "With your strength, if everyone attacked together, it wouldn't be a problem to trap a Gu Ape …"
Hongjun, "!!!"
Seeing that he had been exposed, Li Jinglong didn't beat around the bush and said seriously, "That's right. It's precisely because of this that I was able to force you into a corner and personally deal with it."
"You don't know." Yang Guozhong suddenly moved closer and his aura became even stronger. He said word by word, "If I want to kill someone, I have to find a reason. I won't kill those who have submitted to me. But in An Lushan's life, there is only destruction and slaughter. Now, you and I have no way out. We have to work together to eradicate him. "
"This is your own mistake." Li Jinglong said.
Yang Guozhong narrowed his eyes and sized up Li Jinglong. Finally, he said, "Yes, so what?"
Li Jinglong said in a low voice, "I can retrieve the third demonic soul for you, but you should know what kind of conditions I will put forward."
Yang Guozhong looked at Li Jinglong with an enigmatic expression.
"Why do you want to become Tianma?" Hongjun suddenly asked, "My father was so against it, and even harmed me and my mother … but you …"
"That's why I changed my mind." Yang Guozhong said in a low voice.
Li Jinglong: "…"
Hongjun's breathing became hurried. He saw Yang Guozhong slowly pacing around the high wall and said seriously, "I can't agree to your conditions, Li Jinglong. But if you ask for a sky-high price, I can wait for you for another hundred years. "
As he said this, he looked at Hongjun. Hongjun instantly understood … Yang Guozhong was willing to wait for them to die!
For a great demon like Xie Yu who had a lifespan of thousands of years, or even thousands of years, a hundred years in the human world was only ten or a few years in a human's life.
"What if I live past a hundred years?" Hongjun said coldly.
"You won't." Yang Guozhong looked at Hongjun and revealed a meaningful smile, "The lifespan of a demon and a mortal's descendant is the same as a mortal's. This is destined by the heavens. You can't have both divine abilities and wisdom."
"Perhaps I don't have to wait for a hundred years. As for what arrangements you are willing to leave behind, you can do whatever you want. It's not impossible to push back this war that is destined to happen. "
Li Jinglong glanced at Hongjun. Hongjun felt an inexplicable sense of relief. In fact, even he himself did not know how long he could live. Chong Ming had never told him, but he had thought about this question more than once.
A hundred years later, Li Jinglong would no longer be in this world. Perhaps by then, the grudges of the past would no longer be important. However, he could foresee that after Hongjun and Li Jinglong died, Yang Guozhong would come and take away his demonic seed.
"You must leave Chang 'an," Li Jinglong said in a low voice.
"That's inevitable." Yang Guozhong said in a low voice, "After all … your emperor has one foot in the grave. Chang 'an is no longer my era. After he dies, I will take away the jade ring."
Hongjun was very suspicious. Yang Guozhong was actually willing to give up everything he had already obtained? There were only two possibilities. One, he was deceiving them. Two, if he could not take back the inner demon in An Lushan, Yang Guozhong himself would not live for long.
Hongjun wanted to speak again, but Li Jinglong put his hand on his shoulder and muttered to himself for a moment.
"You don't have much time to think," Yang Guozhong said.
Li Jinglong said slowly, "If I nod like this today, I'm afraid that after I die, I won't be able to explain to the souls of the mortals who died by your hands."
"This is war." Yang Guozhong looked at Li Jinglong and said, "It's not murder, it's the Marquis of Yadan who abhors evil. The war between humans and demons has been going on for a long time. Long before you and I were alive, the number of demons who died by the hands of mortals was more than ten million. "
Hongjun felt that Yang Guozhong was lying to them, but he could not find any loopholes. Finally, Li Jinglong said softly, "Deal."
"I'll give you twenty days." Yang Guozhong immediately waved his sleeve, and the surrounding walls were all removed. "During this time, the Exorcism Division will seal you up. You will be a wanted fugitive." As he spoke, he turned back again and looked at Li Jinglong. "An Lushan has a magic treasure that protects the inner demon seed in his body. As long as that magic treasure is removed, I can successfully summon back the third soul. Don't act rashly. Li Jinglong, you can't destroy it."
At the same time, Yang Guozhong casually drew an incantation. It was the talisman that the Exorcism Division had studied before. In an instant, with a buzz, Li Jinglong and Hongjun were teleported away at the same time!
Li Jinglong appeared in the street behind the Exorcism Division, but Hongjun's figure disappeared.
"Where's Hongjun? Hongjun! "Li Jinglong shouted instantly.
Yang Guozhong's voice sounded in the alley, and he replied, "Don't worry, I won't take him as a hostage. I'll let him back in an hour."
Hongjun felt his vision blur, and he found himself in a luxurious courtyard. Cherry blossoms were flying in the courtyard, but Li Jinglong was nowhere to be seen. When he stood up and looked around, he saw Yang Guozhong slowly walking towards him. He immediately said angrily, "Where's Li Jinglong?!"
"Let's talk." Yang Guozhong spoke in a carefree manner, and his voice didn't carry an overbearing tone any longer. He seemed as if he was just an ordinary friend of his father's generation. "If you're willing to leave, then I'll send you off right now."
Hongjun took a deep breath. Yang Guozhong came to the garden, sat down, pressed his hands on his knees, and shouted. Not long after, a butler came over. Yang Guozhong ordered people to serve snacks. They were pastries that Hongjun usually liked to eat, and a pot of tea.
"Do you still remember your father?" Yang Guozhong asked.
At this moment, Hongjun's mood was extremely complicated. Chong Ming had once given him an order to kill Xie Yu, and only then could the Phoenix Clan regain control of Chang 'an. However, he gradually realized that in front of Xie Yu, even with Li Jinglong, he was no match for him at all.
So be it. After he came to Chang 'an, he gradually realized that many things were not as simple as he once thought. He no longer thought that black was black, and white was white.
"You're lying to us," Hongjun said coldly, "All this time, what you wanted was the demonic seed in my body."
"Nonsense," Yang Guozhong said, "Do you think I'll help Li Jinglong punish evil and uphold justice?"
Hongjun slowly shook his head, "I won't be fooled by you …"
"When you were young," Yang Guozhong said, "I persuaded your father to hand you over to me. Do you think I'm the one who chased after you and your mother? "
Hongjun, "…"
"You're different from them." Yang Guozhong frowned deeply and stared at Hongjun, saying, "You're Kong Xuan's son, the adopted son of Chong Ming and Qing Xiong. Half of your bloodline is demon, Hongjun. Why are you so persistent? Don't you feel any sense of familiarity when you see me? I'm the King of the Demon Clan in the world, but in front of you, am I not as good as that old man Li Longji? "
Hongjun was speechless for a moment. Yang Guozhong motioned for him to eat some snacks, saying, "If I wanted to poison you, I would have done so long ago. How much of the people's blood and sweat have you eaten?"
Hongjun thought about it and agreed, but he still didn't eat, replying, "I'm not eating not because I'm afraid you'll poison me, but because I don't eat enemies' food."
"There are no eternal enemies in the world, only temporary friends." Yang Guozhong looked at Hongjun with interest, saying, "It seems that Phoenix and Golden-Winged Dapeng really didn't teach you these things and protected you very well."
"What are you trying to say?" Hongjun narrowed his eyes, thinking that Yang Guozhong must have a motive for separating him from Li Jinglong.
"I just want to see you." Yang Guozhong said seriously, "I want to know what kind of person you've grown up into. After all, back then, your father promised that he wanted you to be my disciple …"
Hongjun said in disbelief, "What?!"
"Otherwise, why did your parents live in Chang 'an before they died?" Yang Guozhong said slowly, "It's a pity that ten years ago, I made a mistake and didn't guard against Di Renjie's arrangements, even falling short of success. Now, it seems that you've been taught by them to be incomparably stubborn, and this master-disciple relationship can no longer continue. "
Hongjun's heart almost wavered in front of Yang Guozhong. There were still many doubtful points about what happened back then, and Yang Guozhong's point of view just happened to be something he hadn't thought through. But later, when Yang Guozhong saw him again, he never mentioned this matter.
Yang Guozhong said again, "Ten years ago, it was your father, Kong Xuan, who proposed the Three Souls Transforming Heart Demon Technique. Otherwise, why would I waste this effort? "
Hongjun's eyes suddenly widened, saying, "That's my father …"
Yang Guozhong nodded slowly, saying, "Tianma's cycle of reincarnation occurs once a thousand years. The demonic seed will absorb the evil energy in the world that hasn't entered the world and turn into a demon. The nightmare of the Three Thousand Worlds is one of them; the persistence of loneliness, bitterness, and sorrow is the second; and the unwillingness to die is the third. All kinds of evil energy are born from this. "
Hongjun instantly thought of the resentment he released when he burned the fox, purified the flying mastiff, and killed the snow woman and the god of plagues with demonic energy in Dunhuang.
"So, An Lushan's body …"
"The unwillingness to die is the unwillingness to die." Yang Guozhong said slowly, "You have to know that an old man who has lived for more than a thousand years has to bear so much pain, and he doesn't have the Heart Lamp protecting him like you do. It's a very uncomfortable thing."
Hongjun: "Don't tell me it's to save my life, I won't believe it. Xie Yu, why did you transform into a demon?"
Yang Guozhong looked at Hongjun quietly and asked, "Of course, it's not for you, but for myself. Hongjun, have you experienced the pain of being locked under a tower for nearly a thousand years?"
Hongjun immediately fell silent.
"There's no future, and there's no passage of time." Yang Guozhong said slowly, "In the endless darkness and void, you can only feel that you and the seal around you can't move. You have no future, and can only constantly chew on your past. This is all that the human race has done to me … "
Yang Guozhong sized up Hongjun's expression and slowly smiled, saying, "Your companion Qiu Yongsi is still searching for my whereabouts and wants to lock me back."
"Before that, you committed a great crime!" Hongjun said.
"I'm just living my own life in the Yangtze River." Yang Guozhong said, "Humans eat fish and prawns in the water, but I eat people on the shore. What crime am I guilty of?"
Hongjun felt a wave of dizziness. He felt that he couldn't argue with Yang Guozhong at all.
"I know you can't accept the truth for the time being." Yang Guozhong said, "Let's put it here first, disciple."
"I'm not your disciple!" Hongjun said angrily.
Yang Guozhong said, "You'll change your mind one day and recognize the so-called ugliness of the world. Before that …"
He leaned slightly to face Hongjun and said seriously, "Go back and think about it. Once you've thought it through, come find me. Hongjun, Yuan Kun can't save you, only I can. "