Chapter 130: Saint Demon Brother

"No." Zhou Tian shook his head honestly.

"It is no secret, not among our generation in the Nine Provinces, nor among the elders who came before us. I have been born with dual souls since childhood, rendering me unable to cultivate. These two personalities could never meet, each vying for control of the body until I obtained the inheritance of a great power from the ancient Buddhist realm."

The Saint Demon spoke in a flat tone. Although he was right in front of Zhou Tian, his voice seemed to come from beyond the heavens. "The Luotian Temple is merely a lineage passed down from that ancient Buddhist realm. While it is the strongest of them, this particular Buddha had no connection to them. Nevertheless, since it is the inheritance of a great power from the Buddhist realm, they naturally sought to learn something of it, which is why I have had a few dealings with them..."

The Saint Demon did not elaborate. One could imagine these encounters were hardly pleasant; after all, he was a self-made man with no background, while the Luotian Temple was one of the supreme powers of the Nine Provinces. The two were simply not on the same level.

Zhou Tian nodded. Experts who reach such heights surely possess legendary histories of growth.

"It seems you are attempting to merge your two personalities?" Zhou Tian recalled the eerie state the Saint Demon had exhibited during their battle.

"Indeed. I must merge my two personalities to break through to the Dao Master realm. This is common knowledge."

The phantom of the Buddha behind the Saint Demon flickered with increasing speed. Two starkly different phenomena appeared upon his person: one side as radiant as heaven, the other as dark as hell.

"But after the merger, will you still be... you?" Zhou Tian asked, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

"The soul is mine, the body is mine; naturally, it will still be me." The Saint Demon opened his eyes, the phenomena around him dissipating. He frowned slightly, wondering why Zhou Tian would ask such a question.

"But after the fusion, which personality will be in control? Will it be the current you, the other you, or a completely new personality born from the union?" Zhou Tian mused. The Saint Demon’s method of curing his own split personality was truly impressive. Usually, a patient with such a condition has a primary personality, but looking at him, neither side seemed dominant.

"You need not concern yourself with such matters." The Saint Demon frowned. His Dao heart was incredibly firm; he could not be swayed by Zhou Tian's words.

"Alright, alright." Zhou Tian shrugged. He had only asked out of curiosity; he never truly expected to goad the Saint Demon's two personalities into destroying each other with a few words.

"If the Nine Provinces and those from the Ancient God Realm were to go to war, whose side would you take?" Zhou Tian shifted the topic. This was essentially a foregone conclusion; based on the intelligence he had gathered, the gods of the God Realm had paid a heavy price and would certainly not let the matter rest.

The Saint Demon lowered his gaze, lost in thought. A moment later, he spoke: "I was born in the Nine Provinces. Under no circumstances will I stand on the side of the God Realm."

"Then why are you helping them now?" Zhou Tian asked. It was clear that the one who had made a deal with the Saint Demon was from the God Realm; he did not believe the Saint Demon was unaware of this.

"The path of seeking the Dao cannot be interrupted. I have my reasons."

Zhou Tian was speechless. It seemed he had a reason for everything.

"You little brat, you talk too much. One more question, and I will throw one of your two friends down!" The Saint Demon threatened, seeing that Zhou Tian was about to speak again.

Zhou Tian choked, his lips moving, but he ultimately remained silent. *I won't lower myself to your level,* he comforted himself inwardly.

The massive body of the Nine-Tailed Phoenix Bird streaked across the sky above the Land of Abandoned Gods with extreme speed. Every flap of its wings tore through the fabric of space, and the resulting powerful currents wreaked havoc on the land below. Wherever it passed, all ferocious beasts fell silent, hiding like turtles in their shells.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. The land beneath the phoenix began to show traces of cities rather than just barren, desolate plains.

*Whoosh!*

A sword light descended from the nine heavens like an inverted galaxy, cleaving half the sky and extinguishing countless stars. Just as it was about to strike the Nine-Tailed Phoenix Bird, its tail feathers erupted in light, manifesting a colorful barrier that blocked the blow.

A figure appeared in the void, holding a long sword and wearing gray Taoist robes—the one who had unleashed the sword qi.

"Who dares to act so presumptuously!" he roared, his voice echoing like thunder across the horizon. A divine beast like the Nine-Tailed Phoenix Bird was not a creature of the Land of Abandoned Gods; someone must be directing it.

Inside the palace on the phoenix’s back, the Saint Demon, who had been sitting in the air above his chair, suddenly opened his eyes. He said to the bored Zhou Tian, "We have arrived."

Hearing this, Zhou Tian nearly jumped from his chair; the last two days had bored him to death.

The Saint Demon said nothing more. With a wave of his hand, their figures vanished and reappeared directly above the head of the phoenix. Seeing the robed figure standing in the void, he said calmly, "Someone from the Dao Alliance? Which lineage are you from? Perhaps I even have an acquaintance in your master."

The man was uncertain of the newcomer's true strength, but mindful of the massive power he represented, he refused to show weakness. "And who are you, to act so presumptuously here!"

A smile appeared on the Saint Demon’s face. "I am asking you a question. Did you not hear me clearly?"

An invisible ripple pulsed outward. Without the Saint Demon moving a muscle, the man was sent flying, vomiting a great spray of blood. The crimson droplets fell to the earth, and where they landed, lush green grass sprouted instantly.

"A mere Great Emperor, daring to speak to me in such a manner." The Saint Demon said dismissively, completely disregarding the other's status.

Zhou Tian looked at the retreating figure, then at the Saint Demon, then at himself. *Brother Saint Demon is giving me face,* he thought. *This must mean my status in his heart is higher than that of a Great Emperor.*

The Saint Demon continued his display of dominance, his aura radiating like a blazing sun and pressing down like a demonic mountain upon the vast world. "An old friend has arrived. Will the leaders of the Nine Provinces not come out to receive me?"

Instantly, three figures appeared before the Saint Demon.

There were three middle-aged men: one in armor, one in Taoist robes, and one wearing a feather crown. All three exuded a towering aura, no weaker than the Saint Demon’s; the armored man in the center even seemed to slightly suppress him.

Despite the appearance of three peers, the Saint Demon’s face showed no concern; his smile only grew more audacious. "I did not expect that only the few of you would come from the Nine Provinces. Oh, wait—some of your auras are unstable. It seems you have been severely wounded."

His tone suggested he had already anticipated the lack of top-tier experts in the Nine Provinces. Zhou Tian realized with a start why the Saint Demon had dared to come: he had known all along that there was no one here capable of crushing him.