Chapter 349: A Vicious Tiger Eats Its Cub

Chen Yuan’s guess, while bold, was not baseless.

Han Chang was not yet thirty years old. When was he born? Right after Han Guang had been gravely wounded by Xie Kunwu.

‘He probably started scheming back then, planning to have a son whose body he could gradually alter. He would mold the boy’s meridians, flesh, and blood to be identical to his own, creating a more suitable vessel for possession.’

Although Chen Yuan knew little about the Secret Technique of possession, it was obvious that Han Guang’s mastery over the Primordial Spirit was profound.

‘Possessing a Martial Artist of the same bloodline—especially one whose flesh, blood, and bones have been molded into an identical copy—would be like taking over a second body. It shouldn’t be too difficult.’

This also explained why Han Guang cared more for the Original Demon Pill than for Han Chang himself.

Only the Original Demon Pill could make all of this possible.

Losing one Han Chang didn’t matter; Han Guang could always have another son. But without the Original Demon Pill, he would have no way to transform any others.

Now that he thought about it, the future he’d foreseen—of Han Chang reaching the Ninth Realm Celestial Profound and becoming the Palace Master of the Original Demon Palace—was actually quite strange.

Although Chen Yuan hadn’t spent much time with Han Chang, he had gotten a sense of the man’s character.

Han Chang’s innate talent was good, but only slightly better than Zhang Xuanzhong’s—a far cry from being astonishingly brilliant. And that was with the boost from the Original Demon Pill.

He was unscrupulous and contemptible in his actions, not to mention lecherous and greedy. His character flaws were severe.

For instance, he had foolishly trusted that Mei Niang and ended up losing the Life Transformation Pearl.

To become one of the powerhouses at the apex of the Jianghu, you could be wicked, you could be greedy, but you absolutely could not be a fool.

Besides, the Original Demon Palace didn’t belong to the Han Family alone.

Without a complete, bone-deep transformation, it was practically impossible for someone of Han Chang’s caliber to ever reach the Ninth Realm Celestial Profound and take control of the Original Demon Palace.

The powerful Elders within the Original Demon Palace would never agree to such a person taking the helm.

Therefore, there was only one explanation for how Han Chang could become the Palace Master of the Original Demon Palace in the future: his body, having been almost fully transformed, was possessed and taken over by his father.

The one who would rule the Original Demon Palace in the future wasn’t Han Chang at all. It was still the ‘Demon Venerable,’ Han Guang!

That would explain why there was no opposition within the entire Original Demon Palace, and why no one would dare to object.

Understanding all this, Chen Yuan looked at Han Chang’s corpse and couldn’t help but shake his head.

‘This guy was always boasting about being the son of the Demon Venerable Han Guang,’ Chen Yuan thought. ‘He had no idea he was just a pitiful wretch, destined to become a vessel.’

He was lecherous and greedy, yet Han Guang never reined him in. In fact, he let him indulge himself. This was clearly not how you’d raise a successor.

Han Guang was obviously trying to compensate his son, letting him enjoy life to the fullest now so he could go to his death peacefully later and relinquish his body.

Of course, Han Guang probably wasn’t trying to compensate him at all. He just couldn’t be bothered to care.

For a Demon Dao Giant Owl of his stature, with such a vicious and cold heart, a son wasn’t important. He was merely a vessel to extend his own lifespan.

However, now that he knew this, Chen Yuan would have to be more careful going forward.

He had stolen Han Guang’s Original Demon Pill and ruined the Demon Venerable’s grand plan. The man would surely hate him to the core.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Yuan unleashed his Celestial Fire, incinerating Han Chang’s corpse. He then scattered the ashes into the nearby spatial rifts, completely and utterly destroying all traces of the body.

Chen Yuan didn’t return to the Ten Thousand Gu Hall afterward. Instead, he went in search of other spatial passages.

The area around the Ten Thousand Gu Hall had been thoroughly explored, and Long Yao was also heading elsewhere to find an exit.

Chen Yuan planned to explore the Endless Immortal Palace a little longer before regrouping with Luo Lie and the others to leave.

「Meanwhile, at Qin Province’s Sky-touching Cliff, inside the grand hall of the Original Demon Palace.」

The ‘Demon Venerable’ Han Guang sat upon a Black Lotus Throne, his eyes lightly closed as if sensing something.

The Han Guang of this moment was even more decrepit than the Primordial Spirit form Chen Yuan had seen in his spiritual sea.

Not only was his hair white, but his face was also a web of wrinkles, and an aura of decay and decline surrounded him.

The next moment, his eyes snapped open, his gaze as sharp and piercing as a falcon’s.

‘Han Chang is dead. Even the wisp of Primordial Spirit on the Original Demon Pill was devoured. Who could have done this?’

Surprisingly, Han Guang wasn’t overly furious. He merely frowned, unable to comprehend the situation.

Han Chang’s death was not unexpected. Heroes in this world were plentiful, and he knew his son’s capabilities all too well.

Besides, to Han Guang, Han Chang was merely a vessel. He hadn’t invested all his efforts in the boy.

He couldn’t even compare to the low-profile Qingchen of Yellow Court Temple, let alone the monstrosities in the top five of the Hidden Dragon Rankings.

However, the Primordial Spirit Mark he had left within the Original Demon Pill was a sliver of his own Primordial Spirit. Even a Martial Arts Grandmaster of the Primordial Pill Realm would have their spiritual sea obliterated by its Primordial Spirit Power.

Yet now, that Primordial Spirit Mark had been completely annihilated. He could no longer sense it at all.

‘Who could have done this? Was it the Heir of the Divine King, Jiang Mu? Or the Saint Heir, Si Bai?’

‘Whoever destroyed my Primordial Spirit Mark must have heard my threat, yet they still dared to act. Their background and confidence must be formidable.’

A cold glint appeared in Han Guang’s eyes.

‘No matter who it is, even if it’s an heir from the Northwest Two Cities, if they fall into my hands, I’ll make them wish they were dead!’

Letting out a long breath, Han Guang didn’t dwell on the matter.

‘Only the weak allow themselves to be consumed by fleeting hatred.’

Besides, as far as Han Guang was concerned, he had only one true enemy: Xie Kunwu, the man who had knocked him from the Lingxiao Rankings and into the dust with a single strike.

With Han Chang dead and the Original Demon Pill lost, all the effort he had invested in him was likely for naught.

As for the Life Transformation Pearl he had sent Han Chang to find, it had likely either fallen into someone else’s hands or remained within the Endless Immortal Palace.

Fortunately, he, Han Guang, never made a bet without holding something back. He always had a backup plan.

After composing himself, Han Guang tapped the Black Lotus Throne he sat upon and summoned an attendant disciple. “Go bring Han Yi to me,” he said in a low voice.

A few moments later, a young man of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in lavish robes, entered the grand hall.

He strongly resembled Han Chang, but his demeanor was completely different.

Han Chang had radiated a sinister, arrogant, and wicked aura.

This young man, however, seemed timid and withdrawn. He didn’t even dare to raise his head, especially when facing Han Guang.

He was Han Chang’s younger half-brother, Han Yi.

He had been raised within the Original Demon Palace since birth and had never once set foot in the Jianghu.

As a result, most Jianghu people believed Han Chang was Han Guang’s only son, unaware that he had a younger brother.

“Your son pays his respects, Father.”

Han Guang looked at Han Yi and sighed. “Your elder brother went to participate in the trial of the Heaven-Reaching Tower. Just now, the mark I left on him allowed me to sense that he has met with disaster. His vitality is gone. I do not know if he died within one of the tower’s treacherous secret realms or at the hands of another young prodigy.”

“Though your brother is dead, my Original Demon Palace cannot be without an heir.”

“Han Yi, though you are still young, you must carry on your brother’s legacy. Cultivate diligently, and in the future, you will inherit my mantle and rule the Original Demon Palace!”

Han Yi’s head snapped up. He stared at his father on the Black Lotus Throne in disbelief, his lips trembling. His eyes filled with joy, but he forced himself to suppress the overwhelming ecstasy.

‘Han Chang is dead. My own brother is dead. And his death… is wonderful!’

They were half-brothers, and from the day he was born, Han Chang had been the heir to the Original Demon Palace. All the resources, all the benefits—they were all Han Chang’s.

Han Chang roamed the Jianghu, ascended the Hidden Dragon Rankings, and enjoyed limitless fame and glory. Meanwhile, he could only waste away inside the Original Demon Palace. How could Han Yi not be envious?

Moreover, a person like Han Chang knew nothing of brotherly affection. He had always bullied and oppressed his younger brother, remaining ever wary of him.

Every time Han Chang returned to the Original Demon Palace, he would humiliate him, warning him to behave and stay away from their father. He told him not to even think about competing for anything, that the position of heir to the Original Demon Palace had absolutely nothing to do with Han Yi.

‘But now, that bastard Han Chang was finally dead! My chance has finally come!’

Han Yi took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the ecstasy in his heart as he squeezed a tear from his eye.

“I never imagined that brother, a prodigy of such talent, would meet an early end in the Heaven-Reaching Tower.”

“Rest assured, Father. Your son will not disappoint you. I will inherit my brother’s legacy, cultivate with all my heart, and restore the might of our Original Demon Palace!”

A faint smile touched Han Guang’s lips. With a flip of his hand, a Demon Pill appeared in his palm.

The Demon Pill was covered in dense, golden demonic patterns and pulsed with the pure Power of the Demon Dao Origin. It was, astonishingly, another Original Demon Pill, though it was much smaller than the one that had been inside Han Chang—less than half its size.

“Come, Han Yi. This Original Demon Pill is a supreme treasure of our Demon Dao. Your brother had one as well, and I was saving this one for you.”

“You are now of a suitable age. I will implant this Original Demon Pill into your body to aid your cultivation, allowing you to be reborn and ascend to the heavens in a single step!”

Han Yi stepped forward, his face flushed with excitement.

‘Han Chang’s former glory, everything he once possessed—it’s all mine now!’

Han Yi’s gaze even drifted to the Black Lotus Throne beneath his father, a flicker of desire in his eyes.

‘In the future, this Original Demon Palace will be mine too!’

“This will hurt a little. You must endure it, Han Yi.”

Han Yi nodded firmly. In the next instant, Han Guang brutally forced the Original Demon Pill through Han Yi’s flesh and into his Dantian.

The excruciating pain of his flesh being torn asunder made Han Yi let out a pained scream.

But in his agony, he failed to notice that it wasn’t just the Original Demon Pill that had entered his body. There was also a golden gleam, a light unique to Primordial Spirit Power.

Han Guang remained expressionless, his gaze as cold as ice.

It is said that even a vicious tiger will not eat its own young, but Han Guang’s heart was more venomous and more ruthless than any tiger’s.

Whether it was Han Chang or Han Yi, from the day they were born, their entire existence was in preparation for this very moment.

This… was their fate!