Chapter 16: Eliminating the Greatest Hidden Danger

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Eliminating the Greatest Hidden Danger

"You agree?" Hui asked excitedly.

"Of course," Li Ye said. "In this world, you’re the only one I can rely on, and I’m the only one you can rely on. We can only win if we work together. If you get devoured by the other two strands of Demon Qi, I won’t survive either."

"That’s true," Hui said. "In that case, you need to find a way to develop my abilities as soon as possible. The more you use me, the stronger I’ll become."

’Minimize the use of demonic items. The more they are used, the easier it is to lose one’s true nature.’

The Demon Hunter’s rules of use flashed through Li Ye’s mind, and a sliver of alarm struck him again. ’Lose one’s true nature?’

Now that he knew the Team Emblem was sentient, he had to consider a new problem. ’Could this so-called "losing one’s true nature" actually be a direct possession by the demonic item?’

He had to remember.

Demonic items had significant limitations and needed a user to reach their full potential. That’s why they weren’t as powerful as demons that had possessed living beings.

’Is it possible, then, that a demonic item could gradually transfer itself from its host object to a person through the corrosion of Demon Qi?’

’He had to be on guard.’

Instinctively, Li Ye trusted no one.

However, the Team Emblem gaining sentience had its advantages for him.

Li Ye asked, "Hui, can you sense the locations of the other two strands of Demon Qi?"

"I can if we’re close enough," Hui said.

"Okay, I understand." Li Ye nodded.

Although it couldn’t sense their exact locations from afar, this was still good news. At least the Team Emblem would get a reading when they were close, and if he couldn’t win a fight, he could still run. It was better than being completely in the dark like before.

...

’Fuck your ancestors! Trying to scheme against me? I’m not falling for it. Sooner or later, I’ll have the Demon Suppression Tower take you back...’

’You piece of junk should be suppressed in the Demon Suppression Tower for all eternity.’

Li Ye cursed silently in his mind. Hui could speak directly into his head, so he wanted to test if his own thoughts could be perceived by it. If all his thoughts were exposed, he would be at a huge disadvantage.

He spent a good while mentally badmouthing Hui, but it gave no reaction. Li Ye finally relaxed a little and asked, "Hui, the other strands of Demon Qi possessed a black bear, a koi fish, and so on. Why were you so unlucky as to possess an inanimate object?"

"..." After a long silence, Hui finally responded, "Like hell I wanted to possess an inanimate object. The seal on the Demon Suppression Tower exploded. It was very sudden. All the Demon Qi was sent flying when the seal shattered. By the time I regained consciousness, I was already inside this damned Team Emblem."

"Then who forged the Demon Suppression Tower?" Li Ye asked.

This was a crucial question. The Demon Suppression Tower, which sealed all the Demon Qi, couldn’t have just appeared out of thin air. He had to consider whether so-called Immortals and Great Powers actually existed on Earth.

"I don’t know," Hui said. "I already told you, I’ve lost many of my memories. Maybe when I get stronger, I’ll be able to recall the secrets behind all this."

"There are only two other strands of Demon Qi on this planet. Even if you devour them both, how much stronger can you get?" Li Ye said suddenly.

All sorts of information could be exposed in a casual conversation. Li Ye was probing Hui in various ways, trying to get more information out of it and verify the truth of what it had told him.

His words once again sent Hui into silence. After a long moment, Hui replied, "I can also get stronger by being used by you."

"There are so many people on this planet. Even if you could use all of them, it wouldn’t be as fast as devouring other Demon Qi to grow, right?" Li Ye chuckled and continued.

Another long silence.

But Li Ye had already gotten the answer he wanted. Hui seemed to have just awakened its consciousness and wasn’t very sharp yet. A smile crossed his lips. "Hui, I think you’ve taken the wrong path."

"How is it wrong?" Hui retorted.

"I think you should have pretended you hadn’t regained your sentience, and then let the Demon Suppression Tower summon you back with me," Li Ye said.

"Impossible! I never want to be controlled by the Demon Suppression Tower again!" Hui raged.

"Hui, hear me out." Li Ye smiled and continued, "If you pretend you haven’t awakened, you can return to the Demon Hunting Bureau. This time, you and I go back safely. I’ll submit a user report on you. Since you’re so useful, other Time Travelers will definitely choose to use you next time.

"Then, you can follow other Time Travelers to other worlds and devour other Demon Qi. That’s the path to long-term growth! By breaking away from the Demon Suppression Tower now, you may seem successful, but you’ve also locked your own upper limit!"

Hui said, "But I’m free."

"Think about it. Are you really free?" Li Ye shook his head and smiled. "The other strands of Demon Qi are all devouring each other, trying to become great demons. But you’re confined to this tiny planet. At this planet’s level of civilization, who knows how long it will take to reach outer space. The civilization might even be destroyed at some point. Hui, your lifespan must be incredibly long, right?"

"Yes. As long as I’m not devoured by other Demon Qi, I will never perish," Hui said.

"Right, you’ll never perish. You’ll just exist on this planet, all alone, day after day. How is that any different from being sealed in the Demon Suppression Tower?" Li Ye sighed wistfully. "Is being the local tyrant on a backward planet really the life you want?"

"I..." Hui wanted to argue, but it stammered for a long time without saying anything.

"Hui, you know I deceived the people of this planet by telling them I’m a Star Thief from a higher civilization. And you’ve seen it yourself—these natives are now eager to achieve Ascension with me and see a more advanced civilization." Li Ye glanced back toward Sirius Valley. Inside, Shi Xiang and the others were enthusiastically practicing their ball skills, as onlookers erupted in cheers from time to time.

He paused before continuing, "You’re not worse than these natives, are you?"

"So, even if I have the ability to sever the Demon Suppression Tower’s control over me, I should still go back?" Hui said with difficulty. Although its tone didn’t change much, Li Ye could still sense its conflict.

"If I were you, I would go back," Li Ye said with certainty. "It would be dangerous, but it would also mean opportunity. It would mean getting stronger and stronger.

"The planet the Demon Suppression Tower sent me to this time is very backward. But what if next time, you follow another Time Traveler to an incredibly advanced planet, one with the ability to travel the cosmos? Wouldn’t that be more exciting than this?

"Every time you return, it means you’ll have another choice, and it means you’ll be a little stronger. Because every time you return, it means you’ve defeated the Demon Qi of another world, and in a relatively safe way.

"The demons on this planet aren’t going to cause some world-ending apocalypse. But Time Travelers traverse worlds once a year. You’re bound to find a suitable world eventually. Hui, fortune favors the bold. Your path is already much easier than what the Demon Qi back on Earth have to deal with..."

"So, I should go back?" Hui asked hesitantly.

"Yes, go back. Don’t tell me you don’t even have the confidence to hide your awakened sentience from the Demon Suppression Tower!" Li Ye laughed.

"How could that be? Anyone can play dumb," Hui said defiantly. "Fine, I’ll listen to you. We’ll go back."

"Great. It’s settled then. Hui, I’ll do everything I can to help you." Li Ye smiled as well. He let out a long sigh of relief in his heart. He’d managed to persuade Hui. As long as this thing was willing to return to Earth, he wouldn’t have to worry about being possessed.

After all.

If he were possessed, the Demon Hunting Bureau would notice something was wrong even if he returned, and Hui would be exposed.