"What is this?"
Yang Jian's expression changed drastically as he saw a phantom of Ye Ling fly out of the brocade pouch, his heart churning with immense shock!
Seeing a phantom identical to Ye Ling made his scalp tingle!
He couldn't fathom why the brocade pouch given by Xuan Xiao would contain Ye Ling.
Ye Ling, however, remained unfazed, calmly observing the phantom that looked exactly like him but was filled with malevolent energy, lost in his thoughts.
Ye Ling could sense that this phantom was not a mere trick by Xuan Xiao; its power was of the same origin as his own.
This meant that this phantom, identical to him, originated from his inner demon!
"Ye Ling phantom," the phantom said with a smile, "Although this is our first meeting, I still want to say... Host, we finally meet."
"Host?"
Upon hearing the "Ye Ling phantom's" words, Yang Jian's expression shifted dramatically. He looked at Ye Ling with disbelief, "What exactly is going on?"
If Yang Jian had encountered Ye Ling's inner demon in any other circumstance, he might have accepted it.
But the crucial point was that Ye Ling's inner demon had emerged from the brocade pouch given by Xuan Xiao!
This implied that Xuan Xiao and Ye Ling had a prior entanglement?
Who exactly was Ye Ling?
Yang Jian's thoughts were in disarray.
"Some things are not suitable to be discussed here."
Ye Ling did not answer Yang Jian. He spoke calmly, demonic energy surging from his body, enveloping the phantom before him and opening a new space within the ancient ruins!
This space was a void, devoid of even spiritual energy.
Ye Ling and the phantom stood facing each other in this space.
Ye Ling said, "Alright, in this space, no one else will disturb us. You can speak freely."
The phantom scanned the surroundings and smiled at Ye Ling, "As expected of the host, your spatial cutting techniques are as formidable as ever. It's a pity... no one, neither on Earth nor on the Eastern Xuan Continent, has ever forced you to unleash your full power. After all these years, don't you feel lonely?"
Ye Ling replied, "If you hadn't come to trouble me, I would have been happy to continue in this state."
The moment he saw his phantom appear, Ye Ling understood that Xuan Yu and Zhang Xiao Ling's words were true.
His inner demon would bring him trouble, immense trouble!
If his inner demon was truly manipulating everything from behind the scenes, it would pose a grave crisis for him and for Earth!
The reason a demon is called a demon is that it accumulates all of the host's negative emotions, representing darkness.
In essence, the inner demon is the other side of the host. Apart from their disposition, all other aspects, such as appearance and strength, are identical to the host!
This meant that if Ye Ling were to fight his inner demon now, his win rate would only be fifty percent!
If it were only this, it would be fine. But now, Ye Ling was in the open, while the inner demon was in the shadows. With their raw strength equal, Ye Ling was clearly at a disadvantage!
Moreover, Ye Ling's objective was to protect Earth, while the inner demon's goal was simply destruction.
Regardless of the specifics, destruction was always easier than protection, and in this regard, Ye Ling was inherently at a disadvantage.
Ye Ling now faced an enemy who knew him inside out, was not weaker than him, and whose disposition leaned towards chaos and evil. He knew his situation was exceptionally perilous.
The phantom was naturally aware of the current situation. It faced Ye Ling from a superior position and said with a smile, "Host, the current situation is clear to both of us. As long as I proceed gradually, your chances of defeating me are quite slim."
"If you are willing to yield your body to me, we wouldn't have to go through so much trouble."
"From now on, I will be the host, and you will become the nourishment for my cultivation, allowing me to ascend to the pinnacle of the universe. What do you say?"
"You should also know that at our current realms, once we absorb each other's power, not only on the Eastern Xuan Continent, but even across the entire universe, there would likely be no one else who could defeat us."
"So, what do you say... Will you consider it for our supreme glory?"
Ye Ling chuckled, "What you've said is quite tempting. However, you are the inner demon, so logically, you should be the one offering your power to me."
"But I'm not an unreasonable person. Knowing you wouldn't agree, how about you willingly reveal yourself now, and we find a place to have a duel? Whoever wins becomes the host, how about that?"
The phantom shook its head and laughed, "I won't do that. Currently, you are in the open, and I am in the shadows. I have a significant advantage. If I were to reveal myself now, wouldn't that be equivalent to wasting all my advantages?"
"This is a matter of life and death, and we cannot be careless."
Ye Ling did not expect his inner demon to willingly come out, so he was not surprised by the phantom's response. He shifted back to the main topic, "Enough pleasantries. Let's get down to business... You suddenly appeared to find me, surely it wasn't just to chat, right?"
The phantom smiled, "As expected of the host, you cut off the conversation so quickly."
"Fine. We've chatted enough, and there's not much sentiment between us. Let's get straight to the point."
With that, the phantom's tone shifted, becoming somewhat sinister, "This time, I've prepared a game for you and invited you to participate."
Ye Ling asked, "Can I refuse to participate?"
The phantom smiled slightly, "After I finish saying what I need to say, you won't refuse this game."
Hearing the phantom's words, Ye Ling suddenly felt a bad premonition.
Given the chaotic mind of his inner demon, whatever it did was bound to be extreme.
Ye Ling furrowed his brow slightly and asked the phantom sternly, "What are you going to do?"
The phantom replied, "The Tongtian Towers, buried across the world, have now awakened. Ye Feng in the Immortal Realm will become one of the sacrifices to activate the Tongtian Towers, contributing to this sacrificial ritual."
"You intend to sacrifice Ye Feng?"
Hearing the phantom's words, Ye Ling felt increasingly uneasy. He asked coldly, "What exactly do you want to do!"
The phantom continued, "Ye Feng as a sacrifice in the Immortal Realm is far from enough. Correspondingly... Ye You must also serve as a sacrifice in the mortal world..."
"How dare you!!!"
Ye Ling interrupted the phantom, unleashing a terrifying aura. Violent power surged towards the phantom!
Under the impact of Ye Ling's immense power, the phantom began to flicker, on the verge of collapsing at any moment!
The phantom swayed amidst Ye Ling's overwhelming aura, disregarding its imminent collapse, and quickly said to Ye Ling, "Host, this game is a gamble with Ye You's life!"
"If you win, you can save Ye You. If you lose... Ye You will die, my power will surge, and at that point, our strength will be imbalanced, and you will be devoured!"
"I will not let you succeed!"
Ye Ling roared, and the phantom dissipated into smoke under his immense power!