"Tinuk, do you really think I fell for your trick?" Chen Fan chuckled.
The words he had just spoken were riddled with flaws.
Perhaps Tinuk himself didn't realize it, but Chen Fan hadn't believed him from the start.
"This wisp of demonic energy, is this your method of control?" Chen Fan smiled.
If he had truly refined this wisp of demonic nature earlier, he would have, like the former vice-chairman and the first光明使者, become a powerful clone of Tinuk.
"How did you discover it?" Tinuk's expression turned grim.
At this moment, his confidence of having countless clones vanished.
His meticulously planned stratagem had failed.
"However, you weren't entirely wrong about one thing."
Chen Fan, with a smile on his face, continued, "This wisp of demonic nature does seem to be able to control you."
That was right.
Chen Fan could sense many auras within this wisp of demonic nature.
Some of these auras were clustered together, while others were scattered.
Too many.
"Hahaha."
Chen Fan laughed, a wild, unrestrained laugh. "Are you after my body, or my weapon? Why do you want me to become your clone so badly?"
"..."
Tinuk's face turned terrifyingly dark. He said in a low voice, "Give me back my demonic nature, and I'll let you go."
"I refuse."
He sent a trace of his divine sense into the demonic nature.
Instantly, threads appeared before him.
With a gentle squeeze, he snapped one of them.
Outside.
*Bang!*
A clone directly dissipated, vanishing into light energy in the air.
"It really works?"
Chen Fan was satisfied.
"... What will it take for you to release the demonic nature?" Tinuk was unwilling to give up.
"Is this wisp of demonic nature very important to you?"
"..."
Tinuk remained silent.
Indeed, this wisp of demonic nature was different from the others.
Tinuk valued Chen Fan too much. This thread of demonic nature was far more potent than those used to control others.
"Look here..."
Chen Fan smiled with an inscrutable expression. "From this wisp of demonic nature, can I find your weakness? Or perhaps... find a way to suppress you?"
"..."
*Bang!*
Suddenly, the thread of demonic nature exploded.
*Whoosh.*
Across from him, Tinuk's face instantly turned deathly pale.
Chen Fan was right. This thread of demonic nature could indeed be used to find a method of suppressing him.
Even at the cost of self-mutilation, he would not let the thread of demonic nature fall into someone else's hands.
"Clang."
The moment the thread of demonic nature exploded, Chen Fan struck without hesitation.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
The sword light descended, instantly slaying the Tinuk before him.
Outside.
Dense numbers of clones were attacking the disheveled old demon.
The moment Tinuk was slain, all the clones simultaneously collapsed.
"Confine."
After killing Tinuk, Chen Fan did not destroy everything before him.
The Golden Silk Cicada Robe glowed, trapping all the scattered energy.
Like unraveling a silken cocoon.
A somewhat illusory figure slowly coalesced.
Tinuk, he had reappeared.
"Hahaha."
Only now did Chen Fan truly laugh with joy.
This guy was too foolish.
The earlier forcing of him to detonate the thread of demonic nature, and then killing him, was all for this very step.
Now, it had succeeded.
Tinuk's soul was trapped within the Golden Silk Cicada Robe.
Without Chen Fan's permission, he would never be able to escape.
"You think you can trap me? Dream on..."
Tinuk sneered. "No one in this world can trap me, not even my soul."
"You can try."
Chen Fan said with a smile.
Tinuk tried to self-destruct, but suddenly found that his soul's power was completely beyond his control.
"What's going on?"
This time, Tinuk truly panicked.
Every wisp of his soul was him.
If it were captured, something unexpected might happen.
"Stay put."
Chen Fan smiled and closed the Golden Silk Cicada Robe.
Once inside, there was no thought of leaving.
He couldn't even die if he wanted to.
...
"It's dealt with?"
The old demon, panting, retreated into Tinuk's left eye palace.
He was exhausted.
He was a demon, but not to the extent of being able to fight endlessly.
"It's dealt with."
Chen Fan nodded.
As for how it was resolved, there was no need for further explanation.
The disappearance of the clones outside had already proven Chen Fan's words.
The old demon collapsed onto the ground, wiping away sweat that wasn't there. "What do we do next?"
Since he had followed Chen Fan, he no longer wanted to make decisions.
He had not yet recovered to his peak state and needed time.
"Next..."
After a moment of thought, a smile spread across Chen Fan's face. "Naturally, we wait."
Wait.
Wait for what?
Chen Fan didn't say, and the old demon didn't ask.
"Let's go."
The two of them walked out of the utterly devastated headquarters of the Hall of Light.
This land had been razed, leaving nothing alive.
The light energy had all dissipated, perhaps absorbed by Tinuk.
In any case, it was gone.
The natural spiritual energy of heaven and earth washed over, making this land indistinguishable from any other place.
"Depart."
They returned to the caravan and continued their journey towards Wenlan City.
...
Wenlan City.
The moment the caravan drove into Wenlan City, the entire city erupted in a thunderous cheer.
The sound echoed like a tsunami.
"What's going on?"
Chen Fan was a little bewildered.
Lan Kuang, who was driving, didn't look back but provided an explanation. "Wenlan City has become one of the six major powers in Damelia, so naturally, there's a celebration. Oh, and now it's five major powers."
The downfall of the Hall of Light hadn't spread completely yet; it would take time to ferment.
"Long live the City Lord..."
"Long live the City Lord..."
The cheers reached Chen Fan's ears.
"Isn't the City Lord your father? Why are they shouting 'Long live the City Lord'?"