Chapter 28 Feigning Compliance

If he forced a confrontation, even if he could capture this youth, he would inevitably pay a huge price. Moreover, the commotion here had likely already alerted the experts of the State Religion outside...

In a flash, the Black-robed Demon weighed his options. The surging Devilish Qi around his body receded like a tide, and the sky-covering demonic claw above his head slowly dissipated.

He reined in his aura, and his low, hoarse voice sounded again, carrying a hint of admiration: "Not bad, your strength is not bad."

"Just not bad?" The corners of Yun Bai's mouth curled into an undisguised, contemptuous smile; anyone could see he was mocking him.

The Black-robed Demon was clearly taken aback, surprised by the other party's boldness and provocation.

"You seem to... have anticipated my arrival long ago?" He spoke again, his scarlet gaze scrutinizing Yun Bai.

"You seem to be quite 'looking forward' to my arrival here?" Yun Bai retorted with a sneer.

It turned out that while lingering outside the Restriction, Xiao Liu had received a crucial encrypted message. That message contained the detailed structural diagram of the entire Demon Race secret chamber, the precise coordinates of the spaceship wreckage, and... information about the Black-robed Demon lying in ambush here.

From this, Yun Bai surmised that the Demon Race had dismantled and modified the wreckage of the universe shuttle to serve as the operational core for the massive Formation here.

"Hehehe... Impressive, impressive. You are worthy of being the person the Demon Celestial Master ordered us to 'invite'." The Black-robed Demon let out a strange laugh.

"Demon Celestial Master?" Yun Bai felt a jolt in his heart. This unfamiliar title sounded like someone with an extremely high status within the Demon Race. Why would the upper echelons of the Demon Race be interested in him? This was definitely not a good sign.

The Black-robed Demon cast his gaze toward the eerie coffin in the center of the hall. "I noticed Your Excellency was quite interested in this 'gods coffin' just now. Inside this coffin, a 'divine corpse' is kept."

He changed the subject, his tone luring: "Your Excellency must have come here precisely for this 'divine corpse', right? Since that is the case, why don't we make a deal?"

Yun Bai was startled: "A 'divine corpse'?" He had never heard of such a thing. A god's corpse? How could the Demon Race call the object in the coffin that? Associating it with a corpse, he inevitably thought of the other team members who might have perished on the spaceship in his past life... Could it be the remains of one of them? But why would the Demon Race revere it as a "god"?

"Hehehe... Perhaps you don't understand the name 'divine corpse'. According to the Demon Celestial Master, sealed within this 'divine corpse' is a piece of 'Huanji Intelligent Brain'—you wouldn't happen to not know what this is, right?" The Black-robed Demon smiled meaningfully, his words carrying deep implications.

Yun Bai's heart shook violently! The other party actually knew about the "Huanji Intelligent Brain"! This meant that the Quantum Intelligent Brain was not an absolute secret in this world!

Seeing his expression, the Black-robed Demon laughed even harder: "Hahahaha... Your Excellency need not be startled. Because I know that you are likely... not from this world, are you? For a traveler from beyond the heavens, what difference is there between the Human Race and the Demon Race?"

These words struck like a thunderclap!

How did the Demon Race know so much?! Yun Bai instantly realized that the Demon Race had used the "Huanji Auxiliary Intelligent Brain" as the core computing power for their laboratory, clearly having conducted in-depth research. No wonder they could deduce his origins!

"So," Yun Bai's voice was icy, "the message I received revealing the intelligence about this place was sent by you on purpose?"

"Tsk, you're quick to react." The Black-robed Demon clicked his tongue, effectively admitting it. "The Demon Celestial Master wishes to meet with Your Excellency. Follow me back to Shengtian; all the answers you want are there."

"The Demon Celestial Master? Heh, you flatter me." Yun Bai sneered. "I am just a nobody; what virtue or ability do I have to trouble a Demon Race tycoon? You want me to step into a Dragon's den and tiger's lair with just empty words; Your Excellency is being too childish."

"Hehehe..." The Black-robed Demon laughed in a low voice, his robes moving slightly. "Whether it is childish or not, Your Excellency can weigh that in your own heart. The Demon Celestial Master possesses vast Divine Ability and can know the past and future. Since he specifically named you, there is naturally a reason why you must go."

His words were slow and full of temptation, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue: "Once you reach Shengtian, all your doubts—about this world, about where you came from, and even about... the possibility of you 'returning', might all find answers." Every word and sentence struck directly at the deepest desires and weaknesses in Yun Bai's heart.

Yun Bai's heart contracted sharply, but his eyes became increasingly sharp as ice. He sneered: "Who doesn't know how to paint a pie to satisfy hunger? 'Returning'? Based on you lot? A 'Demon Celestial Master' who hides his head and shows his tail, not even daring to show his true face? If you want to gain my trust, fine—show some real, tangible sincerity!"

He stepped forward, his gaze burning as he stared at the central coffin: "You say there is a 'Huanji Intelligent Brain' inside, let me confirm it with my own eyes! If you can't even do that, then there is nothing for us to talk about!"

The Black-robed Demon's hood tilted slightly to one side, his gaze beneath the shadows seemingly scrutinizing Yun Bai's determination. After a moment, his voice turned colder: "Seeing is believing? Very well. But how will Your Excellency demonstrate your sincerity? With all your cultivation, plus that iron kite spirit sword that can wound my demonic body... do you intend to bring these along to view our race's sacred object up close?"

"To view a sacred object, one must first disarm, dissipate one's spiritual power, and bind one's hands. This is the most basic... sincerity."

"Bind my hands and submit?" Yun Bai acted as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world, his voice suddenly rising, full of mockery. "And then what? Let you plant a Restriction in my Sea of Consciousness, so that from then on, my life and death are in your hands, and I become a Puppet? Is this your so-called 'deal'? Does Your Excellency take me, Yun Bai, for a three-year-old child who would believe such suicidal nonsense!"

"Hehehe... Your vigilance is quite high." The Black-robed Demon did not get angry, as if he had expected this. "Since you are unwilling to surrender the power over your own life, then let us take a step back. Hand over that Talisman in your bosom that contains space power and can help you escape instantly. Without this last reliance, you and I can be considered to be in the same boat. In this way, I will allow you to step forward and carefully examine the 'Huanji Intelligent Brain', how about that?"

Yun Bai's movements stiffened.

The other party was indeed prepared; they even knew clearly about his trump card for survival, the "Great Teleportation Talisman"!

The coldness in his eyes intensified, and he didn't even bother to respond to such a condition: "Do you take me for a fool?"

The negotiation instantly reached a stalemate.

The atmosphere in the stone hall was as heavy as iron; the cold Devilish Qi and the sharp pressure of spiritual power collided silently, making the air stifling and suffocating.

Finally, the Black-robed Demon snorted as if extremely reluctant, his voice carrying the annoyance of being forced to concede: "...Fine! I will let you take a look! After you finish looking, if you continue to make excuses..." The unfinished words were full of chilling threats.

He saw his withered fingers inside his black robe sleeves form a strange Dharma seal, and he pointed from afar toward the dark coffin.

Hum—

All the purple-black demonic patterns flowing on the inner walls of the entire spherical hall suddenly lit up with blinding light! With the coffin as the center, countless secret patterns, like lit fuses, frantically channeled viscous, ink-like Devilish Qi energy inward.

The coffin itself began to tremble slightly, and ripples like water waves appeared on its surface, which was made of a material that was neither gold nor jade. Immediately after, from the seam between the coffin lid and the coffin body, a wisp of extreme darkness, as if it could devour all light, "blackness" spilled out.

That was not the black of a color, but more like a "wound" where space itself had been torn open.

This "wound" rapidly expanded and twisted, surrounding the coffin and forming a slowly rotating, miniature vortex-shaped eerie scene.

The center of the vortex was so deep that it was heart-palpitating, as if it connected to the darkest abyss of the Universe, and even the purple light emitted by the surrounding demonic patterns was ruthlessly sucked in and annihilated.

At the edge of the vortex, space appeared unnaturally curved and stretched, causing the path of light to distort, making the coffin and the surrounding scene appear twisted and distorted.

This scene was exactly the same as the scene when Yun Bai unleashed his "Black Hole" Divine Ability.

The Black-robed Demon's voice rang out amidst the low hum of the vortex, carrying a hint of undisguised fanaticism and awe: "Now... do you see it clearly? This is a glimpse of the 'divine corpse'."