Some people are immune to a hundred poisons, yet their hearts are pierced by a thousand arrows.

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Uh-oh. I thought this man, barely clinging to life, wouldn’t notice such subtle changes. How could he be so sharp?

Well, now I’m in trouble. The way he’s glaring at me, like he’s ready to swallow me whole—there’s no hiding now.

No matter how you look at it, barging in like this was reckless. Isn’t this basically a provocation against the Demon King? How could someone like me just casually spy on a powerful demon?

The image of him standing in the Nine-Prong Plaza flashed in Long Ming’s mind, sending a chill down his spine. In his past life, surviving in the ruthless schemes of the Long family as an illegitimate child without a mother—and making it all the way to the Holy Domain—wasn’t because he lost his mind, but because he could stay calm at all times.

This was already the second time he’d encountered a face like this.

His restless heart gradually calmed, and when he looked again at You Ji’s face—so similar to his dear friend’s—it was like gazing at a fine porcelain, no longer stirred with emotion.

Just a shell, with a different core inside. What was there to be excited about?

It was laughable.

He had wronged both his friend who sacrificed for him and the person who was being used as a replacement.

Since he had been discovered, hiding wasn’t his style.

And there was something he had overlooked back at the plaza.

You Ji’s voice and posture were so familiar. The only reason they would feel familiar to him… is because they’d met before.

Suddenly, a smirk appeared on Long Ming’s lips.

He knew where he had seen You Ji before!

Still in his transparent form, Long Ming twisted his body and found a dry, small alcove within the cave. From his space ring, he retrieved a full set of equipment belonging to “Long Ming.” He used a potion to wash off the disguise, letting his previously disheveled black hair fall loosely over his shoulders, then carefully combed it.

With quick precision, he changed his appearance completely, and once again, like a celestial being, the young man returned to the same spot in his invisible form.

Perhaps because he hadn’t received any response, You Ji violently struggled against the chains binding his limbs, fury burning in his eyes like flames about to explode. The sound of metal clashing against muscle rang out, each strike terrifying enough to make anyone hesitate.

Clang!

The chains, which seemed so sturdy, shattered in mid-air and scattered into pieces. A man covered in scars, looking like a fierce beast, dropped to the ground from above.

If anyone else had been there, they would have sensed it—the aura around You Ji had grown even stronger. He had leveled up again!

Extreme pain can sometimes awaken deep resilience, though most people would succumb to such agony.

At the same time, the air in the cave shifted slightly, and You Ji slowly raised his head.

A figure began to materialize, tall, silent, standing there quietly, emitting a soft, glowing light that illuminated the dark cave.

That sorrowful, compassionate expression, those aloof eyes, and the noble aura—it all overlapped with the blurry figure from his dreams.

You Ji’s eyes lit up, and his heart pounded uncontrollably, almost as if it would leap out of his chest. This feeling was so familiar, like something from long, long ago.

He suddenly took a step forward, wanting to confirm if the person in front of him was real. For centuries since his birth, he had been driven mad by the illusionary, dreamlike figure.

But he abruptly halted his steps. He needed to stay calm. Stay calm.

He couldn’t scare this person away again because of his impulsiveness.

In his previous dreams, he had tried countless times to reach out and grab that blurry figure, but it was always just his one-sided wish. That person was nothing more than a mirage, someone he could never attain, not even in his dreams.

How he longed to touch that person, just once—just once.

Perhaps it was because his fierce expression had suddenly shifted to one of overwhelming joy too quickly, making him appear somewhat twisted and terrifying.

The quiet figure in front of him took a few steps back.

His entire face, even his ears, trembled and flushed red with excitement. His eyelids desperately tried to lift, while tears welled up in his eyes like floodgates bursting open. Within moments, the tears streamed down, blurring his vision entirely. That once incredibly handsome face was now unrecognizable through the tears.

“Don’t… don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. I just want to touch you, just once…”