417: Chapter 417 Enlightening the Demon Emperor

Hua Liuli stood up and walked towards the door.

Chen Yi hurriedly followed.

The two left the room, went through the hallway, and headed all the way down.

Eventually, they arrived at a secret chamber located deep underground.

Pushing open the heavy metal door, the sight inside stunned Chen Yi.

It was a massive underground space, at least half the size of a football field.

The space was divided into countless independent cages, each holding various magical beasts.

There were swarms of Fluffy Rabbits, massive Armored Bears, fire-breathing Fire Lizards, and all sorts of bizarre plant-type magical beasts...

From Tier 1 to Tier 3, magical beasts of all levels were present.

Most were plant-type magical beasts, a small portion were animal-type, and a very small fraction looked like rare treasures that seemed to be special spiritual artifacts.

"Where... is this?"

Chen Yi made a rough estimate; there were at least a thousand magical beasts here!

Hua Liuli walked to a cage, looked at the trembling Fluffy Rabbit inside, and said softly, "These are all my unborn children."

Chen Yi was stunned: "Unborn children? Do you mean to say that these magical beasts can actually be enlightened into Demon Emperors?"

Hua Liuli nodded: "Yes! Every single magical beast can carry a human soul waiting to be reincarnated!"

"As long as I use my blood to enlighten them, they can awaken the memories of their human past lives and become new Demon Emperors!"

"But this process... is not easy."

After saying this, she reached out her hand and grasped at the void.

A white Fluffy Rabbit flew out from the cage and landed in her hand.

Its red eyes were filled with fear.

Hua Liuli extended her other hand, and her index fingernail gently sliced across her fingertip.

A drop of dark purple blood seeped from the wound.

Hua Liuli forced the blood drop out and gently flicked it toward the Fluffy Rabbit.

The blood drop landed precisely on the rabbit's forehead and then quickly merged into it.

The next second.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft—"

Countless scarlet blood threads suddenly burst out from the Fluffy Rabbit's body!

Those blood threads spread wildly, instantly covering the rabbit's entire body.

The blood threads intertwined and wrapped around, forming a complex magic circle pattern around the rabbit.

Then, the blood threads began to condense and compress, forming a small entrance above the rabbit's head.

The entrance began to rotate, emitting a powerful suction force that seemed to want to swallow everything around it.

Chen Yi could feel that the entrance connected to... some unknown dimension, the resting place of souls.

However, this process only lasted a few seconds.

Just as the black hole entrance was about to stabilize, those scarlet blood threads suddenly trembled violently.

"Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!"

Like a meat slicer, the blood threads began to frantically cut the rabbit's body!

"Squeak—"

The rabbit let out a shrill scream.

The next moment, its body was cut into countless pieces, then turned into a mist of blood and dissipated into the air.

The entire process was too fast for anyone to react.

From the moment the blood drop merged to the rabbit exploding, no more than ten seconds had passed.

Chen Yi's brows furrowed tightly: "What... happened?"

Hua Liuli looked at the blood mist dissipating in the air, a bitter smile appearing on her face.

"As you can see."

Her voice carried deep exhaustion, "Actually, the probability of me successfully enlightening a Demon Emperor is not one hundred percent; one could even say... it's not even one percent."

"For hundreds of years, I have actually only enlightened fewer than one hundred Demon Emperors in total."

"And... their lives are all very short, at most twenty-something years, and at least two or three years."

"I myself don't understand the true usage of this power, which is why the Sect only has a mere ten Demon Emperors left... Oh, wait, adding Shi Yuying, I suppose it's eleven!"

Hearing this, Chen Yi was stunned.

He didn't care about the success rate.

What truly concerned him was the other thing Hua Liuli said—"Their lives are all very short, at most twenty-something years, and at least two or three years."

Demon Emperors... aren't they immortal?

In his understanding, as the highest-tier existences, Demon Emperors should have very long lifespans.

Examples like Emilia, who lived for eight thousand years, might be extreme.

But living for several hundred to a thousand years should be normal, right?

Why are the lifespans of the Demon Emperors enlightened by Hua Liuli so short?

"Are you saying..."

Chen Yi's voice was a bit dry, "Black Rose and Aunt Ying actually won't live for very long?"

Hua Liuli nodded: "Yes! Or rather... I can sense how much lifespan they have left."

"Chen Yi, I don't mean to discourage you! But in my eyes, Black Rose belongs to the short-lived category, with at most three years of life left!"

"Although Shi Yuying is long-lived, she doesn't have much time left either, probably less than two years!"

"In the days to come, spend more time with them! This is likely the last thing you can do for them."

"Whoosh—"

Chen Yi felt his brain buzz, and he almost blacked out on the spot.

He stumbled back a step, bracing himself against the wall nearby to barely steady himself.

Life and death are fated; wealth and honor are in the hands of heaven.

People will eventually die; this is a natural law.

It wasn't that Chen Yi didn't understand this principle.

He had seen death, experienced life and death, and knew the fragility and impermanence of life.

But the problem is... Black Rose and Shi Yuying, they still have a long future ahead of them!

Including her past life, Black Rose is only in her early twenties;

Although Shi Yuying is older in actual age, in this life she is only in her twenties!

They still have plenty of time, an infinite future.

How could they fall so quickly?

This number is too short!

So short that it's unacceptable!

"Are you really... not joking?"

"I have no need to joke with you! I called you here precisely because I want to resolve these matters!"

"After all, I don't want to see the sisters I painstakingly raised just die like this."

"For thousands of years, I have experienced this situation too many times—watching them awaken, watching them grow, and then... watching them age and die within a few short years—"

"To the point where I am now... completely numb."

Chen Yi fell silent.

He lowered his head, looking at his own hands, his mind in chaos.

Black Rose, that girl who always smiled gently, occasionally got shy, got jealous, and silently supported him...

Shi Yuying, that mature and steady presence who always took care of others, like a big sister...

They only have such a short time left?

No!

Absolutely not!

Chen Yi suddenly looked up and asked, "What do you need me to do?"

This time, it wasn't acting, it wasn't a disguise.

He truly wanted to help Hua Liuli, to help Black Rose and Shi Yuying overcome the life-span crisis.

Hua Liuli looked at his eyes and was slightly taken aback.

She could feel that Chen Yi's emotions at this moment... were real.

That firmness, that determination, that unquestionable will!

It seems that Chen Yi's feelings for those Demon Emperor girls are indeed genuine!