The Demon Emperor Physique

Left utterly speechless by her words, Li Yuan lowered his head in embarrassment and rubbed his nose.

After a brief silence, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned his head to look at her and asked:

“After Setis's body was reconstructed, did she retain her mana compatibility of this world, or did she return to her old self from the Kyushu Continent?”

The “old self” he referred to, of course, meant obtaining the physique of the demon race.

Hearing this, Hui glanced at him and let out a sneer from her throat, her laugh filled with undisguised disdain:

“You look down on my tail way too much. Of course she obtained a physique comparable to a Demon Emperor.”

“What's so good about that so-called mana-compatible physique of this world? It's pure trash! It can't compare at all. Replacing it with the bone structure of my demon race is something countless people dream of. And here you are, worrying about it?”

Li Yuan was not particularly surprised by this answer.

The Demon Emperor Physique—this meant that once Setis woke up, she would no longer be a magic warrior who had to rely on mana and battle techniques to fight.

Her meridians would be completely reconstructed, establishing a true channel of connection with the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

Unlike ordinary cultivators, she would not need any spiritual root; this physical vessel was already a darling of heaven and earth.

If she wished, she could soon embark on the path of cultivation—the path of Daoist arts that she had yearned for but had been unable to pursue due to her lack of a spiritual root.

But in return, the mana system she had painstakingly cultivated for over a decade in this world would be completely useless.

Magic could no longer be used, her mana circuits would completely vanish, and her talent as a top-tier magic warrior would be reduced to nothing... It was an unequal exchange.

He thought about it and finally shook his head gently, his tone carrying a trace of emotion:

“But Setis will probably be happy—she can finally begin cultivating those spells as she always wanted.”

Hui yawned and replied nonchalantly:

“Whether she is happy or not is her business. In any case, I've done my best. The rest is up to you two.”

She flicked the tip of her tail and added with a hint of a playful, half-smiling tone:

“Speaking of which, you've really gone to great lengths for this little girl. Severing karmic ties, begging for my tail... What, have you finally opened your heart?”

Li Yuan was taken aback by her question, then let out a laugh and shook his head:

“Don't talk nonsense. I just feel she is somewhat similar to that useless nominal disciple of mine. Looking at her, I always felt I should lend a hand.”

“Oh? A nominal disciple.”

Hui drew out her words, her tail swaying slowly behind her, her golden vertical pupils filled with teasing:

“Then tell me, did you ever sever the karmic ties of heaven and earth, or summon the River of Time for that nominal disciple?”

Li Yuan opened his mouth, only to find himself speechless. He remained silent for a long while, which eventually dissolved into a soft sigh as he stopped defending himself.

Seeing him like this, Hui did not press further. She merely let out a meaningful snort, lay down gently, and closed her eyes to rest.

A gentle breeze blew over from the surface of the spiritual spring ocean, carrying pure ripples of spiritual qi.

Li Yuan gazed at this calm, rippleless spiritual spring ocean, and memories of many years ago suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Back then, not long after he had first embarked on the path of cultivation, he too had been full of curiosity about everything and filled with hope for the future, just like Setis. Later, as his realm grew higher and his lifespan grew longer, he could see through everything at a glance, and the things that could truly move his heart became fewer and fewer.

His various emotions had also grown increasingly detached... Many times, he wondered if he could even be considered a normal human being anymore.

The two sat side by side like that, neither speaking again.

Time within the small world was different from the outside world, completely adjusted according to Li Yuan's mood.

The sky always maintained a golden hue somewhere between dusk and night—neither too bright nor too dark, set to a perfectly balanced range.

After an unknown amount of time, a slight rustling sound suddenly came from the cottage behind them.

Though it was very faint, to the ears of Li Yuan and Hui, this noise was clear enough. Both of them turned their heads at the same time.

Their gazes fell in unison on the tightly closed wooden door. After a few more seconds, the door creaked open completely.

Setis stood at the doorway, one hand resting on the doorframe while the other unconsciously clutched the corner of her clothes.

She looked to be in decent condition, though her face was still a bit pale, but her eyes had regained their luster.

Gazing at the boundless water in the distance, her face was filled with confusion.

Setis remembered that she should have been lying in her own bedroom—yet everything before her eyes was completely different from the scenes in her memory.

The air was filled with a refreshing scent she had never experienced before, making every breath feel exceptionally soothing.

The sky had an indescribable strangeness to it, yet it glowed with a soft, pale-gold halo.

The ocean not far away was extraordinarily calm, without a single ripple, giving off an extremely surreal, dreamlike sensation.

Faced with this sight, a faint sense of unease rose in her heart, and she unconsciously took half a step back.

Then, her gaze swept across the yard in front of the house, and she saw a familiar figure in the distance.

Li Yuan was standing in the yard, still wearing his spotless cyan robe, looking toward her. Their gazes met in midair, and he nodded slightly, a gentle smile she was most familiar with playing on his lips.

Most of the unease in Setis's heart instantly vanished. Although she had absolutely no idea why she was here, nor did she know what was going on with this strange world.

As long as she saw that Li Yuan was here, she felt inexplicably at ease. Thus, after only a moment of confusion, she decisively pushed the wooden door open and walked straight toward him.

After taking a few steps, she noticed that there was another figure standing beside Li Yuan.

It was a massive white fox—scarily large, as tall as a horse, its entire body snow-white without a single blemish.

What drew even more attention was behind it: eight long tails were swaying gently, each looking as if they were woven from the finest silk, their tips glowing with a faint golden luster.

Setis paused her steps, unconsciously taking a few more looks. She had seen many records of fox species in the academy's magical beast encyclopedia, but she had never seen a breed with multiple tails, let alone one that could grow to such a massive size.

However, she quickly withdrew her evaluating gaze. Since this white fox could stay quietly beside Li Yuan, it was presumably not a dangerous entity.

Seeing Setis come out, Li Yuan and Hui ended their previous conversation and turned to welcome her.

“You're awake?” Li Yuan's tone was as gentle as always. He sized her up from head to toe, as if confirming her physical condition.

Setis nodded, and before Li Yuan could say anything more, a stream of questions burst from her mouth:

“Where is this place? How did I get here? Did you bring me here? I clearly remember being heavily injured—stabbed in the chest with a sword—but why am I completely fine now? Where is the wound? How long was I unconscious? How are my mother and brother doing? And—”

She spoke faster and faster with growing urgency, only realizing halfway through that she was losing her composure. Her face flushed slightly as she hurriedly shut her mouth.