Gu Li."

As Gu Zichen said the name, he carefully examined Ye Zichen's reaction. Judging from his strange expression, he was every bit as shaken by this news as Gu Zichen expected.

So it was him!

Ye Zichen's heart shook. He never would have guessed that the person he'd been at odds with since their time in the Modern Realm would be one of the two chosen emperors.

He let out a long breath, then got his expression back under control. "Are you absolutely certain it's him?"

"You're shocked, right?" said Gu Zichen teasingly.

He shrugged. "Do you really think I'd deceive you at a time like this? Gu Li and I opposed each other back in my dimension too. You could say that, so long as it's one of 'our dimensions,' Gu Li will always oppose us. It's his destiny."

Ye Zichen mulled this over in silence, internally processing everything Gu Zichen had told him and carefully evaluating his expression.

If everything he said was true, Gu Zichen's distaste for Gu Li should be no less than his own. He looked at Gu Zichen strangely.

Sensing his look, Gu Zichen couldn't help but laugh. "You must be wondering how I could even consider working for Gu Li. Given the way you think, I must also detest Gu Li, right?"

Ye Zichen nodded noncommittally.

"Actually, my hatred for him isn't all that deep. Rather, I could say that if you wait just a little longer, your hatred for him won't be as deep as it is now, either."

Gu Zichen's lips tightened into a smile and his gaze was somewhat distant.

"Right now, he's the person you hate the most, and his entire way of thinking is diametrically opposed to yours," said Gu Zichen. "But just wait. You'll soon realize that the true enemy, the one who will make you crumble in defeat, the one who will make you watch helplessly as your friends, family, and lovers die right before your eyes, isn't him."

"What?"

"It's not really all that strange. At this point, you and Gu Li are really just fighting over petty squabbles. For now, you still have people supporting you, and the two of you are fighting evenly. You've clashed so many times, but in truth, neither of you have suffered major losses or won major victories either, right?"

A smile tugged at Gu Zichen's lips and he said, "everything that will truly make your heart ache, make you suffer, and make you fall into hysterical despair has yet to come. Do you know how it feels to watch your loved ones perish right in front of you, dying without even leaving behind a corpse? In the future, you'll have lots of time to savor that feeling of utter helplessness."

As he said all this, Gu Zichen spoke as if reciting a prophecy, his tone flat and even-keeled.

However, it was obvious that he had experienced all this himself. For him to say all of this so calmly....

His pain must have been so intense, he'd died inside.

Perhaps, under the weight of all that suffering, his heart had grown numb and he felt nothing even when he thought of all he'd been through.

Ye Zichen couldn't even imagine it, didn't want to imagine it, but his heart grew more and more determined.

He would definitely find a way to end things here, with him.

"Did you know? Although Gu Li seems like a bad person, compared to truly atrocious, diabolical villains, he at least has a bit of a conscience. Therefore, I thought I'd try working for him. Perhaps he might succeed. Then my world would be released and I could see.... all those people who I can now only see in my dreams."

He smiled faintly, but you could nevertheless sense his inner bitterness.

In his world, he was a supremely powerful existence. Despite this, he currently had no choice but to place his hopes on Ye Zichen, a mere immortal king.

This was his last hope, but also the biggest proof of his failure.

Noticing that Ye Zichen had said nothing for a long time, Gu Zichen looked at him inquisitively and said, "tch, the atmosphere suddenly seems a bit depressed."

"We were supposed to be talking about Yang Jian. I can't believe I said all that and still didn't get to him. When people get old, they love telling stories. It seems that I'm no exception."

If Gu Zichen hadn't said anything, Ye Zichen might well have forgotten why they'd started talking in the first place. Thing is, after hearing all that, it seemed that Yang Jian's situation wasn't going to end well.

"Did Yang Jian die for you?"

"You could say that," said Gu Zichen, intentionally putting on a carefree smile, "he died in a truly...."

Just then, both Ye Zichen and Gu Zichen sensed something fluctuate. They turned and looked through Ye Zichen's eyes just in time to see the star descending into Yang Jian.

"He succeeded," said Gu Zichen.

"You're saying the Star of Slaughter chose him?" asked Ye Zichen in shock.

Gu Zichen didn't deny it. "It seems that some aspects of history are unchangeable," he said. "No matter what, the Star of Slaughter will choose him."

Gu Zichen's expression was grave, even more so than when he'd been telling all those stories.

"Isn't this a good thing?" asked Ye Zichen.

"Actually, this can't be considered a good result." Gu Zichen pursed his lips. "I said it earlier: the Star of Slaughter doesn't suit him. Their personalities are diametrically opposed to each other."

"Then can we forcefully stop it?"

"You're overthinking things," said Gu Zichen, rolling his eyes. "No one can stop a star's descent - that's Heaven's Will. If it were just the Laws, I might be able to provoke them somewhat, but Heaven's Will.... please forgive my ineptitude. All we can do is now is sit tight and watch, that's all."

"Will there be any danger?" asked Ye Zichen.

"No."

Within the arena, Yang Jian's was still in the process of accepting the star. Not far off, the other immortals watched in astonishment.

All the way until Yang Jian opened his eyes

Hey! Get the hell out of my bros body then die, you asshole!

When he woke up, he didn't celebrate his newly obtained power, Instead, his gaze immediately locked onto the chair and Ye Zichen's unmoving body.

Rumble.

Fierce winds and a suffocating pressure exploded out of his body. Simultaneously, his lance appeared in his hands.

As he poured spiritual energy into it, it seemed to change somehow.

"Die!"

The lance sliced at Ye Zichen's head without any hesitation. Suddenly, Ye Zichen's lit up: he'd recovered his awareness. Sensing the blade about to cut into his skull, he hurriedly rolled to the side.

He just barely dodged the blow, the edge of the blade faintly cutting into his cheek and slicing off a few of his hairs. He fell back into the chair.

Bam.

The chair split in half.

Seeing that Ye Zichen dared run, Yang Jian narrowed his eyes and tightly gripped his lance. A grim light flashed through his eyes as he spat into his hands, then rubbed them together.

"Do you really think you can escape? A ghost like you that dared haunt my bro's body? I'll cut you to bits! Luckily, I just learned a few new moves. I'll test them out on you!"

With that, starlight glinted in Yang Jian's pupils.

"Battle Intent of the Stars: Assassinate!"