4373 The Crimson Demon’s True Motive

"Brother, you were captured by the Crimson Demon as well, weren't you? This means that your innate talent is good and you're a prodigy!" one of the men said to Duan Ling Tian with a smile.

"The Crimson Demon wouldn't bother with you if you're not a prodigy… What a pity! Even prodigies won't be able to do anything here."

"We're all in the same boat. I was acknowledged as one of the top three strongest young prodigies under the age of 10,000 in my World, and I come from one of the strongest second-tier Worlds…"

"You came at a bad time… The Crimson Demon has been targeting us more and more frequently in recent times. If I'm not mistaken, his time must be almost up."

Then, one of the men said to another man, "Apart from the chosen one, do you think he'll release the others?"

"I don't think so…"

"Well, there's one way to preserve your life, and that is to become his puppet!"

Duan Ling Tian was shocked when he heard the men say that they were top prodigies below the age of 10,000 and that they were all captured by the Crimson Demon.

'What exactly does the Crimson Demon want? Did he really send me here to find some fortuitous encounter on his behalf?'

Duan Ling Tian began to question his own speculations about the Crimson Demon's motives after listening to the men trapped here. He cupped his fists slightly at the men again before he asked, "Gentlemen, do you know why the Crimson Demon sent us here?"

Based on the men's conversation, it seemed like they had figured out the Crimson Demon's true motives. Alas, most of them ignored Duan Ling Tian's question and sighed, walking away.

"He's just another unlucky person."

"We're all unlucky to be trapped here…"

However, a few men stayed behind and looked at Duan Ling Tian curiously.

Most of the prodigies captured by the Crimson Demon were advanced Supreme Gods. The few intermediate Supreme Gods were on par with ordinary advanced Supreme Gods. The youngest among them were below the age of 5,000 so they were shocked when they discovered that Duan Ling Tian might not even be 2,000 years old.

Just like many things, cultivation was difficult in the beginning. Even if one became an intermediate Supreme God or an advanced Supreme God before reaching 5,000 years old, it did not mean one could enter the realm of Supreme Gods before the age of 2,000 years old.

After a moment, an average-looking young man dressed in a green long robe stepped forward. He looked at Duan Ling Tian who was still hovering in the air and said, "We're currently in the Crimson Demon's Little World. He didn't reveal his plan to us, but many people speculated that he's searching for a new body."

"A new body?!" Duan Ling Tian's eyes widened in shock. "You're saying he's planning to possess one of our bodies?"

The young man nodded. "That's right. Even supreme powerhouses have to go through Heavenly Tribulations once every 10,000 years. Some of our ancestors who are supreme powerhouses know about the Crimson Demon. According to them, the Crimson Demon is just a mediocre supreme powerhouse, and he's very old now. It's possible that he was seriously injured during his last Heavenly Tribulation. As such, it's not surprising that he's willing to do anything to prolong his life."

Duan Ling Tian frowned slightly. "Based on my knowledge, even if he possesses a new body, his soul will still be the same. Under such circumstances, he still has to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation. Moreover, the stronger his soul is, the more difficult it'll be for him to adapt to a new body. It'll take at least a few thousand to ten thousand years for a supreme powerhouse to adapt to a new body, right?"

Duan Ling Tian had some basic knowledge, after all. Moreover, it was not unheard of for cultivators below the realm of supreme powerhouses to possess another person's body. Even after possessing a body, those people were still unable to avoid the Heavenly Tribulation that occurred every 10,000 years. As such, it was not surprising if supreme powerhouses had the means to avoid the Heavenly Tribulation and live forever. It was not difficult for supreme powerhouses to possess a new body, after all.

"It's common knowledge that ordinary supreme powerhouses aren't capable of avoiding the Heavenly Tribulation," the green-clad young man shook his head and said, "However, according to some people, there are a few clans in the Myriad Worlds that possess bloodline powers that can transform their souls and allow them to retain their memories after possessing a new body."

Duan Ling Tian's expression changed as soon as he heard the green-clad young man's words. These clans would be invincible if all their supreme powerhouses could live forever. After all, if those supreme powerhouses could live forever, they would only grow stronger with the passage of time.

The green-clad young man continued to say, "However, despite those clan's heaven-defying bloodline powers, they only have one chance. Apart from that, the process is extremely dangerous, and the requirements for the new body are extremely high as well. Generally, the younger and stronger the body is, the better it'll be. For example, if a supreme powerhouse had to choose between an intermediate Supreme God below the age of 2,000 years old or a rudimentary Supreme God who's 1,000 years old, his success rate would be higher if he chose the latter…"

After a beat, the green-clad young man looked at Duan Ling Tian and asked hesitantly, "Are you really under 2,000 years old?"

The green-clad young man could sense through his Divine Consciousness that Duan Ling Tian was very young, but he could not sense Duan Ling Tian's exact age. When Duan Ling Tian nodded in response to his question, his eyes widened in shock before he said, "If that's the case, I'm afraid that you're now the Crimson Demon's target if he's really from a clan that possesses those heaven-defying bloodline powers. We're not 100% certain, but most of us believe he indeed possesses such a bloodline power. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense for him to keep us here and kill some of us once in a while. It doesn't make sense for him to go through so much trouble just to capture us. After all, the Crimson Demon will be in trouble if our ancestors learn about this…"

Duan Ling Tian was greatly enlightened after listening to the green-clad young man. He agreed with the green-clad young man; it was likely that he was now targeted by the Crimson Demon and that the Crimson Demon intended to possess his body. It was likely the Crimson Demon sent him here to test his capabilities.

'If they're right about the Crimson Demon needing a young and strong body to fulfill the high requirements, he could've summoned me back now. Why is he still keeping me in his Little World?'

After a moment, Duan Ling Tian concluded that Crimson Demon kept all the prodigies here so they could fight each other for survival. Then, the last one standing would then be possessed by the Crimson Demon.

'I was wrong. The Crimson Demon lied about the fortuitous encounter,' Duan Ling Tian thought to himself with a sigh after realizing the precarious situation he was in. Even if he survived and the Crimson Demon failed to possess his body, his own soul would be inevitably injured.

'I didn't expect to be in such deep trouble not long after coming to the Outer Boundary… Why do I have to wander into the Crimson Demon Ridge after leaving the sea?' Duan Ling Tian lamented his luck inwardly. If he had taken a different route, he would not have been targeted by the Crimson Demon.

At this moment, the green-clad young man asked, "My name is Wang Yi Yuan. How should I address you?"

"Duan Ling Tian," Duan Ling Tian replied without hesitation after he regained his senses. After all, the green-clad young man left a good impression on him.

"Brother Duan, let me introduce you to…" Wang Yi Yuan said with a smile as he turned back to look at the few prodigies standing who stayed back.