After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

After the last Li Hanyi was completely burned to ashes, no new Li Hanyi ever appeared again.

The passageway suddenly fell into a deathly silence, with only the soft "drip-drip" of blood dripping from Long Yucheng's sword tip hitting the ground.

In the narrow passageway, dozens of corpses lay scattered about—some with sword energy piercing their hearts, the sword wounds surrounded by scorch marks left by flames; others had their necks neatly severed by sword energy, their heads rolling to the side, their disheveled black hair and bloodstains stuck together in clumps.

Bright red bloodstains were splattered on the dark red stone wall, the two shades of red blending together, appearing particularly eerie in the dim light.

As the passageway undulated gently, the bloodstains seemed to come alive, flowing with the rhythm of the stone walls, as if the passageway had truly come to life.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, mixed with the acrid smell of burning flesh, creating a nauseating odor.

Long Yucheng looked at everything in front of him with a cold gaze, but subconsciously held his breath.

Huo Yu glanced calmly at the horrific scene, then a burst of crimson-gold flames erupted from his palm, instantly engulfing all the remains.

In the firelight, the remains twisted and deformed, crackling and popping, before finally turning into a wisp of smoke and disappearing without a trace.

"Can it still hold on?"

As Huo Yu turned around, his fingertips brushed imperceptibly against Long Yucheng's blood-stained sleeve. The fabric still bore traces of undried blood and felt slightly cool to the touch.

Long Yucheng turned his head and looked over. His face, which had been expressionless just moments before, suddenly blossomed into a bright and radiant smile, with not a trace of gloom in his eyes.

"Is Senior Brother afraid that I'll be frightened by those crazy words?"

Long Yucheng flicked the blood from his blade, sheathed his sword, stared at Huo Yu, and slowly said:

"I love my senior brother, no matter what kind of senior brother he is, I will accept him. If senior brother really wants to use the Soul-Locking Nails, I will buy you a few pairs in the system store right now - but confinement is not an option, I am not a child anymore, I will come home by myself when I am tired of playing outside."

A burning light flickered in the young man's eyes, a light that contained not only unwavering love, but something else entirely: not fear, nor compromise, but something far more dangerous—

That is the resolute determination to willingly sink into an abyss of no return, even knowing that what lies ahead is an abyss of eternal damnation.

Huo Yu gazed at those eyes that had remained unchanged since they first met, and a faint smile unconsciously curved his lips.

"I can't bear to part with the Soul-Locking Nails."

His slender fingers gently rested on Long Yucheng's neck, his fingertips applying slight pressure as he felt the vibrant pulse throbbing beneath his skin, as if he could touch the young man's fiery and resolute soul through his appearance.

"What if one day I were to become an enemy of the righteous path?"

The young man in black maintained his smile, as if he had pondered this question countless times in his heart.

He raised his hand and grasped Huo Yu's wrist with just the right amount of force, then turned his head and gently pressed it against Huo Yu's palm. The intense heat traveled through their skin and into each other's hearts.

"At that time, I will stand in front of you."

The young man's voice was as soft as a whisper, yet every word was clear, each syllable like an unwavering vow.

"It's not about stopping you, but about protecting you—and also protecting those who might be harmed by you."

Huo Yu wasn't surprised by the first half of Long Yucheng's sentence, but the second half made him raise an eyebrow:

"When did you learn to say such nice things?"

"This isn't just empty talk."

Long Yucheng gently shook his head, his eyes filled with determination and persistence.

“I know my senior brother doesn’t care about human life, but I do. And what I care about even more is that I don’t want to see my senior brother’s hands stained with more senseless killings.”

The passageway fell silent for a moment, with only the bloodstains splattered on the dark red stone walls slowly sliding down, making a faint sound.

After a long while, Huo Yu chuckled softly, a laugh that carried an indescribable meaning.

Long Yucheng's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up:

"Does that mean Senior Brother has agreed?"

"We'll see how I feel then."

Huo Yu said calmly. At the same time, the yin-yang symbol in his mind quietly reversed, and the barely visible bloodstains on the young man's black clothes disappeared without a trace.

The young man couldn't help but laugh out loud. His clear laughter rang out sharply in the narrow, confined passageway, as if dispelling the surrounding stench of blood.

"Okay, it's settled then!"

He knew, of course he knew what kind of person his senior brother was—

Disregarding rules, acting arbitrarily, and treating human life as worthless are characteristics shared by almost all demonic cultivators. As the "Demon Lord," Huo Yu naturally grew up within this shared set of values.

Moreover, the position of Demon Lord did not fall from the sky; rather, he truly fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, carving out a bloody path to this supreme position.

"It depends on my mood"—this is the biggest concession my senior could make.

What Long Yucheng had to do was, in his own way, protect the two most precious things—Huo Yu's heart and his own principles—at that moment that might eventually come.

Looking at the bright smile on the young man in black, Huo Yu felt a strange emotion he had never felt before.

Long Yucheng's eyes were always bright, like shattered stars fallen into the deep sea, stubbornly shining even in the darkest, most sunless places, just like their master—

Despite having struggled in this cruel world for many years and witnessed the darkest corners of human nature, she still cherishes her original sincerity.

"Let's go."

Huo Yu finally spoke,

"Before that, we need to get out of here, don't we?"

Long Yucheng nodded slightly, the relaxed smile on his face gradually fading like the receding tide, and his gaze became serious:

"Senior brother, I feel that the source of that strange feeling is not far away."

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his fingertips unconsciously traced the patterns on the sword hilt.

"Perhaps after the next fork in the road, lies the real..."

The true way of Heaven.

The last two words choked in their throats, yet echoed clearly in their hearts.

Huo Yu simply took Long Yucheng's left hand slowly, his slender fingers gently slipping between the other's fingers.

The moment their fingers intertwined, a crimson-gold flame spread from where their hands met, but it did not cause any harm to Long Yucheng. It merely gently caressed the young man's skin, forming a transparent barrier around them.

"lead the way."

Huo Yu's voice was deep and firm.