Chapter 1402: Detaining Souls

"Your father?" The Demon Emperor's heart stirred.

Concerned that the other party might instantly crush him, the skeleton named Danzhu dared not keep them in suspense: "It's Emperor Yao, whom I mentioned before. Only past Great Emperors knew the whereabouts of the Undying Elixir. The one I consumed was an unripe fruit that fell prematurely from the Undying Elixir tree. For various reasons, it didn't mature, which is why I ended up looking neither human nor ghost."

The Demon Emperor frowned, "Since your father was a Great Emperor, why would he give you an immature Undying Elixir? And you also ascended the throne yourself, so why wouldn't you know its whereabouts?" As it concerned immortality, he had to be cautious to avoid being tricked.

"Didn't I tell you? My father was suddenly murdered in his later years and didn't have time to properly pass on the throne to me, so many secrets were lost," Danzhu explained. "As for the fruit I ate, my father acquired it by chance in his early years. It was initially just a collectible with no practical use, but later, when I was overthrown and had nowhere to turn, I secretly consumed this item. That's how I managed to survive until now."

"So, to find your father, we must lift the seals as you described, right?" the Demon Emperor sneered.

"How clever of you," Danzhu quickly explained, seeing the other party's displeased expression. "I'm not intentionally trying to trick you. It's truly only my father who knows. If you can lift the seals and help him escape, that would be a tremendous favor, a second chance at life."

"I've been trapped here for so many years and utterly despise Shun. My father, who was a Great Emperor dominating the world, was betrayed and schemed against by his own confidant in his later years. His hatred will far exceed mine. If you help him avenge himself, how could he not be grateful to you?"

"Furthermore, you are also from the White Emperor's lineage, making you his descendant, so passing the Undying Elixir to you would be perfectly reasonable."

Danzhu rattled off many reasons one after another, then looked at him with an eager expression.

The Demon Emperor said in a deep voice, "Where are these seals you mentioned?"

Seeing him agree, Danzhu was overjoyed: "The seals were placed by Shun. I'm not certain about the exact details, but over these long years, I've replayed the events countless times and have some conjectures. Plus, since you've already unsealed Tao Wu, it seems my guesses are mostly correct. We can deduce their seals based on the habits of fierce beasts like Chaos, Qiongqi, and Taotie. Their seals are likely related to their respective characteristics. For instance, Chaos should be in..."

He then detailed his conjectures and added, "Take me with you. If there's anything uncertain, I can explain it to you then."

The Demon Emperor pondered for a long time, then suddenly spoke, "There's no need for such trouble."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his hand and plunged it into the center of the skeleton's forehead. His hand seemed intangible; the hard skull sustained no physical damage whatsoever and offered no resistance from beginning to end.

"You..." The skeleton struggled desperately.

However, it was all in vain. Soon, the Demon Emperor withdrew his hand, and in his palm lay a shimmering blue light, much like the will-o'-the-wisp often seen in graveyards.

At this moment, the blue light orb struggled furiously in his palm, but no matter how hard it tried, it could not escape the confines of the Demon Emperor's hand.

The Demon Emperor sneered, "Isn't this better? I can ask whatever I want, whenever I want." As he spoke, he clenched his hand, already having stored away the blue light orb.

Wu Liang, watching all this, couldn't help but tremble like a sieve. This was the legendary soul-binding technique.

This method was truly terrifying, because death was never the most frightening thing. To some extent, death could be a release, but if one's soul was still imprisoned and tormented after death, that was beyond description, worse than being alive.

At this point, Crown Prince Jinwu also swallowed, not daring to say anything more, and instead investigated the surroundings.

After a while, he said disappointedly, "This fellow's burial offerings are too meager. I searched all around, and they're just ordinary goods. A few potentially good items seem to have decayed into dust after so many years."

Wu Liang thought to himself: 'That's just because you look down on them.' One was the Demon Emperor, the other a Crown Prince; they usually used divine artifacts, and there were countless rare treasures in the imperial palace. Naturally, they wouldn't care for these burial items. However, many of these, if taken outside, would still be enough to cause a scramble among cultivators.

"What good burial offerings could a fellow who was overthrown in a coup have?" the Demon Emperor said indifferently. "What do you think of what he just said?"

Sensing the testing tone in his father's voice, Crown Prince Jinwu hesitated before saying, "Father Emperor, it's best to be cautious. Even if we truly unseal Emperor Yao as he described, the other party might be grateful to us, but since the Undying Elixir is such a precious existence, how could they possibly hand it over to us?"

"As for his claim that we share the same bloodline, that's nonsense. Let alone tens of thousands of years, even close brothers can turn against each other for profit."

As he spoke, he glanced at Wu Liang, who was standing nearby. This fellow was arranged by his 'good' second brother to assassinate him.

The Demon Emperor nodded slightly, "Indeed. You haven't wasted my years of nurturing."

Hearing his affirmation, Crown Prince Jinwu felt greatly reassured. He continued, "Moreover, the cultivation level of ancient Great Emperors is unknown. Once he's free, we might not be able to control him. If he turns malicious, then we'll be in danger instead."

"Your concerns are not unfounded," the Demon Emperor replied. "That Danzhu character clearly wasn't being entirely truthful. He's likely harboring ill intentions. How could I just let him have his way?"

"Father Emperor is wise!" Crown Prince Jinwu quickly offered a string of flatteries.

The Demon Emperor said in a deep voice, "However, if he intends to lure me into a trap, most of what he said should be true. So, we'll go check out the places he mentioned, but we must be extremely vigilant."

Even knowing there might be a trap, the temptation of the Undying Elixir was too great. No matter how dangerous, he had to try.

"Yes!" the Crown Prince said respectfully.

Wu Liang wanted to cry but had no tears. He thought to himself, 'You deities are fighting, but can I really stay out of it?' If nothing unexpected happened, he would surely be the first to face any danger. With ancient Great Emperors and the Undying Elixir involved, even a nine-lives cat demon wouldn't be able to handle such turmoil.

The Demon Emperor walked a few steps away, then suddenly stopped and said to Crown Prince Jinwu, "I know what you're thinking. If we find the Undying Elixir, I will share a portion with you. So, let us father and son be of one mind, and avoid any conflicts between kin."

Ordinarily, he would never speak so directly, but this time they were likely facing an ancient Great Emperor. According to Danzhu, these beings were capable of ascending to immortality back then, so their cultivation wouldn't be lower than his. If a great battle were to occur, the outcome would undoubtedly be uncertain. It would be troublesome if his son were to betray him at a critical moment.

Furthermore, he somewhat regretted letting those people from Zu'an escape earlier. Normally, these individuals were mere ants in his eyes, but if they truly confronted an ancient Great Emperor, they could become a variable, and he might need his son's help to guard against them.

Weighing all these reasons, he decided to confide in his son in such a manner.

Crown Prince Jinwu, however, was so frightened his face turned ashen. "Father Emperor, your son would never dare to harbor any other thoughts. I will always remain loyal to you."

The Demon Emperor frowned, "This isn't a test; don't overthink it. And I wasn't lying just now. If we find the Undying Elixir, I will share a portion with you."

Hearing the sincerity in his tone, Crown Prince Jinwu was instantly overwhelmed with gratitude, tears welling up. "Thank you, Father Emperor! Your son will do his utmost to assist you!"

Yet, his heart remained cold. Born into royalty, how could he easily trust such promises? Moreover, even if his father genuinely intended to share, that would only be possible if there were multiple Undying Elixirs. But what if there was only one? Of course, he dared not voice these doubts, and his expression was as sincere as could be.

The Demon Emperor nodded contentedly, "Then let's first go to the location of Chaos that Danzhu just mentioned."

Meanwhile, elsewhere, a few soft moans were heard as Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue simultaneously opened their eyes.

Zu An quickly ran over, asking anxiously, "What happened to you two?"