CHAPTER 322: THE DEMON’S TRUE PLAN

The three girls sat up straighter, eyes wide with interest.

Zelia leaned in. "So... after you won the tournament, you became the Young Master, right?"

Zain laughed lightly. "Of course."

Savra raised her brow. "Then I bet they gave you the best room, food, everything."

Velra nodded. "And tons of resources, too. Secret manuals, pills, whatever you wanted."

Zain leaned back, arms folded. "That’s right. All of it was handed to me."

Zelia smiled. "I see. Then you trained for years and slowly rose until you became the Heavenly Demon, yeah?"

Zain suddenly shook his head.

"Nope."

The girls blinked.

Savra tilted her head. "No?"

Velra frowned. "What do you mean, no?"

Zain smirked. "I didn’t train for years. I became the Heavenly Demon right away."

All three of them stared.

Zelia was the first to speak. "Wait... what?"

"You mean... like instantly?" Savra asked, looking stunned.

Zain nodded. "Right after I won the tournament."

Velra looked confused. "But how?"

Zain raised a finger. "Because the whole tournament... was just a test."

He stood up and walked over to pour himself some tea.

"The elders, the guards, the entire sect were waiting. They were all looking for one person."

"The one who could survive the pit, learn the Heavenly Demon Art... and remain sane."

Zelia’s eyes narrowed. "So the title ’Young Master’ was fake?"

Zain grinned. "More like... bait."

Savra crossed her arms. "And you passed it."

Zain took a sip of tea and nodded. "Perfectly."

Velra leaned forward again. "Then what happened?"

Zain looked at all three of them and smirked.

"Now... let me tell you what happened. Why did I become the Heavenly Demon?"

---

Just after Mo Tianheng won the tournament’s final match, he was taken away from the arena.

Guards didn’t yell this time. Instead, they helped him walk.

He was bleeding, bruised, and tired, but still standing.

For the first time in a long while, he didn’t have to fight.

They brought him to a quiet courtyard.

There was food.

Warm soup, cooked meat, and soft bread.

A clean robe waited for him.

Someone even handed him a glowing red pill.

He swallowed it, and soon his pain started to fade.

Mo Tianheng sat down, still unsure what was happening. This felt... too soft.

A few elders stood at the edges of the room, whispering.

"Is that the one?"

"He really mastered the Heavenly Demon Art?"

"He’s just a kid... but already dangerous."

Mo Tianheng heard their voices, low but sharp.

He glanced around the room, then looked up at one of the nearby guards.

"Didn’t the other three master the Heavenly Demon Art?"

The guard looked down at him with a blank expression, arms crossed.

"No. They didn’t."

Mo Tianheng blinked. "What? But they made it to the finals."

The guard shrugged. "They switched their cultivation path early. They never stuck with the Heavenly Demon Art."

Mo’s brow furrowed. "Switched? Why?"

"They’re not like you," the guard said plainly.

"They’re children of high elders. They were allowed to change to safer techniques."

Mo Tianheng’s fists clenched slightly. "So they had a choice."

The guard nodded once. "You didn’t."

Mo fell silent, the truth settling in.

He was the only outsider.

The only one without some elder backing him.

And the only one who truly mastered the Heavenly Demon Art.

After a pause, he looked up again. "Then why were they even sent to the pit?"

The guard let out a low breath. "To toughen them up. To make them stronger."

Mo frowned. "That doesn’t make sense. If they were so important..."

"They got better treatment," the guard interrupted.

"Better food. Easier trials. Protection when needed. You just didn’t see it."

Mo looked down.

So while he fought with everything to survive, they were being trained from the shadows while being safe.

He was then brought to a dark stone hall after being cleaned up, dressed, and healed.

It was cold and silent inside.

"This way," another man said, opening a heavy door.

Mo Tianheng stepped inside.

At the end of the hall stood one man.

The Heavenly Demon.

Mo Tianheng froze.

His eyes widened. It was him.

The same elder who had thrown them into the pit.

The one who smiled while the kids cried.

The one who said: "Kill or die."

That same man now stood in black robes, hands behind his back, with long white hair and sharp red eyes.

"Congratulations, kid," the Heavenly Demon said with a grin. "You’ve earned it."

Mo Tianheng didn’t know what to say. He slowly knelt.

"Master."

The Heavenly Demon walked toward him, slow steps echoing.

"You passed the trial. You mastered the art. You are now... the Young Master of the Demonic Sect."

Mo Tianheng nodded. "I will serve."

But then the man chuckled.

"No, no. You misunderstand."

Mo Tianheng raised his head.

"What do you mean?"

The Heavenly Demon leaned in closer. His grin widened.

"You won’t serve me. You will become me."

Mo Tianheng’s breath caught.

"What?"

"You heard me," the Heavenly Demon said, voice calm.

"From now on, you are not just the Young Master. You are the Heavenly Demon."

He stepped even closer, placing a hand on Tianheng’s head.

"Because your body... will be mine."

Mo Tianheng’s eyes widened. "What...?"

The old man’s smile turned dark.

"I’ve been searching for someone who could fully cultivate the Heavenly Demon Art."

"Someone with strong will, talent, and a body that could handle it."

He pushed Mo Tianheng down with one hand.

"You did it. You passed every test. You survived what others couldn’t."

Mo Tianheng tried to move, but he couldn’t. His limbs were heavy.

"W-What are you doing?!"

The Heavenly Demon raised his other hand. A strange black mark appeared on his palm.

"This is the [Soul Seizing Seal]," he said. "Once placed on your spirit, your body will belong to me."

"You... lied..."

"Of course," the old man said, almost laughing.

"Do you think a real Heavenly Demon would be so generous?"

"I—!"

"You are the perfect vessel."

---

The girls sat frozen, eyes wide in shock.

Velra’s snack fell from her hand and landed on the floor without her noticing.

"So... the old man wanted to take your body?" she asked slowly.

Zain nodded. "Yeah. That whole tournament, the trial..."

"It was never about finding talent. It was just about finding a perfect vessel."

Savra leaned back, folding her arms. "Disgusting. So he raised kids just to wear them like clothes?"

"Exactly," Zain said. "He didn’t want a disciple. He wanted a shell."

Zelia narrowed her eyes. "And you... You stopped him?"

Zain gave a slow smirk. "More than that."

Velra leaned in. "So you resisted the possession and killed him?"

Savra tilted her head. "That’s insane. How’d you pull that off?"

Zain glanced at all three of them, then shrugged with a small grin.

"It’s like this..."