Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 724: The True Crystal Demon Emperor

"Leave. I have no time to see you."

The Crystal Demon Emperor's voice was noticeably cold.

Tang San smiled calmly and said, "What if I insist on seeing you?"

"Do you wish to die?" The Crystal Demon Emperor's voice now carried a distinct note of anger.

Tang San shook his head and replied, "Precisely because I don't want to die, I must see you. This concerns not only my safety but yours as well. I don't want to die, and I believe that someone who has lived as long as you also doesn't want to die, correct?"

The Crystal Demon Emperor fell silent for a moment, then coldly said, "I don't know what you're talking about. But if you insist on coming up and you don’t convince me, the price to pay will be something you cannot bear."

"Very well." Tang San replied with a smile, continuing his ascent as if he hadn't heard the Crystal Demon Emperor's warning at all.

Finally, as he neared the summit, the thick fog gradually dispersed, revealing a clear view ahead. The magnificent Crystal Palace, shimmering with radiant crystal light, once again came into Tang San's sight.

Even though this wasn't the first time he'd seen the Crystal Palace, Tang San still felt a sense of enchantment. The palace was so beautiful that even in his previous life in the Divine Realm, he had never seen such a resplendent structure. But then again, although he admired it, he didn't particularly enjoy such splendor. For himself, he preferred the pastoral beauty of picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence and leisurely gazing at the southern mountains. Living in seclusion with his beloved in a life-filled forest, occasionally climbing to the mountain peaks to look out into the distance, was what he truly desired.

At last, after crossing the final step, Tang San stood before the Crystal Palace.

The doors of the Crystal Palace slowly opened, and the Crystal Demon Emperor's icy voice rang out once more. "Come in."

"Alright." Tang San responded without a hint of fear and boldly stepped forward into the Crystal Palace.

Entering the palace felt like stepping into a surreal world where everything was made of crystal, each surface acting like a mirror reflecting everything. As he entered, Tang San immediately saw and sensed countless versions of himself. He was surrounded by himself on all sides, and each reflection was so real that it made him feel a bit dizzy, even uncertain which one was truly him.

Tang San slowly closed his eyes, a serene smile on his face, and stood there motionless.

"Are you afraid to open your eyes?" the voice of the Crystal Demon Emperor echoed.

Tang San shook his head and replied, "It's not that I'm afraid, but rather that I don't want to. You should be just as aware as I am of the state I'm in—I'm on the verge of either exploding or collapsing at any moment. Do you really want to witness that? If I try to break through this mirror domain, my power will inevitably erupt, and uncontrollable situations will naturally follow. Or perhaps you don't want your true self to be reborn and instead wish to continue your reign here? Unfortunately, you won't be able to achieve that either. While nothing may be noticed in the short term, as time passes and the truth is revealed, your strength as a duplicate will be insufficient, and everything will be exposed. At that point, there will be no Crystal left in this world. Isn't that right, Fake Crystal Demon Emperor?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Is provoking me repeatedly today your true purpose?"

The Crystal Demon Emperor's voice remained cold and unwavering.

Tang San shook his head again and said, "Of course not. I'm here to make a deal with you—or rather, to seek your help. After all, our fates are already intertwined."

"Stop beating around the bush. What do you want? Speak."

"I am now at the most critical moment; I'm about to undergo my tribulation. If I'm not mistaken, you should be able to sense that my power doesn't entirely belong to this world. That's probably why you chose me, right? But I must tell you that the tribulation I am about to face will be an unprecedented and terrifying existence in this plane. It's the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Divine Extinguishing Tribulation. I believe you've never even heard of it, but I must tell you that this is real, and it will be unimaginably terrifying. Even I don't know what will happen. So, if you still plan to treat me as a cocoon, preparing to break out and be reborn, I'm afraid you'll be destroyed along with me. Only by cooperating sincerely, with all our efforts, can we hope to overcome this tribulation and achieve a new life together."

"I don't understand what you're saying," the Crystal Demon Emperor replied—this time, with a hint of impatience.

Tang San sighed softly. "Must I say it out so clearly? Or do you think I'm not smart enough to understand after all this time and everything that's happened? You think I can’t see what state you're in? I've already pointed it out, Your Fake Majesty."

The Crystal Demon Emperor fell silent. But Tang San continued speaking, as if to himself.

"From the very beginning, I had some doubts, because your actions were simply too strange. When I first climbed the Crystal Sacred Mountain, my initial impression of you was that you weren't as powerful as you should have been. Believe me, when it comes to sensing strength, I am better than any Emperor in this plane.

"For the strongest being of the current age, the one known as the Omnipotent, to not seem strong enough—what was that about? Although my own strength wasn't particularly great at that time, I trust my instincts. Then, you gave me that crystal egg, telling me to carry it without any further instructions on what to do with it. But when Crystalline hatched, she merged with my body, taking up one of my bloodline imprint slots, and that was when I knew something was off. Moreover, whenever I was in grave danger, Crystalline was there to help me, aiding me through crises. She hatched in the Hell Garden, absorbing vast amounts of fortune energy, and even guided me to the Heaven Garden. All of this was arranged by the Crystal Demon Emperor, wasn't it?

"The Crystal Demon Emperor is already dead, right? Or rather, she[1] isn't truly dead but chose a special way to prepare for her rebirth. And the one she chose to facilitate that rebirth was me—I'm the vessel for her rebirth. As for you? You’re just a fake. Well, maybe I should be more polite: you’re a clone.

"Still not convinced? Let me tell you more about you. The Crystal Demon Emperor has lived for over three thousand years. She knew that her life was nearing its end, but she was unwilling to accept that. So, what did she do? She devised a plan. She could replicate almost every ability, so why not replicate herself? I imagine she must have tried many times, likely failing often. But in the end, she succeeded to some extent, and you yourself are one of her successful attempts.

"Yet as a duplicate, you don’t possess all of her power, nor can you bear the full extent of her original strength. So as it turns out, you are not fully successful; the one that is actually a successful duplicate... is Crystalline.

1. At this point, the pronoun used for the Crystal Demon Emperor in the raws shifts from "it" to "she." ☜