TMWTGD CH47

Xie Jianwei thought about it and felt Loren’s words weren’t entirely wrong, so he offered him a single word: “Yes.”

He actually admitted it!

Loren was so angry he could choke. Even without magic, he wanted to blast him to pieces. “Can we be normal for a second? How long has Lu Li been dead? His bones have long turned to ash. Even if you bring back a skeleton, it’s not Lu Li’s skeleton.”

Xie Jianwei had successfully fished for information. What surprised him most was—Lu Li was dead? Could Lu Li have been his human friend? But why would a human have such an unusual name?

After all, humans in this world had names starting at four characters with no upper limit. Eastern-style names were exceedingly rare. Demons, on the other hand, had all sorts of names; not just two characters, even a single character could be a name.

Xie Jianwei prepared the materials for breaking the curse while saying, “Skeletons don’t turn to ash that easily.”

“The problem is Lu Li died from judgment! Struck by five bolts of heavenly lightning! When he died, his bones were pulverized into powder, alright?!”

They were clearly discussing a very serious matter, so why was it so comical… Loren’s descriptive methods were truly toxic.

Xie Jianwei insisted, “I believe he is him.”

Loren was half-dead from anger. “You used to think Luli was him too, and what happened?”

Who the hell was Luli…

Loren seemed unwilling to bring up his painful past. After starting the topic, he waved his hand dismissively. “Forget it, forget it. Do whatever you want, I can’t be bothered with you.”

Xie Jianwei weighed his words and continued, “He is different from Luli.”

“He is different. At least this little skeleton won’t die so easily.”

Very well… Luli was dead too!

This drama was truly convoluted. Even someone as clever as Military Advisor Xie was having trouble grasping the plot.

Xie Jianwei added, “Not only that, I always feel that the little skeleton…”

“Give it up. Lu Li will not be reborn.” Throwing down these words, Loren buried himself in the water, playing ostrich.

Xie Jianwei had to pause his interrogation and focus on breaking the curse for him.

Although Loren spoke vaguely, he had revealed quite a bit of information.

What Xie Jianwei grasped so far was: perhaps several hundred years ago, Xie Jianwei had a conflict with the Archangel over a certain incident. Following that, he subjugated a Greater Demon as a familiar, slaughtered his way into the Heavenly Realm, and defeated the Archangel.

Did the Archangel die? Probably not. It was possible he had turned into the Greater Demon accompanying Yan Ke earlier.

Then where did the Greater Demon who served as Xie Jianwei’s familiar go?

And which identity did the skeleton Lu Li belong to?

Did this dream have multiple Lu Lis, or only one?

There were many questions that needed to be solved one by one.

Xie Jianwei pondered these matters while breaking the curse. Loren looked up at him and couldn’t help sighing deeply. “See, treating the world like a game is so much better. Falling in love only brings trouble.” His mind couldn’t help but flash to that Greater Demon, Yan Ke, who had pretended to be docile but was actually fierce and ruthless.

Damn it all, actually being sneak-attacked by his own familiar, how humiliating!

After finishing the curse-breaking for Loren, Xie Jianwei went back to find his little skeleton.

The little skeleton was exactly how he had left him.

However, upon seeing him enter the room, happy little bubbles began to float around him.

Xie Jianwei couldn’t help but smile, curling his finger. “Come here.”

Mr. Skeleton obediently walked over to him.

Xie Jianwei stared at him for a good while, murmuring, “Can you really not remember anything from the past?”

The little skeleton shook his head.

Xie Jianwei smiled gently, sat down on the sofa, and patted the space beside him. “Come sit.”

The little skeleton thought he wanted to eat fruit. After sitting down, he immediately started peeling.

Xie Jianwei stopped his hand. “I’m not hungry.”

Saying this, he took the fruit from the little skeleton’s hand and placed those skeletal hands into his own palm. “Um… there’s something I want to tell you.”

Mr. Skeleton sat upright, assuming an attitude of earnest listening.

Xie Jianwei looked at him seriously, activating his ultimate bluffing mode.

Anyway, the person in front of him was Lu Li, and there was an eighty percent chance he was the master of the dream. Since that was the case, he might as well “tamper” with history early on and steer everything in a direction beneficial to him.

Even if he wasn’t the master of the dream, it didn’t matter. What he was about to say wasn’t a bad thing anyway.

Xie Jianwei said gently, “A long time ago, I had a lover. We loved each other very much and wanted to be together lifetime after lifetime.”

He had merely started the topic, and the little skeleton already grew tense.

Yet Xie Jianwei continued to hold his hand, saying, “Later, something happened, and he went missing. I searched for him for a long time, a very long time. Many people said he was dead, but I didn’t believe it. I am a Grim Reaper. With me protecting him, how could he die?”

His tone carried a deep sorrow as he spoke. That stubbornness of wandering for ages, endlessly searching, and never giving up was truly moving.

The little skeleton wrote, “He wouldn’t die!”

Xie Jianwei smiled, though his eyes were filled with pain. “But what if he took on a different appearance?”

The little skeleton froze.

Xie Jianwei looked at him, seemingly on the verge of tears. “What if he turned into something I couldn’t even recognize?”

The little skeleton panicked slightly; he didn’t want him to be this sad. If he was sad, he felt even sadder.

Xie Jianwei’s voice choked slightly. “He changed his appearance, forgot everything, and when he returned, he didn’t even recognize me. What should I do?”

The little skeleton hurriedly wrote, “It won’t be like that, it won’t be like that.”

Xie Jianwei sighed, “But you turned out like this.”

The little skeleton: “…”

Xie Jianwei stared at him unblinkingly. His light purple eyes were brimming with deep affection. If emotions could materialize, Lu Li felt they would form his heart.

His vanished heart beat wildly because of the profound love in his eyes.

Having it spelled out so clearly, how could he not understand?

The line of words on the writing board was a bit crooked due to extreme nervousness: “Is your lover Lu Li?”

Xie Jianwei nodded.

“Am I Lu Li?”

Xie Jianwei cupped his face, looking at him with utmost seriousness, articulating every word clearly: “You are.”

“But…”

Xie Jianwei said, “You are Lu Li. You are my Lu Li. I knew from the first moment I saw you. It doesn’t matter if you’ve forgotten, it’s fine if you can’t remember anything. But don’t leave, don’t disappear again. Stay by my side, okay?”

Mr. Skeleton’s finger bones trembled slightly as he wrote, “I truly can’t remember anything.”

Xie Jianwei’s gaze softened. “But you remember me.”

Mr. Skeleton sat in a daze.

Xie Jianwei kissed the corner of his lips, smiling brightly. “You like me, right?”

The moment he said this, Mr. Skeleton immediately lowered his head. He didn’t dare write on the board, but the little hearts popping up around him betrayed his mood.

“You forgot everything, you don’t even remember who you are, but the moment you saw me, you liked me, right?”

This was undeniable. The little skeleton nodded.

Xie Jianwei said, “No one would treat me this well except for you, Lu Li…” He sighed softly, filled with contentment. “Thank you for coming back to me.”

The little skeleton believed him. He believed the words Xie Jianwei spoke.

Such a beautiful thing, how could he not believe it?

He and Xie Jianwei were lovers. They were going to be together lifetime after lifetime.

Although he didn’t know what had happened, he was by his side now. He would protect him and accompany him for all eternity.

Even if this happiness was a false bubble, he was willing to immerse himself in it.

Xie Jianwei decided to solidify this matter first.

No matter what, the little skeleton was his lover!

As long as he painted a sufficiently beautiful picture for Lu Li, and left some traces to be found, Lu Li would turn it into reality out of sheer anticipation.

It was absolutely necessary to lay a solid foundation before any storms arose.

Xie Jianwei was too adept at giving Lu Li love. Of course, the primary reason was that they truly loved each other. He loved Lu Li, and letting things flow naturally was enough to display it perfectly.

As the little skeleton peeled fruit for him, Xie Jianwei smiled and said, “You didn’t have it this easy before. To peel this, you had to use your sword, chopping it straight down and splitting it in two. Although we could eat it, it wasn’t as whole as it is now.”

The little skeleton felt quite happy, thinking his claws weren’t so ugly after all.

At night, hugging each other to sleep, Xie Jianwei touched his bones and said, “Pectorals, abs… and…” He chuckled softly. “You used to be huge down there. Now look, it’s completely gone.”

Big Li had no bones; it had simply vanished.

Being touched made the little skeleton’s entire body feel numb. Hearing his captivating voice, an indescribable heat burned within his soul. He seemed to recall some vague memories: two lovers embracing naked, kissing him from his forehead to his toes, kissing him until he was lost in passion before thrusting inside. He would make exceptionally sweet sounds, call out his name, and reach climax with a flushed body.

That was Xie Jianwei.

The little skeleton excitedly wrote on the writing board, “I think I remembered something!”

Xie Jianwei’s eyes lit up. “Tell me.”

The little skeleton felt a bit shy.

Xie Jianwei was clever and understood immediately. “Did you remember… us making love?”

The little hearts around Mr. Skeleton kept popping non-stop.

Xie Jianwei’s mind stirred. He took off all his clothes under the covers. “Let me help you recall a bit more.”

Mr. Skeleton watched, mesmerized.

Xie Jianwei touched himself, speaking slowly, “You loved kissing me here the most, and here, and… mm…”

He caressed himself, describing the things Lu Li used to do to him. The entire scene was erotic to the extreme.

Mr. Skeleton had never complained about his current appearance, but right now, he truly wished he had a body, had skin, and possessed the means to satisfy him.

Xie Jianwei…

How could there be such a wonderful person.

Being able to be with him was truly too fortunate.

Xie Jianwei inexplicably ended up pleasing himself…

“Ahem… it’s been a long time since we did it,” he said with a slight blush.

Mr. Skeleton wrote, “I’m sorry.”

Xie Jianwei smiled, kissed him, and said, “It’s fine. As long as you are by my side, that is enough.”

What incredibly beautiful words of love. The little skeleton was surrounded by pink bubbles. He really wanted to touch Xie Jianwei, but he didn’t dare. He was too hard, and Xie Jianwei was too soft—especially Xie Jianwei in this state, soft as smooth water. He was afraid of breaking him.

Xie Jianwei caught his breath and said, “I’m going to bathe.”

The little skeleton said, “I’ll get the water ready for you.”

Actually, Xie Jianwei could handle it with a wave of his hand, but since Lu Li offered, he didn’t refuse.

For the next few days, Xie Jianwei worked hard to help Mr. Skeleton recover his memories.

Yes, recovering them in that way.

Military Advisor Xie expending such effort to “sell his sex appeal” naturally had an ulterior motive.

Lu Li was a typical carnivore. Could he endure only looking without eating every day? Especially this kind of “looking.”

Xie Jianwei figured the time was about right. During this session of self-comfort, he tried the back, though only one finger entered…

After it was over, the little skeleton tremblingly wrote, “I… I have a question.”

Xie Jianwei soaked in the bathtub, his silver hair shimmering faintly, looking completely languid. “Hmm?”

The little skeleton was entirely unwilling to tear his gaze away from him, so he wrote blindly. The characters were so crooked they were almost illegible: “Is there any possibility for me to get a body back?”

Hearing this, Xie Jianwei perked up. He had finally caught on!

His efforts to seduce him for so long had not been in vain.

Xie Jianwei rose slightly, exposing his chest above the water. Having successfully captured the little skeleton’s gaze, he said, “Do you want a body?”

The little skeleton stared fixedly at the pink flush on his chest, his handwriting growing even messier: “Yes.”

Sensing his gaze, Xie Jianwei’s face reddened slightly. “Is it because I’ve recently…”

The little skeleton wrote urgently, “I want a body. I want to embrace you, kiss you, I want to…”

Xie Jianwei decided to give him another strong dose of medicine. “Don’t stop…”

The hand holding the writing board trembled slightly.

Xie Jianwei touched himself, looking at him with half-closed eyes. “Keep writing. Tell me what you want to do to me. If you had a body, what would you do…”

With a boom, the little skeleton nearly blasted off into the sky.

Whatever Mr. Skeleton wrote, Xie Jianwei did.

If he wrote to touch somewhere, he touched there; however he told him to do it, he did it…

This was temptation pushed to the absolute limit. The little skeleton wanted a body, craving it so intensely that every bone in his body was rattling.

After climaxing, Xie Jianwei pulled him close, kissed him, and said in a hoarse voice, “I also want you to have a body.”

With this, everything was perfectly set in place.

There was a reason Xie Jianwei had stimulated him like this.

Ever since regaining his magic, he had been trying to figure out how to find a body for the little skeleton, but he had no clues. He searched the entire Intermediate Realm and even sent people to inquire in the other three realms, but there was no news.

Undead creatures were virtually non-existent, so there was basically no information on their resurrection.

But not having information didn’t matter. Didn’t he have a god right beside him? Couldn’t he just have the god create one?

As for how to utilize the “Will of God,” Xie Jianwei was quite experienced.

See… his “god” was currently going crazy with the desire for a body.

Xie Jianwei was no longer in a hurry, simply waiting for news to arrive at his doorstep.

The next day, Loren paid a visit.

Xie Jianwei looked at the familiar beside him and smiled. “This one suits you.”

Loren grumbled, “It took me several days of effort to get him.”

That was an exceedingly seductive succubus, a sub-type of demon, though of the lowest tier, merely slightly stronger than an ordinary sprite.

Still, a succubus was quite a rare sight, boasting a curvaceous figure with a perilous chest that most straight men likely couldn’t handle.

Sure enough… Yan Ke in his mind gasped in alarm, “My god! What a lethal weapon!”

Xie Jianwei suddenly realized that Yan Ke and Loren actually had a lot in common; their tastes in women were remarkably aligned.

While Yan Ke stared with a completely lecherous face, Xie Jianwei didn’t spare her a second glance.

“What’s the matter? Need something?” Xie Jianwei asked him.

Loren peeked inside, “Where’s your little skeleton?”

Xie Jianwei smiled, “Peeling fruits for me.”

Loren shuddered at his smile, goosebumps breaking out all over. “You’re completely out of your mind.”

Xie Jianwei glanced at the succubus beside him, “Right back at you.”

Too lazy to bicker with him, Loren got straight to the point, “Are you going to advance to a Six-Star Reaper or not?”

Xie Jianwei said, “What’s the rush?”

Loren was truly exasperated. “It’s just a skeleton, is there any need to be this hopelessly infatuated with it?”

Xie Jianwei corrected him, “Him.”

Loren wore an expression of complete defeat. “Fine, fine, fine, him.”

Xie Jianwei deliberately provoked, “If there’s nothing else, I’m heading back.”

“Hey, you!” Loren was incredibly susceptible to goading. “I kindly came to bring you news, and you actually ignore me.”

A thought flickered in Xie Jianwei’s mind, sensing that the plot was likely about to advance.

“What is it?”

Loren said, “The Three Realms Exchange Conference is coming up soon. Aren’t you planning to attend?”

The Three Realms Exchange Conference? Xie Jianwei had a rough idea of what that entailed.

Glancing into the room, Loren sighed as he thought of the skeleton, “Since you can’t let him go, then try to find another way. Bringing the dead back to life might be difficult, but growing flesh on bare bone should be possible.”

Xie Jianwei replied, “I understand.”

Loren said, “I’m worried about you going alone, so I plan to accompany you, but…” He sighed, “If you aren’t a Six-Star Reaper, you can’t take me along.”

After Loren rambled on a bit more, Xie Jianwei fully grasped the situation.

The Three Realms Exchange Conference involved the Heavenly Realm, the Demon Realm, and the Intermediate Realm, which belonged to the Reapers. Held irregularly, the three realms would open their grandest libraries to one another for a limited time.

However, the entry requirements were incredibly stringent. The Heavenly Realm required a Six-Winged Angel, who could bring along one Four-Winged Angel. The Demon Realm required a Third-Tier Greater Demon, who could bring one Second-Tier Greater Demon. The Intermediate Realm required a Six-Star Reaper, who could bring one Five-Star Reaper.

If Xie Jianwei wanted to go by himself, he could find a Six-Star Reaper to tag along with.

But Reapers were generally elusive. Rather than going through the trouble of finding a Six-Star Reaper to latch onto, it was much faster for Xie Jianwei to promote himself to Six Stars as soon as possible, which would also allow him to bring Loren along.

Loren warned him, “You’re on the blacklist in the Heavenly Realm, and you’ve offended quite a few people in the Demon Realm. Although private duels are forbidden during the conference, running into someone looking for trouble is still a headache.”

Xie Jianwei absolutely had to bring Loren with him. There were too many things he didn’t know, and having Loren around would help him figure out the lay of the land.

Furthermore, it was almost certain that this Three Realms Exchange Conference was a gift carefully arranged by Lu Li.

He could definitely find a way to restore the little skeleton’s body there, meaning Xie Jianwei absolutely had to attend.

In that case, he needed to add a star to his rank first.

Xie Jianwei said, “Two missions, right? I’ll complete them as quickly as possible.”

Because he had failed once before, the original requirement of one mission had now increased to two.

Loren offered, “I’ll go with you.”

Xie Jianwei said, “No need, I’m faster on my own.”

Loren: “…”

After a moment of silence, he exploded, “You bastard! Don’t look down on me!”

Xie Jianwei cleared his throat, “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Like hell you didn’t! Loren snapped, “Fine, don’t use me then! Let’s see if you can succeed on your own!”

And then he was promptly slapped in the face with reality.

Military Advisor Xie handled matters with incredible stability… The previous failure had been due to unfamiliarity with the mechanics, compounded by running into Lu Li, which caused the slip-up. This time was entirely different. With Lu Li right beside him, and Xie Jianwei himself being a walking cheat code, who would dare mess with him after activating another cheat code?

Loren was utterly stunned. As a fellow Five-Star Reaper, he knew full well the difficulty of their missions, which generally involved demons. Their targets were usually ‘gray souls’, and they were dispatched to harvest them specifically to prevent demons from devouring them.

Under normal circumstances, the success rate for Five-Star Reapers was around fifty percent. There was no helping it; it was literally snatching food from the jaws of a tiger.

Yet Xie Jianwei achieved a perfect hundred percent success rate, effortlessly snatching crucial souls right out from under the noses of two demons.

Loren asked, “Did you inject yourself with chicken blood?”

To be precise, it wasn’t him who was injected with chicken blood, it was his little skeleton.

Xie Jianwei didn’t claim the credit, stating straightforwardly, “He helped me.”

Although Loren knew the little skeleton possessed extraordinary power, he hadn’t expected it to be this exaggerated.

The little skeleton stood steadily beside Xie Jianwei.

Loren’s hands suddenly began to itch, and he proposed, “Little skeleton, how about we have a spar?” He wanted to see exactly how capable this guy was.

Mr. Skeleton looked at Xie Jianwei.

The corners of Xie Jianwei’s mouth curled up. “Sure, just don’t cry when you lose.”

Loren’s mouth twitched. “We’ll see who wins and who loses!”

The two clashed in a flurry of blows, with Xie Jianwei maintaining a smiling face the entire time.

How familiar this scene was. The first thing Lu Li and Loren did whenever they met was head to the training grounds. For two martial men hailing from humble origins, their greatest hobby was fighting.

Especially during peacetime, their martial genes were probably practically singing. Fighting whenever they could, they cherished their mutual rivalry.

A pity that in reality, Loren could win one out of five matches, while in the dream, he was completely suppressed and beaten into utter submission.

Loren panted, “Damn it, this strength is inhuman!”

The little skeleton wrote demurely, “I am a skeleton.”

Loren: “…” He really isn’t fucking human!

Xie Jianwei smiled and patted his little skeleton affectionately. “Well done.”

A flurry of pink little hearts instantly sparkled around the little skeleton.

Loren: “…” My eyes are going blind, alright!

Having successfully advanced to a Six-Star Reaper, Xie Jianwei could now attend the Three Realms Exchange Conference.

From the entire Reaper Realm, only six or seven individuals attended, all acting independently.

Before setting off, Loren asked, “You aren’t planning to bring the little skeleton, are you?”

Xie Jianwei said, “Of course I’m bringing him.”

Loren asked, “Can he even get in?”

Xie Jianwei said, “It definitely won’t be a problem.”

While Loren remained skeptical, Xie Jianwei was completely at ease.

The access control for the conference was based on power detection. Six-Winged Angels, Third-Tier Greater Demons, and Six-Star Reapers were all fundamentally on the same level, so they wouldn’t be locked out.

Given the little skeleton’s strength, which could effortlessly crush two Greater Demons, the barrier naturally couldn’t keep him out.

The Three Realms Exchange Conference was held at the intersection of the Heavenly and Demon Realms.

The reason was simple: the Heavenly Realm and the Demon Realm were constantly at each other’s throats, trusting no one, yet both desired to glean information from the other’s archives. Thus, they organized this conference, pretending to exchange knowledge while actually probing each other’s depths.

Although a temporary peace treaty was signed, for the sake of security, it was still held at the border. If one side tried anything funny, the other’s army would immediately bear down, turning it into a fight to the death.

As for the Reapers of the Intermediate Realm, their library was virtually non-existent. The reason they were allowed to attend every time was that both the Heavenly Realm and the demons wanted to utilize them. Even though neither side had ever succeeded, they were extremely happy to casually hand out favors.

After all, the Reapers were both powerful and aloof from worldly strife.

Moreover, both angels and demons were deeply curious about the enigmatic Black Domain.

Xie Jianwei, Loren, and the little skeleton all wore standard Reaper attire.

Enveloped entirely in deep black cloaks, with massive scythes floating behind them… aside from a few stray strands of hair, they leaked absolutely no other information.

However, once their scythes were displayed, others could recognize which Reaper they were at a single glance.

This was especially true for Xie Jianwei’s scythe. That was the ‘murder weapon’ that had once pierced through the Archangel, making it all too familiar to the angels.

Xie Jianwei had no choice; all Reapers coming here were required to display their scythes, otherwise, they would be denied entry.

Fortunately, once his scythe appeared, it immediately drew everyone’s attention, so no one noticed the little skeleton at all.

However, it also invited a barrage of gossip.

“Xie Jianwei actually dared to show his face.”

“What does he have to fear? No one can hurt him anyway.”

“He’s certainly strange. Aren’t Reapers supposed to be devoid of emotion and desire? Why is he so hopelessly devoted?”

“Demons are supposed to be utterly debauched, yet didn’t they produce a famously devoted lover?”

“True enough, and among our incomparably loyal angels, don’t we have an Archangel whose private life is a chaotic mess?”

As they laughed and gossiped, Xie Jianwei listened carefully to a few sentences.

Loren, on the other hand, appeared quite irritable. “Let’s go, let’s go. Listening to their nonsense.”

Xie Jianwei cast him a glance but said nothing.

Loren led Xie Jianwei to meet a Six-Star Reaper they were acquainted with, and the three chatted idly for a while.

Right at that moment, someone approached carrying a wine glass.

Loren turned around first, his entire body going on high alert after a single glance.

The newcomer’s voice was deep and very pleasing to the ear. “Don’t be nervous. I won’t cause trouble for you at this conference.”

Hearing this familiar voice, Xie Jianwei couldn’t help but turn to look.

Unsurprisingly, it was the Greater Demon who had previously attempted to kidnap Xie Jianwei.

His crimson eyes landed on Xie Jianwei, a meaningful smile hanging on the corners of his lips. “Apologies for the offense last time.”

Now he was acting all polite and refined.

Xie Jianwei stared at this Greater Demon who looked exactly like Lu Li.

Yan Ke whispered, “Is that the Lord Marshal?”

Xie Jianwei said, “Yes.”

He could sense it was him, yet there was something inexplicably off that he couldn’t quite put into words, but this was undeniably Lu Li. It had nothing to do with appearance; it was a feeling.

Yan Ke advised cautiously, “Something just feels strange. Please be careful, My Lord.”

“Mm,” Xie Jianwei replied, “I know what I’m doing.”

The Demon Lu Li didn’t say much else; he merely offered a greeting before turning and walking away.

Loren sneered, “What a hypocrite.”

Xie Jianwei looked at him.

Loren added, “Riveral acts exactly the same even as a demon.”

Riveral? Xie Jianwei realized this was the name of the Greater Demon just now.

However, Loren quickly added sarcastically, “Oh, he doesn’t call himself Riveral anymore. He goes by Lu Li now.”

Hearing those two words, the little skeleton didn’t look up, but the brim of his hood visibly trembled.

Before Xie Jianwei could speak, Loren said to the little skeleton, “That guy is just trying to antagonize A-Wei.”

Following along, Xie Jianwei explained, “Demons choose their names based on their whims. He knows you… um… he knows the name Lu Li.”

The little skeleton understood and didn’t write anything.

There were too many people here, and that writing board was far too conspicuous.

Loren sighed, “What a mess.”

Xie Jianwei really wanted to know what exactly this ‘mess’ was, yet this guy was incredibly considerate of Xie Jianwei, terrified that mentioning too much would upset him, so he abruptly changed the subject every single time.

Xie Jianwei had no choice but to play along.

God knew he wasn’t upset in the slightest; in fact, he was extremely curious.

The main participants of the Exchange Conference were actually the angels and demons. They engaged in their routine bickering, followed by a round of mutual disparagement, and then a period of cynical mockery. Once they had their fill of verbal sparring, everyone could basically disperse.

Xie Jianwei had no interest in any of this; he merely stole a few more glances at the Demon Lu Li.

And every time he shifted his gaze over, Lu Li would turn his head to look at him.

After making eye contact, he would offer a faint smile before calmly averting his gaze.

For some reason, seeing Lu Li smile like that sent a slight prick of pain through Xie Jianwei’s heart.

Was it because his smile looked so forced and helpless?

Yan Ke reminded him, “My Lord, look after Lord Skeleton.”

Xie Jianwei fully retracted his gaze, never looking at the Demon Lu Li again.

On the second day of the conference, the Heavenly Realm’s library was opened. Xie Jianwei and Loren split up, basically searching through all materials related to resurrection, yet turned up empty-handed.

The Heavenly Realm’s magic was immensely powerful, especially the healing spells of the Holy Light attribute. However, these spells were far too restrictive, mostly applicable only to angels. Even humans couldn’t use them, let alone other races.

In fact, such healing magic was highly offensive to demons.

Considering a skeleton wasn’t exactly a creature of light, these spells would likely only inflict damage upon him.

After a whole day of searching, the harvest was zero.

Loren pinched the bridge of his nose and said, “It seems we’ll have to count on the Demon Realm’s library.”

Xie Jianwei said, “I’ll keep looking a bit longer. If you’re tired, go rest.”

Loren was never good at reading these kinds of things to begin with, and forcing himself to read alongside him all day had already left him seeing stars. “Alright, I’ll go get some fresh air.”

Xie Jianwei had intentionally sent Loren away. He knew it would be difficult to find what he wanted in this library, but he could take the opportunity to browse the history of the Heavenly Realm and look into the deeds of that Archangel.

However, just as he opened the book, the Greater Demon beside him said in a low voice, “Is there anything about me that you don’t already know?”

Xie Jianwei had no choice but to close the book.

Lu Li’s gaze landed on the worn, ancient cover, a self-deprecating smile on his lips. “Why are you looking at this?”

Xie Jianwei stared at him for a moment before speaking slowly, “Riveral, our debts of gratitude and resentment are settled.”

His probing remark caused Lu Li’s eyes to turn blood-red, his voice dropping cold. “You may be able to settle them, but I cannot.”

Having said that, he turned and left.

Xie Jianwei looked down at the book in his hand. After flipping through just a few pages, he committed it to memory.

Riveral—the Archangel of Holy Light, who once led a host of angels to conquer seven cities in the Demon Realm, striking such fear into demons that they dared not set foot in the Human Realm.

He was the leader of the Heavenly Realm, the pride of the angels, forging the most glorious era in the Heavenly Realm’s history.

Yet in the year 9856 of the Light Calendar, Riveral was assassinated. With his Heavenly Soul shattered, he refused to pass on in peace, plummeting into the Demon Realm carrying his resentment, becoming the Greater Demon—Lu Li.

Xie Jianwei finally understood what Lu Li meant by his earlier remark: “Not as much as the time you stabbed me in the heart.”

It seemed this backstory was genuinely quite complicated.

On the third day, Xie Jianwei had the fortune of entering the Demon Realm’s library.

Compared to the Heavenly Realm’s library, the scale in the Demon Realm was much smaller, but its practical utility was far from low.

The books in the Heavenly Realm were filled with too much sycophantic praise, lengthy and tedious, with prose that was extremely flamboyant and extravagant. The customs of the Human Realm were likely influenced by the Heavenly Realm.

The Demon Realm was concise and straightforward; finding information was clear at a glance.

Loren couldn’t help but sigh, “If given the choice, I’d rather fall into the Demon Realm than become a birdman.”

Xie Jianwei chuckled, “Neither is as free as a Reaper.”

“True enough,” Loren said as he flipped through an ancient tome. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he called out, “Come take a look at this!”

Xie Jianwei leaned over, quickly taking the book from him.

Loren said, “I knew we’d find something in the Demon Realm. Turns out there used to be a race called Undead in the Demon Realm.”

Skeletons were a type of undead, though they were now extinct.

Xie Jianwei read through it line by line, committing the contents to memory. When he reached the seventh or eighth line, he froze.

Loren saw it too, his brows furrowing tightly. “Blood willingly offered by a Greater Demon?”

Xie Jianwei let out a breath, “And it has to be sufficiently powerful.”

“That makes things difficult…” Loren said. “With the little skeleton’s strength, I’m afraid there are hardly a few in this world who can match him.”

Xie Jianwei pointed to the next line and said, “It doesn’t have to be equal; seventy percent will suffice.”

Loren remained silent for a long moment, finally saying, “Right now, the only one in the Demon Realm who likely meets that standard is Riveral… Oh, he’s also called Lu Li now.”

So, to give the little skeleton a body, the Demon Lu Li had to willingly offer his blood?

Thinking of the prejudice that guy held against him, Xie Jianwei couldn’t help but frown slightly.

This matter… was not going to be easy.

Moreover… it was getting hard to tell who was staging drama for whom.