Chapter 425: Happiness?

"Ding, what's this—you're here instead?"

"Beep, let me take over for you, sis. I can do whatever you don’t want to do."

"Ding, do you even know what it is?"

"Beep, sis, what is it?"

"Ding, it’s about getting beaten up. You want that?"

"Beep... N-no, I don’t want to get beaten up."

Listening to the two jokesters in his mind, Lu Ye wore a faint smile.

"What are you thinking about? Why are you smiling so happily?" Lin Chuyue asked curiously.

Lu Ye froze.

"Happy?" He uttered the word in confusion.

"Yeah, grinning like an idiot—so happy!"

Lu Ye glanced at Drunken Sword Taoist, who also nodded. "It is happiness!"

That kind of smile could indeed only come from someone truly happy.

Lu Ye...

His eyes held a faint faraway look.

So, even after such severe betrayals, even if his previous lives were filled with misfortune, he could still have happiness.

Happiness came unexpectedly, showing itself without warning.

Happiness... was actually quite easy.

As long as he met the right people.

"I just thought of something pleasant. Everyone has moments of happiness, right?" Lu Ye said with a smile.

"Right! Who doesn’t have happy moments? I'm so happy right now!"

Lin Chuyue was almost jumping for joy.

It was just... utterly childish.

The three returned to the Cave of No Return.

"Both of you, I’m heading into the Cave of No Return now. You may return to Tianmen Star. If I make it out safely, I’ll come back. If not, then I’ve probably ascended to the Sixth Heaven. No need to worry about me—I’m completely confident!" Lu Ye said to them.

Lin Chuyue, however, looked worried.

"So many people who entered never came back. Are you really sure?"

"Of course. After all, in my past life, I was a Celestial Lord!"

Without another word, Lu Ye waved his hand and transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the Cave of No Return.

"Take care, Sect Leader!"

"Be careful!"

Lu Ye's vision was engulfed by darkness, and when light reappeared, he found himself in a gray passage.

He first surveyed his surroundings—everything was gray, the color of chaos, but not pure chaos alone. Mixed within it was the Thief Demon Lord's Great Dao.

The passage extended only forward and backward, with no up or down, let alone any exits.

Calmly, Lu Ye pressed his palm against the gray passage, quietly sensing its nature.

Tch, just like the Thief Demon Lord. This passage repelled all outside forces—forcing entry would cause the entire passage to collapse, scattering the intruder randomly.

Of course, Lu Ye wasn't nearly strong enough to disturb the passage.

His body turned into a streak of light as he swiftly flew in one direction.

A day later, he reached a fork in the path.

Lu Ye had his own way in—and he trusted it completely!

"System, begin deducing the end of this passage!"

"Ding! Deduction initiated!"

The system began calculating.

"Drip..."

"Little Providence, begin deducing the passage's end!"

"Drip, commencing deduction!"

Little Providence felt satisfied.

With both working together, it was as if the entire Providence was aiding Lu Ye in cutting through the fog for answers.

The Thief Demon Lord was incredibly powerful, and his escape skills were unmatched.

But could he truly remain hidden under Providence's full-powered deduction?

Lu Ye didn’t know the answer, but unless something went wrong, he would soon find out.

Time ticked by.

The longer it took, the more confident Lu Ye grew.

If success were impossible, the system would’ve failed immediately for such a question with no alternative answers.

For example, if he asked it to locate the Dark Origin, it would simply announce failure if unable to find it.

Likewise, probing Shangguan Huanling’s thoughts would fail too.

Right on cue, three hours later.

"Ding, deduction successful!"

At that moment, a mental arrow appeared in Lu Ye's mind, guiding him toward the direction he needed to go.

This was the power of a system!

"Hey, Big Sis and I figured it out together," Little Providence bragged, seeking credit.

"Yeah, you and Big Sis are the best."

"Ding, this guy's hiding so well. They say a sly rabbit has three burrows, but this guy has over thirty decoys, each one a lethal setup," the system remarked.

Lu Ye was slightly startled—what a sneaky bastard!

Time to watch his step.

"Has the Thief Demon Lord died?" Lu Ye asked.

"Ding, no clue!"

"Run the analysis!"

The system hesitated...

"Beep..."

Little Providence, still hyped up, reminded Lu Ye again.

The system had grown numb to deductions, but Providence was still full of novelty, practically raring to go.

"Your turn!"

"Beep, analysis underway!"

Lu Ye was truly stoked. This life was different from his last. In his previous life, using the system to deduce anything about a Celestial Lord would have cost an arm and a leg.

Who knew how many resources the system would have gobbled up before it'd even start the deduction?

But now?

The power of Providence, though not infinite, was plenty to spare for Lu Ye to use freely!

"Ding, not dead!"

"Beep, almost dead!"

The two gave their replies, and Lu Ye got goosebumps. The Thief Demon Lord wasn't dead yet? Weren't the rumors that he'd been struck down by the Demon Ancestor, his core Dao got wrecked, his injuries so severe he was almost wiped out?

Lu Ye frowned slightly.

A Celestial Lord, even one hanging by a thread, wasn't someone he could afford to provoke.

But was this "almost dead" the kind where he was completely drained, or the kind where his lifespan was nearly spent but he could still unleash one last god-tier power-up?

To find out, the answer was simple—dig deeper.

The system seemed prepared in advance. The celestial sigil between Lu Ye’s brows glowed, and a blurry image appeared before him.

It was a thatched hut. A mummified husk sat cross-legged, and in its bony palm, a heart thumped weakly.

Wait—Lu Ye?

His attention was entirely focused on this pulsating heart.

This heart was...

The heart of a Sage???

Lu Ye's eyes bulged—was this some kind of sick joke?

What's a Sage's heart doing here?

Wait, how the hell did the Sage's heart get loose?

Even though Lu Ye had been a Celestial Lord in his past life, he still got goosebumps at this moment.

Because this was beyond ridiculous.

If this Sage's heart was real, no wonder the Demon Ancestor was hell-bent on killing the Thief Demon Lord. If word got out, not only would the Demon Ancestor pursue him, but all the Celestial Lords and Emperors in the world would hunt the Thief Demon Lord down—this would make the whole world go berserk.

The Sage's heart...