Seeing the ugly expression on Draven's face, Silas laughed out loud. "I am just joking, kid. Although your comprehension is somewhat monstrous, you are not some demon vessel or anything. Quite the contrary, if my analysis is correct, it's the new boy who appeared out of nowhere who has a high chance of being one."
Draven looked at Silas blankly. Even he was not sure himself whether he was a demon or not, so how was this senior so certain?
Seeing Draven's confusion, Silas explained, "First, you have to know what a demon vessel is, and why they are so hard to detect, even for 10th realm cultivators like us."
Draven listened carefully, his own curiosity piqued. After all, this was the first time he had even heard of such a thing, and he had almost been killed because he was suspected of being one.
"A demon vessel is a soulless body created using the corpse of a 10th realm powerhouse and different types of precious materials," Silas said in a lazy tone. "After the vessel is created, a demon cultivator who has reached the 10th realm and exhausted his lifespan will use a special technique to transplant his soul into it, extending his life. But this new body will be a blank slate, meaning they will lose their 10th-stage cultivation and have to start from scratch like any other human."
"Sort of like possession?" Draven asked with a frown.
Silas shook his head. "Not possession. In possession, the soul will still die once its lifespan is over, and there will always be an imbalance between the soul and the possessed body. But a demon vessel is no different from a normal human body. Additionally, if you use a powerful corpse, you can also obtain its physique and bloodline, which is in itself a violation of heavenly laws."
"Even 10th realm cultivators cannot tell the difference between a demon vessel and a real descendant with just a spiritual scan. There is no difference in bloodline, cell structure, or aura."
Draven's frown deepened. "If they can't be distinguished, why did that white-robed old man keep insisting that I was a demon vessel without any suspicion falling on that imposter who looks like me?"
"A 10th-tier DNA test," Silas said matter-of-factly. "It uses high-tech technology to conduct the DNA test. No matter how perfect a demon vessel is, there will always be a flaw hidden in its DNA: the presence of additional structures called soul essence fragments. These are left behind when the soul is decomposed back to the mortal realm."
"Devis must have conducted a DNA test on both you and that boy. To your bad luck, his DNA might have been perfect, while yours showed the presence of these soul essence fragments."
Draven thought of something and asked in surprise, "Are you saying someone switched my DNA sample with a fake one?"
Silas shook his head. "Don't underestimate the perception of a 10th realm cultivator. Devis would have noticed the moment he met you if your sample had been switched with someone else's."
Draven scratched his head in confusion. "So... am I the demon vessel?"
Silas shook his head again. "No, you are not. If you were a demon vessel, you would not have been able to enter the Asura God Mansion. The ancient rules engraved on that treasure won't allow anyone who has violated the heavenly laws to enter."
Draven stared blankly. "If I'm not the demon vessel, why were there fragments of soul essence in my DNA instead of his?"
"I'm not sure either," Silas shrugged his shoulders. "But I have a guess."
He took a sip from his wine gourd and continued. "I don't know the authenticity of this information, as I only heard bits and pieces of such a technique in my younger days. It's called the Demon Child Perfection Scripture, a complementary technique associated with the Demon Vessel Creation Scripture. According to rumors, if the demon vessel is created from the corpse of a couple, the soul essence fragments that are shed can be transferred into the body of the couple's direct descendant who is still in the mortal realm."
"This way, the roles are reversed. The newly formed demon vessel will have perfect DNA, while the original descendant will have the flawed DNA."
Draven squinted his eyes in understanding. "So you suspect he used this technique on me after using my parents' corpses to create his body?"
Silas nodded. "Both your parents died eleven years ago, but their corpses were never recovered. So the possibility is not low."
Draven's gaze sharpened. "So now, in my grandparents' eyes, I am the demon cultivator who killed their children to create a new body. But if that's the case, why did they let me go without taking my life?"
Silas took another sip. "Firstly, you sincerely looked after your sister all this while. They can't simply kill you out of anger, as it might crack their relationship with her. Secondly, that pill Magnus made you eat is a remnant legacy of a 10th-tier physician who died a thousand years ago. For thirty minutes after eating it, even a 10th realm cultivator can only speak the truth. If they dare to lie, the golden barrier around their body will collapse."
"Even after Magnus asked you dozens of questions, all your answers proved you were not lying, which confused them. The truths you spoke contradicted what they assumed to be true, so they eventually let you go."
"Why didn't they make that imposter eat one of those pills? Wouldn't that bring the whole truth to light?" Draven asked, feeling it was common sense.
Silas smiled lightly. "It's not as simple as you think. As far as I know, the pill Magnus had was the last of its kind in this world. Many 10th-tier physicians offered him a sky-high price for it, but that miser kept it for himself until now. No one has been able to reverse-engineer its formula to date."
"So there's no way to expose his identity? Wait, why don't you try talking with my grandparents about all this?" Draven asked as an idea popped into his head.
"I am not on good terms with them. But even if they listened, we have no evidence to back our claim. They might think we are raising false allegations just to clear your name. The best decision for now is to go with the flow and forget about this," Silas said.
Draven nodded and asked curiously, pointing at the old man impaled on the central road by the Asura spear, "By the way, who is this old man?"
"A 10th realm cultivator of the True Demon Cult. He was probably here because his objective of keeping you alive until now has ended," Silas said indifferently.
A shiver ran down Draven's spine. As far as he knew, the 10th realm was the highest in this world. Compared to such a being, he was more insignificant than an ant. To think such a person would act just to silence him was far beyond his expectations.
Seeing the tense expression on Draven's face, Silas smiled. "Do not worry. Since you are my successor, I will always keep a watch on you. But don't expect any other help from me. I will just ensure you won't die; the rest is up to you. This is the last duty of the leader of the Nyxborns, until the next leader becomes capable of standing on his own feet."
Draven's eyes lit up. Silas had killed a 10th realm cultivator before he could even react; the creepy smile frozen on the old man's face was proof. Having such a person protecting him from the shadows was a good thing, especially now that he was also on the radar of the True Demon Cult.
"There is one more thing," Silas added, as if remembering something. "The Stonewill family from the 36th Stronghold has moved to the 20th Stronghold after their young patriarch broke through to the Ascendant Realm and caught the eye of the branch family's patriarch there. His father was also given an elder's position. So be prepared; they will surely send someone to assassinate you soon."
Draven nodded in understanding. "So they weren't in the 36th Stronghold in the first place. No wonder the entire mansion looked deserted when I went there."
"Anyway, you must refine your life-bound weapons first. I have an important task for you once you succeed. If you accomplish it within a month, I will give you a rare ancient body cultivation technique as a reward. Trust me, it is on the same level as the Asura Battle Body Forging Art and belonged to the same person to whom your life-bound weapon, Silent Eclipse, once belonged," Silas said, shaking his empty wine gourd with a disappointed look.
"Are you related to my mother, Lira?" Draven suddenly asked a question that had been bothering him.
Silas paused for a moment, then nodded. "She was my adopted daughter. That is also the reason I allowed you to call me grandfather. Now that Devis has asked you not to use his family name, make sure to change your name to Draven Nyxborn in all official records."
"Do you know about the Night Crawlers?" Draven asked calmly, though his eyes began turning red as the chaos element around him grew restless.
"This is the problem with all the people from the Skywalker family; you have no idea how to control your anger. I truly don't understand how you achieved success in the Asura Seven Sense Mandra with your temper." Silas sighed helplessly. "As for the Night Crawlers, I have killed all those I could find. For the rest, I have no leads either. Since you consider yourself Lira's son, take care of the rest yourself."
Draven took a deep breath to calm his emotions, and his aura stabilized again. "Sorry for that. I truly am a little reckless when I'm angry," he said apologetically.
He was helpless about it. Even when he only felt slightly angry, his chaos bloodline would activate on its own, urging him to fight. On the other hand, his 7th Sense kept warning him that if he did something foolish, he would die on the spot, especially since the person before him was an existence far above his level.
Silas waved his hand lazily. "Go home first. If you have anything to ask me, just touch the earring on your ear and think about what you want to say in your mind. I will be able to hear you."
After that, he vanished from before Draven like a ghost.
With a complicated expression, Draven started the Black Phantom and resumed his journey.
Of course, there was some bitterness regarding Jessy's departure, but he believed this was the best outcome for her. The Skywalkers could provide her with the best cultivation techniques and resources, far better than he ever could.
His only worry was the anomaly who looked like him. If he was some old monster in disguise, as Silas said, there were two possibilities. One was that he would simply leech off the Skywalker family, using their resources to cultivate without ulterior motives. The other was that he might try to harm the Skywalkers, which Draven could not accept, since they were also a part of his family if what Silas said was true.
Anyway, all this was a matter for the future, which Draven had no control over at this moment.