The demon was still writhing on the blood-soaked ground, spitting out another mouthful of scarlet liquid. And yet, he smiled with that damned mocking gleam in his amber eyes — the same as Han Ling's, only distilled with scorn.
"Ah... before I forget," he said, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, "while you're here having your little existential meltdown, the outer god... is having fun with Yu Yui."
Han Ling froze for a moment.
"Don't worry, he hasn't killed her. He's just... exploring that peculiar body of hers," the demon gestured with an ambiguous expression. "You know how it is... that physique of hers attracts more than just opportunities. And as you well know, he loves to play with his toys before breaking them."
Han Ling narrowed his eyes. "...Is she still alive?"
"What was that?" the demon tilted his head, eyes wide with theatrical mockery. "You... cared? How cute." He laughed. "That's hilarious. You just strangled me for mentioning your precious sweetheart... and now you've got that little wrinkle of worry on your forehead over the bitch who helped break you."
"Shut up," Han Ling growled, turning his face away. "I'm not worried. She's just a tool."
"Oh, of course. A tool you just pictured being used by someone else." The demon rose, shrugging his shoulders. "You're way too emotional lately, huh? Must've been the sex. Messed you up. It was easier when you just killed and smiled, no existential crises between orgasms."
"I'm not emotional," Han Ling said coldly, but his voice had already lost its usual rigidity. "Yu Yui has a physique that can still be useful. I just don't want that bastard possessing me to waste something that could benefit me when I take control back."
The demon raised an eyebrow, like someone watching a liar get tangled in his own excuses. "Sure. Cold and calculating as always."
He stepped closer, lightly tapping Han Ling's chest. "But you know... maybe it's time you start admitting a thing or two to yourself. Otherwise, when hell truly arrives, you won't know if you're trying to protect her, Han Xinrou... or just your own guilt."
Han Ling said nothing, his eyes once again burning with restrained fury.
He muttered, his voice low like a drawn blade:
"When I get out of here... I'll kill that god. I'll take my body back. And if Yu Yui's still whole, great. If not... it won't matter. The one I want to save, the one I will save... is Han Xinrou."
The demon smiled. "We'll see, little brother. We'll see."
The demon suddenly smiled — and without warning, punched Han Ling hard in the face, making his head snap to the side and blood drip from his mouth.
"That was for the strangling earlier, you bastard," he muttered with a satisfied air, shaking his sore hand. "I have feelings too, you know?"
Han Ling growled, wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand. But before he could retaliate, the demon continued:
"By the way, speaking of feelings... let's get to the fun part." He crouched down again, his voice taking on a darker tone. "You thought Yu Yui was just a tool, didn't you? A disposable piece with a little special body? Well, you were wrong. Dead wrong."
The demon's eyes gleamed with calculated cruelty.
"Her 'celestial destiny' physique… it's not just a magnet for opportunities. It's not something of this world. It's something the gods themselves would classify as an 'Infinite Fortune Physique.' Infinite luck, Han Ling. Only — here's the catch — she was born with a twin sister. And that split the luck between the two of them. Which means now both only have a fraction of what should've been divine fortune."
Han Ling furrowed his brow, absorbing every word with a grim expression.
"But the outer god... oh, he was clever," the demon continued, beginning to pace around Han Ling. "He plans to use Yu Yui as a vessel. Once she's completely corrupted and emotionally broken, he'll kill her twin. And then... voilà. Infinite fortune restored. And with it, a body with enough luck to alter reality and logic."
Han Ling clenched his fists but remained silent.
"Of course he can't do that yet," said the demon, giving a theatrical shrug. "She's still stubborn, stupid, and... emotionally unstable. She's broken inside, but not enough. He wants to do it right. And his plan starts with a beautiful show: killing himself — in your body — in front of her."
Han Ling's eyes widened in surprise.
"What?"
"The outer god's plan," the demon repeated with a sadistic grin. "Make Yu Yui watch you, Han Ling — the one she idolizes — destroy yourself right before her eyes. It'll be a spectacle. The kind of pain that changes someone forever. It'll bury any emotional attachment she has left, and make room for him to take full control afterward."
Han Ling closed his eyes for a moment. Part of him still wanted to deny that Yu Yui mattered. But the demon sensed the hesitation.
"Just look at you," he said in a mocking tone. "You went quiet. Thinking about her. Wondering if she can handle seeing that. Pathetic."
"Shut up," Han Ling muttered, but without force.
"You don't get it, do you?" The demon leaned forward. "You're still the perfect vessel. He doesn't want to lose you. He's going to consume your corpse that fell at the 'end of the world,' regain part of his power, and then use your body to fight the gods, the immortals, everything. You're the ideal mold... Yu Yui's just a bonus. A piece he wants to save for later."
"Then why leave me trapped in here?!"
"Because he needs you," the demon said more seriously now. "He needs to keep you close... but tamed. And what's better than using your own guilt and mistakes to keep you in collapse?"
Silence.
Han Ling lowered his head, trembling fists clenched.
The demon stepped away, staring up at the crimson sky above the sea of blood.
"You can keep crying here... or you can get up and do something, Han Ling. Because if you don't get out soon... you'll lose everything. Han Xinrou, Yu Yui, even your chance to make things right. And then... it won't just be guilt. It'll be emptiness."
Han Ling, blood still drying at the corner of his mouth, raised his sharp eyes toward the demon before him. There was a spark of restrained fury — but also confusion.
"How do you know all this?" he asked quietly, almost in a growl. "How can you know the outer god's plans if I — the real owner of this body — don't?"
The demon stopped, slowly turned, and looked Han Ling in the eye with an expression void of humor or malice. Just exhaustion.
"Because... I'm part of him, Han Ling. Or rather... I was created by him," the demon replied, voice deep and emotionless. "When your heart tribulation was tainted by his presence... it warped. And from that distortion... I was born."
He struck his own chest with a closed fist.
"I was molded from your guilt, your pain, your rage, and that bastard's influence. And because of that, there's a link between me and him. Fragile, but enough. I can feel what he feels... see what he sees, sometimes. Faintly, like through a cracked mirror."
Han Ling frowned, his expression growing even more severe.
"And why are you telling me this?" he asked, his voice now laced with suspicion. "You're an enemy. You're part of my darkness. You should be trying to destroy me from the inside, not help me."
The demon smiled. But it was a joyless, pride-less smile. It was empty.
"Because I am you, Han Ling. The part you pretend doesn't exist. Your guilt, your humanity... everything you've tried to kill over the years. I'm what's left when you can't keep pretending you're just a heartless monster."
He looked down at his own hands, as if they disgusted him.
"I only exist because of the Outer God. I was forced into being by his presence. And because of that… I hate him."
Han Ling remained silent.
"You think it's bad growing up without a mother and with an abusive father, Han Ling?" the demon continued, his voice turning rougher. "Try being born fully aware that you're an abomination that should've never existed. That every second of existence is torture. That you feel everything — pain, fear, hope — and you know none of it matters. Because living… is suffering."
His red eyes locked onto Han Ling's, a glint of restrained madness beginning to shine through.
"To exist is a curse. I didn't want to be here. I didn't ask to be born! But he… that damned Outer God… made me exist. Made me feel. And now I hate him more than anything. Because he gave me the one thing a monster like me should never have had: consciousness."
The silence was broken only by the crackling of unstable energy all around, while the sea of blood pulsed like a living heart. Han Ling wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes still burning with rage and freshly awakened clarity.
The demon crossed his arms, analyzing Han Ling's mental state.
"Now that you're awake, tell me… what's the plan, genius?" he mocked. "Gonna stay locked inside your own head until the Outer God uses your body like a puppet?"
Han Ling slowly lifted his gaze.
"Staying here isn't an option. But leaving… is suicide," he replied in a low voice, as if already calculating every possible scenario. "Even weakened, that god could destroy this entire world without even trying. Just the corruption from his corpse has already turned half this dimension into an abyss cultivators call the 'End of the World.'"
The demon laughed, clapping sarcastically.
"Nice name for a wound in reality, right? But… I have an idea."
Han Ling gave him a suspicious look.
"We're not exactly in a position to bargain with gods, in case you hadn't noticed."
"I never said 'bargain.' I said 'deceive,'" the demon replied with a crooked smile. "Remember your stealth gift? That ability of yours to vanish from normal senses, even from spiritual ones?"
"It won't work," Han Ling cut in, shaking his head. "That thing doesn't just have senses. It is awareness. Formless will. If its attention is focused, it'll erase us from existence before we take two steps."
The demon raised a finger.
"But what if your gift were… refined? Let's say, enhanced? I have a connection to the Outer God, remember? Because of the corruption that seeps all the way here, even into this secluded corner of your mind."
Han Ling frowned, listening closely.
"Go on."
"I can channel a small portion of his influence. Not his power — that would kill us. But his spiritual signature. The hidden vibration he emits. If I weave that into your gift, I can alter your stealth. Instead of vanishing from senses… you'd become irrelevant to his perception. Like a grain of dust in a desert."
Han Ling remained silent for a long time. Assessing. Measuring the risks.
"You're talking about corrupting me too."
"Not completely," the demon shrugged. "Corruption is inevitable — you already carry it. But if we know how to use its edges, its subtle fragments, we can slip past that god's gaze. He won't see an enemy… just another meaningless shadow, easily ignored."
Han Ling took a deep breath. The implications were dangerous. If anything went wrong, he could lose himself — or worse, be absorbed by the enemy. But if he stayed, he'd lose Han Xinrou… Yu Yui…
"How long will it take?" he asked.
The demon grinned, showing his teeth.
"Less time than that monster needs to prepare his little show. Which means… now."
Han Ling nodded.
"Then do it."
The demon smiled, as if he'd been expecting that answer. But he paused, like there was still something he needed to say.
"Han Ling…" he began, his tone more serious. "Do you really want to save Yu Yui?"
Han Ling slowly raised his eyes.
"You know what you feel for her isn't natural, right? It's the influence of that special physique she has. It messes with men's hearts… draws affection, desire, attachment. What you feel… it might not even be real."
For a moment, Han Ling said nothing. But then his amber eyes gleamed with a contained coldness.
"And what is real, then?"
The demon frowned.
"You know what I mean. You even said she was just a tool."
Han Ling clenched his fists, feeling the runes engraved in his skin pulse in response.
"Yes… I said that. But now I realize I was trying to lie to myself. That girl…" his voice faltered for a brief, almost imperceptible moment, "...she got in. Maybe it started as the influence of her physique, but now… I feel something. Doesn't matter if it was triggered. It's there. Inside me."
He took a deep breath, looking away.
"Denying it would be like repeating the mistake I made with Xinrou. I spent years running away, pretending I didn't care about her… and in the end, everything collapsed. I blamed myself. I regretted it. If I do the same thing now… it might be even worse. I could lose everything."
The demon watched him in silence, and for the first time, he seemed… thoughtful. As if seeing something beyond Han Ling's usual cynicism.
"Hmph… so that's it," he murmured. "Lin Yan's body… it really did change you. Made you more human. You used to be a blade. Now… you're bleeding."
Han Ling stared at him, but didn't reply. The truth was too clear.
The demon sighed.
"I just hope you don't regret loving them both. You saw what happened when you abandoned one of them. Now imagine… if you're forced to abandon them both."
***
End of chapter.