The wound in his caved-in chest was still severe, but Gu Kai no longer felt any pain... even his breathing had become easier.
It was an utterly unbelievable state, yet the evidence lay right before him.
The man wearing the hideous demon mask stood ahead, at the edge of the cliff, studying the scroll depicting the Evil God Statue in his hand.
Gu Kai remained silent.
The blood mark inside him seemed to have vanished. No matter how he called out, he could no longer sense the will of the Blood God, which should have been everywhere.
His body grew lighter and lighter, as though he were floating in the sky. That weightless sensation made Gu Kai frown instinctively... then he suddenly turned around.
What he saw was another version of himself... lying on the ground, his chest caved in, eyes tightly shut, face deathly pale... no longer breathing.
Gu Kai recoiled two steps in terror... had his soul left his body?
"I... am I already dead?"
"Not yet." Gao Chang Gong slowly turned around and said calmly, "But you're close. Do you know what it means to be on the verge of death?"
Gu Kai felt his entire body prickle with dread, even in this spiritual state.
"Who are you? What do you want to ask me? About these two scrolls?" he asked in terror.
"You can paint, correct?" Gao Chang Gong said calmly.
Gu Kai opened his mouth in confusion.
The tools he usually painted with slowly floated over from his body lying on the ground.
"Paint it," Gao Chang Gong said calmly. "I can keep you alive... and whatever was planted inside you won't know."
"I... what am I supposed to paint..." Gu Kai answered blankly. It was as though he were no longer himself, but a