Rakshasa! Illusion!

Rakshasa Secret Realm,

The sky here was dim and oppressive, and beneath her feet lay a desolate land. Not a trace of life could be seen anywhere. Anyone in this world would feel nothing but endless loneliness.

Bibi Dong had long since grown accustomed to this hopeless land of despair. She walked straight toward a Rakshasa Statue.

The statue's features could not be seen clearly. Black mist shrouded its surroundings, but through the haze, one could vaguely make out that it was a goddess.

The statue was not tall, yet standing in this world, it seemed to be its very center.

Though it was only three zhang tall, it resembled a pillar holding up the heavens, making it seem incomparably lofty and majestic. This contradictory sight appeared utterly harmonious to the eye.

Yet what the statue emitted was not boundless divine radiance, but endless evil energy. This was a fallen god. The aura surrounding her statue constantly tempted the darkness within people's hearts, telling them that depravity was the only destination.

After approaching it, Bibi Dong hesitated again.

But when she thought of how she had suffered setbacks at Qian Daoliu's hands twice recently, her desire for strength overwhelmed that trace of hesitation.

"Begin the Seventh God Trial."

"Ding! Seventh God Trial. Rakshasa Illusion: break free from obsession."

A mechanical female voice sounded. It was an unconscious program that assisted the Rakshasa God's inheritance. Clearly, she had not established any consecrators or priests for her inheritor.

As the God Trial began, a violet-black divine light shot out from the statue and fiercely struck toward Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong did not dodge. Since she had already begun the God Trial, she naturally would not continue hesitating.

When Bibi Dong awoke again, she found herself inside a secret chamber.

Beside her stood a terrifying man with a loathsome face. He had golden hair, but the face of a vicious ghost. His body was covered in tentacles, pus still dripped from his mouth, and he looked like a demon descending into the human world.

The demon opened his pus-filled mouth, revealing a mouthful of savage fangs with shreds of flesh still caught between them. The moment he spoke, a foul gust blew over.

"My dear disciple, you and Yu Xiaogang are no longer possible. Do you still dare to see Yu Xiaogang now?"

Bibi Dong suddenly came to her senses. This was?

Right. She was Bibi Dong, the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, and the person before her was her teacher, Qian Xunji.

That was right. In Bibi Dong's heart, Qian Xunji looked exactly like this evil ghost.

Yu Xiaogang?

"Hehehehe, if you dare see Yu Xiaogang again, I'll immediately send someone to kill him."

"No! Don't!"

Bibi Dong said instinctively.

She did not know why she had said that. Who was Yu Xiaogang? He seemed to be someone very important.

"Then behave yourself. From now on, you will still be the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall."

With that, the evil ghost left the secret chamber, leaving Bibi Dong alone in its dimness.

Over the following days,

Other than the maid who brought her meals, she spent all her time facing the empty chamber. In such solitude, she truly felt as though she was going mad.

Every day, she tried desperately to recall things, yet she could only remember vague fragments. Her mind was like a short-circuited lamp.

Day after day,

Bibi Dong did not know how long had passed in that dim secret chamber.

On this day, the chamber door slowly opened, and the evil ghost finally entered again.

"Dong'er, have you thought things through during this time?"

The evil ghost grinned as he spoke to Bibi Dong, whose expression was somewhat dazed.

Seeing the evil ghost arrive, Bibi Dong forced herself to gather her spirits. She rose with a smile and offered a salute, appearing like a refined young lady—serene and elegant.

"Teacher, I understand now. I am the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, and I will only ever be the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall."

"Hahahaha! Dong'er, it is good that you can think this way. Your teacher is very pleased."

The evil ghost laughed heartily, seemingly very satisfied with Bibi Dong's words.

Bibi Dong took two more steps forward.

"Dong'er knows how hard Teacher works. Before, Dong'er was too immature."

The evil ghost seemed to believe her and revealed a satisfied smile.

"Teacher labors day and night for Spirit Hall. How about Dong'er massages Teacher's shoulders?"

Bibi Dong was now less than a meter away from the evil ghost.

Suddenly, eight Spider Spears extended from behind Bibi Dong and violently stabbed toward the evil ghost.

"Die, beast!"

"Bang!"

The eight Spider Spears were blocked by a Soul Power barrier.

"Hehehehe, obedient disciple, it seems you are still not being honest!"

"Let your teacher teach you... urgh."

The evil ghost stared in terror at the hand protruding from his chest. His mocking expression froze in an instant.

"H-how is this possible?"

Bibi Dong smiled faintly. It was clearly the same smile as before, yet it made one shudder, as though it concealed bone-piercing coldness.

She clenched her hand hard, instantly crushing the evil ghost's heart. His mind went blank, his legs gave way, and he fell stiffly onto the cold ground, disbelief still lingering in his eyes.

"Hahahahaha! Qian Xunji, Qian Xunji! If I can kill you once, I can kill you twice. Become my stepping stone to godhood!"

Bibi Dong's face was filled with madness, as though she were sorrowful yet joyful, crying yet laughing. In the end, she returned to calmness. The eight Spider Spears behind her extended and pierced "Qian Xunji," absorbing him completely.

After absorbing Qian Xunji, Bibi Dong's aura rose again. She had already touched the threshold of the � level.

I should have passed, right? Bibi Dong thought.

The Seventh Rakshasa Trial tested whether one could see through one's obsessions, or rather, overcome the inner demons of one's heart. This was also why Bibi Dong had been unwilling to undertake the seventh trial for so long. Some things could not simply be seen through just because one wanted to.

Originally, she had planned to delay for another two years, but the pressure from Qian Daoliu forced her to begin the Seventh God Trial immediately. If her strength was insufficient, would she not be unable to even protect her own disciple?

At that moment, the scene suddenly shifted.

Bibi Dong found herself standing in a lush little forest. She vaguely remembered this place as an unnamed grove on the right side of Spirit City.

A young black-haired man stood in the woods. He was of average height and somewhat thin, with fairly handsome features and a faint smile at the corner of his lips. He was none other than Yu Dash in his youth.

At this time, Yu Xiaogang did not possess the sense of defeat that came after suffering emotional setbacks. Instead, he was full of vigor. Dressed in a plain gray-black robe, paired with his scholarly air, he truly gave off the feeling of a pale-faced scholar.

He revealed a sunny smile and spoke to Bibi Dong.

"Dong'er, let's elope. Let's go somewhere no one can find us."

Bibi Dong first saw this man whom she had once been unable to forget, then heard those words. Her emotions immediately became complicated—there was surprise, along with another indescribable feeling.

"Xiao Gang, are you... are you serious?"

For some reason, Bibi Dong was not as happy as she had imagined she would be upon hearing those words. Clearly, what she had always longed for was to be together with Yu Xiaogang. She had once wondered whether the things that followed would never have happened if she had eloped with Yu Xiaogang back then.

Although she also knew that, given Spirit Hall's influence, they would have been more likely to be captured and brought back, she had always harbored a sliver of hope.

But in reality, Yu Xiaogang had never said those words. Instead, he had hoped that Bibi Dong would remain in Spirit Hall, so that he could better use her position to access some of Spirit Hall's most secret records.

"Of course it's true, Dong'er."

Yu Xiaogang maintained his gentle smile.

"Come with me. Everything will change, and we can be together forever."

Bibi Dong hesitated. Though her mind was still somewhat unclear, she felt as though she still had something tying her down.

"Don't you want to be with me?"

Seeing Bibi Dong hesitate, Yu Xiaogang revealed a pained expression, his tone carrying a plea.

"Dong'er, will you be with me?"

Bibi Dong was somewhat lost, her mind hazy. Seeing the pain on Yu Xiaogang's face, she could not bear it, yet the last remnants of her rationality held her back. For a moment, she fell into hesitation.

"Come here, Dong'er. As long as you come over, we can be together forever."

A trace of temptation entered Yu Xiaogang's voice.

"Come here. You won't have to suffer anymore."

Everything Yu Xiaogang said was what Bibi Dong had once hoped for.

She slowly walked toward Yu Xiaogang. The love she had suppressed in her heart suddenly began to swell, and her love for Yu Xiaogang seemed to grow ever deeper. It was as though, once she reached his side, Yu Xiaogang would become a part of her that she could never part with.

Evening,

Inside Bibi Dong's bedchamber.

Shang An was sleeping soundly.

Suddenly, his Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Lord Martial Soul stirred, immediately waking him.

Those eyes that seemed to contain the stars of the universe opened. A trace of sleepy haze remained on his adorable little face, but he quickly became alert.

"What's going on!"

"Did something happen with Teacher?"

"Could it be the Rakshasa Demonic Thought?"

"That shouldn't be possible! My Seed of Heart should have already suppressed it."

"Could Teacher have begun the Rakshasa God Trial?"

In just an instant, Shang An considered many possibilities.

"No, I have to go take a look."

Shang An tried to sink his consciousness into his second Martial Soul, the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Lord. This was his first attempt, but it was as though instinct told him this was what he should do. It seemed that after the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Primordial Spirit had been tempered by space-time and turned into a Martial Soul, it had undergone some wondrous changes.

Suddenly, the sight before his eyes changed, and his consciousness appeared in a boundless, silent darkness. One brilliant star and two dim stars stood abruptly within it.

"This star... could it be Xiao Bai?"

Looking at the star as bright as the sun, Shang An felt an intense familiarity.

After all his old friends and loved ones had passed away in his previous life, Shang An began focusing wholeheartedly on cultivation and study, occasionally using a tool called a "phone" to browse novels.

Additionally, he had deliberately concealed himself, restrained his aura, changed his appearance, and reduced his presence. Thus, he had no real friends. He was a complete shut-in, and only his pet Xiao Bai, who had always remained by his side, had spontaneously condensed a Seed of Heart.

Since awakening his Martial Soul in this life, only Hu Liena and Bibi Dong had condensed Seeds of Heart.

It seemed Xiao Bai had also encountered its own opportunity during that crossing. Yet it felt both distant and near. He did not know whether it was on Douluo Continent. If it was, he should have been able to sense it.

Without thinking further, he looked toward the two dim stars. Because their fondness for Shang An was only around sixty, they appeared rather dim compared to Xiao Bai's star.

He found one of them, which seemed to be obscured by black mist.

"This should be Teacher's Heart Star."

Shang An called this boundless dark universe the Heart Realm, and these stars Heart Stars.

Without further hesitation, Shang An poured his consciousness into that Heart Star.