"This is Life Gold? It's been completely tainted by the curse of evil thoughts. I can't sense even a trace of life from it." Bei Bei murmured as he gazed at the carving knife.
Bei Bei had originally planned to go straight to Mu En and have him purify the Soul Eater Carving Knife. But the instant his eyes fell on the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, he found he couldn't look away. A restless urge stirred in the depths of his heart.
Strands of black mist steadily seeped from Bei Bei's body. A black scale appeared on his forehead, but he seemed oblivious to it.
Almost without thinking, he reached out and touched the blade of the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife.
An icy, vicious aura slid in through his fingertips. It coursed along his meridians and shot straight toward his Spiritual Sea.
Bei Bei's body shuddered. His soul felt as though it were being stabbed, and his Spiritual Sea seemed to be torn apart. Every surge of pain left him in agony.
Just as the carving knife's evil power rampaged through his body, a deep dragon's roar slowly sounded.
Bei Bei's consciousness returned, if only for a moment. Alarm rose in his heart. What's happening to me?
The Dark Sacred Dragon Martial Soul appeared on its own and possessed him. Bei Bei's golden eyes fixed on the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife in his hand, as though he'd spotted a rare delicacy.
Bei Bei could feel that his Dark Sacred Dragon Martial Soul wanted to devour the power of the evil curse inside the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife.
The Dark Sacred Dragon's abilities included not only powerful darkness, but also the power to devour and corrode.
Now, it was completely drawn to the evil power contained in the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, and began devouring the strands of vicious, wicked energy that had invaded Bei Bei's body.
The black aura around Bei Bei grew denser, spreading like ink spilling across the ground. It flowed slowly from beneath his feet, and the floor, walls, and everything else seemed to be swallowed by darkness.
The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife in his hand was already wrapped in darkness. A powerful force of devouring surged from within Bei Bei, clashing fiercely with the evil power inside the carving knife.
A phantom, hideous face emerged from the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife. It was Evil Spirit, the Soul Engineer who had created it.
Strands of pitch-black, dragon-shaped power rose from Bei Bei's body, savagely tearing at Evil Spirit.
Zhang Lexuan, who was cultivating outside, sensed the powerful evil aura emanating from Bei Bei's room.
Worried, she rushed inside. The entire room seemed to be enveloped in darkness.
Bei Bei stood at the center of the room, clutching something in his hand. All the evil aura was coming from it.
"Bei Bei!" Zhang Lexuan cried out anxiously.
But Bei Bei couldn't control his body at that moment, much less respond to her.
Zhang Lexuan quickly realized that the thing in Bei Bei's hand must have triggered the rampage of his second Martial Soul, the Dark Sacred Dragon.
She immediately summoned her Martial Soul. A full moon rose beside her as she tried to force her way in.
But the darkness radiating from Bei Bei seemed to repel her. Waves of dark power attacked her one after another.
With part of the dark power diverted to attack Zhang Lexuan, the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife's vicious aura gained the upper hand. It began invading Bei Bei's body again, making him cry out in pain.
Seeing this, Zhang Lexuan didn't dare take another step into the room. Frantic with worry, she immediately began thinking of a solution.
"Bei Bei, you have to hold on! I'm going to get Elder Mu."
Realizing she couldn't handle this herself, she hurried to find someone else.
After Zhang Lexuan left, the dark power once again focused all its attention on attacking the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife.
As time passed, the Dark Sacred Dragon's darkness gradually gained the upper hand. It began to devour the evil power bit by bit, until at last it had swallowed the curse within the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife in its entirety.
The Dark Sacred Dragon let out a deep roar, as though it had just eaten a rare delicacy.
Bei Bei felt a surge of power flood into his body. Not only had his Soul Power increased, but his physique had grown stronger as well. The black dragon scale at the center of his forehead shimmered with an even deeper light.
The instant the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife's evil aura vanished, it returned to its original appearance: a clear, crystal-like green, radiating a rich, pure aura of life.
The name Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife no longer suited it. It should be called the Blade of Life!
Bei Bei felt countless dark thoughts welling up inside him, one after another, making him restless. He craved killing. He craved blood.
Is this what it feels like when an Evil Martial Soul runs out of control? Deep in Bei Bei's soul, the Light Sacred Dragon Martial Soul radiated pure light, preserving the last vestige of his reason and sanity.
Bei Bei had always focused on cultivating his First Martial Soul, the Light Sacred Dragon, and had given it three Soul Rings.
But now, he still couldn't suppress his Second Martial Soul, the Dark Sacred Dragon. The Evil Spirit inside the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife had been at least a Level 9 Soul Engineer when alive.
Even though only a wisp of Evil Spirit remained, after being devoured by the Dark Sacred Dragon Martial Soul, its dark, evil power had surged.
That was why the darkness within Bei Bei had completely overwhelmed the power of the Light Sacred Dragon, making him lose control.
The darkness beneath Bei Bei's feet continued spreading, devouring all living matter and turning it into nourishment to feed the Dark Sacred Dragon Martial Soul.
Feeling his power grow stronger with every passing second, Bei Bei couldn't help but marvel. No wonder so many Evil Soul Masters had fallen so far. The sensation of growing stronger so quickly was simply intoxicating!
Just then, Mu En hurried over.
"The Dark Sacred Dragon Martial Soul has become this much stronger!" Mu En exclaimed in surprise. Brilliant light suddenly radiated from him.
"Elder Mu, I think the thing in Bei Bei's hand is what caused his second Martial Soul to run amok." Zhang Lexuan quickly explained her theory.
Powerful light enveloped the room, rapidly purifying the darkness around Bei Bei. The Dark Sacred Dragon Martial Soul seemed to sense the threat and began to grow more violent.
Bei Bei's body was gradually unable to withstand the clash between the two forces. Fine cracks began to appear across his skin.
Mu En frowned slightly. The balance between the dark and light powers in Bei Bei's body had been disturbed. He had to find a way to restore their equilibrium.
Mu En wanted to take Bei Bei inside the Golden Ancient Tree and use its power to suppress the darkness of the Dark Sacred Dragon within him.
"Elder... I... have a... way," Bei Bei said with a slight tremor. At that moment, he had regained control of his body.
Seeing this, Mu En stopped, but continued releasing a steady stream of powerful light to suppress the darkness inside Bei Bei.
Bei Bei struggled to control the hand gripping the Blade of Life, then abruptly stabbed the blade toward the center of his forehead.
Mu En's heart lurched. He tried to stop him, but it was already too late. The sharp tip of the blade had pierced the black dragon scale at the center of Bei Bei's brow.
"Bei Bei!" Tears instantly welled in Zhang Lexuan's eyes as she cried out in grief and despair.