"Phew..."
Bibi Dong let out a long breath. "How is it? This power..."
"How is it my ass!"
Before Bibi Dong could finish, Nan Feng's furious voice exploded inside her Sea of Consciousness.
"I'm fucking losing my mind!"
Nan Feng's soul was rolling around in the Sea of Consciousness. He really had been driven mad by the torment. "How did you endure the evil thoughts in the Rakshasa Secret Realm? I only brushed against a tiny bit of them, and my mind's still stuck replaying a hundred ways to destroy the world and a thousand scenes that aren't suitable for children!"
At his words, a trace of satisfaction flashed across Bibi Dong's otherwise cold face.
"You can't take even that much?"
Bibi Dong walked over to the mirror and looked at her reflection, more powerful and yet more unfamiliar than before. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly. "That's because your mind is full of distractions and your resolve is weak."
"As long as the hatred in your heart is pure enough, those chaotic desires won't be able to shake your mind."
"Before that kind of power, nothing matters except slaughter and revenge."
"Still, Rakshasa's power really is too dangerous. I originally planned to begin accepting the inheritance now, but it looks like it'll be safer to start the God Trial once I've reached level ninety-nine and am in peak condition."
Nan Feng was on the verge of collapse. "Um, lady, how about we... switch to a different inheritance?"
It had only been one night! He was already about to lose his mind!
Bibi Dong might be able to handle the Rakshasa God Trial later on, but he couldn't!
Bibi Dong looked at Nan Feng lying on the ground like he wanted to die, and felt rather pleased. That was what he got for insisting on making that Soul Blood Pact with her.
If he'd remained just a trinket like before, the Rakshasa Evil Thought wouldn't have been able to corrupt this old spider. But now, their souls were bound together.
In a sense, he had to face the Rakshasa God's trial alongside her.
Although she hadn't officially begun the God Trial yet, the Rakshasa God's test had already started when they entered the Rakshasa Secret Realm.
If she couldn't keep her wits about her under the onslaught of the Rakshasa Evil Thought, and was instead corrupted by it and reduced to a slave to her desires, the Rakshasa Secret Realm would devour her and turn her into nourishment.
And if Nan Feng went mad...
"Wait!"
"Nan Feng! Get up!"
Bibi Dong's expression changed. She roared at Nan Feng, who was still "playing dead" in her Sea of Consciousness. "If... if we're one during the God Trial, then what happens to me if you break down?!"
"Huh?"
Nan Feng's mind was still a muddle. Bibi Dong's shout left him a little dazed. "What happens? Worst case, I go crazy. I'll turn into an idiot who can only babble. The body's yours anyway, so you can do whatever you want with it..."
"It won't matter if you go crazy! But what about me?!"
Bibi Dong's voice had gone shrill. She was more frightened than she had ever been. "The core of the Rakshasa God Trial is to test the mind and will. If an inheritor loses themself in the evil thoughts, they'll be judged to have failed. Their soul will be devoured by Rakshasa Divine Power and turned into nourishment for the Secret Realm!"
"Our souls are connected now. We're truly two souls in one body! By the Rakshasa God's rules, we count as a single entity!"
"If you go crazy, that means half our soul will be out of control!"
"Then... does that mean I'm screwed too?!"
"??!"
In that instant, a bucket of ice water seemed to pour over Nan Feng's muddled brain, clearing it up in a flash.
"Holy shit?!"
Nan Feng sprang up from the floor of the Sea of Consciousness like a carp leaping from water. His purple-black spider face was written all over with terror. "You mean if I fail the test, I'll make you fail too? And then that crazy Rakshasa woman will eat both of us?!"
"What do you think?!" Bibi Dong gritted her teeth.
"..."
"What kind of hell-difficulty two-player dungeon is this?!"
Nan Feng crumbled. "I'm just a hanger-on who wanted to ride your coattails! Why do I have to take the exam too? And a mental exam that's practically designed to drive people insane?"
"Do you think I wanted this?!"
Bibi Dong was so angry she could've spat blood. "Who insisted on making that Soul Blood Pact? Who said we'd live and die together? Well, look at us now. Not only do we have to survive together, we have to inherit a godhood together!"
She'd originally planned to take this opportunity to torment the old spider, and had even secretly hoped he'd be wiped out by the divine power.
But now she couldn't even sit back and watch. She had to find a way to tutor this good-for-nothing, lest he drag her down with him!
"I can't live like this anymore!"
Nan Feng dropped onto the ground, close to tears. "Lady, can't we switch to another godhood? I'd even climb the stairs on Sea God Island next door, but this Rakshasa God thing... it's not a job for any sane person!"
"Switch? How?"
Bibi Dong said coldly, "I've already devoured Qian Xunji. I'm steeped in the most extreme evil and resentment, and Rakshasa has set her sights on me. Which other deity would give me an inheritance?"
"And if that old Qian Daoliu discovers I've abandoned the Rakshasa inheritance and lost my status as the heir to a godhood, how long do you think he'll let me live?"
"Then what do we do?" Nan Feng spread his hands. "After what happened last night, I feel like my mental resistance is already at its limit. If it happens a few more times, I can't promise I won't go crazy. And if I drag you down with me, don't blame me."
Bibi Dong took a deep breath, forcing down her anxiety.
What was done was done. Complaining wouldn't help.
"Listen, Nan Feng."
Bibi Dong's voice turned utterly serious. "Starting today, you'll train with me."
"Train? Train what?"
"Your will!"
A ruthless glint flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. "I'll use the killing aura of Divine Slaughter's Domain to stimulate your soul bit by bit and strengthen your mental resistance. The process will be painful, but it's better than being devoured by the Rakshasa God!"
"Also, whenever we enter the Rakshasa Secret Realm from now on, you have to stay conscious the whole time. I'll use some of my mental power to protect you, but you'll have to withstand most of the impact yourself!"
"I'll withstand your ass!" Nan Feng wailed. "Who can withstand that?!"
"You'll withstand it even if you can't!"
Bibi Dong snorted. "For my sake and for your own, you'd better get your act together! Otherwise..."
"Dong—dong—dong—"
While the two were still arguing over their "cram school," the solemn, weighty tolling of a bell rang out once more.
The eighty-one funeral knells still echoed in the air.
All of Spirit City fell into a deathly silence of mourning.
"The funeral bells..."
Bibi Dong turned to look out the window, a cold smile returning to her lips. "Looks like Qian Daoliu has everything arranged."
"Let's go, my... His Holiness the Pope."
Though Nan Feng's voice was still a little weak, he'd recovered his usual irreverent tone. "Since we're already on this pirate ship, we might as well put on a good show for now."
"As for that damn Rakshasa God Trial..."
"We can torment each other every day from now on and see who goes crazy first!"