He was not Qian Renxue, he didn't have the aura of the young master of the Spirit Hall, and he didn't have a grandfather like Qian Daoliu to protect him. He didn't even have a truly stable place to belong.
Everything he had—power, status, even the right to live—was earned through his repeated struggles on the brink of life and death.
In Heaven Dou City, he maintained that "unchanging" demeanor in front of Qian Renxue, perhaps because Qian Renxue, in a sense, represented the Spirit Hall, representing the past that he was once familiar with but had to keep his distance from.
That "unchanging" quality might be a disguise, or it might be a longing for a certain simpler time that he himself was unaware of.
But when he truly faced the cruelty of this world, the life-or-death test of the God's Trial, the sacrifice of the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King, and her, the Rakshasa successor whose state was extremely unstable, he no longer had the right to be willful.
He must remain calm, rational, strong, and responsible. Because if he makes a wrong move, the price he pays will be unbearable.
Looking into Xuan Ming's unfathomable eyes, Bibi Dong saw for the first time so clearly the weight beneath that cold surface.
He was no longer the stubborn boy who occasionally required her to worry about, or even gave her a headache.
In places unseen by her, he grew at an almost cruel pace into a man who had to face the storms of life alone.
This realization added an indescribable pity and... guilt to the complex emotions surging within her.
She seemed never to have truly understood how heavy the burden on his shoulders was.
She even always felt deep down that Xuan Ming was a child who never grew up.
"I'm sorry..." Bibi Dong's voice was barely audible. This apology contained so much: her previous loss of control and her long-standing neglect.
Xuan Ming shook his head. "You haven't wronged me."
He didn't need her apology. Everything he did was his own choice. Good or bad, he deserved it.
He reached out his hand to her again, this time with his palm facing upwards—an invitation, and a promise.
The choice is before you. Which path you choose, I'll be there for you.
It's not about guiding or rescuing, but about accompanying.
Whether she chooses to continue wallowing in Rakshasa's madness or tries to grasp at that glimmer of hope, he will be by her side.
This was the only thing he could give, and the only thing he chose to give.
Bibi Dong looked at the hand with its distinct joints and immense power, then looked up at Xuan Ming's calm yet resolute eyes.
After a long while, she slowly raised her hand and placed it in his palm.
The fingertips felt slightly cool, yet carried a strange, reassuring power.
"Okay." Bibi Dong said softly. This time, there was no longer confusion or pain in her voice, only a calm after burning her bridges.
"We... together."
In the Divine Realm, within a magnificent temple.
The scene reflected in the mirror was frozen in time— Bibi Dong placed her hand in Xuan Ming's palm, and the two reached a certain consensus.
The hall was silent, and the faces of the several God King all showed varying degrees of surprise.
"I underestimated him." The God of Evil stroked his chin, breaking the silence first, his tone unusually serious. "I thought he would use stronger methods to suppress the Rakshasa's evil energy, or try to forcibly purify it with power. I didn't expect..."
"He chose the most difficult, yet most fundamental, way," the Goddess of Life whispered, a hint of approval in her emerald eyes. "He didn't try to save her, but let her make her own choice. He offered not pity or lectures, but equal understanding and companionship."
The Godess of Kindness nodded slightly. "Face reality head-on, without evasion or retreat, and return the power and responsibility of choice to her. This approach addresses the root cause more effectively than any forceful intervention. However..."
The Asura God's cold, blood-red eyes stared at Xuan Ming's calm, expressionless face reflected in the mirror of light, and he slowly spoke, "He understands the consequences."
"He knows what he's doing and is prepared to accept any consequences. That kind of mentality..."
He paused, then didn't continue, but the other God King understood what he meant.
Xuan Ming displayed was not only power and talent, but also a maturity and decisiveness far beyond his age, and a profound understanding and responsibility for his own and others' fates.
He did not rush into the crisis recklessly, but with an almost cold-blooded clarity, he chose the most difficult path, which was also the one most likely to truly solve the problem.
"No wonder our old friend would risk everything for him..."
Chapter 341 Stabilizing the Situation
After Bibi Dong calmed down, Xuan Ming led her to Gu Yuena.
The three of them went to a secluded side hall in the Pope's Palace, where they were isolated from all outside prying eyes.
Upon hearing Xuan Ming explain his purpose, Gu Yuena's gaze fell upon Bibi Dong. Her silver-purple eyes, capable of discerning the origins of things, flickered slightly as she carefully sensed her for a moment.
" Rakshasa's evil intentions are indeed deeply rooted, almost entangled with her own obsessions into a deadly knot," Gu Yuena said softly.
"This force is constantly eroding her mind and amplifying her dark side. If it cannot be resolved, it's only a matter of time before she completely falls into depravity."
She looked at Xuan Ming and said bluntly, "This matter cannot be eradicated simply by suppressing or purifying it with power. The Rakshasa Divine Power is inherently unpredictable, and forcibly stripping it away might even trigger a more severe backlash. However, I do have a way."
Gu Yuena pondered for a moment, then extended two slender fingers. "There are two options."
"The first option is to abandon the Rakshasa God Trial. I can use part of the Dragon God's Heart's original power, combined with my own Creation Godhead, to forcibly strip away and clear the Rakshasa Divine Power and evil thoughts accumulated in her body."
This is the safest way, and the one with the fewest potential consequences. If successful, she will break free from Rakshasa's control. Although she will lose this power, she will at least retain her life and sanity.
She paused, then looked at Bibi Dong. "The reason is simple. Whether it's the past principles of the Rakshasa God or the characteristics manifested in this inheritance, the tendency is very clear—to create chaos and spread death."
Unless you completely abandon reason and become a madman who only knows killing and Destruction, the Rakshasa Evil Thoughts will never truly approve of you, much less allow you to pass the subsequent tests.
"Your current state is merely a breeding ground for it to erode your mind. The upcoming Rakshasa Eighth Trial and Ninth Trial of the Rakshasa will only be more extreme and vicious, and may very well directly require you to unleash a catastrophe that sweeps across the continent, using the blood and wails of countless lives as sacrifices."
If you are unable to complete it, or if you show resistance, the long-accumulated Rakshasa Divine Sense will likely not hesitate to turn against you, devouring everything you have as nourishment, and then lie dormant, waiting for the next more qualified successor.
However, Bibi Dong barely hesitated, a resolute glint in her purple eyes, before she resolutely refused. "Impossible! I will never give up the Rakshasa God Trial!"
She paid too high a price and endured too much for this power. It is the means by which she seeks revenge on the past and takes control of her own destiny.
Moreover, she knew that Qian Daoliu was doing his best to assist Qian Renxue, and the progress of the Angel God Trial was astonishingly fast, having completed five examinations in just a few years.
If she were to relinquish her Rakshasa Godhood at this moment, it would be tantamount to handing over the initiative for her future to someone else, and placing her life, death, honor, and disgrace in the hands of Qian Renxue's single thought.
This was an ending that someone as proud as her could absolutely not accept.
Gu Yuena seemed unsurprised by Bibi Dong's rejection; she had expected it to be this way.
She retracted one finger, leaving only the second standing upright, her tone remaining calm and even. "In that case, there's only the second method left."
Her gaze swept over Xuan Ming. "Change to a different divine inheritance. Moreover, this inheritance needs to be similar to the Rakshasa God, but stronger and more domineering, enough to suppress the Rakshasa."
Xuan Ming's eyes changed slightly, " Asura?"
Gu Yuena nodded slightly. "It is indeed the Asura God Position."
"The evil thoughts of Rakshasa originate from the deepest resentment and hatred in the world. Its Divine Power is sinister and vicious, and it is most adept at eroding the mind and twisting the soul. Ordinary divine power is difficult to eradicate, and forcibly purifying it is very likely to trigger a more violent backlash."
Only through more ruthless and pure killing and judgment can one overcome skill with force, forcibly suppressing and even gradually erasing their fundamental evil."
She looked at Bibi Dong, her tone grave. " The Asura God, who wields the Divine Power of slaughter and judgment, possesses supremely righteous and unyielding divine power, capable of overcoming all evil and insidious malice. More importantly, the Asura God Position's rank is far above that of the Rakshasa, and the nature of his power naturally suppresses the Rakshasa Divine Power's power."
"If you can obtain the Asura God Trial, and use the Asura Divine Power as a foundation to gradually erode and transform the Rakshasa Divine Power within your body, there is a great possibility that, while retaining most of your power, you can eradicate the erosion of the Rakshasa Evil Thoughts, and even transform the Rakshasa's power into your own, making it a part of your own power."
A glint of light flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes, then dimmed again. "How can I find the Asura God's legacy at a time like this?"
Gu Yuena was slightly taken aback. "Didn't you tell her?"
Xuan Ming shook his head; he hadn't expected Bibi Dong's Rakshasa God Trial to have such a problem.
Meeting Bibi Dong's questioning gaze, Gu Yuena calmly explained, "The way the Asura God chooses his successor is different from other gods. Anyone who possesses the Divine Slaughter's Domain is qualified to begin the Asura God Trial. This is a... broad-based method of succession."
She paused, then continued, "You have already possessed the Divine Slaughter's Domain for many years. As long as you cultivate the Divine Slaughter's Domain to a sufficiently powerful level, reaching a certain critical point, you will naturally be able to invoke the Asura Divine Sense and unleash God's Trial."
"However... your Divine Slaughter's Domain has long been tainted by the evil aura of the Rakshasa, and its essence is no longer pure; it may even have been corrupted by the Rakshasa Evil Thoughts."
"Leaving aside whether you can trigger the Asura God Trial, even if you could, you currently possess a large amount of Rakshasa Divine Power within you. Once the Asura Divine Sense descends, these two forces will likely clash within you."
"A clash of Divine Power... you will die."
Gu Yuena's words plunged the side hall into silence.
After a moment of silence, Bibi Dong clenched her fists in frustration, "Is there really no other way?"
"Yes," Xuan Ming said.
"???"
Gu Yuena was slightly taken aback, Bibi Dong was also a little confused.
If you have a solution, tell me!
"You didn't ask me either," Xuan Ming said.
Gu Yuena's eye twitched slightly. "So, what's your idea?"
Xuan Ming paused, "My Slaughter Domain is purer and stronger in essence than your Divine Slaughter's Domain. I can temporarily share it with you as a barrier to suppress the activity of the Rakshasa Evil Thoughts within you and slow down their erosion of your mind."
"At the same time, with the power of my domain, I can guide you to temper your Divine Slaughter's Domain to an unprecedented level of strength, and even... force it to undergo some kind of adaptive mutation, so that you can accept the Asura Divine Power."
"But this takes time, and we don't have that much time to take it slow."
The Third Trial test only lasts for one year. Bibi Dong's Divine Slaughter's Domain has been corrupted and influenced by the Rakshasa Evil Thoughts, and has mutated into the Rakshasa Domain. Helping her to reverse the distorted Divine Slaughter's Domain back into the Asura Domain is very difficult. He doesn't know how long it will take, but one year is definitely not enough.
"Your cultivation path was led astray by the Rakshasa God from the very beginning, and has nothing to do with the Asura God. As for your Divine Slaughter's Domain, to be honest..." Xuan Ming paused.
"It's rubbish."
Bibi Dong's expression froze.
Can't you speak a little more tactfully, you bastard?
Xuan Ming's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "Your Divine Slaughter's Domain doesn't cultivate killing intent, but rather the power of evil thoughts! Therefore, even though your cultivation is so much higher than Tang Hao's, your aura is far inferior to Tang Hao's."
"The killing intent of the Divine Slaughter's Domain is simple, direct, domineering, and even violent! But the Rakshasa's evil power, to put it bluntly, is just petty theft."
"Their presence is simply not in the same league."
Simply put, one likes to confront things head-on, while the other prefers to use underhanded tactics.
To put it bluntly, you're a bit of a coward; you're not willing to go all out in a fight.
Bibi Dong's face darkened, a hint of humiliation and anger flashing in her purple eyes, but more than that, a sense of powerlessness at having the truth exposed.
She knew that Xuan Ming was telling the truth.
Her power is indeed more inclined towards the unpredictable, corrosive, and manipulative aspects of people's hearts, rather than straightforward crushing and Destruction.
This trait often makes her invincible, but when faced with a truly pure and unwavering killing intent, she does seem... lacking in confidence, and even somewhat unconvincing.
"And what's your idea?" Gu Yuena asked.
If Xuan Ming couldn't solve it, he wouldn't have said anything.
"I need to bring her Divine Slaughter's Domain back a bit first before I can proceed to the next step," Xuan Ming said.
"Didn't you say there wasn't enough time?" Bibi Dong said.
"I mean, the conventional method doesn't have enough time," Xuan Ming said.
Bibi Dong's expression froze, and a chill inexplicably rose in her heart.
"What do you mean?"
Xuan Ming paused for a moment, then said, "I think you can guess."
"..."
Bibi Dong took a deep breath, "But now the Spirit Hall Empire..."
"A delay of one or two years isn't a big problem," Xuan Ming said.
I can help you stabilize the situation.
Bibi Dong's eye twitched slightly. "You... help me stabilize the situation?"
How to ensure stability?
Xuan Ming summoned Blood Spear, saying, "Seeing is believing."
Xuan Ming said no more, raised his Blood Spear, and in a flash appeared above Spirit City. He hovered in the clouds, the Blood Spear in his hand reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight, instantly attracting the attention of everyone in the city.
"What is he going to do?" Bibi Dong and Gu Yuena also came outside the hall and looked up at the figure in the sky.
Xuan Ming raised the Blood Spear high above his head, and the once clear sky suddenly darkened. Dark clouds gathered at a visible speed, and lightning bolts darted through the clouds, emitting deafening roars.
But that's not enough.