"Jin Da-Shan… You've changed a bit, haven't you?" Hengsheng said, eyeing the opponent carefully.
"Oh? You actually remember me. I'm flattered." Jin Da-Shan smirked but was still calm.
"It's hard not to," Hengsheng sneered.
"You and your army were torn apart by my cat, and ran off with your tails between your legs." Hengsheng chuckled playfully.
"Tell me, how does it feel to be humiliated by a mere pet?" Hengsheng said.
He was baiting Jin Da-Shan, watching for any crack in his composure. Ever since stepping into this sanctum, he couldn't sense his opponent's aura—just like when he had faced the God Spawn. It unsettled him.
Jin Da-Shan seemed to sense something.
He calmly smiled and said, "Lan Hengsheng, you're not as clever as I thought. There's no point in trying to provoke me—unless you're in a hurry to meet your end."
"You know my name. Spies, I assume?" Hengsheng narrowed his eyes.
Jin Da-Shan's smirk widened.
"Does it matter how I know? I know what you are. I know where you come from." His voice was cold, detached.
Hengsheng raised an eyebrow, his expression unmoving as he replied, "If you think threats against my clan will shake me, you're mistaken. I already know about the wars above. Your dynasty, along with the other three first-rate forces, will be crushed by the overlord. You're doomed."
Hengsheng tried to lead Jin Da-Shan into revealing information. This was a great opportunity, as he sensed instability in Jin Da-Shan's emotions—previously, he appeared arrogant at first but suddenly became cold.
Jin Da-Shan, after hearing Hengsheng's words, raised his lip and let out a soft laugh, like he had just heard a funny joke.
"I did not threaten you, I merely reminded you of the consequences for opposing me," he said, his voice dripping with disdain.
"Consequences, huh? You seem pretty confident for someone who's just hiding in a place like this. What exactly is it that you're trying to accomplish here?" Hengsheng asked, pressing forward, aiming to pry more information out of Jin Da-Shan.
"You're bad at this, you know. If you want answers, at least try to be subtle." Jin Da-Shan said, his voice dripping with mockery. He seemed to find Hengsheng's attempts to probe amusing.
"You should know, I'm a prince of the great Golden Kingdom—reading people's intentions comes naturally to me, especially when they're as obvious as yours."
Hengsheng's gaze hardened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. Jin Da-Shan was too sharp to fall for simple tricks.
Hengsheng knew he could not get anything from the interaction anymore, so he secretly circulated his Qi, ready to fight outright.
Jin Da-Shan let out a low laugh. and then he said. "I really pity you."
"Pity? What do you mean by this?" Hengsheng asked.
Jin Da-Shan smiled and said, "I meant, It would be a shame for someone like you to die here," he paused and then continued.
"I really admire your talent in cultivation. Even though you come from a low-class clan, you can push yourself to be compared to the Immortal Seeds of the Overlord." His tone was filled with both compliments and envy.
"But unfortunately for you, being born in this heartless, endless struggling world means that one day, you will be crushed by someone even more talented than you. That was a pity" Jin Da-Shan said.
"So I'll make you an offer. Join me, accept the true god." Jin Da-Shan offered.
"Join you? What a joke. I may consider it if you answer my question," Hengsheng said.
"You are testing my patience. I suggest you don't," Jin Da-Shan said with a smirk.
"You should know by now that I am far more powerful than you," Jin Da-Shan said, his tone turning cold. Then, he emitted a powerful aura from his body, allowing Hengsheng to sense it!
Hengsheng sensed the aura, and his heart sank. He could tell from it that Jin Da-Shan was not bluffing—he had truly become very strong, almost on par with Yunsu!
"However," Jin Da-Shan retracted his aura, as he did not intend to reveal more of his strength before the battle. He continued.
"I'll humor you. I'll answer your question, but you'll answer mine." He said.
Hengsheng's gaze sharpened.
"That form of you… and that aura—did you acquire them by sacrificing those corpses outside?" Hengsheng asked to confirm his suspicions while also secretly sweeping his gaze across the sanctum in search of the elemental seal.
"Yes, they served their purpose for one last time. If it weren't for someone like you messing around in other people's business, they wouldn't have had to meet their end like this," Jin Da-Shan said with a twisted smile.
"Their blood and souls are now a part of me," Jin Da-Shan said, his voice laced with something unnatural.
Then, his flesh writhed.
Hundreds of eyes bloomed across his body, from head to toe—each one shifting, rolling, alive.
Hengsheng's breath caught. A chill crawled down his spine.
These eyes held something—expressions of sadness, anger, and despair. They darted around erratically across Jin Da-Shan's skin, as if screaming without sound. These eyes held souls!
This scene stimulated his human instincts, screaming at him to flee from this abomination.
"W-What… what have you become?" Hengsheng spoke in shock.
Hundreds of eyes sank back into Jin Da-Shan's body.
"What have I become?" Jin Da-Shan's voice trembled with something raw—rage, desperation, conviction.
His countless eyes widened, their eerie glow flickering.
"I have become what I must be to fulfill my mission—" His body tensed as he threw his arms wide, his roar shaking the sanctum.
"I have become the demon"
"I have become Rakshasa!" Jin Da-Shan roared!
The sheer force of his declaration rippled through the air, like a storm ready to consume everything in its path.
Then, a sinister aura erupted from Jin Da-Shan, spreading outward like a tidal wave. It surged toward Hengsheng and Yunsu, thick and oppressive, as if trying to swallow them whole.
Hengsheng was alarmed. As he sensed the aura approaching, he quickly shielded himself instinctively with his Qi.
"Hiss!" Yunsu hissed, then emitted a Dao aura to cover both herself and her human, preventing them from direct contact with the sinister aura.
The sinister aura, blocked by the Dao aura, could not reach them.
Jin Da-Shan's expression turned dark when he saw that his opponent could resist his aura, especially the cat demon beast. He hadn't had a chance to fight against a beast head-on before, but he knew it was strong—he just hadn't expected it to match his new strength.
Jin Da-Shan retracted his aura since it couldn't force his opponent to kneel. Then, he gazed at Lan Hengsheng, who stood tall, seemingly unafraid of him.
"Now, it's your turn," Jin Da-Shan said, his voice low and dangerous.
"Join me, or die."
Hengsheng adjusted his stance, hardening his heart as he knew the battle was about to erupt.
He had already spotted the elemental seal—it was behind Jin Da-Shan, placed on a stone table similar to the one at the Golden Pagoda. It was some kind of formation. Hengsheng guessed that Jin Da-Shan must have used it to open the rift.
He sent a sound transmission to notify Jian Zixuan about the seal, who was hiding at the entrance. He spent a hundred thousand system points to activate concealment mode for Jian Zixuan, hoping that Jin Da-Shan would not spot him.
After ensuring everything was ready in a second, Hengsheng gazed at Jin Da-Shan before his lips parted.
"I refused," Hengsheng uttered.
Jin Da-Shan's lips curled into a sinister smile, his demonic fangs glinting in the dim light.
He wasn't angered by Hengsheng's refusal—in fact, it was what he had hoped for all along.
Had it not been for the Lord of All Senses commanding him to persuade Lan Hengsheng to join the faith, he would have already killed him the moment he stepped into the sanctum.
But now, with Hengsheng's rejection, the path to death was finally clear.
"HaHaHa!!…"
Jin Da-Shan suddenly laughed maniacally, which confused Hengsheng.
Hengsheng quickly takes a battlestance ready for a sudden movement from the opponent.
Jin Da-Shan regained his composure, his gaze locking onto Lan Hengsheng. His voice was cold as he spoke.
"Do you remember what I said?"
Hengsheng narrowed his eyes.
"What are you talking about?" Hengsheng replied, his tone confused.
"I told you," Jin Da-Shan said, his smile widening once more, this smile was the last thing Hengsheng saw.
"This place is an illusion."
Before Hengsheng could react, Jin Da-Shan vanished from his sight, as though he had never existed at all.
Hengsheng's primal instincts screamed at him to move—now.
But it was too late.
His vision blurred, the world spinning around him. No, it wasn't the world that was spinning; it was his head.
Thud.
Thud. Thud.
His head slammed into the floor, his eyes wide in disbelief. He could scarcely comprehend what he saw—his own feet.
His mouth opened wide.
He rolled his eyes upwards, he saw his body—the headless body.
Hengsheng's vision darkened, his senses numb as he stared at the floor—his severed body fell on the ground and twitched, a final, gruesome reminder of his failure.
Then, everything went black.
The end.
MC Is dead!!!
The story is ended!!!