After being defeated by Sword Douluo Chen Xin, Tang Sui returned to her room and began her closed-door meditation.
In the extremely quiet environment, all sounds became noisy and sensitive.
At first, she lay on the bed, wanting her tired spirit to rest.
However, shortly after she closed her eyes, the dark tranquility before her eyes abruptly transformed into another hellish scene of red and black, gray and white intertwined.
Limbs were submerged in foul-smelling blood, broken armor encased shattered bodies, the tragically dead raised their hideous, pale faces, maggots slowly gnawed at the decaying flesh, and the hollow eye sockets that were being consumed sank deep, their expressions permanently twisted with resentment, staring fixedly in one direction even in death.
The pervasive aura of slaughter made Tang Sui feel a chill to her bones.
She stood at the top of a pile of bones, overlooking the countless failures she had killed, her emotions inscrutable.
"Mom, when will Dad be back?"
A child's pure and tender voice suddenly echoed in this murky space.
Tang Sui looked up and saw countless scenes appearing in circles of light clusters like projections.
"A'Yue, be good, Dad is going to work, he'll be back soon, he'll be back soon..." The woman holding the child and comforting him, her voice became dazed as she spoke, unsure if she was answering the child or convincing herself.
...
"Hey, why isn't Wei Di back yet? This pot of good wine, I'm waiting to share it with him."
A Soul Master wearing armor with an angel's wings and a holy sword emblem in the center placed his wine pot beside him, looking at the lonely red moon, his shadow stretching long in the moonlight, disappearing into the shadows alone.
...
The waiting people changed one after another, and Tang Sui's pupils reflected their sorrowful, melancholic, or crying appearances.
The next second, the scene before her shattered, spun, and turned into a dark vortex that swallowed all memories.
"Buzz—"
A familiar sword intent that made her tremble spread out, cleaving the darkness.
The Seven Killing Sword, entirely azure and emitting a strong light, stood in this world, like a pillar supporting the distance between heaven and earth. The darkness pierced by the sword energy gradually dispersed into light spots, flying like fireflies in the air. Some landed on the mirror-smooth ground, others fell onto her, illuminating her.
Beneath the vast sword shadow cast by the Seven Killing Sword, Tang Sui, looking up at it, suddenly felt a discomfort.
Since awakening her demon power and successfully awakening her soul power to begin cultivation, she had undoubtedly been ahead of many Soul Masters, possessing cultivation talents that others envied and leading many people.
But in the face of absolute power, this lead and luck seemed so pale and weak.
However...
Tang Sui lowered her head, spread her hands, and looked at her fair, dust-free palm, a rare look of confusion appearing in her eyes.
Her initial desire for power was to survive.
But now, the endpoint had not changed, yet the process seemed to have burdened her with more, heavier things.
After using the Martial Soul Fusion technique this time, she didn't know if Tang San had noticed, but she clearly felt that under the Martial Soul Fusion technique, she craved killing more, wanting to touch blood and devour more power.
Grandmother had said that the human bloodline within her was gradually thinning...
Undoubtedly, the demon race, suppressed by the laws of this world, would be more powerful than soul beasts and humans if they truly grew.
But after gaining greater power, she couldn't guarantee that she would still be able to hold onto her original heart like Elder Sword Douluo.
Was it difficult to restrain the bloodthirsty impulses of the demon bloodline?
Frankly speaking, it didn't seem difficult. Because in her previous life, she had always been like this.
But it was very difficult to perfectly conceal her other side and not expose it to her sharp-witted elder brothers and others.
Although the existence of her brothers, father, and mother made her believe in the blood ties between family members once more, that they would not abandon or give up on each other... she still feared that after gaining power, she would lose control and reveal a side she didn't want others to know.
Everything she had built would vanish in an instant...
And then... Sea God Island...
After reaching Sea God Island, would she still have to go through the Sea God's assessment step by step?
Tang Sui asked herself, and the subconscious resistance that rose had an answer.
No, she naturally did not want to.
...Because she didn't want to be treated like merchandise to be chosen and appraised...
Her own value... others were not worthy of estimating.
A layer of dark shadow fell upon Tang Sui's face.
So, what should she do...
Her usually agile and jumping thoughts seemed unusually stuck, like rusty gears no longer turning, devoid of vitality. Tang Sui lowered her hands, her delicate and pale face clearly reflected in the mirror-like ground.
A few strands of raven-black long hair fell from her shoulders, clinging to the girl's snow-white skin, like a meticulously carved doll, forever maintaining this cold beauty.
But the dark red surging in the depths of her dark blue pupils added a touch of eeriness, making the girl's face lifeless, as if covered by a mask, making her unrealistically beautiful.
'Do you really not know what to do?'
Another old and slow female voice sounded, like a kind old person comforting a confused granddaughter, offering her solace.
Tang Sui's eyes moved numbly, watching the kind, wrinkled face beneath the water mirror slowly solidify. A stooped, elderly old woman gradually emerged, her gaze parallel to hers. Her mouth opened and closed, speaking in a kind tone with a chuckle: "You have no choice, it's only us, isn't it?"
Tang Sui's lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't, remaining stiff in that posture, like a broken marionette waiting for the puppeteer to repair it.
—But I don't want... to become a monster who is insane yet maintains sanity...
The crow's feet at the corner of the old woman's eyes deepened, her gaze flickered, and she sighed in the old way, "But you also know. Resistance is useless. You can only learn to accept and adapt."
Tang Sui did not move, holding a stalemate with the old woman, motionless.
......
Outside Tang Sui's room, everyone paced anxiously at the doorway.
They had already tried to force their way in, but the door in front of them was like a bronze wall and an iron bastion, revealing no flaws.
The disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect who had come to find Tang Sui and Tang San also stood there, bewildered, discussing how to break open the room without harming Tang Sui.
An anxious atmosphere gradually spread. Tang San stood outside the door with a grim expression, looking at the door with inscrutable eyes.
The door before him, under his Purple Demon Eye vision, was like a sealed black box.
He could not sense Tang Sui's existence, nor could he see through the barrier of this black box.
—Author's Notes—
[Beep—Your fifth mask, Big Cutie, is online~]
This one is easy to guess~