Three cups of tea later, Shang Yang, having heard the full story, frowned. He searched his memories for a while before softly sighing, "In my recollection, even during the zenith of Ping'an Jing when various deities fought fiercely for faith, there was no recorded instance of a demon cultivating into divinity. However, there were instances of gods falling into demonhood."
"Since I gained consciousness and experienced countless eras, all I know is that the eight million deities have reached a fixed number. Even the later greatly virtuous Great Onmyoji, Lord Seimei, ultimately did not achieve godhood."
Mentioning the thorn deeply embedded in her heart, Tang Sui's gaze trembled. She lowered her eyes, concealing the fleeting pain that surfaced in their depths.
This... she knew all too well...
"What you are experiencing now, and similar tales of becoming a god, are reminiscent of legends from the distant ancient Xia Kingdom across the great ocean. However, I know very little about the deities from that region; most of it is hearsay, and I cannot ascertain its truth."
Shang Yang looked at Tang Sui, "If you were to ask me how to become an evil god, I could point you in the right direction, but for other paths to divinity, I am clueless."
Tang Sui: "...Then never mind." She feared that if she became an evil god, the Heavenly Dao might prematurely end her for her widespread slaughter.
She collected her sorrow, sighed, and a troubled expression appeared on her face, "Becoming a god... it's truly difficult..."
She might as well diligently collect faith and accumulate it slowly.
After all, her lifespan was now infinite, and her race was no longer human.
Shang Yang looked at the melancholic Tang Sui and curved his lips, "Impatience is not a good habit. While I cannot offer you the best advice, I can certainly temper you and help you accelerate the fusion of your powers."
Tang Sui paused and looked at Shang Yang, "You... sensed it?"
The fact that she hadn't fully absorbed her newly acquired power.
Shang Yang squinted at her with a half-smile, "Even if you haven't become a great demon yet, after the complete awakening of your bloodline, a pure-blooded demon's aura shouldn't only be slightly stronger than when your bloodline was mixed."
Tang Sui's eyes flickered.
She had almost forgotten that, at times, the "sense of smell" of demons was akin to a mobile radar.
"How do you wish to temper me?"
A wisp of mist floated in Shang Yang's dark red snake eyes, "Naturally, by having a fight."
The moment the last syllable fell, a dark red domain rapidly expanded from beneath Shang Yang's feet. Its speed was so great that before Tang Sui could even react, she was swallowed by the unleashed domain.
A sense of weightlessness swept over her. Almost instinctively, after falling for less than half a second, an invisible buoyancy lifted Tang Sui, freeing her from gravity.
The temperature in the air suddenly soared, becoming incredibly hot and scorching. Even the scenery in her vision seemed to warp under the intense heat, beginning to sway, like a traveler in the desert walking under the scorching sun, eventually gaining a heatstroke buff.
Although the inherent chill of her demon body reduced some of the heat, Tang Sui still felt the inferno, and... immense danger!
Tang Sui, suspended in mid-air, looked at the rapidly changing surroundings in astonishment. Seven thin, blade-like dark gold masks now circled her, guarding her in the center.
"This is... a domain...?"
The void was made real, as if she were in another small, true world. An inauspicious dark red light cast a crimson hue over the sky, which was already piled with heavy gloom.
The ground was as black as charcoal, devoid of any buildings or living creatures.
There were only snake demons, swimming like fish through the sea of molten lava under the influence of Shang Yang's demonic power, darting into view.
Each snake demon swimming in the lava was a puppet snake formed by Shang Yang's demonic power.
Their lengths ranged from one to three meters. They could spew lava imbued with demonic power, unleash malevolence, and imperceptibly erode the intruder's spirit, ultimately consuming their souls to become sustenance for the snake demons.
"This is my domain."
Shang Yang's voice seemed to drift from a great distance.
A protective film of black and red demonic energy instantly enveloped Tang Sui and the masks.
She turned her head and saw Shang Yang hovering about twenty to thirty meters diagonally behind her.
On his handsome features, his flawless skin was covered by patches of fine black scales. His dark red eyes, transformed into snake pupils, were filled with a suffocating bloody aura, as if thick blood plasma were flowing within them. They were sinister, alluring, and exuded a more inhuman feeling than even a Soul Master. At this moment, they were fixed on Tang Sui, causing her nerves to instantly tighten.
"...A spar, or to the point where neither can continue?"
Tang Sui asked cautiously.
"To the point where neither can continue?" Shang Yang's smile deepened, his voice carrying a hint of danger, "Of course, if you don't die, we keep fighting." Sudan Novel Network
The moment the last trembling syllable fell, Shang Yang's figure distorted in the air. In the blink of an eye, he was upon her, his five fingers clenched into a fist, gathering condensed demonic energy and lunging forward.
"Bang—!"
Like an overinflated balloon being suddenly pierced, the black and red demonic energy was fiercely impacted, its defenses broken from shallow to deep. After a loud noise, a sharp pain shot from her abdomen, causing Tang Sui to involuntarily arch her body to cushion the blow. Simultaneously, she instinctively reached out to block the attack, using her skill to dissipate the force.
"Whoosh—!"
The sharp edges of the dark gold masks, with their irregular angles, sliced through the rippling space, aiming for Shang Yang's seemingly undefended eyes, the back of his neck, his back, and his shoulders.
Shang Yang didn't even withdraw his hand. He merely turned his head, and the sound of hard metal colliding echoed.
The dark gold mask that should have pierced his eyes struck his protruding black scales and was instead vibrated back.
Including the other six masks that pierced towards Shang Yang's back, their terrifying destructive power, upon reaching Shang Yang, only managed to scuff his clothes.
Strictly speaking, Tang Sui had only scratched the surface layer of his skin, but even that layer did not break to draw blood!
'Tch, this old snake's skin is truly tough.'
Da Fei Chu, responsible for one of the back attacks, became agitated.
'The simple attack's hardness is insufficient; it can't even break through the defense of his scales.'
The fox mask, aimed at his eyes, also returned without success. One could even read a "gloomy" emotion from the fox mask, half-hidden in the shadows.
[Since it was said that the rule is as long as one can still breathe, there's no need to hold back. Give it your all.]
Hei Mian also spoke calmly.
Tang Sui, still engaged in close combat with Shang Yang, responded with a "Mm." Her first, fifth, and third soul rings activated. The next instant, Shang Yang, who had been restraining her, found his hands empty. Tang Sui seized the opportunity to create distance. The black and red demonic energy materialized into countless needle-like projectiles with extreme penetration, rushing towards Shang Yang like dense raindrops!
At the same time, three dark vortices silently materialized. One appeared behind Shang Yang, while the other two were stretched and irregularly positioned to his left and right, like gaping abyssal mouths. Together with Tang Sui, who had switched from defense to offense and charged forward, they formed a three-sided pincer attack on Shang Yang!
—Author's Notes—
PS: The clothes on Shang Yang's body are formed from the scales of his outward appearance, not real clothes.
Finished updating! Goodnight!