Fang Yuan finally stood up, his hands trembling and legs warning to give up. However he felt rejuvenated; his body was seemingly reinforced and remade. It was quite reminiscent of using iron bone gu or ice flesh gu, however it was far more potent. Fang yuan felt his blood pumping faster, his blood darker and thicker; His tendons and ligaments stronger and stretchier.
However before he could fully understand these changes he found himself tied in a cross.
'Ah, Because of my demonic personality, these warriors think I am arrogant, prideful, a muscle head and someone who finds pleasure in others suffering. Who would have known that these assumptions would help me today.'
The warriors had staked too much on the demon's personality.
However Fang Yuan was not an ordinary demon. He did not live for an interesting life. He did not seek pleasure or suffering. For a goal so magnificent as eternal life he strangled his desires. He did not gain any pleasure from others suffering. He did not yearn for strength.
Fang Yuan persevered for a single goal.
Fang Yuan was ruthless to others but even more ruthless to himself!
Fang Yuan's hands were tied by a vine on the cross. His legs were covered by spiky vines as they started to grind on Fang Yuan's bare body. He could feel the heat rising and the pain becoming unbearable.
His senses were heightened, so was his perception of pain. His long white hair caught fire, Fang Yuan was unable to move or scream, he was stripped of his ability to command his body.
His eyebrows too caught fire, burning his skin — the process was deliberately slow, the fire was hot enough to cause inhuman pain but calm enough to last long. Fang Yuan felt his eyelashes catch fire as his skin formed blisters.
Fang Yuan persevered. Forcing himself to stay awake, forcing himself to not get numb. Forcing himself not to lose the trial.
The fire spread to his skin, burning brightly. Fang Yuan bleeded only for his blood to dry out; the fire reached his mouth and innards, burning his throat and lungs. His stomach burst open as the gastric juices and acids covered him.
His skin was burned away, with his muscles cooked. His brain had already given up but the pain remained. The trail did not demand physical strength — it demanded mental fortitude.
Fang Yuan felt his muscles burn even more before the fire stopped. He was tied on a cross, skinless with his eyeballs dangling.
He could still see with his burnt eyeballs, feel the heat with his burnt skin. He suddenly felt his hand being torn apart and… eaten.
He was slowly getting devoured by something.
His hand was disjoint but he could feel it being eaten. He felt his intestines being ripped apart and placed around his neck like a scarf…
He was being played with!
Fang Yuan could not help but think of Spectral Soul Demon Venerable, or should he say Heaven Devouring Demon Venerable.
Soon Fang Yuan was fully devoured, when his last eyeball was eaten he felt intense pain once again.
Fang Yuan found himself standing on the altar; he felt the phantom pain remain. Fang Yuan could not help but scream in agony, but he did not. He persevered and stood still. Sounds of people dying could be heard before him
"Essence exhaustion" he muttered. Fang Yuan walked towards a girl with a disfigured face, his eyes hollow and empty.
He pierced her chest with his bare hand.
[You have slain an awakened beast, Fairy of peaks.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Mountain warrior.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Mountain archer.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, blind samurai.]
[You have received a Memory: Red katana]
[You have slain an awakened beast, ciocolatta.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Jolyne cujoh.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, hermes.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Anyakin.]
[You have received a Memory: Three eyed mask]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Mountain cocubine.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Nature's student.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Blind Eye.]
[You have received a Memory: whistle blower]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Blood wave.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Mountain priest.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Mountain nomad.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Blind hope.]
Fang Yuan's long white hair swayed in the wind; his bloodied hand with broken bones shone brightly in the sunlight. The world slowly turned dark as Fang Yuan heard an otherworldly voice.
[Wake up, Fang Yuan! Your nightmare is over.]
[Prepare for appraisal…]
Fang Yuan found himself in a space between dream and reality. It was an endless black void illuminated by a myriad of stars. Between those stars, countless strings of silver light were woven into a beautiful and inconceivably complex net, forming various nexuses and constellations. It was truly breathtaking.
Fang Yuan felt that he vaguely understood that he was seeing the inner workings of the Nightmare Spell. He also couldn't help but think that it looked a lot like the celestial equivalent of a neural network.
In his original life on earth he had seen neural networks in school, he couldn't help but wonder
"Is the Spell alive?"
Fang Yuan heard spell's enchanting voice once again
[You have received a Memory: Incomplete Freedom]
"Interesting… the spell seems to reward me in accordance with my past life, that could explain my high quality attributes and aspect. However if the spell knew me that well why would it challenge me with mental fortitude?"
The spell was always a mystery, but Fang Yuan saw it differently. For him it was merely akin to an extremely sophisticated quasi rank 10 formation.
Here in the void, its voice didn't sound subtle and familiar anymore. Rather, it seemed like the universe itself was speaking.
[Aspirant! Your trial is over.]
[A dormant demon slaughtered many in a Black Temple. Multiple awakened beings fell by his hand. Unbroken, he entered the ruined temple of a long-forgotten god and spilled his blood on the sacred altar. The gods were dead, and yet they joined hands with daemons to reward you. Denying fantasy, enduring hell, living as a slave…]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Mountain monk of none.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Fairy of peaks.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Mountain warrior.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Mountain archer.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, blind samurai.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, ciocolatta.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Jolyne cujoh.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, hermes.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Anyakin.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Mountain cocubine.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Nature's student.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Blind Eye.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Blood wave.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Mountain priest.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Mountain nomad.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Blind hope.]
[You have received every God's blessing.]
[You have received 5 Daemon's blessings.]
[You have achieved the impossible!]
[Final appraisal: glorious. Your perseverance truly knows no bounds.]
Fang Yuan was surprised. All the Gods and Daemons blessed him?
Why?
Fang Yuan thought of his attribute,
[Will of Fate] Attribute Description: "The strings of fate wrap tightly around you. Unlikely events, both good and bad, are drawn by your presence. You are given a goal and are fated to achieve it."
"Am I back to being a pawn?"
Fang Yuan was venerables' pawn to destroy fate once, now he is a pawn of divine beings to achieve a goal? The spell did not stop speaking for him to think though, it continued
[Dreamer Fang Yuan, receive your boon!]
"Dreamer eh?" Fang Yuan was no longer regarded as an aspirant,
[You have been bestowed a True Name: Heaven Refining Demon.]
Fang Yuan was not rattled this time, he had guessed that he would get a true name the moment he killed an awakened beast. Him having the venerable title given by heavenly court and longevity heaven as his true name was a minor surprise.
"Why was I not bestowed 'Great Love Immortal' as my true name?"
Fang Yuan knew that the title he gave himself was not representative of his true nature, but that was what he had called himself. Why did the spell consider Heaven Refining Demon as his true name?
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]
Fang Yuan felt his strength to be quite low in the nightmare, thus he agreed without hesitation.
[Dormant Aspect Temple Slave is evolving…]
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Divine.]
Fang Yuan's expression remained calm and collected; he had the blessing of multiple divinities after all, why would his aspect rank be anything other than divine.
[Aspect Name: Shameless Sovereign.]