The night was dark and boundless.
Bibi Dong was in seclusion in her exclusive chamber, and Qian Renxue was still engaged in a long conversation with Qian Daoliu at the Worship Hall.
Qian Renjue was left alone in empty room.
Seated cross-legged on his bed, Qian Renjue neither freshened up nor was he cultivating.
Instead, he was quietly waiting for the system to activate the furnace and deliver what was promised—an artifact imbued with divine power.
In the void before his eyes, illusory numbers were counting down.
As time ticked closer to zero, the anticipation made each second feel like an eternity.
Finally, as the countdown reached zero, the mechanical voice of the system rang out in his mind.
Ding—!
All materials have fused successfully. Order completed!
The new soul tool has been delivered to the system space. Please claim it.
Friendly reminder: Additional after-sales services will incur extra charges!
Hearing the "friendly" reminder from the system, Qian Renjue, who had been filled with anticipation, suddenly felt a bit apprehensive.
"Is this system going to mess with me like it did when I opened those treasure chests?"
"Ugh…"
After a moment of hesitation and mental preparation, Qian Renjue shifted his consciousness into the system space, only to see a pitch-black grid.
"Why so mysterious…"
Qian Renjue sighed and muttered to himself.
Without further hesitation, with a single thought, he summoned the object into his hand.
Buzz—!
As soon as it materialized in his palm, the brightly lit room instantly turned eerie and cold, with a chilling wind blowing through.
Even Qian Renjue couldn't help but shudder.
Looking closely, the object floating in his hand was still a triangular shape.
Its four corners were now sharper, giving it a more aggressive appearance. The color had also changed from the original translucent blue to a mix of dark purple and black.
Black and purple patterns glimmered on the crystal, exuding an ominous aura. The two colors seemed alive, rippling like waves, giving the entire room the sensation of being submerged in a dark purple sea.
The transformation was not just external.
Inside the once-clear triangular crystal, a miniature black tornado was swirling—tainted by evil forces.
Within the tornado, purple lightning crackled and coiled. Occasionally, the lightning would escape the crystal and flicker outside.
Overall, it appeared to be teeming with life, similar to the original Sea God's Heart, but with a much darker, more sinister energy.
The key difference was that Qian Renjue could sense a strong connection to it.
"It seems my worries were unfounded," he said with a satisfied smile as he watched the dark triangular object orbiting around him.
He raised his hand, signaling the object to return to his palm.
"…Uh…"
Qian Renjue's smile froze.
His hand remained empty, while the black and purple waves continued to ripple across his face.
The dark triangle refused to obey and kept circling him.
"I knew it! This damn system can't help but mess with me!"
Almost as if responding to his curses, the system's voice rang out again.
Instructions:
The soul tool requires activation. After drawing blood and branding the soul, it will become an extension of the user's will.
It will be inseparable from the host.
"Branding the soul?"
Qian Renjue was momentarily puzzled.
The blood-binding process should have already been completed, which explained the connection he felt. That left only the soul branding step.
Tentatively, he directed his spiritual energy toward the dark triangular object.
Hiss—
As soon as his mind touched it, Qian Renjue's eyes widened, and he involuntarily gasped.
A terrifying wave of evil energy surged into his mind.
Buzz!
In an instant, the black triangle seemed to pierce through space, its sharp edges aiming straight at his forehead.
Though he felt no pain, the black-purple Sea God's Heart vanished, and the room returned to normal brightness.
Yet inside Qian Renjue, a powerful surge of energy erupted.
"Not good!"
Qian Renjue quickly composed himself, sitting cross-legged to control the rampant energy.
Crack!
Despite his efforts, the violent forces continued to leak out, with wind blades and lightning crackling across his body.
His clothes were torn to shreds, turning to ash, leaving him completely bare.
Suddenly, a blue-gold vine sprouted from his chest, curiously draping itself over his body, as though investigating.
When it ventured too far, however, lightning concentrated on it, striking it down.
Sizzle!
A delicate cry echoed.
From the bloody wound on his chest, Ah Yin was thrown to the ground, convulsing and trembling, her body wrapped in lightning.
Her face flushed red, her hair disheveled, and her clothes slightly wrinkled. Ah Yin twitched uncontrollably, her eyes rolling back from the shock.
Finally, the electric current straightened her body, causing her to let out a scream, as the room became filled with the fresh, grassy scent she emitted.
Oblivious to all the chaos around him, Qian Renjue remained deep in his transformation.
Dark energy radiated from his body, absorbing the light in the room. The space around him seemed to distort.
Behind him, six shadowy wings flickered, casting the room into darkness.
The fragments of his torn clothes floated around him, some speeding up, others slowing down, and some even pausing midair.
Wind, lightning, evil, darkness, space, time—six elemental forces materialized simultaneously.
A smile of satisfaction appeared on Qian Renjue's face as he reveled in the storm and lightning tempering his body, while evil and darkness refined his soul.
The evil aura began to spread outward, causing the flowers in the courtyard to wilt, as though their life force had been drained.
In the room nearby, Hu Liena awoke, her confusion apparent.
"What's happening in Senior Brother's room?" she wondered aloud, slipping on her pink slippers and heading toward the main bedroom.
Back in Qian Renjue's room, the six-winged shadow behind him dissipated, and all the energy gradually subsided, restoring the room to its calm state.
A black inverted triangle mark appeared on Qian Renjue's forehead, with a tiny purple sword embedded within it.
Swish!
The mark flickered, and the dark triangular object fell into Qian Renjue's hand, spinning affectionately.
"Haha, it's truly an artifact!"
Qian Renjue smiled with satisfaction. After a moment of thought, he murmured to himself, "Calling it Sea God's Heart (Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud) seems inappropriate now. How about… Evil God's Heart?"
Buzz!
The Evil God's Heart twirled in approval, clearly pleased with its new name.
"Alright, back you go," Qian Renjue chuckled, gesturing slightly.
The Evil God's Heart returned to his palm and then merged into his forehead.
Qian Renjue touched his forehead, frowning as he sniffed the air, confused.
"Why does it smell both fragrant and fishy?"