Seeing how serious and open Bibi Dong was, Lin Fan had to reply,
"Thank you for trusting me so much. But I only know the name of the Rakshasa—I'm not familiar with it. I'm afraid I might not be able to help you."
He added, "And you said you only have two attempts left. If I help and we still fail, I can't bear the responsibility."
Bibi Dong nodded solemnly.
"That's okay. If this fails, you still get one more try."
"But I hope that when you face the Rakshasa's Soul, you don't hold anything back. Hesitation will only doom us to failure."
Lin Fan nodded in agreement.
"Understood. I'll give it a shot. But since I've never fought a Rakshasa's Soul before, could you tell me how it attacks?"
"Of course," Bibi Dong replied, turning toward him.
"Rakshasa God is a deity of darkness—an evil god. The Rakshasa's power is formed from negativity: laziness, greed, lust, and other negative emotions."
"The Rakshasa's Soul wields a scythe. Its attacks are straightforward. But what makes it tricky is that its strikes often carry negative energy tied to that Rakshasa power."
"So when you face it, you must guard your senses: vision, hearing, touch, smell… do everything you can to seal your perceptions, so its negative power can't infiltrate you."
She spoke from direct experience.
Lin Fan exhaled. "This is complicated. Not only is it stronger than us, but in addition to defending against its scythe strikes, you have to resist the spread of negative energy. What purpose is this trial serving?"
Bibi Dong took a breath.
"You've seen it—though my soul power is Rank 99, I can only manifest at Rank 98. That's because Rakshasa's power is too evil, too hard to control. If you misuse it, it'll backfire—turning you into a killing machine."
"In truth, the trial is designed to test whether the successor can handle a god's power. It's a necessary ordeal."
"In this test, the god guides the successor, helping them understand and wield their power properly, building affinity with the deity."
Bibi Dong's face showed weariness as she explained her understanding of the Divine Trial.
Lin Fan silently reflected on the truth of it: The Rakshasa God represents all negative emotions—how could anyone easily harness that power without being tainted? It made sense why Bibi Dong had undergone so many trials already.
As for Tang San in the original story—who inherited the Rakshasa God of slaughter—that was probably due to his experiences in Slaughter City and help from Tang Chen and Xiao Wu. Those helped him master Rakshasa power more easily.
If I truly someday inherit the Asura God throne, I can't avoid going through Slaughter City myself.
To guard against failure, before I enter Slaughter City, I should obtain at least two more 100,000-year spirit rings to boost my physical strength. Then I'll be able to function effectively there.
Slaughter City forbade the use of spirit power or martial soul techniques, forcing reliance on raw physique. Lin Fan mentally braced himself for the solemn fifteen-day countdown until that trial.
Suddenly, Bibi Dong noticed Lin Fan's silence. "Are you okay? If you're not ready yet, we can go another day."
She had jumped the gun—didn't give him time to process things.
"Heh, I'm fine," said Lin Fan, recovering. "I'm just in awe—reaching godhood at Rank 100 is no joke. Countless geniuses soared to Rank 99, only to never break through before death."
Bibi Dong nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed. Without ascending to divinity or achieving eternal legacy, we're just another skull in the flow of history."
Lin Fan understood she might've meant moral likeness to a pantheon rather than rank alone, but he said nothing.
"Alright," he said firmly. "I'll help… but after we succeed, I'm going to need a favor from you."
He couldn't just help Bibi Dong for free. Especially if he alone had to hold back Titan Ape and Azure Bull Python.
Bibi Dong readily agreed. "Of course. I couldn't let you help for nothing. Tell me what you need."
"I'm not rushing it," Lin Fan said slowly. "Let's first get through your Fourth God Trial."
He wasn't even sure if he could help her pass it. If we fail again, there is no telling whether Bibi Dong will still honor our deal.
"Very well," she replied. "Once you decide what you need, I'll do everything I can for you. But you must promise to aid me fully—this trial is so important to me."
Lin Fan nodded solemnly.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong stepped back and placed her left hand on the Rakshasa statue.
Seconds later, a dark purple aura swelled from the statue. It twisted and reshaped into a swirling portal.
"Move!" She grasped Lin Fan's left hand with her right and pulled him into the vortex.
Purple-black streaks swirled around them, carrying them through the luminous portal.
They emerged into a dim realm filled with oppressive purple-black mist.
Before them stretched a strange water pool, its surface unnaturally colored.
Behind it stood a single-level oriental shrine made of ancient stone. Flanking the entrance were three pairs of eerie statues, reminding Lin Fan of a sacred burial path.
The atmosphere crushed him—no sunlight, just heavy gloom and flickering negative images flashing through his mind.
"This is the place," Bibi Dong said quietly. "The Rakshasa Secret Realm, where I undergo the Fourth Test."
"It truly is a god's domain," Lin Fan said with a wry laugh. "This place is terrifying just standing here. I feel like I was tricked."
"You might feel unwelcome because you're an outsider," Bibi Dong observed.
"I thought I had a 50% chance to help you… Now I'm down to less than 10%," Lin Fan admitted.
"That's fine. Just do your best. If we fail, at least you'll gain experience," Bibi Dong said calmly.
"Then… let's begin." Lin Fan's voice dropped.
Suddenly, a figure materialized above them.
"My successor, is this the helper you've brought for your Fourth Trial?"
Before them floated a woman in an elegant, dark purple-black dress—her figure voluptuous, makeup dark, and hair writhing like snake-hair atop her head.
"That's her," Bibi Dong said, stepping forward. "This is Lin Fan, Rank 96, here to assist me."
"Excellent," came a calm but chilling voice from above. "If you fail again, then you, and perhaps even your helper, shall remain here."
"Wh-what?! He'll die?" Bibi Dong froze. "Why didn't you say that before?"
"Of course," the Rakshasa God's voice continued. "Your helper is not a successor and not bound to divine grace. Failure means punishment. It's fair."
Tension gripped the chamber.
Lin Fan… Bibi Dong murmured, regret in her voice. I'm so sorry—I didn't fully understand before. This is my fault.