Li Zhexian stood with his sword in his arms, watching coldly.
The woman before him looked identical to Bibi Dong, yet her temperament could not be more different.
The woman seemed unaware of Li Zhexian's scrutinizing gaze.
She continued calmly watering the flowers—
Then bent down to tend the soil.
Her every movement breathed quiet serenity.
After busying herself for a while,
She finally stepped to a bamboo tube beneath the house and scooped a handful of clear water to wash her hands.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting."
Her soft voice was gentle, like flowing water.
The woman approached with graceful steps, her plain white dress trailing lightly, her slender waist like a willow branch, her bearing serene and gentle.
She reached the stone table in the courtyard, folded her sleeves, and arranged the tea set.
Her movements were smooth as drifting clouds.
Within a dozen breaths, a pot of clear tea was brewed.
"Sit."
Li Zhexian silently took in her every gesture before sitting opposite her. After a quiet moment, he spoke:
"You are…"
"Bibi Dong's good will?"
The woman smiled at his words, lowering her gaze as she pushed a teacup toward Li Zhexian.
"You may think of me that way."
Li Zhexian narrowed his eyes, but Bibi Dong merely took a sip of tea and said softly:
"The kind Bibi Dong died on that night."
"The ruined city of the Rakshasa Secret Realm shelters the dead—so I am counted among them."
"But since she and I were once one, I still retain some control over this place. At times, I can slip free of her restraints and disturb her thoughts."
Li Zhexian paused in thought, then continued:
"The Rakshasa God is a god of extreme evil."
"Such a god would never allow timid kindness to remain."
"So…"
"This is part of the Rakshasa God's trial…"
"To kill you, this embodiment of Bibi Dong's good will."
Bibi Dong smiled faintly and nodded.
Li Zhexian lowered his head and drank his tea.
The surface of the tea rippled—
Reflecting the cold gleam in his eyes.
"What if I refuse to do as she wishes?"
"You will."
Bibi Dong's smile deepened.
"I am not just Bibi Dong's good will."
"I am also…"
"A drop of god-tainted blood."
Li Zhexian's gaze shot upward, shock rippling through his eyes.
"You…"
"Are you wondering how she knew? Or how she even predicted this step?"
Bibi Dong refilled his cup, her tone still gentle.
"It may sound like boasting…"
"But she is far more terrifying than you imagine."
"I see her every action. At times, even her thoughts frighten me… and ache for her."
Li Zhexian's brows furrowed deeply, the tea in his hand trembling, revealing his inner unrest.
Bibi Dong gently reassured him:
"No need to feel burdened."
"Even if you refuse to kill me, she has her own ways to erase me and complete the eighth Rakshasa Trial."
"This trial requires severing past attachments."
"For example—Yu Xiaogang, Qian Xunji…"
"Yet even I did not expect that in her heart, you now rank ahead of Qian Xunji—second only to myself, her good will."
Seeing that Li Zhexian still remained silent—
She continued:
"If she kills me, she can purge her humanity and inherit a flawless Rakshasa Heart."
"If you do not kill me, she will slowly wear away my existence."
"At most, leaving behind a faint trace of good will."
Hearing this—
Li Zhexian's eyes flickered.
In the original story, Bibi Dong indeed completed her god trials and became the Rakshasa God.
But just as this good-will Bibi Dong said—
Bibi Dong's later actions did show remnants of compassion.
If he were to destroy her good will now—
Her future as a Rakshasa God would be even more terrifying than in the original story.
"This drop of divine blood…"
"I… cannot take it."
Li Zhexian clenched his fist, speaking with difficulty.
Beyond refusing to let Bibi Dong complete her trial perfectly—
He couldn't help but glance toward the closed door.
The Angel God Feather in his chest was burning hot.
"Can you let me tell Xue'er that I'm unharmed?"
From the moment Li Zhexian stepped into this house, Bibi Dong's good will had been calm and composed.
But at these words—
Her hand trembled violently, tea spilling and staining her skirts.
The door suddenly cracked open.
Outside came Qian Renxue's anxious cry.
"Zhexian!"
"Are you alright?!"
"Is there danger inside?!"
"Xue'er, I'm fine, don't wor—"
Bang—
Before Li Zhexian finished speaking, the door slammed shut.
...
Outside the house—
Qian Renxue's golden eyes were icy. The Light Holy Sword flared in her hand as she struck the wooden door with all her might.
Yet the thin, decayed-looking door didn't show a single mark.
"The dead within this house… are unusual."
"What should I do?!"
Panicked—
She pressed her ear against the door.
But inside was dead silent.
Not a single sound reached her.
Li Zhexian looked at Bibi Dong, who was lowering her head to sip tea, brows tightly knit. Just as he was about to speak—
Bibi Dong spoke first:
"I've heard a little of your deeds here."
"I must admit… in talent, I gladly concede you surpass me."
"To resist the temptation of the Blood of a God even while your mind is being corroded by decay…"
"You are impressive. I… am satisfied."
Li Zhexian answered calmly:
"If you speak as Xue'er's mother, then this 'satisfied'—I accept."
At those words—
The courtyard fell silent.
Bibi Dong's gentle expression froze, an unreadable mix of sorrow and confusion crossing her face.
"I…"
She uttered only one word before biting her lip, avoiding the topic entirely.
"I know you are trying to grasp a new kind of power."
"Drawing decay into your body, then restoring yourself through blood."
"Seeking within decay and rebirth a glimpse of something new. This path is correct…"
"Oh? Is it?"
Li Zhexian answered gravely, then added:
"But I still want to talk to you about Qian Renxue."
Whoosh—
Bibi Dong gave no reply. Instead, she raised her hand lightly.
In an instant—
Wind stirred through the courtyard.
Li Zhexian's Spirit Power was sealed, his body sinking as though trapped in mire.
Cold sword-qi surged within his spine, ready to explode—
But the next moment—
A gentle voice rang directly within his mind:
"Focus."
"Feel this power."
Bibi Dong extended a slender finger.
The accumulated decay within the Qinglian Sword surged directly into Li Zhexian's body.
In an instant—
His flesh shriveled, life withered, death aura swallowing him whole.
And in the same breath—
Four-colored light circulated through his meridians, his blood flushing out the decay—
Tempering his body until it shone like flawless jade.
"Truly a marvelous constitution."
A hint of astonishment colored Bibi Dong's gentle voice.
"After the eighty-one cycles of decay scouring your body…"
"Within you…"
"A power of 'Purity' has already been born."
She traced a line across Li Zhexian's left wrist. His blood dripped onto the Qinglian Sword.
Black qi followed the blood, rushing into Li Zhexian's limbs.
His skin grayed and cracked at a rate visible to the naked eye—yet under the immense vitality of the Quadform Triform Spirit Meridian Body-, it renewed again and again.
Between decay and rebirth—
A faint glass-like radiance shimmered deep within his bones.
A primordial clarity, free of stain or impurity, diffused from him.
Bibi Dong's voice was like a soft breeze, murmuring:
"As the saying goes…"
"Purity is born of filth, and light emerges from darkness."