Did my tale end there? I was buried. My best friend was buried. And my arch-nemesis was buried.
I don't remember how long I slept in the ground, but I didn't die. Even though thousands of tons of heavy rock fell on my body, I didn't die.
I was still alive. In the darkness of the rock.
It seemed about a week passed before I managed to hear the sound of crows pecking at the rock that buried half my body. Half my body was crushed by the rock, and I woke up when I felt many crows pecking at my lower body.
Slowly, sitting cross-legged, my body regenerated. The demonic sword was still attached to my left hand. My left hand unconsciously gripped the demonic sword very tightly. Even when my upper body was crushed by large rocks.
Ye Jing's body and that Turd were buried in the rocks near me.
I became the immortal being that the Devil Cult leader aspired to be. Even so, it didn't feel good at all.
I emerged from the ruined Yellow Rock Valley Temple. There was almost no way out. I easily cut through the surrounding rocks with the demonic sword, hoping the sword would break or shatter.
But only the chunks of rock were neatly cut like cake.
I walked out of the temple. My body was naked. I was like a newborn baby in this world.
My head turned back to the place where my loyal friend died by my own hand. The place where that Turd also died by my hand.
"I'm sorry, Ye Jing."
Only those words came out of my mouth. My sharp, narrow eyes shed no tears, nor did my heart feel sad at the loss of my comrade-in-arms who had traversed East and West with me for seven years.
I had become a demon. No demon may cry.
My hand swung. Using Qi techniques, I burned the entire temple ruins embedded in the valley wall. The flames soared as high as a mountain.
"This is my tribute. My friend. Go to heaven and marry a girl as you dreamed."
I sat in front of the mountain-high fire I had created. Watching the temple ruins turn black. Turn to ash. Leaving dust and memories.
***
That night. The night after I rose from the dead.
I slept cross-legged in the middle of the desert.
Rather than sleeping, I was meditating. No matter how long I closed my eyes, I couldn't sleep. Only disgusting scenes full of blood and human corpses appeared.
Every time I closed my eyes and intended to sleep. I entered that place. The place inside the demonic sword.
"Reek."
A foul smell that would make anyone nauseous and vomit. I stood naked in the middle of a pile of human corpses. Along with faces writhing under my feet, shouting 'help! Mercy! Pain!' And so on.
Red blood soaked up to my calves. Plus a rain of blood from the ceiling, where there were hands, feet, hanging, with their centers open, oozing blood. In the open gaps, there were eyes on every hand and foot connected to the ceiling. As if the blood dripping from there were tears from whatever creature was up there.
As far as the eye could see. I only found darkness and blood red. Only terrifying sights were visible. Only screams of pain from humans were heard. Only a foul odor that made my head dizzy and my stomach nauseous. Only an indescribable pain enveloped my skin. Only a disgusting feeling and fear were felt in this place.
That's what my body's senses felt.
I turned my body. Looking carefully around me.
Someone, stood not far from where I stood.
He was as naked as I was. Only his appearance was worse than mine.
Pale corpse skin smeared with red blood. Black eyes with white centers dotted with purple. Long hair wet with blood, just like my hair now.
The only thing I could clearly see in this dark, blood-red place was his gaze.
He stared at me with a wide smile. A smile that made my body shiver. A devilish smile. Like a demon. He was indeed a demon.
"Long Yi."
A voice that could not be described with words. He sounded terrifying. Hearing his voice was like hearing the earth crumble into crumbs.
I had never heard such a strange and terrifying voice.
"That's my name."
He and I fell silent. Only human screams from below our feet and the ceiling filled the awkward silence.
"You are indeed very suitable to be my vassal. You are indeed suitable to become a true demon."
"I refuse. I still have a few things that make me curious as a human. Like the most delicious alcohol in the Eastern lands, and the warmth of a woman's skin that Ye Jing talks about every night in his dreams. You should free me and find another vassal."
"He. HahahAHAHAHA!"
He laughed. I laughed.
"Hahahahha! How funny."
Suddenly, my body was sliced into small pieces.
I kept feeling the pain of death and hoped it was a dream.
But it wasn't. He walked closer to me. Then he made my body whole again.
"How does death feel? How does it feel to be sliced into hundreds of pieces?"
He smiled widely. A wide, devilish smile. A wide smile one step ahead of me.
"Painful." I answered briefly while staring at him sharply. I knew he could kill me in an instant in the real world and that it was possible for him. But then he wouldn't be able to get a vassal and would be trapped forever in the demonic sword.
In other words, he was just threatening me. And I was immune to all threats. Perhaps normal people would prostrate themselves before the creature in front of me right now. But I wouldn't. I had a principle that if he was uglier than me, then I was better than him.
And that made the demon interested in me. He laughed again. I laughed along.
"Ha. HehehehehHEHEHEHEH!"
"Hahahahaha!"
"You're crazy."
"Thank you for the compliment. This is the first time I've received a compliment from a demon."
He grinned.
"I like you. I will make you mine no matter what! And with you, I will turn this fake world into hell! HAHAHAHAHA!"
"..."
I fell silent. Scratching my chest where it didn't itch.
"It smells bad here. Send me back to the real world."
"Heh. Why should I obey you?"
"You can torture me for a thousand years here but it will still be useless. And you know that very well. That way you will waste a thousand years with me and your dream will never be achieved forever."
He thought. His smile and grin faded.
Then he smirked again.
"Crazy person."
After that, I remember him turning my body into small cubes. Then he ate each cube of my body into his mouth and chewed it, then spat it into the pool of blood. Then my chewed flesh was fought over by screaming human corpses. They ate the remnants of his chewing.
I felt every indescribable pain. The pain of being diced alive. Chewed alive. And torn apart alive.
I wanted to scream. But I had no mouth.
And when I opened my eyes. There was a group of desert people passing by and watching me sitting cross-legged and naked in the middle of the desert.
***