His ink-dark eyes held a misty, elegant depth, like a vast, swirling sea. Within them churned a shocking, inky blackness of malevolent intent.
The malevolent intent, sealed by Gu Junshi, dissolved in an instant. However, it did not vanish. Instead, it was re-infused into Dan Ya's body, having become one with him completely.
Gu Junshi had exposed his self-deception, tearing away the final veil. His heart had surrendered its resistance and accepted the invasion of the malevolent intent.
Wei Li's mouth fell open, astonished by Dan Ya's true form. "He… why has he become this monstrous thing?"
Gu Junshi casually cupped his chin to close it, patting him. "Good boy, hide yourself well in a moment. If he catches you, your fate will be entirely your own to bear."
These cold, heartless words stood in stark contrast to the tenderness with which she stroked and played with her pet.
Wei Li's fox-like eyes widened, about to retort, but seeing Gu Junshi's serious expression, it sheepishly closed its mouth and quickly moved to the side to wait.
It hadn't recovered yet. If Dan Ya truly used it as a means to threaten Gu Junshi, with her hard heart, she might very well abandon it.
Having merged with the malevolent intent, Dan Ya looked extremely pained. The greed of the malevolent intent bore down on him, and he rasped, "A Yi, I'm so hungry."
"What do you want?"
His human pupils gradually turned into sinister grey ones. He said gently, "Can I eat you? Only by eating you might the great hole in my heart be filled."
Gu Junshi asked him, "Dan Ya, you killed your father and your half-brother. Did you truly feel joy in your heart?"
Dan Ya, emanating black energy, paused.
"You should calm yourself and truly consider what you desire."
Hearing this, Dan Ya sneered, "What do I want?"
He looked at her, a strange, self-mocking smile on his face. "I want you. Will you give it to me?"
"What do you want from me? To eat me to fill your hole? Can I, alone, truly fill that void of yours?"
Dan Ya slightly lifted his chin. It was evident that his emotions flickered between good and evil, his sanity and his breakdown in constant conflict. His sinister face was overlaid with a new white mask, complete with newly formed eyes, nose, and mouth, each conveying malevolent intent and utter despair.
"Eating you will definitely… "
The mask sliced open into a sharp arc, moving like a mouth.
Gu Junshi decisively interrupted him, "No, think again. What do you truly want?"
Dan Ya lowered his head, shaking it and chuckling. His voice was no longer clear and pure, but murky and shrill. "What's the point of saying all this now? It's too late, far too late…"
"It's not too late yet. At least you haven't completely lost your humanity. You still uphold your identity within the righteous Immortal Alliance, rather than falling into demonic ways, slaughtering living beings, and committing acts of cruelty without compassion."
"But I'm no longer a true human. These things are bound to happen sooner or later. Look at me…"
He spread his hands towards her. He was no longer the youth who had emerged from blooming spring flowers amidst drizzling apricot blossoms.
His skin was no longer fair and jade-like, but a grayish-blue. Beneath the thin layer of skin, repulsive veins bulged, like withered black vines twisted into grotesque patterns, burrowing into his very bones and marrow.
He felt utterly defiled.
"Cheng Hong once told me something: human malevolence has its causes, and human good deeds bear their fruits. Though picking up the butcher's knife doesn't immediately make one a Buddha, recognizing oneself at least prevents one from stumbling blindly until the end, only to realize that one was seeking the wrong thing from the very beginning."
Dan Ya looked at her mockingly. The mask smiled, but his voice was filled with rage. "I don't want anything anymore! Leave me be… Don't you hate me? Why are you pretending to care?"
"Precisely because I hate you, I must make you understand that your mistakes, your sins, all your past wrongdoings—you shouldn't just erase them. You should feel remorse and regret for them."
With that, Gu Junshi raised "Wu Xiang" and thrust it violently into the ground. Instantly, layers of thin mist wove into a giant, encompassing shroud. She flickered, closing the distance to him in a flash.
At this moment, the malevolent intent occupying Dan Ya's body deepened its hold. He sensed danger, and his bodily functions instantly heightened. Powerful currents of air shattered the mist. He no longer recognized her, gripping a Cloud Thunder Sword and slashing it out.
Lightning crackled and chained above, forming a dense electric net that firmly trapped Gu Junshi, leaving her unable to advance or retreat.
"Lightning is of no use to me."
Gu Junshi made a grasping motion, and "Wu Xiang" returned to her hand. The mist that had just formed now flowed like transparent liquid, coalescing into droplets. Like a magnet, it drew in all the lightning, eventually forming a long white chain that struck towards Dan Ya.
Beneath the white mask, Dan Ya's pale grey pupils contracted. Seeing the white chain coiling towards him like a dragon, he once again invoked lightning, forming a net-like shield, intending to catch it.
Though Gu Junshi's current cultivation was not significantly different from his, her divine sense was beyond compare. Through the accumulation of several lifetimes, she had long surpassed the highest thresholds of this realm.
Her divine sense burst forth like countless divine lights, descending with unparalleled oppressive force.
Dan Ya was pinned in place, his limbs stiff, trembling with a subtle shudder.
"Tell me, what is it you truly want?"
She placed a palm lightly on his shoulder, then retracted it. In the next instant, Dan Ya let out an uncontrollable cry of agony.
"Ah…"
He felt as if his body were being torn apart, a powerful suction constantly draining his strength.
Cornered and driven to despair, Dan Ya's will finally broke. He opened his mouth, as if unable to control himself, and confessed, "I want… to want a whole self, one that hasn't been severed."
He wanted the self that had abandoned its goodness.
He wanted to be able to stand before her, pure and upright.
In order to drag his enemies into hell, he himself had become unrecognizable, stained with filth, without even realizing when.
He had always resented Liu Jiangfusheng, not only because he had stolen all his glory but also because he resented his luck and fortune. Liu Jiangfusheng needed to do nothing; everything was cleanly presented to him. He remained untainted by dust, yet easily possessed everything Dan Ya yearned for.
In contrast, Dan Ya had sacrificed his roots of goodness and compassion for the Earth Spirit Root. Every step he took forward was on the edge of a blade, dripping with blood.
He had traded his last vestiges of beauty and the Lord of Yuan Yan for power. Now, the malevolent intent was the backlash from that decision.
"I understand."
Gu Junshi suddenly seemed to grasp why a thread of karma was attached to Dan Ya.