Gao Tiankai was greatly tempted, but at the same time, he pondered if he could truly meet the requirements. To offer his soul to an evil god for this wish, to abandon everything?
He looked at the statue of the saintess and suddenly let out a bitter smile.
"Little Xing'er, you know I can't do it, right? No matter what, I can't abandon..."
Steel-hearted, Gao Tiankai placed the mask on his face.
The mask actually came alive!
Countless dark particles leaped where the mask met his skin, akin to the strongest superglue. In an instant, the mask was perfectly fused to Gao Tiankai's face.
Immediately after, overwhelming scenes flooded his mind, forceful, brutal... Gao Tiankai clutched his face in pain, curling into a ball.
Deep within his brain, a searing pain erupted. Chaotic black lines twisted like countless thin snakes. Images he dared not imagine even in his deepest nightmares flashed before his eyes—
A greedy black cat licking blood, a pure white cat with its eyes gouged out;
On platforms of a billion stars, girls writhed on carved altars, emitting screams of agony;
A colossal demon god, blanketing the entire sky, descended. The blood-soaked land was barren, with endless rows of kneeling believers;
A woman bound to a bronze pillar slowly opened her eyes. Her white hair danced, and two streams of thick,腥 blood flowed from her eyes...
In the boundless universe, within the primordial darkness.
Lost civilizations were like a vast chessboard, with two opposing hands occasionally manipulating the game.
Overthrown and destroyed countless times, yet shining anew each time.
After an unknown duration, a cry unlike any human's erupted from Gao Tiankai's throat.
*Crack—!*
The mask dropped to the ground with a crisp sound. Visible black evil energy rapidly swept outwards from him, forming a circle with a diameter of a hundred meters. Within it, black flames ignited, the fire transforming into distorted, horrifying black snakes dancing wildly.
Then, it instantly vanished, and everything returned to calm.
Gao Tiankai cupped his face with both hands, gasping for air like a drowning man.
It failed...
The moment the rejection arose, the mask's fusion ritual had failed!
He collapsed to his knees, repeatedly smashing his forehead onto the ground. Blood instantly flowed, dyeing the earth red, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain, venting his frustration.
"Ahhh ahhh ahhh—!"
The saintess statue watched him calmly. Beneath its hollow gaze, the tear tracks seemed to have deepened slightly.
After an unknown period.
Gao Tiankai looked up from the ruins. He tidied his soaked hair, his weary eyes turning towards the stone pillar.
"Come out."
*Thud, thud, thud.*
A pair of blood-red sneakers emerged from behind the stone pillar.
*Bang—!*
A yellowish-brown sack was thrown before Gao Tiankai. The opening wasn't tightly secured, and with the jolt of its landing, a corner flipped open, revealing a round head rolling out.
The severed head had a neat, clean cut. Its bulging eyes seemed about to pop out of their sockets.
"Ten. Count them."
The newcomer's voice was low and hoarse, like a trapped beast.
Gao Tiankai glanced at the sack. It contained not just heads but also hearts, all remarkably fresh.
"Hearts would have been enough. Why did you cut off the heads too... What are you trying to do?... Gu Sang." Gao Tiankai asked impassively, watching him warily.
"Where is Ye Yan? I'm looking for him."
"He's dead."
"..."
Gu Sang looked at the three-holed mask at Gao Tiankai's feet and fell silent.
He stepped forward, his sturdy frame like a towering mountain. The bloodstains on his body had dried. His hollow, lifeless eyes held no emotion, resembling a Shura warrior god, exuding a potent malevolence.
"Then I want the mask."
Gao Tiankai's brow immediately furrowed, a flicker of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
"You failed. The mask rejected you, so let me try."
Gu Sang took another step closer, raising his fist and making the air crackle.
"Give it to me, or you die. I'll take it myself."
The two stood in a stalemate, battle intent swirling in their locked gazes.
Gao Tiankai assessed the situation, picked up the mask, and sneered.
"Do you know what wearing the mask entails? Life, faith, emotions, ethics, self... all must be abandoned. You must dedicate your soul to the evil god without reservation, wholeheartedly. Even the slightest hesitation will lead to rejection by the mask."
Gu Sang stared expressionlessly at the three holes on the mask, which seemed like black abysses pulling his consciousness into a vortex.
"The mask. Give it to me."
"I know your wish. We are alike. If I can't achieve it, you can?
Heh... I know you've hidden your beloved in the Ice Throne.
Brother, take my advice. Dig out her heart. I'll find you the most obedient sea demon to consume. Don't you just love her peerless beauty? She is indeed beautiful, a beauty of one in a million.
But a new [it] without memories will become your most obedient and compliant existence, perhaps even better than the previous [her]."
"Give it to me!"
Gu Sang's eyes widened, and he let out a furious roar.
"Alright, alright. Don't get angry. Be careful, or you might just die trying." Gao Tiankai, his gaze cold, tossed the mask to Gu Sang.
Gu Sang pocketed the mask and turned to leave, the face of the ugly girl constantly appearing in his mind—her beauty, her smile, her tears, her words, her diary...
Wearing the mask, I cannot love you, but without it, how can I save you?
Returning to the Ice Throne, Gu Sang looked at the crystal-like ice coffin. Xiao Fang lay within, covered in flowers. Her long eyelashes cast a shadow.
Her expression was serene, the corners of her lips slightly upturned, like a sleeping princess.
Gu Sang's blood-stained hand gently opened the coffin, wanting to caress her pale little face, yet fearing he might dirty her.
*Plink!*
A drop of murky tear fell onto Xiao Fang's cheek, as if she too were weeping.
Placing the pink diary into Xiao Fang's embrace, Gu Sang cast one last lingering look at her before turning away.
He cupped the mask in his hands...