Falling, an endless falling.
Lin Fan felt as if he were in a dream, a dream so long he couldn't wake up.
His consciousness was still stuck in the moment his body was pierced by black energy.
The clan members were almost at the great hall. What would they do?
Would they do anything to Xiao Rou?
Xiao Rou...
Thinking of the pure white figure surrounded by a flock of white doves...
Even traversing that long, dark, black tunnel, as long as he recalled her laughter and her voice, nothing else mattered.
Wait for me~ Even if my head grows demonic horns, my body deforms, my skin turns dusky green, and I am corrupted by demons, my soul will forever revolve around you.
The vortex behind me cannot take away my attachment to you.
I will definitely... definitely return to your side.
Wait for me!
A powerful will to survive struck the deepest part of his consciousness.
Lin Fan's eyes snapped open abruptly!
The place of confinement, within the divine temple.
Lin Fan silently gazed at 'Xiao Rou,' lying peacefully on the cold altar, the woman slumbering amidst wisps of smoke, a faint smile seemingly forever gracing her lips.
Did she still feel anything now? Did she know someone was guarding her side?
Or, in her heart, did she have no regrets, and that's why she slept so peacefully?
He had completely mistaken her for his own 'her.'
Lin Fan had asked himself countless times about these matters. He never knew the answer, nor did he dare to think about it. Every moment he dwelled on it felt like an additional torment.
His body was deteriorating day by day. As he killed more colossal statues in recent days, the malevolence in his eyes grew heavier. With the demise of the last colossal statue, he clearly felt his body about to burst.
Dol Ming's demonic power seemed to roam within him daily, like an inescapable phantom, awaiting the final arrival... This moment, it seemed, was the final moment.
He looked up at the great hall, praying for a response from Dol Ming.
Lin Fan was already prepared. Even if he had to sacrifice his soul to Dol Ming, as long as he could awaken the 'Xiao Rou' in his heart within the VR world.
Then he would be content.
Lin Fan let out a bitter smile. Finally, he looked deeply at Mo Na: "Wait for me, you will wake up soon."
Then,
A deathly coldness continuously stimulated Lin Fan's nerves, like the chilling tides from some unknown memory, surging over him and engulfing him.
This body's demonic transformation was accelerating.
Xiao Rou...
The last name Lin Fan called out in his heart.
The next moment, his consciousness grew dim again, his entire body falling heavily to the ground, stirring up a puff of dust.
Deep affection, a lifetime of suffering, a lifetime of infatuation only for loveless hardship...
On the icy altar, solely for that graceful and beautiful woman.
Soul scattered for your sake, wishing only for eternal slumber, never to wake...
Love so resolute!
Unhesitating!
A scene of profound devotion, touching heaven and moving earth, yet there were no spectators here, only Lin Fan's dazed consciousness, his vision plunged into darkness.
"It really is you..."
The voice of Amon, the clan leader, echoed in his ears.
His voice was hoarse, and he muttered to the unconscious Wang Da'er, "You were once the most outstanding warrior, yet you fell to this state... For what reason? Do you know the consequences of stepping onto this cursed land and using forbidden arts?"
Due to the invasion of black energy, Lin Fan gradually awoke from his pain.
Seeing Lord Amon standing beside Mo Na, he understood his actions had been exposed and that Lord Amon had likely come to punish him.
It wasn't that he was too immersed in the role, for he had long been prepared to accept all of this. From the moment he first saw the clan members galloping from their stronghold towards the divine temple, he had foreseen this day.
Without explanation, without refutation, saying nothing at all, Lin Fan struggled to stand up.
A bone-chilling pain spread around his body. Dol Ming's seal had been broken, and the power that suppressed his physical pain was gone. The immense pain from battling the sixteen colossal statues now erupted.
Whether it was intentional by the system or if this pain transcended the pain feedback mechanism, even with his setting at 30% feedback, it was excruciating.
However, it was perhaps for the best.
The more pain he felt, the more it could slightly alleviate his guilt towards the colossal statues.
Lin Fan struggled to take another step forward. The waves of pain made his legs unable to stand straight. He still struggled to move forward, but his body began to lose control.
Towards the direction where the maiden lay, the young man stretched out his hand with all his might, wanting to touch the girl's face.
Even though his palm was a mottled blue, his eyes still held an indelible eagerness.
"Xiao Rou... Xiao Rou..."
Lord Amon's voice, filled with anger and disappointment, still echoed through the hall: "Do you know? You are merely being used!"
"Used!?"
Lin Fan panted, slowly turning his head, his eyes fixed on Amon.
After a moment, he slowly, yet as if speaking to his deepest self, murmured, "For her, what does it matter if I become a demon..."
He laboriously moved his body, walking towards Mo Na, without looking back.
"Execute him! He has been controlled by demons!"
As soon as the words fell, a long sword pierced Wang Da'er's body from behind. Lin Fan didn't even have time to react.
This... this was too fast!
He didn't even have time to process it.
Furthermore,
Was this how the script was supposed to go?
It was completely contrary to his expectations.
A large amount of black bloody mist erupted from his chest, just like when he had executed the colossal statues.
At this moment, he had become the 'colossal statue' being executed.
The intense pain stimulated Lin Fan's nerves, making him doubt if the system's pain feedback mechanism had malfunctioned.
Yet, he still struggled to reach out, wanting to touch that delicate figure on the altar.
The direction of the plot had completely exceeded his expectations.
He had thought he would be judged by the clan, but in the end, he would still witness 'Xiao Rou' awaken.
Who would have thought the clan's methods were so sharp.
Without any hesitation or lingering.
But,
He was completely unprepared to bid farewell to 'Xiao Rou' at this moment.
No!
An helpless cry from within!
The sorrowful emotion pierced the heavens. This feeling, it was truly so painful, so painful!
Heart-wrenching!!
Dol Ming had not yet fulfilled his promise to him.
Even in death, before dying, he should at least see that figure rise from the altar, right?
Seeing the sword pierce Wang Da'er's chest, strangely, no blood gushed out. Streams of thick black smoke flowed from Wang Da'er's chest.
Lord Amon took several steps back in shock and waved his hand, signaling his clan warriors to stay away from Wang Da'er.
"Ah? The demon is about to awaken!"
Wang Da'er, with thick black energy emanating from his body, slowly stood up, as if that body was no longer his own.
Lin Fan, in his dazed consciousness, seemed to sense something and tried to struggle but was powerless.
Massive black energy gradually transformed the youth into a demonic form.
A voice slowly drifted from the void, echoing in the empty ruins.
"Foolish humans, my name is Dol Ming. The sixteen seals are broken, and you shall pay the price for this..."
...
(The inspiration struck, my typing speed surged! This chapter took only an hour!)