As he pushed himself over the edge, forcing his Body Dantian into the Half-Step World Expansion Realm, John felt his mind twist and bend under the pressure of the murmurs, of the sinister aura growing by the second within his mind and soul. The pain became overwhelming, and then it vanished.

Not the pain. No, the pain was still very much there. What vanished was the overwhelmingness of it all. John felt his mind snap, his humanity shattering like glass, his being embracing the Asura. At that moment, the pain was no longer an enemy, but a friend.

He looked up, his eyes widening slightly before narrowing into a cold, murderous gaze as he stared at the sinister gate before him. Without realizing it, without knowing he had been drawn in, without doing it himself, John found himself standing before the sinister gate within his palace realm.

The sinister aura permeated the massive room, a dark black and red glow to everything. This aura was far thicker than normal, almost like a mist thick enough to choke a person. It was as if he were nearly swimming in this aura of murder and malevolence, an aura that typically drove him to the point of insanity, beyond the edge of madness. .𝒎

Now, this aura felt much less sinister, much less painful. Instead, it was something he found himself yearning for.

‘More!’ he thought.

More. More of this aura. More of this power. More of this pain!

He glanced at the sinister door, noticing thick tendrils of black and red Qi emanating from it, something that had never happened before. He narrowed his eyes, studying it for a moment, then turned to leave this place.

The thrill and lust of battle nearly overwhelmed him, and in the outside world, there was a thrilling, murderous battle to be fought.

“So….” a low growl boomed from the gate, causing John to pause his footsteps. He turned and looked at the sinister gate, studying the tendrils of black and red Qi that writhed in the air as they made their way over to him.

“You…have finally embraced the power of an Asura,n the voice continued, its pitch rumbling and deep, its nature sinister and malevolent. John’s narrowed eyes stared at the tendrils that surrounded him, then glanced back at the massive gate.

“So, there really is something behind this gate,” John sneered, a smile of amused derangement appearing on his face. “I figured as much.”

The tendrils of Qi landed on him like soft feathers, touching his skin and embracing his body. At that moment, he felt as though he had tnlly been plunged into the depth of the vilest of hells, one that would cause the common mind to shatter and break from the murmurs alone.

Those murmurs told him to defile. To destroy. To kill. To slaughter. To massacre everyone and everything. They told him to bring pain and anguish to the world, and cause as much chaos as possible.

Normally, he would have defied these murmurs, pushing both them and the tendrils away, recoiling in pain and disgust. His mind now seeing things different, he swam in these thoughts, not embracing or denying, but considering. The temptation of the murmurs were truly enticing, so he remained instead of leaving.

“Yes….” the voice growled menacingly. “I have been here….for time beyond counting…waiting for this day. Embrace me, and I shall give you power beyond your imagination.”

“Embrace you?” John replied, his voice almost as deep and guttural as the other voice but not quite. “I don’t know you. Why would I embrace you?”

“You need my power, do you not?” the voice said, its message clear, its tone enticing. “You need my power to kill. Power to kill that man. Power to-”

“I need your power?” John sneered, his face twisting. “Right now I have all the power I need. I understand everything my naive self wasn’t able to see just moments ago. I do not need your power. I alone am enough.”

A growl boomed from within the sinister gate, shaking it and rattling the chains binding it closed.

“YOU NEED ME!” it roared with loud malevolence. “RELEASE ME!”

“Piss off and stay in your cage,” John said with a twisted expression and gnashed teeth, as if he were smiling down on a lesser creature, then he turned to leave, his soul fading from the sinister room. “This conversation bores me. I have things to do, and people to kill.” Then he vanished.

The sinister gate boomed again, shaking with violent intensity. Then the tendrils of Qi slowly began to withdraw back into it, the room returning to its former condition.

“You will eventually reach out to me, open yourself to me and embrace my power,” the voice growled, its tone a mixture of rage and expectation. “And when that day comes….” 𝑖.𝘤ℴ𝘮

…

The Sword-Saint watched John fall silent, his entire existence like it has become frozen in time. There were no movements, no sounds made, nothing at all. It was as if John had become and empty shell, unnerving even the Sword-Saint.

Then, as if a tempest of malevolence had erupted from the depths of the deepest hells, the Sword-Saint felt a horrifying aura emerge from John, one far more sinister than anything he had ever felt in his life. He had dealt with the Devils his entire life, beings of chaos, murder and destruction. And yet, compared to the Devils he had encountered, this aura was far, far more terrifying. Comparing the two auras was like comparing a child to an adult, a peasant to a God.

A moment later, a sinister laugh suddenly filled the entire Yang Lotus Realm, the malevolence of it shaking both the Sword-Saint and the Yang-Sovereign to their cores. That laughter was followed by the most horrifying cry that they had ever heard, like a roar from the most terrifying of primordial beasts. The sound was so shrill that it made their ears ache, and so evil that it made their souls tremble.

Eyes wide, the Sword-Saint couldn’t help but move backwards instinctively, his guard raised as he stared at John. John’s body wriggled and writhed, like worms were underneath it, changing by the second. His frame grew larger, his arms and legs far more muscular, his two curved horns longer. Every aspect of his body became more brutal, more sinister, more perfect for slaughter and destruction.

Most terrifying of all were the two blood red eyes that seemed to glow like twin suns, eyes that snapped onto the Sword-Saint, plunging him into the depths of this sinister evil. He felt as though he was being stared at by a primordial demon, a creature of nightmares. He recalled John’s words at that moment, when John had mentioned the nature of his power.

The word struck the Sword-Saint like a hammer from the heavens, his entire being becoming stiff as he recalled all he knew of that mysterious, horrifying race that had plunged the universe into darkness eons ago.

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