Shen went through many troubles to arrive here. He had searched the desert for a month until he found Dane.
Through his wait, time gradually passed, but his emotions didn't die. Every time he slept, he saw the same scene, waking up sweat-filled.
When Shen found Dane, he finally felt like time started moving again. Through this expedition, Shen tested his current strength and gained many rewards, yet the most important thing, the one thing he wasted an entire month for, finally appeared in his grasp.
Dane entered the opened room first.
'A half destroyed temple,' Shen nodded when he followed. 'It's the same as he said.'
"Congratulations on passing the 'Devil Trials' inheritor," Shen and Dane heard a voice talking in their heads.
'Voice transmission? It doesn't look like someone is here though.' Shen checked again and confirmed there was no one but the two of them.
"Shen bro, what's happening?"
The voice continued speaking, not allowing Shen to speak.
"Passing through the trials means that you are worthy. It doesn't matter if you achieved this by yourself or with outside help. You, my inheritor, is worthy. And the reward for such an achievement won't be small. Inside the sarcophagus in front of you is one of if not the strongest technique ever. It is the technique that I, the conqueror, had created."
The voice turned majestic at the end.
'This is it!'
Shen looked in front of him.
White and black bricks divided the temple in half. In the center, a sarcophagus lay adorned with red and insidious markings. Opened to all, the sarcophagus was empty, only a large ancient tome was inside it. Yet, their surroundings weren't empty. Mountains of pure Qi stones encompassed the room.
Such an amount would be unthinkable to anyone. They were too numerous to count!
"Inheritor," the voice continued transmission. "You can share this wealth with anyone. Only the technique is forbidden. It is too dangerous and unsuitable to anyone but you, my inheritor."
After saying that, the voice went silent. It seemed it relayed the message and disappeared forever.
Dane looked at Shen, who nodded at him. He ran and reached the sarcophagus.
Shen watched Dane look inside the sarcophagus while he looked on, his gaze empty. He finally arrived at his goal, but he didn't feel the happiness he imagined. Emptiness. The one feeling that remained.
'Nothing changed.' Shen sighed.
"Shen br-," Dane turned around with a cheerful smile. His eyes were as innocent as ever, he really didn't look like a sixty-year-old family man.
*Cough. Blagh.*
Dane looked at Shen with confusion. His eyes trailed down his chest and found a hand holding his heart.
Coughing blood, Dane's eyes incredulously stared at Shen, "W-why…"
"Don't talk. It will only kill you faster. The only thing keeping you alive now is my hand holding your heart." Shen spoke emotionlessly.
His usual smirk was nowhere to be seen. Only his cold eyes stared at Dane evenly.
"Before you die, I wanted to tell you something." Shen straightened Dane with his other hand, stopping him from collapsing. "I used you."
"I have been using you from the beginning."
"Ever since I found you, I have been planning for this moment. If I didn't need you, you wouldn't be alive at this moment."
Dane looked at Shen with shock, confusion, and rage. His usual timidness was nowhere to be seen. He fiercely looked at Shen, his eyes sparkling. It was obvious to Shen what he wanted to ask.
"It's nothing personal, Dane. You see, your future self would have used this technique and become a great and powerful being but… I need this technique. And in the future I am planning to make, there is no you.
"Goodbye, Dane."
Shen crushed Dane's heart, making him flop down. His body lifelessly fell.
'I am finally done with this noisy guy! I had to handle his existence and clinginess all this time. At least I got rid of him.'
Shen shook his head. Approaching the sarcophagus, he reached inside and took the tome.
Ancient rune-like chains surrounded the book but with a powerful pull Shen broke them.
'Finally!'
It was finally in his hands. 'Now this is where it will really begin.'
'With this, I am one step closer to godhood.' Shen's eyes regained the natural smirk that his face held..
The ring on Shen's finger shone brightly.
Shen looked around him and with a wave of his hand, mountains upon mountains of Qi stones slowly disappeared.
The vast room turned empty as Shen pocketed everything inside it.
Shen looked at the book in his hands, his grip tightened as if he made sure that it's real.
"Although my realm will drop when I cultivate it, I will reborn and reforge myself. This technique shall be my stepping stone for my revenge and power."
Shen looked around him, his eyes going through the room. 'It's big enough.'
He calculated the distance and drew Mana from his core. An intricately complex magic circle started forming. Its form is faint and takes all of Shen's energy.
Sucking it up, Shen took a rest and recharged his core. Every time his core filled up, Shen would continue drawing the circle.
Time passed as Shen continued drawing the circle. Dane's blood had long since dried.
After the circle formed, Shen didn't stop. Next to it, he started drawing a second circle.
Days and weeks passed as Shen entered a routine. He would rest, charge his mana, and then continue drawing circles.
When the eighth circle had formed, Shen's eyes glowed. Bags had formed under them, but at this moment all his accumulated tiredness and fatigue disappeared.
Seven magic circles circularly surrounded a larger eighth one. Shen sat down in the middle of the circle.
He opened the book and started reading it. Not caring about anything or anyone, the book took all his attention.
Shen stood up, his ring shined again after unknown how much and eight different beast cores appeared. Their power ranged from 1 to 3 tiers while two of them were tier 4.
He placed the cores in each magic circle. The two tier 4 got placed near each other. Shen looked at his finished work and his eyes narrowed in concentration.
'It's time.'