The corridor seemed endless, and the methods of attack became increasingly complex and diverse. From simple wind blades to invisible wind pressure traps, wind sound hallucinations that confused the mind, to breaths of storm that directly impacted the soul... Each wave of attacks tested different aspects of the trial taker. Bibi Dong's clothes were cut open in several places by invisible wind blades, and a few bloody marks appeared on her body. Her spiritual power was rapidly consumed, but her eyes remained bright and sharp, and her understanding of the Wind Laws improved rapidly in actual combat. She even began to try actively controlling a part of the wind elements in the corridor, forming simple shields or counterattacks. Although clumsy, it represented a transition from passive response to active control.
She didn't know how long she walked, or how many waves of attacks she defeated. The wind wall ahead suddenly split to both sides, revealing a circular exit, with soft light filtering in. Bibi Dong took a deep breath, suppressed her surging vitality and soul power, and stepped out of the Wind Corridor.
Before her eyes suddenly opened up; she found herself standing in a void. Up, down, left, and right were all empty vastness; there was no sky, no ground, only a boundless, clear mirror-like azure space. It reflected her own figure; countless "Bibi Dongs" looked at her from various angles, with different eyes and different expressions. This was the second stage, the "Mirror of Sky Realm".
There were no physical attacks, but Bibi Dong immediately felt a deeper crisis. This space seemed to be absorbing, reflecting, and amplifying all fluctuations within her heart. She tried to calm down, but the "hers" in the mirror some exposed sarcastic smiles, some had resentful and poisonous eyes, some looked fearful, some were full of ambition... The dark side brought by the Rakshasa Divine Power, traumatic memories from childhood and youth, the desire for power, the hatred and calculation towards certain people, the responsibility and loneliness borne while holding a high position, the vulnerability and confusion deep in her heart that perhaps even she herself had not clearly perceived... All hidden emotions, thoughts, and heart demons were reflected and materialized without reservation by this "Mirror of Sky Realm", and began to backfire against her spirit.
A "Bibi Dong" in the mirror walked out, shrouded in dark Rakshasa aura, eyes crazy: "Power! Only absolute power can control everything! Destroy all obstacles, ascend to the God Seat, let all living beings bow!" She roared and pounced, the attack was sharp, pointing directly at the most vulnerable part of Bibi Dong's mental defense line—the node where the fear and desire for loss of control intertwined.
Another "Bibi Dong" in the mirror had a face full of tear stains, curled up on the ground, exactly the helpless appearance of childhood: "Why... why abandon me... why do they all hurt me..." Sadness and despair emotions surged like tides, trying to drag Bibi Dong into the abyss of self-pity.
Another mirror image appeared, it was her as the Pope, high above, eyes cold looking down on all living beings, but the back view was incredibly lonely: "A lonely sovereign... is it worth it? On this road, what can ultimately remain?" Doubt and nihilism quietly eroded.
More mirror images appeared, representing her pride, her schemes, her anger, her desires, her deeply hidden love and tenderness... All contradictory, opposing, unified personality sides were separated, amplified, and attacked each other here, also attacking her as the main body. Bibi Dong felt her head was about to burst, her Sea of Consciousness shaking, her spiritual defense line teetering on the verge of collapse. This was more dangerous than any physical attack; this was a questioning and tearing directly aimed at the Dao Heart, at the essence of the soul.
She sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, no longer looking at those chaotic mirror images. But she could not isolate the waves stirred up in her heart. The Tears of the Wind God emitted a warm and cool aura, trying to help her calm down. But for Second Trial, the Tears of the Wind God could not intervene too much directly; it was more like a witness. Bibi Dong knew that escaping or suppressing was not the way; she must face it directly, must integrate it.
She began to recall, recalling her entire life. Painful, warm, dark, bright. She remembered why she was persistent about power; not only for revenge and control, initially perhaps just for self-protection, to no longer be bullied by others. She remembered the struggle in Slaughter City, the torment and transformation during the Rakshasa God Trials. She remembered the ideals when building the Spirit Empire (even if later twisted by power and hatred). She remembered that complex teacher-disciple affection for Hu Liena. She remembered the trust and support surpassing profit calculations between her and Dai Chengfeng... Her heart was never a single darkness or light, but a complex mixture, with mud, and also with glimmers.
"I am Bibi Dong." She issued a firm voice from the deepest part of her heart. "I bear sins, I desire power, I calculate human hearts, I also have people and things I want to protect. My past shaped me, but is not enough to define my all. My path is chosen by myself, my future is created by myself. Whether it is the darkness of Rakshasa, or the freedom of the Wind, they are all part of me. I accept my all, including weakness, including darkness, including desire, and also including those unextinguished longings for higher realms and cherished emotions for certain people."
This was not simple self-persuasion, but soul analysis and integration under extreme pressure. When she truly began to accept all aspects of herself, not denying or escaping, but trying to understand and integrate, the movements of those mirror images attacking her began to slow. The extreme emotional colors on them began to fade. Gradually, they no longer attacked, but stood quietly, then one by one, like returning flows, walked towards the sitting Bibi Dong main body, merging into her body. Each time one merged, Bibi Dong's spirit solidified a bit, certain torn parts in her soul healed a bit, and self-awareness became clearer a bit. Her aura did not become stronger, but became more rounded, stable, and deep. The coldness of the Rakshasa Divine Power and the lightness of the Tears of the Wind God formed a subtle, temporary balance within her. Although far from fused, at least they no longer conflicted intensely.
When the last mirror image merged, the entire "Mirror of Sky Realm" began to fluctuate. Those mirror-like spaces rippled like water patterns, then contracted inward, finally turning into a point of green light, disappearing into Bibi Dong's brow. She felt her soul seemed to be washed once; although tired, it was unprecedentedly transparent and firm. The second stage, passed.
The environment changed again; she appeared inside a huge green light sphere. In the center of the light sphere, suspended was a cluster of green light constantly changing shape, emitting an indescribable majesty and ancient aura. Within that light cluster, it seemed to contain the origin of the wind, the rhythm of the sky, the will of freedom. Merely gazing at it, Bibi Dong felt her soul tremble. There was both supreme attraction and instinctive fear. This was the "God Soul" (Divine Soul) left by the Wind God, or rather, an aggregate of the broken Wind God Seat core and partial origin laws.
------------------------------------------------------
Join my Patreon to read a completed exclusive novel (Over 250 Chapters) + get up to 30 Chapters ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)