It had been nearly an hour since the battle began, and bit by bit, Long Shen was experiencing just how exhausting a fight could be for the first time.

The demon, unlike the initial rage he displayed when tricked by the young man, now felt as light as a feather in his mind, a smile plastered on his face as he continually mocked his opponent's situation, with his confidence growing ever higher as he believed the fight had already been decided.

Long Shen, on the other hand, no longer had that broad smile on his face. In stark contrast to the demon, he bore a serious and focused expression on his sweaty face, not daring for a second to underestimate or get distracted, as he knew his limits and understood that, if things continued as they were, victory would surely go to his enemy.

Having seen many battles between cultivators within his sect, he had believed that, since both were individuals who had transcended the capabilities of ordinary humans, wielding and manipulating their internal energies at will, the physical and mental toll would not be as significant. After all, how many legends were out there about cultivators fighting for days, weeks, or even years without tiring or resting?

Reality, however, tends to be disappointing. Perhaps it was because his cultivation was insufficient, after all, he was only at the seventh layer of the Purified Physical Realm, or perhaps he was just too inexperienced, which led him to expend more energy than necessary in his movements. Or maybe he had overestimated cultivators in general.

Clash! Clash! Slash! Slash!

Intense movements were exchanged, generating such strong gusts that the flowers around them bent or even flew far away. Most of the time, they remained at a stalemate, with one attacking constantly and the other defending without too much trouble, however, the number of times that this impasse broke, and Long Shen showed an opening, was gradually increasing.

His foot injury had healed using the scarce demonic energy left within him, and the same applied to later injuries, most of which were only minor cuts. However, he soon realized that this regeneration had a cost.

Huff... Huff... Huff... Damn! I need to think of something quickly!

The more energy he spent on regeneration, the greater his physical and mental fatigue became, while his already limited regeneration weakened. Not to mention the frequent use of his spectral blade, which he had only been able to keep active for so long thanks to directly using his demonic energy, frequently alternating between both energies to stay in the fight.

At times, his vision blurred from exhaustion, his legs felt like logs, so heavy they were, and his breathing was so labored that he couldn’t even hide from the demon how tired he was.

"Kekekekeke! Why don’t you just surrender, Long Shen? Then I can give you a more peaceful death!" The demon taunted, looking at Long Shen from a certain distance with a mocking tone.

That thought had crossed his mind many times during the battle. This wouldn’t have been the first time he had submitted to someone, humiliating himself to suffer less. But now, with his desire for change stronger than ever, he would never accept doing that again, even if the demon spared his life by doing so.

"... Still talking? You’re a part of me, demon! You know very well what my answer will be..." Tired, with a faint smile on his face and a defiant look, Long Shen raised his middle finger at the demon. "... Fuck you, you fucking piece of shit! You’ll never dominate my body! I’m the one who’ll take all your power for myself!"

"Tsk..." The being clicked his tongue at the disrespect, but then, with a slight sigh, returned to his usual arrogant and confident expression. "... Sigh... Well, I gave you a chance, Long Shen. Don’t blame me for what happens to you now."

Boom!!!

In a fraction of a second, an explosion of energy erupted around the demon, with a violent, blood-red aura enveloping his entire body as he marveled at the power coursing through him in that moment.

"Incredible... So this is just a little over half of the demonic energy contained in the pill you found? What a great gift you brought me, boy!"

Long Shen stared in shock. If his situation had already been terrible before, now he was doomed to fail. Facing the monster before him was like trying to stand against a steel sword with only a wooden one, in logical terms, his fate was already sealed.

"Oh, look at this!" Suddenly, lifting his middle finger alongside his index finger, the purple blade both grew in size and density, leaving the young man even more bewildered by the situation. "Who would’ve thought your own inner demon would reach the second stage of the Fingers of Purple Spectral Blade before you? Kekekekeke!!"

Even more impressed with his power, his blade now reaching about 25 centimeters, with a simple horizontal movement of his hand toward Long Shen, the demon unleashed it from his fingers, forming a half-moon-shaped purple slash in the air that, in mere moments, covered the 4-meter distance between them.

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Slash!!

Long Shen narrowly managed to dodge by twisting his body to the side, feeling and hearing the blade cut through the air mere centimeters from his neck, almost decapitating him.

... Being able to release his energy like that... Don’t tell me he’s reached the Spiritual Awakening Realm thanks to the massive amount of energy!? But... Shouldn’t that cause harm to his own being!?

With little time to think, however, the demon quickly moved toward him, and another exchange of blows began. But this time, it was far from balanced.

Clash! Clash! Clash! Slash!

All Long Shen could do was dodge as many attacks as he could and only defend when there was no other option. However, his opponent clearly far surpassed him not only spiritually but also physically, allowing many of the attacks to hit his body and create increasingly severe wounds everywhere.

Crash!!

Attempting to block the last attack aimed at piercing his heart, Long Shen thought quickly, defending himself with his blade and then jumping as high as he could backward, preventing it from piercing through his body but sending him flying several meters into the air and backward.

Huff... Huff... Huff... Huff...

On his knees on the ground, the young man could barely stay upright, taking advantage of the demon’s slow approach to catch as much breath as he could.

"What’s wrong, boy? Weren’t you boasting about achieving revenge and becoming unparalleled with that little treasure of yours? Come on!! Show me how you’ll do it!! Stand up and fight!! Fight, Long Shen!!"

Still breathing heavily, feeling his whole body, especially his shoulders, heavier than ever, Long Shen slowly rose, staggering a little as he tried to steady himself.

Open wounds covered his body, soaking his once-white robes in crimson blood. With the constant gusts of wind whipping his bloodied clothes and loose, messy hair like flags of persistence and determination, the young man maintained a fierce look toward the demon.

He’s right... I must fight to the end... But... What’s the point if I’m going to lose... No! I can’t... give up...

Doubts arose in his mind, but his determination, burning like a powerful flame in his heart, continued to drive them away, allowing him to focus on finding some way out of that terrible situation.

"Hmph, still with that look? Are you really thinking of escaping your fate? Give it up, Long Shen! The heavens decreed your miserable life and death the moment you were born... Just accept your fate like a real man!"

With a quick lunge and a twisted, megalomaniac grin on his face, only moments away from achieving his goal of dominating the young man’s body, the demon launched himself toward Long Shen, thirsting for death.

Shit... There must be a way...

In less than two seconds, the distance between them closed. Right in front of him, as if time were moving in slow motion, Long Shen stared wide-eyed at the demonic gaze directly in front of him, his enemy about to split his head in two, when suddenly...

... Wait... That’s it!!!

Boom!!!

Another burst of energy erupted, but this time it was a deep, intense shade of blue, pushing the demon back before he could strike Long Shen.

The demon rose once more, looking in disbelief at what stood before him. Emerging from the dissipating dust cloud, surrounded by a strong yet soft blue aura, stood the bloodied young man, his long white hair fluttering in the wind as he marveled at his own newfound power.

"Ha... Haha... It actually worked!? So... This is the peak of the Purified Physical Realm!?" He muttered to himself, gazing at the powerful energy now surrounding his hands.

At the moment of near death, seemingly bound to a tragic fate, Long Shen, with his determination stronger than ever, sensed something strange entering the environment and flowing into his being.

In a split second, seizing the first opportunity, he absorbed the energy, his mind and body somehow united in the task. Without fully understanding what was happening, but feeling at one with this strange force, the young man accepted it, embracing it eagerly.

His hunch was right. Just as the demon merged with the demonic energy from the pill to empower himself, Long Shen had done the same once he sensed it. But while the demon could absorb only slightly more than half of the energy, Long Shen, with sudden clarity, was able to absorb the full spiritual power within the pill, feeling stronger than ever.

"Damn! If you think you can defeat me with that! You’re so—"

Before he could finish, blood spewed from his mouth in torrents. What Long Shen had suspected was confirmed—the time had finally come for the demon to pay the price for so recklessly advancing his realm.

This is my chance!

Whoosh!

Moving so fast he cut through the air, Long Shen appeared behind the demon, who was on his knees, paralyzed by a throbbing headache that prevented him from moving properly.

"Fuck!! Don’t you even think about—"

Slash!!!

Though he hadn’t advanced directly to the next realm, for fear of facing the same backlash, Long Shen, with a single sweep of his finger, sliced off the demon’s head, watching as the face so similar to his own flew into the air.

Splat!!

Blood sprayed everywhere; the demon’s neck gushed like a waterfall, pouring blood from his severed veins. Although not truly human and without a physical body, his insides looked disturbingly real, with muscles, veins, arteries, and nerves exposed, all functioning for a few seconds before the headless body slumped to the ground, a pool of blood forming around it.

"Hahaha... I... did it!"

Long Shen collapsed backward, falling into the sea of red flowers as an intense emotion of joy and satisfaction coursed through every part of his body.

Ding!

[Congratulations, User! You have successfully absorbed the "Demonic Spirit Pill"!]

Ignoring the screen that appeared before him, he relished that strange, pure feeling of defeating someone for the first time, especially someone as powerful as his inner demon, before the entire world around him faded and he awoke in the pit once more.

"So... This is what it feels like to kill someone... What a... Strange feeling."

With a smile as pure and light as a child’s, Long Shen began laughing wildly with happiness. Although the demon wasn’t truly a living being like a human, he still thought, acted, had dreams and goals, and even his death was intensely graphic and realistic. So, what difference was there between killing him and killing a living being in his world?

"Sigh... You were wrong, demon! Being a real man doesn’t mean accepting a tragic fate just because you’re told to accept it... Being a real man means fighting to the end, striving for what you desire, even if heaven and earth turn against you!"

His first life-and-death battle had ended. The result? Survival and victory for Long Shen.