"Don't call them vile. You're one of them, probably even worse, hahaha!" a heavy voice suddenly echoed around him, and the purple butterflies flew past his ears. The butterflies gathered in front of him and formed the man he despised so much right now, the mysterious man in a black-golden robe.

"I thought you would be less hostile with me in this Forest of Lost Mist. Do you know that this place is basically the buffer zone and the place where they punish all grave sins from both realms?

…

"This place is the home of various celestial beasts, from the cute ones like Chinchin the tracking chipmunk to some weird and dangerous ones. I can summon them all if you want, of course. Everything in this forest is under my control after all."

"This place is also the home of the ever-growing demonic cultivation sect. You can't exterminate them no matter how many times you tried to weed them out," the mysterious man explained. "Because all men craved power, they wanted something they couldn't have. So they joined the demonic cultivation to make them strong instantly."

"One of the ways for an instant power is to sacrifice a young virgin— man or woman, to the altar and pray to their God of Nothingness, and they would be given an extraordinary power—"

The mysterious man snapped his finger and teleported them right into the middle of the demonic sect ritual.

Han Shun was shocked, but the mysterious man quickly pacified him, "Don't worry, we're invisible. I just want you to see the ritual right in front of your eyes."

Han Shun was petrified when he saw the woman's fresh corpse on the altar. She was beautiful and probably around her early 20s. She was naked with a knife on her chest. 

The sect leader— who had the same mask as the previous puppet master, pushed the knife deeper into her chest and started chanting;

'Oh, the vile god, God of Nothingness. Give us the power of the darkness! I offer you this virgin for you to devour! Oh, the vile power, may you dominate three realms!'

Han Shun was even more shocked when he saw a black mist coming out from the woman's bleeding heart. The headless statue behind the demonic sect leader started absorbing all the black mist before creating a thick black miasma inhaled by all the disciples here.

"What the hell is this?" Han Shun asked, unable to process what just happened.

"The black miasma is just a way to give them power and control them earlier. It's like a drug. The more you take it, the more you will get addicted," the mysterious man explained. "And the power that I gave— albeit very strong and instant, also becomes a tool to bind their soul. They will be a soulless doll, in the end, controlled by the puppet master of each demonic sect."

The mysterious man teleported them away from the demonic sect to a safer place. Han Shun looked at the man whose face was the exact copy, just an older version of him. He was careful now, "I still can't believe that I'm related to a vile god like you."

"Don't be shocked. We're the same person after all," the mysterious man replied. "Besides, I finally showed you this because I know that you're ready to start learning about our power, so you can utilize it of your free will."

Han Shun clenched his fist, "Do you think I will follow your sick teaching? Killing an innocent person for power, controlling them all as your dolls, making them just a tool for your own amusement!"

"Well, then what's your point of meeting me here? Don't tell me you just want to stroll around this forest."

"I'm here because I want to separate myself from you! I don't want to be an incarnation of a sick bastard like you! I will follow the righteous path that Bai Gege set up for me!" 

"Tell me, what should I do to separate us?"

…

"Haha… hahaha…" the mysterious man started with a small laugh. His laugh continued until it became a maniacal cackle that echoed around the forest. 

"Ahahah... AHAHA… AHAHAHAHAHAH!" 

Han Shun backed off a few steps immediately, he expected this evil god to attack him after laughing maniacally, but he just continued laughing until he stopped abruptly. 

The mysterious man looked straight into Han Shun's eyes, and he had a smirk on his face, "Do you think you can really deny our connection? Han Shun, you've swallowed 5 soul marbles of mine. You already accepted the contract between us."

"Besides, I am your only way to gain power. Do you think by training every day, you will get somewhere? You'll be dead since the moment you fought that General."

"Do you think you have a spiritual root? I give you mine because you need it, so Bai Shijue still saw your potential. I'm also the one who shortened your cultivation to obtain that golden core."

"Han Shun, you're nothing without me. If you deny me now, you will be stuck like this forever," the mysterious man suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of Han Shun. He grabbed Han Shun's neck and choked him. 

"Ack— ACK!" Han Shun struggled, but he was absolutely powerless in front of a real power like this mysterious man. 

The mysterious man lifted him up with one hand, choking Han Shun even more. Han Shun's started flailing, especially when his feet didn't touch the ground.

"Listen, Han Shun, you're not a righteous person like Bai Shijue. You're a vile monster, just like me. That's how you gain your power, by becoming evil," the mysterious man said. "I can give you all the power you need to be the strongest man in the universe, as long as you give in with your true desire. We both know what your true desire is."

"Tell me, do you want to be weak but righteous, or do you want to be strong but evil?"