"There are no eternal enemies, nor eternal friends. We are merely allies bound by threats and interests now. You should be able to understand if we hold reservations towards each other."
"I understand!" After a moment of disappointment, Pei Yan quickly adjusted his emotions, and while patting the wooden box in his hand, he looked at the Demon God with confusion and said, "Then is this the source of your portion of power?"
"Fear!"
"Fear?" Hearing the two words from the Demon God's mouth, Pei Yan appeared bewildered and confused.
"Humans, and not just humans! Intelligent beings like us begin to understand the world from birth. What is the deepest fear in our hearts?" The Demon God spoke, stood up, and walked towards Pei Yan, pushing him back to his seat, then walked to the window to pull open the thick curtain and open the window. As a soft ray of sunlight entered the room, the gloom inside the wooden cabin dissipated instantly. Standing by the window, the Demon God reached out into the void to grasp the fruits from the vines in the garden, and two fruits fell into his hand responsively.
With a fruit in hand, he walked back beside Pei Yan, who had yet to provide his answer. The Demon God casually tossed a fruit into Pei Yan's lap, took one himself, bit into it, closed his eyes, and savored the mouthful of fruit fragrance before slowly speaking: "Everyone harbors their own inner fears. As children, we fear insects, ghosts, darkness, light; there are various fears. Some say the unknown is the greatest fear of humans, but I say all these fears trace back to their roots in death. Because the world after death is humanity's greatest unknown mystery. Even beings like me do not know what kind of existence it really is."
The Demon God, biting the fruit, looked through the wooden window towards the unobtrusive stone monument deep in the garden, continuing his murmuring: "Thinking about everything one possessesโthe power, wealth, love, and kinshipโwill all drift away. Whether the world is prosperous or withered, lively or desolate, one cannot partake but can only remain silently inside a cold box, allowing time to wash away traces of one's existence in this world, as though you had never been here! Thinking about it, doesn't it make you feel fear?"
Reflecting on the lengthy monologue of the Demon God, Pei Yan fell into contemplation, one hand stroking the wooden box in his hand, absentmindedly picking up the fruit handed by the other, taking bites until consuming it wholly, only then did he look up to inquire: "What exactly is the function of using this power?"
"Psychological advantage! Let the opponent's spirit collapse in terms of aura! I can tell you for sure that below the origin itself, no creature can exempt themselves from the fear in their heart of this kind of energy. Yet, the specific effect depends on the opponent's strength level; for those with low strength, merely the momentum can induce fear leading to their demise, while those with higher strength will be less affected."
After finishing these words, the Demon God noticed the uncontrollable disappointment on Pei Yan's face, he went forward to pat him on the shoulder comfortingly: "Why do you think this power is not very useful?"
"Not exactly..." Pei Yan spoke haltingly, appearing troubled.
"Don't underestimate this power. Once you absorb it, you will see its diverse subtleties. After all, it's one of the origin's powers, do you think it's as simple as it looks on the surface? Let me tell you, in a duel between experts, even a moment of hesitation could lead to defeat. When you seize the psychological advantage during battle, you possess a thirty percent chance of winning."
With the Demon God's words, the unpleasant look on Pei Yan's face eased a bit, he held the wooden box in his hand yearningly, but this trace of hope was brutally extinguished once again by the Demon God's remarks.
"Once you absorb this power of origin fragment, you will possess a part of the same power as mine, coupled with your own bloodline, you can perform a truly meaningful Demon God Transformation, vastly different from what you have used before! However, I advise you to use this power of fear sparingly in usual times. In crucial moments against opponents, you should be prudent and refrain from endless use!"
"Why?" Pei Yan questioned in shock.
"Knowing the origin of the Child of Origin, you should be aware of why initially there were no births of the Child of Origin, only absorbing fragments of origin not belonging to one's world. Because the imbalance in your body's source energy couldn't be countered by corresponding attributes, leading to eventual self-harm. This origin source power is similar! Although the Six Paths Plane source energy in your body has already formed a cycle and reached balance, adding origin power to the mix is akin to putting a weight on this balanced scale. Common usage may not create significant trouble, but excessive or exhaustive use could cause some damage to your body."
The Demon God said, returning to the sofa, and looking at the worried Pei Yan, smiled and remarked: "This is an inescapable predicament I can't resolve either! You want to perfectly wield such a power, only when you collect all the Power of the Six Paths Origin to complete this puzzle, then you will use it without any worries. Ah! Perhaps by then, under the origin, you will be undefeatable, and I genuinely want to see how strong you become at that time."
Remembering the Demon God's advice, Pei Yan secured the wooden box in his arms and said: "Then there's nothing more for me to do here, there are still a few days before the competition starts, I have many matters to attend to and need to hurry back!"
"Leaving now?" The Demon God anticipated his decision and questioned.
"Tonight, I will absorb this power of origin in the Holy Hall and leave tomorrow!" Pei Yan said, patting the sofa armrest and standing up questioning: "Before I arrived, I had asked my superior to transfer the resources I need to the investigation hall's base here. After absorption, I'll head directly to the Daoist Realm to save time. Have they delivered?"
"What you requested has already arrived, you will receive it when you go to the base!"
"Alright, I will go and hand over with Sifuer!"
"Sifuer is no longer there; during your training in the Sealed Land, her army has already begun moving towards another Disaster Territory covered by the Red Disaster, our next target after this individual competition." The Demon God said as he stood up as well, emotionally saying: "The standoff period has lasted too long. I feel after this individual competition, regardless of the result, a war can't be avoided, preparing early is always good!"
Pei Yan wasn't surprised by the outcome and didn't dwell on it, he nodded and turned to leave. As he reached the wooden cabin's door, he suddenly remembered something, slapped his forehead self-mockingly: "My head is really a mess like a lump of paste, there have been too many things lately, almost forgot this matter. Demon God, I have one more thing I wish to consult with you!"
