Immortal Venerable, Why Fear a Trial?

Immortal Venerable Hongchen had cultivated in seclusion for ten thousand years. Everyone knew he was dignified and self-restrained, so pure and desireless that he had never even encountered the tribulations every ordinary immortal had to face. Until one day, he awoke from meditation with a thought: Without tribulations, how could one become an immortal? Then countless tribulations came crashing down. Hongchen remained calm and steady, destroying thirty-six thousand tribulations in a single breath. Only one remained. A person identical to Hongchen slowly rose from the ashes and smoke of the tribulations, demonic aura surging around him like blood. “Immortal Venerable, why worry about having no tribulation to overcome? How about overcoming me?” From that day onward, rumors spread that Immortal Venerable Hongchen had fallen to demonic cultivation, had become bloodthirsty, and committed every kind of evil. Others claimed to have seen him wielding his sword, subduing demons amid a forest of corpses stretching for ten thousand miles. The lofty Immortal Venerable was immersed in waves of blood, his white robes and sleeves stained with dust. The person who looked exactly like him was covered in demonic markings, watching him with a twisted smile as he struggled to endure. “Hongchen, we share memories and sensations. I know you feel good. Say it out loud.” The usually composed Immortal Venerable Hongchen had veins bulging on his forehead. Hongchen had thought there were no tribulations left in the world to overcome. Only later did he learn that the hardest tribulation of all was himself. Cool, aloof, proud immortal venerable bottom x dark, twisted immortal venerable top Hongchen is the bottom, Xuanxi is the top. Note: Both the top and the bottom are Hongchen, the light and dark sides of one person. At its heart, this is self-indulgence. They share memories and sensations. Blurb written October 7, 2022. Theme: Love yourself.