The next moment, their consciousnesses appeared together in the Void.

"Come, let me demonstrate how to make a person truly feel pain."

In the Void, a thought from the Pain Demon Lord conjured a vision of Purgatory. Countless souls endured its torments there, their wails and suffering filling every corner.

"Is that all?" Wen Yan sounded somewhat disdainful.

The Pain Demon Lord continued to alter the scene, even conjuring images of cultists worshipping him.

Wen Yan watched these intensely shocking images, his brow furrowed.

"Too superficial. Still relying on gore, with blood and guts everywhere? That whole routine is so outdated."

"Then you show me," said the Pain Demon Lord.

With a thought, Wen Yan caused a figure, mangled by torture in Purgatory, to fly out from the scene.

"After so long, he must be numb by now, don't you think? Look, even his wails have become monotonous."

Wen Yan conjured a city with a mere thought. He placed the disfigured wretch from Purgatory into this city.

They stood above the city, observing everything below. The power of suffering rose from it like smoke, continuously billowing upwards.

"Pain is multifaceted. Physical pain cannot compare to the pain of the Soul. The pain of the Soul cannot compare to the pain of the Mind. And the pain of the Mind cannot compare to the agony of prolonged torment."

They watched as the person began life anew, as an infant.

"You see, just being born is painful."

"From birth, one acquires information and becomes aware of death. Then, one must begin to face mortality, for no one knows when death will come. This entire process is a prolonged torment."

The Pain Demon Lord pointed to the image. The boy had grown into a teenager and was currently smiling happily.

"You don't know a thing! This fleeting happiness only serves to highlight the suffering that comes after. 'To appreciate sweetness, add a dash of salt'—understand? Without contrast, can pain truly be called pain? When nothing but pain remains, what is that pain then?"

The Pain Demon Lord was momentarily speechless.

Then, he saw the teenager's heart-wrenching despair after a breakup. After some thought, he had to grudgingly admit Wen Yan had a point. Without the buildup, without the contrast, the pain wouldn't be nearly as intense.

As time in the scene flew by, Wen Yan continued, "Look at his life. In the parlance of the Dao: the suffering of the senses, the suffering of emotional attachments, the suffering of greed, the suffering from illusory appearances, and the suffering of reputation and the physical body. His heart, spirit, form, essence, and body—all are made to undergo the torment of suffering. Can your fleeting pain, the mere pain of death, even compare?"

The scene continued to advance to the man's old age. Watching the elderly man in the image, Wen Yan continued, "In Buddhist terms: birth, aging, illness, death; separation from loved ones, association with the detested, failure to attain one's desires, and the raging fire of the five aggregates. He has experienced every single one, from beginning to end. Can you say the same?"

The moment the old man in the scene breathed his last, Wen Yan pointed to the children beside him.

"Look. Even though he endured so much pain and finally died, he can still inflict prolonged agony upon others. Can you do that? Moreover, this pain cycles endlessly, without cease. Do you think you can manage that?"

"I told you, your methods are outdated. My understanding of pain surpasses yours, yet you still refuse to accept it?"

The Pain Demon Lord looked on, his expression somewhat dazed.

"What is this?"

"This is a complete human life. And each person's pain is unique."

The Pain Demon Lord's expression grew even more bewildered.

"Then... isn't this the Paradise of Agony?"

Wen Yan reached out and slapped the Pain Demon Lord hard on the shoulder.

"Gauss Weil, haven't you always dedicated yourself to spreading the glory of pain throughout the world? Congratulations. The world you've entered is, in fact, the Paradise of Agony. A true Paradise of Agony, more complete and diverse than you could have ever imagined. You've already achieved the ultimate goal of a Demon King! Even if other Pain Demon Lords existed before you, none could ever compare."

"No, no, no..." Gauss Weil clutched his head, shaking it frantically.

"What's wrong? Tell me, I'm all ears."

"It can't be like this! It's not supposed to be like this! How could the Paradise of Agony be... this?"

Wen Yan looked down at the city below and said earnestly, "This human world is a Paradise of Agony far more complex than your Purgatory. Your Purgatory could never compare to this place. At least for you, Pain Demon Lord, this *is* the Paradise of Agony. Every pain imaginable has already occurred here."

"Gauss Weil, your ultimate aspiration was fulfilled the moment you set foot in this world."

"It's just that you've absorbed too much outdated information, and you haven't even realized it yourself."

"What you've discovered is merely the omnipresent Power of Pain in this place, and you've become a slave to that Power."

"You've forgotten, your aspiration was never about Power."

"You... are lost."

Gauss Weil's eyes were vacant as he drifted aimlessly. He just watched, observing the diverse and countless forms of suffering in a world where no 'Power of Pain'—his kind of power—interfered.

His mindset shattered.

Wen Yan looked down at the city below. He hadn't lied; this world was indeed many, many iterations beyond Gauss Weil's understanding of pain...

Then... what am I?

His lifelong aspiration, suddenly realized before his very eyes and even more perfect than he had envisioned, left him utterly lost. He was unsure of what he had become, or what he was supposed to do.

"You don't need to do anything. If you're truly bored, you could visit a hospital and perhaps alleviate the final suffering of terminally ill patients."

"But I am the Pain Demon Lord!"

"If you can't even manage such a small thing, how dare you still call yourself the Pain Demon Lord? Gauss Weil, forget that title. You've been lost in the pursuit of Power for far, far too long."

The surroundings returned to normal. Gauss Weil lay prone on the ground. The ice that had spread over his body now seeped through the cracks in his heart, encroaching ever deeper.

His very station as a Demon Lord was being tainted and frozen.

And so he lay there on the ground, eyes vacant, the very picture of a broken spirit, allowing his station to be sealed.

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