Chapter 1531: Breakthrough of Karmic Obstacles

At this moment, White Lotus was utterly furious because she had just nearly fallen into an eternal slumber within the illusory world the old woman had woven for her, almost losing everything she possessed.

She finally understood that this old woman, seemingly serene as water, was in fact a sinister and vicious hag. The old woman merely used this seemingly righteous demeanor to dismantle everything White Lotus originally had.

"Now it's finally your turn to face my wrath."

As soon as White Lotus Demon Saint finished speaking, her entire being coalesced into her true form under her new physical body: the incomparably sacred Ten-Thousand-Year Green Lotus, which materialized once more.

Everything Xu Yang had given her was once again grasped firmly in her hands. In her fury, she utterly demolished all obstacles before her. The old woman's previously placid mind, serene as water, developed a flicker of fear. It was this chink in her armor, this trace of fear, that caused the old woman to completely lose her original control over the situation.

White Lotus Demon Saint truly gained the upper hand. Behind her, a massive white lotus transformed into an incredibly sharp blade capable of destroying heaven and earth. Under White Lotus's mental power, it crashed down forcefully into the old woman's soul world.

With a thunderous crash, a deep mark was violently etched onto the old woman's Dao heart. Her previously water-like mental state instantly became defiled, and she began wailing uncontrollably, completely devolving into madness.

Little did she know that this outcome was her own doing. The water-like mental state she cultivated was merely to conceal the truly dark and sordid side of her inner self. Unbeknownst to many, in her youth, this old woman had attained everything through unscrupulous means, eventually rising to her current position as Chief Elder. Later, realizing the flaws in her cultivation and the irreparable weaknesses in her mental state, she forcefully developed a cultivation technique, the "Pupil Origin Supreme Sacred Method," which could perfectly conceal her deficiencies—this was her so-called water-like mental state.

This mental state, however, was not a path discovered through profound understanding of the Great Dao. It was nothing more than a deceitful trick, a hypocritical means to hide her sordid inner self. Coupled with her decent foundation in mental power cultivation, she projected an unfathomable aura to outsiders. Yet, her true state was nothing more than a paper tiger; once the darkness deep within her was exposed, this old hag would completely lose control, like a collapsing dam.

As expected, the old woman, now out of control, no longer possessed the composure of a Chief Elder and a master of her generation. Instead, she shrieked hysterically, as if insane. The white light that had previously enveloped her body turned completely black in a very short time. She transformed into a withered, aged female demon. Having lost everything, she launched a near-frantic assault on White Lotus Demon Saint, with endless dark demonic energy surrounding White Lotus's true form.

This time, Xu Yang could no longer stand idly by, for he sensed that the opponent had developed a killing intent toward White Lotus Demon Saint. What difference was there between an old fellow who had lost his masterly composure and an utterly wicked old demon?

Xu Yang let out a cold snort. With a single, incomparably brilliant eternal sword light erupting from behind his phantom body, he instantly shattered the old woman's dark demonic energy right before White Lotus's eyes. Losing her demonic energy was equivalent to losing years of cultivation for the old woman. In another sense, however, it helped her regain her true self. The old woman collapsed weakly onto the ground, but all the black demonic energy around her body completely vanished, and she reverted to her original, ancient, and serene appearance.

"So all these years I was surrounded by my own inner demons. I thought I could never return to my original self. Fortunately, you, my opponent, have granted me new life. Young lady, I sincerely admire you."

The old woman spoke what was deepest in her heart and most sincere. Because of this, the woman smiled, and her previously aged face surprisingly restored itself to her youthful appearance in a very short time. Although her cultivation foundation was completely lost, her spiritual realm achieved a further breakthrough due to this rebirth from destruction. Now, she had truly returned to the authentic path of sacred cultivation within the Pupil Origin lineage.

At this moment, three fragmented light lotuses re-converged into a complete entity, hovering above the young woman's head. They provided her with endless spiritual nourishment, helping her mend her damaged Dao heart and disperse the mental obstacles that had previously been insurmountable.

Xu Yang's phantom body nodded gently and exchanged a smile with White Lotus Demon Saint beside him. Clearly, they had successfully passed this trial. Furthermore, with Xu Yang's personal intervention, they had given this Chief Master, who had been on a path to ruin, an opportunity to return to her starting point.

After completing everything, the young woman respectfully approached Xu Yang and bowed slightly, saying, "Your realm and strength are extraordinary and sacred, far beyond what my generation can contend with. Without a doubt, I am the loser in this battle, but I am also the one who gained the most from it. I am willing to help you secure a fair negotiation opportunity for the Demon Clan."

Evidently, Xu Yang, through his immense power and charismatic personality, and with the cooperation of his young apprentice White Lotus Demon Saint, successfully won over the Chief Elder of the Pupil Origin lineage. Not only did he help her overcome her karmic obstacles, but he also successfully recruited her to his side.

Undoubtedly, this was a great victory. Because of it, White Lotus Demon Saint was deeply moved by her master's all-encompassing great love. She had initially expected Xu Yang to simply shatter the old woman's primordial spirit with a single sword strike, causing her life force to vanish into the void. However, she never imagined that Xu Yang would be willing to give the opponent a chance to rediscover herself. Such magnanimity was far beyond what an ordinary human could possess.

"Master, sometimes I even suspect you don't belong to this world, because everything about you is simply too perfect. Your realm, your strength, your charismatic personality seem to far transcend the civilization of this era. Even the will of the so-called supreme gods probably cannot compare to you in terms of realm. What exactly is your origin?"

Xu Yang shook his head with a helpless, wry smile. "I've said it before: I am merely a life form born under the civilization of the Great World hundreds of thousands of years ago. It's just that my cultivation experiences are far richer than yours. The more one witnesses, the more one's mental state naturally improves. If, in the future, you have the opportunity to journey through the River of Time with me, you too will become like me in another time-space world."

Hearing Xu Yang's words, White Lotus Demon Saint's heart was instantly filled with greater anticipation and longing for the vast Great World. "It will happen, Master. I look forward to that day!"

With that, Xu Yang, accompanied by his young apprentice White Lotus and the reborn young Chief Elder, returned to the outer space. By this time, the practitioner of the Vajra Sacred Method, who had previously been defeated by Qi Tian, had also completed his self-restoration and breakthrough process, and stood beside Qi Tian Demon Saint. Seeing that the Chief Elder of the Pupil Origin lineage on Xu Yang's side had also concluded her confrontation, a look of pleasant surprise appeared in his eyes.

"It seems your Demon Clan faction has also achieved extraordinary success in this second battle. This human expert named Xu Yang is truly remarkable!"