Chapter 1133: Revenge in Secret

It wasn't just him; Hall Master Xing and Palace Master Wei also narrowed their eyes, their murderous intent boiling. They had seen deep colors before, but never one so profound—it was as dark as ink! This was no longer mere wickedness; it was profound evil, utterly unforgivable. They hadn't expected that Sun Qiang, who appeared harmless and acted so sincerely, possessed such a sinister and terrifying heart.

"Fortunately, the Hall Master didn't agree earlier and instead allowed him to enter the Inner Demon Path... Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

While filled with anger, Palace Master Liao also felt a sense of dread. If the Hall Master had agreed to expose his Primordial Spirit to this fellow just moments ago, he would likely be dead by now.

With a flash in his eyes, Hall Master Xing said, "Palace Master Liao, Palace Master Wei, prepare yourselves. The moment this fellow emerges, attack him directly. Leave no one alive..."

"Yes!" The two Palace Masters nodded simultaneously.

Zhang Xuan entered the passage, feeling as if he had instantly stepped into another dimension. Countless luminous pearls above cast their light, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime. It was a sealed room with no visible passages or exits. The walls were carved with a variety of strange patterns. He looked up. They were grotesque demonic creatures, numbering as many as 108.

These demonic creatures—some wielding vajra scepters, some carrying iron whips, and some even adorned with necklaces of human skulls—were fierce and grotesque. Just one glance at their bizarre forms filled observers with an unsettling sense of dread.

"This is the Inner Demon Path?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

In the center of the room lay a meditation cushion, surrounded by flickering spiritual energy, suggesting an activatable array. Despite his confusion, he didn't hesitate. He took a few steps and sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion. The moment he sat down, as if a mechanism had been activated, the surrounding demonic creatures emitted a soft, warm glow, appearing as if they could leap out and strike him down at any moment.

"So it connects with one's inner self and gives birth to inner demons..." Feeling the light's fluctuations, Zhang Xuan understood. He had imagined this place would nurture powerful inner demons, much like those he encountered during his Conferred Saint Tribulation. However, it now seemed this was not the case. No demons, for the demons are within one's heart. As long as one sat on the meditation cushion, the surrounding array would activate, allowing their inner demons to fully manifest.

"What are my inner demons?" Instead of resisting the surrounding light, Zhang Xuan was filled with anticipation. Having cultivated using Heavenly Dao techniques his entire journey, he had never encountered inner demons, nor had he experienced the despair others felt when facing insurmountable obstacles or stagnation. Now, presented with this opportunity, he naturally wished to discover what kind of inner demons he possessed and if he could overcome them.

The array swiftly activated, and the surrounding spiritual energy pulsed. Zhang Xuan's vision blurred, and he felt as if he had entered a world of darkness. Just like during his Heart Tribulation, this world had no end and no light. As he pondered this, he saw grotesque devils surge towards him from all directions. These creatures, identical to the drawings on the walls, were grotesque in appearance and numbered in the hundreds.

"Why are there so many? Do I have this many inner demons?" Zhang Xuan was stunned. He had initially believed he possessed few inner demons. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined so many would appear all at once, in such a massive horde. If they truly surged forward, wouldn't he be instantly torn to shreds? Hadn't he cultivated Heavenly Dao techniques, which were supposedly flawless? How could there be so many?

He frowned. "Wait, if these were my inner demons, why would I be so clear-headed?" He had experienced Heart Tribulations and knew that when facing inner demons, one's mind would become hazy, allowing the opponent to exploit the weakness and making escape difficult. Yet now, he was as clear-headed as ever, a stark contrast to his past experiences. What was going on?

As he pondered, a voice filled with hatred echoed. He quickly turned to see an old man with a crimson mark between his brows, approaching him with gritted teeth. "You are very clever... These are indeed not your inner demons, but mine..."

"Who are you?" Zhang Xuan froze. The figure before him was clearly human, yet Zhang Xuan didn't recognize him at all. Where had he appeared from?

"Who am I...?" The old man with the crimson mark on his brow, his face twisted with rage, was on the verge of exploding. "I am Cang Xu! The one your Spirit-Awakened house stomped to death!"

"You're Cang Xu? Aren't you dead?" Zhang Xuan was puzzled. The Guild had directly squashed this man into a meat patty. Zhang Xuan hadn't seen his face, so he naturally didn't recognize him. He hadn't expected to meet him here. Wasn't he dead? How could he be here? And what was this about these inner demons being his?

Cang Xu sneered. "I was using a secret technique, my Primordial Spirit, to seize your soul, but then your house stomped me to death... Drawn by an unseen force, a wisp of my consciousness hid inside your body, turning into an inner demon. If you hadn't come here, I might never have emerged. But since I've appeared, prepare to die!"

When he employed his secret technique, he was crushed to death by the house, and his Primordial Spirit disintegrated on the spot. Fortunately, his secret technique was powerful, allowing a wisp of his consciousness to transform into an inner demon, hiding within the young man's body. If Zhang Xuan hadn't undergone a tribulation or actively summoned it, Cang Xu certainly wouldn't have appeared. But since Zhang Xuan had come to the Inner Demon Path and used the array that activated inner demons, how could Cang Xu let the opportunity pass? He immediately sprang out, determined to slay Zhang Xuan. As an utterly unforgivable villain with countless lives on his hands, his appearance immediately triggered an even greater reaction, manifesting hundreds of inner demons.

"It seems I've wronged the Guild..." Zhang Xuan shook his head. At that time, while in the air, he had felt his soul being bitten as if by a mosquito, but he hadn't thought much of it, believing it to be an illusion. Now, it was clear that this fellow was responsible. No wonder the house had attacked this fellow—it was protecting him. Yet, he had wrongly blamed and even beaten it. The thought filled him with shame.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Zhang Xuan asked, "Seizing my soul? Are you a Witch Soul Master? Soul-seizing is a unique skill of Witch Soul Masters; could you be one?"

With an angry roar, Cang Xu clenched his hand. An altar reappeared beneath him, and a ray of light enveloped Zhang Xuan, seemingly dragging his soul into the altar, ready to devour it at any moment. "I am not a Witch Soul Master; I merely acquired a secret technique from a senior... Hmph, don't think you can trick words out of me. Die!"

"This..." The opponent's pulling force was insignificant to Zhang Xuan, who paid it no mind. Instead, his gaze fixed on the altar, filled with curiosity. This was undeniably an altar of the Spirit Tribe. This fellow was clearly human, so why did he possess such a thing?

His expression hardened. "You... betrayed humanity?" He had encountered such a situation before; Yu Xu, for instance, had defected to the Spirit Tribe to gain a longer lifespan. The opponent was clearly human, yet he produced an altar exclusive to the Spirit Tribe and used their secret techniques. He must have betrayed humanity!

With a cold laugh, Cang Xu desperately pulled at the light, trying to drag Zhang Xuan's soul into the altar. "Heh heh, you're clever, but let's see if you can survive first..." To his surprise, the other party remained as unmoving as a towering mountain, even with all his strength.

"How can I not pull him in...?" Cang Xu gritted his teeth. He had killed many people with this move, effortlessly pulling their souls into the altar. How could this guy in front of him not be moved?

Ignoring Cang Xu's shouts, Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Betraying humanity, learning such evil arts, and harming fellow humans... You truly deserve death." He had initially felt a little guilty and apologetic that his Spirit-Awakened house had stomped the man to death. But now, it seemed his death was well-deserved. While he had always been kind to others, he would never go easy on those who betrayed humanity. It was indeed unfair to the Guild that he had beaten it up because of such a person. It seemed that once this was over, he would have to go and apologize to the house and not let it suffer such injustice.

While Zhang Xuan mused, Cang Xu, on the other side, gnashed his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. He was so exhausted he felt like he might pass out, yet he couldn't budge Zhang Xuan at all. "You! Get out here!"

If he were not an inner demon but his full Primordial Spirit, he would have charged over and attacked directly long ago, sparing himself all this trouble.

Seeing the fellow's relentless pulling, Zhang Xuan grew somewhat displeased. "Are you done yet...?" Are you pushing your luck? I've ignored you all this time, and you just keep pulling. Are you done yet?

"I'll kill you..." Cang Xu roared.

"Alright, my soul will come out..." Seeing the other party's desperate pulling, and realizing his own soul still hadn't reacted, Zhang Xuan shook his head, estimating that Cang Xu would probably exhaust himself to death. With a thought, his Witch Soul left his body.

*Whoosh!* His ten-meter-tall soul leaped out and flew over, following the direction of Cang Xu's pull.

*Splaaat!* Zhang Xuan's soul sat down on Cang Xu's body. The inner demon, whose strength was less than one percent of his original, was flattened onto the ground like a meat patty, just as he had been by the Guild before. The not-so-large altar also shattered into pieces under Zhang Xuan's immense soul, scattering everywhere. The altar itself was formed from Cang Xu's Primordial Spirit. Since his Primordial Spirit was already dead, how could it possibly withstand Zhang Xuan's massive soul body?

"I... I'm not reconciled..." Flattened into a meat patty, Cang Xu hadn't died, but he looked utterly bewildered. His physical body had been stomped to death by a house, and his Primordial Spirit shattered. With immense difficulty, a wisp of his consciousness had formed into an inner demon through a secret technique, and he had believed he could find an opportunity to easily kill this young man... Now the opportunity had arisen, but he was similarly flattened into a meat patty by Zhang Xuan's posterior... What kind of monster had he provoked?

"Don't cry. You're an inner demon now; it's not that easy to die..." Zhang Xuan shook his head. This Cang Xu was an inner demon, similar to a soul's state. Not to mention being flattened into a meat patty, even if crushed, he would not die.

Only then did Cang Xu react, letting out a roar. "That's right, I'm an inner demon, and all these surrounding ones were drawn here by me! Everyone, let's kill him together..."

"Hmm?" Seeing the inner demons that had previously been observing slowly approach, Zhang Xuan frowned, unsure how to react. Just then, a voice echoed in his mind: "Master, use the altar to seize souls... It seems to be my unique secret technique!"