Chapter 112: I Am the Heart Demon

Yunzhi always had a nagging feeling that her worries would come true. After all, this was Wendao Sect, where anything could happen.

Lu Yang entered a profound state. He felt every one of his acupuncture points brimming with spiritual energy, his internal circulation seamlessly merging with the external spiritual energy. With each breath, spiritual energy was exchanged. His heart was more serene than ever. As he diligently refined the benefits from the Kui Niu, he could clearly feel his body constantly growing stronger.

"It's best to check," Yunzhi thought. She glanced at Lu Yang, who was cultivating, and decided not to disturb him. She went alone to the pine forest, leaving a puppet to guard Lu Yang.

It was late night, and only Yunzhi and Lu Yang were on Tianmen Peak, making it exceptionally quiet. Yunzhi walked through the mountains as if an immortal treading on clouds.

Then Yunzhi saw her noisy Master and the elders trapped inside the cave dwelling. Their voices could be heard from a great distance. Yunzhi sighed, knowing that what was meant to happen always would. She walked into the cave dwelling, contemplating whether to release them.

Inside the cave dwelling, the high-ranking members of Wendao Sect were gathered.

"I knew all my senior brothers and sisters were kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see me alone here, so they specially came in to accompany me," Daoist Buyu said, sounding very grateful, though the upturned corners of his mouth betrayed his true feelings. "Especially Second Elder, who pretended to be breaking the formation, but was actually just seeing how lonely I was and dragged everyone in to keep me company!"

Old Master Ba immediately felt the malicious gazes from his junior brothers and sisters, and the pressure was immense. Feigning calmness, he said, "Everyone, don't be nervous. This is merely a seal set by Martial Niece Yunzhi, not her personally. As long as we all work together, we can surely overcome this difficulty and break the seal!"

"Think about the Nine Sons of Wendao Sect of the past! Think about all of you who now hold high positions! What difficulty could possibly defeat us?" In their youth, they roamed the pugilistic world, slaying demons and eliminating devils, leaving a formidable reputation across the Central Continent. "The Nine Sons of Wendao Sect" was the title people used for them back then.

Inside the narrow cave dwelling, the Nine Sons of Wendao Sect reunited.

"Ninth Elder, tell us, how exactly do we get out of here?" Old Master Ba glared fiercely at Daoist Buyu. He had come to watch the fun, but had instead become the spectacle himself.

Daoist Buyu chuckled. Everyone had gone to such trouble to accompany him; how could he let them leave so easily? He said seriously, "I'm not afraid of being laughed at, but Little Yun's cultivation has long surpassed mine. The purpose of her setting this seal is for me to cultivate diligently and achieve a breakthrough."

"So, to break the seal, we must break through our limits and surpass ourselves!"

Everyone realized the seriousness of the problem. Surpassing oneself was easy to say, but doing it was another matter, and they knew how difficult it would be.

Daoist Buyu had already planned out the entire scenario: First, everyone would individually attempt to break the seal. After being repelled, they would undoubtedly become disheartened. At that point, he would declare he had an epiphany and was on the verge of a breakthrough, needing to meditate for three days. After three days, he would feign a powerful surge of aura, perform a dazzling sword technique, and strike the cave entrance. Coincidentally, the seal would then lift, and his senior brothers and sisters would marvel at his profound comprehension.

A perfect plan!

"Since that's the case, then as the Second Senior Brother, I won't back down; I'll try first!" With the First Elder absent, Old Master Ba was the most senior, and he felt he had to set an example.

The others watched Old Master Ba expectantly. Feeling that he probably couldn't break the seal and it would be embarrassing, Old Master Ba turned his head and said, "Step back. I have a unique skill that isn't convenient to display in front of others."

Everyone obediently retreated to the depths of the cave, from where they couldn't see the cave entrance. Seeing everyone retreat, Old Master Ba took a deep breath and shook a few seeds from his sleeve. Accompanied by his muttered incantations, the seeds instantly transformed into thick vines, bombarding the cave entrance. The vines glowed faintly, and lightning erupted, shaking heaven and earth.

These were the world's rarest Purple Lightning Vines, rumored to be born from bathing in heavenly lightning tribulations. They bore a celestial mark from birth, possessing a portion of the lightning tribulation's power.

After a barrage of attacks, the cave entrance remained completely unchanged, and the seal didn't budge an inch.

"Hmm?" Old Master Ba saw a graceful figure in the thick smoke and frowned. As the thick smoke dispersed, Yunzhi's figure was revealed.

With his extensive experience, Old Master Ba instantly understood what was happening. This must be his inner demon. Hadn't Ninth Elder said that to break the seal, one must surpass oneself? And surely, surpassing oneself meant defeating one's inner demon.

"I thought I had come to terms with it, believing it's good for each generation to be stronger than the last, for the young to surpass the old. But I didn't expect I still haven't let go!" Old Master Ba's fighting spirit soared. With this thought, Old Master Ba no longer hesitated and attacked Yunzhi with all his might.

Yunzhi had originally intended to come in and see what the elders were doing, and perhaps consider releasing them. Who would have thought that as soon as she reached the cave entrance, she would be met with Old Master Ba's barrage of attacks?

Yunzhi helplessly counterattacked, extending her slender, jade-like hand. The bells on her wrist jingled as she sent out a palm strike, sending Old Master Ba flying. Old Master Ba flew backward a great distance and was caught by the Third Elder and others.

"Second Senior Brother, what happened to you?"

Old Master Ba coughed twice, a hint of terror in his eyes. He shakily raised his hand, pointed at the cave entrance, and said, "Be careful! Ninth Elder didn't lie to us. Martial Niece Yunzhi's creation is indeed world-shaking; she set an inner demon seal. To break this seal, we must defeat our inner demons!"

"Inner demon? What inner demon?" Daoist Buyu muttered to himself.

The Third Elder, unwilling to believe it, stepped forward to try and encountered Yunzhi again. He wasn't particularly known for his wit, so naturally, he believed whatever Old Master Ba said. When Yunzhi defeated five sect masters at the Immortal Sect Assembly, she had indeed become something of an inner demon for the older generation, making them feel like their past thousand years of cultivation were for nothing. The Third Elder was no exception.

The Third Elder also immediately took a stance and directly fought Yunzhi upon seeing her. The result was the same as the Second Elder: he was sent flying by a palm strike.

"What a powerful inner demon!"

The Fourth Elder, Fifth Elder... up to the Eighth Elder, each tried in turn, and all were defeated by Yunzhi.

Daoist Buyu, utterly bewildered, came to the cave entrance. Upon seeing Yunzhi, he had a sudden realization: this was no inner demon; it was clearly Little Yun herself guarding the entrance!

"Little Yun?" Daoist Buyu called out tentatively.

Yunzhi replied expressionlessly, "I am the inner demon." With that, she sent him flying with a palm strike, giving her master no chance to react, then turned and left the cave dwelling.

They treated her as an inner demon and attacked her directly, yet they still expect to get out? They'd better meditate honestly for three days.

Lu Yang slowly opened his eyes, feeling a warm current within his body. He was now only a step away from a breakthrough.

At this point, Yunzhi had returned to her original spot. Lu Yang saw her sitting opposite him and wondered if it was his imagination, but he couldn't shake the feeling that his Senior Sister seemed a bit happy.

"Senior Sister, is there something that made you happy?"

"No," Yunzhi replied with her usual cold tone.