Chapter 711: A Good Opponent

"Yunzhi?" Gu Xie was taken aback. Whose inner demon was this?

Yunzhi rarely made appearances, and little was known about her publicly. However, Gu Xie was no ordinary person; he had been secretly gathering intelligence on various major Xia powers, and Yunzhi was on his radar.

Yunzhi, Daoist Buyu's first disciple, possessed astonishing cultivation talent. During a past Immortal Gate exchange, she single-handedly defeated four sect masters, among them three in the Body Integration stage and one in the Tribulation Transcension stage.

Therefore, Yunzhi's strength was clearly at the Tribulation Transcension stage.

She absolutely could not be a Half-Immortal.

Dao Lord Wanfa was the ultimate authority on this. He was the fastest cultivator in history; even Emperor Yu Wuyao's cultivation speed was slightly inferior to his.

Even he couldn't have reached the Half-Immortal stage in less than a thousand years.

So it was impossible for this Yunzhi of the Dao-Seeking Sect as well.

So whose inner demon was this?

Gu Junye's?

Impossible. His inner demon was some sort of "Ninety-Nine Immortal Ascension Tribulation," which he had already transcended.

The one named Qi Tong?

Judging by his reaction, it didn't seem likely.

Then it must be Fang Ya!

Gu Junye staggered to his feet, his expression more solemn than ever as he felt the boundless magic emanating from the graceful figure in the sky.

"I have overcome the Ninety-Nine Immortal Ascension Tribulation and achieved immortality, unrivaled in this world. Yet, I never imagined that someone from the Heavenly Realm would tear open a rift between the immortal and mortal realms during my tribulation and descend into the mortal world!"

Gu Junye collapsed weakly to his knees. "You two," he pleaded, "the Heavenly Realm beings are all up to you now!"

Gu Xie was speechless.

"Could Yunzhi also be your inner demon, kid? Just how many inner demons do you have?"

Gu Xie then sneered. It didn't matter whose inner demon it was; he now imagined himself at the Tribulation Transcension stage, and at that level, he feared no one!

Gu Xie leaped up and unleashed a golden fist-print towards Yunzhi, then…

Gu Xie was slapped to the ground by Yunzhi, sprawled out in the shape of the character "大" (big/great).

"Pfft!"

Gu Xie sat up, spat twice to clear the mud from his mouth. "What level is this inner demon?" he wondered. "How can its power be so immense!"

"So, my inner demon is Yunzhi," Dao Lord Hanhai thought to himself. This was actually within his expectations, but he had been unwilling to admit it.

After all, he had been utterly defeated back then.

"This isn’t good," Dao Lord Hanhai mused, troubled. His inner demon was absolutely unbeatable.

What should he do? Should he reveal his identity and ask the River Spirit for a shortcut?

He couldn’t bring himself to do that; it would be too humiliating.

In reality, River Spirit sat with crossed legs, feigning ignorance of Fang Ya's true identity as Dao Lord Hanhai, and wore an expression of someone enjoying a good show.

Just wait for your beating!

"The inner demon is Senior Sister Yun? Whose inner demon is this?" Dai Bufan was utterly perplexed. Had any of these four people ever met Yunzhi?

No, that wasn't right. Even a single meeting wouldn't necessarily create an inner demon.

Dao Lord Hanhai noticed Gu Xie, who had been slapped down, and became contemplative.

He had noticed during the lightning tribulation that this young man named Gu Xie possessed a rich imagination. Since this trial specifically tested teamwork, they could join forces and defeat Yunzhi!

"Shall we attack together?" Dao Lord Hanhai asked.

Gu Xie, being clever, instantly understood Dao Lord Hanhai’s intention.

They could indeed join forces.

Gu Xie and Dao Lord Hanhai rose into the air, confronting Yunzhi, their auras evenly matched for a moment.

"Mountain Moving Seal!"

"Myriad-Foot Divine Light!"

Both men moved simultaneously, without prior agreement. Gu Xie used the Mountain Moving Seal, transforming a hundred thousand continuous mountains into a fist-print clenched in his hand, then decisively unleashed a punch!

Dao Lord Hanhai summoned the Myriad-Foot Divine Light, which transformed into a divine sword that occupied most of the sky. Its tip pointed downwards, piercing the clouds and plummeting towards Yunzhi!

Boom—boom—

The more they fought, the more invigorated they became. Because the Yunzhi in the illusion was Dao Lord Hanhai’s inner demon, the bolder Dao Lord Hanhai became, the weaker the inner demon Yunzhi's power grew. Due to this inverse relationship, the two gradually transitioned from being overwhelmed to fighting Yunzhi to a draw.

"They can actually defeat Senior Sister Yun?" Dai Bufan, who had been observing, was greatly surprised.

"Junior Brother Dai, who is trying to defeat me?"

Dai Bufan turned around, startled to find Yunzhi standing behind him.

"Senior Sister, why are you here?"

"Someone has used me as an inner demon. I sensed it and came to investigate and confirm the situation."

"Is it in this bubble?"

"Yes."

Yunzhi nodded, said nothing more, took a step, vanished, and entered the bubble.

Huff—

Puff—

Although Gu Xie and Dao Lord Hanhai were covered in wounds, their eyes were full of hope. Together, they might actually defeat Yunzhi!

The most obvious sign was that Yunzhi’s aura was continuously weakening, having now fallen to the Tribulation Transcension stage!

The inner demon Yunzhi suddenly paused, then resumed her previous state.

They wondered if it was an illusion, but both felt that the inner demon Yunzhi's gaze was more spirited than before.

Gu Xie also felt that the inner demon Yunzhi was subtly looking in his direction.

Never mind all that, they needed to finish quickly to prevent any further complications from delaying the battle!

"Heaven Imprisoning Finger!"

A finger thicker than a mountain descended from the sky, intending to suppress the inner demon Yunzhi.

"Thousand Layer Wave Strike!"

Dao Lord Hanhai unleashed a thousand palm strikes, each one more powerful than the last. By the thousandth strike, its power was enough to devastate heaven and earth!

Below, Gu Junye excitedly watched the battle, eager to learn these techniques.

As the Heaven Imprisoning Finger and Thousand Layer Wave Strike attacked simultaneously, the inner demon Yunzhi raised her right hand, and the golden bell on her wrist jingled.

Jingle.

As the crisp bell rang, an invisible wall seemed to appear before the inner demon Yunzhi, blocking all attacks.

Dao Lord Hanhai was only three inches away from the inner demon Yunzhi, yet he could not break through.

The inner demon Yunzhi flipped her palm and lightly delivered a strike, returning all attacks in full!

The inner demon Yunzhi continued to attack, her moves no longer stiff, but constantly revealing brilliant techniques. Although the power of each move did not exceed the Tribulation Transcension stage, she managed to push Gu Xie and Dao Lord Hanhai back repeatedly, leaving them struggling to cope.

Gu Xie was beaten black and blue, suffering eight bone fractures, and his internal organs were jumbled. Even with his strong willpower, he couldn't remain expressionless in the face of such injuries.

All Gu Xie felt now was profound regret. Between being struck by lightning and getting beaten, he wished he had chosen a different method to infiltrate the Dao-Seeking Sect!

After a brief exchange, the Senior Sister had probed Gu Xie's hidden strength. No longer testing him, she ended the fight, feigning exhaustion and being overwhelmed by the two, before dissipating in the air.

With a huge explosion, the bubble burst, and Gu Xie faintly heard the inner demon Yunzhi say, "A good opponent."

Before leaving, the Senior Sister instructed Dai Bufan to ensure all four of them passed this trial.

"Senior Sister, you're back so soon?" Lu Yang had barely settled into the imperial chair; it hadn't even warmed up when he saw the Senior Sister return.

"Things went quite smoothly. Didn't you just mention there was a Half-Immortal among those taking the entrance exam?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry about him. He's a good opponent, and it's a perfect opportunity for Senior Hanhai to deal with him, which will also help Senior Hanhai regain his confidence."