253: Chapter 252 Inner Demons, Dragon Embryo!

In the deepest part of Fire Cloud Cave, within a quiet room isolated from the outside world, Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged.

This quiet room was a third smaller than the cultivation rooms on the upper levels, measuring barely thirty feet across, yet it contained the purest Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the entire Fire Cloud Cave.

The four walls were no longer rough rock, but fire jade tempered by subterranean fire for a thousand years, translucent and dark red throughout, like solidified magma.

Within the fire jade, countless fine golden lines wound and flowed; these were naturally formed Spirit Gathering Formation patterns that had not dissipated over a millennium.

In the center of the quiet room, a three-foot-high stone platform was as warm and smooth as jade, its surface engraved with dense runes.

Those runes were different from the Spirit Gathering Formation on the upper level; every single one contained a True Intent branding carved by Master Xue Mu himself.

Pure Yang True Intent, 30% Peak.

Around the stone platform, seven stone pillars were arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper, each emitting a faint glow.

The Tianshu pillar was as blazing as the sun, the Tianxuan pillar as warm as jade, the Tianji pillar as sharp as a blade, the Tianquan pillar was unpredictable, the Yuheng pillar as continuous as water, the Kaiyang pillar as heavy as a mountain, and the Yaoguang pillar as deep as an abyss.

Seven distinctly different types of True Intent intertwined and wound within this quiet room, forming a Small World independent of the heavens and earth.

"It took me thirty years and required me to ask the Elders of the seven Peaks to each leave a True Intent branding to arrange this 'Seven Star Returning to Origin Formation'," Master Xue Mu's voice rang out from behind, unusually solemn. "Attempting a Breakthrough to the Dragon Fetus Realm within this Formation, the activity of the Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence will be ten times that of the outside world. But the danger is also tenfold. If you cannot suppress it, the seven True Intents will backlash simultaneously, and at that time, no one will be able to save you."

Jiang Hanzhou turned around and gave Master Xue Mu a solemn bow.

"This Disciple understands."

Master Xue Mu looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he took out a palm-sized jade talisman from his sleeve and placed it on the stone platform. The jade talisman was pure white, with an ancient character for 'Protect' engraved on the front and dense Formation patterns on the back.

"This is my life-protecting jade talisman, nourished by the blood qi of the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm for thirty years. If you truly reach a life-or-death crisis, crush it, and it can save your life."

He paused and said word for word: "But remember—it can only save your life; it cannot help you Breakthrough. The Dragon Fetus Realm ultimately depends on yourself."

Jiang Hanzhou tucked the jade talisman into his robe and bowed once more.

Master Xue Mu said nothing more. He only gave Jiang Hanzhou a deep look, then turned and strode out of the quiet room.

The stone door slowly closed.

At the moment the last sliver of light disappeared from the gap in the door, Master Xue Mu's voice came from outside, as calm as water:

"Han Zhou, I will wait for you outside."

As the words fell, the stone door shut completely.

In the quiet room, only Jiang Hanzhou remained.

He took a deep breath, clearing all distracting thoughts from his mind.

Han Qing, Blood Shark Island, Heavenly Sword Peak, the Sword Discussion Assembly... those conflicts, those grudges, and the impending storms were all cast to the back of his mind at this moment.

At this moment, he had only one identity.

A seeker of the Dao.

He took out the High Grade spirit essence pill from his sumeru pouch.

The Medicinal Pill was only the size of a longan, pure white throughout, with nine dark golden patterns flowing on its surface.

Those patterns wound like dragons, flickering slightly in the gloom, and with every flow, a wisp of indescribable spiritual essence escaped from within.

That spiritual essence contained nine distinctly different powers of heaven and earth.

There was the continuity of the Tide, the blaze of the Pure Yang, the sharpness of the Metal Sharpness, the unpredictability of the Heavenly Fire, and five other types of Origin power he had yet to fully comprehend.

They perfectly fused, coexisted, and sublimated within this tiny pill, forming a force sufficient to pry into the Great Dao of heaven and earth.

Jiang Hanzhou placed the pill into his mouth.

The moment the pill entered his stomach—

Boom!

An indescribable force exploded violently within his body!

That force was not fire, not frost, not sharpness, but—Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence.

Nine strands of Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence were released from the pill simultaneously, surging into his limbs and bones, his Meridians and blood qi, and his Dantian and Sea of Consciousness.

Deep within his Dantian, that three-colored flame suddenly expanded!

Tidal True Intent, Pure Yang True Intent, Golden Sharpness True Intent, and Heavenly Fire True Intent—the four True Intents were detonated at once, like four flood dragons imprisoned for a thousand years, crashing, biting, and entangling frantically inside him.

Tidal True Intent surged toward his right arm, Pure Yang True Intent toward his left, Golden Sharpness True Intent pierced into his spine, and Heavenly Fire True Intent sank into his Dantian. The four forces rampaged through his body, each collision erupting with startling energy fluctuations that made his entire skeleton creak and rattle.

Pain.

Pain to the extreme.

That pain was not of the Physical Body, but the impact on the Divine Soul when the True Intents collided. Four distinct martial wills clashed within him, each containing the Dao Heart he had condensed at all costs.

The Tidal True Intent questioned: Are you willing to be as endless as the tides, never retreating?

The Pure Yang True Intent questioned: Are you willing to shine upon all things like the blazing sun, regardless of gain or loss?

The Golden Sharpness True Intent questioned: Are you willing to cut through everything like a blade's edge, leaving no path for retreat?

The Heavenly Fire True Intent questioned: Are you willing to burn all things like heavenly fire, even burning yourself to ash?

Four questions crashed into his Sea of Consciousness simultaneously!

Deep in the Sea of Consciousness, the lake of the Divine Soul kicked up monstrous waves! The white lake water, originally as calm as a mirror, now surged and agitated frantically, as if countless boulders had been thrown into it.

The golden ice layer on the lake's surface—the Divine Soul Armor—developed fine cracks at this moment.

The cracks grew more numerous and deeper until finally—

Crack!

The Divine Soul Armor shattered!

The questions of the four True Intents, like four invisible sharp swords, pierced straight into the deepest part of his Divine Soul!

A wisp of blood overflowed from the corner of Jiang Hanzhou's mouth.

But he did not retreat.

He only clenched his teeth, using his Heart Blade to suppress the turmoil in his Sea of Consciousness, pressing down those four questions bit by bit.

It was not an answer, but—endurance.

Because those questions were originally his own questions to himself.

Tidal True Intent was the resilience he had condensed from the days and nights at Canglang Water Dock.

Pure Yang True Intent was the blaze he had tempered from the raging flames of Red Fire Peak.

Golden Sharpness True Intent was the sharp edge he had comprehended from Dragon Slaying True Person's sword scars.

Heavenly Fire True Intent was the balance he had found amidst the conflict of the four True Intents.

They were not enemies, but his Dao.

He only needed to endure, and then—fuse.

Deep within his Dantian, the three-colored flame began to rotate slowly. The rotation grew faster and more urgent, finally forming a massive vortex.

The vortex swallowed all four True Intents, compressing, fusing, and sublimating them layer by layer.

The continuity of the Tide fused into the flame, giving the flame an endless Foundation.

The blaze of the Pure Yang fused into the flame, giving the flame the power to incinerate all things.

The sharpness of the Metal Sharpness fused into the flame, giving the flame the edge to cut through everything.

The unpredictability of the Heavenly Fire fused into the flame, giving the flame a temperament that could encompass all.

Four intents became one.

The color of the flame changed from three colors to four.

Red, gold, blue, and purple—four colors intertwined within the flame, finally merging into one, turning into a ball of chaotic, indistinct light.

Within that light, a tiny figure was faintly visible.

The figure was only an inch tall, dark gold in color, sitting cross-legged with eyes tightly shut. Its features were identical to Jiang Hanzhou's, its body surrounded by four-colored radiance, and with every breath, a wisp of Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence flowed in through its nose and mouth.

Dragon Fetus.

Dragon Elephant Realm, Dragon Fetus stage—it was complete.

But just then—

A sudden change occurred!

That inch-tall Dragon Fetus suddenly snapped its eyes open!

In those eyes, there were no pupils, only endless darkness. Within the darkness, countless figures were surging.

He Yunqi, Bai Tianxiao, Blood Bone Venerable, Soren, Sandro, Ghost Ink Venerable... all the opponents Jiang Hanzhou had slain, their figures twisted, hissed, and roared in the darkness.

"Jiang Hanzhou—"

He Yunqi's figure stepped out from the darkness, his face pale as paper, bleeding from his seven orifices. "You said I was an evil cultivator, but what about you? Have you killed fewer people than I have?"

"You killed over two hundred people from my White Dragon Gang—" Bai Tianxiao's figure followed closely behind, the wound on his chest carved by the tiger soul saber still dripping blood. "Among them, how many were innocent?"

"You wouldn't even let my Divine Soul go—" Blood Bone Venerable's figure was twisted and deformed, half-human and half-bone. "You said my refining of living people was cruel, but did you hesitate for even a second when you devoured my remnant soul?"

"Aren't you a physician?" Soren's figure emerged from the darkness, the wound in his chest pierced by heavenly fire still burning. "Aren't physicians supposed to save people? Why did you kill me?"

"You promised Shen Hongxiu that you would only kill those who deserved it—" Ghost Ink Venerable's figure was the most blurred, yet his voice was the clearest. "But tell me, who deserves to be killed? Who doesn't? Who gave you the right to be the judge?!"

Countless voices crashed into his Sea of Consciousness at once!

Those voices were not external attacks, but the most secret self-doubts in the depths of his heart—the guilt and unease he had suppressed with his Dao Heart, sealed with his will, and covered with slaughter.

Heart Demon Tribulation.

The most dangerous hurdle in breaking through to the Dragon Fetus Realm was not the violence of the Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence, nor the conflict of the True Intent Fusion, but—facing one's own Heart Demon.

Every person he had slain had a reason to die. He Yunqi slaughtered villages with Gu poison, Bai Tianxiao trafficked people, Blood Bone Venerable refined living souls, and Soren aided the wicked—they did not die unjustly.

But the Heart Demon would not reason with him.

It would only ask over and over: By what right?

By what right can you judge others? By what right can you strip others of their lives? You kill like grass today; how are you any different from those evil cultivators?

Jiang Hanzhou's face grew paler and paler.

Those questions were like dull knives, carving into his Dao Heart stroke by stroke. It was not a sharp cutting, but a slow, agonizing, maddening grinding.

Cracks began to appear in his Dao Heart.

Those cracks were very fine, almost invisible. But into every crack, a wisp of black aura seeped—that was the Karma of excessive slaughter, the brand left on the Divine Soul by killing.

If these cracks were allowed to spread, his Dao Heart would completely shatter at some point. At best, his cultivation would be destroyed; at worst, he would suffer Qi Deviation and become a lunatic who knew only slaughter.

Deep in the Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Blade suddenly vibrated!

The dark golden dragon patterns on the blade flowed frantically, letting out a clear, high-pitched hum. That hum was like a dragon's roar, like a tiger's howl, echoing, surging, and vibrating throughout the Sea of Consciousness.

Those black auras were shaken apart, evaporated, and purified in the blade's hum.

But soon, new black auras surged out from the cracks, thicker and more violent than before.

The Heart Demon was counterattacking.

The figures of those he had slain stepped out of the darkness, surrounding Jiang Hanzhou. Their faces held no anger, no hatred, only an expression so calm it made one's skin crawl—

"You don't regret killing us."

He Yunqi's voice was no longer a roar, but as calm as water. "But you are regretting that you are becoming more and more like us."

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils suddenly constricted.

This sentence from the Heart Demon was like the sharpest blade, piercing straight into the deepest part of his Dao Heart.

He remembered himself when he first entered Canglang Water Dock. Back then, he only wanted to survive, only wanted to protect those around him. Killing the White Dragon Gang was to avenge Li Tietou; killing He Yunqi was to save the people of Shahe Stockade; killing Blood Bone Venerable was to stop him from slaughtering more innocents.

Every time he killed, he had a reason. Every time he killed, he told himself it was necessary.

But since when had he stopped needing a reason?

Since when had "killing" become the fastest way to solve a problem?

Since when had the blade in his hand stopped being for protection and started being for becoming stronger?

"You've become stronger," the Heart Demon's voice echoed in his ear like a curse. "But you are also becoming us."

Jiang Hanzhou closed his eyes.

The Divine Soul lake in his Sea of Consciousness completely boiled at this moment. The white lake water shot into the sky, turning into countless water columns that wrapped around and swallowed the figures of the Heart Demons layer by layer.

But there were too many Heart Demons.

He Yunqi, Bai Tianxiao, Blood Bone Venerable, Soren, Luke, Karl, Disciples of Blood Shark Island, members of the White Dragon Gang, Evil Ghost Bandits.

Face after face emerged in the darkness, dense and numbering in the hundreds.

Their voices converged, sounding like a thousand cuts:

"Jiang Hanzhou—"

"Do you still remember the first person who died at your hands?"

"Do you still remember his face?"

"Do you still remember why he died?"

"Do you still remember—what you were thinking in your heart when you killed him?"

Jiang Hanzhou's hand was trembling.

He remembered.

The first person to die at his hands was a river bandit from Dragon Fang Creek.

That day, the rain poured down. He had climbed the cliff alone and used the Fishing Eagle Plunging into Water Hand to silently snap that river bandit's neck. The man's eyes had bulged in the rainy night, his mouth open, yet unable to make a sound.

Back then, what he thought was—Li Tietou, I've avenged you.

And later?

Later, he killed many people. So many that he could no longer remember every face, so many that he no longer lost sleep after killing, so many that—

Killing had already become a habit.

A single tear slid from the corner of his eye.

That tear fell into the Divine Soul lake, triggering a circle of fine ripples.

The ripples spread, and the lake surface gradually calmed.

The figures of the Heart Demons twisted slightly in the ripples, but they did not dissipate. They just stood there quietly, waiting—waiting for his answer.

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a long time.

Then, he opened his eyes.

In his eyes, there was no confusion, no guilt, no pain.

There was only a calm, unshakable determination.