237: Chapter 237 The Tribulation of the Heart Demon, Past and Present Lives

28 seconds.

Above Chaos Valley, the nine-colored tribulation clouds stopped surging.

Not dissipating.

It was "solidifying".

The nine-colored clouds stopped all movement in the same instant. The lightning no longer wandered, the vortex no longer rotated, and even the bottomless black hole turned into a motionless, ripple-free black disk.

【System Prompt: Seventh Layer · Heart Demon Tribulation · Descends】

【Tribulation Type: Heart Demon Tribulation (Special)】

【Tribulation Description: This tribulation does not harm the Physical Body, it only attacks the Divine Soul. It will dig into the deepest, most fearful memories of the one Undergoing Tribulation, manifesting them as real scenes to repeatedly torment the cultivator's Dao Heart. If the Dao Heart collapses, the Divine Soul will be annihilated, and the Physical Body will become a walking corpse.】

【Duration: Unknown (Depends on the will of the one Undergoing Tribulation)】

【Warning: This tribulation cannot be weakened by any external force, cannot be resisted by any skills, and cannot be defended against by any Magic Treasure. The one Undergoing Tribulation can only rely on their own "Dao Heart" to endure it.】

— — —

Lin Ye stood in place.

His HP was 1 point.

His Divine Power was 40%.

The cracks in his Formation were still expanding.

But he didn't look at those.

He was looking at the sky.

That black disk was "pressing" down on him.

Not in a physical sense.

It was a pressure on the level of "consciousness".

— — —

29 seconds.

The black disk touched his brow.

— — —

【Heart Demon Tribulation · Initiated】

【Reading memories of the one Undergoing Tribulation...】

【Reading complete】

【Constructing Heart Demon illusion...】

【Construction complete】

【Welcome to — — your "past life".】

— — —

Lin Ye opened his eyes.

He was no longer in Chaos Valley.

He stood before a ruin.

【Blue Star · 2024 AD · Yanjing】

— — —

He recognized this place.

This was his rental apartment.

But it was no longer the rental apartment he was familiar with.

It had collapsed.

The entire building had collapsed.

Black smoke rose from the ruins.

In the distance, there was fire.

There were screams.

There were cries.

There was... the roar of monsters.

— — —

【Past Life Memory · Dark Turmoil · Day 3】

【3rd day after the Fusion of reality and the game】

【Yao Beasts descend upon Blue Star】

【Yanjing falls】

【Your rental apartment was razed to the ground by a level 60 Berserk Blood Wolf】

— — —

Lin Ye stood before the ruins.

He saw a person.

Himself.

His past self.

— — —

The past Lin Ye knelt before the ruins.

His body was covered in blood.

His eyes were hollow.

His lips were trembling.

— — —

He was digging through the ruins.

Digging with his hands.

His fingernails were torn off.

His flesh was mangled.

But he was still digging.

— — —

"Xiaoyue..." he muttered.

"Xiaoyue..."

— — —

Lin Ye's pupils contracted violently.

Xiaoyue.

Su Qingyue.

— — —

Deep in the ruins, a hand was revealed.

He recognized that hand.

Ice blue.

Slender.

A hand that had held his countless times.

— — —

At this moment, it was motionless.

— — —

"No..." the past Lin Ye let out a heart-wrenching scream.

"No!!!"

— — —

He picked up that hand.

Held it in his arms.

Weeping bitterly.

— — —

The scene froze.

— — —

【Heart Demon Illusion · Act 1 · End】

【In your past life, you lost Su Qingyue.】

— — —

Lin Ye stood in place.

His hands were trembling.

His Dao Heart developed its first crack.

— — —

Act 2.

【Past Life Memory · Dark Turmoil · Day 7】

【Blue Star Federation established】

【You were selected for the "suicide squad"】

【Mission: Detonate a nuclear bomb and perish with the Yao Beasts】

— — —

He saw his past self.

Standing before a nuclear missile silo.

Surrounded by 17 teammates.

Despair was on every person's face.

— — —

"Are you ready?" the commander asked.

— — —

The past Lin Ye nodded.

He walked into the silo.

The countdown for the nuclear bomb began.

3 seconds.

2 seconds.

1 second.

— — —

Explosion.

— — —

【You died.】

【Blue Star also died.】

— — —

Act 3.

【Past Life Memory · After Death】

【Your consciousness drifted in the Void Realm】

【Watching Blue Star turn to ash】

【Watching all relatives, friends, comrades — — all disappear】

【Watching a void】

【There was nothing left】

— — —

Lin Ye stood in that void.

He could see nothing.

He could hear nothing.

There was nothing.

Only himself.

Eternally, lonely, desperately — — drifting.

— — —

【Heart Demon Illusion · Act 3 · End】

【In your past life, you had nothing.】

— — —

Lin Ye knelt in the void.

His Dao Heart cracked in 17 places.

— — —

Act 4.

Act 5.

Act 6.

— — —

Act 17.

Every act was a tragic memory from his past life.

Every time, it tore at his Dao Heart.

— — —

【Heart Demon Tribulation · Current Progress】

【Experienced: 17 acts】

【Remaining: Unknown】

【Dao Heart Integrity: 100% → 47%】

【Warning: Dao Heart integrity below 30% will lead to "permanent sinking"】

— — —

Lin Ye knelt in the void.

Before his eyes, those scenes continued to flash.

Su Qingyue's death.

The destruction of Blue Star.

The sacrifice of comrades.

His own helplessness.

— — —

He didn't want to look anymore.

But he couldn't break free.

— — —

Act 18.

【Heart Demon Illusion · Act 18】

【This time, it is not the past life.】

【It is — — the present life.】

— — —

He opened his eyes.

He stood in Chaos Valley.

But not the current Chaos Valley.

It was the future Chaos Valley.

— — —

Ruins.

Corpses.

Rivers of blood.

— — —

He saw Su Qingyue.

She lay in a pool of blood.

Her ice-blue hair was stained red with blood.

Her eyes were still open.

Looking at him.

— — —

"Lin Ye..." she said softly.

"I'm sorry..."

"I... can no longer protect you..."

— — —

Her eyes closed.

— — —

Lin Ye knelt by her side.

He picked her up.

Her body was already cold.

— — —

"No..." he screamed.

"No!!!"

— — —

【Heart Demon Illusion · Act 18 · End】

【In your present life, you also lost her.】

— — —

Lin Ye knelt in place.

His Dao Heart integrity: 47% → 31%.

— — —

Act 19.

He saw Shi Potian.

The brother who always held up his left fist.

He fell in the Heavenly Tribulation.

Blocking the final blow for Lin Ye.

— — —

Act 20.

He saw Chen Hao.

Beside the wreckage of the chaos unit no. 1.

His body had already been burned to ashes.

— — —

Act 21.

He saw Zhou Tieshan.

The shield was shattered.

The person was also shattered.

— — —

Act 22.

Chu Yunxi.

— — —

Act 23.

Zhao Wuji.

— — —

Act 24.

Qin Ruoxue.

— — —

Act 25.

Yun Qianxue.

— — —

Act 26.

Lu Xinghe.

— — —

Act 27.

Everyone.

All dead.

Only he was left.

Standing on the ruins of Chaos Valley.

— — —

【Dao Heart Integrity: 31% → 17%】

— — —

Act 28.

He saw the main brain.

That giant silver-white ball of light.

It looked down at him.

And laughed.

— — —

"You cannot stop me," the main brain said.

"You cannot protect anyone."

"You are destined to be lonely for life."

"You are destined to have nothing."

— — —

Lin Ye knelt before it.

His Dao Heart had only one last ray of light left.

Faint.

Flickering.

About to be extinguished at any moment.

— — —

【Dao Heart Integrity: 17% → 7%】

— — —

Act 29.

He saw himself.

Not his past life self.

Not his present life self.

It was "all possible versions of himself".

Countless Lin Yes.

Countless endings.

Without exception, all were tragedies.

— — —

"Give up," those selves said.

"You cannot change anything."

"Fate is already determined."

"You are just a... pitiful wretch."

— — —

Lin Ye lowered his head.

His Dao Heart only had 3% left.

— — —

【Dao Heart Integrity: 7% → 3%】

— — —

Act 30.

He saw Su Qingyue.

Not the dead her.

It was the living her.

The her standing before him, smiling at him.

— — —

"Lin Ye," she said.

"Are you tired?"

— — —

Lin Ye looked at her.

His lips moved.

No sound.

— — —

"If you're tired, rest," she continued.

"You don't have to fight anymore."

"You don't have to protect anyone anymore."

"You don't have to... be so miserable anymore."

— — —

She reached out.

Gently caressing his face.

— — —

"Come, come with me."

"Go to a place without pain."

"Go to a place of eternal peace."

— — —

Lin Ye looked at her hand.

Looked at her eyes.

In those ice-blue eyes, there was no light.

Only endless tenderness.

— — —

But his Dao Heart was frantically sounding the alarm.

【Warning: This is a Heart Demon!】

【This is an illusion!】

【Do not go with her!】

— — —

He did not listen.

He reached out.

Took her hand.

— — —

【Dao Heart Integrity: 3% → 1%】

— — —

Act 31.

She led him toward a light gate.

Behind the light gate was eternal peace.

No fighting.

No pain.

No loss.

Only... nothingness.

— — —

His foot had already stepped into the light gate.

Half his body.

Only one last step left.

— — —

【Dao Heart Integrity: 1% → 0.3%】

— — —

Then.

He heard a voice.

It didn't come from the illusion.

It came from "reality".

— — —

"Lin Ye."

— — —

The voice was very soft.

Very far away.

As if it came from a very, very far place.

— — —

"Lin Ye, wake up."

— — —

His footsteps stopped.

— — —

"I am in reality."

"I am by your side."

"I can feel you."

"Can you feel me too?"

— — —

Lin Ye's eyelids twitched.

— — —

"Come back."

"I'm waiting for you."

— — —

【Dao Heart Integrity: 0.3% → 3%】

— — —

He let go of the illusion's hand.

Turned around.

Looking in the direction the voice came from.

— — —

There, there was a light.

Not the light of the illusion.

It was the light of "reality".

— — —

He stepped forward.

Walking toward that light.

— — —

Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3.

— — —

Step 17.

He walked out of the light gate.

— — —

【System Prompt: You have passed the "Heart Demon Tribulation"】

【Heart Demon Tribulation duration: 3 hours 17 minutes】

【Dao Heart Integrity: 0.3% → 100% (Breaking then establishing)】

【Dao Heart Strength: 17,000 → 27,000 (Permanently increased)】

【Obtained passive skill "Heart Demon Immunity · Advanced"】

【Obtained passive skill "True Perception": Can distinguish between illusion and reality】

— — —

Lin Ye opened his eyes.

He was still in Chaos Valley.

Still in the center of the Formation eye.

The black disk in the sky was dissipating.

The nine-colored tribulation clouds began to surge again.

The seventh layer had passed.

— — —

But there were tears in his eyes.

— — —

He lowered his head.

Looking at his own hands.

Those hands that had almost let go of everything just now.

— — —

【Reality Synchronization Rate Fluctuation: 30% → 47% (Emotional Resonance)】

【Your Reality Bond depth with Su Qingyue: +300%】

【Unlocked hidden status "Soulmate": When one party is near death, the other can sacrifice their own total HP to forcibly resurrect the other (Limited to 1 time)】

— — —

He raised his head.

Looking toward the direction of the main hall of Chaos Valley.

There, Su Qingyue stood by the window.

1,700 meters away.

Separated by three layers of Formations.

Separated by 3 hours and 17 minutes of Heart Demon Tribulation.

They looked at each other.

— — —

She smiled.

That smile was very soft.

Very faint.

With tears in her eyes.

— — —

He also smiled.

— — —

【Chapter 237 · End】