43: Chapter 43 The Tribulation of Inner Demons

Just at this moment, a golden rain of light fell all across the sky above Huaguo, and wisps of mysterious yellow Qi flowed into various School.

"Karma descending from the heavens? That is right, Karma descended from the heavens when I broke through to the Nascent Soul as well. It seems their Breakthrough is in the bag."

Ye Qingxuan watched the Karma descending from the sky and set his mind at ease.

About two and a half hours later, the eight visions disappeared, and waves of strange phenomena arrived. Maoshan gained another eight Nascent Soul Cultivator, but...

"Taoist priest, Sister Qingling still hasn't come out yet. Her aura has changed." Little Jiu's voice suddenly arrived, making Ye Qingxuan's heart tremble.

Ye Qingxuan abruptly turned around to look behind him. Qingling hasn't completed her Breakthrough yet? "Heart Demon Tribulation?!"

Just as he was thinking about what to do, after a short while, several sounds of breaking through the air arrived. The eight newly advanced Nascent Soul Cultivator and two Golden Core Perfection came together. Before long, Senior Brother Qingcang rushed over as well.

More a dozen people gathered in Qingling's small courtyard, making it somewhat crowded for a moment.

"Qingxuan, what is going on with Qingling?" Master Yuanxin asked as soon as he arrived. After all, with Karma descending, the Breakthrough should have been a sure thing. They had all exited seclusion, so why wasn't Qingling done yet?

"Master, Senior Brother, Junior Martial Uncle, Senior Martial Uncle, Third Senior Brother she..." Ye Qingxuan hadn't finished his words.

"It is a Heart Demon Tribulation!" Senior Martial Uncle Yuanhui understood something.

"Heart Demon? Didn't Qingxuan say that a Heart Demon is nothing more than inner obsession..." Master Yuanxin stopped talking; he understood as well.

The three Junior Martial Uncle—Yuanqing, Yuandan, and Yuanxing—looked worriedly at the place where Qingling was in seclusion.

Qingming, Qingyun, and Qingmo also remained silent. No one could help; she could only rely on Qingling herself. After all, besides Ye Qingxuan, everyone in Maoshan knew about Qingling's obsession.

Little Jiu stopped making a fuss as well, obediently squatting on the ground and watching the room.

Ximo looked at the crowd before him and silently Cultivate.

Now Qingling could only rely on herself to see through the Heart Demon. In his heart, Ye Qingxuan silently recited the Scripture of Purity and Tranquility, forcing himself to calm down.

At this moment, within Qingling's Sea of Consciousness:

"I have finally broken through to the Nascent Soul. Junior Brother, this time Sister must make things clear with you. If we wait any longer, I'm afraid that even after several thousand years, you still won't understand Sister's feelings." Qingling walked out of the room and headed straight for the peak where Ye Qingxuan was located.

As expected, Ye Qingxuan was sitting cross-legged on the hilltop Cultivate just like usual, his surrounding magical power drifting, his expression peaceful.

"Junior Brother, Sister has also broken through." Qingling looked at Ye Qingxuan and said happily.

"Third Senior Brother, it is merely the Nascent Soul Stage. Are you proud of that?" Ye Qingxuan's tone made Qingling freeze for a moment.

In her memories, Junior Brother always spoke very gently, never showing such arrogance and carrying such an obvious sense of disdain.

However, Qingling didn't pay too much attention to it, instead directly expressing her heart. "Junior Brother, I came today to tell you that I have broken through the Nascent Soul Stage. I don't want to wait any longer. I want to tell you that I like you, the kind between a man and a woman..."

"I know." Ye Qingxuan's flat tone interrupted Qingling's words.

"What?! You know?!" Qingling asked with a blushing face, both happy and shy.

"Third Senior Brother, who gave you the confidence to make you feel that you are worthy of me?" Ye Qingxuan's words were like a sharp dagger, deeply piercing and aching Qingling's heart.

"That's right, I am just an ordinary person, how could I be worthy of the extraordinarily talented Junior Brother."

Qingling's dejected voice grew lower and lower, failing to notice wisps of black Qi emerging between her brows.

Meanwhile, the Ye Qingxuan opposite her looked at Qingling's appearance, a ferocious smile surfacing on his face. 'Yes, just like this, fall into depravity. That way your body will be mine.'

Qingling flew dejectedly to the Ancestral Master's ancestral hall, where Master and several senior and Junior Brothers were all present.

"Master!!" Qingling's tone carried a sobbing note.

Master Yuanxin, Qingming, Qingyun, and Qingmo, who were chatting, all looked over.

"Master, I just confessed my feelings to Junior Brother. He rejected me and even ridiculed me for not being worthy of him." Qingling came here to seek comfort from Master.

But the result was: "Rebellious Disciple, lacking all sense of shame! You are more than a dozen years older than him, and with just that bit of looks of yours, how could you possibly be worthy of Qingxuan?!"

"You even dare to disturb his state of mind, trying to drag him into this petty path of romantic love! Today, this Master shall purge the School of scum!!" Master Yuanxin's hair stood on end with fury, and his expression was incomparably ferocious.

Amidst Qingling's stunned expression, Master Yuanxin struck out with a palm, sending Qingling flying dozens of meters away.

Qingling suppressed the shock in her heart, looking at Master Yuanxin, Qingming, Qingyun, and Qingmo who surrounded her. The four of them made their moves with lethal strikes.

Meanwhile in the outside world, Ye Qingxuan watched Qingling's weakening aura, black Qi condensing between her brows.

"Not good, she is about to suffer Qi Deviation!" Master Yuanxin wore a look of despair.

"What should I do? What should I do?" Ye Qingxuan was also burning with anxiety. Ever since he began to Cultivate, he had never been this urgent.

Suddenly, Ye Qingxuan looked at the cangmang sword floating in the Void Realm. Golden light of Karma!!

He reached out to summon the Flying Sword and whispered, "Old friend, I'm sorry, I must save Third Senior Brother."

"Qingxuan, you..." The expressions of the people nearby changed drastically. Was he going to destroy a Magic Treasure of Karma?

The cangmang sword hummed, transmitting a wisp of information to Ye Qingxuan: "Save... Qing... Sister Ling..."

Ye Qingxuan's magical power surged, pulling out half of the Karma from the sword. The Flying Sword wailed incessantly, and its grade accordingly dropped to a Low Grade Immortal Artifact.

Looking at the golden light of Karma in his hand, he waved his hand and struck it toward Qingling's spiritual platform.

With the integration of Karma, the black Qi between Qingling's brows dissipated, and her aura became increasingly solid.

"Karma can only maintain the spiritual platform's clarity, but the Heart Demon is an inner obsession. Is it really useful?"

This was everyone's inner thought, but not a single person dared to speak it out. This was the last resort.

Subconsciously, Qingling executed her Spell, Heaven and Earth Lose Color. In an instant, the entire world turned black and white.

That's right, it was Heaven and Earth Lose Color. Qingling was a genius adept at Cultivating Spells. Of all the various Spells created by Ye Qingxuan, Qingling was the only one who learned every single one of them.

Looking at the four people frozen before her and their ferocious expressions, Qingling understood. These people were all fake, and she remembered everything now.

"That's right, I am in seclusion breaking through to the Nascent Soul. This is a Heart Demon Tribulation!"

"I almost fell for your tricks! My Master might scold me, but he would never hit me. Moreover, we senior and Junior Brothers share a bond as close as brothers, let alone..."

"We are already Cultivating Immortality, dammit, and a dozen years is called an age gap?!!!!"

"Are you playing me for a fool!!!"

"They are not that weak!!!"

Qingling forcefully suppressed the anger in her heart, and with a thought, the four people before her turned into bubbles.

Heaven and Earth Lose Color. After Ye Qingxuan's development, this Spell had already become a Divine Ability. As long as the cultivation base was lower than the caster, they would be frozen in place. If the gap was too large, a single thought could make the affected person turn to ashes.

"Evil disciple, how dare you defy your Master and ancestors!!"

Qingling looked at Yuanhui, Yuanqing, Yuandan, and Yuanxing who were surrounding her, a look of disdain appearing on her face. A bunch of counterfeits.

The range of Heaven and Earth Lose Color continuously expanded, enveloping the entire Maoshan within a few breaths.

With a thought from Qingling, only the Heart Demon wearing Ye Qingxuan's appearance was left behind, while everyone else turned into bubbles.

Looking at the Heart Demon frozen in the black-and-white picture, especially that familiar face, Qingling couldn't help but feel a trace of mischievous amusement in her heart.

Spring Returns to All Things activated. Seeing that only the Heart Demon's head regained normal movement, Qingling rubbed her fists.

"With just this bit of strength of yours, where did you get the courage to impersonate my Junior Brother!!"

Qingling's tone was blazing with fury. You say impersonating was one thing, but how dare you know this lady's inner secrets!! Watch how this lady beats you to death today!!

"What are you going to do!!" The Heart Demon's tone completely changed.

"Shut up!!!" Qingling was enraged, especially since it actually wore Ye Qingxuan's face while making such an expression. As she spoke, she raised her fists and began to beat it.

While beating it, she thought in her heart: 'Ever since Junior Brother broke through to the Foundation Establishment, I haven't beaten him up again. The texture of this fake's feel is just average.'

Looking at the appearance of this 'Ye Qingxuan' before her, beaten until he swelled up by a circle, Qingling couldn't help letting out a chuckle.

With a wave of her hand, the Heart Demon also turned into bubbles. Qingling didn't know if she saw it wrong, but the Heart Demon seemed to reveal an expression of relief.

As the Heart Demon was eliminated, the entire world began to collapse, and dazzling golden light began to appear before her eyes.

Watching the mysterious yellow Qi descending from the sky sink into Qingling's body, a strange fragrance also spread out. A giant Nascent Soul dharma image appeared in the Void Realm, and it was precisely Qingling's appearance.

"Has the Breakthrough ended?"

"That's right, Karma descending from the heavens, the Nascent Soul dharma image, and this strange fragrance—it has indeed ended!" Master Yuanxin stroked his beard and smiled.

"However, this strength?? No way?!" Senior Martial Uncle Yuanhui was so shocked his jaw dropped.

"Nascent Soul Late Stage?!!!!" Master Yuanxin remained silent, only staring fixedly at Qingling.

"Another one surpassing us?" Yuanqing, Yuandan, and Yuanxing asked in unison.

Among the several Nascent Soul Cultivator, only Master Yuanxin directly entered the Nascent Soul Late Stage, approaching Perfection, with the help of Karma. After all, as the initiator of universal Cultivation, he had more Karma.

Yuanhui, Yuanqing, Yuandan, and Yuanxing had all just entered the Nascent Soul Late Stage. Qingming was in the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, having walked a few more steps and looking close to the Late Stage, since he also taught quite a few people.

The other three Senior Brothers looked like they had just entered the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

"It is that portion of Karma from Qingxuan!" Master Yuanxin pointed out the crux of the issue, and everyone set their minds at ease. As long as it wasn't pulling up seedlings to help them grow prematurely, it was fine.

Qingling slowly opened her eyes, and her vision gradually cleared. She saw a man standing not far ahead, who was precisely Ye Qingxuan; and beside Ye Qingxuan's feet squatted a small, cute Three-Flower Cat, which was Little Jiu.

Ye Qingxuan originally wanted to step forward to chat with Qingling for a few words, but suddenly, he felt his vision go pitch black. Immediately after, an angry shout entered his ears: "Is the Heart Demon Tribulation still not over yet? How dare you impersonate this lady's Junior Brother, die!!"

Ye Qingxuan was completely unprepared and was instantly sent flying by a powerful force. Meanwhile, Little Jiu, who remained in place, wore a bewildered look, muttering inwardly: "How come the Taoist priest suddenly disappeared?"

At the same time, a loud bang of rumble came over, making the entire courtyard tremble because of it.

Everyone else in the courtyard turned in shock to look in that direction, only to see Ye Qingxuan flying backward out of the room like a kite with a broken string.

Everyone looked at each other in dismay, their faces filled with puzzlement, unable to help wondering inwardly: What on earth is this situation?

Just at this moment, dazzling cyan-green light erupted around Qingling's body, and the surging magical power within her surged endlessly like a tide.

She stepped out of the room step by step, scanning the surrounding crowd with a sharp gaze, and said coldly: "You fellows, are you still unwilling to give up? How dare you impersonate my Master and elders once again, you are simply tired of living! Heaven and Earth Lose Color!"

As her words fell, the entire world seemed to lose its color, becoming dim and dull, leaving only the monotonous black and white.

Seeing this scene, everyone was terrified. You must know that Qingling had now Cultivated to the Nascent Soul Late Stage Realm, and her strength was unfathomable.

Among the people present, only Master Yuanxin was safe and sound, while the rest of the Yuan-generation experts were all suppressed to the point where they could hardly breathe. After exchanging glances with each other, they all showed expressions of helplessness and continuous sighs.

The remaining few were even more unlucky, directly turning into ants in amber, unable to move at all.

Just as Qingling was about to directly eliminate the frozen people:

"Third Senior Brother, stop!!" Ye Qingxuan flew back from afar.

"Spring Returns to All Things!" Ye Qingxuan formed incantations with his left hand, activating Spring Returns to All Things, and waved his right hand, a defensive barrier enveloping several 'weaklings' who hadn't reached the Nascent Soul.

Qingling looked at the crowd before her, a trace of a smile flashing in her eyes.

"This Heart Demon this time is quite interesting, not all that weak after all. Take this move of mine, Clearing After Snow!"

Looking at the Sword Qi runes filling the sky, several Qing-generation Senior Brothers smiled bitterly and shook their heads. They couldn't dodge it—fine, they'd just wait for Ye Qingxuan to come save their lives.

"Third Senior Brother, you have already finished your Breakthrough, and we are not Heart Demons. You..."

Suddenly, Ye Qingxuan paused. He had already mastered Heavenly Eye, Mind-Reading, and Divine Foot Power, and he also heard Qingling's inner thoughts.

At the same time, he also understood the source of the throbbing deep within his heart. The burning anxiety just now was himself being afraid, afraid of losing the Qingling before his eyes.

Ye Qingxuan ignored the Sword Qi runes before him, five-colored light flickering on his body surface as he walked step by step right up to Qingling.

Looking at his own reflection in her eyes, his heart beat incessantly, as if it was about to vibrate out.

Qingling's eyes were also filled with astonishment. What's the situation? It seems she played too much?

'Screw it, come what may!'

Thinking of this, Ye Qingxuan abruptly pulled Qingling into a hug, cradled her head, and kissed her on those crimson lips.

"Boom"

Qingling's mind went completely blank. This big block of wood has finally become enlightened??!! This lady has captured him?

"Yo-ho"

"Damn"

"Whoa"

"Young people these days!"

"Why aren't you leaving yet, acting like lightbulbs!" With Qingyun's words, everyone in the courtyard instantly turned into light and vanished.

Master Yuanxin grabbed Little Jiu by the back of its neck, and Qingming grabbed his disciple Ximo, disappearing in a mere tenth of a second.

Leaving behind only two seals in the courtyard fighting over grapes...