355: Chapter 355 Oppression

Inside the Thousand Illusions Secluded Valley, the Heart Demon Clan was busy repairing the damaged illusion barriers and their dwellings.

Although they had experienced a brutal battle, the relief of surviving the disaster and the arrival of Su Mo gave the atmosphere in the valley a sense of excitement, as if they had been reborn.

Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven accompanied Su Mo as they walked slowly through the valley.

Wherever they passed, Heart Demons of all Realms stopped their work, bowed to Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven, and addressed her as "Clan Chief," their eyes filled with awe and gratitude.

At the same time, they did not forget to cast gazes of awe and even fanaticism toward Su Mo.

"You are the Clan Chief now?" Su Mo looked at the stunningly beautiful woman beside him with some surprise.

In his memory, Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven, while having decent cultivation back then, could not be considered top-tier.

Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven smiled sweetly, her expression carrying a hint of confidence: "Mm."

"Your cultivation progress is truly astonishing," Su Mo nodded. "However, I remember that the Heart Demon Clan's traditional way of Cultivating relied on the distracting thoughts of living beings, resulting in slow progress, but you seem to have found a new path?"

Mentioning this, Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven's eyes immediately lit up, filled with excitement and pride: "This is all thanks to you, Su Mo!"

"Oh?" Su Mo raised an eyebrow.

"About a hundred years ago, a Cultivator from the Cangxu Realm named Yu Tianshu took the initiative to contact our Heart Demon Clan," Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven recalled. "Although this person's cultivation is not top-tier, he is a genius when it comes to the understanding and application of Formations, runes, and even the Laws of Heaven and Earth! He proposed an unprecedented concept for cooperation."

"Cooperation?" Su Mo became interested. That guy Yu Tianshu actually extended his reach to the Heavenly Demon Realm?

"Yes," Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven continued. "Yu Tianshu proposed that he would design and guide the Cultivators of the Cangxu Realm to build a special Heart-Refining Formation in a safe area selected by the Heart Demon Clan."

"This Formation can simulate various states that test one's state of mind, such as Undergoing Tribulation, cultivation Bottlenecks, and the breeding of Heart Demons, actively attracting and amplifying the distracting thoughts, delusions, and obsessions of the trial-takers to form a controllable, high-concentration Heart Demon environment."

"And then?" Su Mo vaguely guessed what was happening.

"Then, our Heart Demon Clan can enter this Formation, responsible for guiding and evolving these amplified distracting thoughts to form purer and more controllable Heart Demon Tribulations for the Cangxu Realm Cultivators to train their state of mind and polish their Dao Heart."

Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven became more and more excited as she spoke: "In exchange, while we Heart Demons evolve, guide, and absorb these pure distracting thoughts, we ourselves can also gain great improvements! Moreover, Yu Tianshu also established a strict contract with us: Heart Demons in the Formation are not allowed to harm the lives of the trial-takers, only to test and hone them."

"In this way, Cangxu Realm Cultivators gained an efficient and safe path to train their state of mind, making it easier to break through cultivation Bottlenecks. And we Heart Demons gained a stable and efficient shortcut for cultivation! Over these hundreds of years, the cooperation between the two sides has been extremely smooth. The overall strength of the Cangxu Realm has improved significantly, and my Heart Demon Clan has also advanced by leaps and bounds, and I have even stepped into the Realm of Great Demon Lord!"

After listening, Su Mo couldn't help but let a trace of surprise and admiration flash through his eyes.

What a Yu Tianshu! To think he could come up with such a mutually beneficial method, which could even be called Dual Cultivation!

Turning the originally antagonistic Cultivator Heart Demons and the Heart Demon Clan into partners who promote each other!

This level of imagination and execution is truly worthy of the tech-savvy talent he had his eye on.

Given time, even if this guy really researches something outrageous like a Two-Way Foil, Su Mo probably wouldn't be too surprised.

"This method is indeed ingenious; Yu Tianshu has put a lot of thought into it." Su Mo nodded in approval.

In this way, the Heart Demon Clan broke free from the shackles of traditional cultivation methods and found a path for sustainable development, so it is reasonable that their strength has grown.

Just as the two were talking, Su Mo and Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven's expressions changed almost simultaneously. They turned their heads in unison and looked outside the Thousand Illusions Secluded Valley.

A heavy and formidable pressure, carrying undisguised hostility, was rushing straight toward this place at an extremely fast speed!

The person coming is not friendly!

Moreover, the intensity of this aura far exceeded that of the previous Blazing Tyrant!

"Peak Great Demon Lord..." Frost instantly covered Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven's stunningly beautiful face, and her eyes were sharp. "Who is it? How dare they trespass into our clan's territory so unscrupulously!"

Su Mo's eyes also narrowed slightly. "It seems we have uninvited guests."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking—Rrrrip! The mist above the Thousand Illusions Secluded Valley was forcefully torn open by a brutal force!

A tall, graceful, and stunning figure dressed in dark purple tight leather armor stepped through the air with a swaying gait and hovered above the valley.

It was Mei Li!

Her soul-stirring purple eyes, filled with scrutiny and curiosity, immediately locked onto Su Mo, who was standing side-by-side with the Heart Demon Clan Chief below.

Their eyes met. Mei Li felt a slight stir in her heart: Is it him? Peak Demon Lord? His aura is deep and restrained, seemingly ordinary, but those eyes are too calm.

Su Mo's expression remained unchanged, and he calmly looked back at this uninvited guest.

"Where are you from?! Why are you trespassing on the ancestral land of our Heart Demon Clan?"

Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven took a step forward, blocking Su Mo's side, her Great Demon Lord aura rising to faintly resist Mei Li's pressure, and she questioned coldly.

Mei Li didn't even glance at her, her gaze remaining fixed on Su Mo. Her beautiful red lips curled into an intrigued arc, and her voice was sweet and cloying: "This seat is Mei Li, one of the controllers of this region."

"I heard that it was you, this member of the Human Race, who used Peak Demon Lord cultivation to suppress that trash Blazing Tyrant with a flick of a finger?"

She looked Su Mo up and down: "Little fellow of the Human Race, you are very interesting. Tell this seat how you did it. Perhaps, this seat can give you a chance to pledge your loyalty."

The frost on Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven's beautiful face deepened, and anger rose in her eyes!

Su Mo was her benefactor, the one who saved the Heart Demon Clan from the brink of destruction, and the person she respected most in her heart. How could she allow this Demon Race member who popped out of nowhere to insult him like this?!

"Presumptuous!" Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven shouted sharply. Ignoring the gap in their cultivation, the Devilish Qi around her erupted, turning into thousands of seven-colored streamers that swept toward Mei Li in mid-air!

However, Mei Li didn't even raise an eyelid; she just let out a cold snort full of disdain from her nose: "Noisy."

Following this cold snort, the light purple Devilish Qi surrounding her rippled slightly outward! Hum—! All attacks were instantly crushed!

"Pfft—!" Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven was struck hard, her delicate body shaking violently, and her aura suddenly withered; she had obviously suffered serious internal injuries. The gap between a Peak Great Demon Lord and one who had just entered the Great Demon Lord Realm was revealed instantly!

"Clan Chief!" "Protect the Clan Chief!" The Heart Demon clansmen below exclaimed, and several Demon Lord-level Elders were livid, about to rush up regardless of the consequences.

Yet Mei Li still did not look at the knocked-back Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven, as if she had just casually brushed away a buzzing fly. Her gaze had been firmly locked on Su Mo from beginning to end, and the playful smile on the corner of her mouth deepened.

The calmness on Su Mo's face completely disappeared the moment Mei Li uttered "Noisy" and Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven flew back, vomiting blood. It was replaced by a coldness that felt like ten thousand years of glacial ice.

He slowly raised his hand, and a gentle yet irresistible force caught the flying Heart Demon Nine Five Two Seven, steadily placing her behind him, while a wisp of pure Chaos Qi was silently infused into her body to help her stabilize her chaotic Origin.

Only then did he slowly raise his head to look at Mei Li, who was hovering in the air with a lazy posture while exuding a dangerous aura. His eyes were terrifyingly calm. But it was this extreme calmness that made Mei Li, who was originally feeling triumphant, feel a sudden, inexplicable tightening in her heart.

Su Mo spoke: "Daring to make a move against my people... have you decided... how you want to die?"