161: Demons arise

In Black Ridge City, the three of them were exchanging their experiences.

Suddenly, Qiu Ya's smile vanished, as if she sensed something, and her eyes sharply turned towards Shen Li's courtyard.

As if by telepathy, she stood up and left.

The other two looked at her, utterly bewildered.

Qiu Ya arrived in the courtyard and saw a young man with messy black hair, dressed in an inner robe, half-kneeling on a cushion in the courtyard.

His head was slightly bowed, lost in thought.

When Qiu Ya saw her Young Master in this state, she immediately felt something was wrong and rushed forward, feeling a chilling coldness.

She knelt down, her voice filled with extreme worry.

"Young Master..."

The young figure, usually like a banished Immortal, now resembled a malevolent ghost, his fingers like hooks, his right arm twisted back, gripping Qiu Ya's arm fiercely, his voice filled with endless indifference, an indifference underpinned by boundless madness and extreme hysteria.

"Qiu Ya..."

Shen Li's voice was now incredibly hoarse, inhumanly so.

"Come with me to bring Second Master home."

Qiu Ya didn't know what had happened, only sensing the urgency, and said in a deep voice.

"Alright. Should we mobilize the Yuting Guard and inform Young Master Wang Teng?"

"No..."

Shen Li's grip tightened, digging deeper and harder, piercing into her flesh, causing Qiu Ya to feel a slight pain.

"Just you and me, just you and me... The only one I can trust is you, only you."

"Alright."

"What do you mean, 'Alright'!"

A sharp shout came from outside the hall, and looking up, it was Wang Teng, uninvited.

He guided Spiritual Qi with his hand, pressing Shen Li onto the cushion and helping him sort out the somewhat chaotic Spiritual Qi in his body!

Seeing Shen Li in this state, his expression was severe.

"Is that Shen a fool, and are you a fool too? He's currently being eroded by a Heart Demon, his thoughts are in disarray, leading him to make decisions he'll regret. Are you going to follow him into that?"

"If the Heart Demon isn't suppressed, it will be a thunderclap to his future Cultivation! It will even cause calamity!"

"Shen, sit cross-legged, guide the Qi, and don't let your thoughts wander!"

Shen Li, however, paid no attention, only gripping Qiu Ya's arm tightly, muttering incessantly.

"Bring Second Master back, bring Second Master back, kill all those beasts, beasts, beasts, kill them, kill them."

Qiu Ya held Shen Li's hand and nodded.

"Alright."

Then she resolutely stood up and said to Wang Teng.

"I must ask Young Master Wang to keep this matter confidential, and also, I'll have to trouble Young Master Wang Teng with the Young Master."

"As a Protector, you shouldn't be too far from Shen!"

"I must carry out the Young Master's command. A Protector is not a bodyguard, but someone who clears all obstacles on the Dao for my Young Master. Only then can they truly be considered a 'Protector'!"

"Why not have someone accompany you?"

"My Young Master said just me, so only I am needed."

After speaking, Qiu Ya didn't wait for any reply, only gazed deeply at Shen Li's back, then tightened her grip on the Autumn Water Saber in her hand and left directly!

Wang Teng's eyes showed helplessness.

He didn't know what had happened, he only knew that something had prompted the already fragile Shen Li to develop a Heart Demon.

Yes, to outsiders, Shen Li was indestructible, seemingly capable of calmly handling and executing any matter or plan.

But to Wang Teng, Shen Li was uncontrollably falling into another abyss.

He thought too much.

The Dao, simply put, is very simple, yet also very difficult.

For example, he had a volatile Heart-Nature; if he corrected this, a Heart Demon would find it difficult to erode him.

Because he thought very little, only needing to think about Cultivation, nothing else.

But Shen Li was completely different; he thought too much.

He thought of Black Ridge City.

He thought of the Shen Family.

He thought of the Dao Foundation.

He thought of Qingchi Mountain.

He thought of dealing with and commanding the various Immortal Sects.

He thought of how to achieve the greatest results with the least effort.

The more he thought, the more he worried, and the more Heart Demons would appear, seizing the opportunity.

The reason why those who are too intelligent are easily hurt comes from this.

In simple terms, it means:

Fools live a smooth, unremarkable life.

The wise, with their demonic intelligence, face constant hardships.

Wang Teng sat behind Shen Li, acting as his Protector.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, and infinite moonlight seemed to pour into the hall through the heavens.

The hall shimmered with a cool Qi, and Shen Li seemed to awaken, slowly speaking.

"What time is it?"

Wang Teng didn't ask further, only replied.

"It's night."

"Has Qiu Ya returned?"

"Not yet. Perhaps the journey is long? Has she been delayed?"

"Hmm..."

Shen Li was silent for a moment, then directly took out the 'Bitter Bamboo Forest' from his Storage Pouch.

He was having trouble suppressing his agitated thoughts.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze arose, and the hall echoed with cool wind sounds, accompanied by the rustling of bamboo leaves.

Amidst the gurgling of a spring, a tea table slowly appeared before him.

On the square table, a fire burned.

Water was boiling over the fire; perhaps because the teapot had been used for many years, brewing too many heaven and earth treasures, a clear, fragrant aroma rose with the steam.

This item, a half-Magical Artifact, half-heaven and earth treasure from Great Ancestor Shen Qianqiu, quietly filled the entire hall.

Even the bitter bamboo pierced through the corners of the hall, and the growing bamboo cracked the hall.

Fine wisps of moonlight converged within, making the hall appear even more wild.

A powerful aura surrounded him, and the pull from his Bloodline brought Shen Li a sense of peace.

Shen Li's mood gradually calmed down a lot, and the restless memories from 'Immortal Master Chasing Life' were silently suppressed once more.

He said with a bitter smile.

"The Demonic Path scoundrels have harmed me deeply. I thought sealing their memory fragments would be enough, and that with the Taiyin Sword Pill and the Taiyin Minor Arts, my Divine Soul would be as stable as a mountain."

"But I never expected the trouble to arise from within, that I myself would have a problem."

"It's just that my Cultivation lacks some refinement."

Wang Teng shook his head and said.

"You just think too much. You put too much pressure on yourself. Do what's appropriate for your status; looking three steps ahead... is too far for Cultivation."

"The Heart Demon that's currently afflicting you has likely taken shape. If you don't resolve it soon, it will only worsen. You should know how to resolve it in your Heart-Nature."

"I don't want to ask too much, I just want to ask you one thing: Is it difficult?"

Shen Li drank the clear tea from the teacup that had appeared out of thin air on the table, then fell silent for a moment, not hiding anything.

"As difficult as ascending to the heavens."

"I am merely an Immortal Seedling of the Wang Family, unable to command the Wang Family, but I, personally, support you."

Wang Teng looked at Shen Li's somewhat pale face and said in a deep voice.

"I will do my utmost!"

He deliberately added.

"If it weren't for you, I would probably still be in the market. This can be considered the kindness of imparting the Dao, and what do you need me to do?"

Shen Li's gaze gradually softened, and after that softness came a chill.

"I want the complete list of everyone from the Cloud Sea Sword Sect who came this time."

Wang Teng instantly understood Shen Li's meaning and continued to ask.

"Including Immortal Master?"

"Including Immortal Master!"