Chapter 117: I Am the Heart Demon

A nagging anxiety persistently tugged at Yun Zhi's mind, a quiet conviction that the very troubles she feared were bound to unfold.

After all, this was the Dao Seeking Sect; no occurrence, however bizarre, could ever truly be deemed surprising here.

Lu Yang had drifted into an exquisitely ethereal state, acutely aware of spiritual energy saturating every acupuncture point and vessel, his internal circulation seamlessly merging with the ambient ether, exchanging energy with every rise and fall of his breath.

His mind attained a state of unprecedented tranquility as he meticulously refined the profound benefits bestowed by the Kui Ox, distinctly perceiving his physical form growing ever stronger.

"It would be wisest to go and see," Yun Zhi murmured, casting a brief glance at the meditating Lu Yang, and choosing not to disturb him, she ventured alone toward the pine grove, leaving a puppet to guard his cultivation.

By now, the dead of night had fallen, enveloping Tianmen Peak in an extraordinary silence save for the presence of Yun Zhi and Lu Yang; she glided through the mountain paths, resembling an immortal treading upon the clouds.

Then, Yun Zhi came upon the boisterous sight of her master and the elders, hopelessly trapped together within the immortal cave.

Even from a considerable distance, their clamorous voices echoed clearly.

Yun Zhi let out a soft sigh, resigning herself to the fact that what was destined to happen would always find a way to happen.

She stepped into the cavern, contemplating whether or not she should grant them their release.

Within the cave, the highest echelons of the Dao Seeking Sect were gathered in full force.

"I always knew my senior brothers and sisters possessed benevolent hearts, unable to bear the thought of me languishing here alone, so you deliberately came inside to keep me company," Daoist Buyu said with immense gratitude, though the curling smirk at the corners of his mouth was utterly impossible to conceal.

"Especially Second Senior Brother—on the surface, he claimed to be cracking the formation, but in truth, knowing I was lonely, he dragged everyone in to keep me company!"

Old Man Ba instantly felt the malicious glares directed at him by his junior brothers and sisters, enduring a monumental wave of pressure.

Forcing himself to maintain an air of composure, he declared, "Everyone, do not panic, this is merely a single sealing restriction left by Martial Niece Yun Zhi, not her actual person; so long as we unite our strengths, we will surely overcome this hardship and shatter the seal!"

"Think of the glorious Nine Disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect we once were, look at the high positions you all hold today; what manner of difficulty could possibly defeat us?"

In their youth, they had roamed the martial world, slaying demons and exorcising evils, leaving an illustrious reputation across the Central Continent, back when people reverently referred to them as the "Nine Disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect."

Within the cramped confines of the cave, the Nine Disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect stood united once more.

"Old Ninth, speak up, just how exactly do we leave this place?" Old Man Ba glared fiercely at Daoist Buyu; he had originally come to enjoy the spectacle, only to end up becoming the spectacle himself.

Daoist Buyu chuckled gleefully, thinking that since everyone had gone through such trouble to accompany him, how could he let them leave so easily?

He adopted a solemn expression and said, "I am not afraid of being ridiculed when I say this, but Little Yun’s cultivation surpassed mine long ago, and her sole purpose in placing this seal was to compel me to cultivate diligently and break through my own limits."

"Therefore, to shatter this seal, one must surpass their limitations and transcend their own self!"

The crowd suddenly realized the gravity of the situation; transcending oneself was easy to speak of, but incredibly difficult to execute in reality.

Daoist Buyu had long since mapped out the sequence of events in his mind: first, everyone would step forward one by one to attempt a breakthrough, and upon being repelled, they would undoubtedly become disheartened; at that precise moment, he would claim to have achieved a sudden enlightenment, announce a three-day meditation to break through, and after three days, he would feign a massive surge in aura, unleash a magnificent display of sword techniques against the cave entrance just as the seal naturally expired, leaving his senior brothers and sisters marveled by his supreme comprehension.

A flawless plan!

"Since matters stand as they do, as the Second Senior Brother, I shall naturally step forward without hesitation to make the first attempt!" In the absence of the Grand Elder, Old Man Ba held the highest seniority, and he needed to set an example.

The others looked upon Old Man Ba with eager anticipation; realizing he would likely fail to break the seal and fearing it would be terribly embarrassing, Old Man Ba turned his head and said, "All of you step back, I possess a unique secret technique that is inconvenient to display before others."

The crowd obediently retreated into the deeper recesses of the cavern, where the conditions at the entrance were obscured from view.

Seeing that everyone had withdrawn, Old Man Ba inhaled deeply, shaking several seeds from his sleeve; accompanied by his murmured incantations, the seeds instantly transformed into thick, robust vines that struck violently against the entrance, the foliage shimmering faintly as thunderous roars erupted, shaking the very heavens.

This was the exceedingly rare Purple Thunder Vine, rumored to be born from the bathing of tribulation lightning, carrying the brand of heaven and earth from birth, possessing a fraction of a heavenly tribulation's might.

After a frantic barrage of explosions, the cave entrance remained entirely unchanged, the seal not budging in the slightest.

"Hmm?"

Through the dense smoke, Old Man Ba caught sight of a graceful silhouette and knitted his brows.

As the smoke dissipated, the figure of Yun Zhi was revealed.

Given Old Man Ba's vast wealth of experience, he instantly deduced what was happening before his eyes.

The figure before him had to be his own inner demon; hadn't Old Ninth just said that to break the seal, one must transcend oneself? And how does one transcend oneself, if not by defeating their inner demon?

"I truly believed I had come to terms with it, thinking that each generation naturally surpasses the last, and that it is a good thing for the young to be stronger than the old, but it seems I still haven't truly let it go!" Old Man Ba's fighting spirit soared.

With that thought, Old Man Ba hesitated no longer, unleashing his full power to attack Yun Zhi.

Yun Zhi had merely intended to step inside to see what the elders were up to and consider whether to let them out, yet who could have anticipated that the moment she reached the entrance, she would be met with Old Man Ba's frantic barrage of strikes.

Left with no choice but to retaliate, Yun Zhi extended a delicate hand, the bells upon her wrist chiming softly as she delivered a single palm strike, sending Old Man Ba flying backward.

Old Man Ba crashed backward over a great distance before being caught by the Third Elder and the others.

"Second Senior Brother, whatever happened to you?"

Old Man Ba coughed twice, a trace of terror lingering in his eyes; he raised a trembling hand, pointing toward the cave entrance as he said, "Be careful, Old Ninth did not deceive us, Martial Niece Yun Zhi's fortune is matchless, she has established an inner demon seal; if we wish to break through, we must resolve the inner demon!"

Daoist Buyu muttered inwardly, an inner demon? What inner demon?

Refusing to believe in such heresy, the Third Elder stepped forward to try his luck, only to encounter Yun Zhi once more; he had never been one to employ his intellect, so naturally, he believed whatever Old Man Ba declared.

When Yun Zhi had defeated five sect masters at the Immortal Sect Grand Gathering, she had briefly become the inner demon for the older generation, making them feel as though their thousand years of cultivation amounted to absolutely nothing, and the Third Elder was no exception.

Thus, the moment the Third Elder saw Yun Zhi, he assumed a combat stance and engaged directly, resulting in the exact same outcome as the Second Elder, being sent flying by a single palm strike.

"What a formidable inner demon!"

The Fourth Elder, the Fifth Elder... all the way to the Eighth Elder, the elders tried their hand one by one, and all were subsequently defeated by Yun Zhi.

Utterly bewildered, Daoist Buyu approached the cave entrance, and upon seeing Yun Zhi, a sudden realization dawned upon him—this was no inner demon at all, this was clearly Little Yun herself standing guard at the threshold!

"Little Yun?" Daoist Buyu called out tentatively.

Yun Zhi replied expressionlessly, "I am the inner demon."

Having spoken, she gave her master no opportunity to react, sending him flying with a single palm strike before turning to depart from the cave.

To mistake her for an inner demon and launch an attack the moment they met, yet still expect to come out? They could comfortably sit in meditation for three days instead.

Lu Yang slowly opened his eyes, feeling a warm current coursing through his physical form; he was now a mere step away from a breakthrough.

By this time, Yun Zhi had already returned to her original seat, and as Lu Yang looked at her sitting opposite him, he couldn't help but wonder if it was an illusion, but his Eldest Senior Sister seemed to be in rather high spirits.

"Eldest Senior Sister, has something pleasant occurred?"

"No," Yun Zhi replied in her characteristically detached tone.