Chapter 1062 - 550: Tribulation of the Heart Demon (Part 1)_2

Chapter 1062: Chapter 550: Tribulation of the Heart Demon (Part 1)_2

At this moment, Xue’Er immersed her entire being in the baptism of Tribulation Thunder, using it to temper her body, feeling the terrifying power contained in each bolt. It was also the purest energy between Heaven and Earth, a superb opportunity to refine the physical body and hone her will.

As the Thunderbolt continued to bombard her, the Celestial Fox Bloodline seemed to be fully Awakening. Currents of warm power surged through her veins, intertwining with the Thunderbolt Power and forming a subtle balance. Her body, under the stimulation of lightning, kept contracting and stretching, remolding her Physical Body, making it all the more indestructible.

"Sect Master, there is no need to worry too much. Xue’Er is exceptionally intelligent. Right now she is using this Tribulation Thunder for Body Tempering, planning to fully activate the Celestial Fox Bloodline hidden within her!"

Seeing Li Mu’s tense expression, Master Qingyang smiled faintly and hurriedly offered reassurance.

Hearing this, the tightly furrowed brows on Li Mu’s face finally relaxed a little, though the worry in his eyes did not completely fade. The True Spirit Thunder Tribulation was so terrifying that even though Xue’Er was at this moment displaying astonishing recovery and transformation, he still could not entirely set his heart at ease.

"Let it be so..." Li Mu muttered to himself, his gaze never once leaving Xue’Er’s figure shrouded in Thunder Light. He too could sense that increasingly powerful aura within her, and yet the True Spirit Thunder Tribulation had only just passed its halfway point. Even if Xue’Er had broken the cocoon and been reborn, the trials to come would still be incomparably arduous.

Time trickled by, and the might of Celestial Tribulation grew ever stronger. Scarlet Thunder Light frenziedly gathered within the clouds, as though even the sky was being dyed blood-red. A suffocating pressure blanketed the entire Tribulation Crossing Platform, and this wave of Tribulation Thunder seemed about to come to an end.

"Crack!" The final thick scarlet bolt of Thunderbolt cleaved down from the thunderclouds with a roar, surging straight toward Xue’Er.

"Boom!" With a deafening crash, the scarlet Thunderbolt collided with the silver mesh, releasing an ear-splitting explosion. The entire Tribulation Crossing Platform shuddered endlessly beneath this force.

Xue’Er unfurled her Nine-tailed, releasing the Nine-tailed Guardian. As strand after strand of red electric serpents roamed over her entire body, a pair of crimson-yellow vertical pupils locked onto the thunderclouds overhead, sensing something.

Within the thunderclouds, an unprecedented Energy Fluctuation began to churn, completely different from the Thunderbolt before. This power seemed to act directly upon the depths of one’s soul, carrying a sense of fear that made Xue’Er extremely uncomfortable.

Xue’Er had already understood the trial of the next wave of Tribulation Thunder—the Heart Demon Tribulation.

The Heart Demon Tribulation was the most perilous stage for countless Tribulation Responders. It acted directly upon the depths of one’s spirit, dredging up the Cultivator’s deepest fears, desires, and regrets, causing one to lose themselves within the Illusion Realm, even to the point of self-destruction.

"This... this is the Heart Demon Tribulation!" Seeing this, Master Qingyang’s expression involuntarily grew grave. He understood all too well the horror of the Heart Demon Tribulation; even he had nearly lost his life to this calamity when he crossed tribulation in the past.

Li Mu’s expression tightened. He hastily sent a stream of steadfast faith via Divine Thought to Xue’Er: "Xue’Er, stay clear-headed. Do not be ensnared by the Heart Demon!"

Xue’Er gave Li Mu a faint smile, smoothing out the fluctuations in her heart. Gathering her mind, she prepared to face the ordeal of the Heart Demon Tribulation.

Soon, the Heart Demon Thunder Tribulation descended. It did not inflict any damage upon Xue’Er’s body; instead, illusions as tangible as reality began to surface one after another in her mind.

The scene of her clan being slaughtered by Demon Cultivators was the first to surge into Xue’Er’s consciousness. Flames soared to the heavens, the wails of her clansmen filled the land, and blood dyed the entire snowy field red. It was the deepest pain in her heart.

Xue’Er had personally witnessed the clan being annihilated by the Nine Demons Sect, watched her mother die in her arms, saw her fellow tribesmen fall one after another while she herself was powerless. Anger, grief, and helplessness surged like a tidal wave, almost drowning her entirely.

However, Xue’Er quickly recovered her usual expression, her face blank as she ignored the scene before her. She understood well the terror of the Heart Demon. Yet the Nine Demons Sect had already been wiped out by Brother Li, the Demon Abyssal Forces had been Sealed once more, and the blood feud of her clan and mother had already been avenged. She would not let hatred cloud her mind.

This was the potency of the Heart Demon, a trap laid to crush her will. Xue’Er closed her eyes, temporarily sealing away those painful memories, successfully constructing a barrier within her soul.

The first Heart Demon Tribulation was successfully resolved by Xue’Er, and very soon, another Heart Demon Tribulation transformed and emerged.

This time, the illusion was no longer the cruelty and hatred of the outside world, but instead shifted toward the softest part of Xue’Er’s inner heart—her emotional entanglement with Li Mu.

The scene shifted, and Xue’Er found herself inside that cozy little room in the Treasure Mansion. Outside the window were all sorts of Spirit Flowers and rare herbs, while within the room were the sweet moments she had shared with Li Mu. Yet as time passed, the scene began to warp. Li Mu’s features turned vague, his gaze gradually filling with coldness and alienation. In the end, he turned away and left, leaving only one icy sentence: "Xue’Er, this is where we end."

The sight crashed over Xue’Er’s heart like a bolt from the blue, dragging it instantly into an abyss. She could not believe that Li Mu would abandon her so easily. Fear, loss, and despair intertwined, as though about to devour her whole.

...

"No, this isn’t real!" Xue’Er screamed within her heart, struggling desperately to break free from the shackles of this illusion, yet every effort was like striking cotton—weak and feeble.

However, at this very moment of despair, a force deep within Xue’Er’s heart quietly Awakened. She recalled Li Mu’s character and temperament, the centuries of companionship they had shared, those days of life-and-death reliance, the tacit understanding in their exchanged smiles that required no words.

"Brother Li, I believe in you, and I believe in the bond between us." Xue’Er silently intoned within, her gaze gradually turning firm and limpid.

As Xue’Er’s inner faith grew resolute, the illusions around her began to blur, until they completely dissipated. She opened her eyes once more to find herself still standing upon the Tribulation Crossing Platform, thunderclouds still roiling overhead. Yet her Heart Realm had changed utterly; she felt an unprecedented calm and confidence, a power born from the depths of her soul, enough to repel any Heart Demon’s invasion.

The Thunder Tribulation had been passed. Xue’Er and Li Mu returned to their former, ordinary days. Time flew; in the blink of an eye, several hundred years went by. However, the Spiritual Power between Heaven and Earth grew ever more scarce, like a dried-up riverbed that could no longer nourish all things. Countless Cultivators found their Cultivation unable to advance even an inch; some even regressed. The entire Spirit Realm fell into panic and despair.

As the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power dried up, cracks suddenly appeared in the Sealing Array that suppressed the Abyssal Passage, bursting through the Seal and descending upon the Spirit Realm.

...

Above the Tribulation Crossing Platform, the thunderclouds in the sky surged like a sea of ink, ever-changing, at times condensing into the form of a ferocious Giant Beast, at times tearing apart into blinding lightning, heralding the Thunder Tribulation that was underway.

At the center of the Tribulation Crossing Platform, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox stood dazedly in place. Her eyes had lost their focus, as though bound by invisible chains. Her figure was stiff, the aura that had once been graceful and Spiritual now a chaotic mess, waxing and waning, as if she were undergoing fierce struggle in the depths of her heart.

"Damn it! Xue’Er has fallen prey to this Celestial Tribulation."

Li Mu’s expression changed drastically. He had already seen that while Xue’Er had passed the previous Heart Demon Tribulations with ease, she had become deeply trapped in this final Heart Demon Tribulation, facing an unprecedented crisis.

Li Mu’s brows knitted into a river, complex light flickering within his eyes. Within him raged a bitter battle. On one hand, he desperately wanted to intervene, to pull Xue’Er out of this endless nightmare. On the other hand, he knew all too well the special nature of the Heart Demon Tribulation—any external aid could become a catalyst that might not only fail to save her, but even drive her into a deeper quagmire.

For a time, Li Mu was caught between advance and retreat, unable to decide.

Seeing this, Master Qingyang sighed softly, stepping forward to counsel: "Sect Master, do not be rash. This tribulation is indeed perilous in the extreme for Xue’Er, but it is also a tempering she must undergo on her path of cultivation."

"Miss Xue’Er’s Heart is pure and kind, but precisely because of this, under certain extreme circumstances it may become a soft underbelly for the Heart Demon’s Magic Attack. Yet it is exactly these weaknesses that, if she can overcome them, will turn into her strongest Armor. Sect Master, at this moment you should choose to trust her instead!" Master Qingyang looked at Li Mu and added.

Hearing this, Li Mu let out a sigh, a complex emotion flashing through his eyes. The hand he had raised to cast a spell fell limply to his side.