Journey to the head

Lin Le remained locked inside the magic array, and even Wu Yan dared not touch it, fearing that her actions might distract her husband and cause a disaster.

Unable to return home, she could only stay temporarily in the Rewards and Benevolence Bureau. She waited anxiously for half a month, but Lin Le kept the doors tightly shut, showing no sign of life.

The Yunshan Elders' Council held several emergency consultations, even summoning all the Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators on Biluo Peak, but they were at a loss for what to do.

“Waiting like this isn’t a solution, and we can’t contact Master now that we’re separated by oceans,” Wu Yan said anxiously. “Why don’t we send Zhao Gang over and ask him more carefully which words triggered Brother Le and caused his inner demons to rise uncontrollably? That way we can find the right remedy and perhaps find a solution.”

Having no other choice, the elders agreed.

So Zhao Gang, who had been hiding in the house for a long time and had not shown his face, was brought out by several disciples of the Surveillance Department and stumbled towards the Golden Summit Hall on the mountaintop.

Along the way, the disciples, seeing this, gathered around, pointing and whispering, some even chasing after him and shouting insults. The disciples from the Surveillance Department merely chased them away and had no intention of protecting Zhao Gang.

Amidst the discussions and insults, Zhao Gang was drenched in sweat, the sweat dripping down his drooping head and onto the stone steps.

With a muffled thud, the main hall doors slammed shut, as if a giant beast had swallowed him whole.

He struggled to lift his head and saw the Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators, the high-ranking members and key figures of the Yunshan Sect, who were once so distant, looking down at him from their high positions.

When the gate opened again, the sun was already setting.

The Nascent Soul cultivators and Golden Elixir cultivators of Yunshan emerged one after another and ascended straight into the sky.

Before the questioning was over, everyone was pleasantly surprised to receive a message from Lu Qian. He had already crossed the sea from Tianquan Continent and landed in Ningzhou. He was heading to Cangzhou with Xiang Kong and Li Sheng.

Judging by their speed, they should be almost at Cangzhou by now.

So the Yunshan leadership hastily ended the inquiry, and most of them went out to Chongming County to welcome the sect leader, which also served as a chance to report Lin Le's urgent matter.

After they left, a long time passed before Zhao slowly made his way out.

His face was deathly pale, and his eyes were lifeless. He walked toward his house like a walking corpse.

The young disciple who had been waiting in front of Lin Le's courtyard was startled. Suddenly, he saw the layers of magic arrays shake and dissipate, and the door opened slightly, and Lin Le walked out.

"Sect Leader Lin, are you alright?" The tall and upright disciple was both surprised and delighted. "Everyone has been so worried these past few days. The elders have held many meetings but haven't been able to come up with a solution; they can only watch helplessly."

Lin Le, looking tired and pale, nodded: "Xiang Qian, it's you."

This is Xiang Qian, the most outstanding seventh-generation disciple among the first batch of disciples to join the Yunshan Sect. He possesses the talent of dual spiritual roots, is proactive and quick-witted, and has already reached the late stage of Qi Refining.

Yunshan's higher-ups intended to cultivate him and set an example for the seventh-generation disciples. Therefore, they often assigned him the task of attending to them, so that he could broaden his horizons by staying by the side of the higher-ups.

Xiang Qian quickly understood the elders' intentions and took these tasks very seriously, unlike many disciples who felt that the work of serving was hard, troublesome, and not free, and preferred to complete some tedious production tasks.

Now that Lin Le has come out, Xiang Qian took a quick step forward and took Lin Le's arm.

Lin Le took a breath: "Thank you for your patience. Please inform the elders immediately that I have finished my seclusion."

In fact, the inner demon has already taken shape. How can it be eliminated? It took him more than half a month to barely finish reinforcing the Mirror Palace, sealing the person in the mirror inside, so that he could break free from seclusion and move freely.

However, the current state is actually very dangerous. If there is any external stimulus, the mirror palace may become loose, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

The most urgent task is to report this matter to the sect leader immediately, hoping that he can find a way to rescue me from this dangerous situation.

No, it's not wishful thinking, the sect leader will definitely have a way!
With this urgent feeling, Lin Le continued to ask, "Have the sect leader and the others returned?"

Xiang Qian quickly said, "Your timing for leaving seclusion is truly perfect. The sect leader just happened to be returning, and all the elders in the mountain went to greet him."

He glanced at Lin Le's expression and said worriedly, "Sect Leader Lin, please rest for a while. The sect leader and the others will be back soon."

Lin Le forced a smile. Just as he was about to speak, his consciousness suddenly stirred.

A burst of noise was rapidly approaching from a distance.

Many disciples looked terrified, running around aimlessly like headless flies, while some were shouting loudly.

"Something terrible has happened!"

Having survived so many life-or-death ordeals, Lin Le immediately raised his head and saw that the protective array of Biluo Peak was intact, protecting the mountain gate with powerful spiritual pressure. When he scanned the area with his divine sense, apart from the panicked disciples, there was nothing unusual around him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiang Qian's expression turned solemn. He stepped forward, blocking Lin Le's path, and shouted, "What's the panic! How can you behave in front of Sect Leader Lin!"

Many disciples noticed Lin Le had emerged from seclusion and rushed over. The one leading the way was an official from the Transmission of Skills Department. Upon seeing Lin Le, he hurriedly knelt down and said anxiously.

"Sect Leader Lin, something terrible has happened! Zhao Gang... Zhao Gang committed suicide!"

Xiang Qian stared wide-eyed, still reeling from the shock of the news, when he suddenly heard a muffled thud behind him, and found his vest soaked in warm liquid.

Then the Director of the Transmission Department shouted loudly, and Xiang Qian turned his head sharply. He saw Lin Le's face was ashen, and he staggered backward, covering his mouth with one hand, but blood was still seeping out between his fingers. He stumbled backward and rushed into the quiet room.

A twisted, manic, and eerie spiritual pressure was emanating from him!

"Master Lin!"

The disciples were shocked and were about to rush forward when the door to the meditation room was slammed shut.

This time, even the protective magic array didn't have time to be activated!

Shocked, Xiang Qian grabbed several fellow disciples who were about to rush forward and quickly led them out of the courtyard. He then waved his hand forcefully to make the bewildered disciples retreat immediately, while taking out a set of magic array talismans from his storage bag and setting them up around the courtyard.

Once the magic array barrier finally rose, he lowered his voice and shouted, "Everyone, guard the surroundings! Absolutely no one is allowed to touch the magic array!"

"Sect Leader Lin is in danger! I must report this immediately!"

An hour later, streaks of light emerged from the protective array and entered. Lu Qian, along with a group of Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators from Yunshan, descended directly in front of Lin Le's courtyard, which had been sealed off by the array.

The sect leader is finally back!
The Yunshan disciples guarding the area were overjoyed, while Xiang Qian, who had been anxiously waiting with sweat pouring down his face, felt as if he had been granted a pardon.

Just as the disciples were about to kneel down, Lu Qian flicked his finger and lifted them up.

"Xiang Qian, tell me what happened again, the more detailed the better." Xiang Qian nodded and recounted the cause and effect in detail, especially the state he saw when Lin Le came out of the pass, and the sudden change that occurred when he heard that Zhao Gang had committed suicide.

Lu Qian nodded and glanced at the protective array again.

"You did well."

"This disciple only did what he should do." Xiang Qian suppressed his joy. "Please, Sect Leader, lend a hand and save Sect Leader Lin from this calamity."

Lu Qian then ordered everyone to step back. Just as Xiang Qian was about to cast a spell to dispel the magic array barrier, Lu Qian stretched out his finger and gently tapped it in mid-air.

The magic array barrier vanished silently into the air, just like water vapor evaporating.

Xiang Qian felt even more awe. Then he saw Lu Qian standing still, suddenly splitting into two. The other Lu Qian, like a wisp of smoke, quietly disappeared into the courtyard wall, passed through the door, and entered the quiet room.

Wu Yan looked anxious, her fists clenched tightly. Jiang Qingfeng was very worried, but dared not make a sound to disturb her, and could only gently support Wu Yan's shoulder.

Xiang Kong closed his eyes, turned the jade prayer beads, and silently prayed for Lin Le to be blessed and ward off disaster. Li Sheng stared at the quiet courtyard, his lips pressed tightly together.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the clouds materialized and emerged from the wall, then quietly dissipated. Lu Qian frowned, pointed his finger again, and the magic array that enveloped the courtyard stood up once more.

"Master!" Wu Yan called out anxiously.

Lu Qian shook his head, recalling Lin Le's condition when he saw her; it could only be described as extremely critical.

Lin Le was drenched in cold sweat. A strange bloodline between his eyebrows extended from Baihui to Renzhong. His spiritual pressure, spiritual power, and mental power were in complete chaos and he was impossible to touch. He was just one step away from being devoured by his inner demons!

“Lin Le is in very bad condition. I carefully sensed the fluctuations, and he must be trying his best to activate the ‘Mirror Palace Binding Ape Technique’,” Lu Qian said in a deep voice. “At this critical moment, how could he have time to slowly practice the ‘gradual method’ of the Mirror Palace? What he used must have been the ‘sudden method’ without a doubt.”

"The Mirror Palace technique is like drinking poison to quench thirst, with endless consequences. Every time you suppress your inner demons, they only become stronger."

"Moreover, according to Xiang Qian's description, just as Lin Le was barely suppressing his inner demons with the Mirror Palace, he suddenly heard the news of Zhao Gang's suicide. As a result, the Mirror Palace shook and his inner demons rose again."

"Lin Le's current state is like walking on a hair's breadth above a bottomless abyss."

"Master!" Wu Yan was terrified, never expecting the situation to worsen like this. She grabbed Lu Qian's sleeve. "You must have a way, right?"

Lu Qian was also very anxious. He paced back and forth a few times, his mind working like lightning as he calculated all the possible solutions he could think of.

But none of them worked!
"Lin Le is currently suffering from elixir poisoning, so spiritual medicine cannot be used," Wang Yu said. "Could the sect leader use his profound mental power to enter his sea of ​​consciousness and lend him a helping hand?"

The one who answered him was Gu Nishang.

"You haven't experienced the tribulation of inner demons, so you don't understand yet. Inner demons, the demons in one's heart, are two sides of the same coin as cultivators; in fact, they are the cultivators themselves."

"Even if Lu Qian enters Lin Le's sea of ​​consciousness, all he can see is a chaotic soul. Inner demons simply do not exist for outsiders."

"The person Lin Le is currently fighting is none other than himself."

Wang Yu nodded silently, while Lu Qian sighed: "Back then, when Lin Le faced the demon-possessed Senior Chi Yu, he used dream weaving to glimpse the illusion of the inner demon and found the key to break it."

"But Lin Le succeeded only by using the Divine Power: Red Powder Skull and Dream Weaving. Now I neither know the Red Powder Skull Divine Power, and Lin Le's condition is also different from Senior Chi Yu's."

"He is currently maintaining the most dangerous and fragile balance, which could be broken by the slightest movement, with unimaginable consequences."

Jiang Qingfeng gripped Wu Yan's cold hand tightly: "Junior brother, what can we do?"

Lu Qian remained silent, looking at the extremely quiet courtyard, as if a volcano might erupt at any moment.

"This is a calamity, something we cannot interfere with; only Lin Le can rely on himself—"

"Sect Leader!" An Fanghe's eyes suddenly lit up, and he slammed his Ruyi scepter down heavily. "I've thought of someone who might be able to lend Uncle Lin a hand!"

A few breaths later, Wu Yan transformed into a beam of light, passed through the mountain-protecting array, and shot towards Chongming County.

After receiving the power transmission from the illusionary Lord Jichuan, she became more and more adept at spatial techniques. Relying on secret methods, she could increase her long-range flight speed by another 50% on top of the speed of a normal Nascent Soul cultivator.

She was extremely anxious and urged it on even more fiercely, causing even her nascent soul to tremble.

Meanwhile, everyone from Yunshan waited anxiously around the courtyard. Lu Qian closed his eyes, praying that Lin Le could hold on and not fail before Wu Yan returned.

Xiang Qian watched from afar, his face extremely tense, barely daring to breathe.

Finally, the spatial fluctuation passed through the protective array once again and landed in front of the courtyard. Wu Yan then released the dizzy young cultivator.

Xuanji Zi, Wei Zhaixing.

An hour later, the bell in the main hall of Yunshan rang three times, signifying an emergency and that the Yunshan leadership was gathering for a meeting.

Lu Qian sat in the main seat and looked around. Everyone had a serious expression.

Unexpectedly, while rushing back to discuss the two major events of the Starry Sea Dragon Clan's unusual activities and the appearance of the Mysterious Law Heavenly Lord's divided soul, I heard about a sudden incident in the sect halfway there: the sixth-generation disciple Zhao Gang committed suicide, and the deputy sect leader Lin Le's inner demon Chang Sheng was in imminent danger.

The urgency was so great that even the fact that Li Sheng failed to establish his foundation, which would have caused a stir, was overshadowed.

Wei Zhaixing is now recuperating in Baiyujing. Thinking of how he once again used his amazing supernatural power "Shifting Stars and Changing Constellations" to ward off evil and bring blessings to Lin Le, thus attracting the favor of heaven, Lu Qian felt slightly relieved.

Concern clouded his judgment, and Lu Qian hadn't even considered having such a helper.

Fortunately, Yunshan is now full of talented people, and An Fanghe promptly identified and filled the gaps.

Thinking about it this way, it's true that only the elusive "divine intervention" can give Lin Leduo a chance to survive.

Unfortunately, the true application of "stealing fortune and wealth to create an elixir" has not yet been found, otherwise "fortune and wealth elixir" could be used to bring good fortune to Lin Le.

Previously, Wei Zhaixing almost paid the ultimate price to give the Yunshan Sect a glimmer of hope, but now, the burden is much lighter as he is fighting for Lin Le personally. Furthermore, with the guidance of True Monarch Heming, he now has a deeper understanding of the Dao of Destiny. Although he suffered a great loss of energy fighting for Lin Le, fortunately, his very essence was not damaged.

To thank Wei Zhaixing for his help, Lu Qian gave him the last "One Yuan Pure Qi Pill".

With this innate elixir, Wei Zhaixing could immediately advance to the peak of the Golden Core stage. As long as the poison dissipates after ten years, and he undergoes further refinement, he could then, with the power of the elixir, attempt to overcome the inner demon tribulation and enter the Nascent Soul realm! (End of Chapter)