Journey to the head

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, there was only cold, deathly silence.

Above the astonishingly high-quality psychic waves, which had reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, a palace constructed of thousands of prisms floated silently. Lin Le was reflected and bound by countless mirrors, layered upon layered together.

He was so angry, yet so powerless.

Another Lin Le stood outside the Mirror Palace, smiling, full of vigor and confidence, but he was surrounded by ominous black energy, and a black energy condensed like a line running through his entire forehead.

The Mirror Palace Binding Ape Technique should have been the most advanced "binding" technique in the world, but unfortunately, Lin Le was forced to use its "sudden stop" method, embarking on a path of self-destruction.

Each time he suppressed his inner demons, he grew stronger, and after a difficult struggle of more than half a year, he finally lost. In the end, the Mirror Palace fell, the inner demons escaped, took over his body, and locked Lin Le's true self inside the Mirror Palace.

However, it was precisely because of the Mirror Palace Binding Ape Technique that Lin Le did not die from going astray and being consumed by his inner demons. Instead, he became in a bizarre situation where his inner demons and his true self were of the same origin but were also distinct from each other, a situation rarely seen before.

"Still struggling in vain?" The voice of the inner demon Lin Le pierced through the lens palace. "You know you can't win against me, so why won't you give up and merge with me?"

Lin Le, panting heavily under the suppression of the Mirror Palace, glared at the inner demon that had seized control of his body and let out a cry of resentment.

"Evil cannot prevail over good; this has always been the case. I have simply lost my way and misjudged my true self, which has led me to this state. As long as I can dispel the fog and see through the illusions to my true nature—"

Lin Le, the inner demon, interrupted him directly: "How long are you going to keep deceiving yourself? I am your true self!"

"Even now, are you still clinging to those empty words spoken by the sect leader?"

"The idea that everyone can choose their own life is a pipe dream! Indulging in it will only lead to your utter destruction when faced with the real storm!"

“You know this better than anyone else. You have actually made the right choices time and time again, and that’s why I was born!”

"I've come to save you, to save the Yunshan Sect!"

Lin Le suddenly looked up: "Shut up! The way of the sect leader is the foundation of Yunshan Sect!"

"The foundation of a sect?" The inner demon sneered, his robe sleeves brushing across the void, and outside the Mirror Palace, the prosperous scene of the Yunshan Sect burning like oil was immediately revealed.

The shouts of disciples sparring in the training ground, the ever-burning smoke from the alchemy furnace, and the figures moving about in the spirit herb garden. But this scene was immediately gripped tightly by the five fingers of the inner demon, shattering like a bubble being crushed.

"This false prosperity will soon crumble, and you know what I mean. The power of the Heavenly Sovereigns is constantly emerging, appearing in droves, and one slip could lead to annihilation. The sect leader's old methods are no longer suitable for this cruel world. If the Yunshan Sect doesn't change, it will be destroyed!"

"When real danger is imminent, we need ironclad order, we need to unite every bit of strength into one, and everyone must accept the collective's arrangements, instead of pursuing their own interests. The sect leader has been trying to deceive and take shortcuts all along."

"What I have spoken of is the path to salvation, and that is why I have defeated you!"

Lin Le clenched his fist: "No matter how sweet your words, a demon in the heart is a demon in the heart. I will persist until the sect leader returns from the Dragon Palace, and he will surely have a good plan to destroy you! Just like how many times he saved the Yunshan Sect!"

The inner demon suddenly laughed: "You've reminded me."

With a flick of his long sleeves, the figures of Lu Qian and the elders and key members of the Yunshan Sect began to float in the prism.

"The sect leader's prestige is too high, like an insurmountable mountain, making it hard for people to breathe."

“Master, Senior Uncle Wang, Elder Gu, Fang He, Shi Tou, Su Yan, Tian Ci. They all listen to him without question. Even Yan Mei won’t help me.”

The inner demon traced Lu Qian's reflection in the mirror with his fingertips, his tone icy and chilling: "As long as he is alive, Yunshan will forever continue down the dead-end path he has drawn! I will have no way to help Yunshan Sect reach its peak."

Lin Le was startled and shouted, "What do you want to do?!"

"What are you doing?" The inner demon suddenly turned around, his demonic energy surging like waves, causing the Mirror Palace to tremble. "I do not deny the greatness of the sect leader in laying the foundation for Yunshan, but now, he has become the biggest stumbling block on the great path of Yunshan Sect."

"Set things right! For the future of Yunshan—the sect leader must die!"

The mirror palace trembled, and the sea of ​​consciousness roared wildly. Lin Le felt as if he had been choked, unable to utter a sound, while a strange fanaticism appeared on the face of the inner demon.

"Originally, I thought and thought, but I couldn't find a way to deal with the sect leader. However, heaven is on my side. Just now, Senior Uncle Wang said that the Yueling Sect of Tianquan Continent was wiped out overnight, and the avatar of the Wonderful Dharma Heavenly Lord escaped into the Treasure Light Realm, leaving only that crazy Jian Yuezi behind."

"That madman is the fuse left by the Heavenly Lord of Wonderful Laws! As long as I can find a way to trigger him and lure him to the Dragon Palace, I can definitely kill the sect leader with the help of the Heavenly Lord of Wonderful Laws!"

"With the sect leader dead, I can rightfully succeed him and lead the Yunshan Sect—"

"Impossible!" Lin Le suddenly realized, his eyes wide with rage, and he frantically attacked the Mirror Palace. Spiderweb-like cracks crawled all over the prism, but they were forcibly healed and suppressed by the surging demonic thoughts of his inner demons.

"You demon! I will never, absolutely will not allow you to harm the sect leader!"

The inner demon snorted coldly, ignoring the roars within the Mirror Palace of Consciousness. His last words echoed in his sea of ​​consciousness: "Just watch and see how I pave the true path to heaven for Yunshan."

At the summit of Biluo Peak, the gradually setting moonlight pierced through the clouds, casting sparse patches of light.

Amidst buildings of all sizes, winding stone paths, and various training grounds of different shapes and sizes, the disciples of Yunshan hurried about. The eight departments and two divisions were fully mobilized, and the entire sect began to transition into wartime mode.

The elders and key members of the Yunshan Sect were all absorbed in their work, preoccupied with their worries about the riots in Qingzhou. No one noticed that Lin Le had silently opened the door to the quiet room. His face was sickly pale, and the signs of demonic energy attacking his heart were once again suppressed.

The two disciples standing at the door saw the door open and their faces instantly lit up with immense joy: "Sect Leader Lin—"

"Shh," Lin Le raised his index finger. "You all stay here and keep watch. If anyone asks, just say I'm still in seclusion and can't be disturbed. Don't let a single word leak out!"

The two disciples nodded repeatedly, standing up straight with a great sense of mission.

Lin Le smiled slightly.

When I return, I'll make those disciples who have seen me disappear.

Immediately, he activated his Wind Shadow Cloud Body technique, choosing paths with few disciples and avoiding guard posts. In a few flashes, he had already passed through the numerous palaces and pavilions like a ghost, silently passing through the spiritual light barrier of the mountain-protecting formation with the help of the pass token.

However, outside the great formation, the disciples of Yunshan were patrolling and keeping watch without any blind spots.

Lin Le was forced to appear before a patrolling group of disciples. The Foundation Establishment captain, seeing the sudden appearance, almost sent a warning signal. But he finally recognized Lin Le before he could raise his hand, and exclaimed excitedly, "Sect Leader Lin! It's Sect Leader Lin! You're finally awake! That's wonderful!"

The other disciples also looked over, their eyes filled with hope and excitement.

"Sect Leader Lin! Qingzhou is in complete chaos. Is another war about to break out?"

"It's good that you're awake! With you here to plan and strategize, those clowns will vanish in an instant!"

"Sect Leader Lin, what are you doing?" Lin Le's face showed a perfect balance of weariness and solemnity: "The situation is critical, and I need to personally handle an important matter that concerns the overall situation. All of you must remain at your posts and not mention what happened to me today to anyone, so as not to let the news leak out."

His voice carried a convincing authority, and the team members responded in unison, their excitement overflowing. They felt it was a great responsibility and an honor to keep Lin Le's secret.

The team leader clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Sect Leader Lin, rest assured, we will keep our mouths shut!"

Lin Le said no more, and with a slight movement, he was about to take flight.

He was going to leave Cangzhou, enter Haiyuan Pavilion in Ningzhou, and then cross the Star Sea by treasure ship to go to Tianquan Continent.

However, just as the escape light unfurled—

"Senior Brother Lin?!"

A voice filled with immense surprise rang out behind us, as resounding as a great bell!

It was Wang Ruoyu!

Lin Le's heart sank. This was troublesome. In order to suppress the true body in the Mirror Palace, he had to divert a lot of his mental energy, which made his divine sense less sharp.

Furthermore, due to the obstruction of the great formation, he failed to notice Wang Ruoyu emerging from within it immediately.

Wang Ruoyu, clad in heavy armor and as imposing as an iron tower, was leading his disciples out in formation, preparing to pilot the "Starry Sky Divine Ship" to Qingzhou to quell the riots.

Now that he had bumped into Lin Le, he was overjoyed and hurriedly called out, "Senior Brother Lin, you've come out of seclusion!"

Lin Le looked at him and the ever-growing number of cultivators following behind him, and knew that this infiltration attempt had failed. He had no choice but to give up and wait for the next opportunity.

He then laughed and said, "Indeed, I just came out of the pass and heard about the chaos in Qingzhou. It's really hard to stay calm."

Wang Ruoyu approached and tried to hold Lin Le's hand, but Lin Le subtly avoided her.

Wang Ruoyu chuckled sheepishly, "Senior Brother Lin, you still don't look well. You need to rest. Uncle Wang has already devised a plan for the Qingzhou riots, so don't worry."

"Senior Brother Lin, take good care of yourself. When the sect leader returns and sees that you are unharmed, he will be overjoyed."

Sect Leader!

These words were like boiling oil poured into the depths of the Mirror Palace, and Lin Le himself let out a hoarse roar.

"Die with me—"

This surge of terror and rage arose from the very depths of his soul, like a volcano dormant for millennia erupting! He mobilized all his power, recklessly and fearlessly crashing into the myriad prisms!
Boom——

The entire Mirror Palace of Consciousness shook violently, and countless fine cracks spread wildly across the surface of the prism!
Lin Le was about to speak to Wang Ruoyu, but the forced gentle appearance was like a glass mask hit by a heavy hammer, instantly cracking and peeling off piece by piece!
An uncontrollable, chaotic aura erupted from every pore of his body. His once clear and handsome face twisted, revealing a狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) and chaotic expression. The gentle and profound look in his eyes vanished completely, leaving only a distorted, blood-red glare.

Wang Ruoyu's eyes widened. The person before him emanated a chaotic, cold, and destructive demonic aura, a stark contrast to the calm and wise Senior Brother Lin Le! He cried out in alarm, "No, you're not—"

A blinding white light flashed between Lin Le's brows, transforming into a chilling incantation that surged into Wang Ruoyu's body. Wang Ruoyu groaned and fell backward.

Lin Le possessed a powerful spiritual sense and was certain that this spell, "Darkness and Chaos," would knock Wang Ruoyu unconscious. He struggled to suppress the shaking mirror palace and turned to leave.

He planned to escape from Biluo Peak before his disciples could react.

But just as he had darted a thousand feet, a sharp whistling sound suddenly exploded, and a dazzling star ring, condensed with the killing intent of the Taibai Star, shot out and, with a slight flash, caught up with Lin Le's back.

Precious Talisman - Venus Star Ring!
With a loud hum, the enormous halo, now hundreds of feet in diameter, engulfed Lin Le, but the next moment, five-colored light suddenly opened up.

Lin Le stood in the Five Elements Formation. The light of his divine power "Indestructible Golden Body" was fading. On the array diagram that rose in front of him, a spiritual marrow was burning and injecting energy.

He turned around in surprise, only to hear Wang Ruoyu struggling to steady himself and shouting angrily, "Senior Brother Lin! You've gone mad with qi deviation! Wake up!"

I never expected that Wang Shitou, with his resolute character and tenacious spirit, would break free from my spell to render him unconscious in the blink of an eye. Of course, this was also related to the fact that I was expending most of my mental energy to suppress his true form, causing the spell's power to weaken.

"Stone, I haven't gone mad with my cultivation; I've simply found a more correct path." Lin Le hovered in the sky, a black aura piercing through his forehead, particularly striking.

"Don't you even believe me anymore? Let me leave, and I'll prove it to you."

Wang Ruoyu shook his head without hesitation: "Senior Brother Lin, you are too clever. The sect leader said that the more intelligent a person is, the more easily they fall into the trap of preconceived notions and become trapped by inner demons from which they cannot escape. You have now gone astray, I—"

The five elements swirled and expanded, instantly enveloping Wang Ruoyu in the grand formation.

"Then you shall die with the sect leader!"

The five elements of spiritual energy surged forth, with blue, red, yellow, white, and black light intertwining. Suddenly, thousands of hair-like spiritual threads descended from within the array, their ends as fine as cow's hair needles, piercing into Wang Ruoyu's body. Each needle and thread randomly changed with five different spiritual attributes, sealing off Wang Ruoyu's unprepared spiritual power.

Wang Ruoyu's eyes widened in disbelief. He never expected Lin Le to actually kill him, but a thunderous roar erupted in mid-air as a purple lightning dragon danced and an extremely swift and domineering bolt of lightning swept across the sky, crashing down straight at him with a deafening boom.

"Senior Brother Lin, stop right now!"

In an instant, a golden crow cried out, and a blue sun appeared out of nowhere, burning through the threads around Wang Ruoyu's body. It radiated light and surged with heat, crashing into the purple thunder dragon with a loud bang!
The azure-tinged golden crow fire faded, and Zhao Kongque staggered backward, coughing up a mouthful of blood tinged with lightning. Her indigo eyes, gleaming with a blade-like light, glared at Lin Le, her teeth almost grinding to powder.

The difference is huge! Lin Le, with his mid-Nascent Soul stage divine sense, controlled the five-fold formation changes, all of which were Nascent Soul level in power. Zhao Kongque first broke through the Rebellious Chaos Formation, then withstood the Heavenly Punishment Lightning, and was directly injured by the lightning, his body paralyzed.

Wang Ruoyu caught her, and with a roar, his body erupted with a blindingly sharp golden light. His strong body, with its bulging muscles, instantly donned a dark heavy armor covered in mysterious golden patterns. A giant shield with spikes on its edges protected the two of them behind him. Golden energy gathered around him, and swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks rained down on Lin Le like a storm.

But Lin Le simply waved his hand, and a fire phoenix cried out within the array, melting away the golden blade storm, and then shooting it towards Wang Ruoyu and Zhao Kongque. At the same time, thousands of ribbons fell again, and there was a faint sound of water. The Yellow Spring Swamp spread out beneath their feet, and countless strange and grotesque wronged souls and corpses reached out to entangle them.

Wang Ruoyu swung his shield heavily, and the golden light of his divine power rose up like a huge city wall. Each brick of the wall was engraved with runes representing his understanding of the Golden Yuan Dao. It was golden, solid, and impenetrable.

Supernatural Power: Indestructible Vajra!
Amidst the rumbling tremors, the fire phoenix crashed into the city wall, causing it to shake violently, but eventually dissipated. The spiritual energy threads and the remnants of vengeful spirits were repelled by the golden light and could not get close.

Lin Le gave a cold laugh. Of course he knew that Wang Ruoyu's supernatural power was incredibly defensive, but it required movement while using it and consumed a lot of energy.

A murderous intent surged within him, and with a push of his palms, a terrifying shockwave enveloped Wang Ruoyu and Zhao Kongque.

Supernatural Power: Bifeng! (End of Chapter)