Gao Wu: You have science, and I have magic!

Princess Mingjing's image shook her head slightly, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes: "Time is short, listen to me. The Seven Emotions Secret Realm is not a sacred place for cultivation, but an ancient prison, where the ferocious beast 'Chaos', capable of devouring the world, is imprisoned."

Her image flickered, and a huge dark shadow could be vaguely seen writhing in the background.

"Back then, I discovered that the Blood Fiend Sect's true purpose was to unleash Chaos, and Mo Qianzhu had already been parasitized by Chaos. I used the Seven Emotions as a guide and the Dragon Vein as a lock to reinforce the seal, but the price was that I was trapped at the core of the seal."

Ye Qingzhou frowned slightly upon hearing this: "Mo Qianzhu... so he was chasing after us, mother and child, to obtain the power of the dragon vein and break the seal?"

"good."

The image in the mirror began to become unstable: "The dragon-shaped jade pendant is the key, and your Seven Emotions Seeds are the power to activate the key. Zhou'er, you must gather the Seven Emotions Beasts, but you must not let them collect the power of the Seven Emotions! This is a trap they have set..."

"What's the meaning?"

Ye Qingzhou was puzzled: "How can I rescue you without gathering all seven emotions?"

Having possessed a body and carrying immense karma, Ye Qingzhou knew that only by rescuing his former mother, Mingjing, could he sever this karmic ties.

As for being set in a trap, Ye Qingzhou didn't care much.

He was confident that he could overcome all trickery and schemes with sheer force and conquer the world.

The image in the mirror suddenly shifted towards the valley entrance, its expression changing drastically: "They're here! Remember, the real test begins on the day the seven emotions converge and the dragon's blood boils. Now, hurry!"

"etc!"

Ye Qingzhou reached out anxiously, but only managed to grasp a wisp of light that had vanished.

A faint light shone from the stone tablet, pointing deeper into Thunder Valley.

"Owner!"

Lan Yue suddenly screamed, "From the sky!"

Ye Qingzhou looked up and saw that the thunderclouds covering the valley had been forcibly torn open by a burst of blood-red energy.

The corrupted Xuan Tianhe swooped down, the Imperial Preceptor on its back had a blood-red right eye, and a distorted black light was gathering in its hand.

Even more terrifying, at the entrance of the valley, Mo Qianzhu arrived riding on waves of blood, followed by dozens of Blood Fiend Sect disciples.

With each step they took, the ground corroded into a scorched patch.

"Found you, you little bastard!"

Mo Qianzhu's voice was like the scraping of metal, piercing the eardrums painfully, "Let's see where you can run this time!"

Ye Qingzhou quickly assessed the situation. At this moment, Silver Blade was injured and could not fly, while Rage Flame, although evolved, had consumed too much power. Bai You and Lan Yue's combat power was extremely limited, and they could only provide support and could not confront the enemy head-on.

Blue Tears excels at mental attacks but is weak in physical defense. Although the only new combatant, Lei Huang, is strong, he is not strong enough to deal with two enemies of the fifth rank or above.

"Thunderous! Can you create a lightning barrier?"

Ye Qingzhou asked in his mind.

Thunder Tiger let out a low roar, and the lightning on its three tails suddenly intensified.

It stomped the ground, and dozens of lightning bolts struck down from the sky, forming a lightning cage around everyone.

"Well done!"

Ye Qingzhou turned to the stone tablet and found a slightly raised stone slab on the ground where his mother's image had appeared. He stepped on it without hesitation.

Click~
With a click of a mechanism, a downward-extending staircase slowly opened in the center of the altar!

"Everyone, hurry inside!"

Ye Qingzhou picked up Nu Yan and called to his companions. Lei Huang was the last to jump into the passage, unleashing another wave of lightning at the entrance to hinder the pursuers.

The passage closed rapidly behind them, shutting out Mo Qianzhu's roar and the Grand Preceptor's black light attack.

Darkness enveloped the surroundings, with only the faint light from the raging feathers and the blue glow from the blue tears providing illumination.

Ye Qingzhou took a deep breath, feeling the ancient aura flowing through the passage.

Where does this lead?

Lan Yue asked in a low voice.

Ye Qingzhou looked at the jade pendant in his hand, which pointed deep into the passage, but he had no clue: "I don't know, but if Mother left us a way, it must have meaning."

He recalled his mother's last warning.

"Gathering all seven emotion-bearing beasts is necessary, but we can't let them combine the power of the seven emotions... What does this contradictory statement mean?"

And that so-called "real test"...

As Ye Qingzhou pondered, he continued to descend deeper into the passage. The air became increasingly humid, and glowing moss began to appear on the walls.

He noticed that the shape of the moss arrangement resembled some kind of ancient runes.

Suddenly, Bai You's ears perked up.

"Master, there's the sound of water ahead!"

Sure enough, as they went deeper, the faint sound of flowing water became clearer and clearer.

After turning a corner, the passage suddenly opened up—they were standing on the shore of an underground lake, the water of which was a rare purple color, with countless points of light floating on the surface, like a reflection of the starry sky.

"This is……"

Ye Qingzhou crouched down and carefully touched the lake water.

The moment the fingertip touched the water's surface, a ripple spread out, and a small altar suddenly rose in the center of the lake, with a crimson crystal floating on it.

"A crystallization of the seven emotions' energy!"

But just as Ye Qingzhou was about to swim over, Lei Huang suddenly blocked his way, his hair standing on end, and let out a low, warning growl.

"Is it dangerous?"

Ye Qingzhou took a step back warily.

As if confirming Lei Huang's warning, the lake water suddenly churned violently, and a huge dark shadow rose from the water.

When it fully surfaced, what appeared before everyone was a toad the size of a small mountain, its entire body purplish-black, its back covered with glowing crystal bumps.

What was most terrifying were its eyes; they had no pupils, only a deep crimson, like two pools of boiling blood. The aura emanating from this monstrous beast was full of savagery and madness.

The toad opened its huge mouth and let out a deafening screech.

The sound waves created huge waves that forced everyone back several steps. Even more terrifying, as the shouts rang out, the lake water began to boil, with countless purple bubbles rising to the surface, each bubble reflecting a distorted smiling face.

"All love is a curse; this is insane pleasure!"

Ye Qingzhou suddenly realized that the "joy" among the seven emotions had been corrupted and transformed into a distorted form.

The toad's long tongue shot out like lightning, aiming straight for Ye Qingzhou's throat.

Lei Huang roared angrily, and three bolts of lightning struck the long tongue at the same time, but it only slightly deflected the tongue. The long tongue grazed Ye Qingzhou's cheek and struck the stone wall, creating a deep pit.

"Such strong defense!"

Ye Qingzhou became extremely alert.

Lei Huang's lightning was enough to injure the blackened Xuan Tian Crane, but it had little effect on this toad.

The raging flames struggled to rise from his arms, and although weak, they still spewed out a burst of golden-blue flames.

When the flames touched the toad's skin, they hissed and left charred marks.

The toad, in pain, retracted its long tongue, its crimson eyes fixed intently on the raging flames.

"The Aurora Fire... can harm it!"

Seeing an opportunity for victory, Ye Qingzhou began to calculate in his mind: "But the power of the raging flames is insufficient..."

Just then, the jade pendant on his chest became hot again.

Ye Qingzhou had a sudden inspiration and grabbed the jade pendant, simultaneously channeling the energy of seven emotions—joy, anger, worry, thought, grief, fear, and shock—into his body.

The jade pendant burst forth with dazzling light, and seven-colored streams of light intertwined in the air, eventually transforming into a dragon of light that pounced on the toad.

The light dragon coiled around the toad, which let out a painful hiss as the crystal bumps on its back burst one after another.

"Now's the time!"

Ye Qingzhou shouted to the raging flames in his mind. The little firebird used its last bit of strength to spew out a golden-blue pillar of fire several times thicker than before, which struck the toad squarely on the forehead.

"Hiss!"

The toad struggled violently, its body began to shrink, and its crimson eyes gradually lost their blood color, revealing its original golden pupils.

When the toad shrank to the size of a palm, it stopped struggling and looked at Ye Qingzhou with its clear golden eyes, conveying a vague message.

Ye Qingzhou saw that this "Joyful Toad" was originally an auspicious beast guarding the underground spiritual spring, but it turned into a mad beast after being contaminated by the filthy blood of the Blood Fiend Sect.

The aurora fire purified the tainted blood within it, but centuries of torment had made it almost forget what true joy was.

"I see……"

Ye Qingzhou gently touched the little toad's forehead and activated the "Seven Emotions Beast Taming Technique".

"Let me help you rediscover true joy."

As the crimson ancient characters for "joy" lit up on the little toad's forehead, Ye Qingzhou felt the seven energies within his body begin to circulate on their own, forming a perfect cycle.

At the same time, the crimson crystal in the center of the lake flew to him automatically and merged into the last groove of his belt.

The Seven Emotions Armor instantly covered his entire body, making him more complete and powerful than ever before.

As Ye Qingzhou felt the surging power within him, he suddenly understood the hidden meaning in his predecessor's mother's words.

The seven emotions must be gathered, but "they" must not be allowed to obtain this power.

The "they" here refers to the Blood Fiend Sect and Chaos.

Boom~~
Suddenly, a violent explosion came from above, and debris rained down.

Mo Qianzhu's voice pierced through layers of rock: "You think you can escape? The power of the Seven Emotions is mine!"

"They've caught up!"

Bai You cried out in alarm.

Ye Qingzhou looked around and discovered a narrow waterway on the other side of the lake.

"Go that way!"

Picking up the weakened Angry Flame and the shrunken Joyful Toad, Ye Qingzhou immediately led his companions into the water.

The waterway was much longer than expected, and it took them almost fifteen minutes to see the light at the exit.

When Ye Qingzhou surfaced, he was greeted by a huge underground cavern with seven beast-shaped cauldrons standing in the center, arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper.

In the center of the cauldron is a transparent crystal, inside which is Princess Mingjing!
Beneath the crystal, a blurry black shadow was writhing, each struggle causing the entire cave to tremble slightly, the air so thick it was almost tangible.

Ye Qingzhou stood by the water's edge, water droplets sliding down her hair, but she was completely unaware.

His full attention was drawn to the scene in the center of the cave, where seven beast-shaped cauldrons surrounded a transparent crystal about two people tall. Inside the crystal, a woman in white floated quietly, as if she were asleep.

Ye Qingzhou stepped forward, his Seven Emotions Armor glowing slightly with his emotional fluctuations, and the dragon-shaped jade pendant on his chest burning hot as if it were being branded into his skin.

"Master, be careful!"

Bai You suddenly screamed, "There's something underground!"

Almost at the same instant, the ground shook violently.

The dark shadow beneath the crystal suddenly expanded, and several pitch-black tentacles burst forth from the ground, each covered with constantly opening and closing mouthparts, exuding a putrid stench.

With a roar of fury, three bolts of lightning struck the nearest tentacle.

A flash of lightning, and the tentacles only retracted slightly; the charred wounds on the surface healed completely in the blink of an eye.

"it's useless."

A weak yet clear voice entered Ye Qingzhou's mind: "Ordinary attacks cannot harm Chaos's clone."

Princess Mingjing in the crystal still had her eyes closed, but her lips trembled slightly, clearly using some kind of secret method to transmit her voice.

How can I get you out of here?

Ye Qingzhou sent out a question via telepathy.

"We cannot break the crystal directly."

Mingjing's voice was weary, "This is the core of the seal; once it breaks, Chaos will immediately break free. Zhou'er, have you gathered all seven Emotional Beasts?"

Ye Qingzhou looked at his companions surrounding him.

At this moment, the flames stood on his shoulder, his golden and blue feathers were dull, but his eyes were firm.

Bai You and Lan Yue stood close to him on either side, while Lan Lei floated above his head, emitting a soft blue light.

Thunderfury crouched in front, crackling with electricity from its three tails, while Joyful Toad perched on his other shoulder, its golden eyes darting around warily.

Although Yin Ren, who was the first to follow Ye Qingzhou, was injured, he still managed to ride the wind and fly through the air.

As for the Xuanjia armor that had not yet revealed itself, it silently lurked in Ye Qingzhou's shadow, providing him with protection.

Along the way, Ye Qingzhou subdued eight demonic beasts, which were his most powerful trump cards.

"We've collected them all."

He answered in his mind, "But Mother, didn't you say before that having all seven emotions is a trap?"

Yes and no.

Mingjing's voice grew even weaker, "The power of the Seven Emotions is indeed the key to sealing Chaos, but the Blood Fiend Sect wants to use this power to break the seal in reverse. You must..."

Before he could finish speaking, the entire cave suddenly shook violently.

A huge crack appeared in the rock wall above, and blood poured down like a waterfall.

Amidst the gushing waves of blood, Mo Qianzhu stood in mid-air, her hands forming a twisted hand seal.

"We've found you!"

His voice was like the simultaneous roar of countless people, and the whites of his eyes turned completely black. "Mingjing, you think you can get away with it by hiding your son? Today, I will make you and your son sacrifices to Chaos!"

With his roar, more tentacles burst forth from the ground, one of which lashed out at Ye Qingzhou like lightning.

Thunderous Fury and Blazing Flames attacked simultaneously, lightning and flames intertwined, but they could only make the tentacles retreat slightly.

"Useless, you little bastard!"

Mo Qianzhu laughed wildly: "Chaos is an ancient ferocious beast, capable of devouring the very origin of the world! Your paltry tricks..."

His words stopped abruptly.

On the other side of the cave, the rock wall suddenly shattered, and the blackened Xuan Tianhe carried the Imperial Preceptor in.

The Grand Preceptor's right eye was completely filled with blood, while his left eye flickered with a faint blue light.

"The power of the seven emotions..."

The Imperial Advisor's voice was distorted and twisted, sometimes sounding aged and sometimes shrill, "We must...stop it..."

Mo Qianzhu sneered, "Old man, is the remnant soul within you still struggling in its death throes?"

He raised his hand and shot out a jet of blood, which went straight for the Grand Preceptor's brow!

At the critical moment, the Imperial Advisor's left eye suddenly flashed with a blue light. He managed to turn his head with difficulty to dodge the fatal blow, and the blood arrow only grazed his cheek.

"Ye... Qingzhou..."

He called out in that aged voice, "Seven Emotions... Battle Formation... Seal..."

Ye Qingzhou immediately understood that this was the remnant soul of the first generation of Seven Emotions Beast Tamer reminding him.

"The Seven Emotions Battle Formation?"

He quickly recalled the records in the "Seven Emotions Beast Taming Technique," which required seven demonic beasts to be in sync with the beast tamer and to form an array according to a specific orientation.

But right now, the silver blade is injured, and the power of the raging flames is exhausted...

Even after removing two from eight, it still doesn't enough to make up the seven fundamental emotions. (End of Chapter)