Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

Is it possible to regret it?

A slight ripple appeared in the remaining consciousness.

What is there to regret?

Does he regret saving his comrades who shared life and death with him? Or does he regret questioning the supreme laws and moral principles of heaven?

No, he only regretted that he was too weak, which ultimately led to his death and annihilation.

The drifting remnant soul looked down, and the scene in the illusion did not end with his death, but continued to unfold as he died.

Because of his choice, the black dragon swallowed Li Chongwen whole and then pounced on the battlefield.

However, instead of rescuing its comrades, it stirred up trouble, plunging them into an even more brutal and bitter battle.

Even so, the soldiers' eyes remained firm, and even as they fell, their weapons were still pointed at the enemy.

The artillery fire suddenly intensified, and finally, the banners of reinforcements appeared on the horizon...

No, that's not right.

This was not the result of his choice.

This must be his deep-seated regret for that battle in his past life, or perhaps the illusion is showing him another possibility.

But no matter what, watching those familiar figures screaming amidst the blood and fire, what welled up in his heart was not regret, but a deeper sorrow.

He did his best, making a choice that followed his heart, wanting to save those who deserved it and protect what he was supposed to protect. As for the outcome, it was beyond his control.

"Though my body is dead and my soul has vanished..."

The remnant soul gathered its last faint will and said, word by word, "However, where the Dao lies, I will go even if it means facing a million men."

"Where the heart leads..."

"Even if I die a hundred times... I will not regret it!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the wisp of a soul that was about to dissipate suddenly froze.

Immediately afterwards, a glimmer of light shone from the remnant soul. This light was initially extremely weak, as if it would be extinguished at any moment, yet it also seemed to possess infinite vitality.

It swayed gently, absorbing the scattered specks of divine light around it, just as stars attract dust.

The light spots gathered more and more, becoming brighter and brighter, eventually transforming into a human-shaped light and shadow. Although illusory, it was very stable, radiating a clarity that had been washed away.

"Click—"

With a soft sound, the blood-red battlefield and the ferocious black dragon... all cracked inch by inch, turning into countless dust particles and dissipating into nothingness.

The illusion has shattered.

……

In the small courtyard, the first rays of dawn pierced the darkness.

After a moment of silence, the listless aura emanating from Li Yuan suddenly erupted!

No, it wasn't an outburst; it was a magnificent sublimation.

A unique spirituality, like mercury pouring out, flowed through his meridians, eventually returning to his dantian, slowly rotating and forming a tiny vortex.

The initial stage of understanding has begun!

His aura steadily increased, quickly stabilizing at the early stage of the Mind-Questioning Realm, with an incredibly solid foundation and no sense of instability. The devastating inner demon tribulation not only failed to destroy his will but instead became his best crucible.

At the same time, Li Yuan's spiritual awareness surged, allowing him to see the scene deep within his sea of ​​consciousness once again.

The bronze palace floated silently, and the patterns on its surface became clearer.

Behind the giant gate, in that vast and boundless hazy galaxy, there seemed to be an extremely tiny star that had broken away from the galaxy and was slowly flying towards him.

The moment his consciousness touched that tiny star.

boom!

A vast and ancient, blurry image rushed into his consciousness.

It was an epic battle that defies description, and the participants were neither human nor ordinary demons.

His enormous, star-like body wielded incomprehensible supernatural power, and the aura he exuded made his very soul tremble.

They fought fiercely in the boundless starry sky, shattering galaxies and causing the Great Dao to wail with a wave of their hands.

The image was shattered and indistinct, but a vast and boundless aura seemed to pierce through countless ages, deeply imprinted in his mind.

At the end of the scene, he vaguely saw a beam of light as thin as a hair, a beam of light that seemed to be able to cut through time and annihilate everything. It emanated from the center of the battlefield, crossed endless time and space, and merged into the Milky Way.

A wisp of starlight lingered on his soul.

"Buzz—"

Li Yuan trembled violently, feeling as if some mysterious mark had been branded deep within his soul.

His perception of time underwent a subtle change; he could clearly feel the passage of time within himself and accurately anticipate the rhythm of the next wave of blood and qi flow.

Even... when his spiritual consciousness was highly concentrated, he perceived that time around him seemed to pause slightly.

Li Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.

A flash of golden light appeared in his eyes, deep as ink, with a strange glint in them.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling the changes in his body.

Inquire into your state of mind! Success!

Moreover, he unexpectedly gained a strange sense of time.

Just as he was still immersed in joy, the door was pushed open, and Mr. Mo walked in with a sullen face.

"Nonsense!" Liu Hongyan followed closely behind, her beautiful face covered with frost. "Li Yuan, do you know how dangerous that was just now?"

"Forcibly attacking the Heart-Questioning Realm will result in a fierce backlash from your inner demons. If you hadn't had a relatively solid foundation and managed to survive by sheer luck, your cultivation would have been completely destroyed, leaving you a cripple!"

She was genuinely terrified. Just now, Li Yuan's life force was on the verge of collapse several times, and even Mr. Mo was prepared to step in to save his life.

In her view, this kind of breakthrough, which was almost like gambling, was simply self-destructive.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Li Yuan quickly stood up, bowed deeply to the two men, and acted with great sincerity.

"The student realized his mistake, but in his haste, he took a risky step, causing concern for his teachers and mentors."

He secretly observed their expressions, "I will certainly remember this lesson and proceed with caution and diligence in the future..."

Seeing his sincere attitude in admitting his mistake, Liu Hongyan, who loved her disciple dearly, softened her expression slightly: "Your talent is rare in the world, and the academy has high hopes for you, but the path of cultivation is long, and the most taboo thing is to be impatient for quick success."

"You survived today by sheer luck, but luck won't always be on your side. Go back and consolidate your cultivation level. You must not attempt to break through to a higher realm again for the next three months."

Even Liu Hongyan had to admit his extraordinary talent and unconsciously set the time limit at three months.

"Yes, sir." Li Yuan nodded vigorously, afraid that if he was late, he would be scolded by his teacher again.

Mr. Mo remained silent, only looking him up and down, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes before returning to normal.

"It's good that you've broken through." Mr. Mo finally spoke, his voice calm. "How do you feel?"

Li Yuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "The true energy is refined, and the spiritual sense is greatly enhanced, but..."

He hesitated for a moment, but decided to keep his ability to perceive time a secret for the time being, as it was too shocking.

Moreover, even he himself has not yet figured it out: "It's just that during the tribulation of inner demons, there are some strange insights that are hard to describe and require slow and gradual understanding."

Mr. Mo nodded at his ambiguity and did not press further: "Your foundation is not yet stable, so focus on practicing your internal energy control in the near future. Don't try to learn too many techniques."

"yes!"

Liu Hongyan confirmed several times that he was indeed alright, and felt somewhat relieved. Just as she was about to give him a few more words of advice, she noticed that Li Yuan's expression suddenly tightened, and his tone became anxious:

"Gentlemen, I have a request to make, and I earnestly hope you will help me!"

"What is it?" Liu Hongyan raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"I have an old friend in the West Market named Aji." Li Yuan took out the letter from his pocket. "I had previously asked him to help me keep an eye out for some special materials, but today I received his reply, which contained the special secret mark we agreed on."