Under One Person: My Inner Realm Connects to All Worlds!

Chapter 267 Raising a Tiger Leads to One's Own Bitter Fruit

Having just escaped death and collapsed to the ground, the Wang family members helped the slowly waking Wang Ai back to look at the golden light array soaring into the sky, and the enormous, furious, roaring demonic figure within it.

Tears streamed down Wang Ai's face as he stared at the burning paintings. In disbelief, he broke free from the support of the Wang family members, climbed forward a few steps, and then kowtowed repeatedly, the sound of his head hitting the ground echoing.

He cried out hoarsely, "Ancestors...unworthy descendants...have failed our forefathers!"

The [Myriad Gods Burning Demons Formation] shone with a thousand feet of light, like clouds hanging from the sky, tightly imprisoning the Demon King and his surging demon army within the formation's range.

The phantoms of countless gods swirled and moved, arranged along countless trajectories on the golden array barrier, as if all the gods and deities of the heavens had personally descended to form an array to suppress the demons.

The chanting of scriptures, the sounds of Taoism, and the chanting of Buddhist hymns converged into a magnificent symphony. The Qi energy, containing the vast power of incense and vows, carried the meaning of sacred light and transformed into golden flames, like a furnace, constantly refining and dissolving the overwhelming demonic energy.

Within the Pantheon Array, the Demon King roared in fury, his demonic claws waving as crimson demonic energy surged like a giant wave against the golden light barrier, causing the array to shake violently, yet it could not break through for the time being.

The phantoms of the gods and celestial beings flickered in the flames, fighting against the world-destroying demon king who had broken free of his seal, at the cost of their last remaining existence.

However, the demon king who broke free from the mural, even after a thousand years of suppression, actually increased in strength instead of decreasing, and his resentment became even more intense.

It had three heads glaring in all directions, and six arms wielding its magical treasures. Each strike caused the golden light screen to tremble violently, creating countless ripples.

The dark red demonic energy, as if it possessed a life of its own, corroded the foundation of the formation. With each attack, the light of the burning scrolls dimmed and the phantoms faded.

"A mere regret, a firefly's light, dares to rival the moon's brilliance?!"

The Demon King roared deafeningly, and slashed down with the sword burning with demonic flames.

"laugh--!"

As the sword light passed, a huge crack appeared on the light screen, and the dozens of paintings of gods and Buddhas that made up that area instantly turned into ashes, and the corresponding phantom images of gods and Buddhas disappeared with mournful cries.

Taking advantage of the situation, the demon army surged towards the breach like a flood bursting its banks, their cries of terror echoing throughout the heavens and earth.

"Hold on! You must hold on!"

Supported by her clansmen, Wang Ai watched this scene with eyes wide with horror, her heart bleeding.

The destruction of each painting represents the complete dissipation of an ancestor's will and the loss of the Wang family's centuries-old heritage.

But at this moment, he had no time to feel heartache; he could only pray that the magic array, which gathered the power of all the ancestors of the Wang family, could hold out until reinforcements arrived.

------

Headquarters of Nadutong, Chairman's Office

Zhao Fangxu put down the urgent document in his hand, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

He took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, his face showing deep concern, and then handed the document to Han Yun, who was sitting opposite him.

"Chairman Han, take a look." His voice carried a hint of weariness. "Something terrible has happened with the Wang family."

Han Yun took the document and quickly scanned it. When he saw the words "Demon King Breaks Seal", "Demon-Subduing Tower Destroyed", and "Great Array of Ten Thousand Gods Burning Demons", he raised his eyebrows slightly and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"The Wang family... I never imagined that such a thing was being suppressed beneath their ancestral land?"

Han Yun gently placed the document back on the table and asked, "According to this record, it is just a mural called 'Subduing Demons' from the Tang Dynasty, a demon spirit in the painting created by an evil monk performing magic."

"Even though it has harmed many people and become a force to be reckoned with, a thousand years ago, Wang Jue, an ancestor of the Wang family, led seventy-two of his disciples to suppress it."

"A thousand years later, the Wang family, having accumulated more resources, should have been able to deal with the situation more easily. How could they have fallen into such a predicament, even destroying their ancestral Demon-Subduing Tower?"

Zhao Fangxu sighed, put his glasses back on, and analyzed, "The reason isn't hard to guess. The mural that has become a spirit is essentially a kind of 'spirit'."

"The Wang family established itself with the art of 'divine painting,' and their mastery of painting reached its pinnacle. It's no wonder they harbored the desire to subdue and make this powerful spirit born from painting for their own use."

"It's like facing a treasure mountain, always thinking about how to mine it, rather than completely destroying it. As for why the demon's strength increased instead of decreased within the seal, that remains unknown."

Upon hearing this, Han Yun's lips curled into a meaningful smile. He leaned back slightly, and a faint blue light flashed in his eyes, as if he had seen through all cause and effect.

"Chairman Zhao, your analysis is correct. The Wang family does indeed intend to subdue us. However, I may know some of the deeper reasons."

Han Yun just used the inner world of Under One Person to perform divination and obtained several images.

Decades ago, the eerie atmosphere of the royal family's secret chamber.

Wang Ai, who was much younger but whose eyes already revealed a sinister look, had only recently taken over as the head of the family.

Before him lay the manual "Binding Spirits and Commanding Generals," which he had obtained through torture from Feng Tianyang. Wang Ai stroked the pages, his face revealing undisguised ambition and greed.

"Binding spirits and commanding generals can disregard the will of spirits and force them to submit. Hahaha! Heaven is helping my royal family! With this technique in hand, all the spirits in the world will be at my command! That demon king under the Demon-Subduing Tower will eventually become the strongest guardian deity of my royal family!"

Inside the Demon-Slaying Tower, under the dim light.

Wang Ai stood alone in front of the "Demon Subduing Transformation" mural, using the technique of binding spirits and commanding generals, as an invisible force attempted to entangle the demon king in the mural.

However, the mural only rippled slightly, and the Demon King's outline seemed to distort, exuding a deeper malice, but he was not captured as Wang Ai had hoped.

Wang Ai's face was grim as she whispered, "Why can't it be restrained? Could it be because this demon relies on the paint and corpses in the painting, thus possessing a 'physical body of flesh and blood,' rather than a pure spirit?"

As time passed, Wang Ai entered the Demon-Slaying Tower many times.

Instead of focusing on reinforcing the seal, he would often carefully "polish" certain parts of the demon king in the mural with specially made "ink" containing pure qi and even the smell of blood.

Or they might use secret methods to sacrifice captured weak spirits or even living souls into the demonic energy of the murals.

The demonic energy on the mural grew stronger with each "nourishment," while Wang Ai's eyes were filled with anticipation and greed.

"Feed it, make it stronger, and one day, I will be able to control it!"

The blue light in Han Yun's eyes faded, and he looked at Zhao Fangxu, briefly recounting everything he had just "seen".

"Therefore, the Wang family not only wanted to subdue it, but also, since obtaining the ability to bind spirits and command generals, their ambitions have swelled, and they are trying to 'raise' this demon king painting spirit in order to obtain an unprecedentedly powerful fighting force."

"He had too much faith in the domineering power of spirit control, but underestimated the cunning and patience of this demon king. It had been biding its time for decades, secretly absorbing the 'nourishment' provided by the royal family, constantly restoring and even increasing its power."

"Until today, taking advantage of the perfect opportunity of foreign invasion and internal weakness, they broke through the seal in one fell swoop. The Wang family has brought this upon themselves, playing with fire and getting burned."

After listening, Zhao Fangxu remained silent for a long time. He was first angry, furious at the audacity of the man, and then slammed his fist on the table.

Even with Zhao Fangxu's composure, he couldn't help but grumble. "Raising a tiger to cause trouble, this is simply raising a tiger to cause trouble!"

In the end, however, he could only shake his head and sigh helplessly: "Alas... blinded by greed, they dare to act so recklessly, defying the warnings and seals left by our ancestors!"

Zhao Fangxu looked at Han Yun with a helpless expression, but his tone was heavy as he said, "But Chairman Han, we can't ignore this now. Wang Ai is one of the Ten Elders after all. If his ancestral land is completely destroyed by the Demon King, the demonic scourge will spread and affect the innocent. The consequences will be unimaginable. We must take action."

"What about the other ten elders' movements after receiving Wang Ai's request for help?" Han Yun asked instead of answering directly.

Zhao Fangxu quickly replied, "Lu Ci, the head of the Lu family, reacted the fastest and has already personally led people there. Master Jiekong's cultivation has been destroyed, and he also needs to oversee the seal on the Golden-Winged Roc at Lingyin Temple, so he is unable to move."

"The old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei has a special status, and we cannot act rashly unless absolutely necessary. Guan Shihua in the Northeast is too far away, and we cannot reach her."

"The other members of the Ten Elders also have their own plans, but they all need time to coordinate and travel, especially by plane, which means they can't get there in a short time."

"Now, it depends on whether the Wang family and the Lü family, who arrived first, can hold out until reinforcements arrive."

Upon hearing this, Han Yun sighed softly and stood up: "Fine. Since things have come to this, we can't just watch that demon run rampant. This time, I'll go."

Zhao Fangxu relaxed and tentatively asked, "Shall we set off now?"

Han Yun shook his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the wall, looking towards the distant Wang family ancestral land, his tone calm and unwavering.

"Wait a little longer. The Wang family planted this time bomb themselves, so they have to taste the consequences of it first. Only through painful experience can they remember that some things are not to be touched."

"It won't hurt to teach them a lesson."

------

The outskirts of the Wang family ancestral home
The night was torn to shreds by the soaring demonic energy and golden light array.

Lü Ci led a group of elite members of the Lü family and arrived after a long and arduous journey.

He gazed at the distant [Myriad Gods Burning Demon Array], which covered half the sky, shimmered with golden light, and fluctuated violently, its brightness constantly shifting.

And the enormous demonic shadow with three heads and six arms, attacking frantically, and the demonic army surging towards the array like a black tide—even someone as ruthless as him couldn't help but have his pupils suddenly contract.

"That fat bastard Wang Ai... what on earth did he release!" Lu Ci gritted his teeth, making the scar on his face look even more ferocious.

"Master, we..."

The Lu family members beside him looked terrified.

A ruthless glint flashed in Lü Ci's eyes, but after only a moment's hesitation, he said, "Let's go!"

The Lü family group moved with lightning speed, landing on the outskirts of the Wang family's ancestral land. The sight before him made even Lü Ci, who was used to seeing all sorts of things, gasp in shock.

The once imposing ancestral home of the Wang family is now almost half destroyed.

Amidst the ruins, only the [Great Array of Ten Thousand Gods Burning Demons], composed of countless burning scrolls, was struggling to hold on, with golden light and demonic energy fiercely battling each other.

Each collision caused the earth to shake violently, and ripples constantly appeared on the array's light screen, flickering and clearly on the verge of collapse.

Inside the formation, the three-headed, six-armed demon king roared deafeningly. As he brandished his demonic treasures, dark red demonic energy surged like a destructive torrent, constantly crashing against the golden light barrier.

Countless demonic troops, like a leech, swarmed across the sky, frantically gnawing at the foundation of the formation.

The remaining Wang family members outside the formation were all pale-faced and their clothes were stained with blood, yet they still desperately poured their remaining innate Qi into the formation, trying to delay the arrival of the final moment.

Wang Ai, meanwhile, slumped amidst the mess, his eyes glazed over, as if his soul had been ripped from his body. His obese frame trembled slightly as he muttered to himself.

"Gone...all gone...the family legacy...I've squandered it all..."

Lu Ci's eyes sharpened, and he strode forward, bending down and swinging his arm in a wide arc without saying a word—

"Snapped!"

A crisp, loud slap landed hard on Wang Ai's face.

This slap contained the exquisite power of the Lü family's unique skill, "Ruyi Jin," with force penetrating to the bone and rushing straight to the mind, yet without harming the brain marrow in the slightest.

Wang Ai's head snapped to the side after being hit, and a clear handprint instantly appeared on his face. A burning pain, accompanied by a cool force, shot straight to the top of his head, jolting him awake from his dazed despair.

Being a bit silly doesn't hurt your brain; the intensity is just right!

He raised his head blankly, meeting Lü Ci's fierce eyes, which were now burning with anger at his incompetence.

"Fatty Wang!"

Lu Ci roared, his scarred face contorted in a ferocious manner, like a mad dog. He grabbed Wang Ai by the collar, yanked his obese body off the ground, and almost pressed his face against Wang Ai's as he demanded an explanation.

"What the hell is going on? How come there's such a monstrous thing hidden beneath your Wang family's ancestral land? And it even managed to escape!"

With her collar tightening, her breathing becoming difficult, and the intense pain on her face combined with Lü Ci's sudden reprimand, Wang Ai fully regained consciousness.

Despair, regret, fear, shame... countless emotions surged into his heart in an instant, twisting his old face beyond recognition.

He gripped Lü Ci's wrist tightly, which was clutching his collar, his nails almost digging into his flesh, as if it were the last straw.

He made a hoarse, strained sound, like a broken bellows, almost as if he were weeping blood: "Old Lü... Old Lü! I... I was confused!"

His voice trembled violently: "A thousand years... a thousand years of heritage of my Wang family, the hard work left by our ancestors, gone, all gone!"

"It was all squandered by me, by this unworthy descendant of mine! All gone!!"

As he spoke, he broke free from Lü Ci's hand, raised his hands, and slapped his own old face hard with both hands.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

The crisp sound of slaps was particularly jarring against the backdrop of the roaring battlefield. Wang Ai had struck with extreme force; after a few blows, the corner of his mouth was already cracked and bleeding, and his cheeks quickly swelled up.

He seemed to be using this method to vent his regret.

Seeing his appearance, Lü Ci's fierce look softened, replaced by a complex emotion. He suddenly grabbed Wang Ai's wrist, which he had raised again, to stop him from continuing to hit him.

(End of this chapter)