Tian Shu Wu Wang Lu

The news of the opening of the Star Abyss Secret Realm spread throughout the Lingxiao Pavilion. Anyone in the sect with decent aptitude and sufficient cultivation was able to enter the secret realm to compete for opportunities and improve their cultivation.

However, this excitement did not extend to Lu Chenyuan, an outer disciple of Lingxiao Pavilion.

At the entrance to the secret realm, the sky was filled with rosy light and the space rippled. One after another, figures stepped into the secret realm with the passage tokens bestowed by the sect. They were full of laughter and high spirits, which was completely out of place with Lu Chenyuan, who stood on the outermost edge of the crowd.

He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He was wearing a faded outer disciple's robe and stood alone, looking up at the dazzling entrance to the secret realm. His eyes were filled with suppressed loneliness and resentment.

Lin Ye was able to enter the secret realm and pursue opportunities, but he was stuck at the fifth level of the Star-Guiding Realm for half a year. He held the sect's worst basic cultivation technique in his hand and practiced hard day and night, but his cultivation level remained stagnant. He couldn't even touch the threshold of the secret realm.

Lu Chenyuan had always regarded Lin Ye as his closest brother in the world. When they were in the outer sect, Lin Ye treated him very well. When he encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation, Lin Ye would patiently guide him. Lin Ye would always share half of the meager resources distributed by the sect with him. Even before entering the secret realm this time, Lin Ye repeatedly told him that he would do his best to find a top-level cultivation technique for him.

Watching Lin Ye grow stronger step by step, he was genuinely happy for his brother, but beneath this pure joy lay an unspeakable inferiority complex.

On what grounds?

Why should he be confined to the outer sect for his entire life? Why should he only ever look up at Lin Ye's back, never seize his own opportunities, and forever live under the protection of his brothers, becoming a useless burden?

I studied diligently day and night, but made no progress; I was full of expectations, but repeatedly hit a wall.

The long-standing repression, inferiority complex, and unfulfilled desires fermented completely at the moment the secret realm opened and everyone rushed to seize the opportunity, turning into a strong sense of resentment that spread wildly in his heart, almost swallowing up his reason.

Lu Chenyuan slowly lowered his head, using his sleeve to conceal the complex emotions surging in his eyes. He stopped looking at the alluring entrance to the secret realm and turned to walk towards the secluded and dilapidated residence outside the gate.

He walked slowly, his shoulders drooping slightly, his back no longer as straight as before, and an inescapable gloom lingering around him. His heart was filled with resentment at his own incompetence, a longing for cultivation, and a sense of powerlessness against the injustice of fate.

Unbeknownst to him, the moment he turned to leave, several figures dressed in black, exuding a sinister aura, had already silently set their sights on him.

These people were the cultivators from the Netherworld Branch.

They lingered at the exit of the secret realm, searching for a pawn to exploit, and Lu Chenyuan, who was full of resentment and had a close relationship with Lin Ye, the core figure of the secret realm, became the best breakthrough point in their eyes.

Several dark figures silently followed Lu Chenyuan, their bodies shrouded in black mist, avoiding the sight of the outer sect disciples on duty, and followed him all the way to that dilapidated residence.

Lu Chenyuan pushed open the dilapidated door and was about to close it when a chilling, decaying black aura suddenly burst through the door, engulfing the entire small house like a tidal wave. The doors and windows slammed shut automatically, the light inside dimmed, and a sinister and terrifying atmosphere rushed in, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

He stumbled backward in fright, his back slamming heavily against the mottled mud wall. His face turned ashen, and he gripped the rusty iron sword at his waist, shouting fiercely, "Who?!"

Three dark figures slowly appeared inside the room, shrouded in thick black mist. Their faces were completely hidden in the darkness, revealing only pairs of eyes that gleamed with an eerie green light, their gazes sinister and malicious, filled with undisguised malice.

The leading Netherworld cultivator let out a low, eerie laugh, his voice as grating as sandpaper, carrying a seductive tone: "Little fellow, we mean no harm. We just see you full of resentment and feel your talents are going to waste, so we've come to help you."

"Help me?" Lu Chenyuan was on high alert, his hand gripping the rusty sword trembling slightly. He forced himself to remain calm and rebuked, "I have no knowledge of you, no grudge against you, why should you help me? Who exactly are you?!"

"Who we are is unimportant. What matters is that we can help you escape your current predicament." The leading Netherworld cultivator stepped forward slowly, his body enveloped in a swirling black aura that transformed into fine, silky strands that silently coiled around Lu Chenyuan. He spoke calmly and deliberately, each word piercing to the heart, "You are clearly full of ambition and single-mindedly devoted to the Dao, yet due to your inferior cultivation technique, you are stuck at the fifth level of the Star-Guiding Realm your entire life, unable even to enter the secret realm. You can only watch your brothers soar to the heavens while you forever live in the dust, a burden to others. Are you truly content with that?"

These words precisely struck the deepest, most painful, and most unbearable spot in Lu Chenyuan's heart.

His face turned pale and then red, his clenched fists bulged with veins, and the resentment in his heart was completely stirred up. But in his mind, all the good things Lin Ye had done for him in the past flashed through his mind: Lin Ye's patient guidance when he was frustrated in his cultivation; the dry food Lin Ye handed him when he was hungry and cold; Lin Ye's promise before he entered the secret realm, "Chen Yuan, wait for me to bring you back the best cultivation method."

A struggle welled up inside him, but he still forced himself to stand firm, gritting his teeth and shouting, "My affairs are none of your business. Get out of here now, or I'll call the guards!"

"Call for help? Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will come to your aid." The Netherworld cultivator sneered, his tone becoming increasingly seductive. "In the eyes of those sect elders, you're nothing but a worthless outer sect cripple. Even if you die, no one will care. But if you follow us, you'll have everything you want."

As soon as he finished speaking, the leading Netherworld cultivator raised his hand and waved it. A scroll of ancient cultivation techniques, exuding a dark and evil aura and with strange patterns engraved on its cover, slowly appeared in front of Lu Chenyuan.

The technique was surrounded by dense black energy, yet it exuded a powerful and captivating energy. Just by hovering quietly, Lu Chenyuan could feel the stagnant star power within his body beginning to stir.

"This is the Netherworld Star Devouring Technique, a top-tier, quick-learning evil cultivation method. It requires no extraordinary talent or massive resources. After cultivation, it can rapidly break through realms, giving you power far exceeding that of ordinary people. Let alone entering the secret realm, even becoming an inner sect prodigy is a piece of cake."

The voice of the Netherworld cultivator carried a strange allure, gradually eroding Lu Chenyuan's mind: "As long as you cultivate this technique, you can immediately get rid of the label of a good-for-nothing, catch up with Lin Ye, and even surpass him. You can have all the dignity you want, never be looked down upon again, never live in inferiority and resentment again, and never be a burden to Lin Ye again."

Lu Chenyuan's gaze was fixed on the Netherworld Star Devouring Technique, his eyes struggling to the extreme, and his eyes were slightly red.

He knew in his heart that the evil cultivation method of unknown origin must be full of hidden dangers. After practicing it, he might fall into the demonic path and be doomed forever. Moreover, he would be letting down Lin Ye, who had always been sincere to him.

But the resentment, inferiority, and desire for cultivation in his heart grew wildly like weeds, constantly intertwining and pulling at the image of Lin Ye in his mind, causing him unbearable pain.

Why should he be mediocre his whole life? Why should he always be looked down upon? Why should he only watch helplessly as his brothers leave while he remains stagnant, forever a burden?

The long-suppressed emotions, deliberately provoked by the Netherworld cultivators, surged continuously. The rationality in his heart was gradually eroded by resentment, and negative emotions grew wildly, turning into dark seeds that quietly took root in his heart.

But whenever evil thoughts surged, Lin Ye's words of advice and heartwarming actions would clearly appear, firmly pulling him back from the brink of falling into the abyss.

"I won't... practice evil arts..." Lu Chenyuan's voice trembled, yet his determination was unwavering. His eyes remained bloodshot, but he held fast to his last line of defense. "Lin Ye is my brother. He won't despise me, and I won't stray into evil ways!"

"Stubborn to the end!" A sinister glint flashed in the eyes of the leading Netherworld cultivator, but he did not become angry. Instead, black energy surged from his fingertips, transforming into an invisible evil force that quietly burrowed into Lu Chenyuan's brow. "Since you refuse to cultivate, then let this seed of inner demon remain. Your resentment will eventually devour you. We will meet again sooner or later!"

As the evil power entered his body, Lu Chenyuan trembled. He felt a sudden boom in his mind, and countless violent, greedy, and resentful emotions surged into his mind. They merged perfectly with the original unwillingness, inferiority, and jealousy in his heart, taking root deep in his soul and transforming into a hideous seed of inner demons.

The Netherworld cultivator did not press the matter further, but instead fanned the flames, amplifying the negative emotions in his heart:

"Look at those sect disciples, which one of them doesn't look down on you? They don't take you seriously at all!"

"Lin Ye is gaining opportunities in the secret realm, rising step by step. Sooner or later he will meet even more powerful companions, and you, his useless brother, will eventually be abandoned by him!"

"If you don't cultivate this technique now, you'll regret it sooner or later; you'll always be a useless piece of trash!"

Each provocative word, like a curse, echoed in Lu Chenyuan's mind, resonating with the seed of his inner demons.

His pure affection for Lin Ye, though not collapsed, was shrouded in gloom; his sincere heart for cultivation still existed, but the resentment and obsession in his heart were magnified infinitely and could no longer be erased.

He gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling, his eyes filled with pain and struggle, staring intently at the Netherworld Star Devouring Technique, but never reaching out to touch it.

He held firm to his principles and did not cultivate evil arts, but the seed of inner demons planted by the evil power of the underworld had already taken deep root in his heart, becoming one with his negative emotions, and could no longer be removed.

"Very well, you can hold out for a while, but not forever. Your inner demons will slowly devour you." The leading Netherworld cultivator sneered, a sinister glint in his eyes. "Let's go. We'll come back to find you in the future."

After speaking, the three black figures transformed into a wisp of black mist and dissipated in the room, leaving only the menacing Netherworld Star Devouring Technique and Lu Chenyuan, whose mind was injured and who was in great pain.

Inside the room, Lu Chenyuan sat slumped on the ground alone, surrounded by a faint black aura. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was full of pain. His former gentle and pure appearance had been replaced by struggle and gloom.

He didn't touch the evil magic, but the inner demons in his heart were growing wildly. His resentment, inferiority, and jealousy could no longer be suppressed, tormenting him every moment.

Lin Ye exerted all his strength in the secret realm, single-mindedly searching for a heaven-defying cultivation technique for him, his heart full of brotherly affection. Little did he know that his most cherished brother had already been plotted against by the Netherworld Branch in a place he could not see, his heart deeply entrenched in demonic influence. Even without practicing evil arts, he had already fallen into the shackles of darkness and could never return to his former pure self.

The long-standing resentment and unwillingness completely transformed into an obsession, merging with the inner demons and taking root in the heart.

Lu Chenyuan slowly raised his head and looked in the direction of the secret realm. His eyes were full of pain and struggle. He was still the Lu Chenyuan who valued brotherhood, but the inner demon in his heart was like a leech, constantly reminding him of his mediocrity and incompetence. An invisible calamity had already quietly descended.

Outside, the moonlight was cold and clear, but it couldn't penetrate the small house shrouded in darkness and struggle, nor could it reach the dark corner of Lu Chenyuan's heart, which was occupied by his inner demons.

Lin Ye, far away in the secret realm, was completely unaware of this and continued to work tirelessly for his brothers. Little did he know that a crisis targeting him, stemming from his inner demons, was quietly brewing.