At the age of one hundred, I inquired about the Dao, awakening the supreme spiritual root that shatt

Ling Xiu walked to the deepest part of the stone chamber and noticed two figures behind a dark pillar.

It was the figure of two tall, slender women who looked quite familiar.

The two noticed the newcomer and their faces simultaneously showed surprise and doubt.

One of them was dressed in tight black clothes, with a black veil covering her face. She had a slender figure and was none other than Mu Yinxue, the Holy Maiden of the Divine Demon Sect who had previously joined forces with Ling Xiu.

The other person was dressed in blue, in the standard attire of the Qingyun Sect; it was none other than Yun Ziling.

She was breathing rapidly and remained on high alert, clearly having been attacked by demonic energy and had taken refuge here first.

No one expected the two to be hiding here. Three pairs of eyes met, and Mu Yinxue spoke first.

"Fellow Daoist Li, how did you end up here? Demonic energy fills the air outside; do you know what just happened?"

Mu Yinxue pretended to be familiar with Ling Xiu and slowly walked towards him, asking him a question.

Ling Xiu gently shook his head.

"I'm not entirely sure either. I was searching in the side hall when demonic energy suddenly erupted. I barely survived by running for my life. I never expected to run into you here."

He spoke with a faint smile, his expression calm and composed. Mu Yinxue had no idea that the source of this demonic calamity that swept through the entire Xuan Palace was actually Ling Xiu.

"It has long been rumored that the destruction of the Nine Heavens Profound Sun Sect was due to a great battle with the Demon Clan, in which the Demon Clan also suffered heavy casualties. Now it seems that the rumors are true."

"I suspect that the demons have already planted a terrifying suppressive force beneath the Nine Heavens Mystic Palace," Mu Yinxue said solemnly.

"Could they truly be ancient demons?"

Ling Xiu harbored the deepest hatred for the demon race.

The demonic cults of today are incomparable to the true ancient demon race.

The ancient demon race was not human. They were ferocious and cruel by nature, even more bloodthirsty than monsters. They always ate humans, and in ancient times, fierce battles broke out between humans and demons.

The surging, overwhelming demonic energy within the Xuan Palace was clearly a remnant of the demon race from back then.

Ling Xiu immediately thought of the gilded gourd. It seemed that the gourd was a treasure specifically used to suppress the demonic energy in this place.

He himself had already broken the seal, releasing all the demons lurking beneath.

It's possible that the demon that has been dormant for countless ages will soon be fully unleashed!

Thinking of this, Ling Xiu clenched his fists in secret.

This calamity was caused by him, and countless human cultivators died tragically, but he felt no remorse in obtaining this treasure.

If anyone else had discovered the gilded gourd first, the outcome would most likely have been a similar tragedy.

Mu Yinxue turned to look at Yun Ziling.

"We'll settle our scores another day."

"With demonic energy raging, only by the three of us joining forces can we have a chance to escape this place."

"Can."

Yun Ziling responded in a cold tone.

After saying that, she looked up and sized up Ling Xiu. She felt that the person in front of her looked very familiar, and a strange sense of familiarity arose in her heart, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.

The three reached a consensus to temporarily put aside their grudges, work together to resist the demonic energy, and find a way out of this place.

After a brief discussion, the three of them stood in a triangular formation within the stone chamber, each on guard against the infiltrating demonic energy that might condense and harm them.

Outside the stone chamber, demonic energy still filled the sky, and countless cultivators suffered from its corruption.

The three temporarily set aside their personal grudges and joined forces to resist the demonic energy.

The atmosphere inside this hidden treasure vault was awkward, the silence almost eerily quiet, with no one speaking first.

Time passed slowly, and wisps of demonic energy seeped into the room through the cracks in the walls, condensing into tiny demonic shadows in the air, only to dissipate in an instant.

It is not yet able to take shape and is not a cause for concern, but if this continues, the entire secret chamber will eventually be completely swallowed up by demonic energy.

All three underestimated the danger of this ancient demonic energy.

Demonic energy silently invades the body, slowly eroding consciousness and causing it to become increasingly blurred, eventually leading to a complete loss of self-control.

It can not only bewitch the mind and control the body, but also cause irreversible damage to the cultivator's soul.

Ling Xiu was the first to notice something was wrong. The negative emotions surging in his heart grew stronger and stronger, and an uncontrollable bloodlust grew continuously, almost causing him to lose control several times.

"Beware! This demonic energy nourishes the inner demons and bewitches the Dao heart. Quickly sit cross-legged, regulate your breathing, and stabilize your mind!"

Ling Xiu spoke up to remind him, and immediately sat down cross-legged, activating his powerful true essence to protect his body. A layer of light golden light covered his body as he did his best to stabilize his Dao heart and resist the demonic essence that had invaded his body.

Having lived for over a hundred years, Ling Xiu's past humiliations, helplessness, and regrets, coupled with his deep resentment towards the injustice of Heaven, were all stirred up and amplified by demonic energy, causing his mind to be wildly disturbed.

He fully activated the "True Secret of Longevity" to uphold his Dao heart, and the power of the Great Dao of Longevity nourished his physical body in an endless stream, gradually expelling the demonic energy that had seeped into his body. At the same time, he swallowed a top-grade pill to calm his mind and stabilize his heart.

What may seem like a simple act of sitting quietly to exorcise demons is actually extremely dangerous. If one relaxes even slightly, the demonic energy will completely invade and shatter one's Dao heart.

He is currently only at the early stage of the Condensation Realm, but this demonic energy is ancient demonic essence that has been sealed for ten thousand years. A single top-grade spiritual pill cannot sustain him for long.

Two hours later, Ling Xiu's face was pale and contorted, the veins on his arms were bulging, he bit his lower lip tightly, and his body was trembling slightly uncontrollably as he tried his best to maintain his mental clarity.

This is a life-or-death struggle between the Daoist heart and demonic energy.

puff!

The inner demons that had been growing within him suddenly turned on him, and the violent demonic power severely damaged his internal organs, causing Ling Xiu to cough up a mouthful of blood.

Mu Yinxue and Yun Ziling, standing to the side, were equally pale, enduring immense torment. Their cultivation levels were higher, their foundations more stable, allowing them to withstand the demonic energy for an extended period; fine beads of sweat constantly seeped from their foreheads.

Yun Ziling, who was usually aloof and cold, was now deeply entangled in her inner demons. Her delicate brows were tightly furrowed, her face was covered with a layer of frost, and her expression was full of pain and struggle. Her Dao heart and demonic energy were clashing fiercely in her body, and her aura was constantly fluctuating.

Mu Yinxue seemed to be in slightly better shape. She had been cultivating divine and demonic techniques for many years and was naturally resistant to demonic energy, and could even barely adapt to it.

"wrong!"

Ling Xiu looked up at her and saw that Mu Yinxue was trembling violently, her forehead was covered in cold sweat, her lips were bitten until they were red, and her skin was covered in a thick black mist with faint demonic patterns appearing.

She had been practicing demonic arts, so she should have been able to suppress demonic energy more easily. But at this moment, the demonic energy instead stirred up the deepest demonic roots in her heart.

Beneath the black veil, her breathing became increasingly rapid, her eyes gleaming with a chilling light, exuding a sinister and malevolent aura, as she desperately fought back with the last shred of her reason.

These thin, invisible demonic energies are ubiquitous, silently penetrating the physical body and eroding the Dao heart; they are truly terrifying.

It amplifies the hatred and obsession deep in people's hearts, breeds inner demons, and indulges people's most primal desires and evil thoughts.

Hang in there!

Ling Xiu shouted at her, trying to bring her back to her senses.

His own situation was equally dire, with his internal energy in disarray and agitation, making the atmosphere in the entire stone chamber increasingly oppressive and eerie.

Right now!

Mu Yinxue suddenly burst into wild laughter, her entire face covered in dark demonic patterns, her eyes becoming completely empty and black, devoid of any human emotion.

At the same time, Yun Ziling also completely lost her grip, unable to suppress the inner demons within her any longer, and suddenly stood up from the ground.

The two women, their eyes cold and cruel, had completely transformed into witches, and both fixed their gazes on Ling Xiu, who was still struggling against his inner demons.