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Qiao Wan was sleeping heavily, and the others came up to check on her condition.
"Wait!" Yuan Liu raised his hand and stopped the others. He stared at Qiao Wan intently, and cursed, "Damn it! Inner demon! Qiao Wan is possessed! Trapped by an inner demon!"
Inner demon?!
Everyone was stunned.
How did she get trapped by an inner demon all of a sudden?
If Qiao Wan kept sleeping, they could just carry her and run. Once they were out of the secret realm and in Kunshan, they could find someone to help. But now she was trapped by an inner demon!
When a cultivator falls into the grip of an inner demon, it can affect their cultivation and even their life. They couldn't just force their way in and rescue her.
Qiao Wan has only reached the first level of cultivation. The inner demon at this level wouldn't pose a threat to her life. If they disturbed her rashly, she might regress in her cultivation.
Cultivators undoubtedly considered their cultivation level as important as their life.
Yuan Liu looked around and sat down on the ground in frustration.
What else could they do?
Wait.
Wait to see if Qiao Wan could break free from the inner demon.
*
In her dream, Qiao Wan saw her own inner demon.
At six years old.
She saw the village of Daning in Wutian County of Yongze Prefecture, a simple village with two or three dilapidated houses. It had become even more rundown since the death of the male owner. The twisted old persimmon tree in front of the house was barely alive.
The family was already too poor to make ends meet. The woman packed her belongings and led the little boy out of the house.
The little girl threw herself at him, crying so hard that she couldn't catch her breath. She clung to the little boy's hand and refused to let go.
The woman forcefully pried the girl's hand open, angry and impatient. She hurriedly left with the little boy, got on a cart, and never came back.
Thick fog started to rise, and Daning gradually disappeared into it.
At fourteen years old.
A sword immortal came flying on his sword, and asked her if she wanted to be his apprentice with his head lowered. He tightly held her hand, step by step leading her up the stone steps in front of Kunshan's gate.
The little girl knelt before him, filled with joy, and respectfully kowtowed three times.
Zhou Yan walked down gracefully, with a cold demeanor.
He had never had any high expectations for this disciple of his.
At eighteen years old.
She first learned about Mu Xiaoxiao's existence.
During the Lantern Festival, the young man, in extreme pain, didn't even spare her a glance. He carried a rabbit-shaped lantern and flew away on his sword.
She just needed to be Mu Xiaoxiao's shadow, obediently staying low in her shadow.
But why?
Why was it always her?
It seemed like a voice in her mind was questioning.
Why didn't her mother take her with her? Why didn't her older brother come to see her? Why could she only be Mu Xiaoxiao's substitute, playing a supporting role in her life?
After all, she had a name and a surname, she was a living person.
It seemed like a deep and low male voice was guiding her, saying that it was all Mu Xiaoxiao's fault.
Just kill her.
Kill her here, and from then on, there will only be one Qiao Wan in Kunshan. She will exist in their eyes.
"She has caused you such grievances. Just go and kill her."
"This many years, have you lived without feeling tired? Hmph, pretending to be kind and righteous, how do you treat them, and how do they treat you?"
"Do you really believe they care about you? They only value your appearance. Now that the main person has returned to Kunshan, is there still a place for you in Kunshan?"
"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid to seek revenge? Or afraid of the consequences of revenge?"
"All these years, all your suffering is because of her alone. If that's the case, why not kill her?"
"In this secret realm, kill her, kill everyone present, then when you leave, blame it all on the beasts. That way, all the suffering you're experiencing now will be resolved."
*
In the Mudstone Secret Realm.
The young girl is leaning against the wall, but the dark aura on her body is not dispersing, instead getting thicker and thicker.
Moreover, the dark aura in the cave is also converging towards Qiao Wan.
With a slight movement of her fingertips, the girl opens her eyes, and in her pitch-black pupils, there is a calmness, with a faint flash of red.
Seeing this scene firsthand, Yuan Liu's eyes widen, almost popping out of his sockets.
"Darn it!!" a cry of despair echoes within the secret realm, "Qiao Wan has fallen into darkness!"
Falling into darkness.
Pei Chunzheng himself is a practitioner of dark arts, he is extremely familiar with it.
The signs of falling into darkness are evident in Qiao Wan's eyes!
Seeing the unfavorable situation, Pei Chunzheng furrows his brows, about to take action, but he didn't expect Qiao Wan to react quickly, leaping away from his side.
"What the heck is going on?!" Yuan Liu roars, "How did she fall into darkness out of nowhere?!"
Isn't this just a demon of the heart? If you can't see through it, then you can't see through it. How did it turn into falling into darkness?!
Qiao Wan had just rushed out, and she went straight for Mu Xiaoxiao!
"Martial Sister Qiao Wan?"
Mu Xiaoxiao stands still, before she can react, she is suddenly tackled to the ground by Xiao Boyang.
The young man speaks in a stern voice, "Run!"
In the blink of an eye, Pei Chunzheng, Yuan Liu, and Xiao Boyang have already leaped forward to intercept Qiao Wan.
Mu Xiaoxiao isn't foolish, she understands immediately that Qiao Wan is coming for her.
The fallen Qiao Wan is like a completely different person.
The girl's eyes are cold and merciless, filled with a killing intent.
For some reason, at the sight of Qiao Wan like this, Mu Xiaoxiao feels a wave of fear.
The girl clenches her lips tight, fear evident in her clear eyes, holding onto Snow Rock Fox tightly as she stumbles forward in her escape.
She is merely talented, and her body is still plagued by the residual toxin. Plus, the Snow Rock Fox in her arms is not yet fully grown. At this moment, Qiao Wan's cultivation has skyrocketed, and if she truly wants to kill her, Mu Xiaoxiao is defenseless.
Qiao Wan is determined to kill Mu Xiaoxiao, she doesn't even bother with a fight. As Mu Xiaoxiao runs, she quickly bursts out of the battle circle, pursued by Qiao Wan.
Yuan Liu is anxiously jumping, "What in the world is going on?! Why would Qiao Wan suddenly want to kill someone?!"
Xiao Boyang and Pei Chunzheng remain silent.
Cheng Li had heard a bit about the past events of Mu Xiaoxiao and Qiao Wan, and his feelings were a bit complicated. "Old grudges. The old grudges between Martial Sister Qiao and Martial Sister Mu are really hard to explain."
Yuan Liu was so angry that his nose was crooked.
Qiao Wan had gone mad and was determined to kill Mu Xiaoxiao. Only two undercover disciples could protect Mu Xiaoxiao and run ahead, while they intercepted from behind.
But this was not a solution at all.
Fuck!
Yuan Liu was knocked away by Qiao Wan with one palm. He held his chest, coughing up blood and cursing angrily.
Does going mad also come with a boost to cultivation?
The current Qiao Wan didn't resemble her old self at all. Her cultivation skyrocketed, from Foundation Building to an explosive rise, showing signs of breaking through to the Golden Core stage!
Even when they combined their strength, they still couldn't defeat Qiao Wan alone!
The problem was, this wasn't just some demon, it was Qiao Wan! They didn't dare to use any fatal moves.
They couldn't use fatal moves and were helpless, but Qiao Wan didn't show them any mercy. Her attacks were fierce, powerful, clean, and lethal.
Yuan Liu said, "Pei Chunzheng! Are you fucking a demon? Think of a solution!"
Pei Chunzheng clenched his lips and was about to press the cinnabar mark on his forehead.
"No!" Xiao Boyang shouted sternly, "Pei Chunzheng, no!"
Pei Chunzheng was a demon, a fact well-known to everyone in Kunshan.
He was a demon brought back by Mu Xiaoxiao, willingly sealing his own demonic identity and following her to Kunshan.
Among these people, Pei Chunzheng had the strongest cultivation.
But even Pei Chunzheng was only at the late Foundation Building stage.
He was born a demon, a pure one, definitely not a result of going astray later.
He had cultivated his pure demonic body to the Golden Core stage and, for the sake of Mu Xiaoxiao, suppressed his demonic energy and joined Kunshan.
It was already extremely difficult to re-cultivate to the late Foundation Building stage within a few short years after sealing his demonic body.
If they released the seal on his forehead, then maybe they could stop Qiao Wan. But once Pei Chunzheng's seal was released, if anything went wrong, they would have more than just Qiao Wan to deal with.
Nobody could bear that price.
But there was no other way now.
Yuan Liu gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go, don't hesitate! We can recover from our injuries, but let's capture Qiao Wan first!"
Qiao Wan's current appearance showed that she was deeply afflicted by her inner demons. If they hesitated any longer, they would all die at her hands.
Yuan Liu gave the order, and the undercover members no longer hesitated.
All sorts of magical devices and spells were relentlessly thrown at Qiao Wan, risking their lives.
But Qiao Wan's target was not them. Even if she was covered in blood, she would break through the encirclement and charge toward Mu Xiaoxiao.
Yuan Liu watched with a pounding heart.
What kind of inner demons did Qiao Wan have? How big of a grudge was this?!
They seemed to have a good relationship between them.
Xiao Boyang also didn't expect that Qiao Wan's inner demon would turn out to be Mu Xiaoxiao. Qiao Wan actually wanted to kill Mu Xiaoxiao?!
Xiao Boyang's heart was filled with mixed emotions. He didn't expect that Qiao Wan could hate Mu Xiaoxiao so much.
Yuan Liu was trying to handle Qiao Wan while giving orders with determination. "I'll keep her busy! You guys go ahead and find a place to ambush. When I lead Qiao Wan out, you can take action."
"I'll count to three, and then you attack! Whether it's with weapons or magic, just go for it!"
Yuan Liu was retreating while leading Qiao Wan, until they were surrounded. With a command, "Attack!"
Qiao Wan narrowly escaped the blade by her ear and stepped on the spear tip, managing to break free from the encirclement!
"Qiao Wan, have you gone mad?!"
Xiao Boyang shouted in anger, reaching out to stop her, but Qiao Wan lifted her eyes and raised an eyebrow.
Thump - Xiao Boyang's heart skipped a beat.
Crack - It was the sound of his arm being twisted.
After years of physical training, Qiao Wan's physical abilities were much stronger than the others. She effortlessly twisted the arm of an adult man.
"Qiao..." He held his arm, facing the gaze of the young girl, and Xiao Boyang was completely stunned. Suddenly, a sense of fear rose in his heart.
The Qiao Wan in front of him, damn it, she really meant to kill!
The demonic energy of the Human-faced Scorpion-tailed Spider had completely invaded her mind. The Buddha's imprint left in her mind could resist one illusion of inner demons, but not the second one. The Buddha's light faded away, and the twisted desires of killing, jealousy, and anger firmly occupied her mind.
However, in a corner of her mind, Qiao Wan still had a trace of consciousness.
Qiao Wan stood in her mind, under the golden lotus, gritting her teeth and resisting.
She didn't want to be possessed by the demon.
The demonic energy was beyond her control, overwhelming her. Gradually, her remaining consciousness became weaker and weaker, like a flickering lamp in the darkness, on the verge of going out.
