Slay the Inner Demon!

At some unknown moment, a sword had appeared in An Jing's hand. Holding the sword, it felt as though boundless, immense power was bestowed upon him. Subconsciously, An Jing wanted to stride forward and use this mighty power to destroy, slaughter, and annihilate into nothingness all the people and things he loathed. How exhilarating, how completely true to one's heart such an act would be! Yet, the instant before taking that step, An Jing halted. For he suddenly recalled his childhood dream—the sun that burned the entire world to ash. For he suddenly realized none of this was real, only an illusion; even if he were to slay everything, the world would remain as it was, unchanged. Because he wanted to strike. Therefore, he struck! Yet what he struck was not these illusory phantoms, but rather— [Slay the inner demon!] Without a shred of hesitation, An Jing swung his sword and slashed down— Striking right upon the hazy black mist! *Hum—* A clear, brilliant sword light shattered the black mist. Not only that, but the sword in his hand swept out in an arc, describing a curve before slashing toward the other eight people connected to his mind, crushing and severing all the black mist coiling around their souls with irresistible force! Instantly, the eight souls cleared, no longer struggling within their inner demons! "Not enough!" Having severed the inner demon, An Jing's eyes were exceptionally clear. He looked across the entire grand array, looking at the boys and girls in the other groups who were likewise plagued by the Extramundane Demon. The outcome left him stunned, followed by profound grief. Unlike the first group, which had An Jing's direct aid and thus broke free from the Extramundane Demon's torment without casualties, the other groups—though containing lucky individuals who awakened their Destiny Patterns—suffered catastrophic casualties under the Extramundane Demon's affliction. In the "Knowing One's Mandate" stage, including Bai Qinghan, a total of two people awakened Destiny Patterns, while five had their bodies seize up and their souls dissipate, dying midway. In the "Obtaining Desires" stage, five people awakened Destiny Patterns, while seventeen died from bursting craniums and ruptured viscera. Finally, in the "Destroying Loathings" stage, four people awakened Destiny Patterns, while nine suffered reverse blood flow and died from violent hemorrhaging across their entire bodies. In all, eleven people had awakened Destiny Patterns, thirty-one had surrendered their lives to Imperial Heaven, and sixty-six remained alive. Even though he knew these people had long been corrupted by demon flesh and blood and could never have successfully awakened, An Jing still found it difficult to accept that those familiar faces he had lived alongside for so long had died so easily, died so miserably. Died so utterly silently. "How dare you, Extramundane Demon!" Just as his anger flared, An Jing saw the souls of several junior brothers and sisters being dragged by pitch-black demonic qi toward the abyssal darkness. Unable to bear it any longer, he let out a furious roar and drew his sword from its sheath! This strike was executed with flawless smoothness. As he thrust forward, his whole body's strength channeled through his waist, shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands, surging straight into the hilt, guard, blade, and tip! It was a strike where whole-body vigor flowed unimpeded, body and soul fused as one, aided as if by divine power! After An Jing thrust this sword, within the array of the Grand Ritual of Imperial Heaven's Baleful Stars, the sword qi erupting from the depths of the earth veins also shifted slightly. Numerous pure, clear sword lights were marshaled together, coalescing into a single sword light forged of pure rage and killing intent. It howled straight out and slammed into a certain core deep within the black mist, shattering it with a crisp *crack*. Sword qi spilled outward, completely purging the pitch-black demonic qi. The chains binding and dragging the souls of the boys and girls, along with the demonic intent that lured people deeper into delusions and fantasies, were utterly pulverized and scattered by the surging sword wind. [Peculiar...] As the demonic qi dissipated, the voice of the Extramundane Demon took on a hint of curiosity: [Why... can you command these sword intents?] "Get lost!" Offering no answer, An Jing barked coldly. Just moments ago, it seemed some icy thoughts had flooded toward his soul and mind, but the sword hilt in his Divine Sea trembled slightly, and its pure sword intent swept them away. An inner demon might still have troubled An Jing somewhat, being born of his own heart, but an outside Extramundane Demon stood no chance of bypassing the Fuxie Sword Spirit. "An Jing." Jolted back to awareness by the impact, the Sword Spirit said, "Next, I need to suppress the remnant soul of the Extramundane Demon within Suspended Fate Valley. This will take some time. You must stall those people from Suspended Fate Manor and ensure they do not notice the anomaly in the valley." At that, the Sword Spirit sneered, "Worry not, I have already seen through the nature of this ritual array. Since they dare employ my residual power and the Extramundane Demon's power for their own ends, let them taste the backlash of the Extramundane Demon!" "No problem." As the murky demonic qi broke apart like smoke, An Jing slowly exhaled and sheathed his sword. Accompanying the Sword Spirit's words, a flood of information regarding the Grand Ritual of Imperial Heaven's Baleful Stars suddenly appeared in his mind, along with numerous incantations and sacrificial methods for controlling the grand array: *Thank you. I will never let them have their way.* Murmuring inwardly, An Jing condensed the rage in his heart into something limpid and pure, turning it into the purest baleful intent to guard his soul and those of the other youths from demonic corruption. It was at that exact moment that he felt his soul tremble faintly. A scorching sensation surged from deep within his soul, bursting forth and overflowing beyond body and mind, and then... —Resonated with Heaven! *Hum!* Outside. The giant hand of black mist that had reached out from Suspended Fate Valley to shroud the array suddenly shuddered slightly. As it slowly lifted, razor-sharp wounds abruptly opened across its five fingers and palm, forced back by flowing sword qi. "Why is this? How could the hand of the Extramundane Demon be repelled?!" Brows knitted tight, Manor Lord Yao had presided over more than thirty rituals, yet he had never witnessed such an unnatural occurrence. Soon, however, an anomaly appeared that made him cast all deeper contemplation aside, filling him with wild delight. Due west of the grand array, in the Xingji group, a brilliantly bright starlight intertwined with a searing, oppressive Killing Aura rose up resplendently. At the center of the sacrificial altar, An Jing's brows rose sharp and upright. A crimson, blood-red star hung suspended above his head, flowing with flame-like bloodlight. Streams of blood-flame radiance cascaded down like rivers, forming a wheel of flames behind his head. The flame wheel turned, manifesting totemic visions of clashing weapons, carnage, and the execution of penal retribution. A scorching aura of blood and iron spilled forth as killing intent surged with torrential momentum, like swords and sabers carving sharp, seemingly disordered yet archaic and profound blood runes into the surrounding air. The pitch-black demonic qi could not draw near at all, shattered and repelled from afar. "Incredible!" Seeing this intensely baleful destiny anomaly, Manor Lord Yao nearly gasped in sheer shock, but his shock swiftly turned into ecstatic delight. Even the hand gripping his jade dagger turned white from the strain: "Another Extraordinary Destiny! A Star Baleful Destiny!" Those dead youths were not in his thoughts at all; being reclaimed as Blood Qi was already their greatest worth. Only someone like An Jing, awakening the Extraordinary Destiny they so desperately coveted, could move him to such intense excitement. "Two Extraordinary Destinies! The great rise of our Divine Sect is at hand!" Yet, after his ecstasy, Manor Lord Yao squinted, unable to see clearly: "Still, what Destiny Pattern is this? Yinghuo, blood balefulness, and seemingly a touch of Taibai?" "Could it be... [Yinghuo Encamped in Heart]?!"