I Am the Inner Demon

Yun Zhi always felt that what she worried about would come to pass. After all, this was the Dao Seeking Sect; nothing that happened here was out of the ordinary. Lu Yang had entered a wondrous state. He felt every acupoint in his body brimming with spiritual qi. The circulation of the heavenly cycle within him merged seamlessly with the ambient spiritual qi, exchanging spiritual energy with every breath he took. His mind was more tranquil than ever. Focusing intently on refining the benefits brought by the Kui ox, he could clearly feel his body growing steadily stronger. "It would be best to go take a look." Yun Zhi glanced at the cultivating Lu Yang without disturbing him. She instructed the puppet to stand guard over him and set off alone for the pine forest. It was already late at night. With only Yun Zhi and Lu Yang on Tianmen Peak, it was extraordinarily quiet. Walking through the mountains, Yun Zhi resembled an immortal drifting above the clouds. Then Yun Zhi saw her noisy master and the elders trapped inside the cave abode. Their voices could be heard from far away. Yun Zhi sighed. What was bound to happen would happen. She walked into the cave abode, contemplating whether to let them out. ... Inside the cave abode, the upper echelon of the Dao Seeking Sect had gathered in full force. "I knew you senior brothers and sisters were kindhearted folks who couldn't bear to see me here all alone, so you came in specifically to keep me company." Daoist Buyu spoke with deep gratitude, though he couldn't hide the corners of his mouth curling upward no matter how hard he tried. "Especially Old Second! On the surface, he was trying to crack the formation, but in truth, he saw how lonely I was and dragged everyone in to keep me company!" Old Ba instantly felt the venomous glares of his junior brothers and sisters, and the pressure was immense. Forcing himself to appear composed, he said, "Don't panic, everyone. This is merely a seal set by Martial Niece Yun Zhi, not her person visiting in the flesh. As long as we pool our strength, we will definitely weather this crisis together and shatter the seal! "Think of the Nine Scions of the Dao Seeking Sect we once were! Think of the high stations you all hold today! What hardship could possibly stump us?" In their youth, they had roamed the martial world, slaying demons and purging evil, making a grand name for themselves across the Central Continent. "The Nine Scions of the Dao Seeking Sect" was the title people gave them back then. Within the cramped cave abode, the Nine Scions of the Dao Seeking Sect united once more. "Old Ninth, tell us—just how do we get out of here?" Old Ba glared fiercely at Daoist Buyu. He had come to enjoy the show, only to become the spectacle himself. Daoist Buyu chuckled slyly. It wasn't easy getting everyone to come keep him company, so how could he let them leave so easily? With a solemn look, he said, "I'm not afraid of you laughing, but Little Yun's cultivation long surpassed mine. The purpose of her setting this seal was to make me cultivate diligently and break through my limits. "So if we want to break the seal, we must break through our limits and transcend ourselves!" Everyone realized the gravity of the situation. Transcending oneself was easy to say, but only when putting it into practice did one realize just how difficult it was. Daoist Buyu had already planned out the course of events: First, everyone would step up one by one to try breaking the seal. Once repelled, they would undoubtedly be disheartened. At that moment, he would claim he had gained an epiphany, was on the verge of a breakthrough, and needed to meditate for three days. Three days later, he would feign a surge of soaring aura, unleash a dazzling sword technique against the cave entrance just as the seal expired, and his senior brothers and sisters would marvel at his innate comprehension. A flawless plan! "In that case, as your Second Senior Brother, I won't hold back and will take the first shot!" With the Grand Elder absent, Old Ba was the most senior, so he had to set an example. The others looked at Old Ba expectantly. Old Ba suspected he probably wouldn't be able to break the seal and that it would be quite embarrassing, so he turned around and said, "Stand back, everyone. I have a secret technique that isn't suitable to display in public." The group obediently retreated deep into the cave, where they couldn't see the entrance. Seeing them pull back, Old Ba took a deep breath and shook several seeds from his sleeve. Accompanied by his muttered incantation, the seeds instantly transformed into thick vines that bombarded the cave entrance. The vines glowed faintly as lightning erupted, shaking heaven and earth. This was the world-renowned purple lightning vine. Legend had it that it was born bathed in heavenly tribulations, bearing the mark of heaven and earth from birth and possessing a fraction of a tribulation's power. After a barrage of relentless bombardment, the cave entrance showed no change whatsoever, the seal entirely undisturbed. "Huh?" Through the thick smoke, Old Ba spotted an elegant silhouette and furrowed his brows. As the smoke cleared, Yun Zhi's figure was revealed. With how rich Old Ba's experience was, he instantly understood what had happened before his eyes. The figure before him had to be his inner demon! Hadn't Old Ninth just said that breaking the seal required transcending oneself? And how did one transcend oneself? By defeating one's inner demon, of course! "I thought I had already moved past it, thinking that every generation surpasses the last and that the young outstripping the old is a good thing. To think I still haven't let it go!" Old Ba's fighting spirit surged. With that thought, Old Ba hesitated no longer and attacked Yun Zhi with all his might. Yun Zhi had originally intended to come inside to see what the elders were up to and consider whether to let them out. Who would have guessed that the moment she reached the entrance, she would be met with Old Ba's furious barrage? Helpless, Yun Zhi struck back. Extending a slender, jade-like hand, the bells on her wrist chiming, she delivered a palm strike that sent Old Ba flying backward. Old Ba flew back a great distance before being caught by the Third Elder and the others. "Second Senior Brother, what happened to you?" Old Ba coughed twice, a trace of dread in his eyes. Trembling, he raised a hand, pointed toward the cave entrance, and said, "Be careful! Old Ninth didn't lie to us! Martial Niece Yun Zhi's accomplishments are peerless—she set an inner demon seal! If we want to break it, we must resolve our inner demons!" Daoist Buyu muttered inwardly, *Inner demon? What inner demon?* Refusing to believe it, the Third Elder stepped forward to try his luck and encountered Yun Zhi as well. He had never been good at using his head to begin with, so naturally, he believed whatever Old Ba said. Back when Yun Zhi defeated five sect masters at the Immortal Sect Conference, she had temporarily become the inner demon of the older generation, making them wonder what on earth they had even spent the past thousand years cultivating. The Third Elder was no exception. The Third Elder took one look at Yun Zhi, assumed a battle stance, and fought immediately. In the end, just like the Second Elder, he was sent flying by a single palm strike. "What a formidable inner demon!" The Fourth Elder, the Fifth Elder... up to the Eighth Elder, the elders tried one after another, and every single one was defeated by Yun Zhi. Baffled, Daoist Buyu made his way to the cave entrance. When he saw Yun Zhi, realization dawned upon him. What inner demon was this? This was clearly Little Yun guarding the entrance in person! "Little Yun?" Daoist Buyu called out tentatively. Yun Zhi replied expressionlessly, "I am the inner demon." With that, giving her master no chance to react, she sent him flying with a palm strike, turned around, and walked out of the cave abode. Treating her as an inner demon and attacking her on sight—and they still wanted to get out? They could obediently sit and meditate for three days. ... Lu Yang slowly opened his eyes, feeling a warm current flowing through his body. Right now, he was only a single step away from breaking through. By now, Yun Zhi was already seated back in her original spot. Seeing her across from him, Lu Yang couldn't tell if it was just his imagination, but he had a feeling Eldest Senior Sister seemed rather pleased. "Eldest Senior Sister, did something good happen?" "No," Yun Zhi replied in her usual indifferent tone.