Inner Demon

Sensing that the Qiantian Lightning Tribulation had locked onto him, Lu Yang immediately cast a Great Karma Divine Ability—Defying Heaven to Change Name! He was no longer "Lu Yang"—he was now "Lu Yin." This was an apex karma divine ability that even Soul Formation cultivators could not possibly learn. Blessed with extraordinary natural talent, Lu Yang had mastered the technique early on, and today it finally had its moment to shine! "Defying Heaven to Change Name—changing one's name right in defiance of a heavenly tribulation. What a wonderfully apt name for a divine ability." Coiled atop Tianmen Peak and leaping amidst the dark clouds, the Qiantian Lightning Tribulation abruptly calmed down. The tribulation suddenly discovered that the target destined to undergo it had vanished. The azure Qiantian Lightning Tribulation circled the summit of Tianmen Peak several times, utterly unable to locate "Lu Yang." Lu Yin saw this and realized it was no long-term solution; he couldn't just drag things out indefinitely. "Since Defying Heaven to Change Name actually works against heavenly tribulations..." Lu Yin smiled faintly, dismissed the Great Karma Divine Ability, and reverted to his original name. Detecting Lu Yang once more, the Qiantian Lightning Tribulation grew extraordinarily agitated. It had been gathering strength the entire time it was searching for him; now that Lu Yang had shown himself, it was determined to erupt with full fury! Azure light danced, illuminating Tianmen Peak as brightly as midsummer at high noon, dazzling everyone so severely they could barely keep their eyes open. Just as the Qiantian Lightning Tribulation was about to strike Lu Yang, he once again defied heaven to change his name, turning into "Lu Yin." The Qiantian Lightning Tribulation lost its target. However, having already struck downward, it could not be pulled back; it had no choice but to bypass Lu Yin and crash into the ground. "Just as I thought." Lu Yin breathed a sigh of relief, having found a safe method to transcend the tribulation. Generally speaking, no one would intentionally avoid a lightning tribulation. As Immortal Ying Tian had once stated, a lightning tribulation was both a trial and an opportunity; being struck by one could strengthen one's body. Provided, of course, that one wasn't struck dead. Lu Yin knew that his frail frame was no match for the Qiantian Lightning Tribulation, so the best approach was simply to dodge it. "Lu Yin" changed back into "Lu Yang," and the Qiantian Lightning Tribulation descended once more. Just as it came crashing down, Lu Yang changed his name again, causing the tribulation's strike to miss completely. He repeated this cycle nine times. Nine was the ultimate number, and the Qiantian Lightning Tribulation could only produce nine strikes. Once the nine strikes were over, the tribulation was considered successfully transcended. ... "Heavens above, a Nascent Soul cultivator transcended the Qiantian Lightning Tribulation?!" Although no one understood what Lu Yang had done, everyone could see that he had successfully passed the tribulation, sending the entirety of the Dao Seeking Sect into a boiling uproar of cheers. Even facing a Qiantian Lightning Tribulation was impossible for a Nascent Soul cultivator, let alone successfully transcending it. This was an unprecedented feat throughout the ages! Gu Junye stood with his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his lips and a deep look in his eyes as he reminisced about the past. "As expected of the Xuanyuan Sword Lord. He truly carries a bit of his former grace." "What sort of spell did Senior Brother Lu Yang use just now? The lightning tribulation didn't even attack him!" Even Li Haoran, who possessed Cult Master Qin's memories, could not fathom what Lu Yang had just done. "Is it finally over this time?" "Why is Senior Brother Lu Yang not moving at all, just floating in the sky?" "The Xuanji Divine Lightning around Tianmen Peak hasn't dissipated; the heavenly tribulation isn't over yet! Junior Brother Lu is trapped in an inner demon tribulation!" The senior brother at the Void Refining stage quickly spotted the clue. Tao Yaoye gazed at Senior Brother Lu Yang full of worry, praying silently for his safe return. "Senior Brother Lu Yang has a steadfast Dao heart. Nothing will happen to him." Li Haoran reminded them, "Don't forget, Senior Brother Lu Yang is a disciple directly under our Sect Master. Who under the Sect Master has ever been trapped by an inner demon tribulation?" While the logic was sound, Tao Yaoye remained anxious for Lu Yang. ... "Where is this?" Lu Yang's gaze turned dazed for a fleeting moment. His mind felt sluggish, unable to recall what had happened before or why he was here. Lu Yang slowly stood up. He was clad in an imperial robe woven from gold and silver threads—invulnerable to blades and spears, untouched by fire and water, unharmed by any magic. Embroidered on the front of the imperial robe was the Immortal Fairy, and embroidered on the back was Eldest Senior Sister. Lu Yang turned his head. What he had just been sitting on was an imperial throne representing supreme status, an imperial tribute from the Demon Domain said to have been personally crafted by Supreme Zhu Tian. Looking around, Lu Yang realized he was inside a temporary palace, with memorials and an imperial jade seal piled before him. He turned the imperial seal over and found inscribed upon it the words: *May the Great Bean Dynasty Live Long and Prosper Eternally.* Lost memories surged back like a flood tide, and Lu Yang finally remembered his identity. "I remember now. We are the Emperor of the Great Bean Dynasty." The Bean Emperor's personal eunuch approached Lu Yang carrying a tray upon which wooden name tablets lay face down. "Your Majesty, whose tablet will you turn over tonight?" the personal eunuch, Meng Jingzhou, inquired. Lu Yang couldn't quite recall who belonged to his imperial harem, so he casually flipped over one of the wooden tablets. "Huang Doudou." He flipped over another tablet. "Yun Zhi." Next came Tao Yaoye, Lan Ting... "Your Majesty, do you wish to sleep with all of them tonight?" the personal eunuch, Meng Jingzhou, asked hesitantly. "Summon them all over. We wish to look them over," Lu Yang commanded with a wave of his hand, his tone brooking no argument. Before long, the beauties of Lu Yang's imperial harem arrived one after another, a stunning assembly of twittering birds and fluttering swallows, mesmerizing to behold. "Little Yangzi, you called for me tonight?" Huang Doudou was dressed in a pale yellow dress, the hem swaying lightly with her movements, her lake-clear eyes blinking as she looked at Lu Yang. "Little Junior Brother, were you looking for me?" Yun Zhi was like an immortal stepping out of a scroll painting, clad in plain white garments reminiscent of plum blossoms blanketed in fresh snow, cool and elegant. As she walked, her steps were light and nimble, and the bell on her wrist tinkled softly. "Senior Brother Lu Yang..." Tao Yaoye, delicate as a peach blossom, and Lan Ting, refined as a lady of noble birth, also arrived at the palace. The four peerless beauties surrounded Lu Yang, some reserved, some outgoing, their eyes filled with deep, unspoken feelings. Watching the four women draw closer and closer to him, Lu Yang felt an ever-growing sense of discord, which finally jogged his original memories. *Wait, wasn't I undergoing a heavenly tribulation? Why would I appear here?* *Wait, heavenly tribulation? Is this... an inner demon tribulation?!* At that thought, Lu Yang was so terrified that he collapsed onto his backside, scrambling backward with cold sweat pouring down his forehead, desperately putting as much distance as possible between himself and Huang Doudou and Yun Zhi. He hadn't been anywhere near this frightened even when facing the Invincible Divine Lightning Tribulation and the Qiantian Lightning Tribulation earlier. *The books say that when facing an inner demon tribulation, the inner demon will manifest as the thing you fear the most, or into the environment you desire the most, causing you to sink into it, unable to pull yourself free. Even if one realizes it is an inner demon tribulation, plenty of people willingly remain fallen in indulgence.* *And to pass the inner demon tribulation, one must not only see through the illusion, but also defeat the enemies within it.* Lu Yang glanced at Huang Doudou on his left, then at Yun Zhi on his right. There was no way in hell anyone could beat them! Just as Lu Yang was racking his brain for a solution, a crisp *crack* echoed. He looked up to find the space overhead fractured, cracks rapidly spreading across the entirety of the void. The space shattered. When Lu Yang regained his senses, he found himself back in his spiritual space, facing the Immortal Fairy with her sleeves rolled up. The Immortal Fairy leaned in close with concern. "Little Yangzi, are you all right? You fell into an inner demon tribulation just now. I don't know what you saw, but you were grinning foolishly the entire time." "...I almost wasn't all right." "Immortal, you're finally alive." A hearty laugh rang out within the spiritual space. How could there be a third person in his spiritual space? Lu Yang hastily turned his head and saw a figure standing outside the spiritual space, resembling a sovereign emperor, naturally exuding the charisma of a leader. Lu Yang had seen this face before. Immortal Ying Tian.