Chapter 108: The Inner Demon Is Him, and He Is the Inner Demon

Chapter 108: The Inner Demon Is Him, and He Is the Inner Demon

The inner demon stared blankly, "..."

Yan Huaixuan made sure it had seen it before cutting the connection again.

The inner demon ground its teeth, "Yan Huaixuan, you did that on purpose?"

Yan Huaixuan said flatly, "Just making you face reality."

The inner demon let out a cold laugh, but inside it was seething—fine, Shen Lian, you really did play me!

"Yan Huaixuan, you'd better not give me an opening."

But no matter what it said, Yan Huaixuan didn't respond.

However, the inner demon's eyes darted, "Yan Huaixuan, are you jealous?"

Yan Huaixuan remained silent.

The inner demon chuckled, "What right do you have to be jealous? You can't even admit your own feelings."

It had all of Yan Huaixuan's memories, and it sneered, "Who would've thought the once high-and-mighty favored son of heaven would end up like this?"

"Yan Huaixuan, when you cut that red thread of fate back then, did you ever think it'd come to this?"

"You looked down on him, yet now you're in way over your head, even giving birth to me."

Shen Lian was flipping through some books.

Suddenly, a line caught his eye.

"An inner demon can't be eradicated; in essence, it's the embodiment of the obsession a cultivator cast off."

"The inner demon is me, and I am the inner demon; we're one and the same."

Shen Lian's fingers froze.

He was mulling over those words.

But then he suddenly noticed the little fox beside him was starting to feel off.

Shen Lian whipped around and saw Yan Huaixuan's eyes were pitch-black. "What's up with you?"

He was about to get up, but this time, having learned from Yan Huaixuan's last stunt, he stayed put and sneered, "What are you acting all mysterious for now?"

But this time, Yan Huaixuan just said, "I'm not pretending."

After a pause, he said, "I'm stepping out for a bit. I'll be back by dusk."

With that, Yan Huaixuan turned to go.

Shen Lian frowned. "Stop."

Yan Huaixuan stopped in his tracks.

Shen Lian stared at his back. "Say what you need to say. I've set up a formation around this room. If you go out now, aren't you afraid of getting caught?"

Yan Huaixuan was quiet for a moment. "Then I'll stay in the side room."

But Shen Lian didn't drop it. "Is the inner demon acting up?"

He didn't know why, but those words suddenly came back to him—the inner demon is him, and he is the inner demon.

They were inherently one and the same.

Shen Lian immediately thought of that vicious inner demon wreaking havoc in Yan Huaixuan's sea of consciousness.

Was that part of Yan Huaixuan too?

"No," Yan Huaixuan said.

But Shen Lian didn't buy it. "Then stay right here."

Yan Huaixuan looked up, a little surprised. Noticing his gaze, Shen Lian quickly said, "What are you staring at? I'm just worried you'll cause more trouble later."

"Got it," Yan Huaixuan said, lying back down by the table.

But Shen Lian couldn't focus on his book anymore; his gaze kept drifting to Yan Huaixuan.

If that really was also Yan Huaixuan...

He tried to map it onto the current Yan Huaixuan and found it deeply contradictory.

If it was an obsession, then what was Yan Huaixuan obsessed with?

Something flashed through Shen Lian's mind.

But he couldn't catch it.

Just as he was about to keep reading, the ground suddenly shook.

Above their heads, an overwhelming pressure suddenly bore down.

Shen Lian's expression shifted. "They found us?"

He quickly tucked the little white dog into the mustard seed space, then remembered Yan Huaixuan was still a fox. His expression changed, and he scrambled to find the antidote. But he'd been slacking off these past few days, and the pills were piled up in a mess, so he couldn't find it in time.

Shen Lian cursed under his breath, but then he saw the crouching fox slowly start to grow.

Shen Lian was stunned. In the blink of an eye, the silver-haired, frost-eyed man was standing before him.

Shen Lian's lips parted. "You can undo it?"

So all these days, Yan Huaixuan had been playing along with his nonsense.

Yan Huaixuan grabbed his hand and pulled him into his arms.

Shen Lian was about to say "let go," but Yan Huaixuan said, "No time to argue. The demon clan is coming in full force."

Sure enough, the next moment, the formations under Shen Lian's feet all shattered.

Just as Shen Lian was about to take the backlash, Yan Huaixuan waved his hand, dispelling it, and took over, putting up a barrier to block the demons outside.

Shen Lian only felt a slight jolt.

His eyes flickered as he glanced at Yan Huaixuan next to him.

Yan Huaixuan had already shifted his form by then, pulling his black hair back, his eyes turning dark, and his features becoming plain.

Seeing Shen Lian's puzzled look, Yan Huaixuan said, "Our identities can't be exposed right now."

Shen Lian thought that made sense, and immediately took out a pill, about to disguise himself too. But the moment he swallowed it, he realized his line of sight was dropping.

Shen Lian: "?"

Wait, that's not right—didn't he grab a Disguise Pill? How did it become the Transformation Pill he'd given Yan Huaixuan?

Yan Huaixuan raised an eyebrow and pulled the flustered Shen Lian into his arms. "This works just fine."

As he spoke, the demon who'd been fighting Yan Huaixuan ripped the roof right off above them.

Yan Huaixuan and Shen Lian looked up at the demon appearing over Floating Cloud City.

One look, and Shen Lian knew the opponent's power was as vast and unfathomable as an endless sea of clouds.

The old demon narrowed his sinister eyes, locking his gaze onto Yan Huaixuan. "Boy, was it you who summoned the Demon-Slaying Heavenly Thunder?"

Yan Huaixuan's gaze stayed cold, not even bothering to acknowledge him.

"Get lost."

The old man sneered. "Do you know who I am? And you dare tell me to get lost?"

He raised his hand, ready to lunge at Yan Huaixuan.

Shen Lian's eyes narrowed.

But Yan Huaixuan just looked up, and the old man's attack vanished into thin air.

The old demon was stunned—the guy had deflected his attack without even lifting a finger.

Shen Lian had been worried whether Yan Huaixuan could handle it, but he'd taken care of it with ridiculous ease.

So he looked up at Yan Huaixuan.

As if reading his mind, Yan Huaixuan said quietly, "Earlier, the inner demon was fighting me for control, wreaking havoc in my sea of consciousness. Luckily, since you went into my sea of consciousness last time, I managed to suppress it."

Shen Lian paused, though, because Yan Huaixuan was speaking right against his ear.

Feeling awkward, Shen Lian's ear twitched. "Why are you this close to me?"

Yan Huaixuan's eyes trailed over his ear, and he let out a soft laugh.

When he laughed, his breath brushed against Shen Lian's ear again.

Shen Lian turned his head away. "Stop talking to him. Just end it."

Yan Huaixuan hummed in agreement, and a wooden sword materialized in his hand.

Shen Lian glanced at it—last time he'd seen Yan Huaixuan, he'd used this same sword.

No decorations, no magical aura—like it was really just a plain wooden sword.

Seeing Yan Huaixuan pull out a wooden sword, the old demon's eyes flashed with disdain. "That was pure luck."

He formed hand seals. "Now you think a measly wooden sword can beat me?"

Shen Lian was speechless. "He really knows how to talk himself up."

Hearing Shen Lian's muttering, a hint of amusement flashed in Yan Huaixuan's eyes.

He raised his sword, didn't even move his body—just one swing.

He easily shattered the old man's seals and cut him clean in two with one slash.

Shen Lian's eyes went wide.

That old man was at least Heavenly Immortal level or above, right? Yan Huaixuan was also a Heavenly Immortal, and he had to use half his spiritual power just to keep the inner demon in check—and he still took the old man out in one hit?

Plus, Shen Lian felt a majestic thunderous power in Yan Huaixuan's sword intent.

It felt exactly like that overwhelming Demon-Slaying Heavenly Thunder.

Shen Lian went quiet for a moment.

He suddenly realized he'd never once asked how Yan Huaixuan survived those ninety-nine bolts of Heavenly Thunder.

Ling Yun was startled too, like it could sense something.

Yan Huaixuan's Dao heart was slowly healing, but it didn't feel quite like the Heartless Dao.