Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 148 Inner Demons

Du Fan took a deep breath and was about to call the inner sect servants to repair the trial wall when someone arrived. The moment he saw this person, all of Du Fan's unhappiness and troubles vanished. With his spirits lifted, he quickly invited the person in.

The person who arrived was Chen Ru, who had just emerged from seclusion and was carrying a snow fox.

Chen Ru's temperament remained as gentle and serene as ever. Her flawless face and watery eyes still gave people a sense of calm and comfort. If there was any difference, it was that there seemed to be a hint of pressure between her brows, and a powerful aura that was not hidden.

Du Fan scanned the area with his divine sense and felt reassured; he knew that the woman had successfully established her foundation.

Although he couldn't sense the woman's cultivation level or other factors, Chen Ru's spiritual sense was indeed nearly ten times stronger than before. With Du Fan's powerful spiritual sense, comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could still discern this.

"Congratulations, Miss Chen, on your successful Foundation Establishment! This is truly a cause for celebration." After the two sat down in the living room, Du Fan poured a cup of spiritual tea for the woman and said with a happy expression.

"Oh? Elder Du has that much confidence in me?" Chen Ru's beautiful eyes flashed, and she smiled as she spoke.

"Hehe, I'll say it again: if Miss Chen fails to establish her foundation, then there will be no more Foundation Establishment experts in the cultivation world," Du Fan chuckled, half-jokingly.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ru did not speak, but gave a soft, bitter smile, lowered her eyes slightly, and reached out her fair hand to stroke the snow fox in her arms.

"Oh, by the way, Miss Chen, why have you been in seclusion for so long? From the day you went into seclusion, if you count the days, it has been more than a hundred days in total."

"Didn't you say that it would take at least ten days and at most a month to get out of seclusion? Could it be that there's something wrong with the Spirit Gathering Oil I gave you?" Du Fan's expression suddenly turned serious, and he looked at Chen Ru and asked abruptly.

"Speaking of which, we have to thank Elder Du for those few bottles of Spirit Gathering Oil."

"I've been stuck in this secret chamber for so long, unable to stop my breakthrough or be disturbed. If it weren't for those pills and essential oils, I would have perished there long ago due to the depletion of my magical power." Chen Ru shook her head and sighed softly.

"How could this be? What exactly happened when Miss Chen was attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage?" Du Fan was startled upon hearing this and hurriedly asked.

"Because I... encountered my inner demons." Chen Ru glanced at Du Fan and said in a low voice.

"What? Inner demons!" Du Fan suddenly stood up, his face filled with disbelief. Then, as if realizing something, he exclaimed in surprise:

"Aren't inner demons only something that appears when breaking through to the Golden Core stage? The sect's records never mention that cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage can develop inner demons. This..."

"I don't know either, but it... definitely happened, and it tormented me for more than two months..." At this point, Chen Ru paused and stopped talking, seemingly unwilling to say more.

Du Fan felt a sense of relief. No matter how terrifying Chen Ru's ordeal was, it was all in the past now. There was no need for them to worry or be anxious about what had happened. After letting out a soft breath, Du Fan's expression suddenly shifted, as if he had become somewhat interested, and he said:

"Anyway, everything's alright now. But what exactly is your inner demon?"

"Elder Du, do you really want to know?" Chen Ru remained silent for a moment, then glanced at Du Fan with a flicker of her eye and said softly.

"Oh, I was just curious. If it's inconvenient for Miss Chen to talk about it, then just pretend I didn't ask." Du Fan smiled slightly, sensing that Chen Ru's mood seemed a bit off, so he waved his hand and shook his head.

"It's really not easy to tell others about this, but it doesn't matter if I tell Elder Du. Because, at the last moment when I was trying to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, the inner demon that tormented me was you, Elder Du." Chen Ru's cheeks were slightly red, she bit her lip, looked at Du Fan, and spoke in a low voice.

"What! Me? Miss Chen, you're not joking, are you?!" Du Fan's eyes widened upon hearing this, and he couldn't help but catch his breath. The teacup he was about to bring to his lips slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: could this inner demon be related to what this woman did to him the first time? If that were the case, then his sins would be immense...

"You don't believe me?" Chen Ru sighed softly, shifting her gaze from Du Fan's face, and said in a low, bitter voice.

"No, that's not it. It's just that the ancient texts say that inner demons are usually something hidden in one's heart, and I've never heard of them being specific to any particular person." Du Fan quickly calmed down, his expression turned serious, and he frowned as he spoke.

"Once a demon arises in one's heart, it is ever-changing, omnipresent, and has no fixed form. As for whether it is an event, a person, or something else, it is hard to say."

However, inner demons generally appear in several ways: hatred, fear, and... love. Elder Du, which type of inner demon do you think mine is?

Chen Ru stopped looking at Du Fan and stared blankly out the window, murmuring softly as if talking to herself.

Upon hearing this, Du Fan's mind suddenly jolted, and his expression froze instantly. After a long while, he sighed inwardly. He wasn't stupid; by this point, how could he not understand the woman's feelings? But he... couldn't accept it, even after what happened.

"Miss Chen, although she is no longer in this world, I can't forget her. I'm sorry..." Du Fan lowered his head and spoke with difficulty.

"Elder Du, do you know how I finally overcame my inner demons?"

Chen Ru's emotions seemed largely unaffected. Her gaze shifted back to Du Fan, and she calmly said something, but without waiting for his reply, she continued quietly to herself:

"When the inner demon first appeared, I was very scared and confused. It probably saw my weakness and my inner fear, so it created scene after scene and conjured up memory fragments. Everything was so real."

Elder Du, I remember you once told me a story called "Zhuangzi Dreaming of a Butterfly" in Hundred Flowers Valley. You said that Zhuangzi didn't know whether he was dreaming of becoming a butterfly or the butterfly was dreaming of becoming him.

That was roughly my situation at the time. I lost myself more than once, lost in that illusory dream. I felt that the illusion was real, and everything that happened in the Qixia Sect in the Central Plains of Blue Star was just a dream.

Then, that inner demon transformed into "Elder Du," tormenting me in every way, saying many frightening and terrifying things, and showing me the cruelest and ugliest side of this world.

Finally, it started to nag me again. It said that all of this was a nightmare, and as long as I went back to that illusory world with it, all the pain and torment would disappear. It said that it liked me and would always stay by my side, never leaving me...

You know what? These are things I've never experienced before. I was really persuaded by it. I clearly remember that I had a happy smile on my face and was about to nod.

But at this critical moment, when my magical power was about to run out and I was in a life-or-death crisis, I had a moment of clarity. At that time, all I had left were a few bottles of Spirit Gathering Oil that Elder Du had given me, and I took some of it.

In truth, I could have given up while I was still lucid, but I was unwilling. It wasn't that I was reluctant to abandon the Foundation Establishment stage, but rather that I couldn't let go of you, couldn't let go of the promise I made to you deep in my heart, even though only I knew about that promise...

In the end, I returned to the nightmare, and I pointed at my inner demon and cried out:

"Yes, I love him, but you're not him. He wouldn't treat me like this. I won't go with you. I'll stay here with him! Even if this place is hell on earth, even if I face eternal damnation, I will never regret it!"

And so, the inner demon's face twisted, filled with resentment and a silent roar, before vanishing into thin air. I, too, finally broke through that final, despairing step and successfully advanced to the Foundation Establishment realm.

It turns out that inner demons are caused by one's own inner hesitation and indecisiveness; hating someone but not wanting to hate them, loving someone but being afraid to love them.

And my heart, at the very last moment, broke free from all shackles, letting go of all mental barriers of worldly life and spiritual cultivation, so that I could stand alive before you.

After speaking softly, Chen Ru looked dejected, with two lines of tears streaming down her cheeks. Without wiping them away, she slowly stood up, gave Du Fan a deep look, then turned around and left.

She left quietly without pausing or looking back, just like her personality—leaving only tranquility behind, without causing any trouble or distress, bearing all the pain alone…

Watching Chen Ru's retreating figure, Du Fan looked bewildered. He raised his arm, opened his mouth, but said nothing until Chen Ru disappeared into the peach grove and vanished from sight. Only then did he lower his arm and let out a long sigh.

……

Outside Du Fan's villa, in the ten-mile peach blossom forest, three figures stood eerily, appearing and disappearing in the distance. They were none other than Maple Leaf Sect Master, Ouyang Xuan, and Peony Fairy.

"I was so worried about that brat. After she came out of seclusion, she didn't come to see me right away. Instead, she went to Elder Du's place. It's true what they say, female disciples grow up and can't be kept at home anymore..."

The Maple Leaf Sect Master looked up at the sky and sighed, his expression melancholy and his tone filled with grief and indignation.

"Haha... Sect Master, how old are we? Why are we arguing with the younger generation about such things? If this gets out, it will damage your unparalleled reputation as the sect leader."

Ouyang Xuan laughed and glanced at the Maple Leaf Sect Master, saying with a hint of mockery.

Upon hearing this, the Peony Fairy chuckled softly, her beautiful eyes sparkling as she suddenly spoke:

"Have you noticed that Elder Du and Ru'er are actually quite compatible? It would be a good thing if they could be together."

"Indeed, it is now certain that Senior Xiao values ​​Elder Du very highly. After all, Elder Du is a member of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance. If the two of them become cultivation partners, it will be entirely beneficial to our Qixia Sect."

Ouyang Xuan's eyes flashed with a sharp light, his expression solemn, and he slowly spoke.