Chapter 86: The Inner Demon Breaks Through the Mind’s Barrier

Chapter Eighty-Six: The Heart Demon Breaks Through the Mind

The sinister aura radiating from Xu Yun’s body was entirely the gift of the heart demon, but as the saying goes, where there is loss, there is gain. Xu Yun never would have imagined that the sudden eruption of his heart demon would forcibly push him past the unstable barrier of his inner realm!

It had been years since Xu Yun entered the ranks of first-class experts. He still remembered his master’s warning at the time: if he could not dispel his heart demon, he might never break through his mental barrier for the rest of his life, destined to remain a peak first-class expert, forever unable to ascend into the ranks of super masters.

Perhaps even if his master were here, he would not believe that the outbreak of a heart demon could help Xu Yun break through his own limits.

Xu Yun savored the indescribable sensation of every acupoint in his body opening up. His whole being had reached another level, as if all his internal energy had transformed into a faint shroud of true qi, enveloping and protecting him entirely.

He recalled his master’s words: once one’s inner strength could be transformed into protective true qi, that was the mark of stepping into the realm of super masters!

Moments earlier, when the Crimson Scorpion had taken the forbidden drug and thrown that devastating punch, Xu Yun realized he was powerless to turn the tide. The agony of being unable to protect those he wished to shield reminded him of Silver Dragon’s tragic death, and in that instant, his heart demon exploded, propelling him directly through his bottleneck. As Crimson Scorpion’s fist struck Xu Yun’s chest, his newly transformed true qi shielded his heart, saving his life by a hair’s breadth.

He had broken through—a turn of events Xu Yun could never have foreseen. He had stepped into the realm of super masters in the most improbable of circumstances.

If not for today’s battle, who knew how many years or lifetimes Xu Yun would have had to wait for such a breakthrough.

“You…” Crimson Scorpion could scarcely believe that this man before him had managed to break through his mental barrier mid-fight! The true qi in that punch was like a dagger piercing his heart, and because Crimson Scorpion relied on drugs to reach the level of a super master, he had never truly possessed protective true qi. Xu Yun’s strike had done him serious harm.

Xu Yun let out a cold laugh. “Thanks to you, I really owe you my gratitude.”

Crimson Scorpion forced himself to stand, spitting out a mouthful of blood. “Hmph… No need for such courtesy. I’d like to see what level a newly ascended super master is truly at!”

But his expression betrayed him—though his words were tough, he knew all too well what it meant to be a super master. For ten long years, he had failed to break through, forced to rely on the Yin-Yang Pill for a fleeting taste of that elusive state.

Consumed by anger and jealousy, Crimson Scorpion resorted to a mad escalation—he swallowed yet another Yin-Yang Pill! The drug’s effects numbed the pain in his heart and lungs, and he forced himself upright once more.

A true madman, Xu Yun thought. He knew he could not lose this fight. The Yin-Yang Pill was a perverse stimulant that used drugs to accelerate blood flow and induce excitement. But as with any narcotic, even a single pill had severe side effects; to take two in succession was no different than a drug addict’s binge—the overdose alone could be fatal.

“You’re insane,” Xu Yun said, his true qi rising in full force. He dared not be careless against someone who had downed two Yin-Yang Pills in a row.

Crimson Scorpion sneered, “Even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me!”

“Let’s see you try!” Xu Yun struck without warning, his fist whipping toward Crimson Scorpion. In a berserk frenzy, Crimson Scorpion had no intention of dodging, meeting Xu Yun’s blow with his own, reckless palm, trading injury for injury.

A suicidal tactic!

With a thunderous crash, both men staggered back. Xu Yun, protected by his true qi, withstood the force of the powerful strike. Crimson Scorpion was not so lucky—the Yin-Yang Pill could raise his internal energy, but it could not convert it into protective true qi. Xu Yun’s blow pierced through his heart and lungs, leaving him hollowed out, staring death in the face.

“Remember this: my name is Xu Yun,” Xu Yun said coldly.

With a crash, Crimson Scorpion dropped to his knees, collapsed to the floor, and lay motionless.

He knew he was utterly defeated.

The side effects of the Yin-Yang Pill now began ravaging his body. He curled up in agony, a savage groan escaping his lips. His meridians thrown into chaos, he could no longer withstand the drug’s assault; his muscles ruptured one after another, pain beyond anything a human could bear.

“Heh… heh… Even if I die, the Fox Lord will perish with me… I don’t lose… heh heh…”

A sharp pain shot through Xu Yun’s left arm where the scorpion tail needle had grazed him, and he suddenly remembered how grave Qiu Yan’s situation might be. Crimson Scorpion was now a cripple, unable even to move; he was a dead man waiting for the end, so Xu Yun wasted no more thought on him.

Xu Yun gathered his strength and vaulted directly to the second floor of the medicinal cuisine house. The noise of the fight had not disturbed the sleeping Ruan Qingshuang and Guo Guo, but it had utterly terrified Qin Wan’er.

When Qin Wan’er saw Xu Yun, she looked as if she’d seen a ghost. “You’re still alive?”

“Cough, why do you sound so eager for me to die?” Xu Yun was speechless—he’d just survived by the skin of his teeth, only to be greeted with this.

Qin Wan’er had no time for banter. In panic, she pointed at Qiu Yan. “Qiu Yan… she… she’s not going to make it!”

Xu Yun’s expression changed. Qiu Yan, lying on the ground, was barely breathing—if she wasn’t treated immediately, she would be lost forever. Xu Yun scooped her up and barked at Qin Wan’er, “Bring me the backpack from under my bed!”

As he spoke, he was already dashing toward Qiu Yan’s room. Qin Wan’er, stunned, obeyed mechanically, quickly fetching Xu Yun’s pack and running to Qiu Yan’s room.

She froze on entering, shocked to see Xu Yun tearing open Qiu Yan’s clothes, exposing the delicate, fair-skinned girl completely to the open air.

Xu Yun’s brow was knotted in worry—the injuries were severe. Qiu Yan’s body was covered in countless grazes from the scorpion tail needle. He had no time to worry about propriety or to explain to Qin Wan’er. “Fetch a bowl of clean water, and bring me moneywort from the kitchen downstairs—hurry!”

Qin Wan’er dropped the backpack and raced to the kitchen. Having helped Xu Yun in the kitchen many times, she recognized the herb at once.

Xu Yun dumped all the bottles and jars from his pack, quickly identifying a box of Universal Detox Ointment. He carefully spread the ointment over Qiu Yan’s injuries and applied some to his own wounded arm.

Universal Detox Ointment, a panacea against all poisons—though he’d never used it before, he had little choice now but to gamble on its effects. It seemed his gamble paid off; the pain in his arm was already easing.

At that moment, Qin Wan’er returned, carrying clean water and moneywort. Without hesitation, Xu Yun stuffed the herb into Qiu Yan’s mouth and gave her water to swallow. “Drink it.”

Moneywort was an ordinary medicinal herb, but with remarkable detoxifying properties. Perhaps it was meaningless when taken alone, but Xu Yun believed it was the perfect internal remedy to complement the external ointment. Its mild nature would not further irritate the poisoned patient, especially as the ointment’s principle was to fight poison with poison.

Qiu Yan summoned the last of her strength to speak. “It’s no use… It’s not just grazes from the scorpion tail…”

Xu Yun had already suspected she’d been poisoned by a needle. Without another word, he propped her up and gave her a Ninefold Revival Pill for protection, then gathered his true qi and slowly channeled it into the Divine Path acupoint on her back.

Qiu Yan felt a warm current surge from her lower abdomen to her root, then a steady stream of internal power breaking through barriers and rising to the crown of her head, before flowing down again in a natural cycle. She felt as if a basin of cold water were poured over her head, sending cool energy down the midline of her palate to her tongue, filling her mouth with sweetness.

Her once chaotic meridians gradually cleared. The sweetness in her mouth seemed to settle into her heart, and she could clearly hear Xu Yun’s labored breathing at her ear.

A chill shot through her organs, finally gathering at her dantian. The mingling of hot and cold there brought comfort throughout her body, as Xu Yun’s true qi steamed through her limbs and bones.

Suddenly, a stabbing pain radiated from her right chest. With a sharp sound, the scorpion tail needle that Crimson Scorpion had shot into her chest was forced out by Xu Yun’s true qi, embedding itself deep into the doorframe.

At last, Qiu Yan could not suppress the rising tide of blood and spat out a mouthful so dark it showed no hint of red.

Qin Wan’er was dumbfounded. Was this a movie scene? It was just like a real-life version of a hero healing his beloved!

Sweat beaded on Xu Yun’s brow. Having just broken through to the realm of super masters, using true qi for such a dangerous task was almost too much for his body to bear. But he had succeeded in expelling the poisoned needle—his true qi had not been wasted.

“Water…” Xu Yun felt his strength ebbing.

Qin Wan’er hurriedly handed him the water. Xu Yun gulped it down, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then had both Qiu Yan and himself swallow the moneywort. He rummaged through the bottles and produced a small purple vial, shaking out a Qi-Gathering Pill and swallowing it.

The Qi-Gathering Pill was his own experimental formula, designed to stabilize true qi. Only those at the level of super master or above could possess true qi, so Xu Yun had never used it before. But today, he chose to trust himself. If he didn’t reinforce his overdrawn true qi, he might die even sooner than Qiu Yan.

With the Ninefold Revival Pill protecting her, Qiu Yan endured the intense detoxification of the ointment and sat cross-legged to regulate her meridians.

Xu Yun knew Qiu Yan had been snatched back from the jaws of death. He, too, calmed himself and practiced breathing techniques, focusing on the presence of true qi in his body. With the Qi-Gathering Pill, the residual true qi was enough to help him recover his breath and regulate his meridians more quickly.

For the first time, Xu Yun discovered the benefits of being a super master—the speed at which true qi could adjust the meridians was more than ten times faster than with mere internal energy.