Chapter 59: Demon Heart

Not long after, Luo Yao spotted a lone Ziguang Sect cultivator—a female cultivator, around seventeen or eighteen years old, with cultivation level matching hers: Qi Refining Stage 6.

She extended her Divine Sense, confirmed only one person was present, then stepped forward deliberately.

The female cultivator startled, seeing Luo Yao's murderous aura, frantically pulled out her Weapon, but upon noticing Luo Yao's age, she relaxed slightly.

"Are you from the Xuanyuan Sect? Why are you alone here?"

The female cultivator seemed not to realize Luo Yao had been lying in wait to ambush her; her expression was utterly innocent.

"You're not here to take advantage of the chaos either, are you?"

The female cultivator appeared to be a chatterbox, babbling endlessly, and Luo Yao seized the chance to extract information from her.

Fortunately, Gongsun Ming quickly suppressed his emotions and said sternly, "What exactly happened? How could you have a Demon Heart at your current level?"

Luo Yao froze, then broke into a joyful smile and hurried to her master's door.

"Demon Heart?"

Also, most of the time, even if you encounter a Beast, you can lure it over and let others deal with it.

She quickly stammered, "Master, now that we're at war with Ziguang Sect, all disciples must go to the battlefield…"

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Ming instantly rose from his stone bench, his face darkening.

Or rather, bribery.

And winning over Sun Han—several Spirit Stones and Pills meant nothing to her, but if she could learn Ziguang Sect's movements in advance, the payoff would be enormous.

Hearing her master's concern, Luo Yao's heart warmed; now that she had protection, she told him about her Demon Heart.

A moment later, she thought of Lin Yan from Ziguang Sect.

When Luo Yao returned to her Cave Abode, she froze.

After Sun Han left, Luo Yao departed as well; along the way, she encountered many Xuanyuan Sect disciples.

Building a good relationship with Sun Han might, in the future, yield information about Ziguang Sect—this could help her avoid ambushes.

Gongsun Ming nodded and explained, "Previously, the sect sent me and the Great Elder here to set up the Array; now the Five Elements Array is complete. Unless Ziguang Sect deploys a Golden Core cultivator, they cannot seize the Spirit Stone Mine."

Killing Sun Han brings little benefit to Luo Yao and only brings drawbacks.

The more she thought, the more confused Luo Yao became.

"You may go."

The current problem is how to overcome the Demon Heart.

Luo Yao suddenly felt guilty; she remembered her master telling her not to leave, yet the very next day after he departed, she went out.

For a moment, Luo Yao was lost.

Or perhaps, in most places she passed through, many Beasts had fled, allowing her to search for Spirit Herbs.

When Luo Yao arrived at her master's door, the Cave Abode gate opened, and Gongsun Ming's voice rang out, "Come in."

"Have you been cultivating steadily during this time?"

So Luo Yao returned to the sect.

Then, Luo Yao pulled out several Spirit Stones and Pills and handed them to her—partly because Sun Han's experiences mirrored her own, and partly because this was an investment.

Listening to her, Luo Yao sighed; the murderous aura vanished from her body. Had she not possessed her Golden Finger, she might have struggled just as hard as Sun Han, fighting desperately for cultivation resources.

If I continue killing like this, what difference is there between me and the demons of my past life?

Cultivators sound noble, but they are merely mortals who follow cultivation methods.

Luo Yao watched as they killed Ziguang Sect disciples, then fought violently over Storage Bags and Identity Tokens; she also saw many disciples take advantage of the chaos to murder enemies among their own.

The female cultivator was Sun Han, an Outer Sect Disciple of Ziguang Sect, like Luo Yao—powerless, without influence or background, relying entirely on herself for cultivation.

And like Xuanyuan Sect, Ziguang Sect's strongest cultivators were only at Foundation Establishment Peak; they had no Golden Core cultivators, so they need not fear the Array being broken.

Previously killed individuals were either bandits or cultivators trying to rob her—she never slaughtered the innocent.

Finally, Luo Yao sighed and interrupted Sun Han, "All around you are Xuanyuan Sect disciples. If you keep wearing Ziguang Sect robes, you will die for certain."

She felt she had developed a Demon Heart; if she didn't resolve it, she risked falling into demonic deviation—going mad would be the least of it; she might die horribly.

As soon as she spoke, Gongsun Ming frowned sharply, "You went to the battlefield? How was it? Were you injured?"

Moreover, her past life came from a peaceful place.

In her own words, she was weak and had no background; to earn Spirit Stones, she merely collected Spirit Herbs and mineral ores to sell—but Spirit Herbs were usually guarded by Beasts.

Luo Yao hadn't expected such a strong reaction from her master and was startled.

Xuanyuan Sect had been passed down for a hundred years and still possessed deep reserves; they held a Five Elements Array capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a Golden Core cultivator, so the sect dispatched the Great Elder and Gongsun Ming to deploy the Array at the Spirit Stone Mine.

After explaining, Gongsun Ming turned his attention to Luo Yao's cultivation.

She also saw Ziguang Sect disciples begging for mercy, while Xuanyuan Sect disciples, without exception, coldly killed them.

Yet many cultivators, for the sake of resources, burned, killed, looted, and committed every evil act—no different from bandits or demons.

Whether influenced by her past-life beliefs or her true nature, Luo Yao did not wish to become such a person.

With the Array guarding the Spirit Stone Mine, fewer reinforcements were needed; the Great Elder ordered Gongsun Ming to bring back a group of disciples.

In truth, when she saw Sun Han, for some reason, Luo Yao suddenly couldn't bring herself to strike.

Luo Yao rushed in and indeed saw Gongsun Ming; she was overjoyed, "Master, you're back?"

Luo Yao had no idea—frankly, her path in cultivation was still very short, and she had encountered little before.

Now, she could only rely on herself.

After hearing Sun Han's story, she could no longer bring herself to act; Sun Han was simply a mirror of who Luo Yao had been before possessing her Golden Finger.

But Luo Yao knew that overcoming a Demon Heart was difficult; yet once overcome, her Dao Heart would grow more stable, greatly benefiting her future—she would not easily develop another Demon Heart for a long time, and her breakthroughs would become easier.

Unfortunately, her master was not here; if he were, she could ask him.

This outing was not to join the main force in hunting Xuanyuan Sect disciples, but to follow the main force and pick up easy gains.

Not far away was her master's Cave Abode, which had previously been sealed—after all, her master had left—but now that the Array was active, what did that mean?

"Master has returned?"

Luo Yao explained briefly; seeing her master's reaction, she guessed it was very tricky, and her heart instantly gave a thud.

So she asked with worry, "Master, is there a way to solve this?"

(End of this chapter)