Chapter 207: Chapter 207: Why Are You Here?
In Ming Jue’s opinion, if it weren’t for that demoness from the Moon Palace, Jichen would still be the revered Buddha Son of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, his Buddha Heart pristine and clear, admired by all.
Not like now, with his Buddha Heart shattered and a Heart Demon running rampant, bringing such shame to the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect that they didn’t dare speak a word of his news to the public!
The Buddha Son was the very core of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect. To move against him would shake the faith of thousands of disciples, and a new Buddha Son wouldn’t be born for several hundred years. If not for these facts, the sect would have likely disowned him long ago!
Ming Jue’s heart ached for his disciple, but he was a man of little influence, unable to do much for him.
As for today’s incident, if Ting Chan hadn’t been afraid of Jichen tarnishing the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect’s reputation, he probably wouldn’t have even been willing to come!
Lu Sangjiu couldn’t help but be taken aback by Ming Jue’s words. "His Heart Demon... is it related to Gu Huang of the Moon Palace?"
Ming Jue instantly realized his slip of the tongue and shot Lu Sangjiu a wary glance.
Lu Sangjiu quickly said, "I’m his friend. I just helped him suppress his Heart Demon when it flared up!"
Hearing this, Ming Jue relaxed his guard a little. He sighed and said, "I don’t even know what his true Heart Demon is... but I can be sure of one thing. It definitely began to grow after he was abducted by Gu Huang all those years ago!"
Lu Sangjiu’s heart was suddenly filled with a tangle of emotions. ’It seems... I finally understand why Xie Ningyuan was so desperate to find me.’
’Because his Heart Demon is related to me, and only I can dispel it!’
In fact, by now, Lu Sangjiu had already guessed what his Heart Demon was.
Back then, she had traded the domination map for Jichen’s life. He hadn’t been treated unfairly at the Moon Palace, and because of this, his belief that all Demon Cultivators were evil had been shaken.
But the Poison Master, out of his own twisted sense of humor, had made him promise not to speak a single word in her defense.
From then on, after returning to the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, he could only remain silent in the face of everyone’s misunderstandings about her.
’But,’ she thought, ’he must have tried other ways to prove to them that not all Demon Cultivators were irredeemably wicked.’
’That the idea that Cultivators are inherently good and Demon Cultivators are inherently evil is wrong.’
’But the outcome... was easy to imagine!’
’It was probably because of these strange actions that the rumor spread from the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect that Gu Huang had ruined the Buddha Son’s cultivation.’
This caused the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect to hate Demon Cultivators even more, and the conflict between them intensified.
Jichen watched all this unfold, powerless to stop it. He cultivated desperately, hoping to gain enough power to change things, but he remained helpless. Instead, his Heart Demon grew ever stronger until it spiraled out of control, and his Buddha Heart shattered completely!
So, even though his cultivation grew at a shocking pace, he eventually had to seal it away to control his Heart Demon.
’To save himself, Xie Ningyuan needed to find Gu Huang. He needed to find the real answer that lay in his heart!’
Lu Sangjiu’s heart was a maelstrom of emotions. She suddenly recalled something Xie Ningyuan had once said to her.
"Before I met her, everything I believed to be beautiful about this world was false."
"She was the one who showed me the truth of this world... even though it’s painful."
Only now did she truly understand what he meant.
While Ming Jue and Lu Sangjiu were speaking, Ting Chan had more or less finished his discussion with Wuliang and Yu Wei.
"As for what happened today, the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect will personally visit the Gold and Silver Gate in the future to provide an explanation. However, the Buddha Son’s condition is currently unstable, so we must take him back first. Please understand."
"Furthermore... I must ask you two to please keep today’s events confidential for the time being. Many thanks."
Wuliang and Yu Wei glanced at each other. They knew that if word got out that the Buddha Son had developed a Heart Demon, it would be no good for the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, nor for the Cultivation World.
So they both nodded and said, "Previously, when he had Fallen into Demon and fought us, no one else was present. The Demonic Qi here can still be attributed to the domination map."
"But afterward, he tried to kill Bai Heng and Ye Zhiyao from the Seven Emotions Sect. The two of them witnessed his appearance when he had Fallen into Demon with their own eyes."
"Those two are now missing, so we can’t guarantee the news won’t leak from their side."
Ting Chan’s brow furrowed slightly. "I understand. I will find a way to handle it."
After speaking, he turned to glance at Lu Sangjiu. "You are Jichen’s friend?"
Lu Sangjiu was pulled back to reality from her thoughts. She looked at Ting Chan and nodded slightly. "I am."
"Then you should be willing to keep this secret for his sake, correct?"
She met Ting Chan’s gaze directly, her expression open. "Even if you hadn’t asked, Senior, I would not have told anyone else what happened today."
"However... if you take him away, Senior, can you guarantee his safety?"
Ting Chan sneered. "He is the Buddha Son of our Ten Thousand Buddha Sect. Are you suggesting we won’t do everything in our power to save him?"
Lu Sangjiu watched him quietly, saying nothing.
She did, in fact, doubt him.
After all, she remembered the absolute loathing for Demon Cultivators he had displayed when he came to the Moon Palace to demand Jichen’s release.
’Now that his own sect’s Buddha Son has nearly Fallen into Demon due to a Heart Demon, there’s no guarantee he won’t see it as a disgrace and simply decide to kill Jichen to dispose of the problem.’
Ting Chan stared at her, the sneer on his face gradually fading. He suddenly asked, "...Have I met you somewhere before?"
For some reason, he found her gaze familiar.
Lu Sangjiu said flatly, "You must be mistaken, Senior. We have never met."
Ming Jue, sensing Lu Sangjiu’s concern for Xie Ningyuan, spoke up. "Rest assured, young friend. I am his master, and I would certainly never harm him."
"Besides... we already have a strategy for dealing with his Heart Demon. While it cannot be completely eliminated, we can control it to some degree. He will be alright."
Lu Sangjiu knew from Xie Ningyuan’s attitude toward Ming Jue that he had a good relationship with his master, so she was willing to believe him.
So she said no more and stepped aside, making way for them.
Looking at Xie Ningyuan’s face, she said to him in her heart, ’You have to live... I promise, the next time we meet, I’ll tell you who I really am.’
All her doubts and hesitations had completely vanished today.
If there was one person in this world she could trust without reservation, it had to be Xie Ningyuan... and only Xie Ningyuan.
He knew her past, and he trusted her present.
What reason did she have not to trust him in return?
Ming Jue then waved his sleeve, drawing the still-meditating Xie Ningyuan inside it. He then bid farewell to the others before tearing open a spatial rift with Ting Chan and departing.
With only the three of them remaining, Wuliang glanced at Lu Sangjiu. "Young friend, your injuries are quite serious. Why don’t you stay and let us treat them?"
Lu Sangjiu looked back at him. "Do you want me to stay for treatment, or do you want to imprison me here along with the domination map?"
Wuliang was left speechless by her retort. Just as he was about to explain himself, he suddenly sensed someone approaching.
Lu Sangjiu sensed it as well. She looked in that direction and saw familiar figures.
"Little Jiu!"
"Little Junior Sister!"
The arrivals were none other than Duan Xingyun and Li Qiancheng!
The cold, defensive look on her face instantly melted into joyful surprise. "Master! Eldest Senior Brother!"
Duan Xingyun and Li Qiancheng rushed to Lu Sangjiu’s side, their hearts aching at the sight of her wretched state. "What happened? How did you get into this state?"
Lu Sangjiu gave a slightly guilty cough. "I... just ran into a few accidents. What are you two doing here?"
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