Chapter 525 - 318: A Zen Heart Breaks the Tribulation to See the Tathagata

Chapter 525: Chapter 318: A Zen Heart Breaks the Tribulation to See the Tathagata

"I will slay him in the future!"

Yu Fei’s voice was faint, but his killing intent was as unyielding as iron.

The words were like a bitter winter wind, and even the churning sea of blood fell silent for a moment.

Yan Sea’s eyes lit up, a complex and indecipherable emotion now within them.

The lotus platform began to shatter faster, yet a lingering life force within it was activated, continuously repairing it and barely keeping it intact.

This was an excellent sign. It meant Yan Sea’s descent into oblivion had been interrupted; at the very least, he was now reacting to the outside world.

Of course, this was also more dangerous, as evidenced by the lotus platform’s accelerated fragmentation.

Yu Fei had crudely interrupted Yan Sea’s descent into oblivion. It was like a man standing on a ledge, ready to jump to his death over a broken heart, when his best friend suddenly walks up and says, "I slept with your girlfriend. I forced myself on her."

No matter what, it was bound to provoke an emotional reaction and divert his attention from the act of suicide.

But if handled poorly, it could lead to an even more brutal outcome.

Within the blood-sea of his spiritual world, the chaotic, violent waves suddenly developed a faint pattern. With the tide, the power within was gradually consolidated.

The blood-red flood dragon that was about to devour Yan Sea slowly changed its posture. It raised its head, its scarlet eyes fixed on Yu Fei.

And while light gradually returned to Yan Sea’s eyes, some of his emotion had faded.

How to put it? Yu Fei could tell with a single glance that in Teacher Yan Sea’s heart, if he were to rank people by importance, Sima Hong would be first, Su Yue second, and Yu Fei himself only third.

He only ranked third because he had guided Yan Sea’s will after Sima Hong’s faked death.

After a long moment, the turbulence in the sea of blood subsided, becoming calm and still. But Yu Fei could feel the suppressed power within. This was a Grandmaster who had suffered a cultivation deviation and, with immense willpower, was trying to enter oblivion on his own. But now, he had been provoked in a way that completely reversed his intent, pushing him to the very edge of explosion.

A hoarse voice sounded out. The blood dragon snarled viciously, but Yan Sea’s eyes were calm, though his aura was faint. This was the final question of an honest man.

"W-hy?"

Yu Fei smiled. ’As long as he’s reacting, it’s good.’

Even if Yan Sea completely succumbed to his demonic nature, Yu Fei was confident he could suppress this blood dragon and then slowly reason with him.

Yan Sea’s strength lay in his physical body, not his spiritual soul. Although his will was strong, willpower could be a key, an amplifier for the power of one’s soul—but it was not power itself!

Faced with such disrespectful words, a betrayal of his own master, Teacher Yan Sea was still able to control the malice in his heart at the last moment. ’His will is truly formidable, and he is truly a good person!’

The more he saw this, the more Yu Fei felt that Sima Hong deserved to die. And Ye Shuping, for playing with people’s hearts like this, was just as detestable.

Yu Fei wasted no more time. Yan Sea’s time was limited.

"Teacher, you’ve been deceived by Sima Hong. I’ll tell you one thing: Sima Hong wants to kill me!"

"Twice! I was lucky enough to survive!"

Yan Sea’s eyes were filled with confusion, as if in disbelief. Even the blood dragon quieted slightly.

"Impossible..."

Yan Sea denied it aloud, but the change in his expression betrayed him. Yu Fei’s accusation sent violent waves through Yan Sea’s mind. He believed that Yu Fei would not spout nonsense about something like this.

Yu Fei sighed.

"Sigh... Teacher, I didn’t want to tell you this. You’re practicing a demonic Cultivation Technique, and it’s not easy to recover your state of mind. But now that things have come to this, I can’t hide it from you."

"Teacher, what I’m about to say will shatter your perception of reality. You... have to hold on!"

Yu Fei had always been reluctant to tell Yan Sea the truth. At least twenty years had passed since Yan Sea first met Sima Hong—nearly half of Yan Sea’s life. This relationship had accompanied him on his journey from the third realm to his current Grandmaster Realm. If he were to suddenly learn that all these years had been a lie, Yu Fei couldn’t imagine how devastated his teacher would be.

But now, Yan Sea was on the verge of oblivion, at the precipice of life and death. Yu Fei had no choice but to reveal the truth in the most brutal and decisive way possible. ’If Teacher really can’t make it through this... then at least he’ll die knowing the truth.’

Yu Fei then recounted everything, starting from the breaking of the Cyan Lotus Sword, to the extremely dangerous spiritual soul battle he experienced in his sea of consciousness upon advancing to the Inner Qi stage, and finally to his subsequent probing of Ye Shuping.

"That’s how it is. The Tribulation Sword Skill hides a malicious intent. It’s a demonic Cultivation Technique Sima Hong uses to corrupt and create puppets. That man is dangerous. His reasons for taking disciples are not benevolent. Teacher, you have been deceived by him for many years."

"And why would one of the seven great headmasters even bother scheming against Sima Hong? The difference in their status and power is as vast as that between heaven and earth!"

"If the Tribulation Sword Skill were really so great, why wouldn’t Sima Hong dare to teach it to the students of the seven great academies?"

"Teacher, think back to those Inner Sect Disciples of the Tribulation Sword lineage. Besides their extraordinary combat prowess, wasn’t there something odd about their behavior? Weren’t they silent and reserved, rigid in their actions, desiring nothing but battle, and always following Sima Hong around?"

Yu Fei was certain of this point. Once a Martial Artist’s spiritual soul was corrupted after advancing to the Inner Qi stage, their behavior would inevitably change.

Silence was the outward appearance of Yan Sea’s spiritual soul, but in the sea of blood, an undercurrent raged. The blood dragon thrashed wildly, roaring at Yu Fei, yet it was held in a death grip, unable to move even half a step away from Yan Sea.

The speed at which the lotus platform was disintegrating suddenly multiplied several times over, and rust-colored fragments continuously flaked off.

The divine light in Yan Sea’s eyes grew faint, and his form became increasingly translucent.

"How could this be?"

The voice was hoarse, as if rising from the Nine Hells. Yu Fei watched Yan Sea’s spiritual soul, his nerves taut.

At this point, no one could help him. This was equivalent to shattering half a lifetime of conviction in an instant, utterly destroying his worldview.