Chapter 286 - 40: Heart Inquiry Knot

Chapter 286: Chapter 40: Heart Inquiry Knot

"That’s because there’s a knot in your heart you haven’t untied." Yuan Lan cut right to the heart of the matter.

"A heart knot?"

"That’s right," Yuan Lan explained. "The path of cultivation isn’t just about refining your True Essence, it’s about refining your state of mind. This is especially true for the bottleneck between the Sea Condensation and Inner Scenery realms. The mental requirements are incredibly high. Your thoughts must be unobstructed and your heart free of burdens. Only then can you resonate with the world and manifest your Inner Scenery."

"But you have unfinished business in your heart. This lingering obsession acts like a Heart Demon. Whenever you try to break through the bottleneck, it emerges to cause trouble and obstruct your path. That is the knot in your heart."

Chen Ye froze, the words striking him like a bolt of lightning.

Yuan Lan’s words were a lightning flash, cleaving through the fog in his mind.

He finally understood the root of his problem.

"I can provide you with endless resources, point you in the right direction for your cultivation, and even clear every obstacle from your path." Yuan Lan’s voice grew serious.

"But I cannot help you untie the knot in your heart. Slaying your Heart Demon is up to you. This is a battle you must face alone."

"Go back," Yuan Lan said with a wave of his hand. "Ask your heart. What injustice does your blade still rage against? For whom does your spirit still harbor resentment?"

"When you’ve figured that out, you will have your chance to resolve the knot in your heart."

Chen Ye fell silent for a moment. Then, he gave Yuan Lan a deep bow, turned, and left the Immortal Cave.

He didn’t return to the Quiet Chamber behind the waterfall. Instead, he went back to Kawa Village, to the small wooden cabin he had first occupied.

After closing the door, Chen Ye sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes.

In that moment, it was as if the entire world fell silent.

Chen Ye needed to find out what the knot in his heart truly was.

Scene after scene flashed through Chen Ye’s mind like a chaotic slideshow.

It began with him waking in a ruined temple, facing the threat of a Green-haired Zombie, awakening his Professional Panel, slaying the zombie, and being reborn.

Chen Ye asked his heart, ’Does this matter leave any lingering burdens?’

His heart answered, ’No. That was survival. A beginning. A rebirth.’

The scene shifted. He was back in Yu Huo County, in the De Yi Building, cutting down the traitor Gong Chen with his own hands.

Chen Ye asked his heart, ’Is there any injustice here?’

His heart answered, ’No. That was vengeance. Closure. A gratifying end.’

The eerie Black Wind Stronghold. The "hospitality" in the Willow Forest. Slaying the Root Tree Demon on Withered Bone Slope and breaking through to the Unobstructed Realm.

Chen Ye asked his heart, ’Any regrets?’

His heart answered, ’No. That was a trial. Growth. An opportunity.’

Confronting the Cultivators from White Bone Mountain in Fengman Building. Cong Bo intervening with overwhelming force. Ambushing and killing Lü Song at the Chaotic Burial Mound, clean and decisive.

Chen Ye asked his heart, ’Any fear?’

His heart answered, ’No. That was killing. Decisiveness. A show of power.’

The puppet tragedy in Wang Family Village. The Ghost Bride of Black Buddha Temple. The life-and-death battle with the remnants of the Puppet Sect. Finally, changing his Profession to Slaying Blade Asura and the transformation of his Talent.

Chen Ye asked his heart, ’Any hesitation?’

His heart answered, ’No. That was resolve. Breaking a deadlock. A metamorphosis.’

In Qingzhou City, killing Li Gu with a curse, then escaping with ease from the encirclement.

Chen Ye asked his heart, ’Any lingering resentment over this?’

His heart answered, ’No. That was a counterattack. Making a name for myself. A clean getaway.’

Piece by piece, incident by incident, Chen Ye dissected his past, scrutinizing every detail.

He had killed men, slain demons, and vanquished ghosts.

He repaid his debts and took his vengeance with pleasure, killing with decisive ruthlessness. Though his hands were stained with blood, he felt each cut was justified, each strike made with a clear and unburdened mind.

So, none of these were the knot in his heart.

’Then...what is it? What is the knot?’

Chen Ye’s thoughts sank deeper, arriving at the dense forest that had changed his fate.

The image of Xiao Zhanbai appeared—an elite disciple of Celestial Sword Manor, her Swordsmanship superb, her arrogance boundless.

They fought to the death. In the heat of battle, he had broken through, advancing to the Sea Condensation Realm.

In the final moment, when she thought her reinforcements had arrived and her Heart Spirit wavered, he had struck without hesitation, taking her head in a single slash!

Chen Ye asked his heart, ’Do you regret killing Xiao Zhanbai?’

His heart answered, ’No. She wanted to kill me, so I killed her. It was a battle to the death; we each submitted to our Celestial Mandate. If I had shown weakness, I would be the one dead.’

If there was no regret, then that wasn’t the knot.

But in the very instant Xiao Zhanbai’s head hit the ground, an impossibly brilliant Sword Light had torn across the horizon, ripping through the void to reach him!

It was the Fierce Tiger Sword!

Chen Ye’s Heart Spirit jolted violently.

The terrifying, despair-inducing pressure. The sharpness that seemed capable of severing anything. The absolute suppression of power that snuffed out even the thought of resistance!

Before that one sword strike, he—newly ascended to the Sea Condensation Realm and brimming with confidence—was like a stumbling toddler facing a muscle-bound brute wielding a Giant Axe.

He hadn’t even seen his attacker. He’d been forced to flee in utter disgrace from a single stream of Sword Qi, not even daring to look back.

An indescribable shame surged up from the depths of Chen Ye’s soul.

He could accept dying in battle, but he could not accept fleeing without even fighting!

He could accept being outmatched, but he could not accept being so terrified that he fled for his life without even seeing his opponent’s face!

It wasn’t just a gap in strength; it was the utter annihilation of his dignity!

After that, he’d gone into hiding, disguising himself as a peddler and suppressing his aura completely, eventually fleeing to the Southern Wilderness Mountain Range.

’So that’s what it was!’

’This is the knot in my heart!’

’My resentment, my indignation—it all stems from this!’

’It’s not that I can’t get past my other experiences. I can’t get past being forced to flee like a beaten dog by Jian Wuchen!’

The moment he understood, Chen Ye felt a clap of thunder detonate in his Heart Spirit’s world.

The boundless darkness was instantly torn asunder, and a ray of light pierced through.

Inside the wooden cabin, Chen Ye’s eyes snapped open.

The frustration and confusion that had clouded his eyes were gone, replaced by an unprecedented clarity and sharpness.

Chen Ye let out a long sigh, rose to his feet, and walked to the window, pushing it open.

The sunlight outside was brilliant, forcing him to squint.

Kawa Village was as peaceful and serene as ever.

Children chased each other playfully, women laid out beast hides to dry, and from the distant forest, the horn of the returning Hunting Team sounded.

Everything was just as it had been when he first arrived five years ago.

But Chen Ye knew something had changed.

Chen Ye then returned to the back of the mountain to see the Mountain God, Yuan Lan. He spoke calmly. "I’ve figured out what the knot in my heart is. So, I need to leave the mountain now..."

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "...to kill someone."