Chapter 375: What’s the Use of Coming Now?

Perhaps because Luo Linlang was crying so miserably, the statue, which had originally intended to say no more, resignedly continued its explanation.

"You young girls are so ignorant!"

"The Pure Demon Heart is what my own Clear Dao Heart transformed into when I achieved the Great Dao and underwent Ascension."

"Though I am a Demon Cultivator, all paths under heaven lead to the same Great Dao. Therefore, this item is a supreme treasure for Immortal Cultivators, Demon Cultivators, and even demon cultivators. It won’t kill anyone."

At this point, its voice held a clear hint of pride. "The Pure Demon Heart, and its opposite, the Filthy Immortal Heart... Not every person who undergoes Ascension can possess such a thing. It would be no exaggeration to call it a priceless treasure."

"I originally had my eye on that girl, the Immortal Demon Dual Cultivator. If this boy hadn’t just risked his life to protect it, I would’ve been loath to part with it for his sake!"

He had established the Demon God Hall to await someone with destiny, so he naturally placed great importance on his own legacy. Who wouldn’t hope for their successor to be someone of immense talent, capable of walking an even longer path?

’If they could ascend to the Upper Realm, they would share a bond as master and disciple. That would be a great help to me, wouldn’t it?’

A single glance had told him that Li Qiancheng had the most mediocre aptitude of the group, so he hadn’t even given him a second thought at first.

But the workings of fate are truly mysterious. At the most critical moment, it was he, of all people, who protected the Inheritance Jade Box.

He was grievously wounded and on the verge of death because of it, and yet... the Pure Demon Heart just so happened to have the power to save his life.

His true self had always believed in repaying kindness and following the natural course of fate. When he had left this wisp of Divine Thought behind, he had even included a specific instruction.

’If, in the future, someone fails to pass all the tests but has a strong enough connection through fate, they too can be chosen as the successor.’

’Looking back on it now, it made him wonder if his true self had foreseen something back then.’

’Now that the Demon God Hall was destroyed, wasn’t it a certainty that no one could ever pass all the tests again?’

As these thoughts crossed its mind, it sighed with some emotion. It looked over at Li Qiancheng, who was still adapting to the Pure Demon Heart, and its gaze gradually softened.

It murmured, "His aptitude may be a bit lacking, but he’s a good person. I hope you don’t let this great treasure of mine go to waste."

Hearing this, Luo Linlang and the others felt a little more at ease. Although they had never heard of the Pure Demon Heart, the statue spoke with such sound reasoning that it was hard to believe it was lying.

Soon, however, they noticed something else. As Li Qiancheng gradually grew calm, cracks suddenly began to spread across the small statue’s surface!

Luo Linlang, who had been watching intently, was naturally the first to see it. She couldn’t help but cry out, "Senior! You’re..."

But the voice was very calm. "I have found my successor and fulfilled my mission. I am but a wisp of Divine Thought, and it is now my time to dissipate."

The words had barely faded when the statue abruptly shattered into countless pieces!

At the same time, the voice left one final sentence lingering in the air, "My Daoist name is Fu Yangzi. Lad, if you are one day fated to ascend to the Upper Realm, you may come and find me!"

At that very moment, Li Qiancheng’s eyes snapped open.

He instinctively looked up at the sky and murmured, "Fu Yangzi... Thank you, Senior, for giving me this new life. I will remember it."

It was no exaggeration for Li Qiancheng to call it a new life, because the Pure Demon Heart contained not only insights into the Great Dao, but also the senior’s inheritance and a staggering amount of life force!

His lifespan, which he had nearly burned away completely, had been fully restored by this potent life force!

At that moment, Duan Xingyun and the others were astonished to see Li Qiancheng’s appearance rapidly changing. His white hair turned black again, and he fully reverted to his original youthful look.

Luo Linlang cried out in delight, "Eldest Senior Brother, you’re back to normal! This is wonderful!"

Li Qiancheng was naturally ecstatic to have received such a great opportunity, but he was still worried about Lu Sangjiu.

He turned to look at the sky filled with lightning behind them, a worried look in his eyes. "Little Junior Sister, she..."

His words pulled everyone’s attention back to Lu Sangjiu.

Duan Xingyun stared intently at the lightning-filled sky. "...Little Jiu is no ordinary person. She’ll be fine."

Everyone already had a tacit understanding that Lu Sangjiu was no ordinary person, so while Duan Xingyun’s words seemed vague, they genuinely brought everyone some comfort.

’That’s right... Little Junior Sister is no ordinary person. She’ll definitely be fine!’

Even though the invisible Barrier of the Forbidden Land had been shattered by the Heavenly Tribulation, not one of them chose to leave.

And at that very moment, the crowd outside who had been monitoring the Forbidden Land immediately noticed that the Barrier had suddenly dissipated.

However, the site of the Heavenly Tribulation was too far from the outside for them to sense it, so they didn’t know what had happened.

Fortunately, Xie Ningyuan had already arrived, and he was able to accurately sense Lu Sangjiu’s location.

He didn’t care what had happened; all he knew was that the Barrier was gone, which meant he had to find Lu Sangjiu immediately!

So after he took the lead and shot off, Fa Shan and the others cast aside all other concerns and immediately followed.

The Forbidden Land had been perilous largely because the Barrier restricted everyone, making it impossible to fly high enough to evade dangers on the ground.

But with the Barrier gone, as long as they flew high enough using Sword Control, the dangers on the ground could no longer threaten them.

Thus, they traveled swiftly and soon reached the place where Lu Sangjiu and her group were.

When Xie Ningyuan didn’t see Lu Sangjiu, he immediately guessed she was the one undergoing the Tribulation Crossing.

’But she’s only at the Golden Core Stage. Even if she’s advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm, the Heavenly Tribulation couldn’t possibly be this powerful!’

Luo Linlang and the others also spotted the approaching Xie Ningyuan and his party, and immediately rushed over to meet them with a sense of relief.

The moment she saw Xie Ningyuan, Luo Linlang’s relief turned to a bellyful of rage. "You made it sound so nice and easy back then! You said you’d come right away if we were in danger, but look what happened!"

"My Little Junior Sister has been through hell and back with us! What damn use are you showing up now?!"

Xie Ningyuan, however, was in no mood to listen to Luo Linlang’s tirade. He asked only one question, "Is she the one undergoing the Tribulation Crossing?"

Luo Linlang huffed petulantly. "What’s the use of asking that now?"

Feng Lin couldn’t help but speak up for him. "Luo Dao You, you can’t entirely blame Mr. Xie... He ran into considerable trouble himself."

Although Xie Ningyuan hadn’t told her the specifics of what he had encountered, the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect’s arrest warrant had been spread throughout the Cultivation World. Even though Feng Lin was in the Western Demon Realm, she had heard about the matter from a senior sister apprentice.

Having spent so much time with him, Feng Lin naturally trusted Xie Ningyuan’s character. So, even without asking, she guessed there had to be a significant untold story behind it all.

Luo Linlang knew this as well, of course. She was just taking out her frustration on Xie Ningyuan because Lu Sangjiu was still in danger.

Now, with Feng Lin’s placating words, she just gave a cold snort and fell silent.

Fortunately, others were more level-headed. Duan Xingyun stepped forward to explain the situation. "It’s Little Jiu’s Spirit Beast that’s undergoing the Tribulation Crossing, but she and another woman at the Body Integration Realm have been swept into the Heavenly Tribulation."

"We don’t dare get any closer, for fear of increasing the Heavenly Tribulation’s power. So, as worried as we are, all we can do is wait here for the outcome."