Chapter 139: Inner Demon

"Three more Demon-Subduing Pills?" The Demon King shuddered, his heart filled with anxiety.

He possessed a rudimentary understanding of alchemy. Over the past thirty thousand years, he had collected countless alchemical formulas and considered himself quite knowledgeable in the field. For most pills, a single lick was enough for him to identify the primary ingredients. Yet, the Demon-Subduing Pill was truly beyond his comprehension.

Firstly, he had never heard of such a miraculous elixir designed specifically to dissolve inner demons. It was true that inner demons could be dissolved, but the established method involved descending to the lower realms to undergo tribulations and accumulate merit.

*Demon-Subduing Pill?* The name was utterly foreign. If such a miraculous remedy truly existed, would the false immortals of the upper realms even need to descend to undergo their tribulations?

And yet, he had genuinely swallowed one. Once it had dissolved, it had indeed temporarily suppressed his inner demon.

Secondly, it was clear that those glittering, five-colored particles, like tiny stars, were the core components of the pill—the very essence that dissolved the inner demons. He considered himself well-traveled and experienced, yet he had never laid eyes on such particles.

He would bet his life that such particles did not exist in the lower realms.

This meant that the five-colored particles were, in all likelihood, celestial treasures found only in the Immortal-Divine Realm—and treasures that most immortals were likely unaware of. Oh, let's not even consider the possibility that they were sacred relics...

In short, while he did not understand the pill, he could guess at its rarity. Obtaining one had already been a stroke of great fortune. Now, Lady Feng was telling him he needed to take three more!

Alas, where was he to find three more?

Feng Ke'er, clearly sensing his distress, opened her right hand. Three black pills appeared in her palm.

"This... the Demon-Subduing Pill!" The Demon King’s eyelids twitched, and he gasped repeatedly. Could it be that his judgment was wrong? Was the Demon-Subduing Pill comparable to a mere Spirit-Gathering Pill? How could that be! He quickly dismissed this ridiculous thought.

"That's right, it is indeed the Demon-Subduing Pill." Feng Ke'er’s lips curled into a smile, her eyes crinkling. "I refined these myself through trial and error. In all three realms, I am the only one who possesses them. Here, take them all." With that, she shoved all three pills into his hands.

"Thank..." Clutching the pills, the Demon King opened his mouth, but the words of gratitude died in his throat. Such grace could not be summed up by a simple 'thank you.'

Retrieving an empty jade bottle from his storage pouch, he carefully stowed the pills away, smoothed his robes, and knelt respectfully before her. "Hu San pays his respects to his master." This was a sincere acknowledgment of her as his master. In truth, he had already accepted her as such long ago, but his mindset and motives then had been different. Now, he desired nothing else. He only wished to follow his master with unwavering loyalty from this day forward. Even as a beast-servant, he would be content.

*What is this?* Feng Ke'er frowned. *The old inner demon hasn't even been fully purged, and is a new one forming already?*

She did not pull him up immediately. Instead, she crouched down and asked softly, "Hu San, do you know what an inner demon actually is?"

The Demon King had not expected such a question. He looked up, startled, and blinked blankly. "I do. Cultivators inevitably develop demonic obstacles in their hearts. When these obstacles grow strong enough to counter the host, they manifest as inner demons."

Feng Ke'er pressed further: "Then let me ask you, why is it 'inevitable' for a cultivator to develop these obstacles?"

"This..." The Demon King had never pondered this deeply. From the first day of his cultivation, he had been told that inner demons were a trial every cultivator must face—unavoidable. For instance, when his kind succeeded in ascending to become Demon Immortals, an inner demon would inevitably appear in their sea of consciousness. But there was no need to worry—as long as they accumulated enough merit in the lower realms, the demon would naturally dissolve.

For someone with such rigid thinking, enlightenment was no easy task. Feng Ke'er sighed, rubbed her forehead, and tried a different approach. "Let me ask you this: when did your inner demon first arise, and what caused it to grow?"

At this, the Demon King’s cheeks flushed with a guilty hue. Why had it arisen? It was because of his lack of trust in his master. On the surface, he had made the decision without hesitation—following her instructions, abandoning the Joy Valley he had built with his own hands, and returning to the Heart of the Barrier Sea. But in reality? He had been so anxious. For that first year, he had spent nearly every moment wondering if she would keep her word, obsessively calculating the gains and losses of his actions.

To put it plainly, deep down, his trust in her had been conditional. It was this reservation that had tortured him, eventually giving birth to the inner demon.

Yet, facts had proven that his master was entirely worthy of trust. Having realized this, how could he not burn with shame?

Feng Ke'er, seeing this clearly, covered her mouth and chuckled. "Hu San, look into your sea of consciousness again."

*What happened now?* The Demon King snapped out of his trance, his brow twitching as he peered inward. The inner demon, still the size of a fist, seemed to have faded slightly in color.

"Hu San, in my view, an inner demon begins as a radical obsession within the heart." Feng Ke'er stood up, speaking in a low, resonant voice. "The deeper the obsession, the harder it is to let go. Over time, it becomes an inner demon. A sickness of the heart requires a remedy of the heart. The Demon-Subduing Pill is merely an external force; to truly dissolve the demon, one must relinquish that obsession." This was why she hadn't shattered the demon with a single blow earlier.

Complete release was the only way to eradicate an inner demon. The methods of descending to the lower realms and performing good deeds likely operated on this same principle: by traveling and fulfilling tasks, one slowly dilutes the obsession until, in a moment of sudden enlightenment, one lets it go entirely. And thus, the inner demon is removed.

The Demon King’s eyes grew deep and contemplative.

In the modern world, this state might be called 'zoning out' or 'spacing out.' In the cultivation world, however, this was the precursor to entering a state of meditation. When the eyes shifted from deep to wandering, and finally became completely unfocused, one had successfully entered that state.

Only in this state could one achieve sudden enlightenment. Therefore, in the cultivation world, one should never disturb a person who has drifted off—a tiny interruption could ruin a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for transcendence.

*I just said a few words, and this guy is already in deep meditation?* Feng Ke'er watched his eyes, which were now staring into infinity, and felt a complex mix of envy and jealousy.

The duration of this enlightenment varied, depending on one's karmic affinity. Sometimes it lasted for centuries, other times only for a few breaths. Regardless of the length, it was strictly forbidden to disturb a cultivator in this state, lest they suffer a qi deviation. Consequently, cultivators rarely let their minds wander, and if the environment was not safe, most would rather forgo such a rare opportunity.

Yet, here the Demon King was, completely defenseless and unguarded in front of an outsider. *Wait, aren't foxes supposed to be the most suspicious species?*

To think that this ten-thousand-year-old fox would trust her so completely—her heart trembled.

*Crack.* It sounded as if a barrier within her sea of dan had fractured.

*A signal of advancement!*

*No way,* she thought. *I exploded fifty space spheres earlier without a hint of advancement, and suddenly, the barrier just breaks?*

Feng Ke'er looked at her sea of dan in disbelief. The thousand nascent souls within looked back at her, nodding in unison with absolute certainty. The scene clearly conveyed: "That's right, dear, you are really advancing!"

*How could this happen? What was I just thinking about that could shake the barrier?* She clenched her fists, racing to retrace her thoughts.

Finally, the word "trust" surfaced in her mind.

Yes, trust. In her previous life, Feng Ke'er had been an orphan. Despite the care of the old director, she had not grown up in a normal family. From a young age, she had built high walls around her heart. The word "trust" didn't seem to exist in her dictionary. Strictly speaking, she had no deep friendships. She was well-liked, but she maintained a yellow line—an insurmountable boundary—between herself and everyone else.

Of course, the old director was her only family, a unique exception.

However, her only shred of trust had been shattered by the director's final will. From then on, the word "trust" truly vanished from her world. That was why she had been able to dissolve her equal contract with Feng Jiu without hesitation, and why she had repeatedly refused the Demon King’s requests. She was just that stubborn.

Fortunately, her cultivation had not yet reached the Tribulation stage, and more importantly, she had learned to use escapism as a shield. When faced with something she couldn't resolve, she didn't force herself to think; she simply let it go. Thus, her stubbornness remained just that—stubbornness—and never evolved into an inner demon.

Furthermore, the purification of the auspicious light particles was incredibly potent. After thirty thousand years of solitude, she had become accustomed to loneliness. Whether others were trustworthy, or whether they trusted her, she truly didn't care.

For a time, Feng Ke'er had mistaken this for letting go.

Yet, when the Demon King had demonstrated his unwavering trust through his actions, her heart—so long like a still, ancient well—had trembled violently. As it turned out, she was far from as open-minded as she had believed. The stubbornness was still there; she had never truly let go.

Yes, living in this world, how could one be a total island? How could one avoid interaction? And how could human interaction exist without trust? If she didn't trust others, if she didn't open her heart, why would others trust her for no reason?

In that moment, a spring breeze seemed to blow through Feng Ke'er’s heart. *Whoosh*, the barrier shattered.

Advancement was imminent!

But she couldn't hide inside a space sphere to advance right now! Hu San was in the middle of enlightenment and needed her to protect him. He trusted her so much; she could not betray that trust!

Feng Ke'er shivered, snapping out of her own trance.

"Congratulations to Master on your successful enlightenment!" The Demon King was beaming, bowing to offer his congratulations. He had long since finished his own meditation and, seeing Feng Ke'er in hers, had silently stood guard. Only he knew how joyful his heart was—his master trusted him, too.

"Hu San, I am about to advance. I must enter a space sphere now." Feng Ke'er spoke quickly, "Don't worry, I keep my word; I will not miss the time of our ascension."

"Master, I..." *I have already understood.*

The Demon King realized the urgency and hurried to reassure her. But Feng Ke'er had no time to discuss the nuances of enlightenment!

There was no time left. She jumped into a space sphere in a rush.