Chapter 86 – Successfully Overcoming the Heart Demon Trial, A Wisp of Black Qi!

Ye Tianying roared, and his longsword sprang from its sheath. A terrifying sword aura burst forth from the tip, and with a flash of movement, he charged straight toward Pei Yin.

Ye Xin and the two Ye family elders reacted as well, launching attacks of their own. In an instant, sword qi crisscrossed the skies above Penglai Sect, spiritual energy surging violently.

All the disciples within the sect were dumbfounded. They swore they’d never seen anything like this in their entire lives!

It was said that their sect master was in the Tribulation Transcendence stage! And those old geezers from the Ye family didn’t look weak either! When else would they get to witness a high-level cultivator battle like this?!

On a nearby peak, one particularly loud disciple was offering a non-stop commentary.

“That loudmouth old man from the Ye family sure has a fierce sword aura. I wonder if our Sect Master Pei can take it!”

“Ah! He took it! As expected of Penglai Sect’s Sect Master! That sword aura was actually redirected by him, curving midair and striking back toward that loudmouth old man!”

“The loudmouth froze—clearly didn’t expect that trick! He quickly stepped back, barely dodging the counterattack in time!”

“That Ye family patriarch is so shameless! Tried to sneak attack! But our Senior Brother blocked him with one swing! He forgot that Senior Brother is also a talisman cultivator! Got too careless and took a thunder talisman straight to the forehead—‘waah!’—spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed toward the ground. He barely steadied himself just before hitting!”

“That patriarch sure yells loud, but he’s really not all that! Look! He’s trying to sneak attack again—this sneaky old fox!”

…

If Ye Qingning were here, she’d definitely say: Bro, were you a professional esports commentator in your past life?

Even though they were outnumbering their enemy, it was clearly the Ye family that was showing signs of weakness.

Pei Yin stood amidst the clouds. Unnoticed by all, countless golden runes had appeared in the once-empty sky.

The runes shifted and morphed continuously, finally forming a massive golden Bagua diagram that enveloped the Ye family members.

With just a wave of his hand, the golden Bagua spun. Blazing golden runes turned into swords of light, descending like a torrential rain upon the Ye family members.

“Pfft!”

Ye Tianying, trying to protect his family, was struck by countless golden swords. As if struck by lightning, he was sent flying backward, spewing blood midair. His aura weakened drastically.

Ye Xin stared at Pei Yin in horror, disbelief flooding his eyes.

Even though Pei Yin was the Sect Master of Penglai Sect, he shouldn’t be stronger than those old monsters hiding in the back mountains!

But Ye Tianying was the Ye family’s ancestor—and he was defeated!

What was even more terrifying was that Pei Yin had not only fought them off, but had managed to set up an array mid-battle! A triple cultivation of arrays, swords, and talismans—how was that even fair?!

Ye Tianying’s pupils contracted. He, too, stared at Pei Yin in disbelief. Never had he imagined he’d be beaten so badly. The Ye family’s dignity was utterly crushed by Penglai Sect today!

“Ancestor!” Ye Xin and the two elders rushed to his side, their expressions full of concern.

The situation was grim. Only Pei Yin had shown up—those old monsters in Penglai’s back mountains hadn’t even come out. If they lost like this, would the Ye family ever live it down?

“Retreat!” Ye Tianying’s eyes bulged with fury. He realized they wouldn’t be able to take Ye Qingning today—they’d have to regroup and plan anew.

Ye Xin and the two elders exchanged glances. Though unwilling, they could only retreat for now, leaving behind a harsh warning:
“Today’s humiliation—our Ye family will remember it!”

Just as they were leaving, Ye Hanyue suddenly went mad, screaming at Pei Yin like a lunatic:
“You’ll regret this! Penglai? The number one sect? Ha! You’ll be reduced to dust—vanish without a trace sooner or later!”

“What the hell? Who even is she?! Daring to curse our Penglai like that?!” All the disciples exploded in outrage.

Can’t beat us, so now you’re throwing curses?! You really think you’re something? Better go home and get your brain checked!

The mutt system was honestly worried about Ye Qingning, but it still couldn’t resist joining in the drama.

---

Meanwhile…

Ye Hanyue’s words had shocked everyone more than the actual battle.

There had already been suspicions that she was involved in Penglai Sect’s past disasters. Now, those suspicions were practically confirmed!

---

A full day and night passed.

Recordings of the battle were uploaded to spirit jade slips by the Penglai disciples. The moment they spread, the entire cultivation world was thrown into an uproar.

Soon, nearly every cultivator had their own copy of the recording. The Ye family became the laughingstock of the sect world, branded as overconfident fools.

Si Qian, Song Ziyan, and Ling Taihang had originally planned to leave the sect and have a three-day romp with Ye Qingning. But before dawn, the Ye family had shown up and started a fight.

Once the spirit jade recordings circulated, many rumors followed. The trio jumped in immediately and publicly revealed the truth: the Ye family had planted a Gu poison on Ye Qingning!

Because they had previously stolen the Blue Spirit Spring, they also edited their jade slip names for anonymity before exposing the information.

When a few people tried to stir up trouble—accusing Penglai of bullying weaker sects—public opinion instantly shifted. Penglai’s image as a sect that fiercely protects its disciples grew stronger.

The Ye family was now not only seen as arrogant but also vicious.

People commented:
“The child was switched at birth. What did a newborn know? If you want revenge, go after the parents!”

Everyone had something to say. The whole situation was buzzing with drama.

---

Si Qian and the others waited anxiously for Ye Qingning at the foot of the back mountain. They didn’t know she was undergoing the Heart Demon Trial. Their messages went unanswered, and they couldn’t enter the forbidden area—so they waited.

Even Yu Wei, who was supposed to be in seclusion, came over out of worry. The Gu was removed, but Ye Qingning still hadn’t emerged. Did something happen inside the Heart Demon illusion?

---

Jiu Li Peak

The system pecked furiously at Ye Qingning’s head like a woodpecker, as if it could wake her up by making her bald.

It even went crazy and started singing—
“Heroic and full of pride, marching across the Yalu River!”
All revolutionary songs, focused on exorcism, evil suppression, and pure positivity to drive away heart demons!

Perhaps unable to take the noise anymore, Ye Qingning—eyes still shut—reached out and grabbed the system pecking at her head.

“Shut up. You’re so loud.”

The system burst into tears the moment it heard her voice. If someone else had been nearby, they might’ve thought it was wailing at a funeral.

【Wuwuwu, Ningning, you finally woke up! It’s been a whole day and night! I thought—I thought you died in there!】

Ye Qingning was speechless. What kind of system is this? Can’t it have a bit more faith in me?

She hadn’t expected that she’d fall into a Heart Demon illusion during the Gu removal process.

Even more unexpected—within that illusion, she personally killed Xie Jichen and Ye Hanyue.

A voice in her heart had whispered again and again: if not for those two, she wouldn’t have been erased by the main system, wouldn’t have suffered countless punishments, wouldn’t have become a disposable puppet. And yet, even if she killed them, she would still die.

In the end, unable to hold back her fury, she personally executed both of them. The illusion then collapsed, and her consciousness returned to clarity.

Although she felt like she’d been hollowed out, she also clearly sensed that her Golden Core had become more condensed. Her cultivation was significantly more stable—her entire being felt renewed.

No wonder Song Ziyan had raved about how amazing it felt to pass the Heart Demon Trial—it really was refreshing.

Delighted, Ye Qingning sat up and used spiritual sense to observe her Golden Core.

But then—she gasped in shock!

There was a wisp of black qi clinging to her Golden Core!