At the edge of heaven and earth, in a gorgeous palace, a handsome attendant came to report in panic, "My lord, the four Heavenly Demons have fallen into Nirvana. They were killed by that Bai Suzhen!"
His handsome face contorted with fear, turning pale and losing his original charm.
The person sitting on the throne was wearing a glazed crown. His face kept changing. Sometimes he was a man, sometimes he was a woman. He was neither a man nor a woman. Only his glazed eyes were shining with a rainbow light. After hearing the servant's report, he said, "Good. Very good. Very good!"
The attendant was surprised, "My lord?
Didn't you say … as long as we kill Xu Xian, our Heavenly Demon Clan can destroy Buddhism, become the only supreme, and obtain immortality in the Dharma Ending Age? "
"What are you afraid of?
Just like how humans fear death, even demons fear Nirvana? "
The attendant hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to look at that pair of eyes, only to hear a loud voice coming from above, "Nothing can be destroyed, no one can live forever!"
The voice was aged like an old man yet immature like a child. At the same time, it contained the sharp voice of a woman and the deep voice of a man. Even though it was only a single voice, it seemed as if a myriad of people were chanting together, and it was a supreme truth that would never change since time immemorial, and it surged and reverberated within the hall.
…
Xu Xian, who was immersed in cultivation, suddenly opened his eyes and turned around, "Wife?"
Bai Suzhen's calm voice came from the cave, "My lord, why don't you try the method of absorbing spiritual power that you learned from the Yin Yang Mirror?"
"But I can't control it now."
Xu Xian touched his chin and thought. He had observed the pattern of the Yin Yang Mirror's absorption of spiritual power, and was able to condense a large amount of spiritual power in a short period of time, which was of course the best way to recover his strength.
But that kind of law was not something that a mere Earth Immortal could control.
He had used it before, but was almost frozen to death by the power of the Moon Spirit, and it was all thanks to her taking the risk to save him.
If it was the power of the Sun Spirit, then even the gods would not be able to save him, and he would have to burn to death.
In cultivation, whether it was laws that could not be controlled or powers that could not be controlled, they were all very dangerous things.
"It's okay, your wife has a way. You should start quickly!" Bai Suzhen urged with a hint of anxiety in her voice.
In the cave, the black shadow seemed to have a life of its own. It spread from Bai Suzhen's feet to the surroundings. It crawled all over the ground, climbed up the walls, and covered everything in black.
She tried her best not to let the shadow spread out of the cave, but a shadow climbed up her feet bit by bit. In the blink of an eye, it dyed her white skirt black.
She frowned tightly and pressed her hand against her chest. With a "wa" sound, she spat out an inner core. However, it was no longer vermilion red, but pitch-black.
This was a new inner core that she had refined after transferring all her fire spiritual energy to Xu Xian.
It was about the same size as the original Inner Core, but it did not have a physical body. Instead, it looked like a black abyss that was constantly collapsing inwards.
The edges were extremely turbulent, but the center was extremely quiet. It was as if it wanted to return all the chaos in the world to eternal peace and tranquility.
The spiritual energy was going berserk in a way that was almost out of control, but it did not emit the slightest fluctuation.
Xu Xian could not feel it at all. He turned his head and sighed. "I hope you really have a way!"
Without asking what method she had, he took out the fragment of the Yin-Yang Mirror, which was the "Heart Reflecting Mirror", and started to observe it.
The Heart Reflecting Mirror reflected the sun that was gradually rising in the east. One bright and one dark, just like a person's breathing.
Xu Xian followed the pattern of absorbing spiritual energy and immediately felt some kind of rhythm. Like silk threads, the sunlight wrapped around him.
At first, the speed of absorption was not as fast as his full speed, but it soon equaled it and even surpassed the speed at which he usually absorbed spiritual energy.
At the same time, the black shadow slithered out of the cave like a snake. As if attracted by the light, it approached the golden Xu Xian.
He did not know if it wanted to destroy it because it hated the light, or if it wanted to possess it because it loved the light, but the result was the same. It pounced towards Xu Xian.
"Wife?"
Xu Xian closed his eyes and calmed his mind. Suddenly, he felt a soft body press against his back, and a pair of jade arms hugged him tightly.
This hug was so sudden. He didn't feel the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power, nor did he hear the sound of footsteps. Even the familiar fragrance on her body had disappeared. He only felt that her body was a little cold, and a terrifying suction force was devouring the spiritual power in his body.
"Don't stop!"
Bai Suzhen stopped him from turning back. Most of her snow-white dress was dyed black, and the darkness on her body was greedily devouring the light on Xu Xian's body. Only then did her expression show a hint of comfort and ease.
Although Xu Xian did not turn back, he could feel her strong will from the knot in her heart. So, he eliminated all distractions and wholeheartedly sensed the rhythm of the mirror of Yin and Yang.
The sunlight traveled thousands of miles and came to this world. Then, it was attracted by someone and gathered on him.
In Mount Qingcheng, some people looked up strangely. The sun was as bright as before, but the sky seemed a little dim.
The cultivators in the mountain looked in the same direction with different expressions.
On an inconspicuous small peak in Mount Qingcheng, the light gathered like a pillar, connecting the sky and the earth. Many golden electric lights poured into it, making it bigger and bigger, like a golden dragon of immeasurable length.
But at the same time, a black shadow climbed up and wrapped around the golden dragon like a snake.
Between this hardness and softness, one yang and one yin, one light and one darkness, it seemed to contain the truth of heaven and earth. Many cultivators were either in deep thought or in ecstasy.
The source of all this was Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen who were hugging each other. Xu Xian also felt it and was surprised. When he first absorbed the power of the moon spirit, the light gathered like a cocoon, but this time, the light gathered like a pillar. He did not know if it was because of the increase in his own cultivation or the difference in spiritual power.
He closed his eyes and couldn't see the darkness, but he could feel Bai Suzhen's power coming from behind him. She was controlling the growth of this power. Otherwise, he was afraid that he would immediately die.
He had gathered a lot of the power of the sun spirit, but compared to the power of the entire sun, it was not even a drop in the ocean. Before this power of heaven and earth, he felt more and more like an ant. If he was not careful, he would be destroyed by this power that he was so proud of.
He suddenly thought of his previous life, the world without gods and monsters.
Humans discovered another part of the vast universe and finally obtained great power — nuclear weapons.
But from that day onwards, the entire world was shrouded in the shadow of this terrifying power. Humans did not become more free. Instead, they were constantly worried about the arrival of a disaster.
And it was the same for cultivation. The power that they had painstakingly gathered was not as obedient as they had imagined. So they had to clear their hearts and reduce their desires, and so they had to forget their emotions. If they were not careful, they would lose control of this power that had brought them so much convenience. It would completely destroy them from the inside out.
How strong did he have to be?
Was it really good to be strong?
A trace of confusion appeared in Xu Xian's mind, but it was quickly replaced by determination. He had to become stronger. At least, he had to be strong enough to protect her.
So he no longer hesitated and tried his best to guide the power of the sun spirit into the main star.
Although most of the spiritual power was absorbed by Bai Suzhen, the speed was still much faster than before.
When the sun set, the golden pillar of light gradually became thin, becoming a golden line. Then, it broke in the middle.
"Does this count as dual cultivation?" Xu Xian grabbed her hand and pinched her slender fingers.
"I … I think so!"
Bai Suzhen explained reluctantly. Xu Xian did not turn around. Otherwise, he would definitely be able to see the unnatural expression on her face.
"This secret technique of the dragon race is indeed profound. Wife, are you trying to suck your husband dry?" Xu Xian teased.
"Official, don't speak nonsense. When did I …" Bai Suzhen's voice became softer and her face turned red. However, she felt as if she had eaten her fill. However, this feeling did not come from her body, but from her soul.
Bai Suzhen suddenly understood. That strange change just now had actually come from pure "hunger".
An uncontrollable hunger that wanted to devour something.
Xu Xian turned around and looked at her bashful face. He reached out and touched her burning face. "Wife, you seem to have changed back!"
"Changed back?" Bai Suzhen was stunned.
Xu Xian hurriedly explained, "You've become as gentle as before. It's not that you weren't gentle just now, it's just that you made me feel a little pressured."
He did not doubt it too much. Because after overcoming the demons in his heart and overcoming the Heavenly Tribulation, it was not strange for his personality to change.
In fact, his current personality was completely different from the one he was a year ago.
Bai Suzhen hurriedly took the mirror from Xu Xian's hand and looked at it. In it, there was a raised eyebrow of Bai Suzhen. She crossed her arms and looked at her impatiently. "Do you dare to use the power of this Heart Reflection Mirror?"
When the Heart Reflection Mirror was not in use, it could also be used as a normal mirror. Once it was in use, it had the power to expose people's hearts.
"I didn't say that your appearance has changed!" Xu Xian also looked at the mirror. In it, only Bai Suzhen's surprised face could be seen.
Bai Suzhen didn't have time to retract the lens, but seeing that Xu Xian didn't notice anything, she heaved a sigh of relief. Sure enough, this scene was actually born from the heart, and only she could see it. She carefully asked, "Then, do you prefer it like this, or like just now?"
"I like both!"
Xu Xian raised his hand to hold her waist and held her in his arms. Looking at her bashful face, he felt much better.
This answer made Bai Suzhen feel much more at ease. She struggled shyly. "Official, let's go in. It's not good to be seen by others." She paused. "I have something to say to you!"