Chapter 1214: Trapped

"Mm!"

Having imparted the Heart Demon Technique he had developed, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction and instructed, "Change back to your original form!"

"Yes!"

"Luo Ruoxi" shook, transforming back into the heart demon, its body exuding demonic aura that, at a glance, could confuse one's thoughts.

"What is your name?"

"I... was just born from thoughts as a heart demon, I don't have a name yet..." The heart demon said, full of shame.

"In that case, I'll give you a name. Let's call you... Mo Jia!" After a moment's thought, Zhang Xuan named the heart demon before him.

"Thank you, Teacher, for bestowing a name!"

Mo Jia beamed with delight.

Mo Jia, armor... It seemed Teacher wanted him to be like armor, to protect.

"Let's go out!"

Just as he was marveling at the teacher's erudition, he heard the young man's call. He quickly nodded, and with a thought, the pitch-black space vanished without a trace. Then Zhang Xuan's vision blurred, and he found himself still standing by the spring, as if nothing had happened.

"Teacher Zhang... are you alright?"

Seeing him awake, Zhang Jiuxiao and the others' voices rang out.

Turning his head, he saw everyone looking anxious, afraid something had gone wrong.

"Don't worry, I'm fine..." Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"You... didn't experience a heart demon?" Seeing him unscathed, Zhang Jiuxiao found it hard to believe.

This spring could reflect a person's chaotic thoughts, which were the root of heart demons. If the opponent didn't strike, fine, but once they did, they would inevitably transform those thoughts into a heart demon, making one wish for death but unable to die... How could nothing have happened?

"I did experience it..." Zhang Xuan smiled slightly, then frowned. "Come out and pay respects to the various masters!"

"Yes!" Black mist flickered, and the pitch-black heart demon immediately appeared before everyone, its demeanor respectful. "Mo Jia pays respects to the various masters!"

"This..."

"Is this... a heart demon?"

Everyone's mouths twitched, their eyes wide as if they had seen a ghost.

A living heart demon... and one that came out so courteously—this was a first!

"Teacher Zhang, what exactly is going on?"

Unable to contain himself, Hall Master Liao asked.

As the Hall Master of the Heart Hall, he had read countless books on heart demons. These creatures, born from the heart, were ferocious and tyrannical, something to be avoided at all costs. How could it be so docile?

"It was Teacher who enlightened me; otherwise, I would still be living in ignorance, not knowing life or death. Thinking about it now, I'm truly ashamed!"

Before Zhang Xuan could answer, Mo Jia spoke with admiration.

"Enlightened? Teacher?"

Their faces twitching, everyone's eyes nearly popped out.

This thing wasn't even a living being, was it... Could it be taken as a student?

"No need to dwell on such trivial matters. Do you want to come and take a look?"

Zhang Xuan pointed at the spring.

"I'll go!"

After a pause, Zhang Jiuxiao said.

He had been here once before; the spring reflected stray thoughts and could generate heart demons...

Taking a heart demon as a student... he had never seen that before.

He wanted to try too!

"Mm!" Seeing him approach, Zhang Xuan sent a thought into his body, prepared everything, then spoke. "Look!"

"Yes!"

Zhang Jiuxiao's eyes fell on the spring, and he saw countless stray thoughts, overlapping and arising, seemingly ready to invade his mind at any moment, driving him mad.

Boom!

Just as he was about to sever these thoughts, a roar sounded before him, and like Zhang Xuan before, he entered a pitch-black space.

Whoosh!

A towering demon slowly appeared before him, revealing a sinister smile.

"This heart demon... is me?"

The thought Zhang Xuan had left in Zhang Jiuxiao's body, upon seeing the demon's appearance, couldn't help but twitch.

He hadn't expected that this descendant of the Zhang family's greatest heart demon was actually himself.

"I... must surpass you!"

Originally thinking of taking a disciple, but upon seeing the heart demon, Zhang Jiuxiao became somewhat dazed and shouted hysterically.

Unlike Zhang Xuan, who could control his thoughts, the moment the heart demon appeared, all his negative emotions surged, and he had already lost his reason.

"Surpass me? Fine, I can let you surpass me. As long as you cultivate as I say, it's easy to achieve..."

The heart demon's voice was seductive.

"Good!"

Nodding, Zhang Jiuxiao fell into depravity.

"So this is what it's like for ordinary people encountering a heart demon..."

Zhang Xuan was astonished.

He had encountered heart demons three times. Only during the first Sage Ascension Tribulation had he been dazed; the other times he had been clear-headed. He had thought others were similar, but now it seemed that was not the case at all.

Heart demons are born from the heart. The moment they appear, the cultivator can no longer control their inner self, making them easy to attack and fall into demonic possession.

"Having seen it, let's deal with it..."

Knowing how other people's heart demons were generated, Zhang Xuan's thought flew out from its hiding place. "Demon demon, be good, I'll take you as a disciple..."

...

"Will Jiuxiao be alright?"

Seeing Zhang Jiuxiao standing by the spring, his body twitching involuntarily, everyone looked solemn.

"Teacher Zhang has a high understanding of heart demons... Since he let him go, there won't be any problems." Hall Master Liao said.

"That's good..."

Everyone nodded. Just as they were about to speak, they saw Zhang Jiuxiao exhale a turbid breath and slowly open his eyes.

Whoosh!

Then another pitch-black demon appeared before everyone.

Zhang Xuan looked over and instructed, "Won't you pay respects to the various masters?"

"Yes, Mo Yi, pays respects to the various masters!"

This heart demon was respectful.

"Mo Yi?"

The previous heart demon looked bewildered.

This name felt a bit off, didn't it?

Full of doubt, he heard the teacher's voice continue, "Who's next?"

"I'll try!"

Hall Master Liao stepped forward.

Before long, another heart demon appeared nearby, bowing to everyone. "Mo Bing pays respects to the various masters!"

"Mo Ding pays respects to the various masters..."

...

"Not armor-like protection, but... Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding..."

Hearing this, this heart demon finally understood. He had thought Teacher had given him a mighty name, but it turned out to be so casual.

His chest was so tight he wanted to vomit blood.

...

"That's four heart demons. Anyone else want to try..."

Looking at the row of heart demons before him, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

"I'll go..."

Hall Master Wei hurried forward.

Boom!

Before he could reach the spring, the ground shook, and two huge springs churned violently. The water visibly receded, as if a bathtub had had its plug pulled.

A stone staircase slowly appeared before them, extending downward.

"What's going on? I wanted to try more heart demons..." Not expecting the spring to dry up after only four tries, Zhang Xuan frowned.

"If you want to see me, come down..."

Before he finished speaking, the ferocious voice of the ruthless man rang out again, seemingly full of anger.

No wonder he was angry.

He had thought that by having them look at the spring, heart demons would be generated, completely controlling everyone effortlessly, making them his subordinates to obey orders... But unexpectedly, several heart demons had been taken as students by the other party!

If this continued, the other side wouldn't weaken... but would become stronger!

Generating heart demons was meant to control you, but it became a tool for you to strengthen... The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became!

If he weren't locked up and unable to get out, he would have rushed over and slapped this Zhang Xuan to death long ago...

He had seen people not playing by the rules, but never someone so unorthodox!

It was infuriating.

"Let's go!"

Hearing the man's words, Zhang Xuan reluctantly called out to the others and walked down the stone steps.

Although the spring water had just receded, the stone steps were not damp or muddy. The walls were carved from some unknown stone, and in the darkness, the surroundings were unclear.

With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Jiuxiao took out several night pearls and threw them down.

A warm light immediately illuminated the bottom of the stairs.

It was a spacious hall, but due to the line of sight, the interior was not visible.

Zhang Xuan led the way down.

Entering, he immediately saw corpses standing around, their appearances and forms unchanged, but they had lost their souls. They seemed to have been dead for an unknown time!

Soulless Golden Men!

"This..." Zhang Xuan frowned.

From their clothing, he could tell that almost all of them were master teachers... Turning master teachers into golden men...

His eyes narrowed, and just as he was feeling furious, he heard Ji Shi's anxious voice from the side.

"Deputy Hall Master Liu..."

Then he saw him standing before a golden man, his eyes full of urgency.

"Deputy Hall Master Liu?"

"Yes, this is the deputy hall master of our Master Teacher Hall, Liu Yiyu. He went missing three years ago. We thought... he had gone into seclusion somewhere, but he's here!"

Ji Shi's body trembled.

"This..." Stunned, Zhang Xuan was about to console him when he saw Wu Shi also approach a golden man. "Elder Xing..."

"Elder Xing was an elder of our Master Teacher Hall. He went missing eight years ago. How could he be here..."

An elder of the Master Teacher Hall couldn't help but say.

Under the illumination of the night pearls, everyone walked along the hall and soon saw many familiar faces, mostly master teachers around the Primordial Spirit realm.

Most had gone missing within the last twenty years. They had thought they had fallen, but never dreamed they would become such inhuman, ghostly things here.

"These are Soulless Golden Men! Bodies that Soul Spirit Masters can possess..."

Zhang Xuan sighed.

"Despicable!"

Wu Shi's face was pale, whether from his injury or anger: "I must report this to the Master Teacher Hall headquarters. Harming master teachers and turning them into puppets... it's unforgivable!"

"Hehe, report to the Master Teacher Hall?"

Before he finished, the ruthless man's voice continued: "It's too late now..."

Clatter!

As the voice ended, everyone heard a rumble, and then saw a stone door sealing the entrance they had just come through.

"It's a Dragon-Breaking Lock!"

Recognizing it, Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

It was none other than a Dragon-Breaking Lock specially crafted by Heavenly Craftsmen. Once closed, even a peak Nascent Soul realm cultivator would find it hard to break.

Whoosh!

As they were shocked, they saw the surrounding Soulless Golden Men all open their eyes at once.