Lu Fuyue's face turned pale instantly, and she subconsciously summoned the Weak Water Harp. "No, it's impossible, you're lying to me!"

Then he turned around and kicked the inner demon, while at the same time his hands moved quickly to strum the strings of the zither, sending countless spiritual energy blades flying towards it.

The inner demon swiftly dodged, and the next second it suddenly transformed into Lu Fuyue's appearance, holding the same zither, and appeared in front of her.

Lu Fuyue's expression changed slightly, and she knew that something bad was about to happen.

The inner demon curled his lips and played the same zither tune as Lu Fuyue. Instantly, the two identical spiritual energies collided and were evenly matched.

"Haha, I was just kidding you?"

"Then tell me, why do you, a cultivator of the ruthless path, still have joy, anger, sorrow, and the seven emotions and six desires?"

"Then tell me, do you cultivate the path of ruthlessness?"

A look of bewilderment flashed across Lu Fuyue's eyes, and the zither in her hand suddenly slammed to the ground with a bang. Instantly, she became like a walking corpse.

Yes, why is the path of ruthlessness she cultivates different from others?

Why does she have emotions and desires?

The surrounding black mist transformed into countless vines, which slowly climbed up her body.

Upon closer inspection, however, the vines exuded a bloodthirsty and evil aura, resembling monsters with gaping maws, attempting to devour and drain Lu Fuyue bit by bit.

The inner demon transformed into a wisp of black smoke and burrowed into Lu Fuyue's heart. "Admit it, Lu Fuyue, what you cultivate is not the Path of Ruthlessness at all."

The demonic vine was increasingly absorbing Lu Fuyue's spiritual power, and gradually her body began to turn pale and transparent.

A hint of smugness flashed in the inner demon's eyes. It was good to become a demon; once it became a demon, it could become the master of this body.

...

The water in the space watched as the demonic energy on Lu Fuyue's body gradually intensified, and a trace of worry flashed in its eyes.

Some things can only be done by herself. A cultivator's Dao heart is equivalent to his second life. If the Dao heart is broken, he will either suffer from demonic possession or die.

Seeing Lu Fuyue in this state, Elder Xuan sighed; it was his turn to make a move.

However, all he could do was offer a few words of advice; after that, her fate was entirely up to her.

He formed a hand seal to protect Lu Fuyue's heart meridian, then slowly closed his eyes and transmitted his voice into the place where she was trapped.

Deep within Lu Fuyue's consciousness, the demonic vines grew stronger under the nourishment of her spiritual power. Gradually, they became dissatisfied with absorbing spiritual power and set their sights on Lu Fuyue's heart's blood.

Then the thickest demonic vine rose high and pierced Lu Fuyue's heart in the next second.

Lu Fuyue frowned slightly, a trace of pain appearing on her face. Her body had already turned semi-transparent, and drops of her heart's blood were gradually being absorbed. Even though Lu Fuyue tried desperately to open her eyes, she couldn't.

Just then, a familiar voice came, "Little girl, listen carefully."

"The reason why cultivators can comprehend the Dao is because the three thousand Great Daos are all comprehended by the cultivators themselves."

"Even the Path of Ruthlessness is no exception. The Path of Ruthlessness you have seen is merely what our predecessors have realized, and over time it has become a fixed path."

"But no one has stipulated that there is only one path of ruthlessness."

As the sound faded, Lu Fuyue's consciousness seemed to find the direction of the Great Dao and gradually coalesced.

There are three thousand great paths in this world, so naturally there are countless kinds of the path of ruthlessness.

The core of the Way of Ruthlessness lies in being free from desires and wants, and in abandoning the seven emotions and six desires.

Her path lies in severing all the emotions in the world that she despises and that bind her freedom.

When one's cultivation reaches a certain level, one can quickly break free from constraints, let go of all emotions and desires, and ultimately achieve successful ascension.

Her path was never wrong; it also belonged to the ruthless path of the Dao.

Instantly, the demonic energy on Lu Fuyue's body vanished as if it had encountered something terrifying.

Just as the Demon Vine realized something was wrong and tried to escape, Lu Fuyue suddenly opened her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them, and then formed a hand seal.

Countless azure spiritual energies imprisoned the demonic vine, and then gradually returned the spiritual power and heart's blood that the vine had absorbed.

Trying to run away isn't that easy!

At the same time, the inner demon who witnessed this scene turned to flee.

A ball of crimson lotus karmic fire instantly appeared in Lu Fuyue's hand. She raised her hand and struck it out. The next second, the inner demon screamed and vanished into thin air.

At the same time, all the spiritual energy in the space rushed into her body, and her cultivation gradually recovered. Even the meridians in her body were widened and tempered by this spiritual energy.

The surrounding spiritual trees and fruits instantly grew even more luxuriantly, especially the leaves of the small green seedling not far away, which shimmered with golden light. Golden clouds swirled around it, then formed a wisp of golden energy that drifted through the space.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the spiritual energy in the space gradually increased, the age of the spirit trees kept rising, and even the quality of the spiritual veins began to change.

Time passed slowly, and finally everything calmed down. Lu Fuyue slowly opened her eyes, and a golden light flashed in them.

Seeing this, Elder Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. The little girl was alive, so his life was saved.

As long as one is alive, how can there be no hope of recovering one's cultivation and returning to the family?

Shui Ze walked up to Lu Fuyue and sighed, "It's good that you're alright. You've turned misfortune into blessing and gotten rid of your inner demons. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome if those inner demons had grown stronger in the future."

Lu Fuyue recalled the scene she had just experienced and couldn't help but feel fortunate that her Dao heart had not been shaken, and that she had instead come to understand her own Dao of Ruthlessness.

"It was indeed a blessing in disguise."

What she needs to do now is to continuously sever the emotions that affect her on her path of cultivation.

As for letting go of the seven emotions and six desires, that's something for later.

At this moment, Elder Xuan suddenly spoke up, "Little girl, shouldn't you fulfill your promise to me now?"

Lu Fuyue's gaze fell on him, and she smiled gently, "That's natural."

She then paused, "But if I let you out, I'm afraid you'll come looking for revenge later. It's better if you stay in my space."

Elder Xuan was furious. He pointed at Lu Fuyue and shouted, "Little girl, you tricked this old man?"

Lu Fuyue asked, somewhat puzzled, "But with your experience and shrewdness, you must have noticed that the oath I made earlier only said I would spare your life, not that I would let you leave, right?"

"Besides, we both know what your purpose is, so pretending any longer would be going too far."

Upon hearing this, Elder Xuan's expression instantly darkened considerably. He had indeed known from the beginning what this little girl was planning.

However, his current cultivation level is only at the Qi Refining stage, and he might perish if he encounters a powerful opponent outside.

So he decided to go with the flow and temporarily use the little girl's space to recover his cultivation and heal his injuries before leaving.

Just as Elder Xuan was about to say something, a cold glint flashed in Lu Fuyue's eyes. She formed a hand seal, and a seal was quickly cast upon him.

Before Elder Xuan could react, he was instantly sucked into the painting on the wall and became a figure in the painting.