Chapter 14 Falling into Demonic Corruption

Lei Yan's eyes were completely bloodshot. All hesitation, fear, cowardice, and tenderness had vanished from his gaze, and even the most basic glimmer of light was gone. What remained was only rage and a bloodthirsty terror. The sky seemed infected by Lei Yan's mood, turning gloomy and obscure. Ink-like dark clouds gathered above Lei Yan, appearing out of thin air in an intensely eerie manner.

A chilling aura spread outward with Lei Yan as the center, and in the blink of an eye, the temperature within a radius of a hundred miles plummeted. This drop in temperature was utterly bizarre, devoid of even a shred of cold wind, as if the wind itself had been frozen and rendered unable to blow. The entire Falling Cloud Mountain was covered in a layer of white frost within moments, and the surrounding Falling Cloud disciples were already shivering all over.

The Master of Falling Cloud Cave was dodging the attacks of the Gold Ghost and Wood Ghost very casually when a sudden chill swept through his entire body. He started in surprise and instinctively shifted his gaze toward Lei Yan.

"Not good. This brat is falling into demonic corruption." Seeing Lei Yan's crimson eyes, the Master of Falling Cloud Cave felt a tight squeeze in his chest. Those were eyes filled with pride, sorrow, madness, and a haughty disdain for everything in existence. He could even discern a bloodthirsty glint within them, giving him the illusion that two burning tongues of flame were leaping inside Lei Yan's pupils.

"Rumble!"

Without any warning, nine bolts of heavenly lightning suddenly shot down from the dark clouds in the sky.

Lei Yan closed his eyes and pulled Qing Ling into his arms, letting the heavenly lightning strike his own body.

"Crack!" An-eye blinding flash of white light exploded from where Lei Yan stood, its intensity forcing everyone around to shut their eyes tightly.

"He has fallen into demonic corruption. Lei Yan has actually fallen into demonic corruption," the White Tiger muttered, staring at the opposite Lei Yan with a shocked expression.

"So this is the demonic tribulation of corruption," Zhang Yuwan murmured inwardly with half-closed eyes and a dazed expression. It was his first time witnessing a demonic tribulation firsthand.

"Damn it. The brat really has fallen into demonic corruption. Could this be the outcome that immortal desired?" The Master of Falling Cloud Cave mumbled to himself, deep in thought.

"How can this be... Why is this heavenly tribulation so weak..." Qing He, who was about to usurp Lei Yan's body, looked at him in astonishment. At this moment, arcs of electric snakes slithered wildly across Lei Yan's physique, yet Lei Yan's face showed no expression whatsoever as he continued to gently stroke Qing Ling's cheek. It was evident that he had easily deflected the first strike.

"No, it's not that the heavenly tribulation is weak. It's that this brat has grown stronger. Hmph. No matter how strong he gets, it's useless. A demonic tribulation consists of more than just the path of lightning; how could your current state withstand a demonic tribulation that incorporates the tribulation of the heart..." Qing He looked coldly at Lei Yan, having already made up his mind. The moment the tribulation of the heart triggered within Lei Yan's mind, he would instantly plunge into Lei Yan's body.

Lei Yan's heart was like stagnant water, completely oblivious to everything in the outside world. Only a single thought echoed in his mind: he would not allow Qing Ling's body to suffer any further harm. Cradling her tightly, he let wave after wave of heavenly lightning batter his physical form.

"Crack!" Nine streaks of white light flashed across the sky, and the second round of nine heavenly bolts charged toward Lei Yan like nine winding, venomous pythons baring their fangs.

"The second round." The Master of Falling Cloud Cave also cared deeply about whether Lei Yan could survive the demonic tribulation. Just moments ago, he had received instructions from Qing He to wait until Lei Yan passed the tribulation before taking any further action. Furthermore, the Gold Ghost and Wood Ghost attacking him had been recalled by Qing He, allowing him to observe Lei Yan's tribulation with peace of mind.

"How will you survive this round, I wonder?" Qing He stared at Lei Yan with extreme caution. The nine lightning bolts of this round were clearly different from the first, as evidenced by the faint purple halos flickering around their outer edges. With Qing He's vast knowledge, he instantly recognized that those purple halos represented the tribulation of the heart carried by the demonic tribulation.

"Boom!"

The power of the second round was noticeably much greater than the first. The nine lightning bolts swept across Lei Yan's body like nine sharp blades. The magical artifact Earth Essence shattered the very instant it made contact with the nine bolts of lightning, followed by nine streams of blood erupting from Lei Yan's body.

At the same time, a purple halo plunged straight into the deepest depths of Lei Yan's heart, causing his consciousness to begin blurring.

"Now is the time." Qing He, who had been closely monitoring Lei Yan's movements, noticed his eyes turning vacant. He instantly bolted out from the Five Elements Pagoda and shot straight toward Lei Yan, piercing into the space between Lei Yan's eyebrows like a streak of light.

Entering Lei Yan's mind, Qing He transformed into a cyan ball of light and rushed directly toward the domain of Lei Yan's soul. Soul usurpation relied entirely on soul devouring; as long as the target soul was devoured, their body could be seized.

Of course, soul usurpation required attention to many aspects. First, an external soul entering a target body would encounter rejection, and this rejection would consume a massive amount of soul power, making the timing of the intrusion crucial. Just like Qing He right now, he chose Lei Yan's state of disorientation; although resistance would still occur, it was merely an instinctive reaction beyond Lei Yan's conscious control.

Second, the energy consumed by an external soul during the devouring process was irrecoverable, whereas the usurped body possessed a high compatibility with the soul, making it easy to replenish depleted soul power. This demanded that the external soul be exceptionally powerful to devour the target in a short timeframe.

When Qing He entered Lei Yan's soul domain, he discovered that Lei Yan's soul far exceeded his imagination. The soul of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was actually comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Such a powerful soul left him momentarily at a loss for how to proceed.

"This won't do. If the consumption continues at this rate, I will be finished long before Lei Yan even makes a move," Qing He thought to himself. Feeling the rapid drain of his soul power, he could no longer afford to hesitate before the blue halo blocking his path and lunged straight toward the blue light mass hovering above Lei Yan's mental sea.

The closer he got to the blue light mass, the greater the resistance and the heavier the consumption of soul power. In the blink of an eye, one-fifth of Qing He's soul power had been depleted, yet this massive expenditure had only brought him closer to the target.

"He who hesitates is lost; indecision brings disaster," Qing He shouted inwardly, frantically tearing into the blue light mass. With every bite he took, his cyan light mass grew slightly brighter, only to dim again an instant later. The formidable resistance consumed his soul power far faster than a single bite of Lei Yan's soul could ever replenish.

"I'll stake it all!" With a single thought, Qing He instantly enveloped the blue light mass. Simultaneously, the volume of the cyan light mass within Lei Yan's mind swelled severalfold. The surrounding blue halo vanished abruptly, replaced entirely by a cyan glow, though faint blue halos could still be vaguely seen flickering within the massive cyan mass.

"Hahaha..." Qing He's roaring laughter echoed throughout the entire valley, coinciding precisely with the arrival of the third round of the nine heavenly tribulations.

"Back down..." Controlling Lei Yan's body, Qing He waved his right hand, and a transparent film about a zhang in diameter appeared above Lei Yan's head. This was a barrier cast by Qing He utilizing his Immortal Domain.

The heavenly lightning battered the water-like barrier, sending ripples spreading outward. The third round of the demonic tribulation was thus easily deflected, and even the accompanying tribulation of the heart was successfully blocked.

"This... Is this a true Immortal Domain?" The Master of Falling Cloud Cave watched in astonishment as Qing He effortlessly blocked the third round of the demonic tribulation. He himself could easily fend off such a tribulation, but he knew he could never block it as casually and smoothly as Qing He had.

"Why? Clearly Lei Yan is right there, yet I feel as though he has vanished." The White Tiger ignored the tribulation entirely, staring at the opposite Lei Yan with a bewildered expression.

"Come on, fourth round of heavenly tribulation!" Qing He roared. This arrogant cry seemed to provoke the tribulation, causing the dark clouds in the sky to spin violently as a tremendous suction force pulled all the surrounding clouds into the vortex.

An unprecedentedly massive black tribulation cloud formed above Lei Yan, with arcs of lightning as thick as a human arm flashing within the gloom.

"Boom!"

Nine lightning bolts as thick as water barrels plummeted from the sky, striking the transparent film cast by Qing He.

"Crack... crack... crack..." Cracks began to spiderweb across the transparent film, and although the nine lightning bolts ultimately failed to breach Qing He's Immortal Domain, the shattered remnants of the domain allowed nine dark halos of lightning to plunge directly into Lei Yan's body.

Qing He let out a cold snort. "Does a mere trivial tribulation of the heart think it can shake me?" The nine dark halos were extinguished by Qing He the moment they manifested within Lei Yan's body. How could the true heart of an immortal ever be shaken by a Golden Core demonic tribulation?

With the demonic tribulation over, the dark clouds in the sky vanished without a trace. The ambient spiritual Qi of heaven and earth immediately enshrouded Lei Yan's body, and visible streams of spiritual energy were frantically sucked into his physique.

"Thump, thump, thump..." Five distinct sounds reverberated through Lei Yan's heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys as five multicolored spheres solidified and settled into place. Yet the external spiritual energy continued to surge into Lei Yan relentlessly, causing his internal Golden Core to expand continuously. Accompanied by five cracking sounds, five miniature figures identical to Lei Yan burst forth from the shattered core.

"Can it only reach this level?" Qing He said with a hint of disappointment. He could not understand why his cultivation could only be elevated to the early Nascent Soul stage. Logically speaking, given his state of mind and mastery, as long as he continuously absorbed heaven and earth spiritual Qi, he should have been able to raise his cultivation at least to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Yet, the rate of cultivation growth suddenly stagnated right at the early Nascent Soul stage.

"Five Ghosts, hear my command. Leave not a single soul alive in Falling Cloud Cave," Qing He said, opening Lei Yan's eyes under his control. The moment his voice fell, five figures darted out from the Five Elements Pagoda.

"You... You are that immortal! You broke your promise!" the Master of Falling Cloud Cave cried out in terror as he discovered his entire body was completely paralyzed and unable to move.

"Apologies, but the rage residing within this fellow's heart compels me to slaughter all of you," Qing He said, gesturing toward Lei Yan's body.

Channeling all his true essence, the Master of Falling Cloud Cave finally shattered the domain binding him. Seeing the Five Ghosts lunging at him, he knew he could no longer hold back his strength. He formed a hand seal and chanted: "Boundless dark seas, the primordial sword is long. Transforming swords into light, the Primordial Splitting Light Sword—get back!"

As the incantation finished, a flying sword shot forth from the Master of Falling Cloud Cave's body. Simultaneously, myriad rays of golden light split away from the flying sword, shooting toward the Five Ghosts, Lei Yan's body, and the White Tiger.