The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 210 - 136 The Universal Value of Spiritual Tea_2

Chapter 210: Chapter 136 The Universal Value of Spiritual Tea_2

Changtian frowns: "Right on the East Sea Coast, how could nobody have seen it? Could this Divine Tree no longer exist?"

Wen Liangyu feels despondent: "Nobody knows. As time goes by, these treasures have disappeared without a trace. Up to now, the only remaining treasure that can remove Heart Demons is probably this Spiritual Tea." That’s why it has caused an uproar in the world.

Riding on the horse, Ning Xiaoxian feels bored and interjects: "What exactly is a Heart Demon, and how terrifying is it?" It must be tremendously agonizing for demons and cultivators alike to desperately scramble for Spiritual Tea, tearing away at their facades.

"A Heart Demon is an obstruction of the way that stems from the seven emotions and six desires," Changtian says indifferently, "Humans have Eight Sufferings: birth, aging, illness, death, Resentful Meeting, suffering as farewell to the beloved, the raging fires of the five aggregates, and Desire. These sufferings accompany humans throughout life, leaving no possibility for escape."

"Even if mortals are fortunate enough to embark on cultivation, they can hardly escape these emotions. There will always be some lingering obsessions in their heart, which could be an act of guilt or an undone romance. Over time, these obsessions turn into Heart Demons. These demons do not show themselves normally, but they bite back fiercely when one tries to breakthrough or even before Crossing Tribulation for Ascension. Those who are bitten either fall drastically in their realm, or at worst their Divine Souls are destroyed, completely vanishing from this world."

"Therefore, apart from practicing Daoist Skills and cultivation, the most important task for cultivators is to fortify their mental defenses and enhance their Mental State. Only by refining their mindfulness into an impregnable stronghold can they be fearless of the harassment of Heart Demons." He scoffs, "How laughable that Heart Demons could be so easily eradicated. Daoist Skill naturally aids in removing Heart Demons, hence cultivators slowly discard their emotions, believing that the essence of ’Heavenly Dao’ lies in being heartless and desireless, impartial and allowing, which is how one severs greed, resentment, anger, delusion, and attachment gripping to the bone. Hmph, it’s a pity that most people may withstand Heart Demons during their breakthrough, but at the arrival of the Heavenly Tribulation, they lose terribly at this crucial juncture of the grand trial of Heart Demons!"

What Changtian sees but does not articulate is that Quan Shifang fears that Ning Xiaoxian has become his Heart Demon. That’s why he wielded the Wisdom Sword early on, severing the burgeoning affection. Although he is upright and values honor, he knows well how to prioritize, and in time he will surely become a noble figure in his own right. Unfortunately, once a Heart Demon has taken root, it’s not so easily removed, as evidenced by Hu Huoer’s words that Quan Shifang returned to Chaoyun Sect and has felt "spiritually exhausted" for quite some time.

How abstract, she thinks after a long speech; this Heart Demon is not something concrete after all! She nods in half-understanding, according to her interpretation, who in this world hasn’t done something deplorable or regretful? Even if no one else knows, stewing over it in one’s heart over time becomes a sickness. As the saying goes, what goes around comes around.

"Then what about demons? Demons don’t have such rich emotions as humans, right?"

"Originally they do not," says Changtian, his voice carrying something indescribable and elusive, "but since they are demons, they must enter the tumultuous Red Dust to temper their true nature. The Mortal World is indeed a test stone; without strong determination none can be liberated! However, the attitude of demons towards Heart Demons is completely different from that of humans."

"Even after Transformation, a demon’s seven emotions and six desires are much simpler than those of humans. The Heart Demon naturally needs to be cut out, but the Demon Clan only uses two methods to deal with it," states Changtian proudly, "The Demon Clan practices cultivation aiming straight at the true heart, unlike the hypocrisy of humans. The Heart Demon arises from someone; it gets settled with that very someone, to demonstrate the thoroughness of their thoughts!"

Her heart skips a beat. What does settling things mean, chopping the other party into pieces? "And the second method?"

"Simply cultivate without shame in one’s true heart. So the second method is to annihilate one’s humanity and act according to the instincts of the Demon Clan. Cannibalism, slaughtering cities, many tragedies in the human world occur because of this. However, this method is regarded as inferior, and real Great Demons and giant demons disdain such actions."

Ning Xiaoxian tries hard to digest the new knowledge she has acquired, unaware of the subtle glance Changtian casts at her.

Is this girl his Heart Demon or not? He dislikes this ambiguous feeling, having no past experience to apply here.

She heaves a long sigh. Well, her only task is to focus on escaping. She’ll leave the ponderous task of strategizing to those two idlers in the God Demon Prison; they’re much smarter than she is.

These days, she consumes Yellow Jing and Dream Millet grown from the soil thrice a day, occasionally augmenting her nutrition with a Century-old Ginseng or a golden thread orchid for soup. Her Guiding Technique is nearing Great Success, and every night, whenever she finds free time, she battles with the straw man controlled by Changtian. Although she’s exhausted as if between life and death after each session, her abilities improve without her even noticing.

There’s no sign of her progress on normal days, but today, after riding hard for one whole day, she’s still brimming with energy, while the nag she rides has nearly stumbled and fallen heavily a couple of times.

With the horse’s slender legs, falling can easily cause serious injuries. She has to occasionally stop and rest for a while. The old horse has aged; after running for half the day, it’s panting heavily with steaming sweat. Despite the urgency of their journey, she still shows compassion towards the horse, removing the saddle and letting it graze, feeding it carrots and soybeans, and unable to resist, she breaks a chicken egg to feed it. The old horse appreciates her kindness, swallowing the egg in one gulp and affectionately licks her hand.

Qiongqi sighs: "The female master has a kind heart, showing such pity even for an uninspired beast." It sneaks a glance at Changtian, who completely ignores it.

The trees here are generally huge. While the horse rests, she finds several tall, straight pines, each so thick that two or three people could barely wrap their arms around them.

"Tusk, oh Tusk, I’m counting on you now!" she says, stroking the smooth and sharp blade of the Dagger. Tusk responds to its owner’s intention with a wave of joy and pleasure.

She stands in front of a big tree with Tusk in hand and gently pushes; the blade sinks into the trunk like cutting through tofu. It’s a shame that Tusk is too short to cut down the tree in one go. She walks a full circle around the trunk to expand the cutting area, chopping down the tree bit by bit with Tusk. (To be continued. If you like this work, we invite you to cast your recommendation vote and Monthly Ticket at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)