Chapter 108: Seeing Through the Inner Demon (Additional Chapter)

She did not see that Wei Wuji, who was in hot pursuit, seemed to be struck by some unseen force, sent flying mercilessly by a brick.

Gu Weiyu felt as though her body were tracing a parabolic arc; perhaps, she mused, this was her fate.

The expected pain, however, was slow to arrive. In her dimming consciousness, she seemed to catch the familiar, faint fragrance of locust flowers. The tension that had been coiled in Gu Weiyu’s heart finally unraveled. She was so tired... so very tired.

The entire world faded into darkness.

***

In a haze, Gu Weiyu felt a medicinal pill being placed into her mouth, which she swallowed unconsciously. The pill transformed into a warm current flowing into her abdomen, mending her damaged meridians and healing the wounds on her body. Gu Weiyu’s consciousness drifted and sank; unaware of her surroundings, she seemed to be lost in a distant, ethereal dream.

In the dream, she felt as though she had returned to years gone by, back to the Gu Estate in Qin Prefecture, where everyone sat together in harmony. Even when there were occasional quarrels, it all felt so happy and sweet...

The next day, the chirping of insects and birds reached her ears, and the intense sunlight beat down upon her. Gu Weiyu opened her eyes abruptly. The sunlight was so scorching that she instinctively raised a hand to shield her eyes, but the movement inadvertently pulled at her wounds.

"Hiss—" She couldn't help but gasp, squinting as she scanned her surroundings. She was lying on a giant boulder, the scorching sun hanging high in the sky, casting its light upon her.

She pulled herself up slowly, only then realizing she was resting on the very same rock by the cliffside.

Yesterday... She suddenly remembered. Yesterday, when she encountered Wei Wuji, hadn't she been struck down off the cliff by him? Yet here she was, safe and sound on this boulder, while Wei Wuji had vanished into thin air.

A faint scent of locust flowers seemed to linger in the breeze. Gu Weiyu opened her mouth, and a call escaped her lips:

"Great-grandfather—"

She stood up, casting her gaze around. "Great-grandfather, is that you?"

Except for the insects, all remained silent. The wind rustled through the branches and leaves, and as Gu Weiyu collected her thoughts, a sense of loss washed over her. Who had saved her? Was it truly not her great-grandfather? If it were him, why would he not come out to see her?

Gu Weiyu stood rooted to the boulder, staring at the empty mountain forest before her, a flurry of thoughts racing through her mind. She stood there for a long time before summoning Qingtuan and heading toward the direction of the Wan Jian Sect.

—

"Hongyi, how do you feel about your training trip this time?"

Piaomiao Peak, Xiaoyao Residence.

Master Yuling leaned lazily against a couch. Though she had not seen her disciple for half a year, the girl had gained an air of spirited grace.

"It was quite good. I feel that successfully reaching the Foundation Establishment stage is almost certain," Gu Weiyu said, full of confidence.

"Good!" Master Yuling nodded with satisfaction. "Prepare yourself well. When you undergo Foundation Establishment, I will personally watch over you."

Gu Weiyu acknowledged this with a nod, took her leave of Xiaoyao Residence, and returned to her own Green Bamboo Garden.

It had taken her three days to travel back to the Wan Jian Sect, and the superficial wounds on her body had already fully healed. After consuming a top-grade rejuvenation pill, the damaged areas of her meridians had also recovered to their original state, becoming even more resilient. Now, her body and meridians were ready; she lacked only the final catalyst.

That night, for once, Gu Weiyu did not cultivate. Instead, she lay down on her bamboo couch and closed her eyes, intending to get a good night's sleep to preserve her energy for the upcoming breakthrough.

The next morning, Gu Weiyu went to Xiaoyao Residence early to find Master Yuling.

"Master—" Gu Weiyu called out softly as she walked in.

"Are you fully prepared?" Master Yuling’s gaze, sharp as lightning, fell upon her.

"Yes!" Gu Weiyu nodded firmly.

"Very well, come with me." Master Yuling stood up and led Gu Weiyu to a meditation room within the Xiaoyao Residence. She waved her hand to set up a barrier within the room before saying to Gu Weiyu:

"Sit on the meditation cushion, clear your mind, and enter a state of deep meditation."

Gu Weiyu followed her instructions, sitting cross-legged on the cushion in the center of the room, closing her eyes to settle her state of mind.

Time ticked away, and the river of spiritual power within Gu Weiyu's meridians surged ever more violently. The bottleneck between the Qi Refining stage and the Foundation Establishment stage began to loosen, and under the impact of her spiritual power, it started to waver.

Gu Weiyu understood that the most critical moment had arrived!

Boom—

The river of spiritual energy surged repeatedly, pushing forward—and forward—

The bottleneck slowly cracked, and finally, it was breached by the river of spiritual energy. A miraculous thing occurred: the once gaseous spiritual energy began to transform, drop by drop, into liquid form. Each drop of liquid spiritual energy was a concentrated version of the gaseous; it took a vast amount of the latter to form a single drop of the former.

No wonder the gap between a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Qi Refining cultivator was so vast! It was the difference between a small stream and the vast ocean!

Gu Weiyu felt the gaseous spiritual energy within her body continuously transforming into liquid. As the transformation completed, she entered a profound and mysterious state:

A small girl sat atop the clouds, gazing around in confusion. In this moment, she had forgotten everything, even who she was.

"A-Yu—"

A gentle female voice sounded. The girl turned to look and saw a young woman dressed in animal hides beckoning to her. "A-Yu, are you hungry? Mother will make you something delicious!"

"Mother!" Gu Weiyu scrambled up from the clouds and hurried toward the young woman. She snuggled affectionately against her, her face filled with deep yearning. "Mother, I missed you so much—"

At that moment, a young man appeared beside them, holding the hand of a round, chubby, and adorable little boy.

"Father, Little Stone—"

Gu Weiyu stayed with her family, her heart brimming with contentment.

"Sigh—"

Suddenly, the little girl sighed like a miniature adult, looking at her father, mother, and Little Stone with reluctance and sorrow. "If only this were all real!"

As soon as she spoke, the figures of her parents and Little Stone began to fade, dissolving into nothingness. All of this was merely a reflection in the water, a flower in a mirror—it was all a fabrication!

"Girl, come here." A clear, resonant male voice sounded.

Gu Weiyu’s eyes brightened. She had not seen her great-grandfather for a long time; even knowing it was an illusion, she could not help but crave the sight of him.

She walked along a familiar path until she reached her great-grandfather’s Nanshan Residence. The courtyard gate opened on its own, and a crimson-clad figure leaned lazily against a wooden couch beneath a locust tree. Seeing her, he revealed a faint smile. "Girl, you're here!"

Gu Weiyu sat obediently by his side, her gaze lingering longingly upon him.

"Girl, what’s the matter?" Her great-grandfather reached out to gently stroke the top of her head.

Gu Weiyu’s vision blurred. She shook her head and wiped away her tears. "Great-grandfather, I am fine. Don't worry!"

The locust tree, her great-grandfather, and Nanshan Residence... all began to fade from her sight. She stared longingly ahead until everything before her dissolved into nothingness.

"Great-grandfather, I will not let you down!"

Her consciousness became crystal clear, and her resolve grew stronger than ever...