Xi Huai carefully held the trembling Chi Muyao. His heart ached.

He could only do his best to soothe Chi Muyao, "Don't cry, and don't give up. If you surrender to your internal demon, all your suffering would've been for naught. Think about why you're forming your golden core. You're doing it to get out, to become stronger. Not to be defeated by some bastard in an illusionary realm."

Chi Muyao had been tormented in this illusionary realm for a long time before Xi Huai arrived. Now, with the Xi Huai he knew in front of him, he finally broke down and cried. 

How strange. He could hold it in until he saw Xi Huai. Luckily, the Young Master was there to comfort him. 

With Xi Huai by his side, he wasn't afraid anymore. 

His emotions spilled out like broad brushstrokes of ink on paper.

 After crying it out, Chi Muyao felt better and began to settle down.

Xi Huai didn't know how to comfort people, so he clumsily wiped Chi Muyao's face with the sleeve of his enchanted vestments. What he forgot was his vestment being waterproof, resulting in him just smearing tears across Chi Muyao's face. 

This endearing display caused Chi Muyao to giggle. 

"So this is your internal demon?" Xi Huai looked around. "What was it last time?"

"I got my fingers chopped off. He also threw the head of a fellow disciple at me." 

"Why did you think I would do that?" Xi Huai knew that 'he' was referring to himself.

"It's something you might do..." Chi Muyao sniffled. Indeed, that was how the plot of the original novel went. He couldn't help how the terror lingering over him for decades morphed into his internal demon. 

During tribulations, internal demons caused mundane horrors to become even more terrifying. 

What one already feared most was intensified in order to make ascension even more difficult.

An internal demon hammered in on the weakest link in one's armour.

Thus the saying in the cultivation world about 'distancing oneself from mortal affairs and seeking mindfulness'. 

Xi Huai clumsily wiped Chi Muyao's face with his thumbs in a pinching motion.

Chi Muyao obediently stayed still, but Xi Huai was still very angry.

Xi Huai couldn't hold it in anymore. "I'm going to go kill him!"

Who knew what consequences would result from not removing the internal demon?

If he could take care of Chi Muyao's internal demon, then Chi Muyao wouldn't run into any more problems in the future. Otherwise, the same thing would happen again when Chi Muyao attempted a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage. 

Chi Muyao got up with a hand on Xi Huai's sleeve. He stumbled on the way out, but Xi Huai quickly caught him. "What's wrong? Are you badly hurt?" 

"My knees ache after hiding there for so long. They've become a problem even since I left that cave, especially on rainy days or after sprinting for a long time."

"..." Xi Huai silently held Chi Muyao for a while. He couldn't get back into the mood for murder after that revelation.

Shortly after the two walked out of the ritual hall, they saw the original Xi Huai coming towards them. 

He wore a black brocade patterned kimono with dark red tunic on top. Shukuang rested in his hands, still dripping with blood.

He was tall, almost Herculean. Like a force of nature bearing down on them.

Xi Huai looked at the original Xi Huai, then down at himself. They were wearing the exact same clothes. Even the slight curl at the tips of their hair and the way they looked at others was the same. 

The only difference... 

Xi Huai pointed to the original and asked Chi Muyao, "Why does that bastard have Nascent Soul stage cultivation? 

Oh Xi Huai. Ruthless enough to curse himself out and even kill himself.

 Chi Muyao was also a little aggrieved, "I can't control my mind demons."

"Forget it. Can you still use your healing ability?"

"Yes." However, the speed he could heal at was no match for the speed the original Xi Huai could kill at in this illusionary realm. The place wouldn't be such a bloodbath otherwise. 

Xi Huai asked again, "Do you still have the Golden Clock?" 

Chi Muyao rummaged around his person and replied, "It's gone. I used it to trap Su You's doppelgänger so it's not in this illusionary realm." 

"Then find an artefact to protect yourself with. Focus on healing me when I face off with him."

"All right." 

The original Xi Huai's gaze swept over their intertwined hands. His eyes suddenly became ruthless towards Xi Huai. "Mongrel, you dare to impersonate me?"

Xi Huai was very upset that his concern for Chi Muyao was being misinterpreted in this way. "Are you not getting enough oxygen because your head's too big? Why else would your voice be so raspy."

Chi Muyao took out a defensive artefact from the Thousand Treasure Bell that he had been reluctant to use. However, since this was an illusionary realm, the artefact would not be consumed in reality. 

The original Xi Huai couldn't help but frown once he saw the object. "How did you get my stuff?" 

Xi Huai answered for Chi Muyao, "I gave it to him." 

The original Xi Huai looked even more puzzled at Xi Huai. He attacked.

The two of them collided while wreathed in Hui Dragon Flames. The flames followed them as they moved about, something that was originally horrifying controlled by them so freely.

Chi Muyao knew that the Xi Huai who was in the middle Golden Core stage was not a match for the original. If Xi Huai was injured in his illusionary realm, then there would be scars left on Xi Huai's soul. Thus, he did everything possible to heal Xi Huai while staying on guard.

Tiny wounds healed instantly after they appeared.

Even the organ damage caused by the gap in cultivation was healed by seventy percent. 

Yet the original Xi Huai suddenly disengaged. He took a step back and asked, "Are you really me?"

"Of course not." Xi Huai immediately denied, "I would never do something to scare him like this."

Xi Huai suddenly paused. He was caught up in a murderous rage when the formation first opened. Was he not similar to this Xi Huai in front of him back then? 

So, he also did something that scared Chi Muyao? 

"You're protecting him?" Original Xi Huai asked, pointing at Chi Muyao. 

"That's right. I'm going to kill you too." 

"Are you an idiot?"

"I think you're the idiot here. That dragon horn probably lobotomised you." 

"How could you defend him after what he did in the cave..." 

"He was just a bit loud. You grow to like it after a while." 

Chi Muyao held the artefact and did his best to support Xi Huai, only for the two to start squabbling like elementary school children. Over him nonetheless. 

He was a little embarrassed and even tried to persuade them to hurry up and fight. 

The original Xi Huai did no such thing. Instead, he cast twin hand seals before arriving in front of Xi Huai and striking him, forcing his way into Xi Huai's sea of consciousness.

Xi Huai naturally resisted, but unfortunately the cultivation gap allowed the original Xi Huai to glimpse some things.

Xi Huai angrily summoned the Huai and attacked the original Xi Huai.

The original Xi Huai was silent for a long time before saying, "You and I are different."

Then he attacked Xi Huai with even more vigour, as if out of anger, hatred, or jealousy.

Why did he have to go through seven years of torment, while this foolish kid in front of him got to experience three years of paradise?

What he experienced was abuse, coercion, and humiliation. The old bastard even wanted to kill him at the end.

Yet this kid ended up getting a kiss as well as a promise. 

He was different from this kid. 

Two Hui dominated the entire sky above the He Huan Sect. Roaring fires blazed recklessly as ruined structures collapsed in the background.

The flames covered the sun as this formerly prosperous Sect burned. Ashes fell like snow as flames swept the lone pine and sparked dancing shadows. There was no one left to enjoy the garden full of peach blossoms.

Light momentarily pierced through the flames as the two fought, allowing Chi Muyao to see Xi Huai's current state. 

His healing technique continued to circulate around Xi Huai. 

Until the two separated and crashed to different places.

"Xi Huai!" Chi Muyao rushed over. Both turned to look at him at the same time. He didn't need to use his divine sense to perceive cultivation levels to tell them apart. Even though they were outwardly identical, Chi Muyao instantly recognised and pounced on the one he was familiar with.

Chi Muyao examined Xi Huai and asked worriedly while helping him heal, "Are you okay? You're not hurt badly, right? Why don't you leave my illusionary realm. I don't want anything to happen to you."

The original Xi Huai sat up and stared at the two of them, shocked. 

Before he could come to terms with this, he saw the Chi Muyao who could only beg him to spare his fellow disciples before suddenly whirl around to face him. "I told you, I didn't do those things! Go find the one who hurt you because I'm not him! Even if I'm in his body, I'm not him! Think of me as someone who possessed his body or another person entirely. In any case, I haven't done anything to be ashamed of!" 

The original Xi Huai didn't seem to understand again. 

Chi Muyao saw this expression before the last time hs internal demon struck, when he had shielded the original Xi Huai from an arrow with his body.

Utter incomprehension.

Extraordinarily confusion.

The original Xi Huai didn't attack them again. Instead, he raised a hand to invade Chi Muyao's sea of consciousness.

Xi Huai struggled to get up after seeing that gesture, shielding Chi Muyao in his arms. "Fuck off! Don't touch him!"

However, a few moments was more than enough for the original Xi Huai to see Chi Muyao's memories. 

"What in the world..." The original Xi Huai whispered like he was in a daze, "He's so weak, but you still love him so much." He said, staggering to his feet and looking down at the duo.

Xi Huai hugged Chi Muyao and glared at the original Xi Huai. It took a moment for those words to sink in. Astonished, he turned to Chi Muyao. 

Only Nascent Soul stage cultivators were able to smoothly enter a lower-ranked cultivator's spiritual residence within their consciousness. Golden Core stage cultivators couldn't do it.

So what did the original Xi Huai see?

"Why did I meet him..." The original Xi Huai murmured, "If I had met you..." 

He just glanced at Xi Huai after that and laughed lightly. Then his body was engulfed in flames and disappeared.

Chi Muyao looked on in shock. Then he heard Xi Huai ask urgently, "Where are you? I'll come find you."

He finally came back to his senses. "I'm on the bottom layer, as far down as you can go. There's a spiritual spring there."

"So I was barking up the wrong tree. A year and seven months searching for you for naught." And that wasn't counting the period when he went crazy and lost track of time. 

"It's been so long?" 

"En... Stay put and wait for me. I'll be right over." 

"All right." Chi Muyao frantically took out pen and ink from his Thousand Treasure Bell. "I'll draw a map, so make sure to remember—" 

However, the illusionary realm dissipated before he could even finish his sentence.

Xi Huai also disappeared.

 * * *

In the spiritual spring… 

Numerous Green Underworld Streamfires circled around Chi Muyao.

They were very worried after seeing Chi Muyao cry tears of blood during his encounter with the internal demon. They'd been keeping a close eye on him for several days. 

Luckily, they saw that Chi Muyao had succeeded. His spiritual energy circulated smoothly as a golden aura enveloped his body. 

He had successfully formed his golden core. 

With that, the tangible spiritual energy of the spiritual spring swirled around Chi Muyao. He eagerly absorbed and digested everything like a bottomless whirlpool. 

He would take advantage of this choice opportunity to continue improving his cultivation.