Chương 254: Heart demon!

The seven overlord continent's geniuses began to split up at the seventh floor. Their team consisted of many strong youth, all at or above rank nine spirit realm. But the seventh floor of the Dao tempering tower was a different story entirely. Not even Imperials could clear this floor easily. Others not at the Imperial realm or possessing power equal to that realm would find it hard to even stay there for long. It wasn't simply due to the pressure there.

Although one's Dao concept would be suppressed by almost two levels that wasn't the main challenge of the seventh floor. The seventh floor and beyond were the true Dao tempering tower. They tempered the heart in ways one wouldn't imagine. When Long Feng stepped into the seventh level, he expected to be attacked by another army of fierce beasts, but he was greeted by a completely silent dark space.

He looked around cautiously in this darkness that would continue for several minutes before he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. Long Feng's mind instantly went on full alert as he turned around, the Origin Spirit Sword already in his hand. But when he fully turned around, he froze with a shocked expression on his face.

"Brother Long Feng…" A calm voice echoed in this silence and Long Feng stared at one person he never imagined.

"B-brother Yan jian?" He muttered in disbelief. That's right. Standing a few steps across him was Yan jian, smiling at him.

"Brother Long Feng… would you attack me? After all, you've killed me once. You wouldn't be bothered to do it again right?" Yan jian asked with a smile. But that smile seemed completely out of place to Long Feng.

"No… no no no! This can't be real. This is an…"

"Illusion?" Yan jian interrupted with an eerie smile. Long Feng paused then nodded his head"That's right. This must be an illusion. The tower must be playing tricks on me." Long Feng shook his head and stepped back a few steps, his arms losing strength and almost letting go of his sword. Yan jian chuckles softly"Why? Because you watched me die? Because you killed me? Because you have my soul with you? While you lived your life without caring?" He asked gently.

His smile was extremely eerie and his tone was bone chilling. Long Feng knew this wasn't real, he knew it was an illusion, the seventh floor's test. And all he needed to do was probably to lift his sword and attack. But… he couldn't do it. His hands wouldn't even move.

"Are you shocked? Frightened?" Yan jian smiled bizarrely.

"I trusted you! But you let me die!" His voice suddenly sounded from everywhere, causing Long Feng's head to start spinning.

"No… I wanted to save you. I was going to die instead…"

"Really? Then why didn't you? Why am I the dead one?" This time, Yan jian's voice was right behind Long Feng. But Long Feng wasn't even calm enough to notice. His mind was in pieces as the guilt he buried began to resurface, trying to consume him.

"Y…you interfered! I was willing to die, nas you rushed in. I was helpless…"

"I rushed in because I believed you would save me! I trusted you! But you watched me die!"

"Shut up! Stop talking!" Long Feng's sword fell to the ground and he grabbed his head tightly with both his arms as he roared.

"Hehehehe… feeling guilty? Can your guilt ever bring me back? You let me die, and what do you do next? You continue living your life? You deserve to die Long Feng!"

"Stop talking! Get out!" Long Feng roared and fell to his knees, pulling at his hair. His eyes were blood shot and a mysterious energy that filled this seventh floor slowly seeped into his body. If one actually watched this scene, they would think he was insane. Because… he was speaking and roaring to himself, then he suddenly fell to his knees.

"Get out? Oh this is just getting started. I am your flaw. I am your nemesis. I am your Heart Demon!" Yan jian's voice suddenly echoed within Long Feng's head. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Long Feng closed his ears and roared with blood shot eyes, his head throbbing with pain.

"Get out!" He roared loudly and unleashed his full sword Dao to the limit he could under the pressure.

"Hehehehe! I am your heart's flaw, your demon. How can you expel me?" Long Feng's face was unbelievably pale. His unstable cultivation grew even worse and the demon energy showed signs of suppressing the light Dao and leaving Long Feng's control.

"Long Feng, you are a calamity! You bring chaos wherever you go! You'll cause nothing but pain and suffering to those close to you! The mortal heaven sect, they raised you. Your master lived there, yet what did you repay them with? Extermination! And you didn't even care to go there!"

"You recklessly went to the Jianhai clan and stirred up trouble. And you brought upon extinction to them!"

"The Wuma clan…"

"Your own family clan, you brought near annihilation upon them!"

"Hua Liuli nearly died for you! Li Yue'er risked her life for your sake! And I died beside you!"

"Can't you see, Long Feng? You are calamity incarnate. You don't deserve to live! You are chaos itself, causing bloodshed and pain to everyone related to you!"

"Arrghhhhhh! Shut the hell up!" Long Feng roared. The paleness of his face was startling and his eyes and nose were actually bleeding!

"Feeling guilty? Feeling pain? Regret? You know deep down that I am saying the truth. You don't deserve to live. Your parents abandoned you, because they knew what you truly are! Your birth brought calamity upon them as well! Long Feng, you don't deserve to live!" Yan jian's voice was completely distorted at this point and it didn't even sound like him. Raging demon energy surged out of Long Feng's body and covered his body. But this demon energy wasn't under his control.

It was actually trying to corrode his mind and turn his body into a soulless shell! This was far beyond the seventh floor of the Dao tempering tower already. This was a heart demon that was born in Long Feng's heart with Yan jian's death and slowly grew, waiting for the right moment to strike. Just the name 'heart demon' would cause all cultivators to be terrified beyond measure. A heart demon was a great flaw in the heart of a cultivator.

It could be a trauma, a failure, a regret, pain, loss, hatred, or anything that became an obsession or a devastation in the heart. Even an enemy that overwhelmed you could become a heart demon. Normally, heart demons wouldn't appear easily. And if they did form, they remained dormant, slowly drawing upon that very emotion that birthed them. In Long Feng's case, it was his guilt, his hatred and his rage that he buried in his heart. This heart demon had remained for a while now, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

That usually came during breakthroughs. A heart demon attack during an important breakthrough would almost certainly spell death, or In lesser cases, result in becoming a complete cripple. The seventh floor of the Dao tempering tower was supposed to stir up the hidden emotions in the heart and use it to temper your will and determination, making your Dao and your heart stronger. But it caused Long Feng's heart demon to awaken and begin to devour his consciousness.

Long Feng couldn't summon the will to resist as he was filled with endless guilt. Deep down, Yan jian's words resonated in his heart. He was a walking calamity… He caused everyone around him to suffer… He caused his parent to abandon him at birth… He didn't deserve to be alive… His demon energy rapidly grew beyond his control, increasing in power and slowly seeping into his soul world.

"Close your eyes and give up! Let me take control! I will make everything right, show the world what we truly are!" The distorted voice filled his head and caused Long Feng's eyes to begin to turn bleak. Long Feng's clarity slowly faded and he forgot who he was, what he was doing or anything at all. He had no memories at all, just a feeling that the voice in his head was right. He shouldn't, didn't deserve to be alive. He was a calamity. He should close his eyes and vanish.

As his consciousness slowly went dark, Long Feng suddenly seemed to see the back of an old man slowly raising an axe and cutting wood in his mind.

"Kid, Remember this… A Swordsman can be defeated, can lose his life, can lose his sword, his everything, but can never lose his heart! Someday, you will understand." Long Feng's mind shook and regained a bit of clarity as this sentence filled his head, replacing the distorted voice of his heart demon.

"The Unyielding will of a Swordsman, a will that wouldn't bend to anyone or anything, not even the heavens. That is what it means to be a swordsman" Old Man Solitude's voice leisurely echoed in his head, filling his mind with clarity and enlightenment.

"A Swordsman can never lose his heart… An Unyielding will that stands straight even before the heavens…"

"Long Feng! Do you wish to resist? Do you wish to see your loved ones drowning in pain and despair that you bring?" The distorted voice roared shrilly in his head, causing Long Feng's mind to begin to waver again. But this time, his soul began to struggle. His will began to blaze, forcing his mind to remain clear as he muttered in his head,"Who am I?"

"You are a calamity! Stop resisting Long Feng!" The distorted voice roared, sounding weaker than before.

"I… am a swordsman… and I will use my sword to protect those I care about. I… am Long Feng and today… I will form my Sword Heart!" His mind suddenly became clear as his willpower almost seemed to take form, burning around him like a flame that wouldn't be extinguished by anything. The demon energy was completely suppressed by his will and returned to his Dantian under his control as his expression became calm.

"I don't bring calamities. It was a situation I couldn't help back then. And I will seek revenge for everyone that died because of me. But… a mere guilt heart demon won't take over my will. I have my principles, I have my pride. Now, I have my Unyielding will. I… am a swordsman!" Long Feng's heart didn't have any obvious changes, but he suddenly felt as though he was much more relaxed, free than ever before. The world was suddenly larger than it seemed, but his heart was even larger than the world he could see!

He wouldn't let his emotions hold him down. He wouldn't follow any rules. He would do whatever his heart willed, follow his principles. This was his sword heart! Long Feng's eyes suddenly flickered open and he began to breath heavily, drenched in sweat. Remembering what just happened, how he almost lost himself and got consumed by his heart demon and demon Dao, he was filled with alarm.

"This is the seventh floor trial?! To reveal heart flaws?" Long Feng sat upright and began to regulate his breathing and energy with closed eyes. His cultivation had almost fully ran out of his control after the balance between the two extreme Daos was broken by the demon energy. If he didn't immediately suppress this, it could leave severe backlash for him in the future. A few minutes later, he opened his eyes again and let out a breath of chaotic air.

"How frightening! I actually have a heart demon! Breaking through to the deity or Dao realm would be a great challenge if I don't clear this heart demon!" Long Feng exclaimed in shock. The only way to clear a heart demon was to let go of that emotion causing it, or to defeat the obsession. In Long Feng's case, it was his vengeance. He had to take revenge and also bring Yan jian's soul back to life fully before he could be free from his heart demon.

But he didn't know how long that would take and if it was even possible.

"But I actually managed to form my Sword Heart at last! My sword concept haven't increased much, but my sword energy has almost double the strength and density it had before!" With his sword heart, he was infinitely close to rank nine sword concept level, just lacking a bit more understanding. His sword heart would also make achieving the sword intent level a bit easier for him.

"This is good too. Suppressing my emotions would only make the heart demon grow more terrifying. I can't let go of my obsession, but I can accept it. That is better than hiding it" Long Feng sighed in relief.

"Now I'm curious towards the eighth floor. I'll check it out and leave immediately. It's not like anyone outside can know it's me anyway" Long Feng truly couldn't suppress his curiosity, nor did he want to. He stood up and walked over to the beam of light that appeared a while ago, signifying the path to the next floor. He paused for a moment then stepped into the light. Outside, the crowd exploded into discussion.

"Another spot of light has appeared on the eighth floor!"

"Whoa! Who is that? It's probably one of the overlord continent's geniuses!"

"The seventh floor is so difficult! Half of the Overlord Continent's geniuses were forced out! I think only the imperial level geniuses are still in there!"

"Look at those seven spots of light at the ninth floor, I think they're the strongest among the seven overlord continents. They even be able to reach the tenth floor!"

"The Dao tempering tower trial should soon be over. Few people are still inside."

"Exactly. It's astounding! Out of over seven hundred geniuses, only four hundred of them made it! And only a hundred spots of light actually reached the seventh floor, but less than twenty of them made it to the eighth floor! Each of them must be a shocking genius!"

"It's a pity we won't know who they are unless it's the last few people. And those at the eighth floor definitely have the strength to make the top twenty!" The Yihua clan's Great Elder was staring at the tower with a blank expression. The Misty Mountain's Master had a similar facial expression beside him.

"Wh-what did you say?" The great elder asked in a shaky voice.

"I find this hard to believe. Hao'er and your Clan's kid both barely reached the fifth floor and quit. That Li Yue'er actually reached the seventh floor before she was eliminated! Or that is what she said. She did last much longer than Hao'er and the other kid. If the other two youths also pass, then we will have five geniuses that passed the elimination round!" The Misty Mountain's Master explained monotone voice.

"Not that. What did you say after that?" The great elder asked again. The Misty Mountain's Master paused for a moment to calm his racing heart before he replied"That kid, Long Feng… is still inside!"