Chapter 919: Meeting Shen Yiren Again, Heart Demon Illusion

“Yuning, you’ve worked hard on this trip. Go get some rest.”

Shen Jianjia led Lu Changsheng and the others to a main hall of the Divine Maiden Palace and spoke to Qin Yuning.

“Yes, Master.” Qin Yuning knew her master had important matters to discuss with this Changsheng True Lord and bowed out.

“I sent Yuning to the Immortal City of Damengze to visit Lu True Lord mainly because of my little sister.”

Shen Jianjia sat on the main seat, a gown glittering like a river of stars draped over her graceful figure.

Her beauty felt otherworldly, untouched by dust or smoke.

Yet in those eyes rested an indescribable nobility and steady authority, like a queen reigning over the world.

“When I left, I promised that once I reached Nascent Soul I’d come to the Divine Maiden Palace to marry Yiren. Now that I’ve broken through, even without your summons I would have come.”

Lu Changsheng spoke calmly, avoiding mention of the White Dew Palace incident.

He had suffered greatly that day.

But Shen Jianjia, the Great Palace Master, had still held back and not gone to extremes.

She likely felt no small aversion toward him.

Only for the sake of her sister was she willing to set the matter aside and speak calmly.

In such a situation, Lu Changsheng naturally wouldn’t pursue Shen Baishuang’s wrongdoing.

He would put Shen Yiren first, turn blades into silk if possible, and become family.

Shen Jianjia fell silent for a few breaths, then said, “If Yiren agrees, I, as her elder sister, have no objection.”

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t marry her sister to a reincarnated cultivator like Lu Changsheng.

But the eldest sister is like a mother.

She knew Shen Yiren’s temperament very well.

She knew the White Dew Palace incident had affected Yiren deeply, leaving a knot in her heart and a barrier in her mind.

So for years she had refused to let Yiren attempt Nascent Soul, hoping her sister could see through it on her own.

Bringing in Lu Changsheng now was a last resort. The one who tied the knot should untie it.

She hoped Lu Changsheng could release Yiren’s heart knot and break her inner barrier.

“But I have a question.”

Shen Jianjia met Lu Changsheng’s gaze and spoke.

Though the White Dew Palace fiasco had been Shen Baishuang’s fault,

in her eyes, Lu Changsheng had still disguised himself, infiltrated her Divine Maiden Palace, and harbored improper motives.

“Please ask, Great Palace Master,” Lu Changsheng replied with a smile.

“Why did Lu True Lord come to my Divine Maiden Palace back then?”

Shen Jianjia’s eyes were clear as water. The plum blossom sigil between her brows gleamed as she judged his words for truth.

Lu had already expected this question. He said evenly, “First, to use your palace to track down my son Zhao Wuzhen. Second, to see if I could borrow your sect’s spiritual vein to break through to Nascent Soul.”

Shen Jianjia stared into his eyes without expression.

Back then, he had joined the Divine Maiden Palace with the same explanation.

He’d only changed “clan junior” to “my son.”

After a moment’s scrutiny, she saw no sign of a lie in his eyes or face.

But she didn’t rule out the possibility that he was deceiving her.

Though newly advanced to Nascent Soul, by her judgment he was a reincarnated great cultivator, far from simple.

He might even be an old monster who had lived longer than she had.

Knowing his words might lack weight, Lu continued, “You likely guessed I’m no ordinary cultivator but a reincarnated great cultivator.”

“Though I’ve awakened some past-life memories, they’re hazy. I lacked a sure chance to form a Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul, so I followed a faint pull to the Starry Sea.”

“As for Zhao Wuzhen, I did ask your sect to investigate back then. Your people should know that wasn’t fabricated.”

Lu looked calmly at the poised and peerless Shen Jianjia upon the main seat.

The Divine Maiden Palace truly lived up to its name.

All three sisters could be called divine maidens, especially Shen Jianjia before him.

If only he could take all three sisters…

Lu shook off the stray thought at once.

He chided himself. He was here to marry the younger sister, not to covet the whole garden.

Besides, the Great Palace Master was a top cultivator of the Starry Sea, a mid-stage Nascent Soul powerhouse once pursued by the Six Paths Demon Lord, the current Alchemist Alliance Magnate and foremost alchemist.

Even with his charm, winning her over to be the mother of his children would be a tall order.

With his entanglements with Shen Yiren and Shen Baishuang, getting close to the Great Palace Master would be several times harder than with others.

Shen Jianjia nodded slightly.

Though it had been Shen Yiren and Shen Baishuang who handled the investigation into Zhao Wuzhen,

she knew the general situation.

“Are the affairs of the Wu Gu Old Demon and True Lord Shi Hai related to Lu True Lord?”

She parted her red lips and asked.

The matters of Wu Demon Island and Shi Hai True Lord had caused quite a stir in the Starry Sea.

Both happened to be linked to Zhao Wuzhen, which made her suspect Lu’s involvement.

If Lu had killed them both, it would be astonishing.

“It was his uncle’s doing, not mine,” Lu said.

“Uncle?” Shen Jianjia’s eyes narrowed. What was Lu Changsheng’s background, really?

Not only was he a reincarnated master, he also had such a formidable maternal uncle.

After all, both the Wu Gu Old Demon and Shi Hai True Lord were Nascent Soul cultivators.

Two Nascent Souls being killed was a big deal anywhere.

Especially since the intel said the Wu Gu Old Demon had been crushed along with his island. Terrifying.

“Wuzhen’s Kunpeng Demonic Art was taught by that uncle.”

Lu didn’t elaborate, only said, “So rest easy, Palace Master. I have no designs on your Divine Maiden Palace. Joining back then was pure happenstance.”

Shen Jianjia kept her divine ability running, gauging the truth of his words.

Seeing no obvious falsehood, she relaxed slightly.

As long as he bore no ill intent toward her palace, everything else could be discussed.

As for the Kunpeng Demonic Art, the mysterious uncle, the Celestial Treasure, and the whereabouts of the Kunpeng egg, she didn’t care.

“If so, come with me to see my little sister.”

Shen Jianjia didn’t press further. “I invited you because she’s trapped by a mental barrier. See if you can untie the knot and break it for her.”

“If we delay, Yiren will miss the best time to break into Nascent Soul.”

Though a Core Formation cultivator only begins to decline after three hundred fifty, which affects forming a Nascent Soul,

it’s always better to break through earlier.

Drag it out and age, physical state, and mindset all start to matter.

Shen Yiren could have attempted Nascent Soul long ago.

She only held off to be more certain.

Further delay might dent her chances.

“Please rest assured. That’s exactly why I came,” Lu said, face solemn. He had already guessed her situation.

Otherwise, with the White Dew Palace incident, would the Great Palace Master ever have invited him in?

“A’Gui, Lingjing, take a rest here. I’ll come back when I’m done.”

Lu spoke to the Turtle Immortal Patriarch and Lu Lingjing.

It wasn’t convenient to bring the two demons to see Shen Yiren.

“You two can head to the guest rooms to rest.”

Shen Jianjia thought Lu Changsheng truly confident.

He was willing to leave his steward and spirit pet behind and come with her to Divine Maiden Peak.

But recalling the Celestial Treasure and the reports from the Jiang Kingdom, she understood. He was confident in his strength.

In truth, before crossing hands, most Nascent Souls felt confident in their own means when they believed there was a gap.

Lu Changsheng and Shen Jianjia arrived at Shen Yiren’s palace on Divine Maiden Peak.

He also wanted to ask about his son, Shen Yuanming,

but with Shen Jianjia’s wary stance, he decided to settle Yiren’s matter first.

“Sister.”

Hearing her elder sister arrive, Shen Yiren came out at once.

Seventeen years later, Lu saw Shen Yiren again.

She still wore that simple light green dress and remained breathtakingly beautiful, yet she seemed more worn.

Or rather, the tranquil grace like mist and rain on a painted scroll had faded, and a touch of coolness had surfaced.

Even so, perhaps because of her son Shen Yuanming, her hair was pinned up and her eyes and brows carried a gentle married warmth, like willows brushing water, quietly moving.

“Sister, and this is?”

Shen Yiren found his looks and bearing familiar, but she didn’t recognize him as the former Xuanmu Daoist.

“Great Palace Master, could you give me and Yiren some time alone?”

Lu sent Shen Jianjia a voice transmission, feeling her presence an awkward third wheel.

After a moment’s silence, Shen Jianjia spoke. “Little sister, this is Lu True Lord, our former guest elder, Xuanmu Daoist. He came today and wants to see you. Do you want to catch up?”

“Xuanmu Daoist!?”

Shen Yiren’s body trembled. In a flash she knew why he had felt familiar.

His features shared a few traces with her son Shen Yuanming.

And his refined, jade-like bearing resembled the Xuanmu Daoist of the past.

Shen Yiren looked at the handsome man in an azure robe, dazed.

She hadn’t expected the Xuanmu Daoist to come looking for her at the Divine Maiden Palace.

Her feelings toward him were complicated.

She had fondness, but only fondness, still far from love and becoming Dao partners.

Yet her second sister…

The events at White Dew Palace often surfaced in her mind and refused to fade.

Only with time had the waves settled.

Even so, the impact remained deep.

There was confusion, helplessness, pain, resentment, and guilt toward the Xuanmu Daoist.

In her eyes, the fault hadn’t been his, but her second sister Shen Baishuang’s.

The Xuanmu Daoist and she had both been victims, wholly innocent.

Seventeen years later, as her son grew, her feelings toward the Xuanmu Daoist fermented and became even more complex.

So complex even she couldn’t untangle them.

Sometimes she hoped he would reach Nascent Soul and, as he promised, come to find her.

Sometimes, remembering White Dew Palace, she wished he would never appear again.

“Yiren, you’ve suffered these years. You’ve grown thinner.”

Pity stirred in Lu. He stepped forward to take Shen Yiren’s hand to comfort her.

“Fellow Daoist Xuanmu, please mind yourself.”

Shen Yiren reflexively stepped back, avoiding his hand.

Though he was the former Xuanmu Daoist, his current face was unfamiliar to her.

And aside from that one intimate night under the influence of Tears of the Fairy at White Dew Palace, they’d always been courteous.

Reaching for her hand at first meeting was something she couldn’t accept.

With his late-stage Nascent Soul Spirit-Soul, Lu sensed the flutter of her emotions and her quickened heartbeat.

He understood it wasn’t rejection or lack of feeling, only her nature.

“Yiren, I was presumptuous. I’m sorry.”

He apologized at once. “I heard you still haven’t attempted Nascent Soul. I guessed that past incident may have left a knot. So I came to help you clear it.”

“Do you remember what I said when I left back then, the promise…”

His eyes were sincere and deep.

As he spoke, his handsome face blurred, shifting into the genteel, elegant features of the Xuanmu Daoist of old.

Shen Yiren pressed her lips together and stayed silent. Of course she remembered the words he left her with.

But her feelings about this were a tangled mess.

With this Xuanmu Daoist suddenly before her, her heart was in chaos.

“If you don’t want this, I won’t force you. But with a barrier in your heart you’ve yet to reach Nascent Soul. I can’t just stand by.”

Lu met Shen Yiren’s eyes and continued, his voice warm.

“Fellow Daoist Xuanmu, you owe Yiren nothing. You don’t need to do this…”

Shen Yiren bit her lip and shook her head. “As for a heart knot or barrier, I have no such problem. I haven’t attempted Nascent Soul because I wasn’t fully prepared.”

“Good. That’s good!” Lu let out a breath, pleased. “Then when do you plan to attempt it?”

“When I broke through to Nascent Soul I gained some opportunities. I might be able to help you in your attempt and push the quality of your Nascent Soul further.”

“…” Faced with Lu’s open enthusiasm, Shen Yiren didn’t know what to do.

How had the Xuanmu Daoist become so forward after all these years?

If not for the familiar aura and altered face, she might not have recognized him at all.

And were their feelings really that deep?

Dazed, she said softly, “I’m almost ready. In the coming days I’ll be closing up to fully attempt Nascent Soul…”

“With your talent, I believe you’ll succeed.”

Lu smiled. “But the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation, and especially the heart demon tribulation, is perilous. True Person Jing Qing fell to it. When I broke through, my demons even took your form. It was razor-close, so you mustn’t be careless.”

“Under that tribulation I grasped a secret art that can tug on another’s heart demons and even form a heart demon illusion. Do you want to try it first, get used to it, make some preparations?”

Beyond the God-Devouring Technique, Lu had also drawn a soul art years ago, the Six Desire Heart Demon Technique.

It cultivates through the seven emotions and six desires.

At higher levels it can suppress one’s own demons and stir another’s.

Though he hadn’t devoted time to training it,

his Spirit-Soul had grown to the eighth level of Nascent Soul, enough to tug at another’s demons and even create a weaker heart demon illusion.

Of course, his real goal was to help Shen Yiren open her heart.

In such an illusion, wholly under his control, he could also close the distance between them.

Watching Lu gaze at her little sister with such tenderness, Shen Jianjia couldn’t help frowning.

She wondered if inviting him to the Divine Maiden Palace to help had been a mistake.

This man didn’t look like a Nascent Soul True Lord at all, let alone a reincarnated master.

Still, the so-called heart demon illusion piqued her curiosity. She wanted to see its effect.

After all, not every illusion deserves to be called a heart demon illusion.

As a Nascent Soul True Lord and a top cultivator of the Starry Sea who practiced a top soul art, a single thought let her disturb another’s soul and trap them in an illusion.

But an illusion and a heart demon illusion were worlds apart.

As for stirring heart demons, she hadn’t trained such a divine ability, yet she knew it sat a tier above ordinary illusions.

“A heart demon illusion?”

Shen Yiren knew she carried a barrier in her heart.

But having one didn’t mean she couldn’t reach Nascent Soul or survive the heart demon tribulation.

It simply made the tribulation more dangerous.

Hearing this, she couldn’t help wanting to test herself in such an illusion and see if she could pass smoothly.

As for Lu harming her, she wasn’t worried.

On one hand, she instinctively trusted this “Xuanmu Daoist.”

On the other, her sister Shen Jianjia was standing right here.

“Then I’ll trouble you, Fellow Daoist Xuanmu.”

Shen Yiren nodded, ready to face the images conjured by her own demons.