Lin Zhao said in shock, "What are you going to do? Leading people into demonic cultivation incurs a lot of karma, you know that?"

I said dismissively, "I don't consider this guidance, it's more like catalysis. Just wait for me."

As soon as I stood up, Feng Ruoxing stood in front of me, "I'll go with you. To provide support."

I thought for a moment and said, "Feng Ruoxing and Ye Yang stay and watch the camp. If you encounter anything unexpected, don't take action. Just observe."

Lin Zhao and I bypassed the camp in front of the temple and quietly jumped onto the roof of the earthen temple. When we peeled back the tiles to look inside, we found that Xu An'an had already sneaked into the temple.

At that moment, Xu An'an sat on the open ground as if she were in a daze, surrounded by opened pieces of paper, mumbling something to herself.

Lin Zhao and I couldn't hear her voice.

I nudged Lin Zhao, "Protect me while I use my technique. I want to see if my judgment is correct."

There was a technique in the Ghost Eye Arts called "Ghost Eye Peering into the Heart Devil" (gui tong kui xin mo), which could see the heart devil of others. However, that kind of secret technique was extremely dangerous.

The heart devil was not the "demons and ghosts" commonly referred to in the art of cultivation, but the illusions produced by the distracting thoughts in people's hearts.

According to Buddhist teachings, greed, obsession, resentment, delusion, and hatred could all be called heart devils.

The only way to see a person's heart devil was to empathize with them, in other words, to connect one's mind with theirs.

Cultivators could do this kind of thing, but they would never do it. Once they empathized with the other person, the other person's heart devil would become their own, and years of cultivation could be ruined. Sorcerers couldn't do it, but sometimes they had to. Ghost Eye Peering into the Heart Devil was actually a sorcerer gambling with their life.

As the bloody light flowed in my eyes, I fell into an unconscious state.

My spirit connected with Xu An'an's, and I soon saw the figure standing beside her.

It was Xu An'an herself, her own heart devil.

I stood cautiously in the distance, watching the heart devil walk in front of Xu An'an, "Li Po was right, wasn't he?"

"You specifically came to open all the notes to verify whether Li Po's words were true or false. What was the result? You were greatly disappointed, weren't you? You doubt humanity, don't you?"

"In fact, what you are seeing now is the most real side of people."

"You say Li Po is a devil, but in reality, he just pointed out things that others didn't dare to say."

"You saw it yourself, what are people here for? The love and dedication they talk about is just to switch the person who is giving to the other side?"

Xu An'an trembled and said, "Doesn't love mean sacrifice?"

"Haha..." The heart devil laughed, "If you really thought that, I wouldn't be standing in front of you."

"You know very well why Xu Yulong brought you to Taiqu Mountain."

"He's not here to save you, but to use you one last time."

"It's not that you don't know his purpose, it's just that you don't want to believe it!"

"You have been provoking Feng Ruoxing, provoking Li Po, just to get them to drive Xu Yulong away, right? As long as you leave, Xu Yulong will become the good brother who loves and cares for you again. You can pretend that nothing happened and enjoy his care with peace of mind."

"Even if it's only for a year, you feel it's enough."

The heart devil suddenly said exaggeratedly, "I forgot. You only have one year left to live. After a year, you can leave the world satisfied."

"At that time, you will have no regrets."

"But, don't you think such deception is meaningless?"

Xu An'an shook her head desperately, "No, I don't believe you. I'm going to find Li Po. I want him to save people, to save everyone here."

The heart devil gently pressed on Xu An'an's shoulder, holding her in place, "It's useless."

"You know Li Po, Feng Ruoxing has a fiery temper, and can kill his opponents with a single disagreement."

"What you don't know is that they are actually more cunning than foxes. Your little tricks can't fool them."

"You were able to enter the earthen temple and see the notes here, wasn't that Li Po's arrangement?"

"He has already begun to suspect you. If you go to him, you will only become a pawn in his hand."

"You underestimated those heroes of the martial world. You are still too naive to act in front of them."

"The only one who can save you now is yourself."

Xu An'an said sharply, "Shut up, brother loves me, I know it!"

The heart devil smiled, "I didn't say he doesn't love you. But there are different kinds of love."

"A swordsman loves his sword, not because he has feelings for the sword. It's just that he finds the sword easy to use."

"Have you ever heard of a swordsman breaking his sword to save his life? But have you ever heard of a swordsman losing his life to protect his sword?"

The heart devil gently stroked Xu An'an's face, "Xu Yulong, why is he protecting you? You know better than anyone, right?"

"No... I don't know..." Xu An'an shook her head desperately, but the heart devil had no intention of letting her go, "Can't you remember? Then I'll help you remember? You are not Xu Yulong's sword, but his smoke screen. He loves you, protects you, all because you can help Xu Yulong conceal his ulterior motives."