Chapter 10: The Birth of a Demon of the Heart

Thanks to a stroke of luck, a flash of insight suddenly appeared in Han Li’s mind. He approached the leather pouch once again, picked it up, and took out the talisman of peace that his mother had given him.

The moment the talisman of peace touched his palm, he felt a sense of tranquility that spread throughout his body. His anxiousness immediately subsided, and the gloom in his mind completely vanished.

All the strange phenomena in his body silently disappeared as well. Everything seemed to have returned to normal.

Han Li never knew that what had almost driven him to the brink of death was not ‘demonic transformation’ but ‘demonic invasion of the heart,’ a phenomenon that cultivators often experienced.

Fortunately, he had expelled this demon of the heart through an external object; otherwise, the demon would have invaded his primordial spirit, causing hallucinations and frenzied dancing, leading to his death.

It was only after he embarked on the path of cultivation that he came to understand all of this.

Han Li performed his breathing exercises to examine his body. There seemed to be no other abnormalities. What surprised him was that his internal energy had increased significantly.

Although he had not yet reached the 4th level and remained at the 3rd, he could tell that the day he would reach the 4th level was not far off.

He smiled at this unexpected joy but quickly calmed his excitement. He was worried that if his mind became restless again, he might fall back into the state of demonic transformation.

He was uncertain if he could escape such a predicament again.

He carefully placed the talisman of peace, which had saved him, back into the leather pouch.

“Right!”

Han Li unexpectedly found something he had long forgotten in the pouch. It was a small, mysterious bottle he had discovered a few years ago.

He had completely forgotten about this bottle, and if he hadn’t found it now, he might never have remembered it.

Compared to four years ago, Han Li’s knowledge and discernment had greatly improved.

Through the various books he had read in Master Wen’s study and his experiences, he had accumulated a lot of knowledge, and his mind had become even sharper through cultivation.

From the strange phenomena he had observed from the bottle, he deduced that it was a peculiar object with extraordinary abilities.

He picked up the bottle and slowly opened the cap to examine it. He wondered if he had missed something before. Unfortunately, after several inspections, he found no new clues.

The single drop of emerald liquid inside the bottle remained unchanged.

Compared to four years ago, there was no difference.

Han Li was certain that all the mysterious functions of the bottle were for this single drop.

Therefore, the green liquid drop must contain something he had not yet discovered. To uncover the secret of this liquid, he decided to feed it to an animal.

However, it was not a good time to catch animals as the sun was setting.

Moreover, he was very tired from the recent distressing experiences.

Considering all these factors, Han Li decided to rest well today.

He would take care of his body and mind, and it wouldn’t be too late to examine the bottle tomorrow.

He fell into a deep sleep, thinking that after tonight, some incredible news might be waiting for him.

* * *

The next morning, after washing up, Han Li went outside the Immortal Valley to have breakfast.

When Master Wen was still around, the workers would come to the Immortal Valley to cook, so there was no need to go out. Now that Master Wen was gone, the workers naturally stopped coming. Even such trivial matters were influenced by power, which was truly astonishing.

After breakfast, Han Li went to the kitchen and, after giving a few coins, returned to the Immortal Valley with two gray rabbits.

He tied the rabbits in a relatively spacious medicinal garden and left them to bask in the sun.

He waited until they were thirsty under the scorching sun, then found a large bowl and carefully dropped the green liquid from the bottle into it.

He then added clear water.

The pea-sized liquid easily dissolved in the water, turning the water in the bowl a light jade color.

Looking at the jade-colored water, he felt a chill deep in his heart.

Han Li immediately placed the bowl in front of the thirsty rabbits. The rabbits, parched from the hot sun, gathered around the bowl and drank the water greedily.

When the rabbits had drunk about half the water, Han Li took the bowl away. He stood to one side and patiently observed their reactions.

He was curious about any changes that might occur. Soon, the rabbits began to jump around restlessly, and their movements became increasingly violent.

Then, astonishing things started to happen to the rabbits. Small, egg-sized lumps began to appear on their skin, growing larger over time and gradually covering their entire bodies.

Eventually, these lumps merged, transforming the rabbits' bodies into large, balloon-like shapes. The rabbits' bodies slowly began to inflate, and the rate of inflation increased over time.

Their bodies seemed to be absorbing some kind of energy, growing larger and larger.

In the end, the two rabbits had swollen to the size of large watermelons, as if someone had blown air into them.

Han Li was shocked to see the rabbits' bodies transform in such a bizarre and unimaginable way.

This was not what he had expected. The unknown liquid could be some kind of poison designed to take a person's life, or it could be a miraculous elixir that greatly increased one's power.

Or it could be neither. He had not anticipated such a hair-raising and chilling phenomenon.

* * *

The rabbits continued to grow without stopping. Han Li, frightened, threw the bowl he was holding to one side of the medicinal garden as if it were a repulsive object.

He turned and ran to a place far from the rabbits. After running for a while, he heard two loud explosions.

Han Li involuntarily turned to look. The two rabbits had burst from the pressure of their swollen bodies.

Their bodies were torn apart, and blood splattered everywhere.

Where the rabbits had been tied, two large holes were dug, and the surrounding area was littered with rabbit remains, creating a gruesome scene that was difficult to bear.

Han Li let out a long breath and sat down on the ground, stunned.

If he had stayed there a little longer, he would have been seriously injured. Even if he hadn't been injured, being covered in animal blood and flesh would not have been a pleasant experience.

After regaining his composure, Han Li got up and approached the holes.

He had hoped to discover some miraculous elixir from the green liquid, but it turned out to be something terrifying. Looking at the broken bowl on the medicinal garden, Han Li was at a loss for words.

He did not want to touch anything. Although he had seen poisons before, having studied and learned about hundreds of toxic substances during his years under Master Wen, he had never encountered such a terrifying poison.

Han Li, through his cultivation, had developed a strong ability to withstand mental shocks, but even he needed time to calm down in such a situation.

It was almost noon, and he needed to deliver the medicine to Brother Lü.

He decided to deal with the aftermath after returning from delivering the medicine. Han Li pushed aside the troublesome tasks and set off.

* * *

Han Li arrived at the entrance of the Immortal Valley just as it was noon. A young man in a white silk robe, with a long sword on his back, was waiting for him.

It was clear that he had been there for a while, judging by his anxious expression.

"Junior Brother Han, you really keep your promises. You said you would come around noon, and here you are exactly at noon! I've been waiting for half an hour."

Lü Biwu said with a mix of teasing and complaint.

"I'm sorry. I was up late last night making the medicine and didn't get to sleep until the middle of the night. I overslept, and I had some urgent matters to attend to this morning, so I'm a bit late."

Han Li replied, mixing truth with a bit of a lie.

"Junior Brother Han, the medicine, did you make it well?"

Lü Shixiong asked anxiously. Han Li smiled and slowly took out a small package from his sleeve. He flicked his wrist and threw it to Lü Shixiong.

"Before taking the Chushou Pill, mix the powder in the package with boiled and cooled water and drink it. It should significantly reduce the pain."

"Thank you, Junior Brother Han. Thank you so much!"

Lü Shixiong was overjoyed. Any reduction in pain would be a great relief to him.

The pain from the Chushou Pill was unbearable, and despite trying many painkillers, none had worked.

But this medicine made by Han Li seemed promising. He had detailed knowledge of the Chushou Pill and had even taken it himself.

"You don't need to thank me yet. Wait until you've tried it and see if it works. Also, this is only enough for one year. I used all the available medicinal materials, so if you can gather more, I can make more for you."

Han Li said without hesitation.

"That's fine. A year's supply is more than enough. Whether this medicine works or not, I will deeply appreciate your efforts, Brother Han."

Lü Shixiong's expression returned to normal after getting what he wanted. He sincerely thanked Han Li.

Han Li smiled and said he had some business to attend to and needed to leave.

Lü Biwu, having received the medicine, was eager to test its effectiveness and return home. They bid each other farewell and parted ways.

* * *

Back in the Immortal Valley, Han Li went to the medicinal garden and cleaned up. He swept the rabbit remains, blood-soaked mud, and broken bowl into the holes and filled them in, making it look as if nothing had happened.

Satisfied, he brushed the dust off his hands and looked around.

His gaze fell on the spot where the bowl had broken. He remembered that after throwing the bowl, the liquid inside had spilled onto the medicinal plants. The plants must have absorbed the liquid.

He sighed deeply, hesitating. Had the plants absorbed the liquid and become poisonous? What if someone ate these poisonous plants and turned into a rabbit?

Should he pull out all the poisonous plants?

These questions circled in his mind. After examining the plants for a while, he decided that if the plants showed signs of toxicity in a few days, he would remove them then.

Having made his decision, Han Li thought about what else he needed to do and then entered the stone chamber to continue his cultivation.

# Chapter 11