Time flew by swiftly, yet Bai Yang's torment showed no sign of ending. mIf anything, it only grew more intense. He curled up on the ground, foaming at the mouth, his limbs twitching uncontrollably.
Inside his sea of consciousness, his primordial soul was already showing signs of being devoured. Looking closely, it had even shrunk. His expression was one of terror, but no matter how hard he struggled, he could not break free.
"Let me go! You monsters!"
He shouted desperately within his sea of consciousness, bloodshot eyes filled with rage and despair. But the lingering souls eating away at him could not understand his words. They continued their ravenous assault.
Soon, Bai Yang could no longer even shout curses.
All his thoughts were drowned in pain, and his past memories replayed over and over in his mind. The happy times of his childhood, his master's care, the respect of his junior brothers, the recognition of the sect...
Then the master's rejection, the sect's disdain, the deaths of his junior brothers...
At last, all the memories reduced to a single face.
That face, which he had once loved and hated.
Because of her, he suffered this inhuman torment.
Because of her, he lost so much.
Endless hatred and murderous intent sprouted in his heart, growing like a towering tree. The overwhelming pain and despair swallowed his sanity completely.
His original Dao heart shattered utterly.
All that remained in Bai Yang's heart was endless regret and bitterness. The determination to move forward was gone. The heart demon had successfully taken over, destroying his Dao heart.
"Ah—"
A soul-shattering scream echoed as dark energy began to rise from Bai Yang's face. His aura roiled wildly, his spiritual energy boiling like boiling water, wildly expanding and dispersing.
This was the sign of losing control and falling. If Bai Yang could have regained consciousness now, perhaps there was still hope to stop it. But all he felt was the ripping pain of his soul being devoured. His mind could not stay lucid.
Until the spiritual energy completely dissipated and a wisp of demonic energy rose up, settling on his brow.
Suddenly, Bai Yang's eyes snapped wide open.
The demonic energy burst from the center of his brow, spreading madly throughout his body. Within seconds, his entire body was engulfed by this demonic aura.
This demonic energy was different from that of a demon cultivator.
Because Bai Yang's fall stemmed from the heart demon, he was becoming a demonic creatures, not a demon cultivator.
In other words, he was turning into a humanoid demonic creatures.
Demonic creatures gradually destroy a person's mind as time passes, eventually becoming mindless monsters like the lingering souls.
When that happens, all that remains is killing and devouring.
Such demonic creatures are despised by both humans, demons, and beast alike. No matter where they go, they find no place to belong.
In her past life, Song Wanníng succumbed to the demonic path due to her heart demon. Her sanity was slowly devoured, and she grew more and more insane, becoming a complete stepping stone.
Now, if Bai Yang wanted to recover, he would have to encounter a world-shaking opportunity. Only then could there be a chance to return to the righteous path.
Countless threads of demonic energy swirled in his eyes. Suddenly, Bai Yang's body trembled violently, and the lingering souls in his sea of consciousness were all expelled.
When the lingering souls detected the scent of human cultivators' energy, which had transformed into the foul stench of a demonic creatures, they became agitated and hostile, circling him nervously.
Then, as if realizing something, they flew off toward Ye Chuxue.
The pain in his soul finally faded. Bai Yang's gaze calmed once again. Yet when he noticed the changes in his aura, he froze in disbelief. He looked at the shifting aura around him, raised his hand, and tried to release spiritual energy. But it had already turned into demonic energy.
"How could this be...?"
Bai Yang nearly lost his balance. He took several steps back, collapsing onto a rock behind him, eyes wide with fear and confusion.
He was... possessed by demons?
How could this happen?
He had been fine just moments ago.
Unwilling to accept the truth, Bai Yang raised his hand and slapped himself fiercely several times.
"This must be a dream, it has to be a dream!"
He muttered while slapping himself, then suddenly burst into a roar, his eyes filled with black energy. Like a mad demon lord, his rage buried all reason.
When he regained his senses again, he found the trees around him shredded and broken.
The ground was covered in sword marks. Wild grass was crushed to powder, scattering everywhere.
"Did I... do this?"
Bai Yang slid off the rock in despair and closed his eyes. How he wished this was all a nightmare, and he could wake up as the sect's favored prodigy, his master's precious "bright pearl."
Not like this—neither man nor ghost.
"The heart demon has possessed me. My Dao heart is destroyed. It's Ye Chuxue... it's her fault!"
Blood surged in the corners of Bai Yang's eyes. His fury exploded again like a caged beast, sharp claws revealed.
"Ye Chuxue, I will kill you!"
He screamed to the sky, then charged wildly toward Ye Chu Xue's direction.
"Ah—"
At that moment, Ye Chuxue was screaming in pain, struggling to expel the lingering souls from her sea of consciousness.
Because of her crossing through realms, her primordial soul was much stronger than Bai Yang's. She had more strength to resist. But the pain of her soul being devoured was too overwhelming. Soon, she was rolling on the ground, screaming in agony.
When Bai Yang arrived, he saw Ye Chuxue's miserable form thrashing on the ground. Hearing her screams, a strange excitement flickered in Bai Yang's eyes, as if seeing prey. His face was filled with eager anticipation.
This bizarre feeling was uncontrollable. Without hesitation, Bai Yang rushed at Ye Chuxue and bit into her neck. As a demonic creatures, his primal instinct was to devour everything. Ye Chu Xue was now irresistible food, tempting him.
"Ah—"
Neck bitten, Ye Chuxue trembled violently, her screams echoing across the cliff.
All nearby birds and beasts fled in terror, the wilderness filled with rustling panic.
Even Song Wanníng heard the cries from above.
She narrowed her eyes, curiosity flashing through her gaze.
What was happening between Bai Yang and Ye Chuxue?
Were they allies moving forward hand in hand? Or enemies trying to kill each other?
After a brief hesitation, Song Wanníng leapt down the cliff.
The wind whipped fiercely, narrowing her eyes to slits. Mist and moisture stung her face.
In just moments, she reached the cliff bottom without alerting anyone.
She immediately sent out her divine sense, hiding in a concealed spot, searching for Bai Yang and Ye Chuxue.
A few hundred meters away, she finally found them.
Bai Yang was tightly holding Ye Chuxue, clutching her firmly. His head was pressed against her neck.
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If you're curious and want to dive deeper into Dao Heart or Tao in general, feel free to check out my glossary on Webnovel. Just head over to my profile and look for the book titled The Xianxia Handbook: A Guide to Cultivation and Beyond. You'll find it covered in Chapter 12: Tao (道, Dào) and Chapter 13: More about Path and Dao Heart.
I recommend adding it to your library—it'll save you the trouble of searching for it later, and you'll always have it on hand whenever you need a quick reference.