Wei Yunqing's rapid success in condensing her Nascent Soul was thanks to Yun Ze Zhēnjūn's timely aid.
Back then, when Yun Qing had gone to seek help from Yun Chen Fózǐ, it was Yun Ze who ultimately acted, expelling the sealed evil soul from her sea of consciousness.
When the evil soul was crushed beneath the radiance of Buddhist light, it let out a hysterical roar:
"Wei Yunqing! You are consumed by jealousy, narrow-minded, and your Dao heart is unstable. You are the most suited to walk the path of evil. I will wait for the day you fall into darkness! Hahahaha!"
Wei Yunqing's face twisted with rage as she shouted back, "Silence! You wretched soul will not shake my Dao heart! I only seek to surpass others, never to betray my Dao. That day you speak of will never come!"
Her words were firm, but deep down her heart trembled. She knew just how close she had come to striking a deal with the evil soul. At the last moment, the spirit of the crimson bracelet had jolted her awake, sparing her from disaster.
Now, with Yun Ze's help, the evil soul was completely purged. As Buddhist light bathed her sea of consciousness, Wei Yunqing exhaled in relief, a soothing clarity filling her heart.
Yun Ze Zhēnjūn, whose Buddhist heart was immovable, refrained from probing her sea of consciousness further. Once the evil soul was gone, he withdrew his divine Buddhist power without delay.
Neither of them noticed that a single thread of gray energy, thinner than a strand of hair, had slipped into the deepest recesses of Wei Yunqing's sea of consciousness, where it hid in silence.
Afterward, Wei Yunqing secluded herself within Yunmen Temple. There, she turned her accumulated insights into true cultivation, finally breaking through the barrier into the Nascent Soul stage, drawing down heavenly tribulation.
Though sudden, she was not panicked. She had long prepared formation plates, pills, and treasures, which she placed at her side before closing her eyes and running the Water and Wood Harmonization Art, frantically absorbing the surging spiritual energy.
The first nine bolts of lightning fell without pause. They shredded her robe into tatters and left her skin charred black. She quickly swallowed the pill held under her tongue, using its power to mend her wounded body.
The second wave of nine bolts was even harder to withstand. She threw out artifact after artifact, and in the end had to activate her array to barely survive.
As the clouds brewed the third wave, Wei Yunqing swallowed two more pills to heal her inner injuries. Clutching spirit stones, she absorbed energy with all her might, preparing to face the final nine bolts.
These last strikes were thicker and deadlier, as though intent on killing her outright. Even the monks of Yunmen Temple watching from afar sensed the difference, whispering in low tones.
Yun Chen Fózǐ frowned but remained silent. Yun Ze merely pressed his palms together and intoned,"Amitabha. It seems Wei Daoyou's Nascent Soul tribulation is no ordinary one."
The moment his words fell, three bolts crashed down at once, slamming into Wei Yunqing's crown. She collapsed sideways, unable even to keep the meditative posture of five hearts facing heaven.
Her breath was faint. She had not expected her tribulation to be so fierce. Every means she had was spent. If she wished to survive, she could only retreat into the crimson bracelet.
Yet if she did so under the eyes of so many, her hidden space would be exposed, her last card revealed. As she hesitated, the eighth bolt—thicker than a water bucket—descended before she could react.
Just as she steeled herself to retreat into the bracelet, it reacted first. A crimson light burst forth, wrapping her body, clashing head-on with the violet thunder. Both powers consumed each other until the lightning was reduced by seventy percent and the crimson glow faded away.
Through the haze of consciousness, Wei Yunqing heard a childlike voice whisper at her ear:
"Master, Chìhóng can help you no further."
The remnant lightning tore through her body. She coughed blood, and the crimson bracelet slipped from her wrist. She seized it weakly, but at that instant, the final black bolt struck silently, plunging her into complete darkness.
Yun Ze folded his hands once more, voice low: "Amitabha. It is the Heart Demon Tribulation. I do not know if Wei Daoyou can overcome it."
At that moment, Wei Yunqing was already ensnared within the illusions woven by her heart demons.
In the illusion, she was still the pride of the Wei family, the only child of her parents, blessed with exceptional talent and cherished beyond measure.
When the time for cultivation came, her clan paved the way for her. Leveraging favors, they sent her into Haoran Sect, where she was accepted as the youngest disciple of Yu Gen Zhēnjūn.
From youth she trained at the side of her Senior Brother Sheng Yuhong, who was both teacher and companion, like childhood sweethearts. She had dreamed of forming a Dao couple with him after reaching Golden Core. But just as everything seemed within reach, fate intervened.
On an expedition, Sheng Yuhong rescued a female cultivator. Coincidentally, she too bore the surname Wei, a distant branch of the family, one so low that they had no right to reside in Kunyu City.
The first time Wei Yunqing saw this woman, her chest ignited with nameless fury. Sheng Yuhong was speaking to her with tender warmth, even brushing back strands of her hair with a gentle hand.
From then, matters spiraled. No matter how Wei Yunqing schemed to drive her away, Sheng Yuhong only blamed her narrow-mindedness, growing closer to the newcomer instead. He shielded her in every way, even petitioning the sect master to accept her as a disciple under Yu Huo Zhēnjūn.
Each turn drove Wei Yunqing into deeper jealousy. This was not how things were meant to be. The harder she pushed, the further her Senior Brother drifted.
"Kill her, and Senior Brother's love will be mine."
The thought leapt into her mind like a poisonous seed. She shook with fright and tried to banish it.
But when she saw Sheng Yuhong embrace the other woman, the thought returned, stronger.
"Kill her, and Senior Brother will belong only to me."
"Kill her, and Senior Brother will love me alone."
"Kill her, and everything will be solved."
Blood-red light flickered in her eyes, and in the real world, wisps of gray mist began to seep from her body.
"Not good. She is about to be devoured by her heart demon!"
Yun Chen Fózǐ folded his hands, chanting: "Amitabha. Only she herself can shatter her heart demon. None of us can intervene."
Meanwhile, Yun Xi was unaware of Wei Yunqing's plight. Even if she knew, she would likely only laugh. Who told her not to temper her heart, leaving the heart demon an opening?
At the same time, the outermost red petal of the seven-colored lotus had seamlessly fused into Yun Xi's dantian, repairing the rift within. The tiny Yuányīng inside breathed a sigh of relief, returning to the center of her dantian.
As her dantian mended, Yunxi's lips curved unconsciously. She then guided the orange lotus petal inward, reinforcing her dantian's strength further.