"What on earth is going on? We finally got out, and now we're trapped again."
Li Chengzhu sounded helpless as he asked, "Master, what kind of barrier is this?"
"It belongs to the category of illusory barriers created by inner demons. Appearance is determined by the heart. City Lord, be careful, as inner demons are also born from the heart," Mu Yunxuan explained, and Li Qiao probably understood his meaning. But who could truly stop themselves from thinking?
"Master, who can truly stop themselves from thinking? Even when we're asleep, we still dream, let alone when we're awake," Li Chengzhu replied.
Li Chengzhu was usually very serious, but today he cracked a few jokes. However, Mu Yunxuan was not in the mood to joke around.
"City Lord, at least now we know that this barrier is formed by the inner demons of the person who set it up, born from evil thoughts. So from now on, it's best for us to avoid harboring evil thoughts. Otherwise, we won't know when the inner demons will take control," Mu Yunxuan said, reminding Li Qiao.
In reality, inner demons are born from the heart, but they don't arise randomly from the minds of ordinary people or ordinary deities. Initially, they must have been expelled from the heart of a significant figure. Otherwise, how could they possess such great power? Just based on a figure, they could form a barrier. However, now they had to be extremely cautious. It was not impossible to find a breakthrough, but they hoped that Li Chengzhu, with his high authority, could control his desires and evil thoughts. The greedier one became, the stronger the barrier would be. They couldn't allow the inner demons to make the barrier even more powerful.
"Ah, it's truly a disaster! How can we control our minds and stop thinking?" Li Qiao shook his head. He had never encountered such a peculiar barrier before.
"Yunxuan, Li'er," suddenly came Su Zimo's urgent voice from behind.
Mu Yunxuan and Su Li turned around abruptly to see Su Zimo, her face covered in sweat, standing behind them.
"Yunxuan, Li'er, I've been waiting here for you for so long. Why didn't you come?"
"Yunxuan, Li'er, I'm here!" Four Su Zimos suddenly appeared before their eyes.
"Li'er, don't think about your mother, or else there will be more and more of them," Mu Yunxuan quickly grasped Su Li's small hand.
"Li'er, inner demons are born from the darkest part of the heart that creates the barrier. Once released, they unleash carnage. Even those closest to you will become the most wicked. So, Li'er, try to erase the thought of your mother from your heart," he explained. Su Li's delicate face was filled with a murderous intent.
Looking at the four mothers in front and behind her, Su Li closed her eyes suddenly. She had always been able to control her emotions, but this time, she couldn't completely erase the illusions of her mother from her heart. After all, it was her mother, and the inner demons were too powerful for her to completely erase.
Su Zimo, standing behind them, was completely shocked. How could there be three identical versions of herself?
"Yunxuan, Li'er, you've finally come back. I've been looking for you for so long," Su Zimo said, her voice trembling.
Su Li couldn't resist the interference of the inner demons. Li Qiao, the City Lord, had already lost himself, his gaze vacant as he muttered to himself.
Su Li suddenly turned around. "No, she is my mother."
Mu Yunxuan carefully observed and realized that only one of the four had a different look in her eyes. The other three had smiles in their eyes, but only this Su Mo revealed an urgent and fearful expression.
"Mo'er," Mu Yunxuan confirmed and turned around, ruthlessly killing the other three identical women.
"Ah!" Jun Lin sprayed a mouthful of blood while escaping.
"They broke through again!" Murong Zeyu angrily said, throwing off Jun Lin Tian in frustration.
"This is the consequence of your romantic entanglement, Jun Lin Tian. You'd better wake up. Su Zimo has nothing to do with you anymore. She... is... Mu... Yun... Xuan's... woman!" Murong Zeyu shouted angrily at Jun Lin Tian.
"Shut up! My affairs are none of your business. Take care of yourself," Jun Lin Tian maintained his previous tone.
Mu Yunxuan was indeed capable. He had also broken her other barrier. It seemed that her cultivation had advanced again.
Murong Zeyu sighed helplessly. "Fine! I won't interfere in your matters, but Su Zimo always catches people off guard. I've wasted so much effort on her, but now there's finally a chance to kill her, and yet you're being softhearted. Do you know what the death of Su Zimo represents? It can make Murong Shaofeng collapse and push Mu Yunxuan into an irrecoverable abyss. It benefits both you and me."
Murong Zeyu shouted furiously, infuriated that such a good opportunity had slipped away. He angrily kicked a tree by the roadside.
"Is that so? You only think that killing Su Zimo can solve more problems. Then why didn't you kill Murong Shaofeng? Because deep down, you know that killing him won't bring you what you desire. How are we going to overcome these obstacles? We rely on strength, not by using a woman," Jun Lin Tian fiercely punched the ground. His bones were filled with a bloodthirsty ruthlessness. He could easily attack anyone except her. It made him feel extremely frustrated.
"Yo yo!" Murong Zeyu sneered as he looked at the dejected Jun Lintian. "Your words now sound somewhat reasonable, but don't forget, if Su Zimo knows that you're the blood-sucking demon, how do you think she'll view you?"
Jun Lintian suddenly raised his head, a bit panicked, and looked into the distance. He appeared neither human nor ghostly at the moment. No, he shook his head vigorously, trying to dismiss Murong Zeyu's words. His current state could only be sustained for a while. Once he achieved his ultimate goal, he could present himself in a completely new light before her.
Observing the expression on Jun Lintian's face, a trace of satisfaction flashed in Murong Zeyu's eyes. It seemed that Su Zimo had become his Achilles' heel as well. Jun Lintian was truly greedy, wanting both what was in his bowl and what was in the pot. However, what was in the pot would never belong to him.
Suddenly, his gaze lifted and caught sight of a white snake in the night sky.
A flicker of fear flashed in Murong Zeyu's eyes.
"Quick, let's go! Su Qi and his spirit companion have found this place."
Jun Lintian raised his gaze, furrowing his brows as he watched the silver flames approaching them. His cultivation had been greatly depleted, and he couldn't escape far. He needed to catch his breath and regain his strength.
Jun Lintian set up a barrier around the two of them.
Su Qi searched with great concentration for Su Zimo and the others. He caught sight of two figures in the distance, but as he got closer, they vanished.
"Huoyin, did I imagine things? There were clearly people here just now!"
"Qi'er, you didn't imagine it. There were indeed two figures here, but they suddenly disappeared."
Huoyin's red eyes blinked as it scanned the surroundings, but found nothing.
"Forget about them for now. Mother should be nearby. Let's find her first."
"Okay!"
Meanwhile, Mu Yunxuan searched through all the rooms but couldn't find the people they were looking for. Su Zimo sat exhausted on a chair, unwilling to get up.
"They got away again!"
Li Qiao wore a regretful expression. If it weren't for the barrier technique, Mu Yunxuan's abilities would have surely killed them.
"Don't worry, he needs blood from the heart while cultivating. He will continue to capture people elsewhere. By the way, there's a hidden compartment behind the firewood shed where we were held captive. Go and check if the bodies of those killed are there."
Su Zimo pointed in the direction of the firewood shed, suddenly recalling that the nine people they had rescued were still inside.
"Be careful, Mo'er." Mu Yunxuan helped her up, and the four of them headed towards the firewood shed.
As they entered the shed, Su Zimo dispelled her barrier technique.
The nine people remained unharmed inside the shed.
"Master, thank you for saving our lives." The woman whom Su Zimo had rescued knelt directly in front of her.
The others also looked at Su Zimo with grateful expressions.
"You may rise! There's also a woman captured in Mingyue Tavern. I don't know which one of you she is."
Su Zimo glanced at them and asked.
"Master, it's Xiuqiao. Xiuqiao returned home late last night and was captured by those scoundrels."
"I see! Did you hear anything useful from them? We must ascertain their identities, or the other sisters will be in danger."
A cold gleam flashed in Su Zimo's eyes as she tightly clenched her hand hidden in her sleeve. This person's actions were truly abhorrent. Anyone who cultivated with such methods must practice an evil and sinister cultivation technique.
"Master, we didn't hear anything useful. The people living in the adjacent house are probably the ones who drink the blood from the heart."
"No problem!" Su Zimo turned around and looked at Li Qiao.
"What about you?" Su Zimo asked the others.
They all shook their heads, causing a hint of disappointment to flash in Su Zimo's eyes.
"Mo'er, they are cautious, but there will be another chance to uncover their identities. He will certainly strike again."
Mu Yunxuan looked at her with a trace of sympathy in his eyes.
"City Lord, have them taken back."
"Oh! Okay!" Li Qiao, who seemed lost in thought, finally regained his composure after a while. He looked at Su Zimo with a sense of awe. That was a close call. His mind had been deceived, but thankfully, Mu Yunxuan acted swiftly.
"Mother, are you here?" Su Qi's voice came from outside.
"It's Qi'er. How did he come here?"
Su Zimo turned and walked towards the entrance.
Sure enough, Su Qi appeared on the massive snake, with only his small head visible.
"Roar!" Suddenly, a roar of a demonic beast resounded from inside the house! Su Zimo's eyes darkened, and she quickly turned around and rushed back inside.