Breaking the Heart-Testing Mirror

Looking at everything within the Heart-Testing Mirror, Bai Shengyun did not expect to return here once again.

I wonder what needs to be verified this time? Is it about himself, or someone else?

……

This time, when Bai Shengyun witnessed the death of the Fox Queen, a slight ripple stirred within his heart. However, due to his previous practice of the Heartless Dao mental cultivation method, the technique began to react, causing his power to be suppressed.

Always adept at controlling his emotions, he quickly calmed down to analyze the situation.

Both Xie Yingying and Xu Xiaoshan had fainted. Xu Xiaoshan’s strength was on par with his, and he was, after all, the Sect Master of the Immortal Sect. With only a handful of people present in the Peach Blossom Wonderland at this moment, who could possibly have rendered him unconscious?

Suddenly, a thought struck him... The Heart-Testing Mirror!

Upon entering the Heart-Testing Mirror, one naturally falls into a state of unconsciousness.

Since he himself had inexplicably entered the mirror right upon arrival, could Xie Yingying be inside it as well?

Once this first hypothesis formed in Bai Shengyun's mind, countless others followed.

He did not know what the Heart-Testing Mirror truly was; presumably, it was merely a spatial domain.

It merely altered the surrounding scenery, and once it ended, he would return to his original location.

Yet, spaces are inherently mutable. It must have isolated the people inside the domain, dividing them into several smaller spaces.

In reality, however, everyone inside was still within the same grand space!

Although these were merely guesses on Bai Shengyun's part, his intuition told him he was not mistaken.

Earlier, he had sensed that Xie Yingying's aura was amiss, and he needed to find her immediately.

Now that he had also entered the Heart-Testing Mirror, if his deduction was correct, he had to find Xie Yingying at all costs!

Every space has exits and ways to break through, but no matter how clever Bai Shengyun was, walking around only brought him back to his starting point.

At that moment, his heart stirred slightly.

That was... the Purple-Gold Bell trying to resonate with him!

Ah, right, how could he have forgotten the Purple-Gold Bell?

After all, he was one of the bell's dual masters. Even though he had already given it to Xie Yingying, he could still sense its presence.

The Purple-Gold Bell was no ordinary artifact. Perhaps he could join forces with it to shatter the Heart-Testing Mirror.

He attempted to connect with the bell and promptly received a response.

As expected, the Purple-Gold Bell did not disappoint him.

He trusted that it would not let him down in the trials to follow either.

Ultimately, risking their lives, Bai Shengyun and the Purple-Gold Bell leveraged their resonance to shatter the Heart-Testing Mirror!

In the blink of an eye, the space before his eyes vanished, and, exactly as he anticipated, he caught sight of Xie Yingying.

Having broken the mirror through spiritual resonance and freed himself, Xie Yingying remained trapped inside. He was now watching her from an outsider's perspective.

At this moment, Xie Yingying’s delicate face was full of anger, her fingers clutching the hem of her robe. The cause of her fury was none other than witnessing him locked in intimacy with Ning Qingqing!

Not only was Xie Yingying furious, but Bai Shengyun himself was equally enraged. Apart from Xie Yingying, he had never touched another woman; in other words, Xie Yingying was his one and only woman!

He held absolute contempt for someone of Ning Qingqing's caliber; how could he possibly ever be intimate with her?

It seemed that what one witnessed within the Heart-Testing Mirror was not necessarily the truth!

Sensing her hatred, her inner demon began to seduce her: "Xie Yingying, do you resent Ning Qingqing that much? Bai Shengyun is your man, yet despite marrying you, he still philanders with other women. Where does that leave you? Does he even care about your existence in his eyes?"

Listening to these words, Xie Yingying grew increasingly distressed, covering her ears as she cried out, "Stop talking! This is merely a misunderstanding, don't you dare try to delude me here!"

For reasons unknown, she inexplicably trusted Bai Shengyun, believing he could never be that kind of person.

Perhaps it was not true trust, but rather... self-deception?

The inner demon continued, "A misunderstanding? They have already shared a bed, and you call that a misunderstanding? Moreover, see it clearly—Ning Qingqing is the woman you loathe the most, and she even tried to poison and harm you before..."

"Tsk!"

Xie Yingying could no longer contain the anger and hatred raging in her heart, though she knew not where it originated.

At this, the inner demon resumed its laughter, every word dripping with calculated malice: "Have you noticed? Bai Shengyun used to treat you terribly, yet he was also good to you. He was simply stringing you along on purpose!"

As it spoke, the demon took the opportunity to further stoke the negative emotions burning in Xie Yingying's heart.

Hearing this, Xie Yingying could not help but think:

If Bai Shengyun favored Ning Qingqing, why did he come to provoke her in the first place? And why treat her so well?

If he loved Ning Qingqing, why didn't he marry her instead? What was the point of taking her as his wife?

Her mind was suddenly flooded with these tormenting questions, all pointing to the agonizing certainty that Bai Shengyun had betrayed her!

Her reaction evidently pleased the inner demon, which pressed on with its bewitchment. Already harboring a deep dislike for Ning Qingqing due to her repeated provocations, Xie Yingying's feelings now transformed into outright hatred!

Frowning, Bai Shengyun realized the situation had turned critical. Once again, he connected with the Purple-Gold Bell to rescue Xie Yingying.

In a fraction of a second, the scene before Xie Yingying vanished entirely, and the voice of the inner demon dissolved into nothingness.

"Bai Shengyun?" Regaining her clarity, Xie Yingying saw him standing there as if waking from a dream; he had just been...

Thinking back on what she had just experienced, Xie Yingying felt completely baffled.

How could she have fallen into such overwhelming hatred? Besides, there was simply no reason for it!

Bai Shengyun nodded, then proceeded to dispel her confusion: "You were just bewitched by an inner demon."

"An inner demon?" Xie Yingying furrowed her brows. "You mean those entities born from human resentment and hatred?"

"Yes," Bai Shengyun replied.

Following that, Bai Shengyun could not help but recall the scene from moments ago.

Seeing Xie Yingying in that state did not sit well with him; he hated the thought of her misunderstanding him and loathed seeing her suffer. Yet, her reaction seemed to be... jealousy?

The mere thought mysteriously filled Bai Shengyun with a sense of quiet joy.

Noticing a hint of a smile in the depths of his eyes, Xie Yingying felt utterly bewildered. Just as she was about to question him, her vision suddenly went black.

Seeing this, Bai Shengyun's expression shifted drastically. He scooped Xie Yingying into his arms and strode out of the secret chamber, laying her down only after finding a safe location. Having sensed that her aura was abnormal from the very beginning, now that they were safe, he immediately began to take her pulse.

After finishing the examination, Bai Shengyun's brows knitted tightly together. The spiritual energy within Xie Yingying's body was violently unstable, posing a severe threat to her safety. He had to use his arts to help her stabilize it.

This instability was likely triggered by what she had witnessed in the Heart-Testing Mirror. He never imagined the incident would have such a profound impact on her.

Did this not also prove that he held a place in her heart?

He fed her a medicinal pill, and before long, Xie Yingying fluttered her eyes open.

Seeing her awaken, Bai Shengyun thought to himself: She didn't die, not bad at all.

Finding him sitting cross-legged with spiritual energy still shimmering in his hands, Xie Yingying asked, "What are you doing?"

"Sit properly. Your spiritual energy is unstable, I will help you steady it," Bai Shengyun said. No sooner had he finished speaking than he channeled his arts to assist her, only to be violently rebounded the instant he made contact, nearly causing him to suffer secondary injuries.

Bai Shengyun frowned deeply; she was actually resisting his treatment!

"Ah, it hurts!" Xie Yingying suddenly shrieked, clutching her abdomen as fine beads of sweat broke out across her face.

The moment he saw her reaction, Bai Shengyun realized the Heavenly Fox Primal Source was acting up!

No wonder his earlier attempt had been repelled—it was all because of the Heavenly Fox Primal Source.

Xie Yingying was in such agony that even breathing became a struggle. Pulling her into his embrace, Bai Shengyun urged, "Xie Yingying, sit properly, I will treat you."

He was capable of controlling the Heavenly Fox Primal Source.

To his shock, however, Xie Yingying passed out from the pain the very next second. He had never expected it to be this severe this time; previously, she had always been able to endure it enough to speak with him, but now it had knocked her unconscious outright!

Daring not to delay any further, Bai Shengyun hurriedly cast his spells to treat her.