Mu Lingxian's Spiritual World

More and more people climbed the Heavenly Ladder, pressing toward higher levels.

Many times more people had stepped onto the tenth level, and quite a few had even climbed to the twentieth, or even the thirtieth!

If this continued, the first person to reach the sixtieth level would soon appear!

And once there was a first, there would be a second, a third...

Su Bai nodded, as though he could already see the future: Heavenly Dao Sect disciples spread across the world, while his own strength grew ever greater as their numbers increased.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a figure suddenly surpassed everyone and ascended to the fortieth level of the Heavenly Ladder.

"Who is that? So formidable?"

"My heavens, the fortieth level!"

"Just twenty more levels, and they can join the Heavenly Dao Sect. Can they keep going?"

"A disciple from a Nascent Soul-level force—wherever they go, people will hold them in high regard!"

Everyone stared at the person on the fortieth level in shock, talking all at once, shouting excitedly, filled with envy and admiration.

Su Bai looked over as well, the corners of his lips curling upward.

The one who had reached the fortieth level was none other than Mu Lingxian, the girl Zhuge Feng and the others had rescued!

She wore a water-blue dress. Her pretty face was pale, yet her steps were firm; every step she took was steady and resolute.

Forty-first level, forty-second level, forty-third level...

The others had all forgotten to climb, merely raising their heads to watch Mu Lingxian's retreating figure.

It was not difficult for them to see that Mu Lingxian was extremely weak, her body seeming ready to collapse at any moment.

Yet even so, she did not stop. She continued upward without pause!

The Heavenly Dao Sect's Ascension Ladder truly did not test strength or talent!

Could they really be inferior even to a weakened young girl?

In an instant, everyone's confidence was stirred. They all charged toward higher levels.

Mu Lingxian had already reached the fiftieth level. Only the final ten levels remained before she met the condition to enter the sect.

Fifty-first level, fifty-second level, fifty-third level... fifty-ninth level!

At last, Mu Lingxian stepped onto the fifty-ninth level. She only needed to take one more step to become a Heavenly Dao Sect disciple!

Just as everyone anticipated her taking that final step, Mu Lingxian stopped. She raised her head toward the mountaintop and stood motionless.

"Why isn't she continuing?"

"Does she not want to become a Heavenly Dao Sect disciple?"

"Or is the sixtieth level far more difficult than the fifty-ninth?"

The crowd discussed it endlessly, unable to understand what Mu Lingxian intended to do.

Even Zhuge Feng, Xiao Lingxi, and the others were somewhat puzzled. Was Mu Lingxian going to join the Heavenly Dao Sect or not?

"Hm? This is... a spiritual world?"

At the mountaintop, surprise flashed through Su Bai's eyes as he fixed his gaze on Mu Lingxian.

Normally, without reaching the Foundation Establishment realm, one would not possess spiritual power powerful enough to construct a spiritual world.

But Mu Lingxian was no ordinary person.

The Heavenly Demon Body coupled with the Nine Nether Demonic Flame could not be judged by common sense.

"If not for my suppression, the demonic flame in her body would have erupted by now. What exactly has she experienced within her spiritual world?"

Seeing Mu Lingxian's delicate body trembling faintly, Su Bai pondered briefly before waving a hand. A spiritual incarnation immediately entered Mu Lingxian's spiritual world.

Scorching heat, blazing flames, burning!

That was Su Bai's first impression upon entering Mu Lingxian's spiritual world.

He looked up to see the entire house engulfed in raging demonic flames, red as fire.

"Wuu wuu wuu..."

Soft sobbing came from outside. Su Bai followed the sound and walked out.

Outside, he saw a young girl curled up in a corner by the wall, her head lowered as she cried.

That girl was none other than Mu Lingxian!

"Are you all right?" Su Bai approached and asked with concern.

Upon hearing his voice, Mu Lingxian became even more agitated. Her voice trembled as she said, "Don't... don't come near me. You'll... you'll die!"

She lifted her head, looking at Su Bai through tear-filled eyes, terrified that the demonic flames on her body would harm someone else.

"Don't worry. These flames cannot hurt me." Su Bai smiled faintly.

"N-No... you have to go... go quickly!" Mu Lingxian hurriedly stood up, trying to get away from Su Bai.

She had already killed her adoptive father and mother. She did not want to kill anyone else!

However, just as she tried to flee, Su Bai grabbed her arm with one hand.

Raging demonic flames surged from Mu Lingxian's body, seeking to devour the foolhardy person who had touched her. In an instant, they covered Su Bai's entire body.

At the sight, Mu Lingxian became even more frightened. She desperately backed away, almost breaking into tears.

But in the next moment, all the demonic flames on Su Bai's body vanished. He appeared before Mu Lingxian completely unharmed.

"See? I told you these demonic flames can't hurt me. Don't be afraid." Su Bai looked at Mu Lingxian with a smiling gaze.

"You..." Mu Lingxian stared blankly at Su Bai, seemingly unable to react.

The flames on her body were terrifying. Even the slightest touch would cause them to spread and burn; even jumping into water was useless. Unless they burned everything to ashes, they could never be extinguished.

Yet this person before her seemed... truly unharmed?

"If something is troubling you, you can tell me. Perhaps I can help." Su Bai crouched down and spoke gently.

"You... I... Everyone says I'm a demon. They say I'm a harbinger of disaster..."

Mu Lingxian murmured, seeming to recall some painful past. She squatted on the ground and hugged her head with both hands.

"The parents who took me in were both killed by me... When I woke up, the entire house had already been swallowed by flames..."

"I... I want to die too. I don't want to hurt anyone else."

"But the moment a blade touched my skin, it melted away. Even if I wanted to kill myself, I couldn't do it..."

"I'm so desperate. I'm truly so desperate. Why do I have flames like this on my body? Why...?"

As Mu Lingxian spoke, despair filled her voice, and a dense aura of sorrow emanated from her entire body.

It was despair toward fate itself!

Watching her own parents burn to death at her own hands—what kind of despair was that?

Su Bai reached out and stroked Mu Lingxian's head. "It's all right now. It's over."

His words were filled with gentleness, and as he spoke, the surrounding demonic flames rapidly dispersed until even the final wisp vanished completely.

Mu Lingxian was slightly stunned. This white-robed immortal not only did not fear the flames on her body, but could even take all her flames away?

"Do you want to freely control the flames within your body, so they will never hurt anyone again?" Su Bai asked.

"Really? Can I... can I truly do that?" Mu Lingxian asked softly.

"Believe in yourself. You can do it!" Su Bai said earnestly.

Mu Lingxian lowered her head and fell silent.

Su Bai did not disturb her. He simply stood quietly beside her and waited.

At that moment, another change occurred within Mu Lingxian's spiritual world.

The flames had completely disappeared, but the temperature grew lower and lower.

In the bitter cold of a frozen world, a small child was curled up outside a family's door.

The child looked to be around six years old. Judging by her features, she was Mu Lingxian as a child.

"Is this... a memory?"

Su Bai watched quietly and did not end the spiritual world ahead of time.