Douluo: Soul-Breaking spear

Chapter 276: Mastering the Seven Emotions and Six Desires

With the defeat of the Rakshasa's divine will, black mist began seeping from both Yang Potian and Qian Renxue, remnants of the Rakshasa's dying strike. Yang Potian noticed the strange black aura emanating from his body. Was this truly his own dark desire?

Meanwhile, Qian Renxue's aura was even more unstable, dark energy practically pouring out of her, spreading uncontrollably from deep within her spirit. Yang Potian quickly handed her the Angelic Holy Sword, hoping its purifying energy would help. But even the holy sword's powers were insufficient; the dark aura continued to leak from her, and Qian Renxue herself seemed on the verge of losing control, her expression shifting rapidly from fierce anger to hatred, then to unexpected affection.

Recognizing her precarious state, Yang Potian immediately suppressed her spirit energy, rendering her unconscious to prevent further escalation.

He looked at her now-silent form and shook his head. Despite her apparent maturity, she had lived a relatively sheltered life, never truly experiencing the trials of intense emotions. This could prove a major hindrance in her future godly trials.

Carrying her out of the oppressive atmosphere of Slaughter City, Yang Potian found a secluded grove and gently set her down. Then, he sat cross-legged to address the remnants of the Rakshasa's dark energy within himself.

As Yang Potian meditated, he focused on calming his mind, recognizing that the so-called "evil aura" was, at its core, a manifestation of the seven emotions and six desires: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hatred, and lust. The Rakshasa had merely amplified these feelings to dangerous extremes.

He recited verses from the Heart Sutra, confronting each emotion as it arose.

First came joy. Memories surfaced of triumphs—every breakthrough, each friend's progress, the relief of narrowly escaping calamity, moments shared with Ye Lingling, and even his time with Qian Renxue in the illusory world. The joy grew so intense that it threatened to spiral into obsession. But at the brink, the Heart Sutra's words formed a barrier around his heart: "Form is emptiness; emptiness is form," reminding him of the transient nature of these emotions.

Next came anger, vivid images of his family's slaughter, the oppression faced by his clan, and the unjust obstacles thrown at them by powerful factions. His anger flared, twisting into rage.

One by one, Yang Potian endured each of the seven emotions and six desires, each trial bringing him to the edge of losing control. But by the end, he spat out a mouthful of blood, purging the dark energy from within. A profound calm settled over him, body and soul, a sense of unity with the world as his spirit power harmonized perfectly with his inner being.

The Rakshasa's dark aura vanished completely, leaving him in an enlightened state. Yang Potian looked at his hands, a smile forming on his lips. "The Rakshasa thought they'd harm me, but this was a gift—a passage through the seven emotions and six desires."

This catharsis brought him closer to a divine understanding, as he began to sense a path from mortality to godhood. It was as if his soul had undergone the preliminary metamorphosis toward becoming a divine spirit.

In that moment, a voice echoed in his mind: "Third Trial of the Shura Nine Trials completed. Reward: 10% Shura Affinity. Current total affinity: 40%."

His next trial appeared before him: Defeat and slay a fierce beast within one year.

Seeing the new objective, Yang Potian was puzzled. Given his previous accomplishments—slaying the 200,000-year-old Golden Scorpion Queen, the 300,000-year Fire Dragon, and the 400,000-year Bloodwing Bat King—it seemed almost redundant. Why would Shura assign such a trial?

Moreover, every known fierce beast now resided in the Star Dou Forest's core. Aside from the three northern kings and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, no other solitary beasts remained. Was the Shura God really expecting him to enter the Star Dou Forest and challenge Di Tian's fierce beast cadre?

Yet, Yang Potian couldn't ignore the possibility that Shura was aware of every fierce beast on Douluo. What was Shura's stance on spirit beasts? It would be wise to discern Shura's motives before moving forward with this mission, to avoid unforeseen issues during his eventual inheritance.

Yang Potian glanced at the still-unconscious Qian Renxue and sighed. Raised in the privileged Wuhun Hall, she had spent her youth sheltered or hidden, first as a revered Wuhun Hall disciple, then disguised as the Tiandou Crown Prince. Though she seemed experienced, her skills in combat and life-or-death situations were sorely lacking. Her spirit power was impressive, but her battle instincts were underdeveloped, and her interpersonal skills, even weaker.

Just as he reached to wake her, Qian Renxue stirred, rising suddenly and glaring at him before landing a slap in his direction.

Yang Potian dodged the blow, frowning. "What's gotten into you?"

Qian Renxue's face was filled with resentment. "Liar! You deceived me!"

"What exactly are you accusing me of lying about?"

"Don't play dumb!" she snapped. "In the Rakshasa Realm, you acted like you were resisting the Rakshasa's influence, but you were stuck in the illusion with me the entire time. And you pretended nothing happened!"

Yang Potian quickly denied it. "Miss Qian Renxue, you're mistaken. I had no interaction with you in the Rakshasa Realm. You can ask Bibi Dong if you don't believe me."

She scoffed. "You kept calling me by my full name or 'Miss Qian Renxue,' but the moment things got serious, you called me 'Renxue.' Just now, you let that slip again! And your familiarity with handling the Angelic Holy Sword, the way we moved in sync—it would take years of familiarity to achieve that kind of harmony. Admit it; we lived decades together in that illusion."

Yang Potian faltered, visibly flustered. "W-what are you talking about? We never— Look, even if we did share some connection, it was all an illusion, a trick of the Rakshasa's. None of it was real."

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1