Even hybrid monsters have their day

Geng Miaowan continued, "Although they are not human, they have always taken it upon themselves to subdue demons and monsters, and have traveled great distances and endured hardships for this purpose. Are they inferior to humans? Are they not virtuous?"

"All things in the world originate from the same source. Heaven gives birth to all things, all things give rise to two poles, and the two poles give rise to the four elements. There is yin and yang, there is day and night, there is cold and warmth, there is good and evil, there are good people and there are bad people, and vice versa. There are evil demons and there are good demons. Humans are taught morality and etiquette from childhood and are regulated by laws throughout their lives, yet some people still cannot control their desires and commit crimes. How much more so demons?"

She glanced at Peng Yuxian, and seeing that he seemed to be listening very attentively, she continued, "Demons have existed since their birth, naturally existing. Humans fear them and drive them away on sight. The bloodthirsty killings you see are likely just self-preservation for them, or even just a desire to fill their stomachs. They are mostly driven by their appetites, acting on impulse. Sometimes, it's not that they don't want to live peacefully with humans; it's just that they don't yet know that following human survival rules can lead to a better life."

If you want demons to harbor good intentions, you must first have a heart that embraces all things. If you want demons to live peacefully with humans and share the world's resources, then while you are trying to influence the demons, you also need to let humans know that they are not the masters of this world. All things in the world are life, and all beings are equal.

Peng Yuxian was deeply shocked by her words. Although he had always wanted to reform demons and hope that they could coexist peacefully with humans, he had never considered demons as equals to humans. He didn't know how Geng Miaowan, such a seemingly immature girl, could come to such a view, but her heart was indeed much broader than his own.

He looked at Geng Miaowan, the afterglow of the setting sun shining on her face, as if gilding her with a golden halo. That halo seemed to melt away her features, making her appearance indistinct, yet inspiring a sense of awe from the bottom of his heart. She had kind eyes and gentle features, alluring but not seductive, delicate but not gaudy, possessing an extraordinary air of otherworldly grace.

At first glance, she looked like a fairy descended from the heavens. No, her temperament was even more elegant than that of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden in the Heavenly Court, and the halo around her seemed to envelop her like a Buddha's light.

At such a young age, she already possesses such awareness; this young woman's future is undoubtedly limitless.

If Geng Miaowan knew what Peng Yuxian was thinking, she'd probably laugh herself to death. All she was doing was adding and subtracting elements from Buddhist concepts of the common origin of all things and modern notions of equality for all, then piecing together her own ideas.

However, she was unaware of his thoughts, so when Peng Yuxian bowed to her solemnly and said, "Your words have enlightened me, like the sound of Buddhist chants, cleansing my soul," she could only respond with an expression of utter astonishment.

But what surprised her even more was Zhang Zijian standing next to her.

She turned to look at him after hearing Jin Mo's shout. She saw Zhang Zijian sitting cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed. His face seemed even more handsome than before, and she could hardly see him clearly. Although he was bound with demon-binding ropes, it did not diminish the aura he exuded, an aura that could shatter the heavens and the earth.

Above his head, clouds gradually gathered and tended to grow thicker.

“What…what’s wrong with him?” she asked Peng Yuxian.

A complex expression appeared on Peng Yuxian's face. "He had an epiphany."

"Sudden enlightenment?" Geng Miaowan said she didn't understand.

"Transcending tribulation." He changed to two more straightforward words.

Those two simple words struck Geng Miaowan like a bolt from the blue, sending chills down her spine. "Tribulation" meant he was about to level up, and they had gone to great lengths to capture him. What if he leveled up and then ran away?

Is this a pattern of upgrading and continuing to fight when you can't win...?

"Then what do we do?"

At this moment, Jiao Lingfeng and the others also came to their side. The group of people stood beside Zhang Zijian, not far away, but not too close either.

"What should we do now?" Geng Miaowan asked again, but everyone's attention was clearly drawn to Zhang Zijian, and no one answered her question. She thought for a moment and answered herself, "Why don't we take advantage of his tribulation and strike first, preventing him from completing it?"

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to her, their gazes filled with an emotion she couldn't understand. The scene seemed incredibly eerie.

"Heaven helps those who are destined to cross it. Zhang Zijian's ability to break through this restriction and transcend the tribulation signifies that this is his opportunity." Peng Yuxian was the first to recover. He looked at Geng Miaowan with a hint of confusion in his eyes. How could she come up with such a ruthless plan? Was the compassion he had seen in her earlier just an illusion...?

"If someone disturbs you during your tribulation, at best your meridians will be destroyed and you'll be like a cripple; at worst, your soul will be scattered and you'll never be reborn." Xiaobai answered her question at the right time. "So, anyone with a little conscience will not disturb someone when they are improving their cultivation. This is an unwritten rule in the cultivation world."

"It's that serious?" she regained consciousness.

"Of course, you must remember that when cultivators break through their cultivation level, they often either advance or regress. You should also pay attention to this when you break through in the future."

Geng Miaowan nodded. When she broke through her cultivation level last time, she wanted to find a quiet place to avoid being disturbed, but she never imagined that the consequences of being disturbed would be so serious. Moreover, it seemed that Xiaobai had also mentioned that she released demonic energy when she broke through her cultivation level, which was something she really needed to be careful about.

After their initial surprise, everyone returned to normal. Radish and Mouse even started making a bet on whether Zhang Zijian could withstand the heavenly lightning.

The heavenly lightning during the tribulation stage is no joke; it's drawn directly from the heavens, and being struck by it severely will leave you half-dead, if not dead. Therefore, cultivators usually try every means to find various magical treasures, immortal artifacts, elixirs, and spiritual medicines before undergoing their tribulation. If they can't find any, they'll choose to draw the lightning during their prime.

However, Zhang Zijian had already fought a fierce battle with them, and his physical and mental strength were almost completely depleted. If he were to confront the heavenly lightning in such a state, the consequences would undoubtedly be severe.

Each of them had their own thoughts, while the clouds above Zhang Zijian's head had turned dark gray, and a muffled sound emanated from within. The clouds grew darker and darker, and the sound grew louder and louder. In a short while, the sound condensed into several thunderclaps of varying heights, rumbling and rumbling within the clouds.

The expressions on everyone's faces grew increasingly tense, as if they themselves were undergoing a tribulation.