See How I Break Your Inner Demon

Su Ji’s face was tense, as if facing a formidable enemy. The crystalline Dao Platform he had just forged in his dantian roared to life.

With his hands forming seals, a surge of spiritual power far beyond the first level of Qi Refining instantly condensed into several glowing chains before him. The chains were not physical—their surfaces shimmered with flowing runes.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, spiritual energy could easily leave the body.

Whether it was the 【Evasion of the Doomed Dragon Art】—

Su Jiu’s heart skipped a beat.

She hadn’t expected Su Ji to master such intricate control of spiritual energy so soon after his breakthrough.

But since she was playing the role of an inner demon, she couldn’t show weakness.

After all, an inner demon triumphs by psychological manipulation, not brute strength.

So instead of dodging, Su Jiu lifted her chin defiantly, allowing the chains to coil around her, rendering her immobile.

Su Ji stepped forward, gripping her delicate chin and forcing her to meet his gaze.

Su Jiu’s tone remained light, her eyes glinting with amusement, not a trace of fear in them.

“Oh? So what if Senior Brother has seen through me?”

“Do you really have the heart to hurt Su Jiu?”

As she spoke, her breath hitched. Her fluffy fox ears twitched involuntarily, straining to catch even the faintest reaction in the air as she awaited his answer.

Even if Su Ji truly intended to kill her, she had a hundred ways to break free from these crude spirit chains.

The only thing she needed to watch out for was his unpredictable swordsmanship.

The moment he reached for his sword, she would cast an illusion and flee without hesitation.

Su Ji seemed lost in thought.

The grip on her chin loosened slightly.

After a long silence, he let out a sigh so faint it was almost imperceptible.

“Of course I don’t.”

Hearing this, Su Jiu’s racing heart finally settled.

A strange sweetness bloomed in her chest.

Su Ji’s expression softened as he released her.

“Fine. Some words, if kept buried for too long, become unbearable.”

He took a step back, putting distance between them—but didn’t undo the chains binding her.

“Might as well say them to you, this inner demon.”

Su Jiu: ?

Before she could fully process his earlier confession, his sudden shift left her stunned.

Say what?

To me?

What am I, a confessional booth?

Ignoring her bewilderment, Su Ji stood facing her, still bound and standing.

His gaze drifted to the churning magma in the distance, his expression distant.

“You know… I’m not from here.”

“I come from a place very, very far away.”

His voice was soft.

“I thought I’d live an ordinary life there—marry, have children, grow old, and die.”

“When I first arrived at the Love-Longing Sect, I almost died.”

A self-deprecating smile tugged at his lips.

“Or rather, I almost became… less than whole.”

“Luckily, I met a silly little fox.”

Su Jiu’s body trembled imperceptibly.

“She was barely competent herself, yet she always pretended to be dependable.”

“She’d say she was annoyed, that she’d never see me again—but every time I was in danger, she was the first to appear.”

Su Ji paused, as if reminiscing.

“She ran around for me, hunted treasures for me, took fatal blows for me.”

“She’d blush at my teasing, get jealous if she thought I was close to another female cultivator.”

“She thought she hid it well, but all her little thoughts were written on her face—and her ears.”

At this, Su Jiu’s ears twitched again.

“Sometimes I wonder… What did I do to deserve her?”

There was a tenderness in his voice, one even he didn’t seem aware of.

“I’m a rotten person—selfish, deceitful, willing to do anything to survive.”

“At first, I used her. Schemed against her. Made her my shield.”

“And maybe… I was a little taken by her looks.”

“Looking back, I regret some of it.”

“No outsider has ever treated me so well.”

“The last person who begged me not to leave was my gym teacher—I was slacking off during a run.”

Su Jiu: …

This idiot… What is he even trying to say?

“Remember when I said I wouldn’t accept that sacrificial future?”

“I don’t have grand ambitions.”

“I just want to see the warm wind carry away the rainclouds.”

“To smell the faint perfume of a graceful maiden.”

“To wander through romance and beauty without asking the heavens.”

“To have someone stand with me at dusk.”

“I don’t know if this counts as love… but I want that someone to be Su Jiu.”

The words left Su Jiu speechless, her act as an inner demon forgotten. “Alright then…”

Su Ji raised a brow. “Alright my ass! Who asked you?”

“You’re just an inner demon.”

Su Jiu: …

Oh. Right. She was supposed to be an inner demon.

Quickly correcting herself, she resumed her teasing tone. “But Senior Brother~ You seem trapped here by me.”

“If you don’t vanquish this inner demon, how will you leave~?”

Su Ji wasn’t fooled. “There are many ways to conquer an inner demon.”

“For example…”

“Facing one’s deepest desires.”

“Walking my own path. Understanding my own will.”

With a sudden tug, the spirit chains tightened, yanking Su Jiu—still playing the demon—toward him.

Caught off guard, she was lifted into the air, limbs flailing.

Before she could react—

Su Ji held her suspended, her feet dangling.

“Senior Brother, you—!”

All pretense of playfulness vanished from Su Jiu’s eyes, replaced by sheer panic.

No!

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!

Wasn’t the inner demon the one in control, toying with emotions at will?

Why did she feel like the prey caught in a trap?

Su Ji gave her no time to think.

“Inner demon, didn’t you say you’d devour my soul and drain my spiritual energy?”

“Well, here’s your chance.”

One hand held the chains taut.

The other reached up, gently stroking Su Jiu’s quivering fox ears.

The soft, fluffy texture—

Su Jiu’s entire body stiffened.

“I… I…”

She wanted to say something to salvage the situation, but her mind was blank, words failing her.

“I really don’t have the heart to hurt you.”

“But I don’t mind touching you.”

Su Jiu deeply regretted agreeing to this charade.

But if she broke free now, after all that had happened—

How could she ever face him again?

She was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place…

Then, still bound by the chains, Su Ji dangled her over the searing magma.

Su Jiu was confused.

What was he doing?

Throwing her into the lava?

In the demon beast realm, there was a saying: “Fur is weak to fire.”

Even as a ‘White Fox’—

The bloodline of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox still carried traces of this vulnerability.

Instinctively, Su Jiu shrank back.

Yet with all four limbs suspended midair, she found it impossible to muster any strength...

Left with no choice, she coiled her tail tightly around Su Ji, clinging to him for the faintest sense of security before leaning backward.

Meanwhile, Su Ji’s eyes lit up.

An opening!

A perfect chance!

In an instant, Su Ji transformed into a blazing, radiant sun.

Opposite him hung a cold, luminous crescent moon, its glow ethereal and haunting.

"Watch as I shatter this demon of your heart!"

Su Ji’s voice reverberated through the underground magma chamber.

He gave Su Jiu no time to react—his grip on the chains tightened, and with a fierce yank, he pulled.

The sudden movement sent Su Jiu’s mind into complete disarray.

Her fox-like eyes widened in shock, brimming with disbelief.

The spiritual energy in her dantian sea churned violently, nearly scattering into chaos.

Su Jiu could feel it clearly—the barriers of her cultivation were being forcibly shaken by an external force.

At the same time, the seething magma below surged with even more terrifying heat.

Waves of scorching air lashed at her exposed skin, the burning pain sharp and relentless.

As a white fox, Su Jiu instinctively recoiled, her body shrinking back from the deadly inferno beneath her.