Zhang Fan's face was filled with murderous intent.
Clutching a dagger, he crawled out of the house.
Inside, corpses lay strewn about in disarray.
Boring. Too fake.
Zhang Fan tossed aside the blood-stained dagger.
His lips curled into a crazed grin.
Skill: Eagle Eye!
As he spoke, Zhang Fan's eyes gleamed with an eerie blue light!
The illusion before him became transparent, unable to hold any longer, and shattered completely!
His Eagle Eye skill was a system-granted ability.
From the very beginning, Zhang Fan had sensed the nature of this illusion.
The reason he had indulged in it was to personally savor the thrill of vengeance.
Cutting those scumbags into pieces and watching the terror in their eyes—it was utterly exhilarating!
He tugged at the chains.
With a clatter!
Xue Ruirui's figure burst through the mirror-like barrier and stumbled inside.
She stared blankly at the world before her, then numbly turned her gaze to Zhang Fan. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed.
The illusion she had experienced was a replay of the recent past—when Zhang Fan had imprisoned her.
Xue Ruirui had clung to the hope that it was all just a nightmare.
That once the illusion ended, she would return to how things were before.
That none of it was real.
But upon returning to reality, she realized the nightmare was still ongoing.
Zhang Fan yanked the chains, pulling her close. Gripping her chin, he smirked darkly. "Why the tears?"
Xue Ruirui clenched her teeth, glaring at him coldly. "Just kill me!"
"Kill you?"
Zhang Fan released her chin and said indifferently, "You were turned into a living cauldron for alchemy. Did you think your life before was any better?"
"A... a cauldron?"
Horror flashed in Xue Ruirui's eyes.
Suddenly, she understood why Xue Ming had brought her—despite her weak strength—to the Hongtian Secret Realm.
As the illusion collapsed, more and more people emerged from it.
"Bunch of rotten old bastards!"
Yan Zhi stormed out of the mirror barrier, her face twisted in fury.
The moment she stepped through, she froze. "This wasn’t here before. Why—"
"Patron Yan."
Ji Chen turned and bowed slightly to her.
Yan Zhi tensed, her guard up. "Why are you here? Where’s An Yi? Why hasn’t he come out?"
Ji Chen lifted his head, revealing a face as beautiful as it was terrifying—his eyes a sinister, blood-red hue!
Yan Zhi felt her scalp prickle.
What the hell is wrong with him?!
A black light flickered.
An Yi floated midair.
Drifting leisurely, he studied his surroundings with curiosity.
Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction, devoid of any light.
How bizarre!
His body felt weightless, drifting slowly until he came to a stop before a massive, crimson eye.
An Yi:
"What the hell is this?!"
Staring at the gigantic eyeball, An Yi raised his demonic sword and slashed at it with all his might.
A ghostly light flashed!
Clang!
The Dragon Fang Demonic Sword struck the eye—but didn’t even scratch its surface.
"What kind of nonsense is this?!"
An Yi gripped the sword tighter, readying another strike.
"Fellow cultivator, stay your hand!"
The voice made An Yi pause. It hadn’t come from outside—it echoed directly in his mind.
"I can communicate with your thoughts!"
The eerie voice spoke again.
An Yi was stunned.
"Communicate with my thoughts?"
So everything he thinks is exposed now?
"Indeed, I can directly access your mind," the voice confirmed.
Unsure how to respond mentally, An Yi simply shouted aloud, "Hey, pal, what’s the deal here? Is this big eyeball you?"
"It is, but this is not my true form. I am Hongtian."
The voice resonated once more.
Then, a faint light spread across the darkness.
In an instant, An Yi’s blood ran cold.
Before him stood a monstrous beast—its silhouette vaguely tiger-like, but infinitely more grotesque and menacing.
Tusks protruded from its maw, and bony spikes ran down its spine.
Its entire body was pitch-black, with a mane resembling black flames writhing around it.
The beast had only one eye—the same crimson orb An Yi now faced, radiating sheer terror.
An overwhelming aura of dark spiritual energy coiled around it.
Yet, the beast was bound by countless chains, pinning it to the ground, rendering it immobile.
An Yi broke into a cold sweat, his hair standing on end.
What kind of joke is this? He’d just stumbled upon the secret realm’s final boss!
Was he supposed to solo this thing?!
Sensing his fear, the Hongtian Beast reassured him, "Do not worry. I have witnessed your illusion. You are powerful—far beyond this world, it seems."
Flattered, An Yi waved it off. "Nah, I’m pretty average. Back in my prime, I could’ve taken two of you at once!"
Hongtian Beast: "..."
"I have been trapped here for five thousand years."
The beast’s crimson eye flickered with sorrow.
For five millennia, it had been immobilized—only this single eye retaining any movement.
An Yi immediately grasped its intention and cut in, "You’re not gonna ask me to free you, are you? No way. Not happening."
He didn’t know what this creature truly was, but one thing was clear: unleashing it would mean doomsday for the human world.
Now, he finally understood the purpose of the Hongtian Secret Realm—it was a prison.
Built solely to contain this monstrosity.
Damn.
A whole secret realm just to lock it up?
What kind of abomination was this?
"I wish to propose a deal."
The Hongtian Beast’s voice echoed again.
An Yi scoffed. "Then you’ve picked the wrong guy."
"I can awaken the Undying Warrior’s physique within your bloodline."
"Deal!"
He couldn’t help but be excited.
The Undying Warrior’s physique was too tempting to refuse.
The Hongtian Beast mused, "The Primordial Chaos Divine Body... I never thought I’d encounter it again in my lifetime."
An Yi’s expression darkened. "There are others with the Chaos Divine Body?"
"Rare. In ten thousand years, you are only the second."
Ten thousand years...
An Yi suddenly realized he might have underestimated this thing.
This creature was a ten-thousand-year-old monster!
In his original world, even a ninth-tier demonic beast wouldn’t stand a chance against it.
"The true secret of the Chaos Divine Body lies in its indestructible nature. Had you not met me, you might have died of old age without ever awakening it."
An Yi raised an eyebrow. "Then why pick me? I know I’m handsome, but let’s be real—that’s not why."
The Hongtian Beast remained silent.
Then, An Yi sensed something.
Inside his storage space, the massive broken sword began emitting a faint glow.
His face paled in realization.
The Hongtian Beast murmured, "That sword in your dimensional space... it is the very weapon that sealed me away."
For five thousand years, it had been imprisoned.
Four thousand of those years, it slumbered.
Then, as the sword decayed under time’s erosion, the seal weakened.
The chains loosened.
And so, one crimson eye awoke.