Another Person Died... And Was Shot in the Head

At the entrance of the secret realm.

With Zhao Wendao at the center of the formation, dozens of elders channeled their spiritual energy frantically into the barriers surrounding the secret realm.

After all, this was a Heavenly Dao secret realm—breaking its barriers was no easy feat.

By now, half of the barriers had already been shattered.

Once the barriers were fully dismantled, they could enter the realm to rescue the surviving disciples!

The death hexagram divined by Chi Shengtian had everyone’s hearts clenched in fear.

Especially the masters of the four disciples, who poured their life’s energy into the effort without restraint.

The elite disciples who had accompanied the elders stood by anxiously, unable to assist directly due to the impurity of their spiritual energy—they could only guard the elders as they worked.

Just then, Chi Shengtian’s body suddenly stiffened. Li Moran, stationed at the outermost edge of the formation, instantly opened her eyes and looked over with anticipation.

The other elders quickly inquired.

"Elder Chi, what’s wrong?"

"Did you divine something else?"

"Could they have…?"

Judging by Chi Shengtian’s expression, they could already guess it wasn’t good news. Their brows furrowed in unison.

Li Moran and Zhong Yi exchanged glances, their faces turning cold simultaneously.

Chi Shengtian shook his head mournfully, revealing another "death" hexagram in his palm.

"Another one… has perished."

……

……

Inside the illusion.

"BANG!!"

A deafening gunshot rang out.

Blood sprayed from Xu Hao’s temple as he was the first to be eliminated.

"Damn it!!! How did Brother Lu see through me again?!"

Xu Hao’s corpse let out a resentful roar.

"Brother Xu, you’re just too inexperienced with illusions… too honest."

Lu Ze chuckled.

Xu Hao was, after all, an honest man—far too green when it came to deception.

He was practically transparent, making it easy for Lu Ze to take him down.

"So this is what illusions are really like…"

Xu Hao nodded thoughtfully, his rigid perception of illusions now shattered.

"Alright then, I’ll make sure to train in illusions more often from now on!"

"By the way, Brother Xu, do you ever run short on spirit stones?"

Lu Ze asked.

"Hah, my favorite pastimes are exploring secret realms and slaying demons… how could I ever lack spirit stones?"

Xu Hao declared proudly.

"Then let me recommend an illusion to you—you can start with my 'Three Kingdoms Kill,' a card-based game."

Lu Ze quickly suggested with a smile.

Xu Hao didn’t suspect a thing. "Sounds good!"

Nearby, Wang Tianjing and Chen Yiyun held their breaths, exchanging uneasy glances.

"It really is the Demon Lu…"

"No wonder he’s so good at lying…"

……

……

At the entrance of the secret realm.

"Stop… stop hitting us!!! Please, spare us!!!"

"We don’t know anything!!"

Two battered and bruised Nascent Soul demonic cultivators—one tall, one stout—pleaded desperately.

Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen stood coldly, their hands stained with blood.

Upon learning that two disciples had already perished inside the secret realm, their fury burned uncontrollably—they needed an outlet!

If not for the fact that these two demonic cultivators still held valuable intelligence, they would have slaughtered them without hesitation.

"It’s over!"

Suddenly, among the elders, Chi Shengtian let out a horrified gasp.

Tears welled in his aged eyes.

The divination concerning the fate of the disciples in the secret realm had yielded an ominous result—

Death by a shot to the head!

"You beasts, DIE!!"

Zhong Yi, known for his gentle demeanor, now had bloodshot eyes, his rage erupting like a volcano as his spiritual energy surged skyward.

Mu Yawen’s lips trembled, his muscles swelling dozens of times in size. Intricate golden runes spread across his fists and forearms, making him resemble a war god descended from the heavens.

Yet before either could strike—

The tall demonic cultivator’s head was already obliterated by Li Moran’s sword.

Her strike was so fast that even Zhong Yi could barely follow it.

So fast that the tall demonic cultivator’s body seemed unaware its head was gone.

Not a single drop of blood sprayed from the severed neck—only a mist of crimson where the skull had shattered.

Li Moran’s icy gaze shifted to the remaining demonic cultivator.

"N-no, don’t kill me… I have valuable intelligence! If you kill me, you’ll—"

The stout demonic cultivator shook his head frantically, terror etched on his face.

"If I punch you with my full strength, your head will feel like it’s exploding… but you won’t die. Do you believe me?"

Zhong Yi spoke slowly.

His golden Sage’s Spirit Root radiated blinding light.

With a darkened expression, Zhong Yi drove his fist toward the stout demonic cultivator’s head at terrifying speed, his strike carrying overwhelming force—

"BANG!"

A crossbow bolt pierced Chen Yiyun’s skull, sending her collapsing to the ground.

"AAAH!! I swear, in my next life, I’m never sitting between you two again!!!"

Chen Yiyun wanted to cry but had no tears left.

This was the worst gaming experience imaginable.

Her upper seat, Lu Ze, was a seasoned liar—utterly unpredictable.

Every time she questioned him, she ate a bolt.

Her lower seat, Wang Tianjing, was no saint either—out of the four times she bluffed, he caught her twice.

In the end, Chen Yiyun met her demise on her fourth trigger pull.

"I’m really looking forward to seeing which of these two master liars comes out on top!"

Xu Hao remarked with great interest.

By now, they had completely forgotten that they had entered this illusion to compete for the secret realm’s treasure.

"Brother Lu, I finally get to face you head-on."

Wang Tianjing rubbed his hands excitedly, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

Lu Ze responded with his usual calm smile. "I’m ready whenever."

At this point, Wang Tianjing had already pulled the trigger once—caught bluffing by Xu Hao’s intuition.

Lu Ze, however, hadn’t pulled the trigger even once.

His undefeated streak remained unbroken.

In a bluffing game like this, courage and luck played significant roles.

But when skill reached a certain level, a master facing a novice was a one-sided slaughter—barring the slim chance of dying on the first shot.

Lu Ze had no intention of gambling on that small probability, no matter how unlikely.

Against newcomers like Xu Hao and Chen Yiyun, Lu Ze still had moments of uncertainty.

But against a logical opponent like Wang Tianjing, Lu Ze felt only one thing—

Victory was assured.

The secret realm’s treasure and the mission rewards—he would claim them all.

[This round’s target card: Human.]