This time, the theme is likely to be an illusion.

Half a month had passed since the incident at the martial hall.

The deeds of the Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit—suppressing the sect master of the Limitless Sword Sect and shattering an illusion with a single thought—had become the talk of the land.

After lying low for a few days, the Illusion Alliance became active once more.

And this time, they made no effort to hide it.

The reason was simple—the landscape of the illusion realm had changed.

Following Jiang Lingfeng’s "bold declaration," the Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit had fully opened the spiritual energy permissions of the illusion realm.

In simpler terms, the network server was now accessible to everyone.

But this privilege wasn’t unconditional.

If the illusions crafted by cultivators failed to meet the standards of the Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit, the illusion crystals would shatter on the spot.

And in turn, the cultivators responsible for those illusions would face consequences.

Take Du Cheng, the creator of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, for example—not only did he fall gravely ill, but his cultivation also regressed by half a realm.

In other words, crafting illusions had become a high-stakes gamble.

Win, and one would gain the favor of the Heavenly Dao, their illusions revered by countless, and spirit stones flowing in endlessly.

Lose, and one’s cultivation would regress, with misfortunes piling up.

But what cultivator would willingly settle for mediocrity?

Every one of them was eager to prove their worth in the illusion realm.

Rumors even spread that within the Lingxiao Sect and the Heavenly Profound Sect, some had begun secretly studying illusions…

After all, no one wanted to miss such a monumental opportunity.

A lucrative field like the Dao of Illusions couldn’t possibly be monopolized by Lu Ze alone—others would never allow it.

For a time, undercurrents surged across the Heavenly Profound Continent.

……

……

Within the main server space of the illusion realm.

"Look at you, acting all high and mighty for that old fool—it’s not worth it, really."

Lu Ze chuckled as he tried to console the Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit.

"The Heavenly Dao shall not be disgraced… And I am not human."

The Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit snorted coldly in response.

That day, it had nearly descended upon Jiang Lingfeng in person, only to be stopped by Lu Ze at the last moment.

Lu Ze hadn’t intervened out of pity.

He knew the Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit’s circumstances all too well.

First, every act of aggression drained its Dao power—a resource that was excruciatingly slow to replenish.

Long ago, in a fit of rage, the Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit had slain Ding Mingcang from thousands of miles away, causing a portion of the runic rings around its spirit form to crumble.

Only after recuperating within the illusion realm all this time had it barely managed to restore itself.

Second, the Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit was, after all, a fragment of the Heavenly Dao’s will.

Indulging in slaughter would entangle it further in karma, even risking backlash from the Heavenly Dao itself.

If it lost the power of the Heavenly Dao’s will, not only would Lu Ze’s illusion server vanish, but the Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit itself might be erased from existence.

Thus, Lu Ze had no choice but to intervene.

Even so, Jiang Lingfeng had only narrowly escaped death.

His cultivation had plummeted from the Void Refinement stage all the way to Foundation Establishment, and his spiritual roots had been crippled…

For all intents and purposes, he was no different from a dead man.

"Honestly, after living for thousands of years, you’re still this impulsive…"

Lu Ze sighed.

"Now that the illusion permissions are open, my illusion realm might not have as many people for you to toy with…"

"Then that just proves you’re no different from the ants… Serves you right."

The Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit shot Lu Ze a disdainful look.

Its single decree had flooded Lu Ze with countless competitors—a headache-inducing development.

Though Lu Ze doubted these old-fashioned cultivators could steal too many players from him, it was still a loss.

He missed the days when the Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit was his private server…

But deep down, Lu Ze knew this day was inevitable.

As those cultivators had said, the Heavenly Dao could never belong to a single person.

If the Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit defied the natural order, it would surely face divine retribution.

So, as more and more cultivators joined the illusion realm, opening the spiritual energy permissions was only a matter of time.

"Still, this isn’t entirely bad news for you…"

The Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit explained the reasoning.

The efficiency of spiritual energy supply in illusions was tied to their quality.

The more exceptional an illusion, the purer the Heavenly Dao spiritual energy it received.

For subpar illusions, the creators would lose cultivation and spiritual energy—resources the Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit disdained, so they would instead bolster the Heavenly Dao spiritual energy granted to other illusions.

In short, most illusions crafted by ordinary cultivators would fail to meet the standard.

Even if they barely qualified, the spiritual nourishment cultivators gained within them would be mediocre at best.

But as long as Lu Ze maintained his usual standards, his illusions would receive Heavenly Dao spiritual energy even purer than before!

And purer Heavenly Dao spiritual energy meant cultivators would invest more time in his illusions.

Lu Ze would harvest even more demonic path value!

"Those ants… are no match for you."

With those final words, the Heavenly Dao Remnant Spirit vanished from the illusion realm.

Reassured, Lu Ze withdrew from the illusion as well.

Just then, his master, Nangong Yuan, arrived at the Spirit Jade Pavilion.

"Cheap master, looking for me?"

Lu Ze grinned cheekily.

"So you still remember I’m your master…"

Nangong Yuan glared at him, his beard bristling with irritation.

In the past, what reputation did Nangong Yuan hold?

A master artificer, a paragon of virtue, a mentor whose disciples spanned the world…

And now?

Lu the Demon Sovereign’s personal master.

"Of course I know—all thanks to your teachings, Master!"

The master and disciple had long grown accustomed to such banter. After exchanging a few lighthearted jests, Nangong Yuan got down to business.

"Here’s the matter."

"A month from now marks the righteous path’s decennial ‘Demon-Slaying Day.’"

"As per tradition, aside from each sect organizing their own demon-extermination campaigns, there will also be other displays of strength."

"Given the recent uproar you caused with that Heavenly Dao, everyone now aspires to be a Realm Master..."

"So this time, the focus will likely be on illusion realms."