Tai Xu Soul Crystal

Luofeng Continent, Illusion Alliance Base.

The atmosphere at today’s council of elders felt off.

Rakshasa was barely breathing, covered in wounds, seeming as though he might kick the bucket at any moment.

Blood Crow, on the other hand, radiated grievance, a faint sign of decline evident on his person.

As the Alliance Leader, Heart Demon’s aura seemed unchanged, but the mask on his face had been swapped. It was still a multi-faced mask bearing four expressions, yet the subtle details of those expressions and the patterns on the mask appeared slightly different upon close inspection.

White Crane and Cloud Sky exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to say.

“Alliance Leader… that day… were you… unharmed?”

White Crane hesitated for a long while before finally asking.

That day, he had clearly sensed a strange and powerful aura of the Heavenly Dao appearing in Luofeng Continent, precisely in the direction where Heart Demon had laid down the Ten Directions Spirit Subduing Array.

Everyone knew the modus operandi of the Heavenly Dao’s residual spirit.

Recalling how the three members of Final Dusk were caught red-handed cheating at the time, it wasn’t hard to deduce what the Heavenly Dao’s residual spirit was after when it pursued them to this place.

“No trouble, just lost a clone.”

The simple answer carried a different weight in White Crane’s ears.

If the Heavenly Dao’s residual spirit could be so easily fooled by a mere clone technique, it wouldn’t be so revered by countless cultivators.

The earth-shattering combined palm strike had sent ripples that even the Illusion Alliance Base could detect.

It was easy to imagine—Heart Demon’s strength and hidden cards were unfathomably deep.

White Crane and Cloud Sky exchanged a look, nodding to each other in silent agreement.

Heart Demon was the big shot they were determined to stick with.

“That day, I caught a glimpse of the Heavenly Dao. The golden runes around it carried an aura somewhat similar to the indestructible spell patterns in ‘This Demon Cultivator Isn’t So Cold.’”

Heart Demon recalled.

At these words, the other four were all stunned.

“Impossible!”

“Does the Alliance Leader mean… that kid has comprehended the Heavenly Dao’s power?”

“Absolutely impossible! That kid is only at the Nascent Soul stage—how could he comprehend such profound laws?”

“The Heavenly Dao must have personally taught him!”

…

The four of them bickered, their expressions darkening.

No wonder the Four Celestial Images couldn’t crack the mystery; if it was connected to the Heavenly Dao, of course no one could figure it out!

“Regardless of how he obtained it, the fact remains that he possesses such a technique…”

Heart Demon tapped the table, and the four elders immediately fell silent.

“What we must do now is find a way to break that spell.”

White Crane shook his head in discouragement. “Even the Four Celestial Images couldn’t crack it—what other solution is there?”

“Information.”

Heart Demon slowly uttered two words.

“We don’t have enough information.”

“A single completed illusionary realm is naturally impossible to decipher.”

“But what if we got our hands on the Illusion Tower that still bears Lu Ze’s divine sense traces?”

Hearing this idea, the four elders’ eyes lit up.

Now that was a possibility worth considering!

The prowess of the Four Celestial Images was something they had all witnessed.

Analyzing a spell through divine sense traces alone might be beyond human ability, but the Four Celestial Images just might pull it off!

“In that case… shall I arrange our spies to steal it from Spirit Cloud Sect?”

Cloud Sky hesitated for a long while, then gritted his teeth and said.

“No need… the spies in Spirit Cloud Sect might prove more useful later on.”

Heart Demon dismissed the idea.

“Besides, sneaking into Lu Ze’s residence without leaving a trace is no easy task.”

White Crane: “Then, Alliance Leader, what do you suggest?”

Heart Demon let out a cold laugh. “Set the bait, and make him leave Spirit Cloud Sect on his own.”

Cloud Sky furrowed his brows at that, sighing in doubt.

“From what I know, that kid never leaves Spirit Cloud Sect. Even when he does, he’s always accompanied by a group of elders or core disciples. Chances are slim.”

“What if I have something he needs?”

With that, Heart Demon pulled a slender, pitch-black crystal from his storage ring.

White Crane, experienced as he was, frowned. “What is that?”

“Void Soul Crystal.”

Heart Demon gazed at the crystal, so deep it almost seemed to devour one’s sight.

“Three hundred years ago, I stumbled upon it in an ancient secret realm—a treasure capable of enhancing divine awareness.”

“A Void Soul Crystal!?”

White Crane’s eyes instantly blazed with greed; he had clearly heard of this treasure’s name.

“Then why doesn’t the Alliance Leader use it himself… That way, our illusionary realms would pose no threat to Lu Ze!”

No sooner had he spoken than Heart Demon unleashed his divine sense, sending a chill of terror through the four of them—as if they had fallen into hell itself.

The black divine sense, tangible and overwhelming, was terrifying beyond words.

Heart Demon retracted his divine sense, raising two fingers. “Originally, there were two in this world… Now, only this one remains.”

“Since such a treasure exists, if it falls into that kid’s hands, wouldn’t it be like adding wings to a tiger?”

Cloud Sky shook his head, struggling to hide his own greed.

“Why not choose someone with the highest talent among us to take the Void Soul Crystal? That would strengthen the Illusion Alliance!”

The other three elders nodded in agreement.

“The gap between you and Lu Ze isn’t about divine awareness.”

Heart Demon spoke with an unreadable expression.

“Besides, using the Void Soul Crystal as bait doesn’t guarantee he’ll take it.”

Heart Demon laid out his plan.

The Illusion Alliance would host a grand event.

They would set the challenges; cultivators would enter illusionary realms, and the winners would receive rewards.

In this way, as long as they tweaked the conditions of the challenges, Lu Ze wasn’t necessarily guaranteed to win.

Of course, this event was just a smokescreen.

Their real goal was to get the Illusion Tower Lu Ze had used.

Even so, the four elders remained skeptical.

After all, Lu Ze’s skill in illusionary realms was utterly abnormal—he had never lost a single match.

“Rest assured…”

Heart Demon knew all too well that the four of them wanted to swallow the Void Soul Crystal for themselves.

He spoke slowly.

“The Void Soul Crystal is no ordinary object."

"Mortal bodies and minds cannot digest it.”

“Even with my Heaven-grade cultivation base, I can only absorb less than three-tenths of its power.”

“This treasure is both a divine medicine and a poison…”

“If an ordinary cultivator touches it, their divine sense could shatter instantly.”

Hearing this, the four elders finally set aside their unease.

They even began to see this as a flawless and ingenious move.

First, whether Lu Ze won or lost, they would still obtain the Illusion Tower he had used, allowing them to leverage the Four Celestial Images to crack the spell’s secrets.

If Lu Ze lost, all the better—the Illusion Alliance would come out on top.

Even if Lu Ze somehow won…

The Void Soul Crystal wasn’t something anyone could absorb; it depended on one’s cultivation aptitude.

Even Heart Demon, with all his strength, could absorb less than three-tenths. For an ordinary person, it would blow their divine sense apart!

As everyone knew, before Lu Ze entered the path through illusions and earned the Heavenly Dao’s favor, he was a waste of a cultivator with mixed spiritual roots.

After three years in the sect, he was still at the Qi Refinement stage.

With talent like that, what good would the Void Soul Crystal do him?

It would be equivalent to swallowing poison and committing suicide!

This way, they would eliminate the Illusion Alliance’s greatest threat!

So regardless of the outcome, this move of the [Heart Demon] had cornered Lu Ze completely, leaving him with no way out.