“Isolate the Heavenly Dao? But all illusions are governed by the Heavenly Dao… How could one isolate it?”
A flicker of confusion crossed White Crane’s face as he asked instinctively.
Even though Heart Demon was a rare realm-union master second to none in this world, going head-on against the Heavenly Dao was something White Crane would never join in, fearing death.
“The starting point is in the illusion… but the ending doesn’t have to be.”
Heart Demon spoke slowly.
The first challenge, despite sealing off nearly all types of illusions and holding an absolute advantage, the Illusion Alliance still lost.
Continuing to clash head-on in the illusion realm was clearly unwise.
So he decisively abandoned the illusion realm and chose to change direction.
“How do we do it, then?”
White Crane remained puzzled.
“Simple.”
Heart Demon stood up, walked to the balcony of the floating pavilion, and gazed down at Leisure Cloud Lake from a height.
“Turn the illusion realm into a secret realm…”
“Shift the judging criteria from illusions to reality.”
“That way, he loses his greatest trump card!”
…
…
The next day.
At Leisure Cloud Lake, which had been bustling the day before, nearly half the people were gone.
Lu Ze’s “Slaughter Immortal Tower” was too shocking for many; their last glimmer of hope was shattered, and they chose to withdraw from the exchange meet.
Those who remained were mostly ambitious cultivators or those dead set on joining the Illusion Alliance.
Before noon, the cultivators who had gathered early huddled in small groups, whispering among themselves.
Most were still discussing how utterly astonishing Lu Ze’s move yesterday had been.
After all, the legend of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator crippling a Divine Transformation true disciple with a single slap was even more striking than “Slaughter Immortal Tower” demolishing 148 other illusions.
Some said Lu Ze didn’t abide by decorum and struck with zero starting motion; others claimed Han Xian was too careless and didn’t even set up a defense; still others swore the illusion reward granted by the Heavenly Dao was some kind of ancient technique for leaping realms…
The Green Mountain Sect was furious about the incident, but could do nothing.
The truth was, it was Zhang Yuxian who had made a splash by announcing the bet between the two.
Terms like “no magical treasures” and “life or death upon fate” were Han Xian’s own words.
Even if Han Xian was crippled and his soul damaged, the Green Mountain Sect had to swallow their pride publicly.
Now, under the spread of rumor among cultivators, the tale of a Divine Transformation cultivator from the Green Mountain Sect being crippled in soul by a Nascent Soul slap grew wider and wider, becoming a laughingstock discussed idly at tea breaks.
“Brother Lu… has arrived!”
The stir among the crowd halted abruptly, and they gave way to Lu Ze of their own accord.
After all, Old Demon Lu’s reputation was well known.
Though everyone had originally only feared being targeted in illusions, after Lu Ze shattered Han Xian’s dream of becoming a realm master with a single slap, the cultivators now held a reverence for Lu Ze even in reality.
“Oh? Everyone’s being so polite today?”
Lu Ze raised an eyebrow. He had planned to randomly snag a few unlucky sods and shut them up, but now he abandoned the idea.
“Of course—yesterday’s move of yours, Brother Lu, was so fast even I barely saw it… No wonder Sister Li said your talent is not inferior to hers.”
Zhong Yi exclaimed in admiration.
“So it was you who said that…”
Lu Ze gave Zhong Yi a look of gentle resentment, then waved his hand dismissively.
“That Female Demon—I can’t beat her, can’t beat her.”
Yesterday, Li Moran, who had somehow gotten word, immediately challenged Lu Ze to a spar once they returned.
Though Lu Ze didn’t fear Divine Transformation cultivators, that only applied to mediocrities like Han Xian.
With a prodigy like Li Moran, he’d inevitably get a thorough beating.
“Ha, you’re being too modest, Brother Lu… Ah, noon has arrived.”
Zhong Yi composed himself.
Mists surged over Leisure Cloud Lake again, but this time, no enormous dais appeared.
Rakshasa flew in the air, accompanied by a round, middle-aged man.
“Strange—no illusion tower or dais this time…”
Frowning in confusion, Zhong Yi muttered to himself:
“They can’t not be a realm this time, right?”
Just as he was wondering, Rakshasa pointed at the plump middle-aged man beside him and introduced:
“Fellow cultivators, allow me to introduce this… the owner of the largest trade consortium in the Great Qian Dynasty, the Soaring Cloud Consortium—Boss Qian.”
“Boss Qian is the sponsor for this exchange meet of my Illusion Alliance. So, the second challenge will be decided by him.”
With that, Rakshasa stepped back, and Qian Wancai narrowed his smiling eyes, cleared his throat, and said:
“I’m just a common man, only a little talented in business dealings. Now, I’ve been asked to set a challenge for all of you immortal masters—Qian is truly honored!”
“As for the path of illusions, I can’t judge that… But Elder Rakshasa tells me that illusions and secret realms are similar, the only difference being that illusions lack physical substance.”
“I have nothing else to ask, only one task for you immortal masters—”
“Not long ago, my Soaring Cloud Consortium acquired the second-largest auction house in the Great Qian Dynasty, and our warehouses are piled high with treasures—too many to count.”
“Since all you immortal masters are so capable, could you help me sell off those accumulated treasures as quickly as possible, please?”
“But, well…”
Qian Wancai’s eyes shifted nervously.
“What my consortium needs is cold, hard cash, so I hope you fellows will achieve it via the method of secret realms.”
Once Qian Wancai finished, Rakshasa smiled and stepped forward, waving his hand grandly.
Gigantic golden characters shimmered above Leisure Cloud Lake:
Challenge: Auction
Requirement 1: Complete in the form of a secret realm.
Requirement 2: The secret realm is to be opened only to subjects of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Time Limit: 7 days
Scoring: The greater the profit from the secret realm auction, the higher the score.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
