“You indeed have the courage to come see me.” The Illusion King, seated on a colossal throne, gazed down at Hong with a soft smile. “Aren’t you afraid that I might order someone to kill you in the real world?”
With just one command from the Illusion King,
Countless immortal cultivators in the Qianwu Cosmic Nation would rush to kill Hong.
“I am afraid!” Hong replied respectfully.
“Haha… So you can be afraid too.” The Illusion King’s voice sounded like the most enchanting melody played by the finest instruments and musicians in the world, stirring the hearts of those who listened. “If you’re afraid, then why come here?”
“I fear death, fear that my many dreams may never come true,” Hong replied respectfully. “But some things cannot be abandoned just out of fear. Qingqing has been sincere with me; how could I cowardly hide away? No matter what happens, I will do everything in my power. Even if I die and my soul is destroyed, I will have no regrets.”
“Hmm?”
The Illusion King on the throne looked carefully at Hong below and uttered a surprised sound.
“Fear death, yet there are things for which you would not regret even dying?” The Illusion King gazed at the figure below, her eyes becoming hazy as she murmured, “To face death and soul destruction fearlessly and still do what must be done…” Her voice echoed only within a ten-meter radius of her body; no one else in the hall could hear.
“If only he had been like this back then…” The Illusion King’s expression shifted, her eyes flickering between tenderness and terrifying intensity.
Rumble~~~~
The entire hall trembled faintly, and countless eerie sounds echoed in everyone’s ears.
This caused Luo Feng, Hong, and the other women in gauzy robes to slightly change expressions.
“Hmm?” The Illusion King regained her calm, and all illusions and sounds vanished. She looked down at Hong from her throne. “Hong, I will give you one chance—a life-or-death gamble!”
Luo Feng’s expression changed.
A gamble with his life?
“Please enlighten me, Illusion King.” Hong bowed.
“It’s simple,” the Illusion King smiled. “I offer you two choices. First, when you reach the peak of Monarch, you may participate in the cosmic war in the battlefield beyond our domain. If you can earn enough battle merits to receive a first-class medal, I will not interfere with your relationship with Qingqing. I will also guarantee that Qingqing will not be expelled from my disciples.”
“The second choice is to enter the Eighteen Desires Illusion I have set up. If you succeed in passing through all eighteen illusions, I will not interfere with your relationship with Qingqing either, and I will guarantee that Qingqing will not be expelled.”
“But!”
“If you fail, I will immediately order the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance to send experts to kill you.” The Illusion King stared at Hong with piercing eyes. “This is a gamble with your life! If you fail, you die! If you succeed, you will have the chance to be with Qingqing. Whether you two stay together, break up, or marry, I will not interfere.”
“Choosing the first path gives you time to cultivate until you reach the peak of Monarch. I guarantee… you will reach that peak.”
“Choosing the second path means immediately entering the Eighteen Desires Illusion.” The Illusion King looked at Hong. “So… do you dare to gamble with your life?”
The atmosphere seemed to freeze.
The entire hall fell silent. Even the male apprentice with black wings and the other women in gauzy robes sensed that the Illusion King was different from usual.
“Brother!” Luo Feng looked at Hong.
A gamble with his life?
If Hong really accepted this gamble and was hunted by the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, even the Zhenyan King would have no authority to stop it.
“I choose the second path,” Hong lifted his head and looked at the Illusion King seated high above. “I will enter the Eighteen Desires Illusion you set up. If I fail… there is no need for you, Illusion King, to send people to hunt me. I will go directly to a Cosmic Mercenary Alliance outpost, and in front of their personnel, I will commit suicide and simultaneously broadcast it through the virtual universe network to you, Illusion King.”
The Illusion King’s pupils narrowed.
“Are you sure you want to enter the Eighteen Desires Illusion?” the Illusion King said. “If you choose to go to the cosmic war at the peak of Monarch, you can live much longer. I can even help you reach the peak of Monarch. This is your last chance to change your decision. Are you sure you won’t change your mind?”
“No change.” A faint smile appeared on Hong’s face.
Luo Feng looked at Hong beside him, at that faint smile on his face.
It was a fearless smile, a smile of total commitment.
“Hmph!”
The Illusion King stood up, looking down at Hong. Looking into Hong’s eyes, she saw no hesitation or doubt, nor any desperate fury. There was only a faint sharpness in his gaze.
“Very well!” The Illusion King commanded. “Bushelar, take Hong to the Illusion Hall and bring him directly to the 101st floor!”
Poof!
The Illusion King vanished instantly.
“Yes, Teacher!”
Bushelar, the male apprentice with black wings, respectfully bowed and then looked at Hong with pity. “Follow me.”
…
The Illusion Palace was in an uproar. A mere Cosmic-level individual dared to enter the Eighteen Desires Illusion, and failure meant death and soul destruction! This immediately caused many within the Illusion Palace to rush toward the Illusion Hall.
“Princess Qing, Hong has chosen to gamble with his life and enter the Eighteen Desires Illusion. If he succeeds, the Illusion King will not stop you from being with that man and will not expel you. But if he fails, he will be killed in the real world.” At the entrance of a quiet pavilion stood two young women; one in green gauze whispered to the other.
Inside the pavilion,
A short-haired woman stood at the entrance, her slender fingers clenched so tightly they turned pale.
“I want to go out,” the short-haired woman said softly.
“Princess Qing, the Illusion King has issued an order. Who dares to defy it? We can inform you of everything happening outside, but please don’t make it hard for us,” the woman in green gauze said quickly.
A sharp glint flashed in the short-haired woman’s eyes.
Creak!
The door closed.
This pavilion was one of the points where she had connected to the virtual universe network. Whenever she entered the virtual universe, she would appear here. But now… she was restricted from leaving the virtual universe. In the real world, she was also trapped within the divine realm of her ancestor, the Silver Snow Marquis.
“Hong Brother,” the short-haired woman walked to a window, opening it.
She did not try to escape. The two demon-like women guarding the entrance were Monarchs, specifically assigned to watch her. She, however, was only at the Cosmic level. Without their cooperation, there was no way she could escape.
“Don’t do anything foolish!” “Don’t do anything foolish!” “Don’t do anything foolish!” “Don’t do anything foolish!” “Don’t do anything foolish!” “Don’t do anything foolish!” “Don’t do anything foolish!”… The short-haired woman sent one email after another, desperately sending messages to Hong.
Moments later,
“It’s okay. Wait for me.” This was Hong’s reply.
She fell silent.
“Hong Brother, you… I…” The short-haired woman raised her head, looking through the window at a towering palace in the distance. That was the Illusion Hall within the Illusion Palace complex.
“Stay alive!”
“You must stay alive!”
…
The Hall of Illusions was filled with a gathering of many, among them members of the Demon Enchantress Clan and several disciples of the Phantom Monarch.
“I bet that kid will die.”
“How could he possibly succeed? The Eighteen Desires Illusion? Even if he is strong for a Cosmic-level, he can’t possibly succeed.”
“This is a death sentence.”
“Look, there’s the one entering the Eighteen Desires Illusion.”
“Who? The one in the silver armor?”
“No, the one in silver armor is supposedly Luo Feng, the extraordinary genius from the Primitive Secret Realm of the Virtual Universe Company. The one in black clothes is the one.”
“Wow, is that Luo Feng? He’s so handsome!”
“Don’t be silly.”
“I think Hong is handsome too, but it’s a pity he’s going to die.”
…
Luo Feng and Hong trailed behind Bushelar, the black-winged man, as they navigated the winding corridors. Their gazes swept across the surroundings, taking in the distant sights—countless women with mesmerizing violet eyes. Nearly ninety-nine percent of the Illusion Palace’s inhabitants were female, and the vast majority of servants were enchantresses from the Charm Clan. Each one possessed an otherworldly allure, their beauty intoxicating and irresistible.
“Brother, your cultivation of the heart is indeed high. But this illusion… it’s an illusion cast by the Illusion King!” Luo Feng urgently transmitted his thoughts. “You are strong, but you must not underestimate the supreme beings in the universe! If you fail, you will die without a doubt… and the illusion might even contain mental pressure. Who knows what kind of pressure the Illusion King might impose? You might die instantly. Who knows what level of power the Eighteen Desires Illusion holds? If it’s extremely powerful, you won’t even have a place to cry.”
A being who knows its own strength might set up an illusion according to Hong’s abilities.
But—
The Illusion King’s temper was notoriously capricious.
She claimed no man could touch her, yet she always seduced people. She was cruel and violent by nature, yet always pretended to be gentle.
Who could tell whether the Eighteen Desires Illusion set by the Illusion King was not an absolute death trap?
If the Illusion King really wanted Hong dead,
Could Hong still survive?
Hong looked at Luo Feng: “It’s okay!”
“Poof!”
A figure appeared at the entrance of the 101st floor of the Illusion Hall. It was a woman fully wrapped in a hazy, colorful robe. Only her purple eyes were visible; her face was always blurred and indistinct.
Instantly, the surroundings fell silent.
The curious girls and several disciples all stood respectfully and dared not speak.
“You still have the chance to retreat now,” the Illusion King looked at Hong in the distance. “If you choose to retreat, I will despise you, but at least… you will keep your life.”
“If you do not retreat,”
“Then walk through this door!”
The Illusion King pointed at the hall’s entrance before her. “This is the 101st floor hall. Each floor is an illusion. After passing one illusion, you must go upstairs via the staircase to enter the 102nd floor. After succeeding, continue climbing the staircase to the 103rd floor… and so on. If you successfully emerge from the 118th floor, you will have succeeded.”
“Otherwise, your life will be over.” The Illusion King looked at Hong.
Hong smiled faintly.
“Brother!” Luo Feng’s face showed anxiety, but he didn’t know how to persuade his older brother.
As determined as Hong was, even if millions tried to persuade him, his will could not be shaken.
Hong smiled at Luo Feng, then walked directly toward the distant hall entrance.
Swoosh!
He reached the entrance in an instant, then took one step forward and entered.
“Boom!” The entire 101st floor hall became blurred instantly; no one could see what was happening inside.
At this moment—
Hong could no longer turn back.
Success meant life.
Failure meant death!
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