On the wide corridor outside the 118th floor of this Hall of Illusions, which stretched a full kilometer wide, thousands upon thousands of people had gathered, staring in disbelief at this black-haired, black-clothed man. Those who had long served the Phantom Spirit King and followed closely by her side knew all too well how terrifying the Phantom Spirit King truly was.
Almost no one believed that Hong could pass through the Eighteen Love & Desire Illusions.
Not even the Phantom Spirit King herself could believe it!
“It’s impossible!” The Phantom Spirit King stared at the figure before her, her mind racing through countless thoughts, but soon calming.
“I never imagined someone willing to die for love could actually pass through the Eighteen Love & Desire Illusions,” she said, looking at Hong, her violet eyes flashing with an odd light. “You’ve surprised me.”
“Love has nothing terrifying about it,” Hong replied. “Immerse yourself in it, enjoy it. The heart will give rise to a very wonderful feeling—that is love.”
The Phantom Spirit King gazed at Hong, scrutinizing him.
“Now I somewhat understand why you could capture Qingqing’s heart at first sight,” she nodded, then turned to the black-winged man. “Bushela, you take Luo Feng and Hong to see Qingqing.”
“Yes, Master!” the black-winged man respectfully replied.
“Hmm.” In a flash, the Phantom Spirit King’s body vanished into thin air.
No sooner had she departed than the corridor burst into animated murmurs. The myriad of bewitching, alluring demonesses encircling them began whispering and gesturing toward Hong and Luo Feng, their fascination and reverence for the pair evident in every glance.
“Please follow me,” the black-winged man smiled at Hong and Luo Feng.
“Also, congratulations on passing through the Eighteen Love & Desire Illusions,” he added. “I doubt many of us here believed you could.”
“It was indeed very difficult. Those illusions are truly terrifying,” Hong said.
“Of course. How could my Master’s illusions be anything less than formidable?”
The black-winged man led the way, with Luo Feng and Hong walking side by side behind him.
“Brother, congratulations,” Luo Feng sent his voice telepathically, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Congratulations on being able to stay with your beloved forever.”
“Hehe,” Hong’s face lit up with a smile.
“Brother, how was the Eighteen Love & Desire Illusions? I was so worried just now,” Luo Feng continued telepathically.
“The illusions were indeed powerful, but they posed no real threat to me,” Hong replied.
“Really? But I noticed that with each layer you passed, you seemed more and more exhausted, slower, as if you were struggling.”
“It was an act.”
Hong glanced at Luo Feng and sent, “The Phantom Spirit King was watching outside, and the Eighteen Love & Desire Illusions were her own creation. If I had passed each layer quickly and effortlessly, where would that leave her pride? She, the mighty Phantom Spirit King, would be humiliated if a mere Cosmic-Level junior easily shattered her eighteen illusions.”
“If I had broken through too quickly and easily, she might have altered the later illusions out of anger and frustration,” Hong continued. “If she truly wanted me to fail, it would have been easy—she could have attacked my soul directly, causing me to die or fail within the illusion.”
“Who would see her secretly intervene?”
“Even you, seeing me die in the illusion, would only think I had failed, right?” Hong looked at Luo Feng.
Luo Feng was momentarily stunned.
Indeed.
“So, I had to play along with the Phantom Spirit King’s psychology, making her feel as though I was on the verge of failure—struggling desperately, in a very messy way, until finally breaking through. Only then could I achieve my goal,” Hong smiled at Luo Feng.
Luo Feng nodded.
Indeed.
From start to finish, his brother had been performing an act, and that performance had even made him extremely anxious, as if his brother were about to collapse at any moment, each illusion layer more difficult and time-consuming than the last.
It had all been an act.
“Having strength is important, but sometimes you also need to factor in other elements to achieve the best results,” Hong sent.
“But Elder Brother, this Love and Desire Illusion—wasn’t it meant to be the ultimate trial of temptation? How could you traverse it with such ease?” Luo Feng inquired, bewildered. After all, his brother was one deeply entangled in the throes of passion, who had ventured into the Eighteen Love and Desire Illusions unaware of their true essence, all for the sake of Ji Qing.
How could someone like him easily pass through a test of love and desire?
“So many heroes have been trapped in love,” Luo Feng thought.
“In our Han culture, there’s a saying: When you first see a mountain, it is a mountain. When you truly understand it, it is no longer a mountain. But when you reach the ultimate understanding, it becomes a mountain again, and water becomes water again,” Hong sent. “Someone who has never experienced love may naturally believe love is simply love. But those who have truly lived love will find it infinitely complex—like viewing flowers through mist, everything blurred and dreamlike. They can’t see clearly, and love becomes infinitely complicated in their eyes because of the many emotional experiences they’ve had. At that point, mountains are no longer mountains, and water is no longer water.”
“Only after experiencing the world, studying the hearts of people, and understanding the many emotional entanglements can one finally see the true face of love.”
“At that point, one returns to simplicity.”
“One’s understanding of love becomes crystal clear, seeing through its essence. One knows what one truly wants, what one is willing to die for, what temptations one can resist. All of this has already been deeply understood,” Hong looked at Luo Feng and smiled. “At that point, mountains are once again mountains, and water is once again water. Love, in the eyes of someone at that level, is already completely transparent.”
Luo Feng’s eyes lit up.
He began to understand.
“Just because someone is deeply immersed in desire doesn’t mean they are truly trapped,” Hong smiled. “If you are not a fish, how can you know the joy of a fish?”
“Only someone who truly understands love and desire can realize that indulging in it is the true path, while suppressing it goes against one’s true nature,” Hong said. “Everything I do follows my heart. Some things must be done, others must not. Some things, even if they threaten my life, must still be done.”
Luo Feng nodded slightly.
As he conversed with his brother, they followed the black-winged man Bushela forward toward Qingqing’s residence.
…
SWOOSH!
The colorfully robed Phantom Spirit King appeared before the quiet pavilion.
“Master,” the two enchanting girls standing before the pavilion hurriedly bowed respectfully upon seeing her.
“Hmm.”
The Phantom Spirit King pushed the door open and entered the pavilion.
Inside, the short-haired woman who had been standing by the window turned around upon hearing the door, and seeing the Phantom Spirit King, quickly bowed respectfully: “Master.”
“You should have already heard the news—that young one named Hong has passed through my Eighteen Love & Desire Illusions,” the Phantom Spirit King looked at her disciple Qingqing.
Qingqing was an exceptionally talented disciple.
Among all her followers, she was the most outstanding. The Phantom Spirit King truly cherished this disciple.
“Yes, Qingqing knows. Thank you, Master, for showing mercy,” Qingqing bowed gratefully.
“Hmph!”
The Phantom Spirit King let out a cold snort, then sat down on a nearby chair, looking at Qingqing. “Qingqing, I didn’t show him mercy. It’s just that this Hong you like truly exceeded my expectations. He actually managed to pass through the Eighteen Love & Desire Illusions.”
The short-haired woman couldn’t help but blush slightly, a hint of pride in her expression.
“I told you so.”
“Once he passed the Eighteen Love & Desire Illusions, I would not interfere with you two, nor would I expel you from my disciples. whether you two fall in love and have children, or break up, or whatever else, I will not interfere,” the Phantom Spirit King looked at the short-haired woman.
“Thank you, Master,” Qingqing’s eyes sparkled.
“But there are some things I must tell you first,” the Phantom Spirit King tapped the air with her finger, and a screen appeared, displaying a book. “This is my…”
A conversation followed.
…
Moments later, the sound of footsteps and hushed whispers drifted through the air outside the pavilion. Emerging from the dimly lit corridor, the black-winged figure of Bushela strode forward, flanked by Hong and Luo Feng. Behind them, at a cautious distance, trailed a murmuring crowd of ethereal fox maidens—their presence unmistakably drawn by the promise of spectacle.
“Brother Luo Feng, Brother Hong, this is Qingqing’s residence,” Bushela pointed toward the quiet, beautiful pavilion ahead.
“Oh?”
Hong’s eyes lit up as he fixed his gaze on the pavilion and quickly walked toward it.
Luo Feng and Bushela followed behind.
Creak!
The pavilion door opened, and a short-haired woman stepped out.
“Hmm?” Luo Feng looked at the woman. Though he had seen Qingqing’s picture in virtual universe data before, seeing her in person, he noticed something different about her. She was tall, with perfect proportions.
Her short hair gave her a sharp, energetic look.
The expression in her eyes and brows clearly showed she was decisive, strong-willed, and independent—a woman of strength. But in her gaze toward Hong, there was a glimmer of tears.
“You’re such a fool,” Qingqing softly said to Hong.
Hong simply smiled slightly.
Without hesitation, Qingqing rushed forward and tightly embraced Hong, tears uncontrollably streaming down her face.
From a distance, many of the enchanting women smiled, and Luo Feng couldn’t help but grin at the sight as well.
“Don’t take such risks again. It’s not worth it,” Qingqing held Hong tightly.
Hong gently stroked Qingqing’s hair, and the two slowly separated, gazing into each other’s eyes.
“It’s all over now. All obstacles have vanished,” Hong smiled at Qingqing.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Qingqing let go of Hong’s hand and took several steps back.
“Qingqing!” Hong frowned.
“I’m sorry. It’s not worth it,” Qingqing looked at Hong. “Go. Forget me. Just remember me as a memory. Go.”
Hong’s expression changed.
Luo Feng, watching from the side, was also stunned. What was going on? His brother had gone through so much trouble just to convince the Phantom Spirit King to stop interfering, yet now Qingqing herself was saying these words?
“Qingqing!” Hong stared at her, judging from her eyes—was Qingqing under some kind of hypnotic or mind-control technique?
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