Laozi was startled upon hearing this, but quickly regained his composure:
"I am Taiqing Laozi, the one who was transformed from three parts of the Nascent Soul of the Great God Pangu. How could you, a demon, possibly be bewitched by me?"
The demon sneered, "Taiqing, don't deceive yourself. You know better than anyone whether your heart is filled with evil thoughts or righteous thoughts."
"Now that we're in this situation, nothing can be hidden anymore. So what you see is a demon, hahahaha..."
The demon laughed wildly, and Laozi's heart stirred upon hearing this.
Laozi closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, then opened them and looked at the demon. "Even if there is a demon in my heart, I will not succumb to it."
"Unyielding? Hahahaha, Taiqing, stop deceiving yourself. You devoured Yuanshi and Tongtian before you even took human form, and now you say you won't yield to them? How laughable."
As soon as the evil words were spoken, Laozi was thrown into great turmoil.
This was a secret he had kept hidden deep in his heart for many years, known to no one except the Dao Venerable.
This is why Laozi did not gravitate towards the Taichu.
Seeing that Laozi's mind had been disturbed, the evil spirits continued to tempt him:
"What's wrong, Taiqing? Did I hit the nail on the head? Open your heart and embrace me, I can give you the greatest power..."
"Open your heart and embrace me, and I can give you the greatest strength..."
"Open your heart and embrace me, and I can give you the greatest strength..."
The sounds came from all directions, constantly disturbing the Nascent Soul of Taiqing Laozi.
Laozi gradually closed his eyes and slowly relaxed his mind.
The demon throbbed wildly, "Just one more thread, just one more thread and we'll succeed."
As Laozi's mind was disturbed, Laozi completely let go of his mind.
Seeing this, the demon rushed into Laozi's Spirit Platform with lightning speed.
However, just as the demon reached Laozi, a golden light suddenly burst forth from Laozi's Spirit Platform.
Golden light pierced through the Spirit Platform and struck the demon's face.
The demon looked at Laozi in horror, "Impossible, absolutely impossible! You were completely at ease, how could this happen?"
Laozi also regained consciousness at this moment. He looked coldly at Laozi demon and said slowly, "This saint is protected by the merits of the Father God Creation Merit. How could a demon like you devour me? Surrender now!"
Laozi channeled his magical power, and a protective golden light emanated from his body. He chanted incantations, and the golden light continued to spread, attacking the evil spirits.
The demon bared its teeth, its body surging with Demonic Qi, and began to slowly expand:
"So what if that's the case? Your evil thoughts have already taken over, and I can still devour you."
Laozi roared, "You're asking for death!"
Having said that, he formed a hand seal, and the golden light around his body intensified.
Seeing this, the demon opened its blood-red maw and lunged at Laozi.
Laozi flashed and teleported behind the demon, uttering a soft shout, "Demon Suppression Seal!" A rune struck the demon's back.
The demon roared in agony, but its body slowly turned into a wisp of black smoke and entered Laozi's body.
Laozi's expression changed, and he felt an evil force surging within his body.
But he immediately used his magic to resist, gathering his righteous energy into a ball of flame to burn away the evil power.
After a struggle, the evil power gradually dissipated, the surrounding mist dissipated, and Laozi returned to his original position.
Laozi stood there, dumbfounded, unable to calm down for a long time.
The memory of devouring Tongtian flooded back. "No wonder Tongtian has drifted further and further away from me. It turns out that Tongtian already knew all along. In the end, I owe him."
"Fortunately, I have the merit of Father God's Creation Merit, otherwise I would have lost my life here today."
At this moment, Hongjun was staring blankly at the lake in front of him.
"Mirror Lake, what secrets does this Mirror Lake hold?"
Hongjun tentatively approached the lake surface, where the shimmering water reflected Hongjun image.
Suddenly a whirlpool appeared on the lake surface. The whirlpool seemed to have endless suction force, Hongjun was sucked into it before he could avoid it.
Hongjun felt the light and shadows changing before his eyes, and after he could see his surroundings clearly, he found himself in a strange space.
Crystals that emit a faint glow float everywhere, as if recording the secrets of countless years.
Just as they were wondering, a voice came. "Hongjun, you've finally arrived."
Hongjun became alert and shouted sternly, "Who are you?"
The voice rang out again. "I am the guardian of this Mirror Lake, and I have been waiting here for the destined one for a long time. As a key figure in the Origin World, you must undergo a test."
Hongjun frowned and asked, "What kind of test?"
"This trial concerns the safety of the entire Origin World. These crystals before you contain the various causes and effects from the beginning of the world to the present."
"You must find a way to repair the broken rules of the world. If you succeed, the Origin World will be elevated; if you fail, the world will fall into eternal darkness."
Hongjun took a deep breath and looked intently at the source of the voice. "This old Daoist wants to know what he can gain from the world's advancement and failure?"
"Hahahaha! Hongjun, I knew I hadn't misjudged you. What you want to get depends on what you're willing to give up."
"What can I offer in return?" Hongjun repeated.
"That's right. As long as you are willing to give, you will receive more than you receive. If you are unwilling to give, how can you expect to receive anything?"
After a long silence, Hongjun said indifferently, "This old Daoist can't give much, but what I want is beyond your imagination."
As he spoke, Hongjun suddenly made his move.
Hongjun unleashed a powerful, earth-shattering shockwave, which surged toward the source of the sound.
The powerful shockwave dissipated as it approached the source of the sound, as if it had struck an invisible barrier.
The voice burst into laughter. "Hongjun, don't be impulsive. You think you can hurt me with such an attack? That's a joke."
Hongjun remained expressionless and snorted coldly, "Hmph, you think you can fool this old Daoist by hiding your true colors? Today I'll show you how powerful this old Daoist is."
As soon as Hongjun finished speaking, the surrounding crystals shone brightly, quickly weaving into chains of runes that coiled around Hongjun.
Hongjun quickly formed hand seals, and a layer of golden light shield surged from his body to defend himself.
However, as the rune chains accumulated, cracks gradually appeared in the light shield.
Hongjun was secretly alarmed; it seemed he couldn't withstand the attack head-on.
His gaze swept over the floating crystals, and suddenly an idea came to him.
He flashed and rushed toward a larger crystal. The voice seemed to sense Hongjun's intention and hurriedly controlled the chains to block him.
But Hongjun was extremely fast. Just as he was about to touch the crystal, he transformed into a Liu Guang and entered the crystal.
The interior of the crystal was like another world. Hongjun saw the scene at the beginning of the world's birth, and some mysteries about the rules of the world flickered within.
"I never expected you to be so cunning. Since that's the case, I will seal you here and never let you out again."