Illusionary Realm Trial

Zhou Hao put the Dragon Sword into his Storage Ring and flew to the nearest rooftop. He sat down cross-legged, trying to calm the nervousness and hesitation from killing for the first time.

After taking a few deep breaths, he finally managed to ease his severe discomfort. Then, he looked up at the blood-stained village, lost in thought.

Actually, he had sensed something was wrong as soon as he arrived. This was because Zhou Yuanbao, whom he was carrying, and Mu Jinyin, on his head, hadn't made a sound, which was clearly abnormal.

He had also been startled by the scene upon entering, briefly losing his ability to think. He had regained some of his senses while fighting the man in black.

Now, the disappearance of Jia Qing and the others further proved that something was amiss here.

"How do you feel?" an aged voice suddenly sounded in Zhou Hao's ear.

Zhou Hao was startled and turned his head, only to be frightened by an old face. He scrambled backward several steps on all fours in panic.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the old man who had suddenly appeared beside him was someone he knew – his fake master, Du Tianhong.

Zhou Hao was speechless and couldn't help but retort, "You really are like a persistent ghost!"

From now on, he wouldn't be surprised even if he met a living Du Tianhong!

Du Tianhong chuckled and asked, "I should be dead by now, shouldn't I?"

Zhou Hao paused, looking at Du Tianhong with deep eyes, and then nodded.

"Yes, you are dead. I am considered your disciple now."

Du Tianhong maintained his smile and said, "I know you are my disciple, otherwise, you wouldn't have entered here."

He paused here, then turned to look at Zhou Hao and asked, "Do you know where this is?"

Zhou Hao shook his head. It would be a miracle if he knew.

"This is an Illusionary Realm. Only those who cultivate the Spirit-Womb Art can trigger it," Du Tianhong continued.

Zhou Hao nodded slightly and then asked, "Why did you bring me in here?"

"Good question." Du Tianhong gave him a thumbs-up and then said sternly, "There are two reasons. First, to assess your heart and determine if you are a good person. This Illusionary Realm has three layers. The first layer is to guide out illusions that can make the entrant angry based on their psychology.

The second and third layers can be considered one. If the person carries malice, it will trigger hidden killing formations, directly killing the entrant. If they lean towards kindness, they will continue within the illusion.

This brings me to the second reason. It's well-known that being good is difficult. Kind people often make the mistake of being soft-hearted. Moreover, I'm worried the entrant might be a greenhorn who has never killed anyone, so I hope the first thing he learns is how to kill."

After speaking, he glanced deeply at Zhou Hao and then smiled after a long pause, "Congratulations, you have passed this test."

Zhou Hao's thoughts were a bit jumbled. After organizing them, he asked, "Is killing really the only way to adapt in this world?"

Du Tianhong was slightly taken aback, not expecting Zhou Hao to ask such a question.

He chuckled, stood up, and walked away with his hands behind his back, looking at the blood-soaked village. He asked in a deep voice, "Do you think what happened in this Illusionary Realm is real?"

Zhou Hao suddenly looked up, staring at Du Tianhong in disbelief.

When Du Tianhong asked this, he had essentially told him that everything that had happened here had once existed.

Du Tianhong turned to look at Zhou Hao and said softly, "In a world without order, killing is a compulsory course for everyone. Only by staying alive do you have the right to establish order."

Zhou Hao fell silent. This was the first time he realized how cruel the otherworld was.

"Haha." Du Tianhong laughed, then sighed, "You need to experience these things yourself. I don't have time to teach you, nor can I teach you. I just hope that when necessary, you won't be soft-hearted."

Zhou Hao nodded blankly. He was contemplating the issue of killing. This was actually related to the era he lived in. In a peaceful era, he had no experience with killing incidents. If there was any connection, it could only be from seeing it on the news.

However, this world, with its incredibly powerful and extraordinary abilities, was clearly not peaceful. Regardless, this was a reality he would have to accept in the future.

Du Tianhong's goal in pulling him into the Illusionary Realm was quite simple: he wanted him not to be soft-hearted at critical moments. This was a reminder from a senior who had experienced much.

Zhou Hao would certainly keep it in mind, but truly adapting would likely take some time.

"Alright, it's time for us to say goodbye," Du Tianhong suddenly said.

Zhou Hao snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Du Tianhong, asking, "Are you dead or not?"

Ugh... Three black lines appeared on Du Tianhong's forehead as he looked at Zhou Hao speechlessly and said word by word, "I want to strangle you right now."

As a disciple, he dared to ask if he was dead? This was practically wishing him dead! It was so filial it killed him.

"Sigh~" Du Tianhong sighed mournfully and said, "I am constructed from the Illusionary Realm. In reality, I am not here. My interaction with you is merely the function of the illusion. The real me should be completely dead."

Zhou Hao pondered for a moment, then suddenly knelt on both knees and sincerely called out, "Master."

He then kowtowed three times.

Du Tianhong's pupils trembled slightly. That decisive "Master" moved him slightly.

However, being an old immortal, he quickly suppressed this emotion. He walked up to Zhou Hao, placed his hand on Zhou Hao's head, and after a long silence, slowly spoke:

"Good disciple."

With that, the Illusionary Realm began to disintegrate, and Du Tianhong turned into white light, vanishing into the air. However, at the very last moment, he left a message.

"We might meet again in the future."

This sentence lingered in Zhou Hao's ears for a long time, immediately shattering his previously full emotions.

"This old guy really is a persistent ghost!" Zhou Hao stood up, looking at the collapsing Illusionary Realm, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards slightly.

Although his words weren't pleasant, when he heard that he might meet Du Tianhong again, he was actually happy in his heart.

"Pian~"

The Illusionary Realm shattered completely. Zhou Hao, lying in the coffin, suddenly opened his eyes and immediately flung the lid aside.

"Dad?"

Zhou Yuanbao and Mu Jinyin called out with concern.

They noticed something was wrong with Zhou Hao but couldn't think of a solution, only able to anxiously wait nearby.

Seeing their worried faces, Zhou Hao felt a warmth in his heart and smiled, "Sorry to have made you worry."

Zhou Yuanjin pouted, "If you hadn't woken up, we would have destroyed this coffin."

They had genuinely considered it, but lacked the ability. Even if they unleashed all their strength, they couldn't damage this coffin, as it was crafted from a billion-year-old Meteorite, its hardness beyond their level.

Zhou Hao patted the heads of the two beasts with relief and nodded, "In a few days, I'll reward each of you with a Divine Crystal."

"Yay~"

Zhou Yuanbao and the other immediately cheered.

Just then, a beam of light shot out from the coffin, projecting onto the ceiling, revealing a mysterious pattern.

A string of text floated above the coffin: Use the Spirit-Womb Ring to leave