Inner Demon Illusion

Di Lintian followed the Ice God's instructions and arrived before an ice mirror.

"It seems I cannot leave this place until this first trial is completed. I hope the subsequent divine trials won't require completion here."

Di Lintian took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and looked at himself in the ice mirror.

His consciousness gradually grew hazy, and his reflection in the mirror became blurred.

Just like that, Di Lintian fell backward.

As he was about to crash onto the icy surface, the Ice God thoughtfully conjured a pile of snow beneath him.

After losing consciousness, Di Lintian arrived at a battlefield of ice, where severed limbs and broken arms were scattered everywhere.

Before him, a person identical to himself sat cross-legged, a sinister smile hanging from the corner of his mouth.

Di Lintian understood that this was his Inner Demon—a person exactly like him, not just in appearance, but possessing the same soul skills, soul bones, and martial arts.

"I am you," the Inner Demon spoke. "I am your fear of death, your resentment toward the loneliness of your past life; I am the embodiment of all your negative emotions."

The Inner Demon stood up, swung his Dragon Scale Sword twice, and kicked a severed arm aside. "You cannot kill me."

Di Lintian remained silent for a long time before a Dragon Scale Sword appeared in his own hand. "How will I know unless I try!"

Di Lintian tapped his toes against the ground, his figure lunging forward like a bolt of lightning, the Dragon Scale Sword thrusting directly toward the Inner Demon's heart.

The Inner Demon reacted with lightning speed, blocking the strike with his own Dragon Scale Sword held horizontally.

Di Lintian twisted his wrist, turning the thrust into a flick, and sent the Inner Demon's sword flying upward.

Immediately following, he clenched his right fist, which ignited with raging flames, and smashed it toward the Inner Demon's face.

Before the fist even landed, a scorching heat wave washed over the Inner Demon's face.

"Second Soul Skill: Demon Dragon Body Protection."

Two purple and three black soul rings appeared as the Inner Demon calmly activated his second soul skill.

A phantom of the Dark Demon Dragon King manifested out of thin air, shielding the Inner Demon within. The fist struck the dragon phantom, sending Di Lintian flying backward.

"First Soul Skill: Hell Roar."

"Third Soul Skill: Nirvana Dragon Breath."

After stabilizing his stance, Di Lintian summoned his martial soul and unleashed two soul skills in rapid succession.

"Whatever you have, I have as well."

The first and third soul rings beneath the Inner Demon's feet flickered, and a Nirvana Dragon Breath identical to Di Lintian's erupted from his mouth.

"BOOM!"

The two dragon breaths collided in mid-air, annihilating each other frantically. Neither could gain the upper hand, and the massive shockwave that erupted obliterated all the severed limbs and debris in the vicinity.

This won't work. With identical soul skills, it's impossible to defeat the Inner Demon.

Di Lintian pondered deeply. The Inner Demon's strength was created based on my power when I entered the illusion; it shouldn't grow stronger just because I do.

But I can't exactly cultivate here, can I?

<Can't beat the Inner Demon? I'll just cultivate until I reach Title Douluo!>

That definitely wouldn't work. Setting aside whether there was enough time, the Inner Demon wouldn't just sit by and let him cultivate to become stronger.

Wait—

I understand now.

It's too late to start cultivating, so the only thing left with room for improvement is...

Di Lintian fixed his gaze on the Dragon Scale Sword in his hand, his eyes gradually filling with confidence.

You petty Inner Demon, I have already found a way to deal with you.

Di Lintian intentionally weakened the flow of his Soul Power. Soon, the Nirvana Dragon Breath was completely extinguished, and he immediately pushed his Roaming Dragon Steps to the limit, narrowly dodging the Inner Demon's own Nirvana Dragon Breath.

Di Lintian tapped his toes on the ground once more, slashing his Dragon Scale Sword with immense force.

The Inner Demon did not dodge or evade, meeting the strike with the exact same move.

"CLANG!"

Both Dragon Scale Swords collided with tremendous force, sending sparks flying in every direction.

Di Lintian followed the momentum of the Inner Demon's strike, twisting his wrist so his sword grazed the Inner Demon's cuff, slicing off a piece of his sleeve.

The Inner Demon showed no reaction, his Dragon Scale Sword thrusting toward Di Lintian once more—fast, accurate, and ruthless!

Di Lintian utilized his Roaming Dragon Steps to dodge the Inner Demon's sword, transforming into a dancing black lightning bolt. His sword techniques flowed continuously, surging toward the Inner Demon like a tidal wave.

The Inner Demon also used the Roaming Dragon Steps to parry the sword strikes, but because he was forced into a purely defensive stance, he began to fall behind.

Di Lintian held the upper hand, and his confidence grew with it.

"It's time to end this."

He whispered the words, and the Dragon Scale Sword in his hand suddenly erupted with a violent, dazzling surge of Soul Power, emitting a low hum.

Di Lintian leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of black light too fast to track.

Inner Demon looked up at Di Lintian quietly, not making a single move.

Di Lintian sensed something was wrong, but his momentum had already peaked; the arrow was on the string, and he had no choice but to fire.

He's bluffing!

He must be putting on a show.

The Dragon Scale Sword thrust straight toward Inner Demon's heart; there was no way he could block this strike.

Just as the Dragon Scale Sword was about to pierce Inner Demon's heart.

A cold sneer appeared on the corner of Di Lintian's mouth.

Inner Demon moved.

He did not parry, nor did he dodge. Instead, he stepped forward, meeting Di Lintian's blade head-on.

At the same time, the Dragon Scale Sword in his hand extended at the exact same angle, pointing toward Di Lintian's heart.

Di Lintian's pupils contracted sharply.

I guessed wrong!

He wants to take me down with him!

Instinctively, he wanted to retract his sword and retreat, to twist his body and dodge.

But at this critical moment, that sliver of instinctive fear of death in his heart slowed his movements by a fraction of a second.

"Puchi—"

Di Lintian could clearly feel the cold Dragon Scale Sword piercing through his chest and plunging into his heart.

A violent pain swept through his entire body, causing him to lose almost all his strength.

The Dragon Scale Sword in Di Lintian's hand clattered to the ground.

"I told you, you fear death, so you would inevitably flinch," Inner Demon whispered into Di Lintian's ear, his voice audible only to the two of them.

Di Lintian looked at the mocking face of Inner Demon, opened his mouth, and finally closed his eyes in unwillingness.

He was dead.

His consciousness vanished once more, leaving only darkness before his eyes.

When his consciousness returned, Di Lintian looked around.

It was not an endless ice field, but the same battlefield of ice.

Inner Demon was still sitting cross-legged in front of him.

Di Lintian did not rush into battle this time; he walked up to Inner Demon and sat cross-legged, facing him.

"You cannot defeat me," Inner Demon shook his head.

"We just fought once, and I almost won, didn't I?" Di Lintian countered.

"That was because I calculated that you would fear death," Inner Demon shook his head again. "Try again, and perhaps you will force yourself not to fear death, but you will still lose."

"Then how am I supposed to pass this trial?" Di Lintian asked directly.

Inner Demon remained silent.

"Then, let's go again!"

The Dragon Scale Sword manifested in Di Lintian's hand as he retreated rapidly.

Inner Demon slowly stood up, pointing his sword at Di Lintian.

Neither of them used any soul skills; it was a pure duel of swordsmanship.

After hundreds of exchanges, Di Lintian found an opening once more, preparing to deliver the final blow to Inner Demon.

However, Inner Demon threw martial honor to the wind and used the soul skill of his hundred-thousand-year left arm soul bone—Eternal Night Rush.

Inner Demon's speed increased by three hundred percent instantly, while Di Lintian's was slowed by one hundred percent.

Di Lintian didn't even see Inner Demon's movement before he was pierced through the heart by a sword.