Illusory and Real Bewildering Formation

The stellar chains swept toward them, bearing immense pressure. Lin Wudao swung the Sword of the Falling Star, and the blade collided with the chains, unleashing a dazzling radiance that lit up the entire starry sky. Yet the seemingly fierce attack vanished like a clay ox sinking into the sea. The runes flowing across the chains nullified the sword strike completely, and the chains instead coiled toward him even faster.

"These chains fuse the Star Palace's source power with the Ancient Witch Clan's incantation arts!" The Holy Maiden played her jade flute urgently, turning sound waves into an invisible barrier, but layers of ripples spread across it the instant it touched the chains. Su Yao lashed out with her gilded whip, filling the sky with fiery serpents. The flames scorched the chains, only to scatter a few sparks before swiftly dying out.

The Devil Master stood with his hands behind his back, the light around him flickering. "Only those pure of heart can command the Star Palace's power. Harbor even the slightest greed, and this stellar power will turn against you." Before he finished speaking, Lin Wudao's sea of consciousness suddenly shook violently, and visions flooded his mind-he saw himself controlling the Star Palace, commanding the entire cultivation world; then he saw Su Yao and the Holy Maiden lying in pools of blood while he held a divine artifact, his gaze cold as frost.

"Illusions! Be careful!" Lin Wudao bit the tip of his tongue, and the sharp pain dispelled some of the hallucinations. He circulated the Mystic Heaven Creation Instruction, forming a protective membrane of the Power of the Falling Star within his meridians. At the same time, he controlled the Chaos Heaven-Devouring Instruction to devour the Demon Qi eroding his sea of consciousness. Yet the visions clung like festering sores on bone. For every measure he devoured, new images surged in like a tide.

Seeing his pained expression, Su Yao flicked her whip around his wrist. "Wudao! Wake up!" The warm touch transmitted through the gilded whip was like a beam of light. Lin Wudao abruptly opened his eyes, only to see Su Yao's face begin to twist into that of the Ancient Witch Clan's leader, while the whip in her hand became a bloodstained bone blade.

"Don't trust your eyes!" The Holy Maiden's voice pierced the chaos. Her jade flute sounded the Clear Heart Incantation, and golden ripples formed from sound waves swept the illusions away. Lin Wudao's mind instantly cleared. He suddenly realized that the Devil Master's true killing move was not the stellar chains, but the Illusory and Real Bewildering Formation woven from their deepest fears and desires.

"Since it's an inner demon, I'll face it head-on!" Lin Wudao drew a deep breath, and fine stellar patterns surfaced across his Falling Star Physique. He voluntarily stopped resisting the visions, allowing the scene of himself "ruling the cultivation world" to unfold at the center of his sea of consciousness. Just as his illusory self was about to don the crown symbolizing power, Lin Wudao suddenly slashed his sword at the image. "What I seek has never been power or status, but to protect those I should protect!"

With that furious roar, the visions in his sea of consciousness shattered with a crash, and the stellar chains began trembling violently at the same moment. A trace of appreciation flashed through the Devil Master's eyes. "Interesting. But that little bit of resolve is far from enough!" He formed seals with both hands. The stars in the sky began revolving in reverse, and the Principles governing the entire space twisted.

Lin Wudao felt the spiritual power throughout his body being pulled relentlessly, as though this force would tear him to pieces. At the critical moment, he took out the chain fragment he had obtained from the Nether Demon Crystal. The fragment resonated with the stellar chains, actually piecing together half of a complete Star Seal Diagram in the void. "So this is the key to breaking the formation!" Lin Wudao thrust the Sword of the Falling Star into the seal diagram and drove the Chaos Heaven-Devouring Instruction at full strength, beginning to devour the stellar chains' power in reverse.

Seeing this, Su Yao and the Holy Maiden immediately acted in concert with him. Su Yao's gilded whip transformed into countless streaks of golden light, binding the chains that tried to break free; the Holy Maiden played sound waves of heaven-destroying, earth-annihilating might on her jade flute, smashing every one of the Devil Master's follow-up attacks. Under their combined efforts, the stellar chains broke apart inch by inch, turning into stardust that filled the sky.

Yet the Devil Master remained unhurried. Once the chains had completely dispersed, his figure suddenly became transparent. "Congratulations on passing the trial." He raised a hand and pointed. A crack opened in the enormous star chart at the center, revealing a massive bronze gate in its depths. "The secret of the Star Palace's second level lies behind this gate. But remember, the truth is often crueler than you imagine."

Lin Wudao wanted to question him further, but the Devil Master's figure had already vanished completely, leaving only one final remark echoing through the starry sky. "The Ancient Witch Clan's conspiracy is far from over. They are searching for even greater power..."

Su Yao walked to his side and gazed at the massive bronze gate, which exuded a mysterious presence. "Are we going in?"

Lin Wudao tightened his grip on the Sword of the Falling Star and strode forward. "Of course. Whether fortune or disaster lies beyond that gate, I'll uncover the truth behind all of this. Since the Ancient Witch Clan is still plotting in the shadows, the Star Palace's power is our best bargaining chip." He pressed the Jade Slip against the gate. The instant the runes lit up, the massive bronze gate slowly opened, and a force even more powerful than before rushed straight at them...