63: Jindan chases and plays tricks on the ancestor

The figure moving through the dense forest suddenly paused.

Lin Gou's muscles instantly tensed.

Every single hair on his body stood on end at that moment!

An immense, indescribable fear, originating from the depths of his Soul, instantly engulfed him like an invisible, icy ocean.

He felt like a mouse exposed in the wilderness.

And above the Nine Heavens, an ancient deity was locking onto him with cold, emotionless eyes.

That gaze ignored space, distance, and all his disguises.

It was like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely searing his Divine Soul!

Golden Core Stage.

This was absolutely the Divine Sense lock of a Golden Core Stage expert.

For a moment, Lin Gou's mind went blank.

All his future plans, all his blueprints for courting death, seemed so pale and ridiculous at this moment.

Before the absolute will of a Golden Core Elder, a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator was merely an ant that could be crushed at will.

Run?

Where could he run?

In this sealed Secret Realm, he had nowhere to escape.

The shadow of death had never felt so real and heavy as it did now.

This time, it wasn't acting.

It wasn't a scheme.

It was a truly unavoidable, inescapable... certain death situation.

However.

This extreme fear and despair lasted for only three breaths.

After three breaths.

Lin Gou's heart, which had been pounding wildly from fear, suddenly skipped a beat.

An utterly absurd yet perfectly logical thought, like a thunderbolt in a dark, rainy night, pierced through all the darkness and fear in his mind.

"Wait..."

"A Golden Core Elder... personally taking action... to kill me?"

Lin Gou's eyes, after experiencing extreme terror, slowly and uncontrollably... lit up!

It was an astonishing light, mixed with trembling, dread, yet also a hint of madness and fervor!

"Killed by a small monster, rewarded with a Medicinal Pill."

"Killed by the schemes of trash like Ye Jun, rewarded with a nascent Heaven Rank Physique."

"Then..."

"If I am utterly annihilated by a genuine Golden Core great power, consumed by endless rage, with the force of a thunderbolt..."

Lin Gou's breathing stopped.

"What reward will the System give me?"

Once this thought appeared, it was like a wildfire spreading across the plains, instantly burning away all his rationality!

S-rank reward?

No, that would be underestimating the value of a Golden Core Elder!

This would at least be SS-rank, or even the legendary... SSS-rank Divine-Grade grand prize that could crash the System!

Peerless Cultivation Technique? Innate Dao Body? Or... direct Ascension on the spot?!

Run?

No.

The problem now was no longer whether he could run or not.

Instead... Lin Gou suddenly looked up, staring in the direction of the Divine Sense lock, a look of twisted, ecstatic joy, uglier than crying, on his face.

"Big shot, please don't lose me!"

He licked his dry lips, only one thought frantically swirling in his mind.

"What kind of posture should I use to welcome this luxurious, top-tier 'death gift package' falling from the sky?!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Gou's hand rummaged quickly through Ye Jun's Storage Pouch.

A Talisman glowing with a faint greenish aura was pulled out by him.

Speed Talisman.

Spiritual energy injected!

With a soft 'buzz,' the Talisman transformed into a ball of green light, enveloping his legs.

Lin Gou's figure instantly became a blurry afterimage, frantically darting towards the depths of the dense forest, his speed several times faster than before.

And just as he moved, a cold, majestic voice, as if from the depths of the Nine Hells, exploded directly in his mind.

"Little beast, you run quite fast."

It was the Divine Sense message from Golden Core Elder Zhao Wuji.

"Stop, and I can let you die a quick death."

Lin Gou ignored him, his speed increasing further, the crude Secret Realm map in his mind rapidly unfolding, his gaze fixed on an area marked in blood-red.

Illusory Heart Forest.

A Forbidden Ground listed as "extremely dangerous" by all Sect Disciples.

"You fool, still daring to burrow into a Forbidden Ground?"

Zhao Wuji's voice carried a hint of cruel amusement, like a cat toying with a mouse.

"Good, saves this Old Ancestor the trouble of doing it myself."

Lin Gou knew that the other party would never let him go; he was just enjoying the pleasure of being in control.

He said nothing, like a wild beast cornered by hunting dogs, plunging into the seemingly serene, even somewhat beautiful, forest.

The trees in the Illusory Heart Forest were distinctly different from those outside.

Their trunks were covered with spiral-shaped, bizarre patterns resembling crying human faces.

A cloyingly sweet, strange fragrance permeated the air, making one dizzy if inhaled for too long.

There were no bird calls, no insect chirps here; it was so quiet it was unsettling.

The moment Lin Gou rushed into the forest, Zhao Wuji's sense of pursuit, instead, slowed down.

That Golden Core Old Ancestor seemed to want to leisurely enjoy the tragic sight of him being devoured by his Heart Demon.

Just as I wished.

Lin Gou's lips curved into an imperceptible smile.

He voluntarily released all his mental defenses.

Like opening a floodgate.

"Lin Gou, this quarter's KPI isn't finished yet, and you want to leave work?"

A hallucination of a middle-aged man in a suit with a receding hairline appeared before him, holding a thick stack of reports, throwing them at him.

His bald boss from his previous life.

"Senior Brother, save me... why didn't you save me..."

Several fellow Disciples, their faces blurred, who had died during Sect missions, stretched out their pale hands from the ground, grabbing at his ankles.

"It's you! You killed us! Give us back our lives!"

Ye Jun and his few Ye family juniors transformed into vengeful spirits engulfed in flames, lunging from all directions, their faces hideous.

Countless illusions, like a bursting dam, instantly engulfed him.

These illusions struck at the deepest fears and guilt within his Soul.

Any other Foundation Establishment Cultivator would have lost control of his mind and fallen into eternal damnation by now.

Yet, Lin Gou, surrounded by these illusions, revealed a smile of relief.

Come on.

Tear me apart to your heart's content.

He closed his eyes, allowing the claws formed by the Heart Demons to pierce his Divine Soul.

An indescribable agony exploded from the Origin of his Soul.

It was as if an exquisite porcelain vessel had been forcibly shattered into countless cracks.

Crack.

His consciousness completely shattered amidst the endless darkness and illusions.

His body, too, softly collapsed onto the ground covered with strange fallen leaves, his life force extinguished.

【Ding! You have died from Heart Demon backlash in the Illusory Heart Forest!】

【Death method evaluation: Suicidal experience, perfect mental collapse, your embrace of madness is admirable!】

【Reward settlement in progress...】

【Congratulations to the Host for acquiring the Divine Soul defensive secret technique — the "Qingxin Pushan Curse"!】

【Congratulations to the Host for acquiring a trace of 'Divine Soul Origin', your Divine Soul strength has received a slight increase!】

The moment Lin Gou "died."

A majestic phantom slowly descended into the clearing in the forest.

It was Golden Core Elder Zhao Wuji.

He looked down at Lin Gou's corpse on the ground, sweeping it with his Divine Sense.

No breath, Divine Soul annihilated.

He was as dead as could be.

"Hmph, an ant-like thing, daring to play tricks in front of this Old Ancestor."

Zhao Wuji snorted coldly, feeling a bit bored.

He had expected some fierce resistance, but the opponent had merely foolishly rushed into the Forbidden Ground to commit suicide.

Although his hatred was appeased, he felt a lack of the pleasure of torturous killing.

Just as he was about to turn and leave to find the true location of his grandson's death.

An unexpected change occurred.

He suddenly felt that the surrounding trees, those crying human-face patterns, seemed to come alive.

Subtle, venomous whispers began to echo in his mind.

"You should die too..."

"He who kills others shall himself be killed..."

"Your Dao is wrong..."

Zhao Wuji's eyes narrowed.

"Mere illusions, daring to show off before me!"

How powerful was his Golden Core Stage Divine Sense? He instantly sought to crush these distracting thoughts.

But at that very instant, a scene long forgotten in the depths of his mind uncontrollably surfaced.

It was a scene from his youth, when he ambushed and killed his fellow Senior Brother to compete for a breakthrough Medicinal Pill.

That Senior Brother's venomous and bewildered gaze before his death.

This Heart Demon had been suppressed by him for hundreds of years.

Now, it was actually stirred out by the power of the Illusory Heart Forest!

"Get out!"

Zhao Wuji roared, his Golden Core circulating, his powerful will forcibly suppressing this trace of Heart Demon.

Although it was only a momentary lapse, it caused a subtle, almost imperceptible tremor in his mind.

"Damn this cursed place!"

Zhao Wuji cursed with a gloomy expression.

And at this moment.

Inside a hidden cave several miles away, Lin Gou's figure appeared out of thin air.

This was the resurrection anchor point he had set up in advance.

The world became clear again.

A cool sensation flowed deep within his Divine Soul.

The method of the "Qingxin Pushan Curse" was already imprinted in his mind like an instinct.

The illusions that had previously torn his Divine Soul apart now seemed like reflections in a mirror, utterly ridiculous, when he recalled them.

His Divine Soul was also more resilient than before, by more than just a little.

Lin Gou wasted no time.

A malicious smile appeared on his face.

He immediately activated the "Qingxin Pushan Curse," concealing his aura to the extreme, then stealthily made his way towards the location where he had just "died."

With the power of the Illusory Heart Forest, he was like a true ghost.

Soon, he vaguely saw the majestic back of the person who was about to leave.

Zhao Wuji.

Lin Gou pulled out the lowest-grade offensive Talisman from his Storage Pouch.

Fireball Talisman.

He did not aim the Talisman at Zhao Wuji.

Instead, he aimed at a particularly demonic-looking plant with human-face-shaped flowers, located to Zhao Wuji's side and slightly behind him.

He flicked his finger.

The Fireball Talisman transformed into a faint red light, flying silently.

"Boom!"

A not-so-loud explosion, in the silent forest, sounded particularly harsh.

The demonic plant was blasted, its sap splattering.

This small disturbance, for a Golden Core cultivator, was not even enough to tickle him.

But at this moment, Zhao Wuji's mind was in a subtly sensitive state.

This sudden explosion was like a needle, sharply pricking his taut nerves.

"Who's there?!"

He suddenly turned his head, his Divine Sense surging.

And in that instant of his mind's tremor.

The Heart Demon that had just been forcibly suppressed, like finding a vent, erupted with a roar!

"Pfft!"

Zhao Wuji's figure swayed violently, his throat felt sweet, and a trace of golden blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth.

He had actually suffered a slight internal injury.

Although negligible, for a high and mighty Golden Core Elder, this was an absolute humiliation!

He furiously swept his Divine Sense across the entire Illusory Heart Forest.

Empty.

No trace of any living thing.

The person who ignited the Talisman seemed to have never appeared.

Zhao Wuji was stunned.

Then, a thought that he himself found utterly absurd surfaced in his mind.

Timing.

The timing of the explosion was precisely the moment his mind was most unstable.

That kid who had just had his Divine Soul annihilated.

This inexplicable explosion.

Could it be... impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

He had personally confirmed it; that kid was thoroughly dead!

But... if it wasn't him, then who was it?

In this sealed Secret Realm, who would have the guts, and the ability, to play such tricks right under his nose?

Zhao Wuji's expression shifted from anger, to suspicion, and then to an incomprehensible, extreme rage.

He had been played!

He, the esteemed Golden Core Elder of the Xuan Yin Sect, had been played by an ant in the Foundation Establishment Stage!

"Ah—!!!"

A pressure a hundred times more terrifying than before erupted with a roar!

The entire Illusory Heart Forest trembled wildly under his wrath.

Zhao Wuji let out a roar that shook the entire Secret Realm.

"No matter what kind of ghost you are!"

"This Old Ancestor will definitely drag you out and grind you to dust!!"