118: This is the opportunity bestowed upon you.

Within the illusion, the final roars and screeches gradually faded away under the shattered firmament and within the reality of the Immortal Cave, leaving only a deathly silent afterglow.

The Ancient Illusion Array also slowly dissipated, peeling away from Gu Yingying's Sea of Consciousness like a receding tide.

Inside the actual Immortal Cave, the suffocating pressure and violent energy fluctuations also returned to tranquility.

Lu Yang stood where he was. The blood and Qi boiling around him like a furnace gradually calmed down, and the crimson light flowing beneath his skin withdrew. The coldness and dominance in his eyes dissipated slightly, replaced by a profound depth.

"Whew..."

Lu Yang gently exhaled a long breath, one that was scorching and condensed.

With his majestic Primordial Yang and formidable Physical Body tempered by the Flood Dragon Transformation and Essence Art, combined with the endurance of the Dragon Phoenix Yin-Yang Art and the enhancement of the illusion array,

he had engaged in Dual Cultivation with Gu Yingying a full ten times in the Immortal Cave this time.

Not only did he show no signs of fatigue, but he was like tempered steel—becoming increasingly pure, condensed, and unfathomable.

Lu Yang felt the surging blood, Qi, and Primordial Yang within him, which seemed to contain infinite power, as well as his Meridians and bones that had become even tougher after repeated tempering. A satisfied curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

And opposite him.

Gu Yingying's body was as if all her bones had been removed, collapsing limply onto the cold, hard bluestone floor.

She was completely unclothed. Her skin, which was originally smooth and flawless like cold jade, was now covered in large patches of shocking greenish-purple bruises. They varied in depth, looking as if they had been repeatedly struck by an invisible heavy hammer or torn by violent energy flows, appearing exceptionally piercing and hideous against her fair complexion.

These bruises were the result of those ten rounds of Dual Cultivation.

They were both proof of the overbearing power of the Flood Dragon Transformation and Essence Art and a manifestation of her own endurance reaching its limit under the extreme impact.

Her long hair had long since become a disheveled mess, sticking wetly to her sweaty neck and cheeks.

The surface of her originally delicate and perfect skin was not only covered in lingering beads of hot sweat but also appeared abnormally sensitive and fragile due to the intense energy washing over it, glowing with an unnatural flush.

Her entire aura was withered to the extreme. Her eyes were unfocused, filled with the daze of a survivor and a bone-deep exhaustion, looking wretched to the utmost limit.

After a long time, Gu Yingying managed with great difficulty to shakily prop up her upper body with her arms.

Every tiny movement pulled at the bruises covering her entire body, bringing waves of tearing pain that made her unable to stop herself from letting out soft gasps.

She didn't even have the strength to stand up immediately; she could only struggle to move her body bit by bit, fumbling through a Storage Pouch scattered nearby to find a new set of clothes.

The process of dressing was slow and difficult, her fingers appearing clumsy due to exhaustion and lingering tremors.

Her shattered old clothes had long since turned to dust in the previous, indescribable energy agitation.

When she finally managed to pull the clothes onto her body, covering her bruise-ridden frame, she seemed to regain a tiny, negligible sense of security.

Gu Yingying subconsciously raised her eyes and looked toward Lu Yang, who was standing in the center of the Immortal Cave.

In that gaze, there was an additional layer of Soul-deep fear that could no longer be hidden!

This fear stemmed not only from Lu Yang's currently unfathomable aura of power but was also rooted in the long and terrifying "Cultivation" that had just ended.

That was not just a torture of the body, but an ordeal for the Soul.

Unstoppable energy had crashed violently through her Meridians, bringing tearing pain as if it wanted to crush and reorganize every inch of her bones and muscles.

Every impact brought her to the brink of collapse while she was still conscious, making her wish only for a quick death to be released.

The Ancient Illusion Lu Yang had set up with Heart Formation Traceless was not real, yet it magnified the sensory impact to the extreme.

In the illusion, she witnessed—that Saintess of the Profound Heaven Sect—being ruthlessly crushed by the Primeval Evil Dragon.

She felt exactly what the Saintess felt!

Every time the Evil Dragon's giant claws, burning with black flames, struck the Saintess, it felt like they were smashing directly into her Soul.

She could clearly feel the Soul-tearing pain when the protective pure light exploded;

she personally experienced the terror of that scorching evil force piercing through her body when the dragon claws pressed into the Saintess's chest.

She felt the despair as her life Origin was frantically devoured when the Saint's blood gushed out.

The pain, the impact, the heat, the helplessness, the weakness... all sensations were magnified a hundred times, sharp and suffocating, piercing her consciousness at every moment.

What made her sink even further was that everything happening in the reality of the Immortal Cave was perfectly synchronized with the torture in the illusion!

The violent energy forced into her body corresponded to the Evil Dragon's destructive breath.

The tearing pain exploding deep within her Origin was like the power of the Evil Dragon rampaging through her body.

The reactions of her body losing control were exactly the same as the Saintess's posture as she struggled under the dragon's claws.

This terrifying synchronization completely shattered her perception!

During the full ten rounds of "Cultivation," she had completely lost herself.

She was no longer just a bystander.

She was that Saintess!

She was the existence being dragged from the clouds into the mire by the Primeval Evil Dragon in the most violent way, being toyed with at will, her dignity repeatedly trampled upon, enduring endless pain and humiliation!

Her consciousness, perception, and identity were completely confused and reconstructed under the dual strangulation of the illusion and reality!

That feeling... was the suffocation of being crushed into dust by absolute power.

It was the despair of being controlled by an invisible hand and losing all autonomy.

It was the nakedness of having her most vulnerable weaknesses completely seen through by the other party.

It was a cruel destruction and reshaping dominated by the other party—her body and Soul were forcibly broken, melted down, and then molded according to his will... over and over again!

That extreme experience of her body seemingly being torn apart from the inside, her Soul burning in flames, and her consciousness hanging on the edge of an abyss... had turned into the deepest brand. Carrying the cold aura of the Evil Dragon's black flames and the Saintess's weeping blood, it was deeply engraved into her marrow and etched into the core of her Divine Soul! Like a curse she could not escape!

Every time a fragment of memory flashed by, it made her entire body go cold, and a silent scream welled up from the depths of her Soul.

She absolutely could not endure it a second time!

That was not just the destruction of the Physical Body, but the annihilation of the Soul and the permanent loss of self! Just the thought of it made her newly stabilized Realm feel a hint of instability.

In the gaze she directed toward Lu Yang, that Soul-deep fear had condensed into something substantial.

Gu Yingying struggled to avert her eyes, not daring to look at Lu Yang any longer.

She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously clutching the corner of her clothes, her body still trembling slightly.

In the Immortal Cave, there was only the sound of her suppressed, erratic breathing and the greenish-purple bruises all over her body, silently recounting the dual storm of illusion and reality that had just ended.

Lu Yang gave the limply collapsed Gu Yingying a faint glance.

He casually took out a healing Medicinal Pill emitting a soft glow from his Storage Pouch and tossed it accurately beside her.

The pill felt warm in her hand. Gu Yingying was startled by the touch, and her unfocused eyes finally sharpened as she came back to her senses.

Lu Yang's voice was calm and steady, yet every word was jarring: "Senior Sister Gu, I didn't expect your Aptitude to be so mediocre as well."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of undisguised mockery: "Half a month ago when I was still an Outer Sect Disciple, you were already at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage. I didn't expect that even today, you haven't made the slightest progress."

"It's a waste that you took so much from my place last time; it seems it didn't have much effect after all."

"As for today's matter," Lu Yang's tone shifted, carrying a charitable casualness, "just consider it an Opportunity I've given you.

Furthermore, this Opportunity is enough to help you Breakthrough to the Peak Foundation Establishment."

"No need to thank me. I, your Junior Brother, just enjoy helping others." A half-smile played on Lu Yang's lips. "Senior Sister only needs to act as if today's matter never happened."