Chapter 70 Breaking the Stalemate with Killing

Chen Mu tightened his grip on the sword in his hand and swept his gaze across the room, seeing that every one of these men was tall and well-built, each with their own unique charm.

Some were heroic and masculine, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes; some were gentle and elegant, with a refined demeanor;

Some were wickedly charming and uninhibited, their eyes full of affection; some were cold and aloof, with bones like snow and a posture like ice.

Before Chen Mu could make a move, a man dressed in white with an otherworldly aura had already stood up, walked around the jade table, and bowed slightly.

“We have been waiting here for a long time. We figured those common, vulgar women just now wouldn't catch the Young Master's eye. Why not take a seat for a moment and let us accompany you for wine and conversation? Wouldn't it be wonderful to talk about the wind and the moon?”

Before his voice had even faded, a youth in green robes and a scholar's cap had already placed a flute to his lips. Standing still, he began to play a tune—it was none other than “The Phoenix Seeks His Mate.”

Beside him, a man in red also filled a jade goblet and bowed as he offered the wine.

Lapis lazuli cups, thick amber liquid, the wine dripping from the small vat was as red as pearls.

This level of diligent flattery was even more intense than that of the bathhouse fairies from before, playing the part of “catering to one's tastes” to the absolute extreme.

If the previous bathhouse temptation was straightforward desire, then this moment was an even more Advanced dual assault on both the spirit and the senses.

Anyone who entered this Illusion Realm would, when faced with wave after wave of precise temptation, likely find even the slightest hesitation infinitely magnified until they eventually drowned in it.

Unfortunately, the one they were facing now was Chen Mu.

A Martial Artist who had undergone Transmigration from Blue Star, struggling to survive in a chaotic world, constantly facing the threat of his Lifespan running out.

Chen Mu's gaze grew a few degrees colder than before; he didn't even bother with nonsense.

At the very moment the wine cup offered by the man in red was about to touch his hand, the sword light rose again.

The red-clothed man's head flew into the air, a smile still fixed on his face. The jade goblet in his hand shattered, and the fine wine spilled all over the ground, a patch of crimson merging with the fresh blood.

[Killed Illusion Realm Charm Spirit, Plundered Lifespan: Five years!]

Chen Mu felt a surge of joy in his heart. He activated Divine Void Step, his figure weaving through the great hall like a ghost. His long sword became an Incarnation of a silver wandering Dragon, leaving only dead Souls wherever it passed.

Kill!

Whether male or female, beautiful or ugly, as long as it was a temptation of this Illusion Realm, he would slash through it all!

[Killed Illusion Realm Charm Spirit, Plundered Lifespan: Five years!]

[Killed Illusion Realm Charm Spirit, Plundered Lifespan: Five years!]

[Killed Illusion Realm Charm Spirit, Plundered Lifespan: Five years!]

In just a few moments, all eighteen handsome men in the hall had been executed. The floor was covered in mangled corpses, and blood flowed like a river.

Chen Mu stood with his sword retracted, panting slightly. He glanced at the System; the two waves of kills had brought him a total of one hundred and fifty-six years of plundered Lifespan.

But that wasn't the point. The point was that this wasn't some unknown Secret Realm, but a carefully designed test.

In his previous life on Blue Star, he had read countless books; the tropes of Secret Realm Legacies, ancient trials, and Heart-Nature tests were already deeply ingrained in his mind.

From the moment he was sucked into the painting, the landscape cottage, the towering palace, the naked fairies, and the various handsome men had followed one after another. This single combination of moves was laughably obvious in its intent.

These trials, one after another, were clearly a setup by some old fogey behind the scenes to test the intruder's Heart-Nature.

If beautiful women couldn't handle it, they switched to handsome men?

Was the next step to bring out some androgynous, half-human, half-beast things to continue challenging his limits of patience?

At this thought, Chen Mu's stomach churned.

Even though killing these Charm Spirits granted him Lifespan, he didn't want to deal with them at all!

Time was pressing; the Ghostly Creatures of the Zhao Residence were watching like tigers, and the life or death of his colleagues was unknown. How could he be in the mood to slowly clear stages here? How could he be in the mood to play such low-level games with these things that he couldn't even tell were human or ghost?

Chen Mu looked up at the empty hall, his voice clear and cold.

“Setting up this kind of test... are you freaking out of your mind?!”

There wasn't a trace of reverence left in his tone, only undisguised mockery and rolling anger.

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire hall seemed to tremble. Without waiting for the designer behind the scenes to respond, Chen Mu continued to shout, “If there's treasure, hurry up and give it to me, understand?!”

...

Inside the cottage, the figure that had been peering at Chen Mu through a water mirror stiffened slightly.

The mirror surface reflected that blood-soaked figure pointing a sword at the sky, even vividly displaying that undisguised impatience and the “don't mess around with me” urgency.

For the first time, an irrepressible look of shock appeared on the old man's face.

He had been stationed in this “Universe within a Painting” for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, and had seen all sorts of young talents enter the painting seeking Opportunity.

Some couldn't see through the “Pink Skeletons,” their Dao Heart failing as they sank into a sea of desire, eventually turning into withered bones in a tomb.

Some struggled to endure, eventually reaching the other shore after going through thousands of hardships and dangers, bowing respectfully and calling him Immortal Master or Venerable One.

Was there ever anyone like this kid before him?

Cursing directly after clearing just two stages?

And righteously demanding that any treasure be brought out immediately?

The old man's figure was stiff, but from his slightly trembling shoulders, it was clear he was quite angry.

Meanwhile, in the water mirror, Chen Mu had already begun impatiently kicking away the corpses blocking his path, as if he were trying to find something substantial within the Illusion Realm.

He completely disregarded the slaughter and questioning he had just performed.

“Hmph.”

After a long while, the old man finally let out a cold snort from his nose. His voice contained an indescribable emotion—it seemed like annoyance, yet it was also mixed with a hint of admiration and novelty that even he hadn't noticed.

“With this kind of mindset... reckless and powerless, impulsive and aggressive, with no sense of reverence at all, what right does he have to inherit the Daoist lineage?”

“Not to mention that Heavenly Treasure which countless experts dream of...”

The old man muttered to himself, his voice so low it was barely audible, as if he were speaking to the Chen Mu in the water mirror, or perhaps just convincing himself, finding a legitimate reason for what he was about to do next.

His withered finger rose again, spiritual light regathering at the tip as he tapped the air toward the water mirror a few times.

Although the other's method of pointing directly at the heart of the matter, his crude way of breaking the situation, and that unique, reckless attitude had earned a sliver of his favor...

But rules were rules, and a test was a test.

“Since beauty cannot deceive his heart, let's see if the pain of the flesh can change his will.”

Following his movements, the scene in the water mirror underwent another massive change!

...

Within the great hall, the scene had already distorted.

There were no handsome men or beautiful women, no fine wine or delicacies.

The white jade floor beneath his feet shattered with a bang, replaced by countless cold glints. Densely packed sharp blades pointed upward, forming a continuous mountain of knives.

At the same time, the surrounding walls and the dome instantly ignited with raging flames. Tongues of fire suddenly shot up several meters high, and a wave of heat rushed toward him, instantly surrounding Chen Mu in a sea of fire.

Chen Mu frowned, thinking of a way to break through, when he heard a shrill sound of wind in his ears. Where the wind passed, it was like scraping steel knives, carrying a bone-chilling cold that could freeze the Soul.

A mountain of knives to pierce the body, a sea of fire to burn the form, and a cold wind to shatter the Soul!

Three trials descended simultaneously. This kind of array was ten thousand times more dangerous than the temptation of beauty; it tested the intruder's Physical Body strength, endurance, and willpower.

If it were an ordinary Cultivator, even one with a firm will, suddenly falling into such a predicament, their expression would inevitably change drastically as they struggled to cope.

However, Chen Mu, standing in this desperate situation, looked at the blades beneath his feet, the churning sea of fire, and the piercing cold wind.

The expression on his face gradually shifted from alertness to being speechless.

Finally, all that remained was pure anger.