69: I scoff at the illusion of inner demons.

A moment later, the figures of Feng Ziyan and her group of five appeared in Chu He's line of sight.

They were all stunned to see Chu He actually waiting for them at the entrance.

Especially Feng Ziyan; her pretty face flushed slightly, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Had her little scheme been seen through by him?

"Sen... Senior," Uncle Fu stepped forward with difficulty and said respectfully, "Thank you, Senior, for clearing the way for us."

Chu He glanced at him indifferently without saying a word.

His gaze bypassed Uncle Fu and looked directly at Feng Ziyan.

"Want to go in?" he asked.

Feng Ziyan felt a bit flustered under his gaze, but she still braced herself and nodded.

"Then keep up."

Chu He was concise; after speaking, he turned and stepped into the spatial vortex, vanishing from sight.

Feng Ziyan and Uncle Fu exchanged a look, hesitated no longer, and hurriedly followed... followed by another bout of world-spinning dizziness.

When Chu He opened his eyes again, he found he was no longer on that bloody battlefield.

He stood before the gates of a familiar mansion.

Qingyang City, Chu Family.

At the gate, two guards saw him and shouted in surprise, "The Family Head is back!"

From inside the mansion came the happy laughter of his wife and children.

Qing'er, Lin Waner, and Su Qingxue—his three peerless wives—were playing in the courtyard with several children who had already grown up.

His Eldest Son, Chu Tian, had grown into a heroic youth, his cultivation surprisingly reaching the Golden Core Stage.

His daughter, Chu Yuning, had grown into a graceful and elegant young woman, exuding Immortal Qi with Dao rhymes flowing around her, her cultivation level unfathomable.

The dragon and phoenix twins, Chu Batian and Chu Lingxi, had also become young adults; one exuded dominance while the other was as ethereal as an immortal. Together, the siblings were enough to roam the world.

His youngest son, Chu Ce, was a taciturn Formation Genius; with a casual wave of his hand, he could manifest a world-shaking Formation.

The whole Family was harmonious, warm, and happy.

"Husband, you're back!"

When Qing'er and the others saw Chu He, they all wore happy smiles and gathered around him.

"Father!"

The children also called out affectionately.

Looking at the scene before him, a gentle smile appeared on Chu He's face as well.

He opened his arms, wanting to embrace his Family.

However, at the very moment his hand was about to touch Qing'er.

His smile suddenly vanished.

In its place was a look of extreme coldness and disdain.

"That's it?"

He uttered those two words indifferently.

The moment his voice fell, the warm and happy scene before him shattered like a reflection in water or a flower in a mirror.

His wives, children, and the mansion all turned into nothingness.

He returned to a vast, dark hall.

In the center of the hall, there was only a flight of stairs leading to a higher level.

Heart Demon Illusion.

The trial of the second floor of the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda.

It would create a corresponding illusion based on each entrant's deepest desires and fears.

For the vast majority of Cultivators, this was the most perilous stage.

For if one's Dao Heart wavered even slightly, they would sink into the illusion forever, unable to extricate themselves, and eventually die from the exhaustion of their Divine Soul.

The illusion just now had been created by the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda based on Chu He's deep-seated concern for his Family.

It attempted to use these warm scenes to corrode Chu He's Dao Heart and make him indulge in it.

Unfortunately, it had picked the wrong target.

Chu He's Dao Heart had long been tempered as hard as a rock by the experiences of two lifetimes.

Moreover, the Nine Revolutions Tyrant Dragon Art he cultivated was an extremely masculine and yang-oriented imperial Cultivation Technique. It carried a world-dominating Dragon might that naturally countered all falsehoods and illusions.

Such a childish illusion was simply laughable in his eyes.

"Too weak."

Chu He shook his head, his face full of disappointment.

"It can't even simulate one-ten-thousandth of my heart's desire, and it dares to call itself a Heart Demon Illusion?"

"At the very least, it should expand my harem to three thousand, have my descendants spread across the myriad realms, and turn my Family's Luck into the Heavenly Dao to barely be considered entry-level, right?"

If these words were heard by outsiders, their jaws would probably drop in shock.

The Heart Demon that others avoided at all costs was actually being criticized by him for having too small a scope.

Just as he was about to step onto the stairs to head to the third floor.

The surrounding darkness suddenly twisted violently.

Clearly, the Pagoda Spirit of the second floor had been enraged by his words.

Boom!

The scene changed once again.

This time, it was no longer a warm home.

But a tragic Hell on earth.

The Chu Family Mansion was engulfed in a raging fire.

Qing'er, Lin Waner, Su Qingxue... all of his Family members lay on the ground covered in blood, their breaths faint.

A terrifying Demonic Shadow with an indistinguishable face was grinning hideously, stepping on the head of the Eldest Son, Chu Tian.

"Chu He! Do you see? This is the fate of your Family!"

"All your efforts will come to nothing!"

"Feel the despair! Feel the pain!"

The Demonic Shadow let out a piercing roar, attempting to break down Chu He's psychological defenses in the most malicious way possible.

Chu He watched this scene quietly, expressionless.

After a long while, he finally spoke slowly.

"Nice acting."

"Don't do it again."

As soon as he finished speaking.

"Roar—!"

A roar containing supreme Dragon might erupted from the depths of his Divine Soul!

The golden Divine Soul power transformed into the ferocious phantom of an Immemorial Divine Dragon, appearing behind him.

The Divine Dragon opened its massive golden eyes that looked down upon all living beings with indifference and merely cast a cold glance at this false world.

Crack! Crack!

The entire illusion world, like shattered glass, was instantly covered in cracks and then collapsed with a bang!

The dark hall reappeared.

But this time, huge cracks also appeared on the walls of the hall, as if it were unable to bear the burden.

An ethereal voice, carrying a hint of terror and anger, echoed through the hall.

[Who... who on earth are you? Why... why can you ignore the Heart Demon, and even... severely damage the Origin Illusion?]

This was the Pagoda Spirit of the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda's second floor.

It had existed for countless eons and seen countless brilliant Prodigies, but it had never seen a monster like Chu He who didn't play by the rules.

He had actually used pure Divine Soul power to break the law with force, literally roaring its Heart Demon Illusion into pieces!

This was simply unheard of!

Chu He did not answer its question.

He only gave a disdainful sneer.

"An Artifact Spirit without even its own self-awareness dares to play tricks in front of me?"

"If there's a next time, I'll tear down this broken pagoda of yours!"

Having said that, he ignored the shivering Pagoda Spirit and stepped onto the stairs leading to the third floor.

Leaving only the Pagoda Spirit to stand dazed in the wind.

Tear... tear down this broken pagoda?

Madman! This is definitely a madman!