232: Illusionary Realm Assessment

[You felt your Divine Soul tremble, and when you opened your eyes again, you were in a blood-red battlefield.]

[The setting sun was like blood, and beneath your feet were mountains of corpses. A strong scent of blood assailed you.]

[Before your eyes was actually the scene of a tragic battlefield...]

[The roars of other Cultivators already echoed all around—]

[Some were fighting demons, some were kneeling and weeping, and some were even mutilating themselves as if their Dao Heart had collapsed.]

[Looking out—the entire battlefield was divided into two distinct worlds, upper and lower.]

[Above the firmament was the battlefield for powerhouses at the Soul Transformation Stage and above.]

[An Immortal Venerable controlled a ten-thousand-zhang Thunder Pool, clashing fiercely with a Demon Venerable's “Myriad Demon Blood Sea,” as lightning and foul blood intertwined and annihilated each other.]

[On the other side, a Sword Dao Immortal Venerable's “Lifeless Sword Domain” flashed each time, fiercely engaging with a Demon Venerable's “Nine Nether Demon Domain,” tearing open spatial cracks.]

[That was the collision of Laws and Origins; space beneath their feet continuously shattered and reformed like glazed glass.]

[On the ground, it was a meat grinder for low-level Cultivators—their cultivation ranged from Foundation Establishment to Nascent Soul. Looking out, the vast battlefield had no end in sight, with figures and firelight everywhere.]

[Everywhere, battle Formations composed of ten thousand Foundation Establishment Cultivators could be seen, sword light like a forest, Talismans like rain, fiercely clashing with the surging tide of low-level demons.]

[In every instant, hundreds and thousands of figures turned to ash in Spell explosions.]

[A Nascent Soul saber Cultivator roared, unleashing a thousand-zhang saber aura, cutting three mountain-sized “Molten Giants” in half at the waist, their scorching demonic blood gushing like a waterfall.]

[Not far away, the Nine Sons Ghost Mother's spewed Nether Ghost Fire was being firmly resisted by the “Two Poles Dust Array” of the Formation Dao Institute’s Disciples, the array light and ghost fire intertwining and emitting a harsh corrosive sound.]

[You took a deep breath, quietly circulating the Ice Fire Fiend Poison Body. Your left eye glowed with ice-blue Evil Qi, and your right pupil pulsed with crimson poisonous fire.]

[At the same time, you circulated the Spotless Sword Body, protecting your spiritual platform with clear Sword Intent, maintaining a clear mind.]

[With the clarity brought by the Spotless Sword Body, you clearly realized that all of this was an illusion.]

[You immediately understood—this was the second trial.]

[Although you knew it was an illusion, the fiendish toxin Qi on the battlefield... was a great tonic for you!]

[Far from resisting, you spread your arms, absorbing the blood fiend, Devilish Qi, and death intent permeating the battlefield into your body like a whale sucking water.]

[These negative energies, enough to make ordinary Cultivators' Dao Heart collapse, immediately transformed into pure poisonous essence once refined by your toxin body!]

["Not enough... far from enough!"]

[You let out a long roar and leaped into the densest part of the battle Formation.]

[Wherever you passed, the Divine Ability Spell “Ten Thousand Spirits Poisonous Miasma” instantly activated, and your surroundings transformed into an absolute Domain of death.]

[Whether it was ferocious demons or out-of-control Cultivators, once they stepped into this Domain, their flesh and blood instantly melted away, becoming nourishment for your toxin body.]

[You fought to sustain yourself, your aura rising steadily, and in this destructive great war, you forcefully carved out a unique poisonous Dao that belonged solely to you!]

[Just as you were letting out a joyful roar—]

[The surrounding battlefield space suddenly solidified.]

[Nine Nether chains entwined with twisted runes appeared out of thin air, binding you tightly.]

[Despite your Spotless Sword Body ringing and your ice-fire poisonous essence surging, under this powerful suppression, you found it difficult to break free.]

[A crack appeared in the firmament, and a Demon Venerable seated on a throne of bones looked down with lowered eyes.]

[The next second, the surrounding scene changed abruptly, and you were brought to a void space.]

[The Demon Venerable flicked five demonic seeds entwined with Chaos Qi, which directly penetrated your glabella and rooted deep within your Nascent Soul Dao foundation.]

["Go to the earth veins of the five major forces and plant the demonic seeds, and you can regain your freedom."]

[The Demon Venerable's voice echoed in your Divine Soul:]

["If three of them sprout... this Venerable will bestow upon you the 'Myriad Calamity Demonic Scripture.'"]

[The demonic seeds frantically rooted in your Dao foundation, the severe pain making you curl up on the ground.]

[When you tried to self-detonate your Nascent Soul, you found that even the circulation of spiritual power was completely sealed.]

["You're dreaming!"] You squeezed these three words through gritted teeth.

[The Demon Venerable waved his withered claw lightly, and your vision immediately plunged into darkness.]

[When you opened your eyes again, you had actually returned to the Canglan Holy Land plaza.]

[The ten Formation Masters in the sky were still maintaining the Formation, and the Sixth Elder looked at you with satisfaction:]

["Excellent, you maintained a clear spiritual platform and passed the assessment. Participate in the final assessment in three days. Go back and rest for now."]

[It was that easy to pass the assessment?]

[You felt something was wrong and immediately used your Divine Sense to inspect your internal body, searching for traces of the demonic seeds—but found nothing.]

[Suppressing the unease in your heart, you returned to your residence, just about to meditate, when a bloody crack suddenly appeared on your glabella—]

[That demonic seed broke out of your body and instantly plunged into the earth veins!]

[The next second—]

["Presumptuous!"]

[Several figures broke through the air, their pressure like a mountain collapse and a tsunami:]

["Qin Chen! How dare you feed your body to a demon!"]

["I didn't, I..."]

["Still trying to argue! Your Dao foundation is already tainted with demonic filth; you've clearly become a vessel for the Demon Race!"]

["Everyone," an Elder said gravely, "since the demonic seed has entered the earth, only by personally carving out his heart and crushing the seed can it be resolved."]

[Your eyes narrowed, and you pointed your fingers like a knife, plunging them into your chest cavity and pulling out your bloody heart.]

[You looked at your palm—black root tendrils entwined around the beating ventricle, as if coexisting with the demonic seed.]

["Crush it with your own hands."] An Elder said coldly.

[Your trembling fingers closed, and amidst the excruciating pain of your heart pulse breaking, you heard the dull thud of flesh and blood bursting—]

["Pfft!"]

[Excruciating pain struck, and you lost consciousness.]

[The next second—]

[You suddenly opened your eyes, still gasping violently within the Ten Directions Illusion Heaven Formation.]

[Feeling the lingering phantom pain in your heart, you looked up at the ten Formation Masters in the sky.]

[The Sixth Elder of the Holy Land nodded at you:]

["Qin Chen, you passed the assessment. Go back and rest; participate in the third assessment in three days."]

[You stood up and cupped your hands, simultaneously noticing the hundreds of different illusions projected above the heads of other examinees—it turned out that everyone experienced different trials.]

[You slowly wiped away the cold sweat from your forehead and quickly returned to your residence.]

[After returning to your residence, you still felt unsettled.]

["Could it be... that I'm still in the illusion trial right now?"]

[You immediately circulated the Spotless Sword Body, and the clear Sword Intent instantly cleared your mind.]

[To be safe, you also used your Divine Sense to carefully inspect your internal body again.]

[The illusion just now and reality were simply too realistic.]

[Especially at the end, when you personally crushed your heart, you were actually gambling—gambling that it was still an illusion.]

[Mainly because you weren't afraid of death.]

[If this weren't a simulation, you couldn't guarantee that you would actually crush your heart.]

[You weren't that confident.]

[Such an assessment was truly terrifying.]

[It was also fortunate that you had the Spotless Sword Body, which allowed your Sword Heart to be clear and your spiritual platform to be lucid, otherwise the consequences would have been dire.]