92: A dreamlike realm of the heart, a tribulation of love as its catalyst.

The instant he stepped through the light door, it wasn't a spatial shift, but a sinking of consciousness.

Li Ao felt as if his Soul had been stripped from his body and cast into an endless, dizzyingly colored Chaos Void Realm. His surroundings were no longer concrete scenes, but a torrent of fragments flowing with various emotions, memories, obsessions, and desires. Joy, sorrow, anger, fear, greed, love... the mental energies of countless beings intertwined and collided here, forming a bizarre and colorful sea of consciousness.

This was the heart questioning pass!

It did not test Soul strength or Soul resilience; it only questioned the true heart!

Any flaw in the spirit, any hidden obsession, any lingering attachment would be infinitely magnified in this strange illusion, turning into the most fatal Heart Demon, tormenting the Soul until it collapsed!

Li Ao's Soul floated amidst this torrent of consciousness, like an unmoving bedrock. His Dao Heart was firm; having lived two lives, endured life and death, and controlling the Annihilation Rule, his resolve had long been tempered into ancient cold iron. Ordinary illusions could not shake him in the slightest.

Countless fragments of light and shadow attempted to surge into his consciousness:

There were the dazzling lights and endless temptations of the prosperous cities of his previous life on the Blue Star, tempting him to sink into depravity;

There was the weakness and fear from when he first arrived on the Fighting Qi Continent, attempting to evoke his terror;

There was the satisfaction of looking down upon all living beings after gaining power, enticing him to breed arrogance;

It even simulated the ferocious faces of enemies like Iron Protector and Yun Shan, attempting to ignite his towering rage and killing intent... However, the instant these illusions approached the core of Li Ao's Soul, where the wisp of gray Annihilation Concept resided, they were silently extinguished, like pebbles thrown into the Void Realm, unable to cause even a ripple, let alone affect him.

His Dao Heart was clear as a mirror, reflecting all things but remaining untainted by dust.

He did not know how much time had passed—perhaps an instant, perhaps an eternity. The chaotic torrent of consciousness seemed to realize that ordinary desires and emotions could not shake him, and it began to change.

The surrounding Chaos gradually condensed, transforming into a familiar scene—the Tagor Desert, Stone Desert City, the small courtyard where he, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin had temporarily resided.

The setting sun dyed the courtyard a warm orange-red. Xiao Yi Xian, wearing an apron, was bringing steaming dishes out of the kitchen, her face bearing a gentle and contented smile. Qing Lin was chasing low-level butterflies in the yard, her emerald eyes filled with innocent joy.

"Brother Li Ao, you're back? Hurry and wash your hands, dinner is ready." Xiao Yi Xian called out with a smile, her voice soft and full of domestic warmth.

"Master!" Qing Lin also cheered and rushed over, her small face radiating dependence and joy.

This scene was peaceful, beautiful, and filled with the happiness of mortal life. This was the trace of yearning for "peace" and "protection" hidden deep within Li Ao's heart.

The illusion accurately captured this subtle thread of emotion, magnified it, and constructed this heartwarming scene capable of softening countless iron hearts.

Li Ao quietly watched the scene, his gaze still calm, though a barely perceptible ripple crossed its depths. He knew this was an illusion, yet what the illusion presented was indeed something precious that he cherished in his heart.

He did not indulge, nor did he forcibly dispel it; he simply watched quietly, like a transient observer. Reflected by his Annihilation Dao Heart, the heartwarming scene, though realistic, ultimately remained separated by a layer, unable to truly invade his will.

The illusion seemed somewhat "annoyed," and the scene twisted and shattered once more.

The next moment, an extreme chill and dead silence descended!

The surroundings transformed into a dim altar. In the center of the altar, a piece of jade stone floated, emitting a faint colorful light—the soul-warming jade!

At this moment, the light on the soul-warming jade was rapidly dimming, and fine cracks even appeared on its surface! Medusa's already illusory Soul silhouette emerged from it. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was filled with pain and struggle. Her purple eyes looked at Li Ao with endless reluctance and attachment. Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to speak, but her figure began to dissipate inch by inch, like a candle in the wind, turning into scattered particles of light!

"No... Li Ao... save me..." A faint Soul fluctuation, filled with despair, entered Li Ao's perception.

Simultaneously, a voice full of temptation and majesty resonated deep within his Soul, seemingly originating from the Origin of the heart questioning pass:

"Look, the person you want to protect is disappearing right before you! Where is your power? Where is your Annihilation Rule? If you cannot even protect the person you care about, what is the meaning of your pursuit of power?"

"Sink down, give up. In this illusion, you can possess eternal power, you can easily reverse life and death, and you can have her stay by your side forever..."

"The cruelty of reality is inferior to the perfection of illusion. Stay here..."

Following the seductive voice, the scattered particles of Medusa's Soul actually began to re-condense. Her pain vanished, replaced by a devastatingly beautiful, happy smile. She extended her jade hand toward Li Ao, her eyes filled with love and expectation. The surroundings also transformed into a world of birdsong and fragrant flowers, like a paradise. It seemed that if he only nodded, he could stay here forever with the beauty, gaining eternal happiness and power.

This was the most terrifying aspect of the heart questioning pass! It did not directly strike him with terror, but instead used the obsessions and emotions he treasured most and could not let go of, constructing a seemingly perfect trap for him! Especially since Li Ao's obsession with saving Medusa was extremely deep, this became the illusion's sharpest spear of attack against him!

Faced with the despair of Medusa about to "completely vanish," and the "perfect happiness" within reach, Li Ao's Soul finally experienced a violent tremor!

His eyes momentarily blurred, and his outstretched hand trembled slightly. He seemed genuinely about to grasp the illusory jade hand and sink into this false perfection.

Just as his fingertip was about to touch the phantom!

Deep within the core of his Soul, the dormant Annihilation Rule suddenly erupted with an Concept that was both chillingly extreme and supremely clear-headed!

"The Concept of Annihilation returns to the Void Realm, and also... illuminates the truth!"

"False eternity is merely an eternal cage!"

"What I want is the real her! Not an illusionary Puppet!"

"If I cannot even see through reality and illusion, how can I speak of protection? How can I speak of the Dao?!"

A cry that seemed to come from the Origin of his Soul exploded in his consciousness like thunder!

The wisp of gray Annihilation Qi instantly swept out. It was not destructive, but a "returning to the Origin," like cold clear water washing away the delusion before his eyes!

"Crack!"

The paradise and the happy Medusa phantom before him shattered inch by inch like moon reflections in water, vanishing without a trace. The scene of the altar and the collapsing soul-warming jade also disappeared simultaneously.

The surroundings reverted to the dizzying Chaos of the torrent of consciousness.

Li Ao's Soul floated quietly, his gaze restoring its deep, placid clarity. It was even clearer and firmer than before. After being tested by this Inner Demon Tribulation, his Dao Heart was not damaged; instead, it became even purer and flawless, like purified essence gold stripped of its last Impurities! Although his Soul Realm did not directly achieve the Heavenly Realm Breakthrough, that barrier seemed to have thinned slightly.

What he had seen through was not just the illusion, but a transcendence and control over his own obsession. Saving Medusa remained his goal, but he would no longer be trapped or disturbed by this obsession. He would pursue his goal with a stronger, clearer state of mind!

As he passed this stage, the surrounding torrent of consciousness began to calm, and a soft, stable light door slowly opened before him. From behind the door came waves of rich medicinal fragrance and pure energy fluctuations. That was... the true landscape of the Soul Realm!

Li Ao did not hesitate in the slightest, taking a step forward and completely exiting the heart questioning illusion.

The moment he stepped out of the light door, in the outside world, inside the great hall at the entrance of the Soul Realm.

Before Elder Xuan Yi, on a huge light screen, the light point representing Li Ao suddenly erupted in a dazzling gray glow, then stabilized, marking him as the first, and currently the only person, to fully pass the three-stage Soul Illusionary Realm assessment!

"That fast?!" An Elder exclaimed in surprise, "Less than half an hour has passed!"

"Moreover... when he passed the heart questioning pass, the light of his Soul was actually the gray of Annihilation? The heart questioning illusion this young man experienced must have been extraordinary!" Another Elder said, his expression solemn.

Elder Xuan Yi's gaze was profound. She slowly said, "This young man already possesses the heart of a true powerhouse. Send word down to pay close attention to him. If he performs equally well in the Alchemy competition... perhaps our Pill Tower can form a favorable relationship with him."

Meanwhile, inside the Soul Realm, Li Ao, who was the first to step out of the heart questioning pass, was greeted by an ancient land resembling a paradise. The dense Spiritual Qi was almost tangible. In the distance, mountains overlapped, waterfalls fell like the Milky Way, and rare Spirit Medicine, seldom seen in the outside world, swayed and shone among the peaks.

His gaze was instantly drawn to an island suspended in the air in the distance. The island was enveloped in seven-colored light. Vaguely visible was the phantom of a heaven-reaching lotus, radiating immense vitality and pure Soul Power that made one's Soul tremble!

"Is that... the aura of the seven-colored spirit nurturing lotus?!" A scorching light finally burst forth in Li Ao's eyes.

The true Opportunity and challenge had just begun!